Blueprint
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 ☒
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))
☒
Definitive Proxy
Statement
☐
Definitive
Additional Materials
☐
Soliciting Material
under §240.14a-12
Support.com, Inc.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
n/a
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the
Registrant)
Payment
of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
☐
Fee computed on
table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and
0-11.
●
Title of each class
of securities to which transaction applies:
●
Aggregate number of
securities to which transaction applies:
●
Per unit price or
other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange
Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is
calculated and state how it was determined):
●
Proposed maximum
aggregate value of transaction:
☐
Fee paid previously
with preliminary materials.
☐
Check box if any
part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act 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.
(1)
Amount previously
paid with preliminary materials:
●
Form, Schedule or
Registration Statement No.:
SUPPORT.COM, INC.
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held On June 6, 2019
Dear
Stockholder:
We
cordially invite you to attend the 2019 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Support.com,
Inc. (“Support.com”, the “Company”,
“we” or “our”) which will be held on
Thursday, June 6, 2019 at 8:00 a.m., Pacific Time, at our offices
located at 1200 Crossman Ave., Suite 210, Sunnyvale, California
94089.
We are
holding the meeting for the following purposes, as more fully
described in the accompanying proxy statement (the “Proxy
Statement”):
1. To
elect 4 directors to serve on the Board of Directors (the
“Board”) until the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders,
and thereafter until their successors are elected and
qualified;
2. To
approve, on an advisory basis, the Company’s named executive
officer compensation programs and practices as described in this
Proxy Statement;
3. To
ratify the appointment of Plante & Moran PLLC (“Plante
& Moran”) as the Company’s independent registered
public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31,
2019; and
4. To
transact such other business as may properly be brought before the
meeting.
All
stockholders are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting in
person. Only stockholders of record as of the close of business on
April 9, 2019 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual
Meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof. A complete
list of stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be
available at our offices located at 1200 Crossman Ave., Suite 210,
Sunnyvale, California 94089 for 10 days before the meeting. Any
stockholder of record in attendance at the Annual Meeting and
entitled to vote may do so in person, even if such stockholder
returned a proxy.
We are
pleased to take advantage of the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission rules that allow companies to furnish their proxy
materials over the Internet. As a result, we are mailing to our
stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials
(the “Internet Availability Notice”) instead of a paper
copy of this proxy statement and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 (the “2018 Annual
Report”). The Internet Availability Notice contains
instructions on how to access those documents over the Internet.
The Internet Availability Notice also contains instructions on how
to request a paper copy of our proxy materials, including this
proxy statement, our 2018 Annual Report and a form of proxy card or
voting instruction card, as applicable. We believe that this
process will reduce the costs of printing and distributing our
proxy materials and also provides other benefits.
YOUR
VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT. You are encouraged to vote by following the
instructions included in this proxy statement or by following the
instructions detailed in the Internet Availability Notice, as
applicable. If you are able to attend the Annual Meeting and wish
to vote in person, you may do so whether or not you have returned
your proxy or voted by telephone or the Internet.
Sincerely,
/s/
Joshua E. Schechter
Joshua
E. Schechter
Chairman of the Board
Wilmington,
Delaware
April
19, 2019
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR
THE ANNUAL MEETING TO BE HELD ON JUNE 6, 2019
The
Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, Proxy Statement
and 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K are available at https://www.support.com/about-us/investor-relations/sec-filings
and www.proxyvote.com.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
|
|
PROXY
STATEMENT FOR 2019 ANNUAL MEETING OF
STOCKHOLDERS
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4
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STOCKHOLDER
MATTERS
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7
|
Stockholder
Communications with our Board
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7
|
Stockholder
Proposals
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7
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CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE
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8
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Corporate
Governance Guidelines
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8
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Code of
Ethics
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8
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Director
Independence
|
8
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Board
Leadership and Risk Oversight
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8
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Executive
Sessions
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9
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Committees of the
Board of Directors
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9
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Director
Qualifications
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10
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Director
Nominations
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10
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Compensation
Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
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10
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Section 16(a)
Beneficial Ownership Compliance
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11
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Certain
Relationships and Related-Party Transactions
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11
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DIRECTOR
COMPENSATION
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12
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SECURITIES
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
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13
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PROPOSAL
NO. 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
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15
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BOARD
OF DIRECTORS AND NOMINEES
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15
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EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION AND RELATED INFORMATION
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17
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Executive
Officers
|
17
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Compensation
Committee Report
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17
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Compensation-Related
Risk Analysis
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17
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COMPENSATION
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
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17
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2018
Business Highlights
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17
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Consideration of
2018 Say-on-Pay Voting Results
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18
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Executive
Compensation Philosophy and Objectives
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18
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Consultants and
Peer Group Analysis
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19
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The
Role of Management in Compensation Decisions
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19
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Analysis of 2018
Executive Compensation and Actions
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19
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Tax
Implications of Compensation Policies
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20
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Employment
Arrangements, Termination of Employment Arrangements and Change of
Control Arrangements
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20
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2018
Summary Compensation Table
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21
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2018
Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table
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23
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Outstanding Equity
Awards at 2018 Fiscal Year-End Table
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24
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2018
Option Exercises and Stock Vested
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25
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Pension
Benefits and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation
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25
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Potential Payments
Upon Termination or Change-in-Control
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25
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Pay
Ratio Disclosure
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26
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REPORT
OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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27
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PROPOSAL NO. 2:
ADVISORY APPROVAL OF NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER
COMPENSATION
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28
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PROPOSAL NO. 3:
RATIFICATION OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING
FIRM
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29
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SUPPORT.COM, INC.
1521 Concord Pike (US 202), Suite 301, Wilmington, DE
19803
PROXY STATEMENT FOR
2019 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To be Held on June 6, 2019
General
The
Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Support.com, Inc.
(“Support.com,” “the Company,”
“we” or “our”) is soliciting proxies for
the 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company (the
“Annual Meeting”), to be held at our offices at 1200
Crossman Ave., Suite 210, Sunnyvale, California 94089, on Thursday,
June 6, 2019, at 8:00 a.m., Pacific Time, and at any adjournments
or postponements thereof, for the purposes set forth herein and in
the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of
Stockholders.
The
Company intends to commence mailing to all stockholders of record
entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting the Notice of Internet
Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Internet Availability
Notice”) on or about April 19, 2019.
Our
principal executive offices are located at the address listed at
the top of the page, and the telephone number is (650) 556-9440. We
also have offices at 1200 Crossman Ave., Suite 210, Sunnyvale, CA
94089.
Record Date, Voting and Quorum
Our
Board fixed the close of business on April 9, 2019 as the Record
Date for the determination of holders of our outstanding shares
entitled to notice of, and to vote on, all matters presented at the
Annual Meeting. Such stockholders will be entitled to one vote for
each share held on each matter submitted to a vote at the Annual
Meeting. As of the Record Date, there were approximately 18,955,264
shares of the Company’s common stock (“Common
Stock”) issued and outstanding.
The
required quorum for the transaction of business at the Annual
Meeting is a majority of the shares of Common Stock issued and
outstanding on the Record Date. Shares that are voted
“FOR” or “AGAINST” a proposal or marked
“ABSTAIN” are treated as being present at the Annual
Meeting for purposes of establishing a quorum and are also treated
as shares entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. Broker
“non-votes” are also included for purposes of
determining whether a quorum of shares of Common Stock is present
at the Annual Meeting. A broker “non-vote” occurs when
a nominee holding shares of Common Stock for the beneficial owner
does not vote on a particular proposal because the nominee does not
have discretionary voting power with respect to that item and has
not received instructions from the beneficial owner.
Required Vote
On all
matters, each share of Common Stock held on the Record Date has one
vote.
Proposal No. 1:
Directors are elected by a plurality vote. Therefore, the nominees
for the four (4) director seats who receive the most affirmative
votes of shares outstanding as of the Record Date that are present
in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and
entitled to vote on such matter will be elected to serve as
directors. Neither broker “non-votes” nor abstentions
are included in the tabulation of the voting results and,
therefore, they do not have any effect on the voting results for
Proposal No. 1.
Proposal No. 2: The
proposal to approve the Company’s named executive officer
compensation is advisory and an affirmative vote of the holders of
a majority of the outstanding shares as of the Record Date that are
present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and
entitled to vote on such matter will signify an approval. Broker
“non-votes” are not included in the tabulation of the
voting results and, therefore, they do not have any effect on the
voting results for Proposal No. 2. Abstentions will have the effect
of votes “AGAINST” Proposal No. 2.
Proposal No. 3: The
proposal to ratify the appointment of Plante & Moran PLLC
(“Plante & Moran”), as our independent registered
public accounting firm for fiscal year 2019 requires the
affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding
shares as of the Record Date that are present in person or
represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote on
such matter. Broker “non-votes” are not included in the
tabulation of the voting results and, therefore, they do not have
any effect on the voting results for Proposal No. 3. Abstentions
will have the effect of votes “AGAINST” Proposal No.
3.
Voting
Stockholders who
have their shares in “street name,” meaning the name of
a broker or other nominee who is the record holder, must either
direct the record holder of their shares to vote their shares or
obtain a proxy from the record holder to vote their shares at the
Annual Meeting. Stockholders who have their shares in street name
are also welcome to attend the Annual Meeting, however, because
such stockholders are not the stockholder of record, they may not
vote their shares at the Annual Meeting unless they request and
obtain a valid proxy (sometimes referred to as a “legal
proxy”) from their broker or other nominee who is the record
holder.
Stockholders of
record may vote their shares by:
●
By attending the
Annual Meeting and voting their shares of Common Stock in
person;
●
By MAIL - Mark,
sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid
envelope we have provided or return it to Vote Processing, c/o
Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717.
●
By INTERNET - www.proxyvote.com.
Use the Internet to
transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of
information up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time the day before the
cut-off date or meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you
access the web site and follow the instructions to obtain your
records and to create an electronic voting instruction
form.
●
By PHONE -
1-800-690-6903 Use any touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting
instructions up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time the day before the
cut-off date or meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you
call and then follow the instructions.
Our
Board is asking you to give your proxy to Richard Bloom, our
President and Chief Executive Officer. Giving your proxy to Mr.
