defproxy.htm
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C.
20549
SCHEDULE
14A
(Rule 14a-101)
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY
STATEMENT
SCHEDULE 14A
INFORMATION
PROXY
STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(A) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE
ACT OF 1934
Filed by
the Registrant [X]
Filed by
a Party other than the Registrant [ ]
Check the
appropriate box:
[
] Preliminary Proxy Statement
[
] Confidential, For Use of the Commission Only (as Permitted by
Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
[X]
Definitive Proxy Statement
[
] Definitive Additional Materials
[
] Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12
CADIZ
INC.
(Name of
Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
(Name of
Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
Payment
of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
[X] No
fee required.
[
] Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and
0-11.
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[
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materials.
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Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee
was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration
statement number, or the form or schedule and the date of its
filing.
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CADIZ
INC.
__________________________________
NOTICE
OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO
BE HELD ON DECEMBER 14, 2009
To our
Stockholders:
The
annual meeting of stockholders of Cadiz Inc., a Delaware corporation, will be
held at the law offices of Theodora Oringher Miller & Richman PC, located at
2029 Century Park East, 6th
Floor, Los Angeles, California 90067, on Monday, December 14, 2009, at 11 a.m.,
local time, and any adjournments thereof, to consider and act upon the following
matters:
(1)
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The
election of eight members of the Board of Directors, each to serve until
the next annual meeting of stockholders or until their respective
successors shall have been elected and
qualified;
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(2)
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Ratification
of the selection by the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors of
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as Cadiz' independent certified public
accountants for fiscal year 2009;
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(3)
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The
approval of Cadiz’ 2009 Equity Incentive Plan;
and
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(4)
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The
transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting
and any adjournments thereof.
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The
accompanying proxy statement contains a more complete description of these
proposals.
Only
stockholders of record at the close of business on October 30, 2009, are
entitled to notice of and to vote at the annual meeting. In order to constitute
a quorum for the conduct of business at the annual meeting, holders of a
majority of all outstanding voting shares of our common stock must be present in
person or be represented by proxy.
Whether
or not you expect to attend the annual meeting in person, please either vote
your shares via Internet, by phone (detailed instructions are included on the
proxy card) or date, sign and mail the enclosed proxy in the postage paid return
envelope provided as promptly as possible. The proxy is revocable and
will not affect your right to vote in person if you attend the
meeting.
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By Order of the
Board of Directors |
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Timothy J.
Shaheen |
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Secretary |
Los
Angeles, California
November
3, 2009
Important
Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials
for
the Stockholder Meeting to be held on December 14, 2009.
Our
proxy statement and the 2008 annual report to stockholders are available
at
http://www.cstproxy.com/cadiz/2009
CADIZ
INC.
Annual
Meeting of Stockholders
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
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Page |
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1
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Record
Date, Voting Securities and Quorum
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1
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Revocability
of Proxies
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1
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Cost
of Solicitation
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2
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3
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4
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7
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Director
Independence
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7
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Independence
of Committee Members
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7
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Communications
with the Board
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7
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Meetings
and Committees of the Board of Directors
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7
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9
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9
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10
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14
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Compensation
Philosophy
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14
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Elements
of Compensation
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14
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Severance
and Change in Control Provisions
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17
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Tax
and Accounting Considerations
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17
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17
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18
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Summary
Compensation Table
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18
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Grants
of Plan-Based Awards
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19
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Outstanding
Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
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20
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Option
Exercises and Stock Vested
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20
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Pension
Benefits
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21
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Nonqualified
Deferred Compensation
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21
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22
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23
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26
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26
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26
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27
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27
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28
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29
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30
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30
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31
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32
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38
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38
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38
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A-1
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CADIZ
INC.
550 S.
Hope Street, Suite 2850
Los
Angeles, California 90071
PROXY
STATEMENT
For
ANNUAL
MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO
BE HELD ON DECEMBER 14, 2009
The
Board of Directors of Cadiz Inc. is soliciting proxies to be voted at the annual
meeting of our stockholders to be held on Monday, December 14, 2009, at the time
and place and for the purposes set forth in the accompanying Notice of Annual
Meeting of Stockholders. This proxy statement contains information
that may help you decide how to vote. These proxy materials were
mailed on or about November 6, 2009, to all stockholders of record.
Cadiz'
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, as amended,
including audited financial statements, is being mailed to you with this proxy
statement.
RECORD
DATE, VOTING SECURITIES AND QUORUM
The
Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on October 30, 2009, as the
record date for determination of stockholders entitled to notice of, and to vote
at, the annual meeting.
On
the record date, 13,283,188 shares of our common stock were
outstanding. Holders of common stock are entitled to one vote per
share. Only stockholders of record at the close of business on the
record date will be entitled to vote.
The
candidates for director receiving a plurality of the votes of the shares present
in person or represented by proxy will be elected (Proposal 1). An
affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present or represented by proxy and
voting at the meeting is required for ratification of Cadiz' independent
registered public accounting firm (Proposal 2) and approval of the Cadiz 2009
Equity Incentive Plan (Proposal 3). If you complete, sign, and date
the enclosed proxy and return it before the meeting, the persons named will vote
your shares as you specify in the proxy. If you sign, date, and return your
proxy but do not indicate how you wish your shares voted, they will be voted for
the proposals. If you do not return a signed proxy, or submit your vote via
Internet or by phone, then your shares will not be voted unless you attend the
meeting and vote in person.
To
have a quorum, holders of a majority of all shares of voting stock outstanding
on the record date must be present at the meeting, either in person or by
proxy. Abstentions and "broker non-votes" - shares held by brokerage
firms for their clients as to which the firms have not received voting
instructions from their clients and therefore do not have the authority to vote
- will be counted for purposes of determining a quorum, but will be treated as
neither a vote "for" nor a vote "against" the proposals.
REVOCABILITY
OF PROXIES
You
may revoke a proxy any time before the voting begins in any of the following
ways:
*
By giving written notice to our corporate secretary;
*
By signing and delivering a later dated proxy; or
*
By attending and voting in person at the meeting.
COST OF
SOLICITATION
We
are paying the expenses of this solicitation. If requested, we will also
reimburse brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for
their reasonable expenses in sending proxy material to principals and obtaining
their instructions. In addition to solicitation by mail, our directors,
officers, and employees may solicit proxies, without extra compensation, in
person or by telephone, fax, e-mail, or similar means.
ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
The
Board of Directors has nominated the eight persons listed below for election at
the annual meeting to serve as directors for a term expiring at the 2010 annual
meeting of stockholders or until their respective successors are elected and
qualified.
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Keith
Brackpool |
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Murray H.
Hutchison |
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Timothy J.
Shaheen |
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Stephen J.
Duffy |
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Winston H.
Hickox |
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Geoffrey
Grant |
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Raymond J.
Pacini |
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Stephen E.
Courter |
Each
of the nominees currently serves as a director and has agreed to serve as such
for another term if elected. Prior to the acquisition by LC Capital
Master Fund, Ltd. (“LC Capital Master Fund”) of the 90% interest of Peloton
Multi-Strategy Master Fund, Ltd. (“Peloton”) in our credit facility, Peloton had
the contractual right to designate one independent director to serve on the
Board and its committees. Peloton had selected Raymond J. Pacini as
its designee. Under the terms of our credit facility, Peloton’s right
to designate one independent director was personal to Peloton and was not
assigned to LC Capital Master Fund in LC Capital Master Fund’s April 16, 2008
acquisition of Peloton’s interest in our credit facility. After LC
Capital Master Fund’s acquisition, Mr. Pacini continued to serve as a director
on the Cadiz Board of Directors but not as a designee of any
entity. On October 3, 2008, the Board of Directors approved an
increase in the number of directors of up to eight and voluntarily agreed to
provide LC Capital Master Fund the right to designate one independent director
to serve on the Board with a term expiring at our 2009 annual meeting of
stockholders. Stephen E. Courter was so designated by LC
Capital Master Fund to serve on our Board of Directors. Mr. Courter
is not employed by, and has no financial interest in, LC Capital Master
Fund. Mr. Courter and Mr. Pacini are nominees, along with the six
other persons named above, for election at our 2009 annual meeting of
stockholders.
Proxies
will be voted for the election of the nominees named above unless instructions
are given to the contrary. Proxies cannot be voted for a greater number of
persons than the number of nominees named. Should any nominee become
unable to serve as a director, the persons named in the enclosed form of proxy
will, unless otherwise directed, vote for the election of such other person as
the present Board of Directors may designate to fill that position.
The
following sets forth certain biographical information, the present occupation
and the business experience for the past five years or more of each director and
executive officer:
Nominees
for Director:
Name
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Age
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Position with Cadiz
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Keith Brackpool
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52
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Chairman
of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer
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Murray
H. Hutchison
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70
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Director
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Timothy
J. Shaheen
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49
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Director,
Chief Financial Officer and Secretary
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Stephen
J. Duffy
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56
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Director
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Winston
H. Hickox
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66
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Director
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Geoffrey
Grant
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49
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Director
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Raymond
J. Pacini
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53
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Director
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Stephen
E. Courter
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54
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Director
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Executive
Officers who are not Directors:
Name
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Age
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Position with Cadiz
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Richard
E. Stoddard
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58
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Assistant
Secretary, Chairman of the Board of Managers and CEO of Cadiz Real Estate
LLC
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Keith
Brackpool is a founder of Cadiz, has served as a member of Cadiz' Board of
Directors since September 1986, and has served as President and Chief Executive
Officer of Cadiz since December 1991. Mr. Brackpool assumed the role of Chairman
of the Board of Cadiz on May 14, 2001, and was the Chief Financial Officer from
May 19, 2003 until October 2005. Mr. Brackpool has also been a principal of 1334
Partners L.P., a partnership that owns commercial real estate from 1989 to
present.
Murray
H. Hutchison was appointed a director of Cadiz in June 1997. He is also a member
of the Board of Managers (an LLC's functional equivalent of a Board of
Directors) of Cadiz' subsidiary, Cadiz Real Estate LLC. In his capacity as a
manager of the LLC, he performs essentially the same duties on behalf of the LLC
as he would as an outside director for a corporation. Since his
retirement in 1996 from International Technology Corporation (“ITC”), a publicly
traded diversified environmental management company, Mr. Hutchison has been
self-employed with his business activities involving primarily the management of
an investment portfolio. From 1976 to 1996, Mr. Hutchison served as Chief
Executive Officer and Chairman of International Technology for
ITC. Mr. Hutchison currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Texas
Eastern Product Pipelines Company (TEPPCO), a publicly traded company operating
in refined petroleum products, liquefied petroleum gases and petrochemical
transportation and storage. Mr. Hutchison serves as lead director on
the board of Jack in the Box, Inc., a publicly traded fast food restaurant
chain; and as a director on the board of Cardium Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly
traded medical technology company. Additionally, Mr. Hutchison serves as
Chairman of the Huntington Hotel Corporation, owner of a privately owned hotel
and office building, and as a director of several other non-publicly traded U.S.
companies.
Timothy
J. Shaheen was appointed Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Cadiz in
November 2008, and has served as a director of Cadiz since March
1999. Mr. Shaheen is a private investor and principal of Difinity
Capital Partners LLP. Mr. Shaheen is also the sole member and manager
of AG Derivatives, L.L.C., which has provided agricultural management consulting
services to Cadiz since January 1, 2008. From September 1996 to April
2005, Mr. Shaheen served as the President, Chief Executive Officer and a
director of Sun World International. Prior to joining Sun World, Mr.
Shaheen served as a senior executive with Albert Fisher North America, a
publicly traded domestic and international produce company from 1989 to
1996. Prior to his employment with Albert Fisher, Mr. Shaheen has
seven years of experience with the accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP. Mr.
Shaheen is a certified public accountant.
Raymond
J. Pacini was appointed a director of Cadiz effective June 16,
2005. Mr. Pacini was originally appointed to the Board as a nominee
of ING pursuant to the rights of ING, our prior lender, as a former holder of
Cadiz' Series F preferred stock. As of June 29, 2006, Cadiz' loan
with ING was paid in full and ING's right to designate members of our Board of
Directors was terminated. Mr. Pacini remained on the Board as a
designee of Peloton, our lender after ING, pursuant to the right of Peloton to
designate a single director under the terms of Cadiz' credit facility with
Peloton. As of April 16, 2008, LC Capital Master Fund acquired the
interest in Peloton in our credit facility. Peloton’s right to
designate a director was personal to Peloton and was not assigned to LC Capital
Master Fund. Mr. Pacini remained on our Board as a director but not
as the designee of any entity. Since May 1998, Mr. Pacini has been
the President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of California Coastal
Communities, Inc., a publicly traded (NASDAQ:CALC) residential land development
and homebuilding company operating in Southern California. On October 27, 2009,
California Coastal Communities, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries filed
voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy
Code in the Central District of California. From June 1990 until May 1998, Mr.
Pacini was the Chief Financial Officer of CALC (formerly known as Koll Real
Estate Group, Inc. and Henley Properties, Inc.).
Stephen
J. Duffy was appointed a director of Cadiz effective July 3,
2006. Mr. Duffy is currently a Managing Director with Moss Adams
Capital LLC, a provider of investment banking services. Prior to
joining Moss Adams Capital LLC, Mr. Duffy served as a Managing Principal for
KayEl Capital LLC, a real estate investment company. In 2007, Mr.
Duffy was a Principal/Senior Vice President with IHP Capital Partners, a leading
institutional investor in residential housing. From 2004 – 2006, Mr.
Duffy served as Chief Operating Officer for Western National Realty
Advisors. Prior to joining Western National Realty Advisors, Mr.
Duffy was the Partner-in-Charge of Real Estate Capital Markets for the Western
U.S. with Ernst & Young, LLP. Ernst & Young, LLP merged with
Kenneth Leventhal & Company in 1995, and Mr. Duffy was the Managing Partner
of Kenneth Leventhal & Company's Real Estate Consulting Practice in Newport
Beach, California at that time.
Winston
Hickox was appointed a director of Cadiz effective October 2,
2006. Mr. Hickox is currently a partner at California
Strategies, a public policy consulting firm. From 2004 - 2006 Mr.
Hickox completed a two-year assignment as Sr. Portfolio Manager with the
California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) where he assisted with
the design and implementation of a series of environmentally oriented investment
initiatives in the Private Equity, Real Estate, Global Public Equities, and
Corporate Governance segments of the fund’s $211 billion investment
portfolio. Prior to his assignment at CalPers, from 1999 -
2003, Mr. Hickox served as Secretary of the California Environmental
Protection Agency and a member of the Governor’s cabinet. Mr.
Hickox’s environmental policy experience also includes membership on the board
of the California League of Conservation Voters, including a four-year term as
Board President (1990 - 1994); and two years on the boards of Audubon
California and Sustainable Conservation (2004 -
2006). Additionally, Mr. Hickox is currently serving as a member of
the board of Thomas Properties Group, a publicly traded full service real estate
investment firm, Optimal Technologies International Inc., a privately held
corporation in the energy technology sector, and as a member of the Sacramento
County Employees’ Retirement System board. Earlier in his professional career,
Mr. Hickox was a partner and Managing Director with LaSalle Advisors, Ltd., a
major force in the world's real estate capital markets, and a Managing Director
with Alex Brown Kleinwort Benson Realty Advisors Corp., where he served as head
of the firm’s Portfolio Management Group.
Geoffrey
Grant was appointed a director of Cadiz effective January 22, 2007. Mr. Grant is
presently a Managing Partner and the Chief Investment Officer of Grant Capital
Partners founded in 2008. Prior to founding Grant Capital Partners, Mr.
Grant was a Managing Partner and the Chief Investment Officer of Peloton
Partners LLP, a global asset management firm. Mr. Grant co-founded
Peloton Partners LLP in 2005. Mr. Grant’s career in financial markets
spans 27 years beginning at Morgan Stanley in 1982 in foreign exchange options
and currency derivatives, then with Goldman Sachs from 1989 to 2004 where he
ultimately served as Head of Global Foreign Exchange and Co-head of the
Proprietary Trading Group in London.
Stephen
E. Courter was appointed a director of Cadiz effective October 9,
2008. Mr. Courter was appointed to the Board as a designee of LC
Capital Master Fund for a term expiring at the 2009 annual meeting of
stockholders. Mr. Courter is currently on the faculty of the McCombs
School of Business, University of Texas at Austin (“McCombs”). Mr.
Courter also serves as a director of Pointserve, a privately held information
technology firm in Austin, Texas. Prior to joining the faculty of
McCombs, Mr. Courter served as CEO and Director of Broadwing Communications from
2006 to 2007. Prior to holding that position, Mr. Courter served as
CEO and Chairman of NEON Communications from 2000 to 2006. Prior to
2000, Mr. Courter held various executive positions, both in the United States
and Europe in several major telecommunication firms.
Richard
E. Stoddard serves as Chairman and CEO of the Board of Managers of Cadiz Real
Estate LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cadiz, as a consultant, directing the
Company’s legal activities and development of the Cadiz Valley water project and
other Cadiz real estate assets. Mr. Stoddard also serves as the
Assistant Secretary of Cadiz. In addition, since 1988, Mr. Stoddard
has served as the Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Ventures LLC, an unrelated company
involved in real estate development and waste management projects in southern
California.
Directors
of Cadiz hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders or until
their successors are elected and qualified. There are no family
relationships between any directors or current officers of
Cadiz. Officers serve at the discretion of the Board of
Directors.
The
Board is elected annually. Presently the Board is comprised of eight
directors, of whom two are current or former executive officers of Cadiz or a
former subsidiary of Cadiz. Mr. Brackpool is the Company's Chief
Executive Officer. Mr. Shaheen is Cadiz’ Chief Financial Officer and
Secretary and previously served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a
director of Sun World International, the Company's former subsidiary, until
April 2005. Mr. Shaheen provided agricultural management consulting
services to the Company in his capacity as the sole member and manager of AG
Derivatives, L.L.C., a California limited liability company which executed a
consulting agreement with Cadiz as of January 1, 2008. Effective May
22, 2009, Mr. Shaheen entered into a formal employment agreement with the
Company. Mr. Grant, who served as the Chief Investment Officer and a
Managing Partner of Peloton Partners LLP until June 2008, has been determined by
the Board to be precluded from a designation of independence under the current
rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the
pertinent listing standards of the NASDAQ Global Market (formerly NASDAQ
National Market).
DIRECTOR
INDEPENDENCE
Messrs.
Hutchison, Duffy, Pacini, Hickox, and Courter have all been affirmatively
determined by the Board to be "independent" under all relevant securities and
other laws and regulations, including those set forth in SEC and regulations and
pertinent listing standards of the NASDAQ Global Market, as in effect from time
to time.
The
Company's independent directors meet routinely in executive session without the
presence of management.
