UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No.    )

Filed by the Registrant   x                             Filed by a Party other than the Registrant   ¨

Check the appropriate box:

 

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Preliminary Proxy Statement

 

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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))

 

x  

Definitive Proxy Statement

 

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Definitive Additional Materials

 

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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12

SYMMETRICOM, INC.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

 

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

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Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.

 

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  (3) 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):

  

 

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Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.

 

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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.

 

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SYMMETRICOM, INC.

2300 ORCHARD PARKWAY

SAN JOSE, CA 95131-1017

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TO BE HELD OCTOBER 25, 2013

Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Symmetricom, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), will be held on Friday, October 25, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. at the offices of the Company, at 2300 Orchard Parkway, San Jose, California 95131-1017.

At the meeting, stockholders will consider and vote upon the following proposals:

 

  1. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS. To elect the six director nominees named in the Proxy Statement.

 

  2. RATIFICATION AND APPROVAL OF THE APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM. To ratify the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the current fiscal year.

 

  3. ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION. To conduct a non-binding advisory vote to approve the compensation of the Company’s Named Executive Officers as disclosed in the Proxy Statement.

 

  4. APPROVAL OF THE COMPANY’S AMENDED AND RESTATED 2006 INCENTIVE AWARD PLAN. To approve the amendment and restatement of the Company’s 2006 Incentive Award Plan, as previously amended, to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance thereunder by 1,500,000 shares.

 

  5. OTHER BUSINESS. To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any and all postponements or adjournments thereof. The Board of Directors is not aware of any other business to be presented to a vote of the stockholders at the meeting.

The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on September 6, 2013 as the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting. Accordingly, only stockholders of record at the close of business on that day will be entitled to vote at the meeting, notwithstanding any transfer of shares on the books of the Company after that date.

A Proxy Statement, which contains information with respect to the matters to be voted upon at the meeting, and a proxy card and return envelope are furnished herewith. Management urges each stockholder to read the Proxy Statement carefully.

 

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
/ S /    J USTIN R. S PENCER        
Justin R. Spencer

Executive Vice President Finance and Administration,

Chief Financial Officer and Secretary

San Jose, California

Dated: September 27, 2013

IT IS DESIRABLE THAT AS MANY OF THE STOCKHOLDERS AS POSSIBLE BE REPRESENTED AT THE MEETING IN PERSON OR BY PROXY. YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND IN PERSON. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU INTEND TO BE PRESENT AT THE MEETING, YOU ARE URGED TO SIGN AND RETURN THE ENCLOSED PROXY CARD PROMPTLY SO THAT YOUR SHARES WILL BE REPRESENTED IN THE EVENT YOU ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND. SIGNING AND RETURNING A PROXY CARD AT THIS TIME WILL NOT AFFECT YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE IN PERSON SHOULD YOU LATER DECIDE TO ATTEND THE MEETING.


SYMMETRICOM, INC.

2300 ORCHARD PARKWAY

SAN JOSE, CA 95131-1017

PROXY STATEMENT

GENERAL

Date, Time and Place

This Proxy Statement (the “Proxy Statement”) is furnished to the stockholders of Symmetricom, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the Company for use at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) to be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, October 25, 2013, at the principal executive offices of the Company at the address set forth above, and any and all postponements or adjournments thereof. It is anticipated that this Proxy Statement and the enclosed proxy card (the “Proxy”) will be sent to stockholders on or about September 27, 2013.

Purposes of the Annual Meeting

The purposes of the Annual Meeting are to (1) elect the six nominees for the Board named herein, (2) ratify the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the current fiscal year, (3) conduct a non-binding advisory vote to approve the compensation of the Company’s Named Executive Officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement, (4) approve the amendment and restatement of the Company’s 2006 Incentive Award Plan, as previously amended, to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance thereunder by 1,500,000 shares and (5) transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any and all postponements or adjournments thereof.

Record Date and Share Ownership

Stockholders of record at the close of business on September 6, 2013 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting. At the Record Date, 41,464,838 shares were outstanding. For information regarding security ownership by management and by 5% stockholders, see “Other Information—Share Ownership by Principal Stockholders and Management,” below.

Proxy/Voting Instruction Cards and Revocability of Proxies

If you hold shares as a registered stockholder in your own name, you should complete, sign and date the enclosed Proxy as promptly as possible and return it using the enclosed envelope. If your shares are held in street name through a bank, broker or other nominee, your bank, broker or other nominee will provide you with separate voting instructions on a form you will receive from them. Many such firms make telephone or Internet voting available.

The shares represented by Proxies received, properly marked, dated, signed and not revoked will be voted at the Annual Meeting in accordance with the voting instructions contained therein. Where such Proxies specify a choice with respect to any matter to be acted on, the shares will be voted in accordance with the specifications made. Any Proxy that is returned using the form of Proxy enclosed and that is not marked as to a particular item will be voted, as the case may be, with respect to the item not marked: FOR the election of the Company’s six nominees as directors, FOR ratification of the appointment of the designated independent registered public accounting firm, FOR the approval, on a non-binding advisory basis, of the compensation of the Company’s Named Executive Officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement, FOR the approval of the amendment and restatement of the Company’s 2006 Incentive Award Plan, as previously amended, to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance under the 2006 Incentive Award Plan by 1,500,000 shares, and as the proxy holders deem advisable on other matters that may properly come before the meeting.

Any stockholder, including a stockholder personally attending the meeting, may revoke his or her Proxy at any time prior to its use by filing with the Secretary of the Company, at the corporate offices at 2300 Orchard


Parkway, San Jose, California 95131-1017, a written notice of revocation or a duly executed Proxy bearing a later date or by voting in person at the Annual Meeting. Attendance at the Annual Meeting will not, by itself, revoke a Proxy.

Voting and Solicitation

Holders of record of shares of common stock on the Record Date are entitled to one vote per share on all matters to be acted upon at the meeting, including the election of directors. Votes cast by Proxy or in person at the Annual Meeting will be tabulated by the Inspector of Elections (the “Inspector”) with the assistance of the Company’s transfer agent. The Inspector will also determine whether or not a quorum is present. In general, Delaware law provides that a quorum consists of a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock on the Record Date present in person or represented by Proxy and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. The Inspector will treat abstentions and broker non-votes (which occur when a broker, bank or other nominee holding shares for a beneficial owner does not vote on a particular matter because the broker, bank or other nominee does not have discretionary authority to vote on that matter and has not received voting instructions from the beneficial owner) as shares that are present and entitled to vote for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum.

In April 2013, the Board amended the Company’s Amended and Restated By-laws (as so amended, the “By-laws”) to adopt a majority voting standard for the election of directors in uncontested elections, which are generally defined as elections in which the number of nominees does not exceed the number of directors to be elected at the meeting. Under the majority voting standard, in uncontested elections of directors such as this election, each director must be elected by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast with respect to such director by the shares represented and entitled to vote therefore. A majority of the votes cast means that the number of votes cast “for” a nominee exceeds the number of votes cast “against” that nominee. The election of directors is a non-routine proposal on which brokers, banks and other nominees do not have discretion to vote any uninstructed shares. Abstentions and broker non-votes are not considered votes cast “for” or “against” a nominee’s election and therefore will have no effect in determining whether a nominee has received a majority of the votes cast. In this election, an incumbent director nominee who does not receive the required number of votes for re-election is expected to resign from the Board if he or she fails to receive the required number of votes for re-election as set forth in the By-laws under circumstances in which the Board or a duly authorized committee of the Board determines to accept such tendered resignation in accordance with the By-laws. The Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board (or other committee authorized by the Board) will determine whether to accept or reject any tendered resignation, generally within 90 days after certification of the election results. Following such determination, the Company will publicly disclose the decision regarding the tendered resignation in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

The ratification and approval of the appointment of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the current fiscal year requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority in voting power of the stock present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon. Abstentions will have the same practical effect as votes against this proposal, because they represent shares that are present but not votes “for” or “against” the proposal. Brokers, banks and other nominees have the power to vote without receiving voting instructions from the owner on the ratification and approval of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, so the Company expects no broker non-votes on this proposal.

The approval of the Amended and Restated 2006 Incentive Award Plan requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority in voting power of the stock present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon. Abstentions will have the same practical effect as votes against this proposal, because they represent shares that are present but not votes “for” or “against” the proposal. The approval of the Amended and Restated 2006 Incentive Award Plan is a non-routine proposal on which brokers, banks and other nominees do not have discretion to vote any uninstructed shares. Broker non-votes will have no effect in determining the outcome of the proposal to approve the Amended and Restated 2006 Incentive Award Plan.

 

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The approval on a non-binding advisory basis of the compensation of the Company’s Named Executive Officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority in voting power of the stock present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon. However, the vote of the Company’s stockholders regarding the compensation for the Company’s Named Executive Officers will not be binding on the Company or the Board and may not impact whether or not compensation is paid. Abstentions will have the same practical effect as votes against each of these proposals, because they represent shares that are present but not votes “for” or “against” the proposal. The advisory vote on named executive officer compensation is a non-routine proposal on which brokers, banks and other nominees do not have discretion to vote any uninstructed shares. Broker non-votes will have no effect in determining the outcome of the advisory vote on named executive officer compensation.

There are no statutory or contractual rights of appraisal or similar remedies available with respect to any matter to be voted upon at the Annual Meeting.

The cost of soliciting proxies will be borne by the Company, including the fees and expenses of Alliance Advisors, a professional proxy solicitor we have retained to assist us with this proxy solicitation. We expect Alliance Advisors fees and expenses to be approximately $9,000. In addition, the Company may reimburse brokerage firms and other persons representing beneficial owners of shares for their expenses in forwarding solicitation material to such beneficial owners. Original solicitation of proxies by mail may be supplemented by telephone, facsimile or personal solicitation by directors, officers or other regular employees of the Company. No additional compensation will be paid to directors, officers or other regular employees for such services.

Stockholder Proposals for the Next Annual Meeting

Any proposal to be considered for inclusion in the Company’s proxy materials for the Company’s next Annual Meeting of Stockholders must be received at the Company’s principal office no later than May 30, 2014. Any such proposals must be submitted in writing and addressed to the attention of the Company’s Corporate Secretary at 2300 Orchard Parkway, San Jose, California 95131-1017. In accordance with our By-laws, proposals of stockholders intended to be presented at the Company’s 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (without inclusion of such proposal in the Company’s proxy statement and form of proxy) must include the information specified in our By-laws and must be delivered to or mailed and received by the Company at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days or more than 120 days prior to the one-year anniversary of the preceding year’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders; provided, however, that if the date of the Annual Meeting of Stockholders is more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so delivered to, or mailed and received, not later than the close of business on the 90 th day prior to such Annual Meeting of Stockholders or, if later, the 10 th day following the day on which public disclosure of the date of such Annual Meeting of Stockholders was first made. In the case of our 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, this advance notice must be received no earlier than June 27, 2014 and no later than July 27, 2014, assuming the date of the 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders occurs within 30 days before or 60 days after the anniversary date of the 2013 Annual Meeting. The Company currently anticipates that its 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders will be held on October 24, 2014. In accordance with the Company’s By-laws, any stockholder proposals that do not comply with these notice requirements may not be presented at the Company’s 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting to be Held on October 25, 2013: This Proxy Statement and our 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K are available at http://www.symmetricom.com/annualproxy.