Bloom means that you authorize Mr. Bloom to vote your shares at the
Annual Meeting in accordance with your instructions. You may vote
“FOR” or “AGAINST” the proposals, or
abstain from voting. All valid proxies received prior to the Annual
Meeting will be voted. All shares represented by a proxy will be
voted, and where a stockholder specifies by means of the proxy a
choice with respect to any matter to be acted upon, the shares will
be voted in accordance with the specification so made. If no choice
is indicated on the proxy, the shares will be voted
(i) “FOR” the proposal to elect Richard Bloom,
Brian Kelley, Bradley Radoff, and Joshua Schechter to the Board
until our 2020 annual meeting of stockholders and thereafter until
their successors are elected and qualified, (ii) “FOR”
the proposal to approve, on an advisory basis, the Company’s
named executive officer compensation, (iii) “FOR” the
proposal to appoint Plante & Moran, or another comparable firm
chosen by the Company, as our independent registered public
accounting firm for fiscal year 2019, and (iv) as the proxy
holders may determine in their discretion with respect to any
amendments or variations to these matters and any other matters
that properly come before the Annual Meeting.
Revocability of Proxies
A
stockholder of record giving a proxy has the power to revoke his or
her proxy, at any time prior to the time it is voted,
by:
●
delivering to our
principal offices (Attention: Investor Relations) a written
instrument that revokes the proxy;
●
submitting another
properly completed proxy with a later date; or
●
attending the
Annual Meeting and voting in person.
Simply
attending the Annual Meeting will not constitute revocation of your
proxy. If your shares are held in the name of a broker or other
nominee who is the record holder, you must follow the instructions
of your broker or other nominee to revoke a previously given
proxy.
The
form of proxy accompanying this Proxy Statement confers
discretionary authority upon the named proxy holders with respect
to any other matters that may properly come before the Annual
Meeting. As of the date of this Proxy Statement, management knows
of no such matters expected to come before the Annual Meeting that
are not referred to in the accompanying Notice of Annual
Meeting.
Attendance at the Annual Meeting
Only
holders of shares of outstanding Common Stock, their proxy holders,
and guests we may invite may attend the Annual Meeting. If you wish
to attend the Annual Meeting in person but you hold your shares
through someone else, such as a broker, you must bring proof of
your ownership and photo identification to the Annual Meeting. For
example, you could bring an account statement showing that you
beneficially owned shares of Common Stock as of the Record Date as
acceptable proof of ownership. You must also contact your broker
and follow its instructions in order to vote your shares at the
Annual Meeting. If you hold your shares through a broker you may
not vote your shares at the Annual Meeting unless you have first
followed the procedures outlined by your broker.
Solicitation of Proxies
In
addition to solicitation by mail, our directors, officers and
employees may solicit proxies by telephone, other electronic means
or in person. These people will not receive compensation for their
services, but we will reimburse them for their out-of-pocket
expenses. We will bear the cost of printing and mailing proxy
materials (as applicable), including the reasonable expenses of
brokerage firms and others for forwarding the proxy materials to
beneficial owners of Common Stock.
Other Business
We are
not currently aware of any business to be acted on at the Annual
Meeting other than the matters discussed in this Proxy Statement.
Under our amended and restated bylaws, business transacted at the
Annual Meeting is limited to matters specified in the Notice of
Annual Meeting (which is provided at the beginning of this Proxy
Statement) or otherwise properly brought before the meeting by the
Board or by a stockholder. If other matters properly come before
the Annual Meeting, such as procedural matters incidental to the
conduct of the Annual Meeting, or at any adjournment of the Annual
Meeting, we intend that shares of outstanding Common Stock
represented by properly submitted proxies will be voted by and at
the discretion of the persons named as proxies on the proxy
card.
WHETHER OR NOT YOU EXPECT TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING IN PERSON,
YOU ARE REQUESTED TO COMPLETE, DATE, AND SIGN THE PROXY CARD AND
RETURN IT PROMPTLY, OR VOTE BY TELEPHONE OR VIA THE INTERNET BY
FOLLOWING THE DIRECTIONS ON THE PROXY CARD. BY RETURNING YOUR PROXY
CARD OR VOTING BY PHONE OR THE INTERNET PROMPTLY, YOU CAN HELP US
AVOID ADDITIONAL EXPENSES REQUIRED TO ENSURE A QUORUM IS PRESENT AT
THE ANNUAL MEETING. STOCKHOLDERS OF RECORD WHO ATTEND THE ANNUAL
MEETING MAY REVOKE A PRIOR PROXY AND VOTE THEIR SHARES IN PERSON AS
SET FORTH IN THIS PROXY STATEMENT.
DELIVERY OF DOCUMENTS TO STOCKHOLDERS SHARING AN
ADDRESS
A
number of brokers with account holders who are Company stockholders
will be “householding” our proxy materials. A single
set of proxy materials and annual report will be delivered to
multiple stockholders sharing an address unless contrary
instructions have been received from the stockholders. Once you
have received notice from your broker that they will be
“householding” communications to your address,
“householding” will continue until you are notified
otherwise or until you revoke your consent. If, at any time, you no
longer wish to participate in “householding” and would
prefer to receive a separate proxy statement and annual report,
please notify your broker or contact Broadridge Financial
Solutions, Inc. by calling 1-866-540-7095 or in writing at 51
Mercedes Way, Edgewood, New York 11717, Attention: Householding
Department. The Company undertakes to deliver promptly to a
stockholder upon such written or oral request a separate set of
proxy materials and annual report. Stockholders who currently
receive multiple copies of the proxy materials at their address and
would like to request “householding” of their
communications should contact their broker. Registered stockholders
may notify us by contacting Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. at
the above telephone number or address.
STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
Stockholder Communications with our Board
Our
Board believes it is in the best interest of the Company and our
stockholders to maintain a policy of open communication between our
stockholders and the Board. Accordingly, our Board has adopted the
following procedures for stockholders who wish to communicate with
the Board:
Stockholders who
wish to communicate with the Board or with specified directors
should do so by sending any communication to The Board of
Directors, c/o Investor Relations, Support.com, Inc., at 1200
Crossman Ave., Suite 210, Sunnyvale, California 94089, or at 1521
Concord Pike (US 202), Suite 301, Wilmington, DE 19803; or by
sending an email to IR@support.com.
Any
such communication must state the number of shares beneficially
owned by the stockholder making the communication. The Investor
Relations department will forward such communication to the full
Board or to any individual director or directors to whom the
communication is directed, unless the communication is unduly
hostile, threatening, illegal or similarly inappropriate, in which
case the Investor Relations department (after consultation with the
Company’s legal department, if appropriate) shall have the
authority to discard the communication or take appropriate legal
action regarding the communication.
Stockholder Proposals
Pursuant to Rule
14a-8 of the Exchange Act, any proposal that a stockholder intends
to present at the 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the
“2020 Annual Meeting”), for inclusion in the proxy
statement for the 2020 Annual Meeting, must be submitted to the
attention of the Corporate Secretary at our offices, located at
1200 Crossman Ave., Suite 210, Sunnyvale, CA 94089, no later than
December 20, 2019. In order to avoid controversy, stockholders
should submit proposals by means (including electronic) that permit
them to prove the date of delivery. In addition, our Amended and
Restated Bylaws require that we be given advance written notice for
nominations for election to our Board and of other business that
stockholders wish to present for consideration at an annual meeting
of stockholders (other than those proposals of business intended to
be included in our proxy statement in accordance with Rule 14a-8
under the Exchange Act). The required notice must be delivered by
the stockholder and received by our Corporate Secretary at our
offices, located at 1200 Crossman Ave., Suite 210, Sunnyvale, CA
94089, and must otherwise meet the requirements set forth in our
Amended and Restated Bylaws. The required notice must be made in
writing and delivered or mailed by first class United States mail,
postage prepaid, to our Corporate Secretary at our principal
offices, and received not later than the close of business on April
6, 2020 but not before March 7, 2020, which is not less than sixty
(60) calendar days nor more than ninety (90) calendar days prior to
the first anniversary of the Annual Meeting. However, in the event
the 2020 Annual Meeting is scheduled to be held on a date before
May 7, 2020, or after August 5, 2020, which are dates thirty (30)
calendar days before or sixty (60) calendar days after the first
anniversary of the Annual Meeting, then such advance notice must be
received by us not later than the close of business on the later of
(1) the close of business on the 60th calendar day prior to the
2020 Annual Meeting or (2) the close of business on the 10th
calendar day following the day on which public disclosure of the
date of the 2020 Annual Meeting is made, whichever first occurs (or
if that day is not a business day for the Company, on the next
succeeding business day). For each matter the stockholder proposes
to bring before the 2020 Annual Meeting, the stockholder’s
notice to our corporate secretary must include specific information
called for in our Amended and Restated Bylaws.
If a
stockholder who wishes to present a proposal before the 2020 Annual
Meeting outside of Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act fails to notify
us by the required date, the proxies that our Board solicits for
the 2020 Annual Meeting will confer discretionary authority on the
person named in the proxy to vote on the stockholder’s
proposal if it is properly brought before that meeting subject to
compliance with Rule 14a-4(c) of the Exchange Act. If a stockholder
makes timely notification, the proxies may still confer
discretionary authority to the person named in the proxy under
circumstances consistent with the Securities and Exchange
Commission’s (the “SEC”) proxy rules, including
Rule 14a-4(c) of the Exchange Act.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Corporate Governance Guidelines
The
Board is committed to sound and effective corporate governance
practices designed to serve the best interests of the Company and
our stockholders. These governance principles and procedures are
reflected in our Corporate Governance Guidelines (the
“Guidelines”). Among other matters, the Guidelines
address the composition of the Board, Board operations, director
qualifications and independence, director responsibilities, Board
committees, Board and management evaluation, and management
succession planning. The Guidelines are available on our website
at:
https://www.support.com/pdf/Corporate_Governance_Guidelines.pdf
Copies
of the Guidelines are also available in print upon written request
to Support.com, Inc., Attention: Corporate Secretary, 1200 Crossman
Ave., Suite 210, Sunnyvale, California 94089.
Stock Ownership Guidelines
To
further align the interests of our executive officers and
non-employee directors with the interests of the Company’s
stockholders, the Board has determined that such persons should
hold shares of the Company’s Common Stock that have a fair
market value commensurate with their respective roles with the
Company. These guidelines ensure that all executive officers and
non-employee directors have a significant personal investment in
the Company through their ownership of shares in the Company. Our
stock ownership guidelines are applicable to all executive officers
who are required to file reports pursuant to Section 16 of the
Exchange Act and require the following levels of stock ownership as
a multiple of the individual’s respective base salary: Chief
Executive Officer: 3X, Chief Financial Officer: 3X, and our other
executive officers: 2X. Our stock ownership guidelines are also
applicable to all non-employee directors and require that such
persons own shares of Common Stock of the Company in an amount no
less than three (3) times their annual cash retainer for their
director service.