INDEPENDENCE
OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS
The
Board maintains three committees, whose functions are described
below. The Board has determined that all members of its committees
are independent. Each committee maintains a written charter detailing
its authority and responsibilities. These charters are reviewed
periodically as legislative and regulatory developments and business
circumstances warrant and are available in their entirety on the Company's
website at http://www.cadizinc.com
and to any stockholder otherwise requesting a copy.
COMMUNICATIONS
WITH THE BOARD
Stockholders
wishing to communicate with the Board, or with a specific Board member, may do
so by writing to the Board, or to the particular Board member, and delivering
the communication in person or mailing it to: Board of Directors c/o Timothy J.
Shaheen, Corporate Secretary, Cadiz Inc., 550 S. Hope Street, Suite 2850, Los
Angeles, California 90071.
MEETINGS
AND COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
During
the year ended December 31, 2008, the Board of Directors held seven formal
meetings, conferred on a number of occasions through telephone conferences, and
took action, when appropriate, by unanimous written consent. All
members of the Board of Directors were present at each meeting, with the
exception of (i) Mr. Pacini, Mr. Hutchison and Mr. Grant, who were unable to
attend one telephonic meeting, and (ii) Mr. Courter, who was appointed to the
Board of Directors in October 2008 and attended all meetings held after such
appointment date.
The
Board of Directors has three standing committees, the Audit Committee, the
Compensation Committee and the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee,
each of which is comprised entirely of directors whom the Board has
affirmatively determined to be independent, as they meet the objective
requirements set forth by the NASDAQ Global Market and the SEC, and have no
relationship, direct or indirect, to the Company other than as stockholders or
through their service on the Board.
The Audit Committee is responsible for (i) considering the adequacy of the
Company's internal accounting control procedures, (ii) overseeing the Company's
compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (iii) reviewing the
independent auditor's qualifications and independence, (iv) the appointment,
compensation and oversight of all work performed by the independent registered
public accounting firm and (v) overseeing the accounting and financial reporting
processes of the Company and the audits of the financial statements of the
Company. The Committee advises and makes recommendations to the Board
of Directors regarding the financial, investment and accounting procedures and
practices followed by the Company. The Committee operates under a
written charter adopted by the Board of Directors, which is available on the
Company's website at http://www.cadizinc.com
and to any stockholder otherwise requesting a copy. The Audit
Committee is currently composed of Raymond J. Pacini, Stephen J. Duffy, Winston
H. Hickox and Stephen E. Courter. The Board has determined that all
members of its Audit Committee are independent. The Audit Committee
met five times during the year ended December 31, 2008. All the
members of the Audit Committee were present at each meeting with the exception
of Mr. Hickox, who was unable to attend one meeting, and Mr. Courter who
attended all meetings held after his December 16, 2008 appointment to the Audit
Committee.
The
Compensation Committee oversees compensation of the Chief Executive Officer and
key executives and oversees regulatory compliance with respect to the Company's
compensation matters. The Committee also oversees the Company's
compensation policy applicable to senior management of the Company and advises
and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding the compensation
of directors and executive officers. The Committee operates under a
written charter adopted by the Board of Directors, which is available on the
Company's website at http://www.cadizinc.com
and to any stockholder otherwise requesting a copy. The Compensation
Committee is currently composed of Murray H. Hutchison, Raymond J. Pacini,
Stephen J. Duffy, Winston H. Hickox and Stephen E. Courter. The Board
has determined that all members of its Compensation Committee are
independent. The Compensation Committee met one time during the year
ended December 31, 2008. All the members of the Compensation
Committee were present at the meeting.
The
Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee is responsible for the
establishment of procedures for the Committee's oversight of the evaluation of
the Board and management. The Committee makes recommendations to the
Board of corporate guidelines applicable to the Company. The
Committee is also responsible for the identification and recommendation to the
Board of qualified candidates for nomination to the Company's Board of
Directors. The Committee will consider director candidates recommended by
stockholders provided the nominations are received on a timely basis and contain
all information relating to such nominee as is required to be disclosed in
solicitations of proxies for elections of directors pursuant to Regulation 14A
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including such person's
written consent to being named in the Proxy Statement as a nominee and to serve
as a director if elected, the name and address of such stockholder or beneficial
owner on whose behalf the proposed nomination is being made, and the class and
number of shares of the Company owned beneficially and of record by such
stockholder or beneficial owner. The Corporate Governance and
Nominating Committee will consider nominees suggested by stockholders on the
same terms as nominees selected by the Corporate Governance and Nominating
Committee. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee believes
that nominees for election to the Board of Directors must possess certain
minimum qualifications. The Committee will consider a candidate's
judgment, skill, diversity, experience with businesses and other organizations
of comparable size, financial background, beneficial ownership of the Company,
and the interplay of the candidate's experience with the experience of other
Board members, among other factors, in assessing a candidate. Except
as set forth above, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee does not
currently have a formal policy regarding the handling or consideration of
director candidate recommendations received from a stockholder, or a formal
process for identifying and evaluating nominees for directors (including
nominees recommended by stockholders). These issues will be
considered by the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, which will then
make a recommendation to the Board. The Corporate Governance and
Nominating Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Board of
Directors, which is available on the Company's website at http://www.cadizinc.com
and to any stockholder otherwise requesting a copy. The
Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee is currently composed of Mr.
Hutchison, Mr. Pacini, Mr. Duffy, and Mr. Hickox. The Board has
determined that all members of its Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee
are independent. The Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee met twice
during the year ended December 31, 2008. All the members of the
Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee were present at the
meeting.
The
Board of Directors has determined that Mr. Pacini, a member of the Company's
Audit Committee, is an "audit committee financial expert" as that term is
defined in Item 401(h) of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act.
Cadiz
does not have a policy regarding director attendance at its annual meetings.
There were no directors in attendance at Cadiz’ 2008 annual meeting of
stockholders.
Cadiz
has adopted a code of ethics that applies to all of its employees, including its
chief executive officer and chief financial officer. A copy of the
code of ethics may be found on Cadiz' website at http://www.cadizinc.com. Any employee who becomes
aware of any existing or potential violation of the code of ethics is required
to report it. Any waivers from and amendments to the code of ethics
granted to directors or executive officers will be promptly disclosed on the
Company's website at http://www.cadizinc.com.
Section
16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "1934 Act") requires Cadiz'
directors and executive officers, and persons who beneficially own more than 10%
of a registered class of Cadiz' equity securities ("reporting persons"), to file
with the Securities and Exchange Commission initial reports of ownership and
reports of changes in ownership of common stock and other equity securities of
Cadiz. Reporting persons are required by Commission regulations to
furnish Cadiz with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file.
To
Cadiz' knowledge, based solely on a review of the copies of reports and
amendments thereto on Forms 3, 4 and 5 furnished to us by reporting persons and
forms that we filed on behalf of certain directors and officers, during, and
with respect to, Cadiz' fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, and on a
review of written representations from reporting persons to Cadiz that no
other reports were required to be filed for such fiscal year, all Section 16(a)
filing requirements applicable to Cadiz' reporting persons were satisfied in a
timely manner,
except that a Form 3 and Form 4 filing of LC Capital Master Fund, and a
Form 3 filing of Mr. Courter, were inadvertently filed late.
The
following table sets forth the beneficial ownership of Cadiz voting securities,
as of the record date for the annual meeting, by each stockholder who we know to
own beneficially more than five percent of our common stock, and by each
director, each named executive officer, and all directors and executive officers
as a group, excluding, in each case, rights under options or warrants not
exercisable within 60 days. All persons named have sole voting power
and investment power over their shares except as otherwise noted.
Name and Address
|
Amount
and Nature of
Beneficial Ownership
|
Percent
of Class
|
LC
Capital Master Fund
LC
Capital Partners LP
LC
Capital Advisors LLC
LC
Capital International LLC
Steven
Lampe
Richard
F. Conway
c/o
Lampe, Conway & Co., LLC
680
Fifth Avenue, 12th
Floor
New
York, New York 10019-5429
|
2,445,130(1)
|
16.23%
|
|
|
|
Pictet
Asset Management SA
Pictet
Asset Management LTD
Tower
42, Level 37
25
Old Broad Street
London
XO
EC2N
1HQ
|
931,369(2)
|
7.01%
|
|
|
|
Persistency
Persistency
Capital LLC
Andrew
Morris
1270
Avenue of the Americas
Suite
2100
New
York, NY 10020
|
930,426(3)
|
7.00%
|
|
|
|
Bedford
Oak Advisors, LLC
Bedford
Oak Partners, LP
Harvey
P. Eisen
100
South Bedford Road
Mt.
Kisco, NY 10549
|
879,100(4)
|
6.62%
|
|
|
|
Altima
Partners LLP
Mark
Donegan
Dominic
Redfern
Stirling
Square
7
Carlton Gardens
London
SW1Y 5AD
United
Kingdom
|
807,750(5)
|
6.08%
|
|
|
|
Frost
Gamma Investment Trust
4400
Biscayne Blvd
Miami,
FL 33137
|
732,187(6)
|
5.51%
|
|
|
|
Richard
E. Stoddard
c/o
550 S. Hope St., Suite 2850
Los
Angeles, CA 90071
|
235,311(7)
|
1.76%
|
|
|
|
Keith
Brackpool
c/o
550 S. Hope St., Suite 2850
Los
Angeles, CA 90071
|
192,436(8)
|
1.43%
|
Timothy
J. Shaheen
c/o
550 S. Hope St., Suite 2850
Los
Angeles, CA 90071
|
37,848
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Murray
Hutchison
c/o
550 S. Hope St., Suite 2850
Los
Angeles, CA 90071
|
14,140
|
*
|
|
|
|
Raymond
J. Pacini
c/o
550 S. Hope St., Suite 2850
Los
Angeles, CA 90071
|
5,441
|
*
|
|
|
|
Stephen
J. Duffy
c/o
550 S. Hope St., Suite 2850
Los
Angeles, CA 90071
|
3,931
|
*
|
|
|
|
Winston
H. Hickox
c/o
550 S. Hope St., Suite 2850
Los
Angeles, CA 90071
|
3,712
|
*
|
|
|
|
Geoffrey
Grant
c/o
550 S. Hope St., Suite 2850
Los
Angeles, CA 90071
|
3,493
|
*
|
|
|
|
Stephen
Courter
|
1,413
|
*
|
c/o
550 S. Hope Street, Suite 2850
|
|
|
Los
Angeles, CA 90071
|
|
|
|
|
|
O’Donnell
Iselin
|
0
(9)
|
*
|
c/o
550 S. Hope Street, Suite 2850
|
|
|
Los
Angeles, CA 90071
|
|
|
|
|
|
All
Directors and officers as a group
(nine
individuals)
|
497,725(7)(8)(9)
|
3.69%
|
______________________________________________________________
|
*
|
Represents
less than one percent of the 13,283,188 outstanding shares of common stock
of Cadiz as of the record date.
|
Footnotes
1.
|
Based
on Form 4 filed on June 9, 2009 with the Commission by LC Capital Master
Fund Ltd., information provided by LC Capital Master Fund Ltd. and Cadiz
corporate records.
|
|
Includes
585,000 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of $4,095,000 in
principal under our credit facility (the "Loan") as of October 30, 2009 at
a conversion rate of $7.00 per share and 993,533 shares of common stock
issuable upon conversion of $34,773,665 in principal and interest under
the Loan as of October 30, 2009 at a conversion rate of $35.00 per
share. Does not include 275,070 shares of common stock issuable
upon conversion of a maximum of an additional $9,627,450 in interest which
may accrue in favor of LC Capital Master Fund Ltd. during the term of the
Loan, assuming no further extension of the maturity date of the Loan. Of
the 275,070 shares of common stock, only 11,105 shares were beneficially
owned by LC Capital Master Fund Ltd. as of October 30, 2009 as a result of
common stock issuable upon conversion of $388,625 of interest, which is
the amount of interest that will have accrued within 60 days of October
30, 2009. These shares are
included.
|
|
Does
not include 146,115 shares of stock issuable in the event of a further two
year extension of the maturity date of the
Loan.
|
|
Includes
192,000 shares issuable upon the exercise of the warrants acquired in our
November 2008 private placement.
|
|
Does
not include 20,880 shares of stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants
acquired in our October 2009 private placement. These warrants are not
exercisable within 60 days of the record date of October 30,
2009.
|
|
These
securities also may be deemed to be beneficially owned by LC Capital
Partners, LP ("Partners"), LC Capital Advisors LLC ("Advisors"), Lampe
Conway, LC Capital International LLC ("International"), Steven G. Lampe
(“Lampe”) and Richard F. Conway ("Conway") by virtue of the following
relationships: (i) Partners' beneficially owns one-third of the
outstanding shares of the Master Fund; (ii) Advisors is the sole general
partner of Partners; (iii) Lampe Conway acts as investment manager to
Partners and the Master Fund pursuant to certain investment management
agreements, and as a result of such agreements, Lampe Conway shares voting
and dispositive power over the securities; (iv) International acts as
investment advisor to the Master Fund pursuant to an investment advisory
agreement and, as a result, International shares voting and dispositive
power over the securities; and (v) Lampe and Conway act as the sole
managing members of each of Advisors, Lampe Conway and International and
are the natural persons with voting and dispositive power over these
securities.
|
|
LC
Capital and/or its affiliates have designated Mr. Stephen E. Courter, a
director of the Company, as their designee on our Board of
Directors.
|
2.
|
Based
upon a Schedule 13F-HR filed with the SEC on August 13, 2009 and Cadiz
corporate records of stock issuances, Pictet Asset Management SA
beneficially owns an aggregate of 931,369 shares of Cadiz common stock and
has sole voting and dispositive power of the
stock.
|
3.
|
Based
upon a Schedule Form 13G/A filed on February 13, 2009 with the SEC, the
listed related entities beneficially own an aggregate of 930,426 shares of
Cadiz common stock.
|
4.
|
Based
upon a Schedule 13F-HR filed with the SEC on August 18, 2008 and
correspondence with Bedford Oak Advisors LLC, the listed related entities
beneficially own an aggregate of 879,100 shares of Cadiz common
stock.
|
5.
|
Based
upon a Schedule Form 13G filed on July 17, 2009 with the SEC and Cadiz
corporate records of stock issuances, the listed related entities own an
aggregate of 807,750 shares of Cadiz common stock and have shared voting
and dispositive power of the stock. Does not include 48,000 shares of
stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants acquired in our October 2009
private placement. These warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of
the record date of October 30,
2009.
|
6.
|
Based
upon a Schedule 13G/A filed on February 11, 2009 with the SEC, Frost Gamma
Investment Trust beneficially owns an aggregate of 732,187 shares of Cadiz
common stock and has sole voting and dispositive power of the
stock.
|
7.
|
Includes
50,000 shares previously granted under Cadiz’ 2007 Management Incentive
Plan that will vest in January 2010 and 100,000 shares underlying
presently exercisable options.
|
8.
|
Includes
100,000 shares underlying presently exercisable
options.
|
9.
|
Mr.
Iselin served as our Chief Financial Officer and Secretary until November
19, 2008. Mr. Iselin is included in the table because he served
as Cadiz’ Chief Financial Officer for a part of fiscal year 2008 and is
therefore included as a named executive officerin the Summary Compensation Table for
fiscal 2008.
|
COMPENSATION
PHILOSOPHY
Our
executive compensation programs are designed to enhance operating performance
and to maximize the long-term value of our assets and stockholder value by
aligning the financial interests of the executive officers and management with
those of our stockholders. Such a compensation program helps to
achieve Cadiz' business and financial objectives and provide incentives needed
to attract and retain well-qualified executives in a highly competitive
marketplace.
Our
development activities are inherently long-term in nature. Our
quarterly and annual results of operations have not, and in the near term are
not expected to, bear a direct relationship to the progress made by us in the
development of our land and water resources. Accordingly, in order to
achieve our basic goal of matching the financial interest of our executive
officers and management with those of our stockholders, our compensation program
emphasizes long-term incentives. In this respect, our compensation
program is weighted more heavily towards long-term incentives than is typical of
other companies with similarly sized asset portfolios. Through the
programs described below, a very significant portion of our executive
compensation is linked to share price appreciation and corporate
performance.
Our
Board of Directors has formed a Compensation Committee which is responsible for
reviewing and establishing the compensation payable to our executive officers,
including our Chief Executive Officer. For executive officers other
than the Chief Executive Officer, the Committee establishes compensation levels
based, in part, upon the recommendations of our Chief Executive
Officer. Currently, we have only three executive officers, including
our Chief Executive Officer. The Compensation Committee is therefore
able to consider the performance of each officer on an individual basis in
adjusting base salary levels and in determining additional incentive
compensation, such as the cash awards and long term incentives discussed
below.
ELEMENTS
OF COMPENSATION
Our
compensation program has three primary components: base salary,
performance-based cash awards and long-term incentives through stock
awards.
BASE
SALARY In light of our emphasis on long-term incentives, the base
salary component of our compensation program is lower than that typically
provided by similarly sized companies. No specific or set formula has
been used to tie base salary levels to precise measurable factors; rather,
current base salaries have been established by agreements negotiated directly
with our key executives.
Our
Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Keith Brackpool, is charged with the overall
responsibility for our company's performance. Prior to entering into
an amended and restated employment agreement effective May 22, 2009, Mr.
Brackpool was compensated pursuant to a written agreement effective as of
February 1, 2003, which established a base salary of $250,000 per
year. This base salary was increased to $400,000 per year effective
as of January 1, 2007. In 2003 there was significant uncertainty
concerning the company's ability to continue with the development of its
resource development programs. This uncertainty was due to, among
other things, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California's decision
in October 2002 to not accept the right of way grant offered by the U.S.
Department of the Interior to our water storage and supply program and refusal
to consider whether or not to certify the program's final environmental impact
report. In light of the existing circumstances, the written agreement
entered into with Mr. Brackpool in 2003 reduced his base salary to 50% of its
previous amount but also allowed Mr. Brackpool to provide services to Cadiz on a
non-exclusive basis.
Under
Mr. Brackpool's leadership during the subsequent six years, our company has made
significant progress towards resolving the uncertainties concerning our ability
to continue developing our assets and in the development process. On
February 11, 2009, we and the Metropolitan Water District agreed to settle our
differences and dismissed all outstanding claims remaining against each other
removing an impediment to the company's ability to negotiate agreements with
water purveyors that rely upon Metropolitan for a portion of their
water. Furthermore in September 2008, the company entered into a
99-year lease agreement with the Arizona and California Railroad Company (ARZC)
providing the company with an alternative right-of-way for the construction of a
conveyance pipeline connecting our water storage and supply project to the
Colorado River Aqueduct. With the dismissal of the Metropolitan Water
District litigation, the company can now focus its attention entirely on
the development of our water storage and supply project and its other assets
through such alternative arrangements.