 

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PROPOSAL No. ONE

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Nominees

A Board of six directors is to be elected at the Annual Meeting. The Bylaws of the Company provide that the number of directors which shall constitute the whole Board shall be fixed from time to time by resolution adopted by the Board. The Board currently consists of eight directors. Mr. Boschulte and Mr. Oliver, current members of the Board, are retiring effective as of the Annual Meeting and therefore are not nominees for re-election to the Board. The size of the Board will be reduced from eight to six directors effective immediately prior to the Annual Meeting. Unless otherwise instructed, the proxy holders will vote the Proxies received by them for the Company’s six nominees named below, all of whom are presently directors of the Company. In the event that any nominee of the Company is unable or declines to serve as a director at the time of the Annual Meeting, the proxies will be voted for any nominee who shall be 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. The term of office of each person elected as a director will continue until the next Annual Meeting and until his or her successor has been duly elected and qualified or until such director’s earlier resignation, removal, death or incapacity.

The names of the nominees, and certain information about them, are set forth below:

 

Name

  Age     Director
Since
   

Principal Occupation or Employment

Nominees

     

Elizabeth A. Fetter

    55        2002     

President and Chief Executive Officer of Symmetricom, Inc.

James A. Chiddix (2)(3)

    68        2007     

Chairman of the Board of Symmetricom, Inc., and Director ARRIS Group, Inc. and Magnum Semiconductor Inc.

Robert T. Clarkson (2)

    60        2000     

Partner of Jones Day (Silicon Valley office)

Robert M. Neumeister Jr. (3)

    63        1998     

Former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Linux Networx, Inc.

Richard N. Snyder (1)

    68        1999     

Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Asure Software, Inc.

Robert J. Stanzione (1)

    65        2005     

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ARRIS Group, Inc.

 

(1) Member of the Nominating and Governance Committee.

 

(2) Member of the Compensation Committee.

 

(3) Member of the Audit Committee.

Director Qualifications and Diversity

As described below under “The Board of Directors and its Committees—Nominating and Governance Committee,” the Nominating and Governance Committee of our Board considers factors such as integrity, ethics and values, experience in corporate management and the Company’s industry, academic expertise and business judgment in evaluating director nominees. The Board does not have a formal diversity policy, but does consider diversity to be a relevant consideration, among others, in the process of evaluating and identifying director candidates. In evaluating the suitability of individual candidates (both new candidates and current Board members), the Nominating and Governance Committee, in recommending candidates for election, and the Board, in approving (and, in the case of vacancies, appointing) such candidates, take into account many factors, including ability to make independent analytical inquiries, general understanding of marketing, finance and other elements relevant to the success of a publicly traded company in today’s business environment, understanding of the Company’s business on a technical level, other board service and educational and professional background.

 

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Each candidate must also possess fundamental qualities of intelligence, honesty, good judgment, high ethics and standards of integrity, fairness and responsibility. The Board evaluates each individual in the context of the Board as a whole, with the objective of assembling a group that can best perpetuate the success of the business and represent stockholder interests through the exercise of sound judgment using its diversity of experience in these various areas. The Company believes each of its current directors has broad experience in the technology industry and brings a strong set of relevant skills to the Board, giving the Board as a whole competence and experience in a wide variety of areas, including technology industry expertise, operations, corporate governance and compliance, board service, executive management, finance, customer segments, mergers and acquisitions, and international business. Beneath the biographical details of each director nominee listed below is a discussion of the specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills of each nominee that led the Board to conclude that each nominee should continue to serve on the Board.

Ms. Fetter has been a member of the Company’s Board since 2002 and was appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company in April 2013. She previously served as President and CEO of NxGen Modular LLC, a provider of modular buildings and assemblies, from April 2011 through July 2012. In 2007, Ms. Fetter was the President, Chief Executive Officer, and a director of Jacent Technologies, a privately held supplier of on-demand ordering solutions for the restaurant industry. Ms. Fetter served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of QRS Corporation, a retail supply chain and services company, from October 2001 through November 2004, when QRS was sold to Inovis Inc. She served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of NorthPoint Communications Group, Inc., a provider of high speed network and data transport services, from March 2000 to April 2001. Ms. Fetter previously was Vice President and General Manager of the Consumer Services Group at U.S. West, Inc. and held various senior executive positions at Pacific Bell. She was a director of Datum Inc., which was acquired by the Company in October 2002. Ms. Fetter served on the boards of Quantum Corporation, a data storage company from 2005 until August 2013 and Ikanos Corporation, a provider of broadband solutions from June 2008 to August 2009. She has held the position of Chair of the Board of Trustees of Alliant International University, where she served as a Trustee from 2004 to February, 2013. Ms. Fetter holds an Advanced Professional Director Certification from the American College of Corporate Directors, a public company director education and credentialing organization. Ms. Fetter’s role as CEO of the Company, her experience as a member of the Company’s Board, as well as her board and management experience with other technology companies, provides expertise in the technology industry, executive management and corporate governance and compliance.

Mr. Chiddix has been a member of the Company’s Board since 2007. Mr. Chiddix is a member of the board of directors of ARRIS Group, Inc., a communications technology company that designs broadband networks and develops, supplies cable telephony, video and high speed data equipment. In addition, he has been a member of the board of directors of Magnum Semiconductor, a venture funded maker of video compression chips and systems, since November 2010. Mr. Chiddix was on the board of directors of Dycom Industries, Inc., a provider of construction and engineering services to the telecommunications, cable TV and power utility industries, until November 2011, and of Virgin Media Inc., a primary provider of cable TV, broadband and fixed and wireless phone services in the United Kingdom, until June 2013. Mr. Chiddix was CEO and Chairman at OpenTV Corp., a provider of cable and satellite set-top box software, between March 2004 and March 2007, and remained on its board of directors through November 2009. Prior to OpenTV, Mr. Chiddix served from July 2001 to January 2004 as President of Time Warner Inc.’s Interactive Television Division, developing streaming time shifted video services, and for the 15 preceding years, he was Chief Technology Officer at Time Warner Cable, where he was responsible for technology strategy, engineering, and research and development. Mr. Chiddix’s experience as a member of the Company’s Board, as well as his board and management experience with other technology companies, provides expertise in the technology and cable industries and corporate governance and compliance.

Mr. Clarkson has been a member of the Company’s Board since 2000. Mr. Clarkson has been a partner in Jones Day, an international law firm, since February 2003, where he works in the firm’s Silicon Valley office. From September 2000 to February 2003, Mr. Clarkson was an independent consultant and investor. From March 2000 until September 2000, Mr. Clarkson served as Chief Operating Officer of MarchFIRST, an internet

 

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consultancy. From December 1998 to February 2000, Mr. Clarkson served in various executive positions with US Web/CKS, a professional services company that was a predecessor to MarchFIRST. Mr. Clarkson’s experience as a member of the Company’s Board and as a practicing attorney provides expertise in corporate governance and compliance, development of technology, business development and mergers and acquisitions.

Mr. Neumeister has been a member of the Company’s Board since 1998. He was also a member of the board of directors of Geeknet Inc. (formerly SourceForge Inc.) from 2001 until May 2011. He was Chairman of Board of Geeknet Inc., an e-commerce companyfrom December 2007 to July 2010 and also acted as an Interim Chief Executive Officer from June 2008 to January 2009. Mr. Neumeister has served on the Board of Trustees of American Sentinel University, a private for profit educational institute. Mr. Neumeister also served on the board of directors of Covad Communications Group, Inc., a provider of business communication and network solutions, from 2005 to 2007. Mr. Neumeister was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Linux Networx, Inc., a privately held company in the high performance computing industry, from April 2006 until May 2007. Mr. Neumeister served from December 2002 until October 2005 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Dex Media, Inc., an NYSE listed company that was acquired in January 2006 by R.H. Donnelley. Mr. Neumeister also served as Chief Financial Officer of Myriad Proteomics, Inc., a biotechnology company, and as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Aerie Networks, Inc., a telecommunications company, from October 2001 to December 2002. From December 1998 to January 2000, Mr. Neumeister was Vice President, Finance and Director of Finance of Intel Corporation, a semiconductor manufacturer. He also holds a Professional Director Certification from the American College of Corporate Directors, a public company director education and credentialing organization. Mr. Neumeister’s experience as a member of the Company’s Board, as well as his board and management experience with other technology companies, provides expertise in the technology industry, finance, executive management and corporate governance and compliance.

Mr. Snyder has been a member of the Company’s Board since 1999. He was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Asure Software, Inc., a provider of workforce management software, until September 2009. Asure was known as Forgent Networks until September 2007. Mr. Snyder became Chairman of Forgent Networks in March 2000 and Chief Executive Officer of Forgent Networks in June 2001. Prior to June 2001, Mr. Snyder was President and Chief Executive Officer of Corum Cove Consulting LLC, a consulting company that provided assistance to early stage technology companies. Mr. Snyder holds an Advanced Professional Director Certification from the American College of Corporate Directors. Mr. Snyder’s experience as a member of the Company’s Board, as well as his board and management experience with other technology and consulting companies, provides expertise in the technology industry, corporate governance and financial management.

Mr. Stanzione has been a member of the Company’s Board since 2005. Mr. Stanzione has been a member of the board of directors of ARRIS Group Inc., a communications technology company which designs broadband networks and develops, supplies cable telephony, video and high speed data equipment, since 1998. Mr. Stanzione has been Chief Executive Officer of ARRIS Group Inc since January 2000 and its Chairman since May 2003. He serves as board member at National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA). He served as a director of Evolve Products Inc. from 1998 to 2003, CoaXmedia from 2000 to 2004 and Georgia Cystic Fibrosis Foundation from 2002 to 2006. From 1998 to 1999, Mr. Stanzione served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Arris Group Inc. Mr. Stanzione joined ANTEC in 1998 as President, Chief Operating Officer and Director. Prior to joining ANTEC, Mr. Stanzione served as President and Chief Executive Officer of ARRIS Interactive LLC, a Nortel Networks/ANTEC joint venture, from 1995 to 1997. From 1969 to 1995, he held various positions with AT&T Corporation. Mr. Stanzione’s experience as a member of the Company’s Board, as well as his board and management experience with other technology companies, provides expertise in the technology industry, cable equipment business and executive management.

 

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Vote Required; Recommendation of Board of Directors

Each director must be elected by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast with respect to such director by the shares represented and entitled to vote therefore. Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect in determining whether a nominee has received a majority of the votes cast.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR

THE NOMINEES SET FORTH HEREIN.