Code of Ethics
Integrity is one of
our core values. The Board has adopted a Code of Ethics and
Business Conduct (the “Code of Ethics”) applicable to
our employees, officers and directors. The Code of Ethics is
designed to deter wrongdoing and to promote honest and ethical
conduct. The Code of Ethics includes standards designed to ensure
full, accurate, and timely disclosure in reports filed with the
SEC, promote compliance with laws, eliminate or properly manage
conflicts of interest, encourage prompt internal reporting of
violations of the Code of Ethics, and ensure accountability for the
adherence to the Code of Ethics. The Code of Ethics is available on
our website at:
https://www.support.com/pdf/Code-of-Ethics-and-Business-Conduct.pdf
Copies
of the Code of Ethics are also available in print upon written
request to Support.com, Inc., Attention: Corporate Secretary, 1200
Crossman Ave., Suite 210, Sunnyvale, California 94089.
Director Independence
It is
our policy that a majority of our directors be independent. The
Board has determined that three of our four directors are
independent, namely Brian Kelley, Bradley Radoff, and Joshua
Schechter, based on the listing standards of the NASDAQ Capital
Market (“Nasdaq”) and applicable laws and regulations.
Our Board has also determined that the only director who is
standing for election to the Board and is not independent is
Richard Bloom, our President and Chief Executive
Officer.
Board Leadership and Risk Oversight
The
Board has determined that having an independent director serve as
Chairman of the Board is in the best interest of stockholders at
this time. As a result, positions of Chairman of the Board and
Chief Executive Officer are generally not held by the same person.
This structure promotes active participation of the independent
directors in setting agendas and establishing priorities for the
work of the Board. While the Board believes its current leadership
structure is appropriate at this time, the Board may determine in
the future that the positions of Chairman of the Board and Chief
Executive Officer should be held by the same individual on a
regular basis.
The
Board is primarily responsible for the oversight of risks that
could affect the Company. This oversight is conducted in part
through committees of the Board, as disclosed in the descriptions
of each of the committees below and in the charters of each of the
committees, but the full Board has retained responsibility for
general oversight of risks. The Board satisfies this responsibility
by requiring each committee chairman to regularly report to the
Board regarding the committee’s considerations and actions,
and by requiring officers responsible for the oversight of
particular risks within the Company to report on a regular basis as
well.
In
addition to regular required reporting from committees and
officers, the Board also consults with third-party advisors in
order to maintain oversight of risks that could affect the Company,
including reviews with the Company’s independent registered
public accounting firm and compliance experts for internal controls
and tax, as well as outside counsel, independent compensation
consultants, insurance brokers and others. These advisors are
consulted on a periodic basis and as particular issues arise in
order to provide the Board with the benefit of independent expert
advice and insights on risk-related matters.
The
Board conducts regularly scheduled meetings throughout the year,
and also acts at special meetings and by unanimous written consent,
as may be appropriate. During 2018, the Board held 7 meetings.
During their respective terms, all directors attended at least 75%
of the aggregate number of meetings of the Board and of the
committees on which such directors served in 2018. Director
attendance at the Company’s Annual Meeting is encouraged but
not required. All directors attended the 2018 annual meeting of
stockholders.
Executive Sessions
Our
independent directors meet at least four times per year in
executive session without management or non-independent directors
present.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our
Board delegates certain responsibilities to committees of
independent directors. The Board has a standing Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committee, Compensation Committee, and Audit
Committee. Members of these committees are selected by the Board
upon the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee. The charter of each of these standing Board committees
is available through our website at:
https://www.support.com/about-us/investor-relations/corporate-governance/
Committee charters
are also available in print upon written request to Support.com,
Inc., Attention: Corporate Secretary, 1200 Crossman Ave., Suite
210, Sunnyvale, California 94089.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s primary
functions are to seek and recommend to the Board qualified
candidates for election or appointment to the Board, and to oversee
matters of corporate governance, including the evaluation of the
Board’s performance and processes and assignment of members
to committees established by the Board.
During
2018, the members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee were Eric Singer (Chair), Joshua Schechter and Bradley
Radoff. Mr. Singer resigned as director effective March 4, 2019.
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee held three (3)
meetings during 2018.
Compensation Committee
Our
Compensation Committee’s principal responsibilities are to
determine all compensation of the Company’s Chief Executive
Officer and other officers who are reporting persons under Section
16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules promulgated
thereunder (“Section 16 Officers”); act as plan
administrator for our equity incentive plans; review the annual
performance of the Chief Executive Officer; and provide guidance to
the Chief Executive Officer for the annual performance appraisals
of other Section 16 Officers. The Compensation Committee may, by
resolution passed by a majority of the members of the Compensation
Committee, designate one or more subcommittees, each subcommittee
to consist of one or more members of the Compensation Committee and
having powers as delegated by the resolutions of the Compensation
Committee, but only to the extent permitted by applicable law or
listing standard. Further, the Compensation Committee may delegate
to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer the authority to
make grants of equity awards under the Company’s stock plans
to employees of the Company or any subsidiary thereof who are not
members of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer or other Section
16 Officers.
During
2018, the members of the Compensation Committee were Eric Singer
(Chair), Bradley Radoff and Brian Kelley. Mr. Singer resigned as
director effective March 4, 2019. The Compensation Committee held
five (5) meetings during 2018.
Audit Committee
The
Audit Committee assists the Board in its general oversight of our
financial reporting, internal controls and audit functions, and is
directly responsible for the appointment, retention, compensation
and oversight of the work of our independent registered public
accounting firm. The Audit Committee’s primary functions are
to approve the provision of all auditing services and to approve
the terms and fees of all non-audit services provided by the
independent registered public accounting firm; meet and consult
with the independent registered public accounting firm; advise and
assist the Board in evaluating the independent registered public
accounting firm; review the Company’s consolidated financial
statements to be included in filings with the SEC; supervise the
Ethics Committee’s review of related party transactions; and
establish procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of
complaints received by the Company regarding accounting, internal
controls or auditing matters.
During
2018, the members of the Audit Committee were Brian Kelley (Chair),
Joshua Schechter and Eric Singer. Mr. Singer resigned as director
effective March 4, 2019. The Board has determined that Mr. Kelley,
an independent director based on the Nasdaq listing standards and
applicable laws and regulations, is also a financial expert as
defined under SEC rules. In addition, the Board has determined that
each member of the Audit Committee is financially literate and has
the requisite financial sophistication as required by the
applicable Nasdaq listing standards. The Audit Committee held four
(4) meetings during 2018.
Additional
information regarding the Audit Committee is included in the
“Report of the Audit Committee of the Board of
Directors” below.
Director Qualifications
The
primary qualifications for service on the Board are a distinguished
record of leadership and success, and an ability to make
substantial contributions to the Board and Support.com. The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee periodically reviews
with the Board the appropriate skills and characteristics required
of Board members, and will continue to do so as the Company and its
needs continue to change as the Board pursues its various strategic
initiatives for driving stockholder value creation.
Additionally, the
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has determined that
it will consider a number of other factors, skills and
characteristics in evaluating candidates for the Board, such
as:
●
The
candidate’s ability to comprehend our strategic goals and to
help guide us towards the accomplishment of those
goals;
●
The
candidate’s history of conducting his/her personal and
professional affairs with the utmost integrity and observing the
highest standards of values, character and ethics;
●
The
candidate’s time availability for in-person participation at
board of directors and committee meetings;
●
The
candidate’s judgment and business experience with related
businesses or other organizations of comparable size;
●
The knowledge and
skills the candidate would add to the board of directors and its
committees, including the candidate’s knowledge of the SEC
and Nasdaq regulations, and accounting and financial reporting
requirements;
●
The
candidate’s ability to satisfy the criteria for independence
established by the SEC and Nasdaq;
●
The
candidate’s business management and leadership
experience;
●
The overall
financial acumen of the candidate;
●
The
candidate’s technical knowledge;
●
The
candidate’s industry knowledge;
●
The functional
experience of the candidate;
●
The risk management
experience of the candidate;
●
The gender and
cultural diversity of the candidate;
●
The makeup, skills
and experience of the board as a whole; and
●
The interplay of
the candidate’s experience with the experience of other board
members.
Further, the Board
believes that it should be a diverse body. Accordingly, specific
consideration is given to, among other things, diversity of
background and the experience a candidate would bring to the Board,
as stated in the Guidelines. The Board defines
“diversity” broadly for this purpose to include both
professional and personal backgrounds, skills sets and business
perspectives, as well as in terms of the Company’s standing
policies promoting diversity and non-discrimination based on
factors such as race, color, national origin, religion, sexual
orientation and gender.
Director Nominations
The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers and
recommends candidates for Board membership. Candidates may be
suggested by Board members, management, or our stockholders. The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee also has, on
occasion, retained third-party executive search firms to identify
independent director candidates. After completing an evaluation and
review of a director candidate, the Nominating and Corporate
Governance Committee makes a recommendation to the full Board, and
the Board determines whether the candidate should be nominated as a
director.
The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider
director candidates recommended by our stockholders. Such
nominations should be directed to the Nominating and Corporate
Governance Committee, c/o Corporate Secretary, at our offices at:
1200 Crossman Ave., Suite 210, Sunnyvale, California
94089.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider
Participation
None of
the Company’s named executive officers serves, nor at any
time during 2018 served, as a member of the board or compensation
committee of any other entity whose executive officer(s) serve as a
member of the Company’s Board or Compensation
Committee.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Compliance
Under
the securities laws of the United States, the Company’s
directors, Section 16 Officers and any persons holding more than
10% of the Common Stock are required to report their initial
ownership of Common Stock and any subsequent changes in that
ownership to the SEC. Specific due dates for these reports have
been established and we are required to identify in this Proxy
Statement those persons who failed to timely file these reports.
Based solely on a review of Forms 3, 4 and 5 and any amendments
thereto furnished to us, each of Messrs, Bloom, Singer, Schechter,
Kelley, and Radoff has one (1) late report with one (1) grant of
restricted stock units that was not reported on a timely
basis.
Certain Relationships and Related-Party Transactions
We have
a process for review and approval of any relationships and
transactions in which we and our directors, officers, 5%
stockholders or their immediate family members (“Related
Persons”) are participants to determine whether those Related
Persons may have a direct or indirect material interest. We collect
and update information about the affiliations of our Section 16
Officers and directors annually though Director & Officer
Questionnaires and we maintain and use a list of known related
parties to identify any transactions with Related Persons. In
addition, at the close of each fiscal quarter we survey our
Finance, Legal and executive staff for knowledge of transactions
with Related Persons. Our Ethics Committee reviews any such related
party transactions under the supervision of the Audit Committee.