The
Compensation Committee has taken Mr. Brackpool's role in advancing the company's
interests during this period, as well as the importance of his ongoing role in
the development of our properties, into consideration in entering into an
amended and restated employment agreement with Mr. Brackpool effective May 22,
2009. Under this amended and restated agreement, Mr. Brackpool's base
salary will remain at $400,000 (remaining lower than he was entitled to receive
prior to February 2003) and he received an immediate grant of 60,000 shares of
common stock under our 2007 Management Equity Incentive Plan. The
agreement provides for Mr. Brackpool's participation in a Long Term Transaction
Incentive Plan in addition to allowing for his participation in other management
incentive programs that the Board may adopt, including discretionary annual
bonuses.
Mr.
Richard Stoddard serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Board of
Managers of Cadiz Real Estate LLC, our subsidiary holding title to our land and
water assets, pursuant to a consulting agreement with us. Effective
January 1, 2007, Mr. Stoddard received an increase in his monthly consulting fee
to $25,000 given his role in advancing the company's interests during the last
several years, as well as the importance of his ongoing role in the development
of our properties. He had been receiving a monthly consulting fee of
$20,833 since the commencement of his consulting agreement in 2002.
Mr.
O'Donnell Iselin II served as our Chief Financial Officer until November 19,
2008 pursuant to an employment agreement negotiated and entered into when he
joined us in September, 2005, providing for an annual base salary of $165,000
which was increased to an annual rate of $175,000 on January 1,
2008.
Effective
November 19, 2008, Mr. Timothy J. Shaheen became our Chief Financial
Officer. Initially, he received compensation for such services in the
amount of $10,000 per month, in addition to the compensation payable to him for
his consulting services to the company under the existing consulting agreement
between AG Derivatives, L.L.C. and Cadiz and the compensation he received for
service in 2008 as a non-employee director under our Outside Director
Compensation Plan. As of January 1, 2009, Mr. Shaheen was no longer
eligible to participate in our Outside Director Compensation Plan and his
compensation for service as our Chief Financial Officer was adjusted to enable
him to receive the amount he would have otherwise received under the Outside
Director Compensation Plan. Effective May 22, 2009 we entered into a
formal employment agreement with Mr. Shaheen providing for a base salary of
$300,000, consistent with what he had theretofore been receiving on a month to
month basis, and an immediate grant of 30,000 shares of common stock under our
2007 Management Equity Incentive Plan. The agreement provides for Mr.
Shaheen's participation in a Long Term Transaction Incentive Plan in addition to
allowing for his participation in other management incentive programs that the
Board may adopt, including discretionary annual bonuses.
PERFORMANCE-BASED
CASH AWARDS. The Compensation Committee believes that it is important
to offer cash incentives to executives for the achievement of specified
objectives that yield increased value for stockholders. Although the
Compensation Committee relies primarily upon the grant of equity based awards to
reward executive performance (see "Long-Term Incentives" below), the
Compensation Committee will utilize performance-based cash awards from time to
time to provide additional incentives. The Compensation Committee
awarded Mr. Iselin a $20,000 cash bonus in 2008, an amount equivalent to 11.4%
of his $175,000 annual base salary in 2008.
LONG-TERM
INCENTIVES. The primary form of incentive compensation that we expect
to offer to our executives consists of long-term incentives in the form of
milestone based project participation or equity awards. This form of
compensation is intended to help retain executives and motivate them to improve
our long-term performance and hence long-term stock market
performance. The value of these equity based awards will increase as
our stock price increases.
The
Compensation Committee views the grant of equity based awards as both a reward
for past performance and an incentive for future performance. Equity
based awards may vest immediately upon grant, with the passage of time, at the
discretion of the Board, and/or upon the achievement of certain specific
performance goals.
In
December 2003, the Compensation Committee, the Board of Directors and our senior
secured lender agreed to implement a Management Equity
Incentive Plan (the "2003 Incentive Plan"), which provided equity based
awards to our key personnel. All shares and options authorized
for issuance under the 2003 Incentive Plan have been allocated.
In order
for the company to continue to utilize equity based awards as our primary form
of incentive compensation after all shares and options in our 2003 Incentive
Plan were allocated, in March 2007 the Board approved a new equity incentive
program (the "2007 Incentive Plan") which was approved by our stockholders at
the company’s 2007 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. 1,050,000 shares
were reserved for issuance under the 2007 Incentive Plan, and all but 100,000 of
such shares were allocated for issuance at the time of approval of the 2007
Plan.
800,000 of the 1,050,000 shares reserved under the 2007 Incentive Plan were
designated as Milestone-Based Deferred Stock, none of which were ultimately
issued. 600,000 of such 800,000 shares were allocated for issuance to
Mr. Brackpool, and 200,000 to Mr. Stoddard, with such issuance subject to the
satisfaction of certain milestone conditions relating to the trading price of
our common stock during the period commencing March 13, 2007 ending March 12,
2009. The milestone conditions were not satisfied by March 12, 2009
resulting in the expiration of all 800,000 shares.
Of
the remaining 250,000 shares reserved under the 2007 Incentive Plan, 150,000
were allocated to Mr. Stoddard as Time-Based Deferred Stock, subject to
time-based vesting conditions. The Time-Based Deferred Stock vest and
are issuable to Mr. Stoddard in three equal installments on January 1, 2008,
January 1, 2009 and January 1, 2010. The vesting and issuance
of any installment of the Time-Based Deferred Stock is generally subject to the
further condition that Mr. Stoddard be an employee, consultant or independent
contractor for us on the relevant vesting date. However, in the event
Mr. Stoddard is terminated by us without cause, or in the event of a change of
control of the company, then all as yet unvested Time-Based Deferred Stock shall
immediately vest and be issuable in full.
Of
the remaining 100,000 shares reserved under the 2007 Incentive Plan, 10,000 were
issued to an employee in the form of stock options, and the remaining shares
were issued concurrently with the execution by Mr. Brackpool of an Amended and
Restated Employment Agreement and by Mr. Shaheen of a formal employment
agreement, both of which were effective May 22, 2009, in the amounts of 60,000
shares and 30,000 shares, respectively.
As
a result, no shares remain available for issuance under the 2007 Incentive Plan.
Therefore, in order for us to be able to continue to utilize equity based awards
as our primary form of incentive compensation, it has become necessary for us to
implement a new equity incentive program. We have explored a Long
Term Transaction Incentive Plan alternative and have incorporated this concept
in the new employment agreements referred to above. This type of program would
involve a direct profit participation in our project development activities
based on the achievement of specific milestones. However, we believe it would be
more appropriate to align incentives directly with our
stockholders. To this end, in October 2009 our Board approved
the adoption of a new incentive plan named the Cadiz Inc. 2009 Equity Incentive
Plan (“the 2009 EIP”).
The
2009 EIP has been approved as required by our Term Lender and now remains
subject to approval by our stockholders. A proposal to this effect
(as well as a summary of the provisions of the Plan) is included as Proposal 3
within this Proxy Statement. If the 2009 EIP is approved by stockholders, it
would be the Committee’s intention to use these incentives in lieu of other Long
Term Transaction Incentive Plan alternatives.
SEVERANCE
AND CHANGE IN CONTROL PROVISIONS
Our
compensation arrangements with Messrs. Brackpool, Shaheen and Stoddard provide
for, and the compensation arrangement that existed with Mr. Iselin during his
employment with us provided for, certain severance provisions and benefits
associated with various termination scenarios, as well as certain vesting
acceleration for equity-based compensation in the event of a
change-in-control. The severance and change in control provisions are
designed to be competitive in the marketplace and provide security for these
executives in the event that the Company is acquired and their position is
impacted. This will allow our executives to consider and implement
transformative transactions of significant benefit to our stockholders without
undue concern over their own financial situations.
A
summary of the severance and change-in-control provisions applicable to
compensation arrangements with our executive officers named in the Summary
Compensation Table, along with a quantification of the benefits available to
each named officer as of December 31, 2008, can be found in the section of this
proxy statement captioned "Potential Payments upon Termination or Change in
Control".
TAX AND
ACCOUNTING CONSIDERATIONS
Impact
of Code Section 162(m)
The
Compensation Committee has considered the impact of provisions of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, specifically Code Section 162(m). Section 162(m) limits to
$1 million our deduction for compensation paid to each of our executive
officers, which does not qualify as "performance based".
Shares
of stock issued to executives under the 2003 Incentive Plan and the 2007
Incentive Plan do not qualify as performance-based compensation, and therefore,
the portion of the compensation expense related to the Plans that exceeds $1
million is not deductible.
In
light of our federal and state net operating loss carryforwards (approximately
$93.6 million and $39.3 million as of December 31, 2008, respectively), we do
not expect the tax deductions lost as a result of the application of Section
162(m) to have a material impact upon our financial results.
The
Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed the foregoing Compensation
Discussion and Analysis with management of the Company. Based on this
review and discussion, we recommend to the Board of Directors that the
Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy
Statement.
|
THE COMPENSATION
COMMITTEE |
|
|
|
Murray
H. Hutchison, Chairman |
|
Raymond J.
Pacini |
|
Stephen J.
Duffy |
|
Winston
H. Hickox |
|
Stephen E.
Courter |
The
foregoing report shall not be deemed incorporated by reference by any general
statement incorporating by reference this Proxy Statement into any filing under
the Securities Act of 1933 or under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except
to the extent that we specifically incorporate this information by reference,
and shall not otherwise be deemed filed under such Acts.
SUMMARY
COMPENSATION TABLE
The
following table shows the compensation awarded to, earned by, or paid during the
year ended December 31, 2008 to our chief executive officer, our chief
financial officer, our former chief financial officer, and to the chief
executive of our subsidiary, Cadiz Real Estate LLC.
In
particular, $3,688,784 and $1,229,595 attributed in the table to Keith Brackpool
and Richard Stoddard, respectively, relate to conditional stock awards for which
the vesting conditions were not satisfied. No shares will be issued
to Messrs. Brackpool and Stoddard with respect to these conditional
awards. Nevertheless, these amounts are required to be included in
the table pursuant to FAS 123R. See footnotes 4 and 9
below.
Name
and Principal Position(1)
|
Year
|
Salary
($)
|
Bonus
($)
|
Stock
Awards
($)
|
Option
Awards(2)
($)
|
All Other
Compensation(3)
($)
|
Total
($)
|
Keith
Brackpool
Chairman,
Principal Executive Officer and President
|
2008
2007
2006
|
400,000
400,000
250,000
|
-
-
-
|
2,289,923(4)
1,398,861(4)
451,475
|
-
-
203,917
|
45,431
29,457
14,991
|
2,735,354
1,828,318
920,383
|
Timothy
J. Shaheen
Principal
Financial Officer and Secretary(5)
|
2008
2007
2006
|
14,000
-
-
|
-
-
-
|
18,877(6)
-
-
|
-
-
-
|
180,000(7)
-
-
|
212,877
-
-
|
O'Donnell
Iselin II
Former
Principal Financial Officer and Secretary(8)
|
2008
2007
2006
|
154,863
165,000
165,000
|
20,000
20,000
41,250
|
-
-
-
|
-
65,697
218,990
|
33,798
7,742
6,599
|
208,661
258,439
431,839
|
Richard
E. Stoddard
Chairman,
Cadiz Real Estate LLC
|
2008
2007
2006
|
300,000
300,000
250,000
|
-
-
-
|
1,868,427(9)
1,913,754(9)
451,475
|
-
-
203,917
|
-
-
-
|
2,168,427
2,213,754
905,392
|
_________________________
(1)
|
The
executive officers listed in the Summary Compensation Table above are our
only executive officers.
|
(2)
|
This
amount discloses the dollar amount of compensation cost recognized for the
respective fiscal year in accordance with FAS 123R. The assumptions used
to value the stock options were disclosed in note 10 to the Company’s
consolidated financial statements contained in its Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 and are incorporated herein
by reference. All amounts shown for Mr. Iselin pertain to
stock options that have since
expired.
|
(3)
|
All
Other Compensation includes a 401k match that is generally available to
all employees. Messrs. Brackpool and Iselin received $15,730
and $7,661, respectively, in 401k matching contributions in
2008. In 2008, Mr. Brackpool’s Other Compensation also includes
$27,495 of company paid expenses related to a leased automobile and $2,205
related to life insurance. Mr. Iselin’s Other Compensation for
2008 includes $6,000 in a car allowance and $20,137 in severance benefits
consisting of the continuation of his base salary from the November 19,
2008 effective date of the termination of employment with us through the
end of the fiscal year. The value of perquisites for each of
the other executive officers was less than $10,000, and thus no amount
relating to perquisites is included in the Summary Compensation
Table.
|
(4)
|
The
entire amount shown pertains to shares of Milestone-Based Deferred Stock,
none of which vested because the milestone conditions, tied to the trading
price of our stock, were not satisfied prior to the expiration of the
milestone period. This column discloses the dollar amount of
compensation cost recognized in the respective fiscal year in accordance
with FAS 123R. The assumptions used to value the stock are disclosed in
note 10 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements contained in
its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008
and are incorporated herein by
reference.
|
(5)
|
Mr.
Shaheen became our Chief Financial Officer and Secretary effective
November 19, 2008.
|
(6)
|
In
2008 Mr. Shaheen received shares of stock under our Outside Director
Compensation Program for services performed as a non-employee
director. The amount shown in this column for Mr. Shaheen
represents the dollar amount of compensation cost recognized in 2008 in
accordance with FAS 123R.
|
(7)
|
Mr.
Shaheen received cash fees in the amount of $30,000 in 2008 for his
services as a non-employee director of Cadiz. Additionally,
effective January 1, 2008, Mr. Shaheen received compensation at the rate
of $12,500 per month for agricultural management consulting services
pursuant to a Consulting Agreement between Cadiz and AG Derivatives,
L.L.C., a California limited liability company. Mr. Shaheen is
the sole member and manager of AG Derivatives, LLC. See
“Certain Relationships and Related Transactions",
below.
|
(8)
|
Mr.
Iselin served as our Chief Financial Officer and Secretary until November
19, 2008.
|
(9)
|
$763,308
of the amount shown for Mr. Stoddard in 2008 and $466,287 of the amount
shown for Mr. Stoddard in 2007, pertains to shares of Milestone-Based
Deferred Stock, none of which vested because the milestone conditions,
tied to the trading price of our stock, were not satisfied prior to the
expiration of the milestone period. This column discloses the
dollar amount of compensation cost recognized in the respective fiscal
year in accordance with FAS 123R. The assumptions used to value the stock
options are disclosed in note 10 to the Company’s consolidated financial
statements contained in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2008 and are incorporated herein by
reference.
|
GRANTS OF
PLAN-BASED AWARDS
The
following table sets forth each non-equity incentive plan award and equity award
granted to our named executive officers during fiscal year
2008.
|
|
|
|
Estimated
Possible
Payouts Under Non-Equity
Incentive Plan Awards ($)
|
|
Estimated
Future
Payouts
Under
Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards
Target
(#) Shares
|
|
All
Other
Stock
Awards:
Number
of
Securities
(#)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exercise
or
Base
Price of
Option
Awards
($/Sh)
|
|
Grant
Date
Fair
Value
of
Option
Awards($)
|
Name
|
|
Grant
Date(1)
|
|
Target
($)
|
|
Maximum
($)
|
(a)
|
|
(b)
|
|
(d)
|
|
(e)
|
|
(g)
|
|
(j)
|
|
(k)
|
|
(i)
|
Keith
Brackpool
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
Timothy
J. Shaheen
|
|
6/30/08
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
1,171(2)
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
O’Donnell
Iselin II
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
Richard
E. Stoddard
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
_________________
(1)
|
The
grant date set forth in this table is the date the grants became
effective.
|
|
|
(2)
|
These
shares constitute the 1,171 shares granted to Mr. Shaheen under Cadiz’
Outside Director Compensation Plan for services rendered by Mr. Shaheen as
a non-employee director of Cadiz during the 12 month period ended June 30,
2008, which shares vested on January 31,
2009.
|
OUTSTANDING
EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR-END
The
following table sets forth certain information concerning outstanding stock and
option awards as of December 31, 2008 for each named executive
officer.
|
|
Option
Awards
|
|
Stock
Awards
|
|
|
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Exercisable
|
|
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Unexercisable
|
|
Option
Exercise
Price ($)
|
|
Option
Expiration
Date
|
|
Shares of
Stock That
Have
Not
Vested
(#)
|
|
Market
Value
of
Shares
That
Have
Not
Vested ($)(1)
|
Keith
Brackpool(2)
|
|
100,000
|
|
-
|
|
12.00
|
|
5/4/15
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Timothy
J. Shaheen
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
O'Donnell
Iselin II(3)
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Richard
E. Stoddard(4)
|
|
100,000
|
|
-
|
|
12.00
|
|
5/4/15
|
|
50,000(5)
|
|
625,500
|
_______________________
(1)
|
Valued
at the $12.51 closing price per share on the NASDAQ Global Market on
December 31, 2008.
|
(2)
|
Does
not include 600,000 shares of stock underlying Milestone-Based Deferred
Stock granted to Mr. Brackpool, none of which vested because the milestone
conditions, tied to the trading price of our stock, were not satisfied
prior to the expiration of the milestone period.
|
(3)
|
Does
not include 40,000 options granted to Mr. Iselin with an exercise price of
$17.25 per share which, by the terms of the option grants, expired three
months after his employment with the Company terminated.
|
(4)
|
Does
not include 200,000 shares of stock underlying Milestone-Based Deferred
Stock granted to Mr. Stoddard, none of which vested because the milestone
conditions, tied to the trading price of our stock, were not satisfied
prior to the expiration of the milestone period.
|
(5)
|
These
shares represent the shares of time-based deferred stock issued to Mr.
Stoddard under the 2007 Incentive Plan, which vested on January 1,
2009.
|
OPTION
EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED
The
following table sets forth certain information concerning stock option exercises
and restricted stock vesting during 2008 for each named executive
officer.
|
|
Option Awards
|
|
Stock Awards
|
Name
|
|
Shares Acquired
on
Exercise (#)
|
|
Value Realized
on Exercise ($)
|
|
Shares Acquired
on
Vesting (#)
|
|
Value Realized
on Vesting ($)(1)
|
Keith
Brackpool
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
Timothy
J. Shaheen
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
876(2)
|
|
15,505
|
O'Donnell
Iselin II
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
Richard
E. Stoddard
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
50,000(3)
|
|
1,007,500
|
__________
(1)
|
Value
realized equals the price per share of Cadiz common stock measured as the
closing price of the stock on the vesting date multiplied by the number of
shares received on vesting.
|
(2)
|
These
shares represent the shares of deferred stock issued to Mr. Shaheen under
Cadiz’ Outside Director Compensation Plan for his services as a
non-employee director of Cadiz during the 12 month period ended June 30,
2007, which vested on January 31, 2008.
|
(3)
|
These
shares represent the shares of time-based deferred stock issued to Mr.