The Board of Directors and its Committees

The Board has an Audit Committee, Nominating and Governance Committee, Stock Option Committee and Compensation Committee. During fiscal 2013, the number of Board, Audit Committee, Nominating and Governance Committee, and Compensation Committee meetings held was as follows:

 

Board/Committee

   Meetings      Conference
Calls
     Total  

Board

     6         1         7   

Audit

     4         5         9   

Compensation

     5         1         6   

Nominating and Governance

     4         —           4   

The Stock Option Committee meets periodically as necessary.

Each of the Company’s current directors attended at least 75% of each of (i) the total number of meetings of the Board and (ii) the total number of meetings of committees of the Board on which such person served during fiscal 2013. Although the Company does not have a formal policy regarding attendance by members of the Board at its Annual Meeting, the Company encourages directors to attend, and historically many of them have done so. To facilitate attendance and reduce travel costs, the Company usually schedules its Annual Meeting to occur immediately before or after a periodic meeting of the Board, although in some years scheduling conflicts have prevented this arrangement. One member of the Board attended the Company’s 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

The Board has determined that all of the members of the Board, other than Ms. Fetter, are “independent” as that term is defined in the Nasdaq Listing Rules. Ms. Fetter is not considered independent because she is an executive officer of the Company. In addition, the Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee also satisfies the independence requirements of Rule 10A-3(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The Board has adopted charters for the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, and the Nominating and Governance Committee, each of which is posted on the Investor Relations section of our website at http://www.symmetricom.com.

Audit Committee

The primary purpose of the Audit Committee is to oversee the accounting and financial reporting processes of the Company and the audits of the financial statements of the Company. The Audit Committee acts pursuant to a written charter that has been adopted by the Board. A more complete description of the powers and responsibilities delegated to the Audit Committee is set forth in the Audit Committee charter, which is posted on the Investor Relations section of our website at http://www.symmetricom.com. The current Audit Committee members are Mr. Neumeister, Mr. Boschulte and Mr. Chiddix. Ms. Fetter resigned from the committee in April 2013, when she was appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Mr. Chiddix replaced Ms. Fetter as a member of the Audit Committee. Mr. Neumeister serves as Chair. The Board has determined that all members of the Audit Committee are “independent” as that term is defined in Rule 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules. The Board has further determined that Mr. Neumeister is an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by Item 401(h) of Regulation S-K of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

 

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Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee oversees the Company’s compensation philosophy, determines executive officers’ and directors’ salaries and incentive compensation, grants equity awards to executive officers under the Company’s equity award plans, and otherwise determines compensation levels and performs such other functions regarding compensation as the Board may delegate. A more complete description of the powers and responsibilities delegated to the Compensation Committee is set forth in the Compensation Committee Charter, which is posted in the Investor Relations section of our website at http://www.symmetricom.com. The current Compensation Committee members are Mr. Clarkson, Mr. Chiddix and Dr. Oliver. Ms. Fetter served as Chair of the Compensation Committee until April 2013, when she resigned from the committee in connection with her appointment as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Mr. Clarkson replaced Ms. Fetter as Chair. All of the members of Compensation Committee are “independent” as defined in the NASDAQ Listing Rules.

Stock Option Committee

The Board has created a Stock Option Committee that consists solely of Ms. Fetter. The Stock Option Committee has the authority only to grant equity awards to newly hired employees consistent with guidelines adopted by the Compensation Committee and specifically excluding any personnel who are intended to be Section 16 officers or otherwise directly report to the Chief Executive Officer.

Nominating and Governance Committee

The Nominating and Governance Committee establishes qualification standards for Board membership; identifies qualified individuals for Board membership; considers and recommends director nominees for approval by the Board and the stockholders; takes actions with respect to incumbent directors who fail to receive the required vote for re-election in uncontested elections, including accepting or not accepting previously tendered resignations or requesting that such directors submit resignations; and oversees the evaluation of the Board. The Nominating and Governance Committee considers suggestions from many sources, including stockholders, regarding possible candidates for director. A more complete description of the powers and responsibilities delegated to the Nominating and Governance Committee is set forth in the Nominating and Governance Committee Charter, which is posted in the Investor Relations section of our website at http://www.symmetricom.com. The current Nominating and Governance Committee members are Mr. Snyder, Mr. Boschulte and Mr. Stanzione. Mr. Stanzione serves as Chair. All of the members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are “independent” as defined in the Nasdaq Listing Rules.

In evaluating director nominees, the Nominating and Governance Committee considers the following factors:

 

   

personal and professional integrity, ethics and values;

 

   

experience in corporate management, such as serving as an officer or former officer of a publicly held company;

 

   

experience in the Company’s industry and with relevant social policy concerns;

 

   

experience as a board member of another publicly held company;

 

   

academic expertise in an area of the Company’s operations; and

 

   

practical and mature business judgment.

Other than the foregoing, there are no stated minimum criteria for director nominees. The Nominating and Governance Committee may, however, consider such other factors as it deems are in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.

 

8


The Nominating and Governance Committee identifies nominees by first evaluating the current members of the Board willing to continue in service. Current members of the Board with skills and experience that are relevant to the Company’s business and who are willing to continue in service are considered for re-nomination, balancing the value of continuity of service by existing members of the Board with that of obtaining new perspectives. If any member of the Board does not wish to continue in service or if the Nominating and Governance Committee decides not to nominate a member for re-election, unless the Board determines not to fill a vacancy the Committee will identify the desired skills and experience of a new nominee as outlined above. The Company has not engaged a third party to identify or evaluate or assist in identifying potential nominees since 2006, although the Company reserves the right to do so in the future.

Stockholders may send any recommendations for director nominees or other communications to the Board or any individual director c/o Secretary, 2300 Orchard Parkway, San Jose, California 95131-1017. All communications received are reported to the Board or the individual directors, as appropriate. Any formal nominations of director candidates must be addressed to the Secretary, 2300 Orchard Parkway, San Jose, California 95131-1017 and must also comply with the applicable provisions of the Company’s Bylaws.

Code of Ethics

The Board has adopted a formal code of conduct that applies to all of the Company’s employees, officers and directors. You can access the Code of Ethics, as well as the charters of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board, in the Investor Relations section of our website at http://www.symmetricom.com .

Board Leadership Structure

The Board currently consists of eight directors. Mr. Boschulte and Mr. Oliver are retiring effective as of the Annual Meeting, and the size of the Board will be reduced from eight to six directors effective immediately prior to the Annual Meeting. The Board has determined that all of the members of the Board, other than Ms. Fetter, the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, are “independent” as that term is defined in the Nasdaq Listing Rules. Mr. Chiddix, an independent director, replaced Mr. Clarkson as Chairman of the Board in April 2013. The Board’s general policy, as set forth in the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, is that the positions of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer should be held by separate persons as an aid in the Board’s oversight of management.

In addition, each of the Board’s Audit, Compensation, and Nominating and Governance committees is composed solely of independent directors, and each has a separate chair. The independent directors generally meet in executive session at each regularly scheduled Board meeting and at such other times as necessary or appropriate as determined by the independent directors. The Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that the independent directors will meet in executive session without management directors or management present at least three times per year on a regularly scheduled basis. On an annual basis, as part of our Board self-evaluation and governance review, the Board (led by the Nominating and Governance Committee) evaluates our leadership structure to ensure that it remains the optimal structure for the Company.

Board Role in Risk Oversight

The Company’s management performs day-to-day assessment of the risks faced by the Company, including financial risk, strategic risk, operational risk, and legal and compliance risk. The Company’s Board is responsible for overseeing management in its assessment and management of those risks, and the Board takes an active role in that regard. At its meetings, and in particular at its annual strategic planning session at which the Board considers the Company’s strategic direction, the Board reviews with management the Company’s business and strategies, the risks involved, and management’s approach to managing those risks.

 

9


In addition, the Audit Committee reviews the Company’s policies and activities with respect to risk management and compliance. Where appropriate, the Audit Committee is responsible for making recommendations to the Board regarding risk management policies and activities and their impact on the Company. The Audit Committee also regularly discusses with management the Company’s significant risk exposures and the actions management has taken to limit, monitor, or control those exposures. The Nominating and Governance Committee manages risks associated with corporate governance and director independence. The Compensation Committee oversees risk management as it relates to the Company’s compensation plans, policies and programs in connection with designing, recommending to the Board for approval, and evaluating the Company’s compensation and benefit plans, policies and programs. The Compensation Committee reviews the Company’s compensation programs to ensure that they are designed to encourage high performance, promote accountability and align employee interests with the interests of the Company’s stockholders.

Compensation Risk Assessment

Under the supervision and direction of the Compensation Committee, the Company’s management has performed an assessment of the Company’s compensation policies and practices for all employees relative to various risk factors. The results of this assessment were reviewed and discussed with the Compensation Committee and the committee’s compensation consultant, Compensia. The Compensation Committee then concluded that there are no risks arising from the Company’s compensation policies and practices that would be reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company. The risk factors considered included analysis of base compensation, variable compensation, equity compensation, and goal setting and payout formula.

Director Compensation

In fiscal 2013, each non-employee director received an annual retainer of $45,000. In addition, the Chairman of the Board received an annual incremental fee of $25,000, the Chairs of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee received an annual incremental fee of $20,000, $16,000 and $9,000, respectively, and each member (other than the Chair) of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee received an annual incremental fee of $10,000, $8,000 and $4,500, respectively. No other fees were paid for attendance at committee meetings.

On January 2, 2013, each non-employee director received an annual non-statutory stock option to purchase 14,000 shares of our common stock and a grant of 7,000 shares of restricted stock, each of which will vest 100% on the date of the Annual Meeting. Effective January 3, 2013, the Company’s Director Compensation Policy was amended to provide that annual director equity awards will be made on the date of each annual meeting of stockholders, beginning with the Annual Meeting. These annual equity awards will vest 100% upon the earlier to occur of (a) the first anniversary of the grant date or (b) the date of the Company’s first annual stockholder’s meeting after the grant date, subject to the non-employee director’s continued service through such date, with full acceleration of vesting upon the occurrence of a change of control.

In addition, upon joining the Board, each non-employee director receives a one-time grant of a non-statutory stock option to purchase 40,000 shares of our common stock, vesting over three years, at the rate of 25% at the end of each of the first and second years and 50% at the end of the third year of the vesting period, with acceleration of vesting upon the occurrence of a change of control.

 

10


The following table shows compensation information for the Company’s non-employee directors for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013.

Director Compensation for Fiscal 2013

 

Name

   Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash
($)
     Option
Awards
($) (1)(2)
     Stock
Awards
($) (3)
     Total
($)
 

Alfred Boschulte

     59,500         34,349         41,510         135,359   

James Chiddix

     53,000         34,349         41,510         128,859   

Robert T. Clarkson

     70,000         34,349         41,510         145,859   

Robert M. Neumeister

     65,000         34,349         41,510         140,859   

Dr. Richard W. Oliver

     53,000         34,349         41,510         128,859   

Richard N. Snyder

     49,500         34,349         41,510         125,359   

Robert J. Stanzione

     56,250         34,349         41,510         132,109   

 

(1) Amounts shown in this column reflect the aggregate grant date fair value of options granted during fiscal 2013 computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. The assumptions used in the valuation of these awards are set forth in the note 6 to our consolidated financial statements, which are included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2013, filed with the SEC on September 11, 2013.