Our Ethics Committee is comprised of our General Counsel and our
Principal Financial Officer and operates as described in the Code
of Ethics.
There
have been no related-party transactions since the beginning of
fiscal 2018, and there are no currently proposed transactions, in
either case in which (a) Support.com was a participant,
(b) the amount involved exceeded $120,000, and (c) any
Related Person had a direct or indirect material
interest.
Anti-Hedging Policy
In
accordance with our insider trading policy, we do not permit any
directors or employees, including the executive officers, to trade
in any interest or position relating to the future price of
Support.com securities, such as short-sales, market options, or
other transactions on derivatives of our securities.
Anti-Pledging Policy
In
accordance with our insider trading policy, we do not permit any
directors or executive officers to enter into any new pledge or
margin arrangements that use our Company’s stock as
collateral for a loan or other purposes, except with the prior
approval of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee based
on the demonstrated financial ability of such director or executive
officer.
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
We
compensate our independent, non-employee directors for serving on
our Board. We did not pay Mr. Bloom, a Company employee, any
additional compensation for serving on our Board in addition to his
compensation as an employee. Our Board reviews from time to time
the compensation we pay to our non-employee director and
recommends, as appropriate, adjustments to such compensation. The
compensation we pay to our non-employee director consists of two
components: equity and a cash retainer.
Equity. On July 19, 2016, the Board
determined that new directors would not receive option grants for
2016. Prior to that date, on the date that an individual first
became a non-employee director, we granted him or her an option to
purchase 40,000 shares of Common Stock. These grants were made
under the 2010 Equity and Performance Incentive Plan as Amended and
Restated (the “2010 Stock Plan”). These options vest in
equal monthly installments over a 48-month period. Options granted
to non-employee directors have an exercise price equal to the
closing price of Common Stock on Nasdaq on the date of grant and a
term of 10 years.
Each
continuing non-employee director receives a grant of restricted
stock units (“RSUs”) under our 2010 Stock Plan. The
total number of shares of Common Stock subject to each director RSU
grant is equal to $50,000 divided by the closing price of a share
of Common Stock on Nasdaq on the date of grant, rounded down to the
next full share, or such other amount as may be determined by the
Board at the time of the grant. RSUs granted to non-employee
directors vest on the one-year anniversary of the date of grant.
All equity grants to non-employee directors vest in accordance with
the terms of the agreement upon a change of control in conjunction
with certain terminations of service.
Cash Retainer. We pay non-employee
directors an annual retainer of $30,000 for serving as a director.
We pay additional annual retainers of $16,250, $15,000, $10,000,
and $7,500 to the chairman of each of the Board, the Audit
Committee, the Compensation Committee, and the Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committee, respectively; and $7,000, $5,000,
and $2,800 to each non-chair member of the Audit Committee, the
Compensation Committee, and the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee, respectively. The cash retainers are paid
quarterly.
The
following table sets forth a summary of the compensation paid to
our non-employee directors for service in 2018. The compensation we
paid to Mr. Bloom for service as an employee director in 2018
is included in the 2018 Summary Compensation Table showing the
compensation for our named executive officers. While serving as an
employee director, Mr. Bloom received no additional
compensation for 2018 in respect of his service as a member of our
Board.
2018 DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
|
|
|
Brian J. Kelley
(3)
|
$50,000
|
-
|
$50,000
|
$100,000
|
Bradley L. Radoff
(3)
|
$37,800
|
-
|
$50,000
|
$87,800
|
Joshua Schechter
(3)
|
$56,050
|
-
|
$50,000
|
$106,050
|
Eric Singer
(4)
|
$54,500
|
-
|
$0(5)
|
$54,500
|
(1)
New non-employee
directors joining the Board before June 24, 2016 received 40,000
options upon appointment. After such date, no options were granted
to new non-employee directors. There were no options granted to
non-employee directors in 2017 and 2018.
(2)
These amounts
represent the aggregate grant date fair value computed in
accordance with Accounting Standard Codification
(“ASC”) Topic 718, Compensation – Stock
Compensation, of the non-employee directors’ RSU
awards in fiscal 2018, excluding the effect of certain forfeiture
assumptions. See Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements in
our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December
31, 2018 for details as to the assumptions used to determine the
aggregate grant date fair values of the RSU awards. See also our
discussion of stock-based compensation under
“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations — Critical Accounting
Policies and Estimates” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018. As of December 31, 2018,
our non-employee directors held no options to purchase shares of
Common Stock; and unvested RSUs that had been granted by us as
director compensation representing the following number of shares
of Common Stock: Mr. Schechter, 18,181 RSUs; Mr. Radoff, 18,181
RSUs; and Mr. Singer, 18,181 RSUs.
(3)
Messrs. Kelley,
Radoff, and Schechter have been serving as members of the Board
since June 24, 2016.
(4)
Mr. Singer was a
member of the Board from June 24, 2016 until his resignation as a
director on March 4, 2019.
(5)
The unvested 18,181
RSUs granted to Mr. Singer were cancelled upon his resignation
effective March 4, 2019.
SECURITIES OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND
MANAGEMENT
The
following table sets forth certain information as of April 9, 2019
with respect to the beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock
(as adjusted to reflect the reverse stock split on January 20,
2017) by: (i) each person (including any “group” as
that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) who is
known by us to beneficially own more than 5% of the outstanding
shares of our Common Stock; (ii) each of the Company’s named
executive officers listed in the Summary Compensation Table under
the section entitled “Executive Compensation”; (iii)
each of our directors; and (iv) all directors and named executive
officers of the Company as a group. On April 9, 2019,
18,955,264 shares of
Common Stock were issued and outstanding. Ownership information is
based on information furnished by the respective individuals or
entities, as the case may be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
of Beneficial Owner
|
|
|
5%
or More Stockholders:
|
|
|
BLR Partners LP
(2)
|
1,301,874
|
6.87%
|
Renaissance
Technologies LLC (3)
|
1,037,362
|
5.48%
|
Directors and Named Executive Officers
(4):
|
|
|
Richard Bloom
(5)
|
356,138
|
*
|
Joshua
Schechter
|
72,805
|
*
|
Brian
Kelley
|
39,472
|
*
|
Bradley Radoff
(6)
|
1,633,012
|
8.61%
|
Eric Singer
(7)
|
808,421
|
4.3%
|
All directors and
named executive officers as a group (8)
|
2,909,848
|
15.35%
|
*
Represents holdings
of less than 1%.
(1)
To our knowledge,
the persons named in the table have sole voting and dispositive
power with respect to all shares of Common Stock shown as
beneficially owned by them, subject to community property laws
where applicable and the information contained in the other notes
to this table. Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance
with the rules and regulations of the SEC. Under such rules,
beneficial ownership includes any shares as to which the entity or
individual has sole or shared voting or investment power and also
any shares that the entity or individual has the right to acquire
through June 8, 2019 (within 60 days after April 9, 2019) through
the exercise of any stock options or through the vesting of RSUs
payable in shares. These shares, however, are not deemed
outstanding for the purposes of computing the percentage ownership
of any other person. Vested stock options subject to unmet market
conditions are not included in these totals.
(2)
Based solely on
information reported on a Schedule 13D/A filed with the SEC on June
27, 2016. Consists of Common Stock beneficially owned directly by
BLR Partners LP. BLR Partners LP reported sole voting power and
sole dispositive power of 1,301,874 shares of Common Stock. BLRPart
GP, as the general partner of BLR Partners, may be deemed the
beneficial owner of the shares of Common Stock beneficially owned
by BLR Partners. BLRGP, as the general partner of BLRPart GP, may
be deemed the beneficial owner of the shares of Common Stock
beneficially owned by BLR Partners. Fondren Management, as the
investment manager of BLR Partners, may be deemed the beneficial
owner of the shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by BLR
Partners. FMLP, as the general partner of Fondren Management, may
be deemed the beneficial owner of the shares of Common Stock
beneficially owned by BLR Partners. Mr. Radoff, as the sole
shareholder and sole director of each of BLRGP and FMLP may be
deemed the beneficial owner of the shares of Common Stock
beneficially owned by BLR Partners. The mailing address for BLR
Partners LP is 1177 West Loop South, Suite 1625, Houston, TX
77027.
(3)
Based solely on
information reported on a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on
February 13, 2019. Consists of Common Stock beneficially owned
directly by Renaissance Technologies LLC. Renaissance Technologies
LLC reported sole voting power of 1,035,997 shares of Common Stock
and sole dispositive power of 1,037,323 shares of Common Stock. The
mailing address for Renaissance Technologies LLC is 800 Third
Avenue, New York, NY 10022.
(4)
The address of each
director and named executive officer is Support.com, Inc., 1200
Crossman Ave., Suite 210, Sunnyvale, California 94089, Attention:
Investor Relations.
(5)
Includes 300,000
shares of Common Stock subject to stock options and awards granted
to Mr. Bloom that are exercisable and releasable within 60 days of
April 9, 2019. Also includes 56,138 shares of Common Stock held by
Mr. Bloom, who has sole voting and dispositive power.
(6)
Includes
331,138 shares of Common Stock held directly by Mr. Radoff, who has
sole voting and dispositive power, and 1,301,874 shares of Common
Stock beneficially owned directly by BLR Partners LP. Please see
footnote 3.
(7)
Includes 39,472
shares of Common Stock held directly by Mr. Singer and 768,949
shares of Common Stock beneficially owned directly by VIEX
Opportunities Fund, LP - Series One (“Series One”).
Based on information reported on a Schedule 13D/A filed with the
SEC on April 5, 2019. Consists of Common Stock beneficially owned
directly by VIEX Opportunities Fund, LP - Series One (“Series
One”). Series One reported sole voting power and sole
dispositive power of 768,949 shares of Common Stock. VIEX GP, LLC,
as the general partner of Series One, may be deemed the beneficial
owner of the shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by Series
One. VIEX Capital Advisors, LLC, as the investment manager of
Series One, may be deemed the beneficial owner of the shares of
Common Stock beneficially owned by Series One. Mr. Singer, as the
managing member of each of VIEX GP, LLC, and VIEX Capital Advisors,
LLC, may be deemed the beneficial owner of the shares of Common
Stock beneficially owned by Series One. The mailing address for
VIEX Opportunities Fund, LP – Series One is 825 Third Avenue,
33rd Floor, New York, New York 10022.
(8)
Includes 300,000
shares of Common Stock subject to stock options and awards that are
exercisable or releasable within 60 days of April 9, 2019. Also
includes 539,025 shares of Common Stock held directly by directors
and named executive officers. As of April 9, 2019, our named
executive officer consisted of Richard Bloom only. As of April 9,
2019, our independent directors consisted of Joshua Schechter,
Brian Kelley and Bradley Radoff.