Stoddard under the 2007 Incentive Plan, which vested on January 1,
2008.
|
PENSION
BENEFITS
We
do not have any qualified or non-qualified defined benefits plans.
NONQUALIFIED
DEFERRED COMPENSATION
We
do not have any non-qualified defined contribution plans or other deferred
compensation plans.
For
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Brackpool was compensated under an
Agreement Regarding Employment pursuant to which Mr. Brackpool received base
compensation of $400,000 per year, plus certain fringe benefits including the
use of a leased automobile and life and disability insurance benefits funded by
us. Effective May 22, 2009, Mr. Brackpool entered into an Amended and
Restated Employment Agreement pursuant to which Mr. Brackpool will continue to
receive the same base compensation and fringe benefits. In addition,
upon executing the Amendment and Restated Employment Agreement Mr. Brackpool
received an immediate grant of 60,000 shares of common stock under our 2007
Management Equity Incentive Plan. The Amended and Restated Employment
Agreement also provides for Mr. Brackpool's participation in a Long Term
Transaction Incentive Plan in addition to allowing for his participation in
other management incentive programs that the Board may adopt, including
discretionary annual bonuses. As was the case with his previous
Agreement Regarding Employment, the Amended and Restated Employment Agreement
requires Mr. Brackpool to perform his services in a satisfactory manner, but
does not require that his services be provided on a full-time
basis.
For
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, Mr. Stoddard was compensated in
accordance with a Consulting Agreement dated August 1, 2002, and extended on
January 1, 2004, pursuant to which he received $25,000.00 per month and which
continues on a month to month basis until terminated by either party. Under this
agreement Mr. Stoddard serves as the Chairman and CEO of the Board of Managers
of Cadiz Real Estate LLC, the subsidiary of Cadiz. The agreement also
provides that Mr. Stoddard will participate in the Management Equity Incentive
Plan and as a member of the key management team in any further equity grants
considered by the compensation committee of the Board of Directors of
Cadiz.
Effective
November 19, 2008, Mr. Timothy J. Shaheen became our Chief Financial
Officer. Initially, he received compensation for such services in the
amount of $10,000 per month, in addition to the compensation payable to him for
his consulting services to the company under the existing consulting agreement
between AG Derivatives, L.L.C. and Cadiz and the compensation he received for
service in 2008 as a non-employee director under our Outside Director
Compensation Plan. Mr. Shaheen is the sole member and manager of AG
Derivatives, LLC. As of January 1, 2009, Mr. Shaheen was no longer
eligible to participate in our Outside Director Compensation Plan and his
compensation for service as our Chief Financial Officer was adjusted to enable
him to receive the amount he would have otherwise received under the Outside
Director Compensation Plan. Effective May 22, 2009 we entered into a
formal employment agreement with Mr. Shaheen providing for a base salary of
$300,000, consistent with what he had theretofore been receiving on a month to
month basis, and an immediate grant of 30,000 shares of common stock under our
2007 Management Equity Incentive Plan. The agreement also provides
for Mr. Shaheen's participation in a Long Term Transaction Incentive Plan in
addition to allowing for his participation in other management incentive
programs that the Board may adopt, including discretionary annual
bonuses.
Until
the termination of his employment effective November 19, 2008, Mr. Iselin was
compensated under an Employment Agreement which provided for an annual base
salary of $165,000 which was increased on January 1, 2008 to $175,000 per annum.
Mr. Iselin was
entitled to receive additional compensation in the form of bonuses at the sole
discretion of the Board of Directors based on Mr. Iselin's performance. Mr.
Iselin also received options from Cadiz' 2003 Management Equity Incentive Plan
to purchase 40,000 shares of Cadiz' common stock at an exercise price of $17.25
per share, representing the fair market value of the Company's common stock as
of the date of the Employment Agreement. 13,334 of the stock options vested upon
commencement of employment, 13,333 vested upon the first anniversary of Mr.
Iselin's employment with the Company and 13,333 vested upon the second
anniversary of his employment. None of Mr. Iselin’s options
were exercised and all have since terminated.
Mr.
Iselin's Employment Agreement further provided for certain payments in the event
of a termination of employment. See "Potential Payments Upon
Termination or Change in Control", below.
POTENTIAL PAYMENTS UPON TERMINATION OR CHANGE IN
CONTROL
The
following table and summary set forth estimated potential payments we would be
required to make to our named executive officers upon termination of employment
or change in control of the Company, pursuant to each executive’s employment
agreement in effect at year end. Except as otherwise indicated, the table
assumes that the triggering event occurred on December 31,
2008.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination without
Cause or
Resignation upon
Company Material Breach ($)
|
|
Death
or
Disability ($)
|
|
Termination
Following
Change
of
Control ($)
|
|
Keith
Brackpool
|
|
Salary
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
Bonus
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
Equity Acceleration
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
Benefits Continuation
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
Total
Value
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Timothy
J. Shaheen
|
|
Salary
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
Bonus
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
Equity Acceleration
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
Benefits Continuation
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
Total
Value
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
O'Donnell
Iselin II
|
|
Salary
|
|
86,002
|
(1)
|
- |
|
-
|
|
|
|
Bonus
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
Equity Acceleration
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
Benefits Continuation
|
|
6,400
|
(2) |
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
Total
Value
|
|
92,402
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Richard
E. Stoddard
|
|
Salary
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
Bonus
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
Equity Acceleration
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
625,500
|
|
|
|
Benefits Continuation
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
Total
Value
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
625,500
|
|
___________________
(1)
|
Based
on the actual severance amounts due Mr. Iselin due to his termination of
employment on November 19, 2008.
|
(2)
|
The
benefits amount includes a car allowance and 401(k) matching benefits for
the six month period commencing November 19, 2008 and ending May 18,
2009.
|
(3)
|
Valued
at the $12.51 closing price per share on the NASDAQ Global Market on
December 31, 2008.
|
Termination
without Cause or Resignation upon Company Material Breach
Mr.
Iselin’s Employment Agreement provided that if Mr. Iselin were terminated by us
without cause or if he resigned due to a breach of his Employment Agreement by
us, the Company was obligated to pay severance and continuation of benefits (to
the extent such benefits could then be lawfully made available by the Company)
for one hundred eighty days following the effective date of the termination, as
though Mr. Iselin were continuing to provide services to the Company under his
Employment Agreement. Mr. Iselin’s employment with us
terminated effective November 19, 2008. Mr. Iselin's severance
consists of a continuation of his base compensation and his fringe
benefits.
If
Mr. Stoddard were terminated by us without cause, he would be entitled to, any
shares, and such shares would immediately vest, of Time-Based Deferred Stock
awarded to him under the 2007 Management Equity Incentive Plan.
Mr.
Brackpool’s Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, effective May 22, 2009,
provides that if Mr. Brackpool were terminated by us without cause or if he
resigns due to a breach of his Amended and Restated Employment Agreement by us,
the Company is obligated to pay severance and continuation of benefits (to the
extent such benefits could then be lawfully made available by the Company) for
one year following the effective date of the termination, as though Mr.
Brackpool were continuing to provide services to the Company under his Amended
and Restated Employment Agreement.
Mr.
Shaheen’s Employment Agreement, effective May 22, 2009, provides that if Mr.
Shaheen were terminated by us without cause or if he resigns due to a breach of
his Employment Agreement by us, the Company is obligated to pay severance and
continuation of benefits (to the extent such benefits could then be lawfully
made available by the Company) for one hundred eighty days following the
effective date of the termination, as though Mr. Shaheen were continuing to
provide services to the Company under his Employment Agreement.
Termination
of Employment Due to Death or Disability
Mr.
Iselin’s Employment Agreement provided that if he died or became disabled, he or
his estate would have been entitled to receive severance for ninety days
consisting of his base compensation.
Mr.
Brackpool’s Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, effective May 22, 2009,
provides that if he dies or became disabled, he or his estate would be entitled
to receive severance for two years consisting of his base
compensation.
Mr.
Shaheen’s Employment Agreement provides that if he dies or became disabled, he
or his estate would be entitled to receive severance for one hundred eighty days
consisting of his base compensation.
Change
in Control
Mr.
Iselin’s Employment Agreement provided that if Mr. Iselin was terminated by us
following a change in control, the Company was obligated to pay severance and
continuation of benefits (to the extent such benefits could then be lawfully
made available by the Company) for one year following the effective date of the
termination, as though Mr. Iselin were continuing to provide services to the
Company under his Employment Agreement. Mr. Iselin's severance
would have consisted of a continuation of his base compensation and his fringe
benefits, to the extent such benefits could have been lawfully made available by
the Company.
In
the event a change in control of the company occurs then all Time-Based Deferred
Stock awarded to Mr. Stoddard under the 2007 Management Equity Incentive Plan
would vest and be issuable in full.
Mr.
Brackpool's Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, effective May 22, 2009,
provides that if Mr. Brackpool is terminated by us following a change in
control, the Company is obligated to pay severance and continuation of benefits
(to the extent such benefits could then be lawfully made available by the
Company) for two years following the effective date of the termination, as
though Mr. Brackpool were continuing to provide services to the Company under
his Amended and Restated Employment Agreement.
Mr.
Shaheen's Employment Agreement, effective May 22, 2009, provides that if Mr.
Shaheen is terminated by us following a change in control, the Company is
obligated to pay severance and continuation of benefits (to the extent such
benefits could then be lawfully made available by the Company) for twelve months
following the effective date of the termination, as though Mr. Shaheen were
continuing to provide services to the Company under his Employment
Agreement.
The
following table summarizes the compensation earned by each of the non-employee
directors in 2008. Directors who are also officers or employees of the Company
receive no compensation for duties performed as a director.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fees Earned
or Paid in Cash ($)
|
|
Stock
Awards ($)(1)
|
|
Option
Awards ($)(2)
|
|
Total ($)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stephen
E. Courter
|
|
7,500
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
7,500
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stephen
J. Duffy
|
|
30,000
|
|
18,877
|
|
-
|
|
48,877
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Geoffrey
Grant
|
|
30,000
|
|
18,877
|
|
-
|
|
48,877
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Winston
H. Hickox
|
|
30,000
|
|
18,877
|
|
-
|
|
48,877
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Murray
H. Hutchison
|
|
30,000
|
|
18,877
|
|
-
|
|
48,877
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Raymond
J. Pacini
|
|
30,000
|
|
18,877
|
|
-
|
|
48,877
|
__________________
(1)
|
This
column discloses the dollar amount of compensation cost recognized in 2008
in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 (revised 2004) (“FAS 123R”).
These awards were valued at the market value of the underlying stock on
the date of grant in accordance with FAS
123R.
|
(2)
|
Directors
of the Company do not receive stock option awards.
|
|
|
Under
the Company's current compensation structure, all non-employee directors are
entitled to receive, for each 12 month period ending June 30 of each year, the
amount of $30,000, prorated for directors serving less than the full 12
months. Payments are made in 4 quarterly installments of
$7,500. A director is entitled to a $7,500 fee for any quarter in
which services are rendered. Each June 30, non-employee
directors are also entitled to receive a deferred stock award consisting of
shares of the Company’s common stock with a value equal to $20,000 (calculated
with reference to the average closing price of the Company’s common stock during
the one month preceding the annual award date), prorated for directors serving
less than the full 12 months.
The
Company encourages stock ownership on behalf of its directors. Thus,
the Company’s compensation structure for non-employee directors includes awards
of stock as compensation for director services. See “Director
Compensation Policy", above.
EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION
The
following table provides information as of December 31, 2008 with respect to
shares of our common stock that may be issued under our existing compensation
plans:
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 stockholders
|
|
10,000
|
|
$18.99
|
|
90,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity
compensation plans not approved by stockholders
|
|
315,000(1)
|
|
$12.09
|
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
325,000(2)
|
|
$12.31
|
|
0
|
_______________
(1)
|
Represents
315,000 options outstanding as of 12/31/08 under Cadiz' 2003 Management
Equity Incentive Plan.
|
(2)
|
Does
not include 40,000 options granted to Mr. Iselin with an exercise price of
$17.25 per share which, by the terms of the option grants, expired three
months after his employment with the Company
terminated.
|
In
fiscal 2008, there were no Compensation Committee interlocks and no insider
participation in Compensation Committee decisions that were required to be
reported under the rules and regulations of the 1934 Act.
As
of December 31, 2008, the Audit Committee is composed of Raymond J. Pacini,
Stephen E. Courter, Stephen J. Duffy and Winston H. Hickox.
Each
member of the Committee is an independent director as defined under the listing
standards of the NASDAQ Global Market. The Committee operates under a written
charter that is reviewed on an annual basis. During fiscal 2008, the
Audit Committee performed all of its duties and responsibilities under its
charter. The purpose of the Audit Committee is to assist the Board of
Directors in its oversight of management's control of Cadiz financial reporting
processes.
Management
is responsible for the preparation, presentation, and integrity of Cadiz'
financial statements, accounting and financial reporting principles, internal
controls, and procedures designed to ensure compliance with accounting
standards, applicable laws and regulations. The Audit Committee
reviews Cadiz' accounting and financial reporting process on behalf of the Board
of Directors. In that regard, of the five times the Committee met in
2008, three of these meetings and one meeting in 2009 were to exercise the
Committee's responsibilities related to the Company's quarterly and annual
financial statements for fiscal 2008 and management's assessment of the
effectiveness of Cadiz' internal controls over financial reporting as of
December 31, 2008. During these meetings, the Committee reviewed and
discussed with management and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Cadiz' independent
registered public accounting firm, Cadiz' consolidated financial statements,
including its audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended
December 31, 2008, and financial reporting process, including the system of
internal controls over financial reporting and significant accounting policies
applied by Cadiz.
The
Audit Committee also reviewed the report of management contained in Cadiz'
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP's Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm included in Cadiz'
2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K related to its audit of: (i) the consolidated
financial statements and (ii) the effectiveness of internal control over
financial reporting. The Audit Committee continues to oversee Cadiz'
efforts related to its internal control over financial reporting and
management's preparations for the evaluation of its internal controls for fiscal
2009.
The
Committee is directly responsible for the appointment, compensation, retention
and oversight of the work of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. The Committee regularly
meets in executive session with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, without management
present, to discuss the results of their examinations, evaluations of Cadiz'
internal controls and the overall quality of Cadiz' financial
reporting.
Cadiz'
independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for performing an
independent audit of the consolidated financial statements of Cadiz and
expressing an opinion on the conformity of Cadiz' financial statements with U.S.
generally accepted accounting principles. The Committee discussed with Cadiz'
independent registered public accounting firm the scope and plan for its audits
including the review of internal controls prescribed in Section 404 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The Committee has discussed with
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP the matters that are required to be discussed by
Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61, as amended (Communication with
Audit Committees) as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in
Rule 3200T. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP has provided the Committee with the
written disclosures and the letter required by applicable requirements of the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s
communications with the Committee concerning independence, and has discussed
with the PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP its independence from Cadiz. The Committee
also considered the nature and scope of the non-audit services provided by
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP to Cadiz and the compatibility of these services with
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP's independence. The Committee pre-approves all audit
and permitted non-audit services to be performed by Cadiz' independent
registered public accounting firm pursuant to the terms of the Committee's
written charter.
In
reliance on the reviews and discussions referred to above, the Committee
recommended to the Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors has approved,
that the audited financial statements be included in Cadiz' Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008. The
Committee also appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as Cadiz' independent
registered public accounting firm for 2009, and has recommended that such
appointment be submitted to Cadiz' stockholders for ratification at the 2009
Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
|
THE AUDIT
COMMITTEE |
|
|
|
Raymond
J. Pacini, Chairman |
|
Stephen E.
Courter |
|
Stephen J.
Duffy |
|
Winston H.
Hickox |
For
the fiscal years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, professional services were
performed by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Cadiz' audit committee annually
approves the engagement of outside auditors for audit services in advance. The
audit committee has also established complementary procedures to require
pre-approval of all audit-related, tax and permitted non-audit services provided
by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and to consider whether the outside auditors'
provision of non-audit services to Cadiz is compatible with maintaining the
independence of the outside auditors. The audit committee may delegate
pre-approval authority to one or more of its members. Any such fees pre-approved
in this manner shall be reported to the audit committee at its next scheduled
meeting. All services described below were pre-approved by the audit
committee.
All
fees for services rendered by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
aggregated $272,767 and $289,740 during the fiscal years ended
December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively, and were composed of the
following:
Audit
Fees. The aggregate fees accrued by Cadiz for the audit of the annual
financial statements during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007,
for reviews of the financial statements included in the Company's Quarterly
Reports on Form 10Q, and for assistance with and review of documents filed with
the SEC were $262,667 for 2008 and $265,740 for 2007.
Audit
Related Fees. No audit-related fees were billed by
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP to Cadiz during the fiscal years ended December 31,
2008 and 2007.
Tax
Fees. Fees accrued by Cadiz for tax services during the fiscal years
ended December 31, 2008 and 2007 were $8,600 and $24,000,
respectively.
All
Other Fees. A licensing fee for accounting software, in the amount of
$1,500, was billed during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008. No
other fees were billed by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP to Cadiz for services other
than as discussed above during the fiscal year ended December 31,
2007.
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED
TRANSACTIONS
There have been no transactions
during our last fiscal year with our directors and officers and beneficial
owners of more than five percent of our voting securities and their affiliates
requiring disclosure, except for a consulting arrangement between Cadiz and AG
Derivatives, L.L.C., a California limited liability company, of which Mr.
Shaheen is the sole member and manager. Under the terms of the
Consulting Agreement, dated January 1, 2008, AG Derivatives received $12,500 per
month. Therefore during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, AG
Derivatives received $150,000. The Consulting Agreement provided that the
agricultural management consulting services will be provided on a month to month
basis until terminated by either party and that the consulting fee paid to AG
Derivatives was in addition to, and not in lieu of, any compensation paid
directly to Mr. Shaheen by Cadiz for Mr. Shaheen’s service, in his individual
capacity, as the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of Cadiz.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES WITH RESPECT TO RELATED
PARTY TRANSACTIONS
The
Audit Committee, pursuant to the Audit Committee Charter, reviews and approves
transactions between the Company on the one hand and a related party, such as
our directors, officers, employees, consultants and their family members, on the
other hand.