 

(2) On January 2, 2013, each non-employee member of the Board was granted an option to purchase 14,000 shares with a grant date fair value of $34,349. These options will vest 100% on the date of Annual Meeting. As of June 30, 2013, the aggregate number of outstanding options held by each non-employee director was 67,000 for Mr. Boschulte, 64,500 for Mr. Chiddix, 84,500 for Mr. Clarkson, 84,500 for Mr. Neumeister, 84,500 for Dr. Oliver, 84,500 for Mr. Snyder and 84,500 for Mr. Stanzione.

 

(3) On January 2, 2013, each non-employee member of the Board was granted 7,000 shares of restricted stock, all of which will vest on the date of the Annual Meeting and each of which had a grant date fair value computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 of $41,510. As of June 30, 2013, the aggregate number of outstanding restricted stock held by each non-employee director was 7,000.

Equity Ownership Guidelines

Each non-employee director is expected to own and hold at least 50% of the number of shares of common stock that constitute his or her annual equity awards. Stock ownership levels are to be achieved by each director within five years of his or her first annual equity award as a director. Shares of common stock that count toward the satisfaction of this policy include shares owned outright by the director or his or her immediate family members who share the same household, restricted stock where the restrictions have lapsed, shares acquired upon the exercise of stock options, and shares purchased in the open market in compliance with the law and the Company’s trading policies.

 

11


PROPOSAL No. TWO

RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM OF THE COMPANY

Deloitte & Touche LLP, the member firms of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, and their respective affiliates (collectively, “Deloitte”) have been the independent auditors for the Company since 1976 and, upon recommendation of the Audit Committee of the Board, their reappointment as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the current fiscal year has been approved by the Board, subject to ratification by the stockholders.

The Company has been advised that a representative of Deloitte will be present at the Annual Meeting, will be available to respond to appropriate questions, and will be given an opportunity to make a statement if he or she so desires.

The following table sets forth the aggregate fees billed by Deloitte for the following services during the fiscal years ended June 30, 2013 and July 1, 2012:

 

Description of Services

   2013 Fees      2012 Fees  

Audit fees (1)

   $ 987,678       $ 1,015,066   

Audit-related fees

     —          —    

Tax fees (2)

     18,000        —    

All other fees

     —          —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 1,005,678       $ 1,015,066   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1) Audit Fees:  Represents the aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered for the audits of our annual financial statements and for the review of the financial statements included in our quarterly reports during such period, and for services that are normally provided in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements. We included expenses related to Sarbanes-Oxley compliance in the totals.

 

(2) Tax fees: Represents the aggregate fees billed for assistance with the Puerto Rico tax audit.

In accordance with the Audit Committee Charter, the Audit Committee’s policy is to pre-approve all audit and non-audit services provided by the independent auditors, including the estimated fees and other terms of any such engagement. These services may include audit services, audit-related services, tax services and other services. Any pre-approval is detailed as to the particular service or category of services and is subject to a specific budget. The Audit Committee may elect to delegate pre-approval authority to one or more designated Audit Committee members in accordance with its charter. The Audit Committee considers whether such audit or non-audit services are consistent with the rules of the SEC on auditor independence.

Vote Required; Recommendation of the Board of Directors

Although not required to be submitted for stockholder approval, the Board has conditioned its appointment of its independent registered public accounting firm upon receiving the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority in voting power of the stock present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon. In the event the stockholders do not approve the selection of Deloitte, the appointment of independent registered public accounting firm will be reconsidered by the Board.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP AS THE INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM OF THE COMPANY FOR THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.

 

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PROPOSAL No. THREE

ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) enables the Company’s stockholders to vote to approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of our Named Executive Officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement in accordance with SEC rules.

The Company has a “pay-for-performance” philosophy that forms the foundation of all decisions regarding compensation of the Company’s Named Executive Officers. This compensation philosophy, and the program structure approved by the Compensation Committee, is central to the Company’s ability to attract, retain and motivate individuals who can achieve superior financial results, which is consistent with the importance we place on quality and consistency of our executive officers in achieving results that foster long-term shareholder value. This approach, which has been used consistently over the years, has resulted in the Company’s ability to attract and retain the executive talent necessary to guide the Company during a period of transformation and gives these officers the opportunity to build a meaningful alignment with the interests of the Company’s stockholders. Please refer to “Executive Compensation—Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Executive Summary” for an overview of the compensation of the Company’s Named Executive Officers.

We are asking for non-binding advisory approval of the compensation of our Named Executive Officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement in accordance with SEC rules, which include the disclosures under “Executive Compensation—Compensation Discussion and Analysis,” the compensation tables and the narrative discussion following the compensation tables. This vote is not intended to address any specific item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of our Named Executive Officers and the policies and practices described in this Proxy Statement, as disclosed under “Executive Compensation.” Accordingly, we are asking our stockholders to vote “FOR” the following resolution at the Annual Meeting:

“RESOLVED, that the Company’s stockholders approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of the Named Executive Officers pursuant to the compensation disclosure rules of the SEC as described in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the compensation tables and narrative discussion in the Company’s Proxy Statement for the 2013 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.”

While we intend to carefully consider the voting results of this proposal, this vote is advisory and therefore not binding on the Company, the Compensation Committee or the Board. Accordingly, and given that some of the compensation to be paid is a contractual obligation with the applicable executives, regardless of the outcome of this advisory vote, such compensation may still be payable. The Board and the Compensation Committee value the opinions of the Company’s stockholders, and to the extent there is any significant vote against the named executive officer compensation as disclosed in this proxy statement, the Compensation Committee will evaluate whether any actions are necessary to address those concerns.

Vote Required

The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority in voting power of the stock present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon is required for advisory approval of this proposal.

The Board has adopted a policy providing for an annual say-on-pay advisory vote. Unless the Board modifies its policy on the frequency of future say-on-pay advisory votes, the next say-on-pay advisory vote will be held at the 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE COMPENSATION OF OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, AS DISCLOSED IN THIS PROXY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO THE SEC’S EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION DISCLOSURE RULES.

 

13


PROPOSAL No. FOUR

APPROVAL OF THE AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT OF THE

AMENDED AND RESTATED

2006 INCENTIVE AWARD PLAN

General

On September 4, 2013, our Board of Directors (the “Board”) approved, subject to stockholder approval, the amendment and restatement of the Amended and Restated Symmetricom, Inc. 2006 Incentive Award Plan (the “Amended and Restated 2006 Plan”) to increase the number of shares of the Company’s common stock available for issuance under the plan by 1,500,000 shares.

Reasons for Proposed Amendment

At the 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, the Company’s stockholders approved the amendment and restatement of the Symmetricom, Inc. 2006 Incentive Award Plan (the “2006 Plan”), as previously amended, to, among other things, increase the number of shares of the Company’s common stock authorized for issuance under the plan by 2,000,000 shares. At that time, we believed that this increase would be sufficient to attract and retain the services of key individuals essential to the Company’s long-term growth and success for the near future.

Subsequently, challenges generated as a result of a difficult economy and a lower-than-expected financial performance necessitated the Board making significant management changes which resulted in unanticipated equity awards during fiscal 2013.

We are a growth-oriented technology company based in Northern California, and competition for qualified personnel in our industry is extremely intense, particularly in the case of engineering and other technical personnel. Our success depends on our continued ability to recruit, motivate, reward, and retain qualified employees, and our employee stock plan has been an important factor in enabling us to recruit, motivate, reward, and retain the individuals who we believe are critical to our success. The continued ability to offer long-term incentive compensation in the form of equity awards is necessary for us to compete for engineering and other technical personnel and professional talent without significantly increasing cash compensation costs. Accordingly, we believe that the increase in the number of shares of the Company’s common stock available for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan is essential to our continued success and, therefore, in the best interests of the Company and our stockholders.

As a result of the unanticipated events previously described, the Board is seeking to increase the number of shares of the Company’s common stock reserved for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan to help ensure that we have a sufficient reserve of shares available to attract and retain the services of our key employees.

In considering this proposal, we ask that our stockholders consider the following factors:

 

   

The proposed increase in the number of shares of the Company’s common stock reserved for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan will help ensure that we have a sufficient reserve of shares available to meet our retention, motivation and recruitment objectives.

 

   

If the proposed share reserve increase is not approved, the Board believes that, over time, we may not have sufficient shares under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan to support our annual equity award program or to make awards to new employees, which are necessary to attract new talent to the Company and to motivate and retain our current employees to achieve our long-term business goals.

 

   

We have consistently recognized and responded to the potential dilutive effects of our equity award practices, as reflected by our stock buyback history and our annual “burn rate” commitments (see below), and intend to continue to work diligently to mitigate such dilution.

 

14


   

To minimize the dilutive effects of the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan on our stockholders, we have committed to the following burn rate policies:

 

   

We have agreed to limit the number of shares of the Company’s common stock subject to awards granted under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan for the three-year period beginning fiscal 2013 through fiscal 2015 to an annual average of 5.73% of the number of outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock; and

 

   

Further, in connection with this Proposal, we have agreed to extend this policy through 2016.

 

   

We have demonstrated a disciplined approach to granting equity awards to limit dilution:

 

   

Absent the new-hire equity award to our CEO and the key contributor retention awards our burn rate for fiscal 2013 was at 5.06%, well within our committed level of 5.73%. Even including the new-hire equity award for our CEO and the key contributor retentions, our burn rate for fiscal 2013 was 8.27%.

 

   

As of the date of this Proxy Statement, we anticipate that our fiscal 2014 equity “spend” will be approximately 1.8 million shares, or a burn rate of approximately 4.5%.

 

   

We currently anticipate that our three-year annual average burn rate for the three-year period beginning fiscal 2013 through fiscal 2015 will be below 5.73%, consistent with our commitment for this period.

Our historical “burn rate” for the last three fiscal years has been as follows:

 

Fiscal Year

   Stock Options
Granted
     RSA Awards
Granted
     Total Shares
Granted
(Adjusted) (1)
     Weighted
Average Shares
Outstanding
     Gross
“Burn Rate”
 

2013

     2,428,000         461,000         3,350,000         40,509,000         8.27

2012

     2,109,000         156,000         2,421,000         41,981,000         5.77

2011

     2,193,000         211,000         2,615,000         43,188,000         6.05

 

(1) For purposes of this column, the total number of shares of the Company’s common stock granted is the sum of (i) the number of shares of the Company’s common stock subject to option grants and (ii) the number of shares of the Company’s common stock subject to restricted stock unit awards granted multiplied by two (consistent with our burn rate policy described more fully below under “Burn Rate Commitments”).