PROPOSAL
NO. 1
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
The
Board has nominated continuing directors Richard Bloom, Brian
Kelley, Brad Radoff, and Joshua Schechter to be reelected to serve
until the next annual meeting of stockholders and thereafter until
their successors are duly elected and qualified. Holders of proxies
solicited by this Proxy Statement will vote the proxies received by
them as directed on the proxy card or, if no direction is made, for
the election of the Board’s four nominees. If any nominee is
unable or declines to serve as a director at the time of the Annual
Meeting, the proxy holders will vote for a nominee designated by
the present Board to fill the vacancy. It is not expected that any
nominee will be unable or will decline to serve as a
director.
Required Vote
The
nominees for the four director seats who receive the most
affirmative votes of shares outstanding as of the Record Date that
are present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting
will be elected to serve as directors.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND NOMINEES
The
Board consists of four directors, all of whom have been nominated
by the Board for re-election at the Annual Meeting. All of the
directors elected at the Annual Meeting are to serve until the next
annual meeting of stockholders and thereafter until their
successors are elected and qualified.
Names
of the nominees and certain biographical information about them as
of March 30, 2019 are set forth below:
RICHARD BLOOM, age 51, was elected as a
member of the Board in June, 2016 and joined Support.com as interim
President and Chief Executive Officer in October, 2016. On August
7, 2018, Mr. Bloom was elected to serve as President and Chief
Executive Officer. Mr. Bloom currently serves as a director of
WestMountain Gold, Inc. (OTC: WMTN), a publicly traded precious
metals exploration company with an active gold mining project in
Alaska, since June 2016. Mr. Bloom has served as a director of
NexCore Group, LLC (formerly NexCore Healthcare Capital
Corporation), a healthcare real estate developer and property
manager, since December 2010. He has also served as a director of
Glide Rite Corporation, an equipment repair and maintenance service
provider to large national retailers, since June
2009. Additionally, he served as Executive Chairman of
Arcata LLC (formerly MyPrint Corp), a marketing execution services
company, from 2009 through October 2011. He served as President and
Chief Operating Officer of Renaissance Acquisition Corporation, a
publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, from the date
of their initial public offering in 2007 until 2009. Mr. Bloom
served as the Chief Executive Officer of Caswell Massey
(“Caswell Massey”), a personal care consumer product
company, from 2006 to 2007, and as a director and Vice Chairman of
Caswell Massey from 2003 to 2007. From 1999 to 2006, Mr. Bloom
served in various positions at Marietta Corporation
(“Marietta Corporation”), a maker and marketer of
personal care and household products, most recently as its Chief
Executive Officer and President. Mr. Bloom also served as a
director of Marietta Holding Corporation, the successor entity to
Marietta Corporation, from 2004 to 2007, and as a director and
President of BFMA Holding Corporation, which owned and operated
Marietta Corporation, from 1996 to 2004. Mr. Bloom also served as a
director of AmeriQual Group, LLC, the largest producer and supplier
of meals ready-to-eat to the United States military, from 2005 to
2007. Mr. Bloom earned a BS summa cum laude in Economic Science
from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
BRIAN J.
KELLEY, age 66, was elected as
a member of the Board in June, 2016. Mr. Kelley has served as the
Chief Executive Officer of Four Winds Advisors LLC, where he
advises technology focused clients on restructuring, turnaround and
business development, since October 2012. Mr. Kelley previously
served as the Chief Executive Officer and a director of Alteva,
Inc. (“Alteva”) (formerly NYSE MKT: ALTV), a premier
provider of cloud-based, VoIP and hosted Unified
Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) services until the completion
of its sale to Momentum Telecom in December 2015. Mr. Kelley
initially joined Alteva as a director in November 2013 and was
named Chief Executive Officer in June 2014 to lead a turnaround of
the company. From October 2013 until April 2014, Mr. Kelley served
as the Chief Executive Officer and a director of Snom Technology,
Inc., a leading global provider in designing, manufacturing and
marketing VoIP communications equipment. From April 2008 to July
2012, Mr. Kelley served as a director of Tii Network Technologies,
Inc. (“Tii”) (formerly NASDAQ:TIII), a leader in
designing, manufacturing and marketing network products for the
communications industry, where he also served as its Chairman
beginning in 2010. In October 2011, Mr. Kelley was also named
Tii’s President and Chief Executive Officer to lead a
turnaround and eventual sale of the company, which was completed in
July 2012. Mr. Kelley’s professional experience also includes
serving as the President of TAMCO Technology Corp., a financial
solutions-focused business management and development company
concentrated on communications technology asset management, from
2007 to 2010; President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of
Cognitronics Corporation, a formerly publicly-traded provider of
central-office communications technology hardware and software
solutions, from 1994 to 2006; and various senior management
positions with TIE/Communications, Inc., a formerly publicly-traded
diversified telecommunications services company, from 1981 to 1994.
Mr. Kelley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the
University of New Hampshire and a Masters in Business
Administration degree from the University of
Connecticut.
BRADLEY L.
RADOFF, age 45, was elected as
a member of the Board in June 2016. Mr. Radoff has served as
Principal of Fondren Management LP, a private investment management
company, since January 2005. Mr. Radoff previously served as a
Portfolio Manager at Third Point LLC and as a Managing Director of
Lonestar Capital Management LLC. In addition, Mr. Radoff co-founded
Snap Kitchen LLC in 2009 and has served as a director there since
August 2013. Mr. Radoff also served as a director of Pogo Producing
Company from March 2007 to November 2007 prior to its sale to
Plains Exploration. Mr. Radoff graduated summa cum laude with a
B.A. in Economics from The Wharton School at the University of
Pennsylvania.
JOSHUA E.
SCHECHTER, age
46, was elected as a member and Chairman of the Board
in June, 2016. Mr. Schechter is a private investor. Mr.
Schechter has also served as a director of Viad Corp (NYSE:VVI), an
S&P SmallCap 600 international experiential services company,
since April 2015, where he also serves as a member of its Corporate
Governance & Nominating and Audit Committees. Mr. Schechter is
also a director of Genesco since 2018 where he also serves on its
Strategic Committee. He is also a director of SunWorks since 2018
where he serves as a member of its Governance & Nominating
Committee and Audit Committee. Mr. Schechter previously served on
the Board of Directors of The Pantry, Inc. (formerly NASDAQ:PTRY),
a leading independently operated convenience store chain in the
southeastern United States and one of the largest independently
operated convenience store chains in the country, where he was a
member of its Corporate Governance & Nominating and Audit &
Financial Committees, from March 2014 until the completion of its
sale in March 2015. He previously served as a director of Aderans
Co., Ltd. (TYO:8170) (“Aderans”), a multi-national
company engaged in hair-related business, and as the Executive
Chairman of Aderans America Holdings, Inc., Aderans’ holding
company in the United States, from August 2008 to May 2015. From
2001 to June 2013, Mr. Schechter served as Managing Director of
Steel Partners Ltd., a privately owned hedge fund sponsor, and from
2008 to June 2013, Mr. Schechter served as co-President of Steel
Partners Japan Asset Management, LP, a private company offering
investment services. Mr. Schechter previously served on the Board
of Directors of WHX Corporation (n/k/a Handy & Harman Ltd.)
(NASDAQ:HNH), a diversified manufacturer of engineered niche
industrial products with leading market positions in many of the
markets it serves, from 2005 until 2008; and Puroflow, Inc. (n/k/a
Argan, Inc.) (NYSE:AGX), a provider of a full range of power
industry and telecommunications infrastructure services, from 2001
until 2003. Mr. Schechter earned an MPA in Professional Accounting,
and a BBA from The University of Texas at
Austin.
BOARD RECOMMENDATION
The Board unanimously recommends a vote “FOR” election
as director of the nominees set forth above.
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND RELATED INFORMATION
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
The
executive officer of the Company is:
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Position
|
Richard
Bloom
|
|
51
|
|
President
and Chief Executive Officer
|
Richard Bloom. Please see Mr.
Bloom’s biography under “Board of Directors and
Nominees.”
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT
The
Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation
Discussion and Analysis contained in this Proxy Statement with
management. Based on the Compensation Committee’s review of,
and discussions with management with respect to, the Compensation
Discussion and Analysis, the Compensation Committee recommended to
the Board that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included
in this Proxy Statement.
THE
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE:
Bradley
Radoff
Brian
Kelley
Joshua
E. Schechter
COMPENSATION-RELATED RISK ANALYSIS
During
November, 2018, the Company’s management, in conjunction with
the Company’s legal, accounting, human resources and finance
departments, undertook a quantitative and qualitative review of the
Company’s compensation policies and practices that applied to
all Company employees whose compensation includes any variable or
incentive compensation element, as well as policies and practices
of different groups that mitigate or balance such incentives. As
part of this review, these parties reviewed, considered, and
analyzed the extent to which, if any, the Company’s
compensation policies and practices might create risks for the
Company, and relevant controls and mitigating factors.
After
conducting this review, management found that none of the
Company’s compensation policies and practices for its
employees creates any risks that are reasonably likely to have a
material adverse effect on the Company. The Board has reviewed the
results of management’s analysis and concurs with
management’s assessment.
COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
The
following discussion and analysis explains our executive
compensation program and policies for our executives listed in the
Summary Compensation Table below. We refer to these senior
executives as our “Named Executive Officers”, and for
2018, the only Named Executive Officer is Mr. Richard
Bloom.
Name
|
|
Title
|
Richard
Bloom (1)
|
|
President and Chief Executive Officer
|
(1)
On August 7, 2018,
the Board appointed Richard A. Bloom as President and Chief
Executive Officer of the Company. Mr. Bloom served as the
Company’s interim President and Chief Executive Officer from
October 28, 2016 to August 6, 2018, and has been a member of the
Board since June 2016.
2018 Business Highlights
Our
current Chief Executive Officer joined Support.com at the end of
2016 with a mandate to assess and realign Support.com’s
strategic direction and impose sufficient cost discipline to stem
the Company’s ongoing financial losses in order to eventually
return the Company to profitability. This new strategic direction
includes expanding our technology self-help services to include
a full
“Spectrum of Support,” ranging from intuitive self-help
diagnostic and solution tools known as “Guided Paths®”, to chats or calls with
live, professionally trained U.S. based technology support
agents, the continued growth of our successful services
programs, and bringing to market a next-generation SaaS offering
for contact centers. During 2018, we continued to execute on our
long-term plan to realign our strategy and return to profitability,
and are pleased to report that we
generated positive operating profit in the fourth quarter of
2018.