APPROVAL
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The
Audit Committee has selected PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as Cadiz' independent
certified public accountants to audit the financial statements of Cadiz for the
2009 fiscal year. Stockholder ratification of this appointment is not
required by our bylaws or other applicable legal
requirements. However, consistent with our past practice, the
appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is being submitted to our stockholders
for ratification. In the event stockholders do not ratify
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as Cadiz' independent certified public accountants
for the 2009 fiscal year, the Audit Committee will reconsider its selection of
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, but will not be required to select another firm to
audit Cadiz' financial statements. Even if the stockholders do ratify
the appointment, the Audit Committee, in its discretion, may appoint a different
firm at any time during the year if it believes that such a change would be in
the best interests of Cadiz and our
stockholders. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP has advised Cadiz that
neither it nor any of its partners or associates has any direct or indirect
financial interest in or any connection with Cadiz other than as accountants and
auditors. A representative of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP is expected
to be present and available to answer appropriate questions at the annual
meeting, and will be given the opportunity to make a statement if
desired.
THE BOARD
OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR" PROPOSAL 2.
ADOPTION
OF THE CADIZ INC. 2009 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
GENERAL
SUMMARY
Subject
to stockholder approval, the Board of Directors has approved a new equity
compensation plan for employees, directors, and third party service providers of
Cadiz—the 2009 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2009 EIP”). The 2009 EIP is intended
to replace Cadiz’s existing equity compensation plan, the 2007 Management Equity
Incentive Plan, under which there are no shares of our Common Stock remaining
for future equity grants.
Cadiz
understands that a cost-effective and competitive equity compensation program is
essential for recruiting, motivating, and retaining talented employees,
directors, and third party service providers. Through the 2009 EIP,
Cadiz seeks to expand its alternatives and flexibility for providing
cost-effective and competitive equity compensation awards by offering its
employees, directors, and third party service providers a combination of options
(including incentive stock options for employees), stock appreciation rights,
restricted stock, and restricted stock units. Through the combination
of awards, Cadiz can customize its equity compensation packages on an
individual, departmental, and company-wide basis. In light of
recurring changes in the accounting treatment of various equity incentives and
the possibility of future accounting and tax law changes, Cadiz believes that it
is advantageous for it to have the flexibility provided by the 2009 EIP to
design and implement future equity compensation.
As
required by the applicable NASDAQ rules, the 2009 EIP will not become effective
unless it is approved by Cadiz’s stockholders.
2009
EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN—PLAN SUMMARY
This
summary of the 2009 EIP does not purport to be exhaustive and is expressly
qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of our 2009 EIP, which
is attached to this Proxy Statement as Appendix A.
The 2009
EIP contains the following important features:
·
|
Repricing
of stock options and stock appreciation rights is prohibited unless
stockholder approval is obtained.
|
·
|
Stock
options and stock appreciation rights must be granted with an exercise
price that is not less than 100% of the fair market value on the date of
grant.
|
·
|
The
ability to automatically receive replacement stock options when a stock
option is exercised with previously acquired shares of Company common
stock or so-called “stock option reloading” is not
permitted.
|
·
|
The
2009 EIP has a ten-year term with a fixed number of shares authorized for
issuance. It is not an
“evergreen” plan.
|
·
|
A
total of 850,000 shares of Company common stock and stock units would be
available for grants under the 2009 EIP. If an award is
cancelled, terminates, expires, or lapses for any reason without having
been fully vested or exercised, the unvested or cancelled shares will be
returned to the available pool of shares for future
awards.
|
·
|
No
more than 300,000 of these shares in the aggregate may be awarded as
full-share grants (stock or stock
units).
|
·
|
No
more than 300,000 shares and share equivalents may be granted to any one
participant in a calendar year.
|
The
number and kind of shares available for issuance, the number and kind of shares
that may be issued under outstanding awards, the exercise price of outstanding
stock options and stock appreciation rights, and the individual limits on
awards, will be proportionately adjusted to reflect any stock dividend,
reorganization or other change.
ADMINISTRATION. The 2009 EIP will
be administered by the Compensation Committee or another committee of the Board
(as applicable, the “Committee”) which meets applicable independence
requirements under Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act and Section 162(m) of the
Code. Subject to the provisions of our 2009 EIP, the Compensation
Committee has full power and authority to select the participants to whom awards
will be granted, to make any combination of awards to participants, to determine
the specific terms and conditions of each award, including the conditions for
the vesting, performance goals and exercisability of the award, may accelerate
the vesting or exercisability of any award, and can interpret the 2009 EIP and
adopt, amend, or rescind rules, procedures, agreements, and forms relating to
the 2009 EIP.
ELIGIBILITY. Employees,
directors, and third party service providers will be eligible to receive awards,
although third party service providers and outside directors of Cadiz will not
be eligible for incentive stock options. The Committee has the
discretion to select the employees, directors, and third party service providers
to whom awards will be granted. The actual number of
individuals or entities who will receive awards cannot be determined in advance
because the Committee has the discretion to select the award
recipients.
TYPES OF
AWARDS. The
following is a brief summary of the awards which may be granted:
STOCK
OPTIONS. A stock option (either an incentive stock option or a
nonstatutory stock option) entitles the participant to purchase shares of
Cadiz’s common stock at specified times at an exercise price set on
the grant date. A participant has no rights as a stockholder with
respect to any shares covered by the option until the option is exercised by the
participant and shares issued by Cadiz.
At the
time of grant, the Committee will determine: (a) whether the award will be an
incentive stock option or a nonstatutory stock option; (b) the number of
underlying shares; (c) the exercise price, which will not be less than 100%
of the fair market value of a share on the grant date; (d) the vesting schedule,
which may be time based or based on performance goals; and (e) the term of the
option, which may not exceed 10 years from the grant date. If the
participant’s service with Cadiz or a subsidiary is terminated due to death or
disability, the option will expire 12 months (or such other period specified in
the award agreement) after the participant’s service terminates. If
the participant’s service with Cadiz or a subsidiary is terminated for cause,
the option will expire immediately after Cadiz’s notice or advice of such
termination of service is dispatched to the participant. If the
participant’s service with Cadiz or a subsidiary is terminated for any other
reason, the option will expire 90 calendar days after the termination of
service. In no event may the option term exceed the expiration date
specified in the award agreement.
The
exercise price must be paid at the time the option is exercised and shares are
purchased. Consistent with applicable laws, regulations and rules,
payment of the exercise price of a stock option may be made in cash, or, if
specified in the award agreement, by cashless exercise, by surrendering
previously acquired shares of Company common stock, or by other legal
consideration.
STOCK
APPRECIATION RIGHT (“SAR”). A SAR is an award
entitling the participant to receive cash or shares, or a combination thereof,
with a value equal to any increase in the value of Cadiz’s
shares. The amount of the award to be paid on an exercise date is
determined by multiplying the number of shares for which the SAR is exercised by
the excess of the fair market value of a share on the date of exercise over the
per share exercise price. For cash-settled SARs, the participant will
have no rights as a stockholder. For stock-settled SARs, the
participant will have no rights as a stockholder with respect to any shares
covered by his or her SAR until the award is exercised by the participant and
Cadiz issues the shares.
At the
time of grant, the Committee will determine: (a) the number of shares subject to
the award; (b) whether the award will be settled in cash, shares, or a
combination of both; (c) the exercise price, which will not be less than 100% of
the fair market value of a share on the grant date; (d) the vesting schedule;
and (e) term. A SAR may be granted independently or in combination
with a related stock option.
Like an
option, the term of a SAR may not exceed 10 years from the grant
date. If the participant’s service to Cadiz or a subsidiary is
terminated due to death or disability, the SAR will expire 12 months (or such
other period specified in the award agreement) after the participant’s death or
disability. If the participant’s service with Cadiz or a subsidiary
is terminated for cause, the SAR will expire immediately after Cadiz’s notice or
advice of the termination of service is dispatched to the
participant. If participant’s service with Cadiz or a subsidiary is
terminated for any other reason, the term of the SAR will expire 90 calendar
days (or such other period specified in the award agreement) after the
termination of service. In no event may the SAR term exceed the
expiration date specified in the award agreement.
RESTRICTED
STOCK. A restricted stock award is an award entitling the participant
to receive shares that are subject to restrictions on sale or transfer and that
are recoverable by Cadiz if specified conditions are not met. The
lapse of these restrictions may be based on continuing employment (or other
business relationship) with Cadiz and its subsidiaries and/or achievement of
performance goals.
At the
time of grant, the Committee will determine: (a) the number of shares subject to
the award; (b) the purchase price or consideration (if any) for the shares; (c)
the restrictions placed on the shares, whether based on continued service with
Cadiz or a subsidiary or the achievement of performance goals; and (d) the
date(s) when the restrictions placed on the shares based upon continued
employment will lapse or the performance period during which the achievement of
the performance goals will be measured.
During
the period that the restrictions are in place, the participant will have the
rights of a stockholder, including voting and dividend rights, except for the
right to sell or transfer the shares, but subject to the obligation to return
the share under specified circumstances. Shares received as stock
dividends or other stock distributions related to the restricted stock, if any,
will be subject to the same vesting criteria as the restricted
stock.
If the
participant’s service to Cadiz or a subsidiary is terminated as a result of
death or disability, the restrictions on the restricted stock will lapse on a
pro-rata basis measured by the time of service to Cadiz or subsidiary from the
grant date to the termination of service or other criteria specified in the
award agreement. If the participant’s service to Cadiz or subsidiary
is terminated for cause, or for any other reason not specified in the preceding
sentence, the restricted stock subject to restrictions that have not previously
lapsed will be forfeited immediately after Cadiz’s notice or advice of
termination for cause is dispatched to the participant or upon termination of
service for any other reason.
RESTRICTED
STOCK UNIT. A restricted stock unit is an award entitling the
participant to receive shares or the cash equivalent of shares at a future date,
subject to restrictions. The lapse of the restrictions on the restricted stock
unit may be based on continuing employment (or other business relationship) with
Cadiz or its subsidiaries and/or achievement of performance goals.
At the
time of grant, the Committee will determine: (a) the number of shares
subject to the award; (b) the purchase price or consideration (if any) for the
shares; (c) whether the award will be paid in shares or the cash equivalent of
the value of shares; (d) the restrictions placed on the shares, whether based on
continued service with Cadiz or a subsidiary or the achievement of performance
goals; and (e) the date(s) when the restrictions placed on the shares based upon
continued employment will lapse or the performance period during which the
achievement of the performance goals will be measured.
A
restricted stock unit is different from restricted stock in that the participant
is not issued shares or the cash equivalent of shares until the restrictions
lapse. Accordingly, the participant does not have stockholder rights
until the shares are issued, if at all.
If a
participant’s service to Cadiz or a subsidiary is terminated due to death or
disability, the restrictions on the restricted stock units will lapse on a
pro-rata basis measured by the service from the grant date to the termination of
service or the achievement of the performance goals as of the termination of
service. If a participant’s service to Cadiz or a subsidiary is
terminated for cause or for any other reason not specified in the preceding
sentence, the restricted stock unit will be forfeited immediately after Cadiz’s
notice or advice of termination for cause is dispatched to the participant or
upon termination of service for any other reason.
QUALIFIED
PERFORMANCE-BASED AWARDS. Any of the awards
under the 2009 EIP may be granted as qualified performance-based awards under
Section 162(m) of the Code. As determined by the Committee, the
performance goals applicable to an award may be based upon one or more of the
following performance criteria: recognized revenue; invoiced revenue;
gross profit or margin; operating profit or margin; exit rate operating income
margin (derived by annualizing the cost of sales and operating expense structure
in place at fiscal year-end compared to the actual revenues generated in that
fiscal year); earnings before or after taxes, interest, depreciation, and/or
amortization; net earnings or net income (before or after taxes); earnings per
share; share price (including, but not limited to, growth measures and total
stockholder return); cost reduction or savings; return measures (including, but
not limited to, return on assets, capital, invested capital, equity, sales or
revenue); cash flow (including, but not limited to, operating cash flow, free
cash flow, cash flow return on equity and cash flow return on investment);
productivity ratios; performance against budget; market share; customer
satisfaction; working capital targets; economic value added or EVA® (net
operating profit after tax minus the sum of capital multiplied by the cost of
capital); productivity metrics; financial ratio metrics; and
organizational/transformation metrics. These measures may be measured against the
performance of Cadiz or other benchmarks. The Committee may provide
in any such award that any evaluation of performance may include or exclude
certain specified events that occur during a performance period.
LIMITED
TRANSFERABILITY OF AWARDS. Awards generally
may not be sold or transferred, other than by will or by the applicable laws of
descent and distribution, except pursuant to a domestic relations order entered
by a court of competent jurisdiction.
EFFECT OF
CHANGE IN CONTROL. In the event of a
Change in Control of Cadiz as defined in the 2009 EIP, including certain changes
in ownership or Board composition, specified mergers, or sale of all or
substantially all of Cadiz’s assets, any outstanding awards will be fully vested
and exercisable, including shares that would not otherwise have been vested and
exercisable. In the event of a merger with or into another
corporation, any outstanding awards may be assumed by the surviving entity or
cancelled in exchange for cash payments corresponding to the merger
consideration. Additionally, in such event, stock options may be
cancelled if not exercised on or before the merger date, and restricted stock
and restricted stock units may be cancelled in exchange for the merger
consideration.
EFFECTIVE
DATE, AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION. The effective
date of the 2009 EIP is October 21, 2009. The 2009 EIP, if not
extended by the Board, will terminate 10 years after the effective
date. The Board may amend, suspend, or terminate the 2009 EIP at any
time and for any reason, subject to any stockholder approval required by
applicable law. Regardless of whether the 2009 EIP is extended, the
Committee may only grant incentive stock options during the first 10 years of
the 2009 EIP. No amendment, suspension, or termination of the 2009
EIP will impair the rights of any participant under any award granted prior to
such event, unless mutually agreed through a written instrument by the
participant and Cadiz.
FEDERAL
TAX ASPECTS
The
following is a summary of the general federal income tax consequences to
participants who are U.S. taxpayers and to Cadiz relating to awards granted
under the 2009 EIP. This summary is not intended to be exhaustive and
does not address all matters that may be relevant to a particular participant
based upon his or her specific circumstances. This summary expressly
does not discuss the income tax laws of any state, municipality, or non-U.S.
taxing jurisdiction, and does not discuss any gift, estate, excise (including
for example the rules applicable to excess parachute payments under Code
Sections 280G and 4999), or other tax laws other than federal income tax law.
The following is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the
purposes of avoiding taxpayer penalties. Because individual circumstances may
vary, all participants should consult their own tax advisors concerning the tax
implications of awards granted to them under the 2009 EIP.
INCENTIVE
STOCK OPTIONS. No taxable income is recognized when an incentive
stock option is granted or exercised (except for purposes of the alternative
minimum tax). If the participant exercises an incentive stock option
and then later sells or otherwise disposes of the shares more than two years
after the grant date and more than one year after the exercise date, the
difference between the sale price and the exercise price will be taxed as
capital gain or loss. If the participant exercises the incentive
stock option and then later sells or otherwise disposes of the shares before the
end of the two- or one-year holding periods described above, he or she generally
will have ordinary income at the time of the sale equal to the fair market value
of the shares on the exercise date (or the sale price, if less) minus the
exercise price of the option. Any additional gain or loss will be
capital gain or loss.
NONSTATUTORY
STOCK OPTIONS AND STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHTS. No taxable income is
recognized when a nonstatutory stock option or a stock appreciation right is
granted to a participant. Upon exercise, the participant will
recognize ordinary income in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market
value of the shares on the exercise date over the exercise price. Any additional
gain or loss recognized upon later disposition of any shares received on
exercise is capital gain or loss. Ordinary income is subject to
income tax and employment tax withholding.
RESTRICTED
STOCK, AND RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS. The federal
income tax consequences of restricted stock and restricted stock units depend on
the facts and circumstances of each award, including, in particular, the nature
of any restrictions imposed with respect to the awards. In general,
unless the participant makes a valid election under Section 83(b) of the
Code to be taxed at the time of grant, if an award is subject to a “substantial
risk of forfeiture” (e.g., the awards are conditioned upon the future
performance of substantial services by the participant) and are nontransferable,
the participant will not have taxable income upon the grant of restricted stock
or restricted stock units. Instead, at the time the participant holds
stock or other property free of any substantial risk of forfeiture or
transferability restrictions, the participant will recognize ordinary income
equal to the fair market value (on that date) of the shares or other property
less any amount paid. In general, Cadiz will receive a deduction in
the same amount to the extent allowed under Section 162(m) of the
Code.
TAX
WITHHOLDING. Ordinary income
recognized on exercise of nonstatutory stock options and stock appreciation
rights and on vesting of restricted stock and restricted stock units is subject
to income tax and employment tax withholding. The Committee may allow
a participant to satisfy his or her tax withholding requirements under federal
and state tax laws in connection with the exercise or receipt of an award by
electing to have shares withheld, and/or by delivering to Cadiz already-owned
shares of Cadiz common stock.
SECTION 409A
OF THE CODE. A
participant may be subject to a 20% penalty tax, in addition to ordinary income
tax, on the income from a grant at the time the grant becomes vested, plus
interest, if the grant constitutes nonqualified deferred compensation under
Section 409A of the Code and the requirements of Section 409A of the Code are
not satisfied.
TAX
EFFECT FOR CADIZ. Cadiz generally
will be entitled to a tax deduction for an award under the 2009 EIP in an amount
equal to the ordinary income realized by a participant at the time the
participant recognizes the income (for example, the exercise of a nonstatutory
stock option). However, Section 162(m) of the Code limits Cadiz’s
ability to deduct the annual compensation to the chief executive officer and the
next four most highly compensated officers to $1,000,000 per individual, unless
the qualified performance-based compensation requirements of Section 162(m) are
met. These requirements include: (a) stockholder approval of the 2009
EIP, (b) setting limits on the number of shares an individual may receive, and
(c) establishing meaningful performance criteria and goals for the awards. The
2009 EIP has been designed to permit the Committee to grant awards that qualify
as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m), thereby permitting
Cadiz to receive a federal income tax deduction in connection with the awards.
OTHER
INFORMATION
Because
all awards made under the 2009 EIP will be made at the Committee’s discretion,
the benefits and amounts that will be received or allocated under the 2009 Plan
are not determinable at this time. The closing price of the
common stock, as reported on NASDAQ on October 22, 2009, was $11.18 per
share.
VOTE
REQUIRED AND BOARD RECOMMENDATION
The
affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or represented by
proxy and entitled to vote on this proposal will be required to approve the 2009
EIP.
THE BOARD
OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR" PROPOSAL 3.
The
Board of Directors does not know of any other matters that may come before the
annual meeting. However, if any other matter shall properly come before the
annual meeting, the proxy holders named in the proxy accompanying this statement
will have discretionary authority to vote all proxies in accordance with their
best judgment.
Stockholder
proposals to be included in our proxy statement for the 2010 annual meeting must
be received by the Secretary of the corporation at 550 S. Hope Street, Suite
2850, Los Angeles, California 90071 no later than December 31, 2009. For a
proposal to be included, you must comply with the rules of the SEC governing the
submission of stockholder proposals.