 

   

For purposes of calculating the number of shares of the Company’s common stock granted in a fiscal year, we have incorporated a fungible share design into the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan which provides that each share subject to an award other than a stock option or a stock appreciation right that is settled in shares of the Company’s common stock (such award, a “Full Value Award”) will count against the share reserve as 1.83 shares.

 

   

In recent years, we have maintained an active, informal stock repurchase program in order to, among other things, help offset the dilutive effect of our equity award practices. In fiscal 2013, we repurchased 870,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, reducing the outstanding share base against which our burn rate is calculated.

 

   

In view of the composition of the Company’s stockholder base, which is largely comprised of institutional stockholders, we considered the policy guidelines of the major proxy advisory firms in determining the size of the proposed share reserve increase for the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan.

 

   

If approved, the issuance of the 1,500,000 additional shares of the Company’s common stock to be reserved under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan, when combined with the shares underlying equity awards currently outstanding and the shares currently remaining available for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan would dilute the holdings of our stockholders by approximately 23.52% on a fully-diluted basis, based on the number of shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding as of September 6, 2013.

 

15


We believe that, even after giving effect to the additional equity awards that were granted in fiscal 2013, the dilutive effect of our equity awards has been reasonable and that we have been managing our voting power dilution responsibly, as set forth below.

 

Year

   Basic Dilution     Fully Diluted  

FYE2013

     27.96     21.85

FYE2012

     25.56     20.35

FYE2011

     26.13     20.72

Burn Rate Commitments

The Company’s annual burn rate is determined by dividing the number of shares of the Company’s common stock subject to stock awards granted in each fiscal year by the weighted average number of shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding for that fiscal year.

Fiscal 2013—2015 Burn Rate Commitment

To minimize the dilutive impact on our stockholders of our equity awards to employees of and consultants to the Company’s and its subsidiaries, as well as the non-employee members of the Board, the Board has adopted a burn rate policy for fiscal 2013 through fiscal 2015 which became effective when our stockholders approved the amendment and restatement of the 2006 Plan at the 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

During this three-year period, which began at the beginning of fiscal 2013 and will end at the conclusion of fiscal 2015, this policy requires the Company to limit the number of shares of the Company’s common stock that are granted subject to stock awards over this three-year period to no more than an annual average of 5.73% of the Company’s outstanding common stock (which is equal to the median burn rate plus one standard deviation for the companies in the Russell 3000 which are part of the Company’s Global Industry Classification Standards Peer Group (Technology Hardware and Equipment), as published by Institutional Shareholder Services in 2011).

Extension of Burn Rate Commitment

Subject to our stockholder approving this proposal 4, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors has committed to extend our original burn rate policy for fiscal 2013 through fiscal 2015 by one additional fiscal year (through fiscal 2016), thereby committing to limit the number of shares of the Company’s common stock that are granted subject to stock awards over a four-year period to an annual average of 5.73% in order to give assurance to our stockholders that we will continue to use equity awards in a measured fashion. We note that our original commitment of an annual average of 5.73% is, in fact, lower than the current permissible limit of 5.77% (which is equal to the median burn rate plus one standard deviation for the companies in the Russell 3000 which are part of the Company’s Global Industry Classification Standards Peer Group (Technology Hardware and Equipment). Rather than maintain two separate burn rate policies during overlapping years, however, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors has agreed to abide to by the lower limit and extend its duration.

We are sensitive to the concerns of our stockholders regarding dilution and we intend to discuss this issue directly with our stockholders to understand their points of view. We will strive to balance the dilutive impact of any net issuances, reflective of Company-authorized share buyback programs, with the motivational and retentive needs within our organization.

We believe that by extending our burn rate policy for an additional year, we will be providing assurance not only to our stockholders, but also to the major proxy advisory firms, when formulating their voting recommendations, particularly in light of the fact that our previously-agreed to limit is lower than this year’s limit and we anticipate that our three-year annual average “burn rate” for the three-year period beginning fiscal 2013 through fiscal 2015 will also be below our previously-agreed to limit.

 

16


For purposes of complying with this policy:

 

   

The annual burn rate will be calculated as the number of shares of the Company’s common stock subject to stock awards (including stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock unit awards and other stock awards) granted during each fiscal year (although for purposes of this analysis the number of shares subject to performance unit awards and performance share awards will be counted in the fiscal year that such awards are earned rather than in the fiscal year in which such awards are granted) divided by the weighted average number of shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding for each fiscal year, both as reported in the Company’s periodic filings with the SEC.

 

   

Awards that are settled in cash, awards that are granted pursuant to stockholder approved exchange programs, awards sold under the Company’s employee stock purchase plan and awards assumed or substituted in acquisitions will be excluded from the burn rate calculation.

 

   

For purposes of the burn rate calculation, each share of the Company’s common stock subject to a Full Value Award will be counted as two shares.

Summary of Principal Terms and Conditions of the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan

A summary of the principal terms and conditions of the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan is set forth below. This summary is qualified by reference to the full text of the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan, which is attached as Appendix A of this Proxy Statement. This summary assumes approval of this Proposal Four and describes any changes from the current version of the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan.

This proposal will amend and restate the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan to increase the aggregate number of the Company’s common stock available for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan by 1,500,000 shares, to a total of 4,806,550 shares as of September 6, 2013.

Employees of and consultants to the Company and its subsidiaries, as well as members of the Board, are eligible to receive awards under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan. The Amended and Restated 2006 Plan provides for the grant of stock options (including both incentive stock options and nonqualified stock options), restricted stock awards, restricted stock unit awards, stock appreciation rights (“SARs”), performance share awards, stock payment awards, deferred stock awards, performance bonus awards, and other performance-based awards to eligible individuals.

Administration

The Amended and Restated 2006 Plan may be administered by the Board, and the Board may delegate its authority to administer the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan to a committee of at least two directors, each of whom qualifies as a “non-employee director” pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 16b-3, and an “outside director” pursuant to Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) (such committee or the Board, a “Committee”). The Committee may in turn delegate to one or more members of the Board or one or more executive officers of the Company the authority to grant or amend awards to participants other than executive officers of the Company who are subject to Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or employees who are “covered employees” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code. Only the Board, acting by a majority of its members in office, may conduct the general administration of the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan with respect to all awards granted to non-employee members of the Board.

The Committee, or in the case of the non-employee members of the Board, the Board, has the authority to administer the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan, including the power to determine participants, the types and sizes of awards, the price and timing of awards, the methods for settling awards, the method of payment for any

 

17


exercise or purchase price of an award, the forms of award agreements, any rules and regulations the Committee deems necessary to administer the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan, and the acceleration or waiver of any vesting restriction. The Committee also has the power and authority to interpret the terms of the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan and any award agreement thereunder.

Eligibility

Persons eligible to participate in the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan include all non-employee members of the Board, comprised of seven persons following the 2013 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, approximately 300 employees, including six executives, and, at present, no consultants of the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case, as determined by the Committee.

Limitation on Awards and Shares Available

If this proposal is approved by our stockholders, the share reserve of the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan’s will be increased by 1,500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, and the maximum number of shares of the Company’s common stock available for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan will be equal to the sum of (1) 12,700,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, plus (2) 2,361,732 shares that were previously available for issuance under the Prior Plans but were forfeited or expired unexercised following the date on which the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan was initially adopted on October 27, 2008 and prior to September 6 , 2013, plus (3) any shares of the Company’s common stock which, as of September 6 , 2013, are subject to equity awards under the Prior Plans that expire, are cancelled or otherwise terminate unexercised, or otherwise would have reverted to the share reserves under the Prior Plans following September 6, 2013 and which are not issued under the Prior Plans following September 6, 2013, up to a maximum of 15,565,659 shares.

As of September 6, 2013, 503,927 shares of the Company’s common stock were subject to outstanding awards granted under the Prior Plans. The Company expects shareholders to have the opportunity to reassess the Company’s use of equity compensation at the 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

As of September 6, 2013, 7,436,605 shares of the Company’s common stock were subject to outstanding stock options granted under all plans including the Prior Plans and the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan, 392,196 shares of the Company’s common stock were subject to restricted stock awards granted under all plans including the Prior Plans, 1,864,490 shares of the Company’s common stock had been issued pursuant to the exercise of stock options and other awards pursuant to the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan, and 3,306,550 shares of the Company’s common stock remained available for future issuance under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan and 1,809,728 shares of the Company’s common stock were available for grant under all Company equity compensation plans.

The closing market price of the Company’s common stock as of September 6, 2013 was $4.80 per share. The weighted average exercise price and weighted average remaining contractual term of outstanding stock options granted under all plans are $5.68 and 3.93 years, respectively, as of September 6, 2013.

The shares of the Company’s common stock covered by the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan may be treasury shares, authorized but unissued shares, or shares purchased in the open market. To the extent permitted by applicable law or any applicable rule of a national securities exchange, shares issued in assumption of, or in substitution for, any outstanding awards of any entity acquired in any form of combination by the Company or any of its subsidiaries will not be counted against the shares available for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan.

The Amended and Restated 2006 Plan provides that any shares of the Company’s common stock that are subject to stock options or SARs will be counted against the share reserve limit as one share for every one share granted. In additional, the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan provides that any shares of the Company’s common

 

18


stock that are subject to Full Value Awards will be counted against the share reserve limit as 1.83 shares for every one share granted. The payment of dividend equivalents in cash in conjunction with any outstanding awards will not be counted against the shares of the Company’s common stock available for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan.

To the extent that an award previously granted under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan terminates, expires, or lapses for any reason, any shares of the Company’s common stock subject to the award may be used again for new awards under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan. The Amended and Restated 2006 Plan also reflects the share counting principle described above when determining the number of shares of the Company’s common stock which may be regranted after an award expires. To the extent that an award terminates, expires, or lapses for any reason, any share of the Company’s common stock that again becomes available for future award will be added back as (i) one share if such share was subject to a stock option or a SAR, and (ii) 1.83 shares if such share was subject to a Full Value Award.

In addition, the following types of shares may not be regranted under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan:

 

   

shares tendered by the participant or withheld by the Company in payment of the exercise price of a stock option;

 

   

shares tendered by the participant to satisfy any tax withholding obligation with respect to an award or shares withheld by the Company to satisfy any tax withholding obligation with respect to an award other than a Full Value Award; and

 

   

shares subject to a stock-settled SAR that are not issued in connection upon the net settlement or net exercise of such SAR.

Shares of the Company’s common stock tendered by a participant to satisfy any tax withholding obligation with respect to a Full Value Award or shares withheld by the Company to satisfy any tax withholding obligation with respect to a Full Value Award, however, may be regranted under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan.

The maximum number of shares of the Company’s common stock that may be subject to one or more awards to a participant pursuant to the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan during a calendar year (measured from the date of grant) is 3,000,000 shares. The maximum amount that may be paid in cash during any calendar year with respect to any performance-based award is $2,000,000.

Awards

The Amended and Restated 2006 Plan provides for the grant of stock options, restricted stock awards, SARs, performance share awards, performance stock unit awards, dividend equivalents, stock payments, deferred stock awards, restricted stock unit awards, other stock-based awards, and performance-based awards.