Consideration of 2018 Say-on-Pay Voting Results
At our
2018 annual meeting of stockholders, approximately 98.4% of votes
cast were in favor of our “say-on-pay” proposal. The
Compensation Committee considered the 2018 say-on-pay voting
results at its meetings, and the Compensation Committee believes
the voting results demonstrate significant support for our Named
Executive Officer compensation program – particularly our
decision to freeze salaries and bonus opportunities until the
Company returns to profitability – and, as a result, the
Compensation Committee made similar decisions in 2018.
Executive Compensation Philosophy and Objectives
The
Compensation Committee determined that a base salary of $40,000 per
month would be appropriate for Mr. Bloom in his role as interim
President and Chief Executive Officer and the Committee will
re-visit total compensation as appropriate.
With
respect to our other Named Executive Officers, our executive
compensation program is designed to attract and retain talented
executives that will lead the Company in achieving its business
goals and objectives and in creating long-term stockholder value.
In keeping with our philosophy of aligning pay with performance, a
significant portion of our Named Executive Officers’
compensation is “at risk” and comprised of both
short-term performance-based cash incentives (“MBOs”)
and long-term equity awards. For us, “at risk”
compensation consists of incentive cash compensation that is
directly linked to performance against quarterly objectives set by
the Compensation Committee, and interests in stock option grants
priced at or above the closing price of a share of Common Stock on
Nasdaq on the date of grant, and vesting over multi-year periods or
in some cases upon achievement of performance
milestones.
The
principal elements of our executive compensation program
are:
● base
salary;
● short-term,
performance-based cash incentive awards;
● long-term,
equity-based awards; and
● other
benefits customary for our peer group.
We
believe that short-term cash incentives are an important and
effective way to align Named Executive Officer pay with Company
performance because short-term cash incentives are earned only when
our Named Executive Officers contribute to the achievement of our
specific short-term business objectives.
We also
believe long-term stock option grants are particularly effective as
a means of aligning the interests of our Named Executive Officers
with those of our stockholders as these awards are designed to
drive both long-term Company performance and retention of our key
executives because the option awards will not deliver any return to
our Named Executive Officers unless our stock price increases after
the time the award is made.
Consultants and Peer Group Analysis
Historically, the
Compensation Committee reviews data from a variety of sources to
determine and set executive compensation, including consideration
of data and compensation information from peer companies, industry
surveys, and recommendations of independent compensation
consultants. During 2018, in order to improve the Company’s
profitability, the Compensation Committee did not retain any
compensation consultant and did not benchmark the compensation of
our Named Executive Officers against that of any peer company. Base
salaries and bonus opportunities were kept constant.
The Role of Management in Compensation Decisions
Our
Chief Executive Officer recommends to the Compensation Committee
individual compensation adjustments for Section 16 Officers, other
than himself, based on market data, Company performance and
individual performance. The Chief Executive Officer also recommends
incentive compensation measures to align compensation with our
corporate objectives. The Chief Executive Officer is sometimes
present during the portions of Compensation Committee meetings in
which compensation decisions regarding Section 16 Officers other
than the Chief Executive Officer are reviewed and decided, but the
Compensation Committee retains the final authority for all such
decisions.
Analysis of 2018 Executive Compensation Decisions and
Actions
Base Salary
Base
salary is the baseline cash compensation that we pay to our Named
Executive Officer throughout the year. Base salaries are reviewed
annually by the Compensation Committee along with other elements of
executive compensation. Mr. Bloom was appointed interim President
and Chief Executive Officer on October 28, 2016 and on August 7,
2018, Mr. Bloom was appointed President and Chief Executive
Officer. The Compensation Committee determined that a salary of
$40,000 per month would be appropriate for Mr. Bloom as discussed
above. In February 2018, the Compensation Committee, reviewing the
data and factors described above as part of the annual executive
compensation review, determined that current amounts were
considered appropriate and no changes to base salary were made at
that time for Mr. Bloom.
The
annual base salary rates for our Named Executive Officer for 2018
are set forth in the table below:
Name
|
|
2018 Base Salary
|
Richard
Bloom (1)
|
|
|
$480,000
|
|
(1)
On August 7, 2018,
the Board appointed Richard A. Bloom as President and Chief
Executive Officer of the Company. Mr. Bloom served as the
Company’s interim President and Chief Executive Officer from
October 28, 2016 to August 6, 2018, and has been a member of the
Board since June 2016. Mr. Bloom is paid a monthly salary of
$40,000. The base salary represented in the table is an annualized
calculation of such monthly amount.
Short-Term, Performance-Based Cash Incentive Awards
We paid
short-term performance-based cash incentives in 2018 under our
Executive Incentive Compensation Plan to attract and retain
talented executives who help us achieve our business objectives,
and align executive pay with achievement against near-term Company
performance objectives. In determining appropriate target
short-term cash incentive opportunities for each Section 16 Officer
for 2018, the Compensation Committee assessed the same factors that
were considered in determining 2018 base salaries and determined
that current amounts were considered appropriate and no changes to
short-term performance-based cash incentives were made. Mr. Bloom
receives no short-term performance incentive.
Actual
payouts for our short-term cash incentive awards for each Section
16 Officer were based on the achievement of specified financial
targets and non-financial corporate and leadership objectives. The
targets for bonuses that were tied to Company revenue and net
income targets were set at the beginning of 2018 for each quarter
during 2018 and the targets for bonuses that were tied to specific
individual performance were set on a quarterly basis. The
Compensation Committee considers individual performance targets
each quarter in order to keep the short-term performance-based
incentives appropriate and effective at aligning this element of
executive pay with the achievement of the Company’s near-term
performance objectives. All objectives were designed to require
strong performance from our Section 16 Officers, and often resulted
in payouts under target. For 2018, our short-term cash incentive
award payout approach was as follows:
● Incentive
compensation for Company adjusted net income targets is paid on a
straight-line sliding scale if the Company achieves between the
minimum threshold of 85% (achievements under 85% received no
payout) and the maximum achievement of 100% on a quarterly
basis.
● Targets
specific to individual performance are not eligible for achievement
levels above 100% of target, but could be assigned pro rata credit
based on actual achievement on a straight-line sliding scale
between 0% to 100%;
By
establishing targets that are a percentage of base salary and
capping payouts as described above, our program results in payouts
which are a fraction of the Section 16 Officer’s base salary.
The Compensation Committee determines in its sole discretion if,
and to what extent, objectives are achieved and incentive awards
are payable based on the actual results of the period. Pursuant to
the Executive Incentive Compensation Plan, the Compensation
Committee reserves the right to amend or discontinue the short-term
incentive program at any time in the best interests of the Company
and to use negative discretion, where appropriate.
During
2018, Mr. Bloom, our Named Executive Officer, did not participate
in the MBO program.
Long-Term Equity Awards
We
periodically provide long-term equity awards at the discretion of
the Compensation Committee to our executive officers to encourage
them to create long-term value for our stockholders through
sustained performance. Equity compensation for executive officers
is reviewed at least annually, but the frequency, type, and amount
of long-term equity awards are made at the discretion of the
Compensation Committee based on an assessment of overall
compensation and grant date fair value of any new awards,
performance, and the desired balance of compensation incentives
going forward. Thus grants in recent years have tended to vary
year-to-year based on this overall assessment.
As our
President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Bloom received his
equity award for Board service as a non-management director in 2018
and an option grant in the first quarter of fiscal 2018 of 300,000
option shares that were fully exercisable as of the grant
date.
Other Benefits
We also
provide our Named Executive Officer with certain employee benefits
that are generally consistent with both the employee benefits we
provide to all of our employees and that are provided by other
employers in Silicon Valley. These benefits consist of a
tax-qualified defined contribution plan, which we refer to as our
401(k) plan (to which we do not make any employer contributions),
health benefits, life insurance benefits, and other welfare
benefits. We do not
provide any special employee benefits for our Named Executive
Officer other than life insurance coverage equal to 2x the
individual’s salary, with a cap of $500,000 per person, which
coverage is also available to each of our U.S. exempt employees.
Also, for Mr. Bloom, we provide reimbursement and gross up for
commuting expenses. Our U.S. employees who hold a non-exempt
position receive $50,000 in life insurance coverage per
person.
Tax Implications of Compensation Policies
Section 162(m)
Section
162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
“Code”) generally places a limit of $1,000,000 on the
amount of compensation we may deduct for federal income tax
purposes in any one year with respect to the compensation we pay to
certain of our most highly compensated officers, unless such
compensation is performance-based compensation under Section 162(m)
of the Code. In order to maintain flexibility in compensating our
covered employees (as determined under 162 (m)) in a manner
designed to promote achievement of Company goals, the Compensation
Committee considers the Section 162 (m) impact of its compensation
decisions, but does not necessarily limit executive compensation to
that which is deductible under Section 162(m) of the
Code.
Taxation of “Parachute” Payments
Sections 280G and
4999 of the Code provide that “disqualified
individuals” within the meaning of the Code (which generally
includes certain officers, directors and employees of the Company)
may be subject to additional taxes if they receive payments or
benefits in connection with a change in control of the corporation
that exceed certain prescribed limits. The corporation or its
successor may also forfeit a deduction on the amounts subject to
this additional tax.
We did
not provide any of our executive officers, including any named
executive officer, any director, or any other service provider with
a “gross-up” or other reimbursement payment for any tax
liability that the individual might owe as a result of the
application of sections 280G or 4999, and we have not agreed and
are not otherwise obligated to provide any individual with such a
“gross-up” or other reimbursement as a result of the
application of sections 280G and 4999.
Accounting Standards
We
follow Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards
Codification Topic 718, or “ASC 718,” for accounting
for our stock options and other stock-based awards. ASC 718
requires companies to calculate the grant date “fair
value” of their stock option grants and other equity awards
using a variety of assumptions. This calculation is performed for
accounting purposes. ASC 718 also requires companies to recognize
the compensation cost of stock option grants and other stock-based
awards in their income statements over the period that an employee
is required to render service in exchange for the option or other
equity award.
Employment Arrangements, Termination of Employment Arrangements and
Change of Control Arrangements
We have
employment arrangements with our Named Executive Officers to assist
with attraction and retention. The following paragraphs summarize
the employment-related agreements for our current Named Executive
Officers and provide additional information that we believe is
helpful to an understanding of the information disclosed in the
compensation tables and narratives below. For more information
about post-termination payments under these employment
arrangements, see “Potential Payments Upon Termination or
Change-in-Control” below.
Richard Bloom
Mr.