Under
our bylaws, no business may be brought before the 2010 annual meeting unless it
is specified in the notice of the meeting, is otherwise properly brought before
the meeting by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, or is properly
brought before the meeting by a stockholder who has delivered notice to the
Secretary of the corporation (containing certain information specified in the
bylaws) not less than 90 days prior to the annual meeting. If such a stockholder
notice is not timely but is nevertheless presented at the 2010 annual meeting,
the proxies solicited for that meeting may confer discretionary voting authority
with respect to the business proposed. These requirements are separate from and
in addition to the SEC’s requirements that a stockholder must meet in order to
have a stockholder proposal included in our proxy statement.
This
proxy statement is accompanied by Cadiz' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2008, as amended. Exhibits to the Form 10-K
will be made available to stockholders for a reasonable charge upon their
written request to Cadiz, Attention: Corporate Communications, 550 S. Hope
Street, Suite 2850, Los Angeles, California 90071.
|
By Order of the
Board of Directors |
Los
Angeles, California
November
3, 2009
APPENDIX
A
2009
EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
1. PURPOSE.
The
purposes of the Plan are to attract, motivate, and retain Employees, Directors,
and Consultants of Cadiz Inc. and its Subsidiaries; to offer selected Employees,
Directors, and Consultants the opportunity to acquire proprietary interests in
the Company by purchasing or receiving shares of the Company’s Stock or other
similar rights; and to promote the success of the Company. The Plan
provides for the grant of Nonstatutory Options, Incentive Stock Options, Stock
Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, and Restricted Stock
Units. The Plan also is intended to provide shares of Stock for
Awards granted to Employees, Consultants and Directors under other compensation
plans offered by the Company and its Subsidiaries.
2. DEFINITIONS.
(a) “Affiliated SAR” means
a SAR granted in connection with an Option such that the exercise of the Option
does not cancel the SAR, but rather results in the exercise of the
SAR.
(b) “Applicable Laws”
means the requirements relating to the administration of stock plans under U.S.
state corporate laws, U.S. federal and state securities laws, the Code, the
rules and regulations of any stock exchange or quotation system on which the
Stock is listed or quoted, and other similar laws.
(c) “Award” means,
individually or collectively, a grant under the Plan of Options, Stock
Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, and Restricted Stock Units.
(d) “Award Agreement”
means the written agreement setting forth the terms and provisions applicable to
each Award granted under the Plan. The Award Agreement is subject to
the terms and conditions of the Plan and shall include, among other things, the
following information, if applicable to the Award: (i) Exercise Price, (ii)
number of shares of Stock or Stock equivalents, (iii) exercise schedule, (iv)
vesting schedule, (v) restrictions, (vi) dates and conditions for lapse of
restrictions, and (vii) expiration dates.
(e) “Board” means the
Board of Directors of the Company.
(f) “Cause” means (A) if
the Participant is a party to an employment or other similar service agreement
with the Company (a “Service
Agreement”), and “cause” is defined therein, such definition, or (B) if
the Participant is not party to a Service Agreement or the Participant’s Service
Agreement does not define “cause”, then Cause means any of the following that
has a material adverse effect upon the Company or any Subsidiary:
(i) the
Participant’s material failure to perform his duties which remains uncured for
more than ten (10) days after a written warning (except in the case of a
deliberate and bad faith failure to perform his duties, which shall require no
warning),
(ii) the
Participant’s breach of his fiduciary duty to the Company,
(iii) the
Participant’s indictment (or equivalent) for a felony or other serious crime,
or
(iv) the
Participant’s commission of a wrongful act that would make the continuance of
his employment by the Company detrimental to the Company.
(g) “Change in Control”
means the first to occur of any of the following events:
(v) The date
on which any one person, or more than one person acting as a group, becomes the
beneficial owner (as that term is used in section 13(d) of the Exchange Act),
directly or indirectly, of more than fifty percent (50%) of the capital stock of
the Company entitled to vote in the election of Directors, other than a group of
two or more persons not (A) acting in concert for the purpose of acquiring,
holding or disposing of such stock or (B) otherwise required to file any form or
report with any governmental agency or regulatory authority having jurisdiction
over the Company which requires the reporting of any change in
control. The acquisition of additional Stock by any person who
immediately prior to such acquisition already is the beneficial owner of more
than fifty percent (50%) of the Stock of the Company entitled to vote in the
election of Directors is not a Change in Control.
(vi) During
any period of not more than twelve (12) consecutive months during which the
Company continues in existence, not including any period prior to the effective
date of this Plan, individuals who, at the beginning of such period, constitute
the Board, and any new Director (other than a Director designated by a person
who has entered into an agreement with the Company to effect a transaction
described in clause (i), (iii) or (iv) of this subsection 2(g)) whose
appointment to the Board or nomination for election to the Board was approved by
a vote of a majority of the Directors then still in office, either were
Directors at the beginning of such period or whose appointment or nomination for
election was previously so approved, cease for any reason to constitute at least
a majority of the Board.
(vii) The date
on which any one person, or more than one person acting as a group, acquires (or
has acquired during the twelve month period ending on the date of the most
recent acquisition by such person or persons) ownership of capital stock of the
Company possessing thirty percent (30%) or more of the total voting power of the
capital stock of the Company entitled to vote in the election of
Directors.
(viii) The date
on which any one person, or more than one person acting as a group, acquires (or
has acquired during the twelve month period ending on the date of the most
recent acquisition by such person or persons) assets from the Company that have
a total gross fair market value greater than 50% of the total gross fair market
value of all of the Company’s assets immediately before the acquisition or
acquisitions; provided, however, transfer of assets which otherwise would
satisfy the requirements of this subsection (iv) will not be treated as a Change
in Control if the assets are transferred to:
(A) a
stockholder of the Company (immediately before the asset transfer) in exchange
for or with respect to its stock;
(B) an
entity, 50% or more of the total value or voting power of which is owned,
directly or indirectly, by the Company;
(C) a person,
or more than one person acting as a group, that owns, directly or indirectly,
50% or more of the total value or voting power of all the outstanding stock of
the Company; or
(D) an
entity, at least 50% of the total value or voting power is owned, directly or
indirectly by a person, or more than one person acting as a group, that owns,
directly or indirectly, 50% or more of the total value or voting power of all
the outstanding stock of the Company.
Each
event comprising a Change in Control is intended to constitute a “change in
ownership or effective control” or a “change in the ownership of a substantial
portion of the assets” of the Company as such terms are defined for purposes of
Section 409A of the Code and “Change in Control” as used herein shall be
interpreted consistently therewith.
(h) “Code” means the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
(i) “Committee” means a
committee or subcommittee of the Board, described in subsection 4(a), or in the
absence of such a committee, the Board.
(j) “Company” means Cadiz
Inc., a Delaware corporation.
(k) “Consultant” means any
individual or entity, other than an Employee or Director, who provides services
to the Company or a Subsidiary in the capacity of an advisor or
consultant.
(l) “Director” means a
member of the Board.
(m) “Disability” means a
medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to
result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less
than twelve (12) months and which:
(i) renders
the Participant unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity;
or
(ii) results
in the Participant receiving income replacement benefits for a period of not
less than three (3) months under any policy of long-term disability insurance
maintained by the Company for the benefit of its employees.
Disability
shall be interpreted in a manner consistent with Section 409A of the Code and
shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion, after consideration
of such evidence as it may require, including a report or reports of such
physician or physicians as the Committee may designate.
(n) “Domestic Relations
Order” means a “domestic relations order” as defined in Section
414(p)(1)(B) of the Code.
(o) “Employee” means any
individual employed by the Company or by a Subsidiary and reflected as an
employee on a payroll of the Company or of a Subsidiary.
(p) “Exchange Act” means
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
(q) “Exercise Price” means
the amount specified per share of Stock, at which Stock may be purchased on
exercise of an Option or above which payment is to be made on exercise of a
Stock Appreciation Right, in each case as specified by the Committee in the
applicable Award Agreement.
(r) “Fair Market Value” of
the Stock on any given date under the Plan shall be determined as
follows:
(ix) If the
Stock is at the time readily tradable on an established securities market, then
the fair market value shall be the closing selling price per share of the Stock
on the date of determination on the securities market determined by the
Committee to be the primary market for the Stock, as such price is officially
quoted in the composite tape transactions on such market. If there is
no reported sale of the Stock on such market on the date of determination, then
the fair market value shall be the closing price on such market on the last
preceding date for which such quotation exists; or
(x) If the
Stock is at the time not readily tradable on an established securities market,
then the then the fair market value shall be determined by the Committee by the
reasonable application of a reasonable valuation method, taking into account
such considerations as may be applicable for purposes of or specified in Section
409A of the Code and Treasury Regulations thereunder.
(s) “Freestanding SAR”
means a SAR granted as an independent Award and not granted in connection with
an Option.
(t) “Grant Date” means,
with respect to an Award, the date of the Committee action granting the Award or
such later date as is specified in the Award Agreement.
(u) “Grantee” means an
individual who holds a Restricted Stock, RSU or Stock Appreciation Right
Award.
(v) “Incentive Stock Option” or
“ISO” means an Option intended to qualify as an “incentive stock option”
within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code and the regulations
promulgated thereunder.
(w) “Nonstatutory Option”
means a stock option not described in Section 422(b) or 423(b) of the
Code.
(x) “Option” means an ISO
or Nonstatutory Option granted under the Plan and entitling the holder to
purchase shares of Stock.
(y) “Optionee” means an
individual or entity that holds an Option.
(z) “Other Incentive Plan”
means any short-term or long-term bonus or other incentive compensation plan
offered by the Company or a Subsidiary, through which the Company or the
Subsidiary may pay benefits in Awards or shares of Stock under this
Plan.
(aa) “Outside Director”
means a Director who is not an Employee and who is an “outside director” within
the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code.
(bb) “Participant” means
the holder of an outstanding Award.
(cc) “Performance-Based
Award” means an Award granted pursuant to Section 7, 8, 9 or 10, but
which is subject to the terms and conditions set forth in
Section 11. All Performance-Based Awards are intended to qualify
as Qualified Performance-Based Compensation.
(dd) “Performance Criteria”
means the factor or factors utilized by the Committee in establishing the
Performance Goals applicable to an Award, from among the following
measures:
(i) revenue;
(ii) gross
profit or margin;
(iii) operating
profit or margin;
(iv) earnings
before or after taxes, interest, depreciation, and/or amortization;
(v) net
earnings or net income (before or after taxes);
(vi) earnings
per share;
(vii) share
price (including, but not limited to, growth measures and total stockholder
return);
(viii) cost
reduction or savings;
(ix) return
measures (including, but not limited to, return on assets, capital, invested
capital, equity, sales or revenue);
(x) cash flow
(including, but not limited to, operating cash flow, free cash flow, cash flow
return on equity and cash flow return on investment);
(xi) productivity
ratios or other metrics;
(xii) performance
against budget;
(xiii) market
share;
(xiv) working
capital targets;
(xv) economic
value added (net operating profit after tax minus the sum of capital multiplied
by the cost of capital);
(xvi) financial
ratio metrics; and
(xvii) organizational/transformation
metrics.
The
Performance Criteria utilized may differ from Participant to Participant and
from Award to Award. Any Performance Criteria, or any combination
thereof, may be used to measure the performance of the Company or any
Subsidiary, as a whole, or any business unit of the Company, or any Subsidiary,
as the Committee deems appropriate. Performance Criteria may be measured in
absolute terms or may be compared to (i) the performance of a group of
comparative companies, (ii) a published or special index that the Committee
deems appropriate, (iii) with respect to return measures (including, but
not limited to, return on assets, capital, invested capital, equity, sales or
revenue), various stock market indices and/or (iv) other benchmarks
approved by the Committee.
(ee) “Performance Goals”
means the goals established in writing by the Committee for a Performance Period
based upon Performance Criteria selected by the Committee. The
Performance Goals may be expressed in terms of overall Company performance or
the performance of a division, business unit, or an individual. The
Committee, in its discretion, may, within the time prescribed by Section 162(m)
of the Code, adjust or modify the calculation of Performance Goals for a
Performance Period in order to prevent the dilution or enlargement of the rights
of Participants (i) in the event of, or in anticipation of, any unusual or
extraordinary corporate item, transaction, event, or development, or (ii) in
recognition of, or in anticipation of, any other unusual or nonrecurring events
affecting the Company, or the financial statements of the Company, or in
response to, or in anticipation of, changes in applicable laws, regulations,
accounting principles, or business conditions.
(ff) “Performance Period”
means the one or more periods of time, which may be of varying and overlapping
durations, as the Committee may select, over which the attainment of one or more
Performance Goals will be measured for the purpose of determining a
Participant’s right to, and the payment of, a Performance-Based
Award.
(gg) “Plan” means this
Cadiz Inc. 2009 Equity Incentive Plan, as it may be amended from time to
time.
(hh) “Qualified Performance-Based
Compensation” means any compensation that is “payable solely on account
of the attainment of one or more performance goals” as described in and meeting
the requirements of Section 162(m)(4)(C) of the Code.
(ii) “Restricted Stock”
means an Award granted pursuant to Section 9 of shares of Stock subject to
conditions or restrictions set by the Committee.
(jj) “Restricted Stock Unit” or
“RSU” means an Award granted pursuant to Section 10 to receive Stock or
the economic equivalent of Stock subject to conditions or restrictions set by
the Committee, without the issuance of Stock at time of grant.
(kk) “Stock” means the
common stock of the Company.
(ll) “Stock Appreciation Right” or
“SAR” means an Award granted pursuant to Section 8 to receive the
appreciation in the Fair Market Value of Stock following the Grant Date, which
may be granted alone (as a Freestanding SAR) or in connection with a related
Option (as either an Affiliated SAR or a Tandem SAR).
(mm) “Subsidiary” means any
corporation in which the Company and/or one or more other Subsidiaries own fifty
percent (50%) or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of
outstanding stock of such corporation. A corporation that attains the
status of a Subsidiary on a date after the adoption of the Plan shall be
considered a Subsidiary commencing as of the date such status is
attained.
(nn) “Substitute Award”
means an Award described in Section 12.
(oo) “Tandem SAR” means a
SAR granted in connection with a related Option such that the exercise of the
SAR requires the surrender of the related Option and the exercise of the related
Option requires the surrender of the SAR.
(pp) “Termination of
Service” means (i) in the case of an Employee, a cessation of the
employee-employer relationship between the Employee and the Company or a
Subsidiary for any reason, including, but not by way of limitation, a
termination by resignation, discharge, death, Disability, or the disaffiliation
of a Subsidiary from the Company, but excluding any such termination where there
is a simultaneous commencement or continuation of status as a Consultant or as a
Director; (ii) in the case of a Consultant, a cessation of the service
relationship between the Consultant and the Company or a Subsidiary for any
reason, including, but not by way of limitation, a termination by resignation,
discharge, death, Disability, or the disaffiliation of a Subsidiary, but
excluding any such termination where there is a simultaneous commencement or
continuation of status as an Employee or as a Director; and (iii) in the case of
a Director, a cessation of the Director’s service on the Board for any reason,
including, but not by way of limitation, a termination by resignation, death,
Disability, or non-reelection to the Board, but excluding any such termination
where there is a simultaneous commencement or continuation of status as an
Employee or as a Consultant. A transfer in employment or other
service relationship from the Company to a Subsidiary or from a Subsidiary to
the Company, or from one Subsidiary to another shall not be considered a
Termination of Service. With respect to any Award that may provide
for nonqualified deferred compensation subject to Section 409A of the Code,
whether Termination of Service has occurred shall be determined based on whether
the facts and circumstances indicate that the Company and the Employee, Director
or Consultant reasonably anticipate that no further services will be performed
after a certain date or that the level of bona fide services the Employee,
Director or Consultant would perform after such date would permanently decrease
to no more than twenty percent (20%) of the average level of bona fide services
performed over the immediately preceding 36 months (or the full period of
service if less than 36 months), and such determination shall be made in
accordance with Section 409A of the Code and the Treasury Regulations
thereunder.
(qq) “Year” means a fiscal
year of the Company.
3. STOCK SUBJECT TO PLAN;
LIMITATIONS.
(a) Maximum Plan
Shares. The maximum aggregate number of shares of Stock and
Stock equivalents reserved and available for the grant of Awards under the Plan
is eight hundred and fifty thousand shares. No
more than three hundred thousand shares of such Stock and Stock equivalents
shall be available for grant as Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units
combined. For purposes of these limitations, the shares of Stock and
Stock equivalents underlying any Awards that expire unexercised or that are
forfeited, canceled, reacquired by the Company at cost, satisfied without the
issuance of Stock or payment of cash, or otherwise terminated (other than by
exercise) shall be added back to the shares of Stock and Stock equivalents
available for grant under the Plan. Shares of Stock and Stock
equivalents (i) tendered by a Participant to pay the exercise price of an Award;
(ii) withheld by the Company for taxes or (iii) repurchased by the Company with
any cash proceeds from option exercises shall not be added back to
the shares of Stock and Stock equivalents available for grant under the
Plan. Stock-Settled SARs are counted on a gross and not a net
basis. The shares of Stock available for issuance under the Plan may
be authorized but unissued shares of Stock or shares of Stock reacquired by the
Company.
(b) Individual Award
Limitations. In addition to the overall limitations set forth
in subsection 3(a), Awards granted to any one Participant during any one
calendar year period shall not exceed three Hundred Thousand shares of Stock and
Stock equivalents.
(c) No Double Counting Tandem
SARs. For purposes of the limitations set forth in subsections
3(a) and (b), the shares of Stock and Stock equivalents subject to a Tandem SAR
and its related Option shall be counted only once.
4. ADMINISTRATION.
(a) Establishment of
Committee. The Board shall have the authority to administer
the Plan, but may delegate its administrative powers under the Plan, in whole or
in part, to a committee of the Board or to a subcommittee of any such committee
of the Board.
(b) Committee
Procedures. The Board (or in absence of action by the Board,
the Committee) shall designate one of
the members of each Committee as chairman. Any such Committee may
hold meetings at such times and places as its chairman or a majority of the
members of the Committee shall determine. The acts of a majority of
the Committee members present at meetings at which a quorum exists, or acts
reduced to or approved in writing by all Committee members, shall be valid acts
of the Committee.
(c) Section 162(m)
Committee. Any Awards that are intended to be Qualified
Performance-Based Compensation shall be granted and, as it relates to such
Awards, the Plan shall be administered by a Committee of two or more Outside
Directors.
(d) Rule 16b-3
Committee. Any Awards to Participants who are subject to
Section 16 of the Exchange Act shall be granted and, as it relates to such
Awards, the Plan shall be administered by a Committee of two or more members of
the Board who qualify as “Non-Employee Directors” as defined in Rule 16b-3 under
the Exchange Act, and such Awards shall be structured to satisfy the
requirements for exemption under Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange
Act.