Stock Options

Stock options, including incentive stock options, as defined under Section 422 of the Code, and nonqualified stock options, may be granted pursuant to the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan. The exercise price of any stock option granted pursuant to the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan must not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. Stock options may be exercised as determined by the Committee, but in no event after the seventh anniversary of the date of grant. The aggregate fair market value of the shares of the Company’s common stock with respect to which incentive stock options are exercisable for the first time by an employee in any calendar year may not exceed $100,000 or such other limitation imposed by Section 422(d) of the Code.

Upon the exercise of a stock option, the exercise price must be paid in full in either cash or its equivalent, by tendering previously acquired shares of the Company’s common stock with a fair market value at the time of

 

19


exercise equal to the exercise price (provided such shares have been held for such period of time as may be required by the Committee to avoid adverse accounting consequences and have a fair market value on the date of delivery equal to the aggregate exercise price of the option or exercised portion thereof), or other property acceptable to the Committee (including through the delivery of a notice that the optionee has placed a market “sell” order with a broker with respect to shares then issuable upon exercise of the option, and that the broker has been directed to pay a sufficient portion of the net proceeds of the sale to the Company in satisfaction of the option exercise price, provided that payment of such proceeds is then made to the Company upon settlement of such sale). No optionee will be permitted to pay the exercise price of a stock option, or continue any extension of credit with respect to the exercise price of a stock option with a loan from us or arranged by us in any method which would violate Section 13(k) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Restricted Stock Awards

A restricted stock award is a grant of shares of the Company’s common stock at a per share purchase price determined by the Committee (which may be zero), that is nontransferable and may be subject to substantial risk of forfeiture until specific conditions determined by the Committee have been satisfied. During the period of restriction, a participant holding shares of restricted stock may have full voting and dividend rights with respect to such shares (except as described below with respect to restricted stock subject to performance-based vesting conditions). The restrictions will lapse in accordance with a schedule or other conditions determined by the Committee.

Stock Appreciation Rights

A SAR is the right to receive payment of an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of a share of the Company’s common stock on the date of exercise of the SAR over the fair market value of a share of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant of the SAR. SARs may be settled in cash, in shares of the Company’s common stock, or in a combination of both, as determined by the Committee. SARs may have a maximum term of seven years.

Dividend Equivalent Awards

Dividend equivalent awards entitle a participant to receive the equivalent value (in cash or additional shares of the Company’s common stock) of dividends in respect of other awards held by participants. Currently, the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan does not have any restrictions surrounding the grant or payment of dividend equivalents. The Amended and Restated 2006 Plan provides, however, that dividend equivalents with respect to an award that vests based on the attainment of one or more specified performance objectives that are based on dividends paid prior to the vesting of such award will only be paid to a participant to the extent that the performance-based vesting conditions are subsequently satisfied and the award vests. Additionally, the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan provides that dividend equivalents are not payable with respect to stock options or SARs.

Other Awards

The other types of awards that may be granted under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan include performance share awards, performance stock unit awards, stock payments, deferred stock awards, restricted stock unit awards, and performance bonus awards. Performance share awards are shares of the Company’s common stock granted to participants with restrictions that lapse only upon the attainment of one or more specified performance objectives. Performance stock unit awards are awards representing the right to receive shares of the Company’s common stock upon the attainment of one or more specified performance objectives. Stock payments are compensation in the form of shares of the Company’s common stock that are granted without restrictions imposed by the Company. Deferred stock awards represent the right to receive shares of the Company’s common stock at a later date or dates if specified time-based or performance-based vesting criteria are satisfied. Restricted stock unit awards represent the right to receive shares of the Company’s common stock

 

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upon the attainment of specified time-based and/or performance-based vesting criteria. Performance bonus awards entitle participants to cash payments upon the attainment of one or more specified performance objectives.

The Committee may grant awards to employees who are or may be “covered employees,” as defined in Section 162(m) of the Code, that are intended to be “performance-based compensation” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code to preserve the deductibility of these awards for federal income tax. Participants are only entitled to receive payment for a performance-based award for any given performance period to the extent that the pre-established performance objective or objectives set by the Committee for the period are satisfied. These pre-established performance objectives must be based on one or more of the following performance criteria: net earnings (either before or after interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), economic value-added (as determined by the Committee), gross or net sales or revenue, net income (either before or after tax), operating earnings, cash flow (including, but not limited to, operating cash flow, and free cash flow), cash flow return on capital, return on net assets, return on stockholders’ equity, return on assets, return on capital, stockholder returns, return on sales, gross or net profit or operating margin, productivity, costs, expense, margins, operating efficiency, customer satisfaction, working capital, earnings per share, adjusted earnings per share, price per share, market share, regulatory body approval for commercialization of a product, implementation or completion of critical projects, and economic value.

These performance criteria may be measured in absolute terms or as compared to any incremental increase or as compared to results of a peer group. With regard to a particular performance period, the Committee has the discretion to select the length of the performance period, the type of performance-based awards to be granted, and the objective or objectives that will be used to measure the performance for the period. In determining the actual size of an individual performance-based award for a performance period, the Committee may reduce or eliminate (but not increase) the amount of the award. Generally, a participant will have to be employed on the date the performance-based award is paid to be eligible for a performance-based award for any period.

Amendment and Termination

The Committee, subject to the approval of the Board, may terminate, amend, or modify the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan at any time; provided, however, that stockholder approval will be required:

 

   

for any amendment to the extent necessary and desirable to comply with any applicable law, regulation, or rule of a national securities exchange, to increase the number of shares of the Company’s common stock available under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan;

 

   

to permit the Committee to grant stock options with an exercise price below the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant; or

 

   

to extend the exercise period for a stock option beyond ten years from the date of grant.

In addition, absent stockholder approval:

 

   

no stock option may be amended to reduce the per share exercise price of the shares of the Company’s common stock subject to such option below the per share exercise price as of the date the option was granted;

 

   

except to the extent permitted by the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan in connection with certain changes in capital structure, no stock option may be granted in exchange for, or in connection with, the cancellation or surrender of an option having a higher per share exercise price;

 

   

no SAR may be repriced (through an amendment or exchange as described in the preceding sentence);

 

   

no stock option or SAR may be cancelled or replaced with another award (including another option or SAR with a lower price per share); and

 

21


   

no offer to buy out a stock option or SAR for a cash payment may be made, in each case, except to the extent permitted by the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan in connection with certain changes in capital structure.

In no event may an award be granted pursuant to the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan on or after the tenth anniversary of the date that the Company’s stockholders approve the amendment and restatement of the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan.

Change in Control or Equity Restructuring

If a Change in Control of the Company (as defined in the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan) occurs and outstanding awards are not converted, assumed, or replaced by a successor entity, such awards will become fully exercisable and all forfeiture restrictions on such awards will lapse.

Upon certain changes in capitalization, such as a stock dividend or stock split, the Committee will make proportionate adjustments, as it determined in its discretion, to reflect the change with respect to (a) the aggregate number and kind of shares that may be issued under the plan, (b) the terms and conditions of any outstanding awards, and (c) the grant or exercise price per share for any outstanding awards.

Further, the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan provides that, in connection with the occurrence of an Equity Restructuring (as defined in the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan) and notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, (i) the number and type of securities subject to each outstanding award and the grant or exercise price per share of such award, if applicable, will be equitably adjusted; and/or (ii) the Committee will make such equitable adjustments as it deems appropriate, in its sole discretion, to reflect the Equity Restructuring. Any adjustments made in connection with an Equity Restructuring are nondiscretionary and will be final and binding on the affected participant and the Company.

Federal Income Tax Consequences

The following is a general summary under current law of the material federal income tax consequences to participants in the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan and the Company. The federal income tax laws may change and the federal, state and local tax consequences for any participant will depend upon his or her individual circumstances. The summary addresses the general tax principles that apply and is provided only for general information. Some kinds of taxes, such as state and local income taxes, are not discussed. Tax laws are complex and subject to change and may vary depending on individual circumstances and from locality to locality.

The summary does not discuss all aspects of income taxation that may be relevant in light of a holder’s personal investment circumstances. Further, the summary is based on the assumption that the awards granted under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan will either comply with or not be subject to provisions of Section 409A of the Code, a provision governing specified deferred compensation arrangements. This summarized tax information is not tax advice.

Nonqualified Stock Options

With respect to nonqualified stock options, the Company is generally entitled to deduct for income tax purposes and the optionee recognizes ordinary income in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the shares at the Company’s common stock on the date of exercise and the exercise price.

Incentive Stock Options

With respect to incentive stock options, an employee will not recognize taxable income upon grant. Additionally, the employee will not recognize taxable income at the time of exercise. The excess of the fair market value of the shares of the Company’s common stock acquired upon exercise over the exercise price, however, is an item of tax preference income potentially subject to the alternative minimum tax.

 

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If the shares of the Company’s common stock acquired upon the exercise of an incentive stock option are held for a minimum of two years from the date of grant and one year from the date of exercise, the gain or loss (in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the shares of the Company’s common stock on the date of sale and the exercise price) upon disposition of such shares of common stock will be treated as a long-term capital gain or loss, and the Company will not be entitled to any income tax deduction with respect to such transaction. If the holding period requirements described above are not met, the incentive stock option will be treated as one which does not meet the requirements of the Code for favorable income tax treatment and the tax consequences described for nonqualified stock options will apply, although the amount of ordinary income recognized by the participant will be the (i) the excess of the fair market value of the shares of the Company’s common stock on the date of exercise over the exercise price, or (ii) the excess of the amount realized on the disposition over the exercise price.

The current federal income tax consequences of the other awards authorized under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan generally follow certain basic patterns: SARs are taxed to a participant at ordinary income rates in substantially the same manner as nonqualified stock options at the time of exercise; nontransferable restricted stock awards subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture and restricted stock unit awards are taxed to a participant at ordinary income tax rates on an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the shares of the Company’s common stock over the price paid, if any, only at the time the restrictions applicable to such awards lapse (unless, with respect to an award of restricted stock, the recipient elects to accelerate recognition as of the date of grant); stock-based performance awards, dividend equivalents, and other types of awards are generally subject to tax to a participant at ordinary income rates at the time of payment. In each of the foregoing cases, the Company will generally receive a corresponding income tax deduction at the time the participant recognizes income, subject to Section 162(m) of the Code with respect to “covered employees.”

Non-Employee Director Awards

The Amended and Restated 2006 Plan permits the grant of equity awards to the non-employee members of the Board pursuant to a written non-discretionary formula recommended by the Compensation Committee of the Board and approved by the Board. In August 2010, the Board approved a written non-discretionary formula whereby each non-employee member of the Board will receive an annual grant of an option to purchase 14,000 shares of the Company’s common stock and a restricted stock award for 7,000 shares of the Company’s common stock pursuant to the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan beginning January 1, 2011.