Bloom assumed the title of interim President and Chief Executive
Officer on October 28, 2016. On August 7th, 2018, Mr. Bloom
was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer. In connection
with his employment, we entered into an offer letter with Mr.
Bloom. Our arrangement with Mr. Bloom provided for him to receive a
monthly base salary of $40,000.
Pursuant to the
terms of Mr. Bloom’s offer letter, if his employment
terminates as a result of an involuntary termination, including a
good reason termination (or for cause in certain limited
circumstances, each as defined in his offer letter), Mr. Bloom
would be entitled to severance pay equal to a lump sum payment of
$200,000. The Company will reimburse Mr. Bloom for all reasonable
costs related to travel to and from his principle residence and the
Company’s offices, including but not limited to, airfare,
lodging, and meals. To the extent such reimbursement results in
taxable income to Mr. Bloom, the Company will provide Mr. Bloom
with an additional payment for federal and state income
taxes.
Roop Lakkaraju and Chris Koverman
During
2018, Mr. Richard Bloom was the only Named Executive Officer of the
Company. Messrs. Lakkaraju and Koverman resigned from their
respective positions with the Company in 2017. For a discussion of
their Employment Arrangements, Termination of Employment
Arrangements and Change of Control Arrangements, please refer to
the Company’s Proxy Statement filed with the SEC on April 20,
2018.
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
2018 Summary Compensation Table
The
following table shows compensation information for 2018, 2017 and
2016 for our Named Executive Officers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name and
Principal Position
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Richard
Bloom (4)
|
2018
|
480,000
|
-
|
50,000
|
251,204
|
-
|
14,347
|
$795,551
|
President and Chief
Executive Officer
|
2017
|
480,000
|
-
|
50,000
|
-
|
-
|
14,063
|
$544,063
|
|
2016
|
96,000
|
-
|
50,000
|
-
|
-
|
68
|
$146,068
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Roop
Lakkaraju (6)
|
2018
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Former Chief
Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Finance and
Administration
|
2017
|
76,062
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2,345
|
$78,407
|
|
2016
|
330,868
|
-
|
-
|
66,321
|
83,154
|
270
|
$480,613
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chris
Koverman (7)
|
2018
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Former Vice
President, Product and Engineering
|
2017
|
160,019
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
11,474
|
$171,493
|
|
2016
|
261,131
|
-
|
-
|
20,204
|
73,578
|
270
|
$355,183
|
(1)
The amounts
disclosed represent the grant date fair value of awards computed in
accordance with ASC Topic 718, Compensation – Stock
Compensation, excluding the effect of certain forfeiture
assumptions. We estimate the fair value of stock options granted
using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. This pricing model
requires a number of complex assumptions including volatility,
expected term, risk-free interest rate, and expected dividends. For
more information about the assumptions used, please refer to our
audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2018.
(2)
The amounts
disclosed for 2018 reflect the aggregate short-term cash incentive
awards earned for all four quarters of the 2018 fiscal year under
the annual incentive plan. Payouts for earned awards were made both
in 2017 and 2018.
(3)
Our employees may
participate in our 401(k) plan, which is a tax-qualified defined
contribution plan. We do not provide any matching contributions on
any employee’s contribution to the 401(k) plan. The amounts
disclosed in this column include life insurance premiums for term
life insurance consisting of 2x base salary with a cap of $500,000
for each Named Executive Officer. The amounts relating to Mr. Bloom
do not include reimbursements and gross up for commuting expenses
which are $38,892 and $99,900 for 2018 and 2017,
respectively.
(4)
Mr. Bloom was
appointed as interim President and Chief Executive Officer
effective October 28, 2016. On August 7, 2018, Mr. Bloom was
subsequently appointed to President and Chief Executive Officer.
Prior to his initial appointment, for the year 2016, Mr. Bloom
received non-employee director compensation which includes $16,376
in cash and $50,000 in Stock Awards.
(5)
Mr. Lakkaraju
resigned his employment with the Company effective February 3,
2017.
(6)
Mr. Koverman
resigned his employment with the Company effective September 1,
2017.
2018 Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table
The
following table sets forth certain information with respect to
grants of plan-based awards in 2018 to our Named Executive
Officers, including short-term cash incentive awards and equity
awards. The stock options granted to our Named Executive Officers
in 2018 were granted under the 2010 Stock Plan. All stock options
were granted with an exercise price equal to the closing price of a
share of Common Stock on Nasdaq on the date of the
grant.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grant
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date
|
|
|
Estimated
Future
|
|
|
Fair
|
|
|
Payouts
Under
|
|
Exercise
|
Value
|
|
|
Non-Equity
Incentive
|
|
or
Base
|
of
Stock
|
|
|
Plan
Awards
|
|
Price
of
|
and
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Option
|
Option
|
|
Grant
|
Threshold
|
Target
|
Maximum
|
|
Awards
|
Awards
|
Name
|
Date
|
($)
|
($)
|
($)
|
(#) (1)
|
($)
|
($)
(2)
|
Richard Bloom (3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Option
|
2/23/2018
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
300,000
|
-
|
251,204
|
RSU
|
8/7/2018
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
18,181
|
-
|
50,000
|
(1)
These Restricted
Stock Units (RSUs) vest 100% after one year from the grant date
subject to continued service.
(2)
The amounts
disclosed represent the grant date fair value of awards computed in
accordance with ASC Topic 718, Compensation – Stock
Compensation, excluding the effect of certain forfeiture
assumptions. We estimate the fair value of stock options granted
using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. This pricing model
requires a number of complex assumptions including volatility,
expected term, risk-free interest rate, and expected dividends. For
more information about the assumptions used, please refer to our
audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2018.
(3)
Mr. Bloom was
appointed as interim President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Company effective October 28, 2016. Mr. Bloom was subsequently
appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company
effective August 7, 2018.
Our Named
Executive Officers are parties to employment contracts or
arrangements with us. For more information about these agreements
and arrangements, see “Compensation Discussion and
Analysis—Employment Arrangements, Termination of Employment
Arrangements and Change of Control Arrangements” above. For
more information about the compensation arrangements in which our
Named Executive Officers participate and the proportion of our
Named Executive Officers’ total compensation represented by
“at risk” components, see “Compensation
Discussion and Analysis” above.
Outstanding Equity Awards at 2018 Fiscal Year-End
Table
The
following table summarizes the number of securities underlying
outstanding equity awards for our Named Executive Officers as of
December 31, 2018:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Market
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Value
of
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
or
|
|
|
|
|
|
Option
|
|
|
Units
of
|
|
|
|
|
Option
|
Expira-
|
|
|
Stock
that
|
|
|
|
|
Exercise
|
tion-
|
Grant
|
|
Have
Not
|
|
|
|
|
Price
|
Date
|
Date
|
|
Vested
|
Name
|
Grant
Date
|
(#)
|
(#)
|
($)
|
|
|
(#)
|
($)
(4)
|
Richard
Bloom
|
2/23/2018
|
300,000(2)
|
-
|
2.74
|
2/23/2028
|
8/7/2018
|
|
18,181(3)
|
|
44,725
|
(1)
Unless otherwise
indicated, these grants are made pursuant to the Company’s
2010 Stock Plan.
(2)
These options
were fully exercisable as of grant date.
(3)
These Restricted
Stock Units (RSUs) vest 100% after one year from the grant date
subject to continued service.
(4)
Market value of
shares or units of stock that have not vested is computed by
multiplying (i) $2.46, the closing price per share of our
common stock on the NASDAQ Market on December 31, 2018, the
last trading day of 2018, by (ii) the number of shares or
units of stock.
2018
Option Exercises and Stock Vested
The
following table provides information about RSU awards vested for
our Named Executive Officers during 2018. No stock options were
exercised by our Named Executive Officers during 2018.
(1)
Represents the
amounts realized based on the fair market value of the
Company’s Common Stock on the applicable vesting
date.
(2)
Mr. Bloom was
appointed as interim President and Chief Executive Officer
effective October 28, 2016 and appointed President and Chief
Executive Officer on August 7, 2018.
Pension Benefits and Nonqualified Deferred
Compensation
We do
not maintain any nonqualified deferred compensation plans, defined
benefit plans, pension plans or other plans with specified
retirement benefits for our Named Executive Officers or our
employees. We do provide our employees with the opportunity to
participate in our 401(k) plan, which is a tax-qualified defined
contribution plan. We do not provide for any matching contributions
with respect to our employees’ contributions to the 401(k)
plan. We also do not maintain any nonqualified deferred
compensation plans, defined benefit plans or other plans with
specified retirement benefits for our Named Executive Officers or
our employees.
Potential Payments upon Termination or
Change-in-Control
During
2018, we were party to employment contracts and arrangements with
our Named Executive Officers. Under these contracts and
arrangements, we are obligated to provide our Named Executive
Officers with certain payments or other forms of compensation if
their employment with us is terminated under certain conditions.
The forms of such termination that would trigger additional
payments or compensation include involuntary termination without
cause (and in certain limited circumstances for Mr. Bloom, with
cause) and/or resignation for good reason following a change of
control.
At
December 31, 2018, Mr. Bloom was the only Named Executive Officer
of the Company. The tables below reflect the estimated amounts of
payments or compensation of our Named Executive Officer serving at
December 31, 2018 may receive under particular circumstances in the
event of termination of such Named Executive Officer’s
employment. The first table below was prepared as though our Named
Executive Officers, had been terminated involuntarily without cause
on December 31, 2018, the last business day of 2018. The second
table below was prepared as though our Named Executive Officer had
been terminated involuntarily without cause on December 31, 2018,
the last business day of 2018, within 12 months of a
change-in-control of the Company and assumes that the price per
share of Common Stock equals $2.46, which was the closing price of
a share of Common Stock December 31, 2018 as reported on Nasdaq.
For more information about these agreements and arrangements,
including the duration for payments or benefits received under
these agreements and arrangements, see “Compensation
Discussion and Analysis—Employment Arrangements, Termination
of Employment Arrangements and Change of Control
Arrangements” above. To the extent payments or benefits are
required, we will provide all such payments and benefits under the
agreements.
Involuntary Termination
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Continuation
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash-Based
|
of
Health
|
|
|
|
|
Salary
|
Incentive
|
&
Welfare
|
|
Excise
Tax
|
|
Name
|
Continuation
|
Award
|
|
(2)
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
Involuntary Termination Following a
Change-in-Control
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Continuation
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash-Based
|
of
Health
|
|
|
|
|
Salary
|
Incentive
|
&
Welfare
|
|
Excise
Tax
|
|
Name
|
Continuation
|
Award
|
|
(2)
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
$134,000
|
|
|
(1)
Amounts reflect our
actual cost of providing health and welfare benefits for the period
of time that our Named Executive Officer would be entitled to base
salary continuation.