(e) Committee
Responsibilities. Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the
Committee shall have full authority and discretion to take the following
actions:
(i) To
interpret the Plan and to apply its provisions;
(ii) To adopt,
amend, or rescind rules, procedures, agreements and forms relating to the
Plan;
(iii) To
authorize any person to execute, on behalf of the Company, any instrument
(including, but not limited to any Award Agreement) required to carry out the
purposes of the Plan;
(iv) To
determine when Awards are to be granted under the Plan;
(v) To select
the Participants;
(vi) To
determine the number of shares of Stock or Stock equivalents to be made subject
to each Award;
(vii) To
prescribe the terms and conditions of each Option and SAR on the Grant Date,
including (without limitation) the Exercise Price, to determine whether each
such Option is to be classified as an ISO or as a Nonstatutory Option, to
determine whether each such SAR is to be settled in Stock or in cash, and to
specify the provisions of the Award Agreement relating to such Option or
SAR;
(viii) To
prescribe the terms and conditions of each Restricted Stock and RSU Award on the
Grant Date, including (without limitation) restrictions (if any), to specify
whether each such Restricted Stock and RSU Award is to be settled in Stock or in
cash, and to specify the provisions of the Award Agreement relating to such
Restricted Stock or RSU Award;
(ix) To amend
any outstanding Award Agreement, subject to applicable legal restrictions, the
provisions of this Plan and the terms and conditions of such Award
Agreement;
(x) To
prescribe the consideration for the grant of each Award under the Plan and to
determine the sufficiency of such consideration; and
(xi) To take
any other actions deemed necessary or advisable for the administration of the
Plan.
(f) Indemnification. Each
person who is or shall have been a member of the Committee, or of the Board,
shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company, to the fullest extent
permitted by law, against and from (i) any loss, cost, liability, or expense
that may be imposed upon or reasonably incurred by him or her in connection with
or resulting from any claim, action, suit, or proceeding to which he or she may
be a party or in which he or she may be involved by reason of any action taken
or failure to act under the Plan or any Award Agreement, and (ii) from any and
all amounts paid by him or her in settlement thereof, with the Company’s
approval, or paid by him or her in satisfaction of any judgment in any such
claim, action, suit, or proceeding against him or her, provided he or she shall
give the Company an opportunity, at its own expense, to handle and defend the
same before he or she undertakes to handle and defend it on his or her own
behalf. The foregoing right of indemnification shall not be exclusive
of any other rights of indemnification to which such persons may be entitled
under the Company’s Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws, by contract, as a
matter of law, or otherwise, or under any power that the Company may have to
indemnify them or hold them harmless.
5. ELIGIBILITY.
(a) General
Rules. Employees, Consultants and Directors shall be eligible
for the grant of Awards as designated by the Committee. However,
Consultants and Directors who are not also Employees shall not be eligible for
the grant of ISOs.
(b) Ten-Percent
Stockholders. An Employee who owns more than ten percent (10%)
of the total combined voting power of all classes of outstanding stock of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries shall not be eligible for the grant of an ISO
unless:
(i) The
Exercise Price is at least one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market
Value of a share of Stock on the Grant Date; and
(ii) Such ISO
by its terms is not exercisable after the expiration of five (5) years from the
Grant Date.
(c) Stock
Ownership. For purposes of subsection 5(b), in determining an
Employee’s stock ownership, the attribution rules of Section 424(d) of the Code
shall apply. For purposes of subsection 5(b), “outstanding stock”
shall be determined under the rules pertaining to Section 422(b) of the Code and
shall include all Stock actually issued and outstanding immediately after the
grant, including Restricted Stock, but shall not include shares of Stock
authorized for issuance under any Option that has not been
exercised.
6. MODIFICATIONS AND
RESTRICTIONS.
(a) Amendment, Modification,
Extension and Renewal of Awards. Within the limitations of the
Plan, and subject to Section 6(b), the Committee may amend, modify, extend or
renew outstanding Awards or may cancel or accept the cancellation of outstanding
Awards in return for the grant of new Awards at the same or a different
price. The foregoing notwithstanding, no amendment or modification of
an Award shall, without the consent of the Participant, impair the Participant’s
rights or increase his or her obligations under such Award. A change
in the tax consequences of an Award shall not be considered an impairment of
rights or an increase in obligations under the Award.
(b) Restriction on Repricing of
Options and SARs. No outstanding Option or SAR shall be
amended to reduce its Exercise Price or cancelled and replaced with a new Award
(of the same type or of any different type) having a lower Exercise Price (or
other purchase price) for any reason, without the prior approval of the
Company’s stockholders entitled to vote at a meeting of
stockholders.
(c) No Reload Options or
SARs. No Option or SAR shall provide for the automatic grant
of replacement or reload Options or SARs upon the Optionee or Grantee exercising
the Option or SAR and paying the Exercise Price by tendering shares of Stock,
net exercise or otherwise.
7. OPTIONS.
(a) Nature of
Options. An Option is an Award entitling the Participant to
purchase shares of Stock, subject to vesting requirements, at the Exercise Price
set on the Grant Date. Options granted under the Plan may be either
ISOs or Nonstatutory Stock Options. However, notwithstanding any
designation of an Option as an ISO, to the extent that the aggregate Fair Market
Value of the shares of Stock with respect to which the Option and any previously
granted Options (and any other previously granted options to acquire Stock under
all other plans of the Company) are exercisable for the first time by the
Optionee during any calendar year exceeds $100,000, the Option shall be treated
as a Nonstatutory Option.
(b) Exercise
Price. The Exercise Price of an Option shall not be less than
one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the
Grant Date, or such higher amount as is provided in subsection 5(b) with respect
to specified ISOs.
(c) Exercisability. The
exercise schedule of each Option shall be determined by the Committee in its
sole discretion and shall be set forth in the Award Agreement; provided however,
that in the event of the Optionee’s Termination of Service, the Option shall be
exercisable only to the extent the Option was exercisable on the date of such
Termination of Service, unless otherwise specified in the Award
Agreement.
(d) Term. The
term of each Option shall not exceed ten (10) years from the Grant
Date. Subject to the preceding sentence, the Committee in its sole
discretion shall determine and specify in the Award Agreement the date on which
an Option is to expire. In the event of an Optionee’s Termination of
Service:
(i) As a
result of such Optionee’s death or Disability, the Option shall expire twelve
(12) months (or such other period specified in the Award Agreement) after such
death or Disability, but not later than the original expiration date specified
in the Award Agreement.
(ii) By the
Company for Cause, the Option shall expire immediately after the Company’s
notice or advice of such Termination of Service is dispatched to the Optionee,
but not later than the original expiration date specified in the Award
Agreement.
(iii) For any
reason other than the Optionee’s death or Disability or by the Company for
Cause, the Option shall expire ninety (90) calendar days (or such other period
specified in the Award Agreement) after such Termination of Service, but not
later than the original expiration date specified in the Award
Agreement.
(e) No Rights as a
Stockholder. An Optionee, or a transferee of an Optionee,
shall have no rights as a stockholder with respect to any shares of Stock
covered by his or her Option until the issuance of a stock certificate for such
shares of Stock.
8. STOCK APPRECIATION
RIGHTS.
(a) Nature of a
SAR. A SAR is an Award entitling the Grantee to receive shares
of Stock, cash, or a combination thereof, which shall be determined by the
Committee on the Grant Date and set forth in the Award Agreement, having a value
equal to the excess of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the date of
exercise over the per share Exercise Price set by the Committee on the Grant
Date. The Committee may grant Affiliated SARs, Freestanding SARs,
Tandem SARs, or any combination thereof.
(b) Exercise
Price. The Exercise Price of a Freestanding SAR shall be not
less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value of a share of
Stock on the Grant Date. The Exercise Price of a Tandem SAR or an
Affiliated SAR shall equal the Exercise Price of the related
Option.
(c) Exercise of Tandem
SARs. Tandem SARs may be exercised for all or part of the
shares of Stock subject to the related Option upon the surrender of the right to
exercise the equivalent portion of the related Option. A Tandem SAR
may be exercised only with respect to the shares of Stock for which its related
Option is then exercisable. With respect to a Tandem SAR granted in
connection with an Incentive Stock Option: (a) the Tandem SAR shall
expire no later than the expiration of the underlying Incentive Stock Option;
(b) the amount of the payout with respect to the Tandem SAR shall be no more
than one hundred percent (100%) of the difference between the Exercise Price of
the underlying Incentive Stock Option and the Fair Market Value of the shares of
Stock subject to the underlying Incentive Stock Option at the time the Tandem
SAR is exercised; and (c) the Tandem SAR shall be exercisable only when the Fair
Market Value of the shares of Stock subject to the Incentive Stock Option
exceeds the Exercise Price of the Incentive Stock Option.
(d) Exercise of Affiliated
SARs. An Affiliated SAR shall be deemed to be exercised upon
the exercise of the related Option. The deemed exercise of an
Affiliated SAR shall not necessitate a reduction in the number of shares of
Stock subject to the related Option.
(e) Exercise of Freestanding
SARs. Freestanding SARs shall be exercisable on such terms and
conditions as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall
determine.
(f) Term. The
term of each SAR shall not exceed ten (10) years from the Grant
Date. Subject to the preceding sentence, the Committee in its sole
discretion shall determine and specify in the Award Agreement the date on which
the SAR is to expire. In the event of a Participant’s Termination of
Service:
(i) As a
result of such Participant’s death or Disability, the SAR shall expire twelve
(12) months (or such other period specified in the Award Agreement) after such
death or Disability, but not later than the original expiration date specified
in the Award Agreement.
(ii) By the
Company for Cause, the SAR shall expire immediately after the Company’s notice
or advice of such Termination of Service is dispatched to the Participant, but
not later than the original expiration date specified in the Award
Agreement.
(iii) For any
reason other than the Participant’s death or Disability or by the Company for
Cause, the Option shall expire ninety (90) calendar days (or such other period
specified in the Award Agreement) after such Termination of Service, but not
later than the original expiration date specified in the Award
Agreement.
(g) No Rights as a
Stockholder. A Participant, or a transferee of a Participant,
shall have no rights as a stockholder with respect to any shares of Stock
covered by his or her SAR until the issuance of a stock certificate for such
shares of Stock.
9. RESTRICTED
STOCK.
(a) Nature of a Restricted Stock
Award. A Restricted Stock Award is an Award of shares of Stock
subject to such restrictions and conditions, at a purchase price, if any, and
for such consideration, all as the Committee shall determine on the Grant
Date. Such Restricted Stock issuances may be based, at the discretion
of the Committee, on continuing employment (or other business relationship) with
the Company and its Subsidiaries and/or achievement of pre-established
Performance Goals.
(b) Restrictions. The
Committee shall determine at the time of grant, and shall specify in the Award
Agreement, the restrictions on the Restricted Stock and the date(s) on which the
restrictions shall lapse or the Performance Goals that are to be met to cause
such restrictions to lapse. The conditions for lapse of any
restrictions, and whether such conditions have been met, shall be determined by
the Committee in its sole discretion.
(c) Escrow of Restricted
Stock. Until all restrictions have lapsed or been removed, the
Secretary, or such other escrow holder as the Committee may appoint, shall
retain custody of any certificates representing the Restricted Stock subject to
the Award; provided, however, that in no event shall the Grantee have physical
custody of any certificates representing shares of Restricted Stock awarded to
him or her until all restrictions thereon have lapsed or been
removed.
(d) Termination of
Service. In the event of Grantee’s Termination of
Service:
(i) As a
result of Grantee’s death or Disability, then, except as otherwise specified in
the Award Agreement, the restrictions on the Restricted Stock subject to the
Award shall lapse as to a pro rata portion of the shares of such Restricted
Stock (net of any shares as to which the restrictions previously have lapsed),
with such pro rata portion based on the ratio of the number of days between the
Grant Date and the date of Termination of Service to the number of days between
the Grant Date and the date on which all such restrictions were scheduled to
lapse under the Award Agreement. In such event, the Grantee shall
forfeit the balance of such Restricted Stock as to which the restrictions have
not yet lapsed, and the Restricted Stock so forfeited shall be returned to the
Company.
(ii) By the
Company for Cause, or as a result of any other event not specified in subsection
9(d)(i) (except a Change in Control which is governed by Section 16), the
portion of the Restricted Stock Award for which the restrictions have not lapsed
as of the Termination of Service shall be forfeited immediately after the
Company’s notice or advice of such Termination of Service for Cause is
dispatched to Grantee or on the date of Termination of Service for any other
reason, except as otherwise specified in the Award Agreement.
(e) No Fractional Shares.
In determining the number of shares of Restricted Stock for which the
restrictions have lapsed, fractional shares shall be rounded down to the nearest
whole number, provided that such fractional shares shall be aggregated and
earned at such time as all restrictions lapse.
(f) Rights as
Stockholder. Upon delivery of the Restricted Stock to the
escrow holder or other action taken by the Committee pursuant to subsection
9(c), the Grantee shall have all the rights of a stockholder of the Company with
respect to the Restricted Stock, subject to the restrictions and the Award
Agreement, including the right to vote the Restricted Stock and the right to
receive all dividends or other distributions paid or made with respect to the
Restricted Stock; provided, however, that any additional shares of Restricted
Stock to which Grantee shall be entitled as a result of stock dividends, stock
splits, or any other form of recapitalization in respect of shares of Stock
subject to restrictions shall also be subject to the restrictions until the
restrictions on the underlying shares of Stock lapse.
10. RESTRICTED STOCK
UNITS.
(a) Nature of a Restricted Stock
Unit. A Restricted Stock Unit is an Award entitling the
Grantee to receive shares of Stock or the cash equivalent of the shares of Stock
at a future date, subject to restrictions and conditions. The
Committee shall determine on the Grant Date and shall specify in the Award
Agreement for each Award of Restricted Stock Units whether the Award is to be
settled in Stock or in cash and the consideration to be provided by the Grantee
for such Award. Such Restricted Stock Unit issuances may be based, at
the discretion of the Committee, on continuing employment (or other business
relationship) with the Company and its Subsidiaries and/or achievement of
pre-established Performance Goals.
(b) Restrictions. The
Committee shall determine at the time of grant, and shall specify in the Award
Agreement, the restrictions on the Restricted Stock Units and the date(s) on
which the restrictions shall lapse or the Performance Goals that are to be met
to cause such restrictions to lapse. The conditions for lapse of any
restrictions, and whether such conditions have been met, shall be determined by
the Committee in its sole discretion.
(c) Form and Timing of Payment
of Restricted Stock Units. Payment of Restricted Stock Units
will be made as soon as practicable after the lapse of the
restrictions.
(d) Termination of
Service. In the event of Grantee’s Termination of
Service:
(i) As a
result of Grantee’s death or Disability, then, except as otherwise specified in
the Award Agreement, the restrictions on the shares of Stock or Stock
equivalents subject to the Restricted Stock Units shall lapse as to a pro rata
portion of such Restricted Stock Units (net of any shares as to which the
restrictions previously have lapsed), with such pro rata portion based on the
ratio of the number of days between the Grant Date and the date of Termination
of Service to the number of days between the Grant Date and the date on which
all such restrictions were scheduled to lapse under the Award
Agreement. In such event, the Grantee shall forfeit the right to earn
the balance of such Restricted Stock Units as to which the restrictions have not
yet lapsed.
(ii) By the
Company for Cause, or as a result of any other event not specified in subsection
10 (d)(i) (except a Change in Control which is governed by Section 16), the
portion of the Restricted Stock Units for which the restrictions have not lapsed
as of the Termination of Service shall be forfeited immediately after the
Company’s notice or advice of such Termination of Service for Cause is
dispatched to Grantee or on the date of Termination of Service for any other
reason, except as otherwise specified in the Award Agreement.
11. PERFORMANCE-BASED
AWARDS.
(a) Nature of Performance-Based
Awards. The purpose of this Section 11 is to provide the
Committee the ability to qualify Awards as Qualified Performance-Based
Compensation. If the Committee, in its discretion, decides to grant a
Performance-Based Award to an Employee, the provisions of this Section 11 shall
control over any contrary provision contained in Sections 7, 8, 9 and 10;
provided, however, that the Committee may in its discretion grant Awards to
Employees that are based on Performance Criteria or Performance Goals but that
do not satisfy the requirements of this Section 11.
(b) Applicability. This
Section 11 shall apply only to those Employees selected by the Committee to
receive Performance-Based Awards. The designation of an Employee as a
Participant for a Performance Period shall not in any manner entitle the
Participant to receive an Award. Moreover, designation of an Employee
as a Participant for a particular Performance Period shall not require
designation of such Employee as a Participant in any subsequent Performance
Period and designation of one Employee as a Participant shall not require
designation of any other Employees as a Participant in such period or in any
other period.
(c) Procedures With Respect to
Performance-Based Awards. To the extent necessary to comply
with the Qualified Performance-Based Compensation requirements of Section
162(m)(4)(C) of the Code, with respect to any Award which may be granted to one
or more Employees, no later than ninety (90) calendar days following the
commencement of any Year in question or any other designated fiscal period or
period of service (or such other time as may be required or permitted by Section
162(m) of the Code), the Committee shall, in writing, (i) designate one or
more Employees, (ii) select the Performance Criteria applicable to the
Performance Period, (iii) establish the Performance Goals, and amounts of such
Awards, as applicable, which may be earned for such Performance Period, and (iv)
specify the relationship between Performance Criteria and the Performance Goals
and the amounts of such Awards, as applicable, to be earned by each Employee for
such Performance Period. The Committee may provide in any such Award
that any evaluation of performance may include or exclude any of the following
events that occurs during a Performance Period: asset write-downs; litigation or
claim judgments or settlements; the effect of changes in tax laws, accounting
principles, or other laws or provisions affecting reported results; any
reorganization and restructuring programs or other executive termination costs;
extraordinary items (as defined in generally accepted accounting principles or
any successor thereto); acquisitions or divestitures, including asset sales; the
positive or negative impact of foreign exchange movements; stock-based
compensation expense; in-process research and development expenses related to
acquisitions; acquired intangible asset amortization; integration and other
one-time expenditures or other adjustments related to acquisitions; material
acquisition costs; merger costs, including severance, lease and other facility
costs of the acquired company; gains or losses associated with either the
repurchase or potential settlement of any or all of the Company’s outstanding
debt or convertible debt instruments; and/or the positive or negative impacts
associated with the implementation of International Financial Reporting
Standards. Following the completion of each Performance Period, the
Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine whether the applicable
Performance Goals have been achieved for such Performance Period and shall
certify such determination in writing. In determining the amount
earned by an Employee, the Committee shall have the right to reduce or eliminate
(but not to increase) the amount payable at a given level of performance to take
into account additional factors that the Committee may deem relevant to the
assessment of individual or corporate performance for the Performance
Period.