The options granted pursuant to this formula have a seven-year term and an exercise price equal to the fair market value of a share of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. The written non-discretionary formula further provides that such options and restricted stock awards vest on the earlier of the first anniversary of the date of grant or a change in control of the Company, subject to the continued service of the non-employee director. In January 2013, the Board amended the written non-discretionary formula to provide that these annual non-employee director equity awards will be made on the date of each annual meeting of stockholders, beginning with the Annual Meeting, and that each annual non-employee director equity award made after the date of such amendment will vest 100% on the earlier to occur of (a) the first anniversary of the date of grant or (b) the date of the Company’s first annual meeting of stockholders following the date of grant, subject to the non-employee director’s continued service through such date, with full acceleration of vesting upon the occurrence of a change in control of the Company.

The written non-discretionary formula also provides that, upon election or appointment to the Board, a new non-employee member of the Board will receive an option to purchase 40,000 shares of the Company’s common stock. The option will have a seven-year term and an exercise price equal to the fair market value of a share of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. The written non-discretionary formula further provides that such option will vest over three years in increments of 25% at the end of each of the first two years and 50% at the end of the third year, with acceleration of vesting upon the occurrence of a change in control of the Company.

 

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New Plan Benefits

The non-employee members of the Board are eligible to receive awards under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan as described below under “Non-Employee Director Awards.” Please refer to the “Director Compensation for Fiscal 2013” section of this Proxy Statement for additional information regarding awards granted under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan to non-employee members of the Board during the fiscal year ended July 1, 2013. In addition, please refer to the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table” in this Proxy Statement for a list of the awards granted to the Named Executive Officers during the fiscal year ended July 1, 2013.

During fiscal 2013, awards with respect to 1,234,000 shares of the Company’s common stock were granted to the Named Executive Officers as a group under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan, and awards with respect to 1,947,748 shares of the Company’s common stock were granted to our other employees under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan. All future awards under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan will be made in the discretion of the Committee. Therefore, it is not possible to determine the benefits that will be granted in the future to participants under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan.

Historical Grants Table

The following table provides information with respect to awards granted under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan to the Named Executive Officers, employee, and non-employee members of the Board as of September 6, 2013. As stated above, it is not possible to determine the amounts of awards that will be granted in the future to participants under the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan.

 

Name and Position

   Number of
Shares Underlying
Option Grants
     Number of
Restricted
Stock Grants
 

Dave Côté, former Chief Executive Officer

     1,430,000         158,680   

Elizabeth Fetter, Chief Executive Officer

     979,500         32,250   

Justin Spencer, Executive Vice President, Finance and Administration, Chief Financial Officer, and Secretary

     375,000         62,404   

James Armstrong, former Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer

     362,000         88,269   

Dan Scharre, former Executive Vice President, Products

     205,000         43,420   

James Chiddix, Chairman of the Board Nominee

     92,000         28,500   

Robert Clarkson, Director and Compensation Committee Chair Nominee

     79,500         32,250   

Robert Neumeister, Director Nominee

     79,500         32,250   

Richard Synder, Director Nominee

     79,500         32,250   

Robert Stanzione, Director Nominee

     79,500         32,250   

All Current Executive Officers as a Group

     3,351,500         385,023   

All Directors Who Are Not Executive Officers as a Group

     569,000         222,000   

All Employees Who Are Not Executive Officers as a Group

     9,068,670         1,091,626   

Vote Required

Adoption of the proposed increase to the share reserve of the Amended and Restated 2006 Plan requires approval by holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock who are present, or represented, and entitled to vote thereon, at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

THE BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE APPROVAL OF THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT OF THE AMENDED AND RESTATED 2006 INCENTIVE AWARD PLAN.

 

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OTHER INFORMATION

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires the Company’s officers and directors and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of the Company’s equity securities to file certain reports regarding ownership of, and transactions in, the Company’s securities with the SEC. Such officers, directors and 10% stockholders are also required by SEC rules to furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a) forms that they file.

Based solely on its review of such forms furnished to the Company and written representations from certain reporting persons, the Company believes its executive officers, directors and more than 10% stockholders complied with all applicable filing requirements in fiscal 2013.

Share Ownership by Principal Stockholders and Management

The following table sets forth the beneficial ownership of common stock of the Company as of September 6, 2013 by:

 

   

all persons known to the Company to be the beneficial owners of more than 5% of the Company’s common stock,

 

   

each of the officers named in the Summary Compensation Table,

 

   

each director, and

 

   

all directors and executive officers as a group.

 

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A total of 41,464,838 shares of the Company’s common stock were outstanding as of September 6, 2013. The share numbers reflected in the following table include shares and options to purchase shares that are exercisable within 60 days of September 6, 2013. Unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes to this table, the persons and entities named in the table have sole voting and sole dispositive power with respect to all shares beneficially owned, subject to community property laws where applicable. Options to purchase shares that are exercisable within 60 days of September 6, 2013 are considered outstanding and beneficially owned by the person holding the options for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of that person but are not treated as outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of any other person.

 

Name and Address

   Shares
Beneficially
Owned
     Approximate
Percent
Owned
 

Security Investors, LLC (1)

     2,415,174         5.82

One Security Benefit Place

     

Topeka, KS 66636-0001

     

Blackrock, Inc. (2)

     4,241,204         10.25

40 East 52 nd Street

     

New York, NY 10022

     

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (3)

     3,281,791         7.91

Palisades West, Building One, 6300 Bee Cave Road

     

Austin, Texas 78746

     

Paradigm Capital Management, Inc. (4)

     2,605,573         6.28

Nine Elk Street

     

Albany, New York 12207

     

The Vanguard Group, Inc. (5)

     2,238,103         5.40

100 Vanguard Blvd

     

Malvem , PA 19355

     

Dave Côté (6)

     1,157,165         2.79

Justin R. Spencer (7)

     209,071         *   

Daniel Scharre (8)

     144,957         *   

James Armstrong (9)

     132,350         *   

Elizabeth A. Fetter (10)

     110,575         *   

Robert T. Clarkson (11)

     179,080         *   

James A. Chiddix (12)

     100,500         *   

Richard W. Oliver (13)

     122,618         *   

Richard N. Snyder (14)

     120,352         *   

Robert M. Neumeister Jr. (15)

     102,750         *   

Robert J. Stanzione (16)

     131,250         *   

Alfred Boschulte (17)

     89,300         *   

All directors and executive officers as a group (9 persons)

     1,165,496         2.81

 

  * Less than one percent (1%)

 

(1) The information in the table is based solely on a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC by Guggenheim Capital, LLC, Guggenheim Partners, LLC, GP Holdco, LLC, GPFT Holdco, LLC, Security Benefit Asset Management Holdings, LLC, Rydex Holdings, LLC and Security Investors LLC, Inc. on February 14, 2013. As of December 31, 2012, Guggenheim Capital, LLC was the majority owner of the foregoing reporting persons and may be deemed the beneficial owner of all of the shares shown in the table, which shares are beneficially owned directly by Securities Investors, LLC and indirectly by Rydex Holdings, LLC, Security Benefit Asset Management Holdings, LLC, GPFT Holdco, LLC, GP Holdco, LLC and Guggenheim Partners, LLC.

 

(2) The information in the table is based solely on a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC by BlackRock, Inc. on August 9, 2013.

 

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(3) The information in the table is based solely on a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (“Dimensional”) on February 11, 2013.

 

(4) The information in the table is based solely on a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC by Paradigm Capital Management, Inc. on February 12, 2013.

 

(5) The information in the table is based solely on a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC by The Vanguard Group, Inc.(“Vanguard”), on February 11, 2013. Vanguard Fiduciary Trust Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Vanguard Group, Inc., is the beneficial owner of 51,206 shares as a result of its serving as investment manager of collective trust accounts. Vanguard Investments Australia, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Vanguard Group, Inc., is the beneficial owner of 4,900 shares as a result of its serving as investment manager of Australian investment offerings.

 

(6) Includes 1,013,750 shares subject to options exercisable within 60 days of September 6, 2013.

 

(7) Includes 154,375 shares subject to options exercisable within 60 days of September 6, 2013.

 

(8) Includes 103,959 shares subject to options exercisable within 60 days of September 6, 2013.

 

(9) Includes 48,333 shares subject to options exercisable within 60 days of September 6, 2013.

 

(10) Includes 84,500 shares subject to options exercisable within 60 days of September 6, 2013.

 

(11) Includes 84,500 shares subject to options exercisable within 60 days of September 6, 2013.

 

(12) Includes 64,500 shares subject to options exercisable within 60 days of September 6, 2013.

 

(13) Includes 84,500 shares subject to options exercisable within 60 days of September 6, 2013.

 

(14) Includes 77,000 shares subject to options exercisable within 60 days of September 6, 2013.

 

(15) Includes 84,500 shares subject to options exercisable within 60 days of September 6, 2013.

 

(16) Includes 84,500 shares subject to options exercisable within 60 days of September 6, 2013.

 

(17) Includes 67,000 shares subject to options exercisable within 60 days of September 6, 2013.

 

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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

This Compensation Discussion and Analysis provides information regarding the fiscal 2013 compensation program for each individual who served as our principal executive officer during fiscal 2013, our principal financial officer during fiscal 2013, and the two former executive officers who would have been among our most highly-compensated executive officers had they been serving as such at the end of fiscal 2013. As of June 30, 2013, we had no other executive officers. For fiscal 2013, these individuals were:

 

   

Elizabeth A. Fetter, our Chief Executive Officer;

 

   

Justin R. Spencer, our Executive Vice President, Finance and Administration, Chief Financial Officer, and Secretary;

 

   

David G. Côté, our former Chief Executive Officer;

 

   

James Armstrong, our former Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer; and

 

   

Daniel Scharre, our former Executive Vice President, Products.

We refer to these executive officers collectively in this Compensation Discussion and Analysis and the related compensation tables as the “Named Executive Officers.”

Effective as of April 29, 2013, our Board of Directors appointed Ms. Fetter as our Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Fetter replaced Mr. Côté, who resigned as our Chief Executive Officer and as a member of our Board of Directors effective as of the same date. Following a subsequent reorganization of our management structure led by Ms. Fetter, in May 2013, James Armstrong, our former Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, and Daniel Scharre, our former Executive Vice President, Products, resigned from their positions with the Company.

This Compensation Discussion and Analysis provides an overview of our executive compensation philosophy, the overall objectives of our executive compensation program, and each material component of compensation that we provide to the Named Executive Officers. In addition, we explain how and why the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors (the “Compensation Committee”) arrived at the specific compensation policies and decisions involving the Named Executive Officers during fiscal 2013.

Executive Summary

Fiscal 2013 Business Highlights

We generate, distribute, and apply precise time for the communications, aerospace/defense, information technology infrastructure, and metrology industries. Our customers, from communications service providers and network equipment manufacturers to governments and their suppliers worldwide, are able to build more reliable networks and systems by using our advanced timing technologies, synchronization systems, atomic clocks, services, and solutions.