(2)
This value reflects
the immediate vesting of all outstanding equity grants that are
subject to accelerated vesting as of the effective date of the
change-in-control, based on a December 31, 2018 closing stock price
of $2.46.
(3)
Mr. Bloom was
appointed as interim President and Chief Executive Officer
effective October 28, 2016. On August 7, 2018, Mr. Bloom was
appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer. The Company
will pay a lump-sum payment of two hundred thousand dollars
($200,000) in case of involuntary termination.
Death or Disability
The
Company pays the premiums for life insurance and accidental death
and dismemberment policies for each Named Executive Officer, which
are included in the “All Other Compensation” section of
the “Summary Compensation Table.” The amount of each such policy is 2x
base salary with a cap of $500,000. If a Named Executive
Officer’s termination was due to his or her death, the
officer’s beneficiary or beneficiaries would be paid 2x base
salary with a cap of $500,000 under the life insurance policy and
an additional 2x base salary with a cap of $500,000 under the
accidental death and dismemberment policy if the death was caused
by an accident.
Pay Ratio Disclosure
In
August 2015, pursuant to a mandate of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street
Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the SEC adopted a rule
requiring annual disclosure of the ratio of the median
employee’s annual total compensation to the total annual
compensation of the principal executive officer. In 2018, for
purposes of determining the pay ratio, Mr. Bloom had an annual
total compensation of $827,708. Our median employee’s annual
total compensation for 2018 was $25,466. As a result, we estimate
that Mr. Bloom’s 2018 annual total compensation was
approximately thirty-two (32) times that of our median
employee.
The
SEC’s rules for identifying the median compensated employee
and calculating the pay ratio based on that employee’s annual
total compensation allow companies to adopt a variety of
methodologies, to apply certain exclusions, and to make reasonable
estimates and assumptions that reflect their employee populations
and compensation practices. As a result, the pay ratio reported by
other companies may not be comparable to the pay ratio reported
above, as other companies have different employee populations and
compensation practices and may utilize different methodologies,
exclusions, estimates and assumptions in calculating their own pay
ratios.
The
reported pay ratio reported is a reasonable estimate calculated in
a manner consistent with SEC rules based on our payroll and
employment records and the methodology described below. For these
purposes, we identified the median compensated employee using base
salary and bonus paid from January 1, 2018 through December 31,
2018, which we annualized for any employee who did not work for the
entire year.
REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
Management has the
primary responsibility for the consolidated financial statements
and the reporting process, including the system of internal control
over financial reporting. In fulfilling its oversight
responsibilities, the Audit Committee reviewed the audited
consolidated financial statements for fiscal year 2018 with
management, including a discussion of the quality, not just the
acceptability, of the accounting principles, the reasonableness of
significant judgments and the clarity of disclosures in the
consolidated financial statements.
The
Audit Committee reviewed with the Company’s independent
registered public accountants, Plante & Moran PLLC, who were
responsible for expressing an opinion on the conformity of those
audited consolidated financial statements with U.S. generally
accepted accounting principles for the fiscal year ended December
31, 2018, their judgments as to the quality, not just the
acceptability, of the Company’s accounting principles and
such other matters as are required to be discussed with the Audit
Committee under Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Auditing
Standard No. 1301 (Communications with Audit Committees). In
addition, the Audit Committee has discussed with the independent
registered public accountants the accountants’ independence
from management and the Company, including the matters provided to
the Audit Committee by the independent registered public
accountants in the written disclosures and the letter required by
the applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board.
The
Audit Committee discussed with the Company’s independent
registered public accountants the overall scope and plans for their
audit. The Audit Committee meets periodically with the independent
registered public accountants, with and without management present,
to discuss the results of their examinations, their evaluations of
the Company’s internal controls (and remediation efforts made
in connection with these evaluations) and the overall quality of
the Company’s financial reporting.
In
reliance on the reviews and discussions referred to above, the
Audit Committee recommended to the Board (and the Board has
approved) that the audited consolidated financial statements be
included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2018 for filing with the SEC.
THE
AUDIT COMMITTEE:
Brian
Kelley, Chairman
Joshua
E. Schechter
Bradley Radoff
PROPOSAL NO. 2
ADVISORY APPROVAL OF NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER
COMPENSATION
The
Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the
“Dodd-Frank Act”) and Section 14A of the Exchange Act
enables our stockholders to vote to approve, on an advisory basis,
the Company’s Named Executive Officer compensation as
disclosed in this Proxy Statement in accordance with the
SEC’s rules. At the Company’s 2018 annual meeting of
stockholders, the Company held an advisory vote to approve the
frequency of future advisory stockholder votes on executive officer
compensation. As previously reported by the Company, a majority of
the Company’s stockholders voted to hold future advisory
votes to approve our executive compensation every year. In light
of, and consistent with, the voting results, the Board determined
that the Company would hold future advisory votes on executive
compensation annually until the next stockholder vote on the
frequency of say-on-pay votes is required under Section 14A of the
Exchange Act or until the Board otherwise determines that a
different frequency for such votes is in the best interests of the
Company’s stockholders.
As we
discuss above under the caption “Compensation Discussion and
Analysis” the core objectives of our executive compensation
program are to: (i) attract and retain talented executives who will
lead us to achieve our business objectives and create long-term
stockholder value; (ii) to align executive compensation incentives
with periodic and long-term Company performance goals and
stockholder return; and (iii) compensate our executive officers
based on their overall performance. Under this program, the
principal elements of our executive compensation program are base
salary, MBOs earned on a quarterly basis, if applicable, long-term
equity awards granted based on our review of full-year performance,
which equity awards then vest over time or in connection with
Board-approved performance targets, and other benefits customary
for our peer group. Our executive compensation is discussed in
further detail and information about the fiscal year 2018
compensation of our 2018 Named Executive Officers is provided above
under the caption “Executive Compensation and Related
Information”.
We are
asking our stockholders to indicate their support for the
compensation of our named executive officers for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2018, as described in this Proxy Statement. This
proposal, commonly known as a “say-on-pay” proposal is
not intended to address any specific item of compensation, but
rather the overall compensation of our Named Executive Officers and
the philosophy, policies and practices described in this Proxy
Statement. Accordingly, we ask our stockholders to vote
“FOR” the following resolution at our Annual
Meeting:
“RESOLVED, that the compensation
paid to the Company’s Named Executive Officers, as disclosed
in the Company’s proxy statement for the 2019 annual meeting
of stockholders pursuant to SEC rules and regulations, including
the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, compensation tables and
narrative discussion, is hereby APPROVED.”
Required Vote
Approval of this
resolution requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a
majority of the outstanding shares as of the Record Date that are
present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and
entitled to vote on such matter. The say-on-pay vote is advisory
and, therefore, not binding on the Company, the Compensation
Committee or the Board. However, the Board and the Compensation
Committee value the opinion of our stockholders and expect to
consider the outcome of this vote when considering future executive
compensation arrangements.
BOARD RECOMMENDATION
The Board unanimously recommends a vote “FOR” approval
of the compensation of our Named Executive Officers for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2018, as described in this Proxy
Statement.
PROPOSAL NO. 3
RATIFICATION OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING
FIRM
Effective October
1, 2018, EKS&H LLP (“EKS&H”), the independent
registered public accounting firm for the Company, combined with
Plante & Moran PLLC (“Plante Moran”). As a result
of this transaction, on October 1, 2018, EKS&H resigned as the
independent registered public accounting firm for the Company.
Concurrent with such resignation, the Audit Committee appointed
Plante & Moran as our independent registered public accounting
firm for the year ended December 31, 2018, and our Board has
directed that management submit the selection of the independent
registered public accounting firm for ratification by the
Company’s stockholders at the Annual Meeting. Even if the
selection is ratified, however, the Audit Committee in its
discretion may direct the appointment of a different independent
registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if it
determines that such a change would be in the Company’s and
the stockholders’ best interests. Representatives of our
independent registered accounting firm are expected to be present
at the Annual Meeting. They will have an opportunity to make a
statement, if they desire to do so, and will be available to
respond to appropriate questions.
Stockholder
ratification of the selection of Plante & Moran as our
independent registered public accounting firm is not required by
our Amended and Restated Bylaws or otherwise. However, our Board is
submitting the selection of Plante & Moran to the stockholders
for ratification as a matter of good corporate practice. If the
stockholders fail to ratify the selection, the Audit Committee will
review its future selection of the Company’s independent
registered public accounting firm.
Principal Accountant Fees and Services
EKS&H served as
our independent registered public accounting firm through October
1, 2018, on which date Plante & Moran was appointed to replace
EKS&H. The following is a listing of the services provided by
type and amount charged by EKS&H and Plante & Moran to the
Company for fiscal years 2017 and 2018:
EKS&H:
|
|
|
Audit
Fees
|
$213,868
|
$44,000
|
Audit-Related
Fees
|
-
|
-
|
Tax
Fees
|
-
|
-
|
All
Other Fees
|
-
|
-
|
Grand
Total
|
$213,868
|
$44,000
|
Plante
& Moran:
|
|
|
Audit
Fees
|
$-
|
$197,234
|
Audit-Related
Fees
|
-
|
-
|
Tax
Fees
|
-
|
-
|
All
Other Fees
|
-
|
-
|
Grand
Total
|
$-
|
$197,234
|
Audit Fees. Audit fees represent fees
and out-of-pocket expenses for professional services provided in
connection with the audits of our consolidated financial statements
and review of our quarterly financial statements and audit services
in connection with other statutory filings.
Audit-Related Fees. There were no fees
for services rendered by EKS&H and Plante & Moran that fall
into the classification of audit-related fees for fiscal years 2017
and 2018.
Tax Fees. There were no fees for
services rendered by EKS&H and Plante & Moran that fall
into the classification of tax fees for fiscal years 2017 and
2018.
All Other Fees. This category consists
of fees for services other than the services reported in audit
fees.
Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
It is
our policy that all audit and non-audit services to be performed by
our independent registered public accounting firm be approved in
advance by the Audit Committee, including all of the services
described above for fiscal year 2018.
Required Vote
Ratification of the
selection of Plante & Moran as our independent registered
public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2019 will
require the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the
outstanding shares that are present in person or represented by
proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote on such matter. In
the event ratification is not provided, the Audit Committee will
review its future selection of the Company’s independent
registered public accounting firm.
BOARD
RECOMMENDATION
The
Board unanimously recommends a vote “FOR” ratification
of Plante & Moran as the Company’s independent registered
public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31,
2019.