(d) Payment of Performance-Based
Awards. Unless otherwise provided in the applicable Award
Agreement, a Participant must be employed by the Company or a Subsidiary on the
day a Performance-Based Award for such Performance Period is paid to the
Participant. Furthermore, a Participant shall be eligible to receive
payment pursuant to a Performance-Based Award for a Performance Period only if
the Performance Goals for such period are achieved. In determining
the amount earned under a Performance-Based Award, the Committee may reduce or
eliminate the amount of the Performance-Based Award earned for the Performance
Period, if in its sole discretion, such reduction or elimination is
appropriate.
(e) Additional
Limitations. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan,
any Award which is granted to an Employee and is intended to constitute
Qualified Performance-Based Compensation shall be subject to any additional
limitations set forth in Section 162(m) of the Code (including any amendment to
Section 162(m) of the Code) or any regulations or rulings issued thereunder that
are requirements for qualification as Qualified Performance-Based Compensation
under Section 162(m)(4)(C) of the Code, and the Plan shall be deemed amended to
the extent necessary to conform to such requirements.
12. SUBSTITUTE AWARDS AND
COMBINED AWARDS.
(a) Substitute
Awards. If the Company or a Subsidiary at any time should
succeed to the business of another corporation or other entity through merger or
consolidation, or through the acquisition of stock (or other ownership
interests) or assets of such other corporation or other entity, Awards may be
granted under the Plan in substitution of awards previously granted by such
other corporation or other entity with respect to shares of its stock (or other
ownership interests) which awards are outstanding at the date of the succession
(“Surrendered Awards”). The Committee shall have discretion to
determine the extent to which such Substitute Awards shall be granted, the
persons to receive such Substitute Awards, the number of shares of Stock or
their economic equivalent to be subject to such Substitute Awards, and the
terms, conditions and restrictions of such Substitute Awards which shall, to the
extent permissible within the terms and conditions of the Plan, be equivalent to
the terms, conditions and restrictions of the Surrendered Awards. The
Exercise Price of any Substitute Award that is an Option or a SAR may be
determined without regard to subsections 7(b) and 8(b); provided however, that
the Exercise Price of each such Substitute Award shall be an amount such that,
in the sole and absolute judgment of the Committee (and if the Substitute Award
is to be an ISO, in compliance with Section 424(a) of the Code), the economic
benefit provided by such Substitute Award is not greater than the economic
benefit represented by the Surrendered Award as of the date of the
succession.
(b) Combined
Awards. The Company may provide for payment to an Employee,
Director, or Consultant of an amount earned under an Other Incentive Plan in the
form of Stock or other Award under this Plan. In such case, the
conditions and restrictions on the Award may be set under such Other Incentive
Plan, which Award will be treated as a combined award under the Plan and the
Other Incentive Plan, and the shares of Stock and Stock equivalents provided
under Section 3 of this Plan shall be available to satisfy any payment of shares
of Stock or Stock equivalents required or permitted under the Other Incentive
Plan award.
13. NON-TRANSFERABILITY OF
AWARDS.
All
Awards under the Plan shall be nontransferable and shall not be assignable,
alienable, saleable, or otherwise transferable by the Participant other than by
will or the laws of descent and distribution or pursuant to a Domestic Relations
Order. During the
lifetime of a Participant, Options and SARs granted to him or her under the Plan
shall be exercisable only by him or her except as otherwise determined by the
Committee and specified in the Award Agreement. Notwithstanding the
forgoing and excluding ISOs, the Committee may provide in an Award Agreement
that a Participant may transfer, without consideration for the transfer, such
Award to the Participant’s immediate family members, to trusts for the benefit
of the Participant and such immediate family members, to partnerships in which
the Participant and such immediate family members are the only partners, or to
charitable organizations, provided that transferee agrees in writing to be bound
by all of the terms and conditions of the Plan and the applicable Award
Agreement.
14. PAYMENT FOR SHARES OF
STOCK.
(a) General
Rule. The entire consideration for shares of Stock issued
under the Plan shall be payable in lawful money of the United States of America
at the time when such shares of Stock are purchased, except as
follows:
(i) Options. Payment
of the Exercise Price of an Option shall be made pursuant to the express
provisions of the applicable Award Agreement. However, the Committee
(in its sole discretion) may specify in the Award Agreement that payment may
(either with or without Committee approval) be made pursuant to subsections 14
(b), (c) or (d), or any combination thereof.
(ii) Restricted Stock and RSU
Awards. Payment (if any) for Restricted Stock and RSUs shall
be made pursuant to the express provisions of the applicable Award Agreement, as
determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.
(b) Surrender of
Stock. To the extent that this subsection 14(b) is
applicable, payment may be made all or in part with shares of Stock which are
owned by the Optionee or his or her representative and which are surrendered to
the Company in good form for transfer. Such shares of Stock shall be
valued at their Fair Market Value on the date when the new shares of Stock are
purchased under the Plan.
(c) Exercise/Sale (“Cashless
Exercise”). To the extent that this subsection 14(c) is
applicable, payment may be made by the delivery of an irrevocable direction to a
securities broker, acceptable to the Company, to sell shares of Stock and to
deliver all or part of the sales proceeds to the Company in payment of all or
part of the Exercise Price of the Option.
(d) Net Share
Exercise. To the extent that this subsection 14(d) is
applicable, payment may be made by holding back from the shares of Stock to be
issued upon exercise of an Option that number of shares of Stock having a Fair
Market Value equal to the minimum amount required to satisfy the Exercise Price
(the Fair Market Value of the shares of Stock to be held back shall be
determined on the date that the Option is exercised by the
Optionee).
15. ADJUSTMENT OF
STOCK.
(a) General. In
the event of a subdivision of the outstanding Stock; a declaration of a dividend
payable in shares of Stock; a declaration of a dividend payable in a form other
than shares of Stock in an amount that has a material effect on the value of
shares of Stock; a combination or consolidation of the outstanding Stock (by
reclassification or otherwise) into a lesser number of shares of Stock; a
recapitalization; a spinoff; a merger, consolidation, or other reorganization
involving the Company that would not constitute a Change in Control; or any
similar occurrence, then the Committee shall make appropriate adjustments (which
adjustments shall be final, binding and conclusive on all parties) in one or
more of:
(i) The
maximum number of shares of Stock and Stock equivalents available under
subsection 3(a) for future grants of Awards and of specified types of
Awards;
(ii) The
limitations set forth in subsection 3(b);
(iii) The
number and kind of shares of Stock or Stock equivalents (or other securities)
covered by each outstanding Award; and
(iv) The
Exercise Price under each outstanding Option and SAR, but without changing the
aggregate Exercise Price (i.e., the Exercise Price multiplied by the number of
shares of Stock subject to the Option or SAR) as to which such Option or SAR
remain exercisable.
(b) Reservation of
Rights. Except as provided in this Section 15, a Participant
shall have no rights by reason of any subdivision or consolidation of shares of
stock of any class, the payment of any dividend or any other increase or
decrease in the number of shares of stock of any class. Any issue by
the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into
shares of stock of any class, shall not affect, and no adjustment by reason
thereof shall be made with respect to, the number or Exercise Price of shares of
Stock subject to an Option or SAR and the number of or consideration for shares
of Stock, subject to a Restricted Stock Award or RSU. The grant of an
Option, SAR, Restricted Stock Award, or RSU pursuant to the Plan shall not
affect in any way the right or power of the Company to make adjustments,
reclassifications, reorganizations or changes of its capital or business
structure, to merge or consolidate or to dissolve, liquidate, sell or transfer
all or any part of its business or assets.
16. CHANGE IN CONTROL;
REORGANIZATION
(a) Vesting on Change in
Control. In the event of a Change in Control:
(i) All
outstanding Options and SARs shall be fully vested and exercisable immediately
prior to the Change in Control; and
(ii) All
outstanding Awards shall be earned and vested in full, all restrictions on
outstanding Restricted Stock and RSUs shall immediately lapse, and all other
conditions on outstanding Awards met, upon the occurrence of the Change in
Control.
(b) Merger, Consolidation or
Other Reorganization. In the event that the Company is a party
to a merger, consolidation, or other reorganization that would constitute a
Change in Control, the agreement under which such merger, consolidation, or
other reorganization is effected (“Merger Agreement”) may provide for any one or
more of the following (subject to the provisions of subsection 16(a)), which
shall apply on a consistent basis to all similarly situated outstanding Awards
(but may be applied differently for different types of awards or awards having
differing characteristics), in all cases without the consent of any
Participant:
(i) The
assumption of (or substitution of equivalent awards for) outstanding Options,
SARs, Restricted Stock and RSUs by the surviving corporation or its parent (or
for their continuation by the Company if the Company is a surviving
corporation), in which case each Award shall be adjusted consistent with the
consideration received for shares of Stock under the Merger Agreement in
accordance with the principles set forth in subsection 15(a);
(ii) The
cancellation of outstanding Options, SARs, Restricted Stock, and RSUs upon
payment of a cash amount for each share of Stock or Stock equivalent under the
Award (whether or not vested prior to the effective time of such merger,
consolidation or other reorganization) equal to the positive difference (or if
there is no positive difference, cancellation without payment) between (A) the
cash amount or Fair Market Value of other consideration to be paid for each
share of Stock under the Merger Agreement and (B) the amount, if any, remaining
to be paid for each share of Stock or Stock equivalent under the Award Agreement
or the Exercise Price of any Option or SAR;
(iii) The
cancellation, without consideration, of outstanding Options not exercised prior
to the effective time of such merger, consolidation or other reorganization;
provided that Participants are given reasonable notice in advance of the
effective time of such merger, consolidation or other reorganization that such
Options are fully vested, may be exercised prior to such merger, consolidation
or other reorganization, and will expire if not so exercised;
and/or
(iv) The
cancellation of outstanding Restricted Stock, and RSUs upon payment or delivery
of the per share of Stock merger consideration under the Merger Agreement for
each share of Stock or Stock equivalent under the Award (whether or not vested
prior to the effective time of such merger, consolidation or other
reorganization).
17. WITHHOLDING
TAXES.
(a) Payment by Participant;
Deduction by Company. As a condition to the exercise of any
Option, and no later than the date as of which the value of any other Award or
of any Stock or other amounts received thereunder first becomes includable in
the gross income of the Participant for Federal, state, or local income tax
purposes, the Participant shall pay to the Company, or make arrangements
satisfactory to the Committee regarding payment of, any Federal, state, or local
taxes of any kind required by law to be withheld with respect to such
income. The Company and its Subsidiaries shall have the right, to the
extent permitted by law, to deduct any such taxes from any payment of any kind
otherwise due to the Participant, including any payment or release of cash or
shares of Stock under the applicable Award or any other Award.
(b) Payment in
Stock. With the permission of the Committee, or as specified
in the Award Agreement, a Participant may elect to have such tax withholding
obligation satisfied, in whole or in part, by (i) authorizing the Company to
withhold from shares of Stock to be issued pursuant to any Award a number of
shares with an aggregate Fair Market Value (as of the date the withholding is
effected) that would satisfy the withholding amount due, or (ii) transferring to
the Company shares of Stock owned by the Participant with an aggregate Fair
Market Value (as of the date the withholding is effected) that would satisfy the
withholding amount due.
18. SECURITIES
LAWS.
Shares of
Stock shall not be issued under the Plan unless the issuance and delivery of
such shares of Stock complies with (or is exempt from) all requirements of
Applicable Laws, including (without limitation) the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, state securities laws
and regulations, and the regulations of any stock exchange on which the
Company’s securities may then be listed.
19. NO EMPLOYMENT
RIGHTS.
Neither
the Plan nor any Award shall give any person any right to be or remain an
Employee, Director or Consultant of the Company or of any
Subsidiary. The Company and its Subsidiaries reserve the right to
terminate the service of any Employee, Director or Consultant at any time, with
or without Cause, subject to applicable laws and written agreements (if
any).
20. DURATION, AMENDMENTS, AND
TERMINATION.
(a) Term of the
Plan. The Plan shall terminate automatically on October 22,
2019, which is ten (10) years after the Plan was adopted by the
Board. No Award of any type may be granted under the Plan after such
date. The Plan may be terminated on any earlier date pursuant to
subsection 20(b).
(b) Right to Amend or Terminate
the Plan. The Board may amend, suspend, or terminate the Plan
at any time and for any reason. An amendment of the Plan shall be
subject to the approval of the Company’s stockholders only to the extent
provided herein or required by Applicable Laws.
(c) Effect of Plan Amendment or
Termination. No amendment, suspension, or termination of the
Plan (including at the end of the term specified in subsection 20(a)) shall
impair the rights of any Participant with respect to any Award then outstanding,
which shall continue in effect in accordance with the terms of the Award
Agreement (as it may be amended from time to time) and of this Plan on the Grant
Date until its expiration or earlier termination as specified in the Award
Agreement. The termination of the Plan shall not affect the
Committee’s rights or obligations with respect to the continued exercise of its
powers under the Plan regarding Awards that are outstanding at the time of
termination.
21. MISCELLANEOUS.
(a) Investment
Representations. As a condition to the receipt of an Award or
to the purchase or other receipt of shares of Stock pursuant to an Award, the
Company may require the person receiving such Award or shares to represent and
warrant that the Award or the shares of Stock being purchased or otherwise
received are only for investment and without any present intention to sell or
distribute such Award or shares of Stock if, in the opinion of counsel for the
Company, such a representation is required.
(b) Stockholder
Approval. The Plan shall be subject to approval by the
stockholders of the Company within twelve (12) months after the date the
Plan is adopted by the Board, and no Awards shall be granted under the Plan
until such stockholder approval is obtained. Such stockholder
approval shall be obtained in the manner and to the degree required under
Applicable Laws.
(c) Nonexclusivity of the Plan. Neither
the adoption of this Plan by the Board, the submission of this Plan to the
stockholders of the Company for approval, nor any provision of this Plan will be
construed as creating any limitations on the power of the Board to adopt such
additional compensation arrangements as it may deem desirable, including,
without limitation, the granting of stock options and bonuses otherwise than
under this Plan, and such arrangements may be either generally applicable or
applicable only in specific cases.
(d) Successors. All
obligations of the Company under the Plan, with respect to Awards granted
hereunder, shall be binding on any successor to the Company, whether the
existence of such successor is the result of a direct or indirect purchase,
merger, consolidation, or otherwise, of all or substantially all of the business
or assets of the Company.
(e) Accounting
Terms. Except as otherwise expressly provided or the context
otherwise requires, financial and accounting terms are used as defined for
purposes of, and shall be determined in accordance with, generally accepted
accounting principles, as from time to time in effect, as applied and included
in the consolidated financial statements of the Company prepared in the ordinary
course of business.
(f) Stock
Certificates. Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the
contrary, to the extent the Plan provides for the issuance of stock certificates
to reflect the ownership of shares of Stock or Restricted Stock, the issuance
may be effected on a non-certificated basis, to the extent not prohibited by
Applicable Laws.
(g) Gender and
Number. Except where otherwise indicated by the context, any
masculine term used herein also shall include the feminine; the plural shall
include the singular and the singular shall include the plural.
(h) Severability. In
the event any provision of the Plan shall be held illegal or invalid for any
reason, the illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining parts of the
Plan, and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if the illegal or invalid
provision had not been included.
(i) Governing
Law. The Plan, the Award Agreements, and all actions taken
thereunder shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of
the State of California, without regard to such state’s or any other
jurisdiction’s conflicts of law principles.
FOLD AND
DETACH HERE AND READ THE REVERSE SIDE
PROXY
CADIZ INC.
SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY
AND APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The
undersigned hereby constitutes and appoints Keith Brackpool and Timothy J.
Shaheen, and each of them, as attorneys and proxies of the undersigned, with
full power of substitution, for and in the name, place, and stead of the
undersigned, to appear at the fiscal 2009 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of
Cadiz Inc. to be held on the 14th day of December 2009 at 11 a.m., local time,
at the law offices of Theodora Oringher Miller & Richman located at 2029
Century Park East, 6th Floor, Los Angeles, California 90067 (pursuant to the
Notice of Annual Meeting dated November 3, 2009 and accompanying
proxy statement), and at any postponement or adjournment thereof, and to vote
all of the shares of Cadiz Inc. that the undersigned is entitled to vote with
all the powers and authority the undersigned would possess if personally present
in accordance with the following instructions.
(Continued
on reverse side)
CADIZ INC.
Voting by
telephone or Internet is quick, easy and immediate. As a Cadiz
Inc. stockholder, you have the option of voting your shares electronically
through the Internet or on the telephone, eliminating the need to return the
proxy card. Your electronic vote authorizes the named proxies to vote your
shares in the same manner as if you marked, signed, dated and returned the proxy
card. Votes submitted electronically over the Internet or by telephone must be
received by 7:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on December 13, 2009.
Vote Your Proxy on the
Internet:
www.continentalstock.com.
Have your
proxy card available when you access the website. Follow the prompts to vote
your shares.
Vote Your Proxy by
Phone:
Call 1 (866)
894-0537.
Use any
touch-tone telephone to vote your proxy. Have your proxy card available when you
call. Follow the voting instructions to vote your shares.
PLEASE
DO NOT RETURN THE PROXY CARD IF YOU ARE
VOTING ELECTRONICALLY OR BY
PHONE
Vote
Your Proxy by Mail:
Mark,
sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope
provided.
FOLD AND DETACH HERE AND READ THE
REVERSE SIDE
THIS
PROXY WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED, OR IF NO DIRECTION IS INDICATED, WILL BE VOTED
"FOR" PROPOSALS 1, 2 AND 3. THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS, WHICH RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR THE PROPOSALS.
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1.
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ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
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FOR
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WITHHOLD
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AUTHORITY
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(To
withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee, strike a line
through that nominee's name in the list below)
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01.
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Keith
Brackpool
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02.
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Murray
H. Hutchison
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03.
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Timothy
J. Shaheen
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04.
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Stephen
J. Duffy
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05.
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Winston
Hickox
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06.
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Geoffrey
Grant
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07.
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Raymond
J. Pacini
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08.
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Stephen
E. Courter
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2.
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Ratification
of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as independent auditor.
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FOR
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AGAINST
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ABSTAIN
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3.
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Approval
of Cadiz Inc. 2009 Equity Incentive Plan.
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FOR
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AGAINST
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ABSTAIN
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4.
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In their discretion,
the Proxies are authorized to vote upon such other business as many
properly come before the meeting. |
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COMPANY
ID:
PROXY
NUMBER:
ACCOUNT
NUMBER:
Signature(s) |
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Signature(s) |
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Date |
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Please
sign exactly as name appears hereon. When shares are held by joint
owners, both should sign. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator,
trustee, or guardian, please give title as such. If a corporation, please sign
in full corporate name by President or other authorized officer. If a
partnership, please sign in partnership name by authorized
person.