In response to the volatile business environment experienced throughout fiscal 2013, which significantly impacted our growth opportunities and operating conditions, we undertook a strategic restructuring plan in June 2013 to improve our financial and operational efficiency while maximizing resources to support our growth initiatives. This plan is expected to be fully implemented by December 2013. In light of these developments, we saw our financial performance decline in fiscal 2013, as reflected by the following financial results:

 

   

Fiscal year net revenue was $211.0 million, down from $237.7 million in fiscal 2012;

 

   

A fiscal year net loss from continuing operations of $2.7 million, or $0.07 per share, compared to net income of $11.4 million, or $0.27, in fiscal 2012; and

 

   

An $8.6 million increase in cash and short term investments, including cash flow from operations of $19.2 million in fiscal 2013.

 

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Fiscal 2013 Executive Compensation Actions

As discussed in more detail below, our compensation philosophy is to link the financial interests of the Named Executive Officers to the attainment of our annual and long-term business objectives, which we believe furthers the interests of our stockholders. Accordingly, our fiscal 2013 compensation actions and decisions were based, in large part, on the Named Executive Officers’ efforts to advance our financial and strategic interests.

For fiscal 2013, the Compensation Committee took the following actions with respect to the compensation of the Named Executive Officers:

 

   

Increased the base salaries of our CFO and EVP Products by 3.3% and 3.7%, respectively, in December 2012 to maintain market competitiveness as compared to our compensation peer group and individual job performance. The base salaries of the other Named Executive Officers were maintained at their fiscal 2012 levels since their base salaries were within the competitive range for their positions.

 

   

Approved annual equity awards (consisting of both stock options and restricted stock awards) at competitive market levels that satisfied our retention objectives and rewarded individual performance.

 

   

In light of our disappointing financial performance in fiscal 2013, during which we did not meet the Company’s revenue and operating income targets, we did not make any annual cash incentive award payments to any of the Named Executive Officers.

Compensation of New Chief Executive Officer

In connection with its appointment of Ms. Fetter as Chief Executive Officer effective as of April 29, 2013, our Board of Directors also approved the following compensation arrangement for her:

 

   

Base salary – An annual base of $475,000 per year. Our Board of Directors set Ms. Fetter’s base salary at the same level as the base salary of our former Chief Executive Officer. While this amount reflected only the 40 th percentile of the competitive market (based on data drawn from the compensation peer group and relevant compensation survey data), our Board of Directors determined that, in keeping with its recent decisions with respect to chief executive officer compensation, this amount represented a competitive base salary and was consistent with its decision to emphasize the variable components of Ms. Fetter’s compensation package.

 

   

Annual cash incentive award opportunity – A target annual cash incentive award opportunity equal to 100% of base salary. Our Board of Directors set Ms. Fetter’s target annual cash incentive award opportunity at the same level as the target annual cash incentive award opportunity of our former Chief Executive Officer. Our Board of Directors determined that this opportunity, when combined with her annual base salary, provided Ms. Fetter with a competitive target total cash compensation opportunity while, at the same time, placing a greater emphasis on her ability to manage the Company for long-term growth by weighting the majority of her target total direct compensation opportunity towards long-term incentive compensation. Since Ms. Fetter was not appointed Chief Executive Officer until the fourth fiscal quarter of fiscal 2013, she was not eligible to receive any annual cash incentive award for fiscal 2013.

 

   

Long-term incentive compensation – An option to purchase 900,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, with 25% of such shares vesting on April 29, 2014, the first anniversary of the date of grant, and the remaining shares vesting in equal monthly increments over the following three years, subject in each case to Ms. Fetter’s continued service with the Company. In view of the Company’s recent performance and consistent with our compensation philosophy, our Board of Directors determined that it was in the best interests of the Company and our stockholders to (i) award the majority of Ms. Fetter’s target total direct compensation opportunity in the form of long-term (rather than short-term) incentive compensation and (ii) to structure this long-term incentive compensation opportunity as a stock-based award, the future value wholly dependent on future stock price growth. Thus, in the case

 

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of her initial compensation package, 82% of her target total direct compensation opportunity (the sum of her base salary, target annual incentive award opportunity, and long-term incentive compensation opportunity) is variable and “at risk” with 65% of her target total direct compensation opportunity being delivered in the form of an option to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock. To the extent that market price of the Company’s common stock does not appreciate on a sustained basis over the next four years, Ms. Fetter will realize little, if any, value from this award.

Our Board of Directors determined mix and weighting Ms. Fetter’s initial compensation package was appropriate in light of its desire that she focus her efforts on driving growth of the Company’s common stock in the near term. Our Board of Directors also determined that the grant date value her long-term incentive compensation opportunity, which approximated the 60 th percentile of the competitive market (based on data drawn from the compensation peer group and relevant compensation survey data) reflected a reasonable award value in light of the competitive market for senior executives with Ms. Fetter’s experience and expertise and its desire to provide her with an appropriate incentive to motive superior performance. Ms. Fetter’s target total direct compensation is below the median of the competitive market (based on data drawn from the compensation peer group and relevant compensation survey data).

Fiscal 2013 Corporate Governance Highlights

We endeavor to maintain good governance standards in our executive compensation policies and practices. The following policies and practices were in effect during fiscal 2013:

 

   

The Compensation Committee is comprised solely of independent directors who have established effective means for communicating with our stockholders regarding their executive compensation ideas and concerns.

 

   

The Compensation Committee’s compensation consultant, Compensia, Inc., is retained directly by the committee and performs no other consulting or other services for the Company.

 

   

The Compensation Committee conducts an annual review of our compensation strategy, including a review of our compensation-related risk factors, to ensure that our compensation-related risks are not reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company.

 

   

Our compensation philosophy and related corporate governance features are complemented by several specific elements that are designed to align our executive compensation with long-term stockholder interests, including:

 

   

Our post-employment compensation arrangements are designed to provide severance protections that encourage retention of the Named Executive Officers and enable them to focus their attention on their work duties and responsibilities, and the payments and benefits payable in connection with a change in control of the Company, which we believe heightens the vulnerability for the termination of employment of senior executives, are based on a “double trigger” (that is, our executive officers are eligible to receive payments and benefits only upon a qualifying termination of employment in connection with a change in control of the Company).

 

   

As a general policy, we do not provide non-cash benefits or perquisites (such as guaranteed retirement arrangements or pension plan benefits) for the Named Executive Officers that are not available to our employees generally.

Fiscal 2012 Stockholder Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation

At our fiscal 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, we conducted a stockholder advisory vote on the fiscal 2012 compensation of our Named Executive Officers for fiscal 2012 (commonly known as a “Say-on-Pay” vote). Our stockholders approved the fiscal 2012 compensation of the Named Executive Officers with approximately 94% of the votes cast in favor of the proposal.

 

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We believe that the outcome of the Say-on-Pay vote reflects our stockholders’ support of our compensation approach, specifically our efforts to attract, retain, and motivate our Named Executive Officers. We value the opinions of our stockholders and will continue to consider the outcome of future Say-on-Pay votes, as well as feedback received throughout the year, when making compensation decisions for our Named Executive Officers.

Based on the results of a separate stockholder advisory vote on the frequency of future shareholder advisory votes regarding the compensation of the Named Executive Officers (commonly known as a “Say-When-on-Pay” vote) conducted at our fiscal 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, our Board of Directors determined that we will hold our Say-on-Pay votes on an annual basis. Accordingly, following the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to which this proxy statement relates, the next stockholder advisory vote on the compensation of our Named Executive Officers will take place in 2014.

Executive Compensation Philosophy and Objectives

Our executive compensation program is designed to attract, retain, and motivate the individuals who are critical to driving our success and creating stockholder value. Our compensation philosophy is to deliver market competitive compensation that ensures the Named Executive Officers contribute to and share in the Company’s success. Our executive compensation program has three primary objectives:

 

   

Attract, retain, and motivate highly-skilled executive officers who will create and sustain stockholder value;

 

   

Create and support a strong “pay-for-performance” culture that provides compensation commensurate with performance; and

 

   

Align the interests of our executive officers with the long-term interests of our stockholders.

Compensation Mix and Pay Positioning

Our executive compensation program is comprised of five components: (i) base salary, (ii) annual cash variable compensation, (iii) long-term equity awards, (iv) health and welfare benefits, and (v) severance and change in control payments and benefits. Competitive base salaries are used to attract key talent, annual cash variable compensation is directly linked to the Company’s short-term performance, long-term equity awards align the interests of the Named Executive Officers with our stockholders, and comprehensive health and welfare benefits provide security for the Named Executive Officers and their families.

We position the total cash compensation (the sum of base salary and annual cash variable compensation) of the Named Executive Officers with reference to the 50 th percentile of our compensation peer group to reflect the competitive market. Given the highly competitive nature of our industry, the Compensation Committee believes that this positioning is critical for continuing to attract and retain key executive talent in an increasingly challenging labor market.

Additionally, the Compensation Committee believes that providing the Named Executive Officers with competitive compensation relative to both Company and individual performance, which ensures that the Named Executive Officers receive above-market pay only for delivering above-average market performance and are “at risk” for receiving below-market pay for below-market performance. For example, for fiscal 2013, we did not make any annual cash incentive award payments to any of our Named Executive Officers, reflecting the Company’s financial performance for the fiscal year, in which it did not meet its revenue and operating income targets.

Each year, the Compensation Committee examines the compensation practices of a select group of peer companies, and creates a highly-leveraged, variable compensation opportunity for each executive officer. This variable compensation opportunity is linked directly to the Company’s short-term performance, which supports our “pay-for-performance” culture and, in turn, drives stockholder value creation. This emphasis on performance-based, “at-risk” compensation ensures that our executive officers receive target or above-target compensation only to the extent that the Company’s annual operating plan has been achieved or exceeded.

 

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To ensure an appropriate “pay-for-performance” alignment, the Compensation Committee may approve total compensation levels (or the level for a specific compensation component) for the Named Executive Officers which differ between individuals or vary from market positioning, based on its evaluation of the Named Executive Officer’s individual performance and Company performance.

Executive Compensation-Setting Process

Role of Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee is responsible for formulating, determining, reviewing, and modifying the compensation of our executive officers, including the Named Executive Officers, as well as developing and overseeing the Company’s executive compensation philosophy.

The Compensation Committee has the following principal responsibilities:

 

   

review and approve corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of our executive officers;

 

   

evaluate the performance of our executive officers in light of these criteria and, based on such evaluation, review and approve the annual base salary, target annual cash incentive award opportunity, long-term equity awards (including stock options and restricted stock awards), and health and welfare benefits for our executive officers;

 

   

review and make recommendations to our Board of Directors with respect to the Company’s annual incentive compensation and equity-based plans;

 

   

review and approve all equity compensation plans of the Company that are not otherwise subject to the approval of our stockholders; and

 

   

review succession planning for our Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers.

The Compensation Committee’s authority, duties, and responsibilities are described in its charter, which is reviewed annually and revised and updated as warranted. The charter is available in the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at http://www.symmetricom.com.

As a part of its annual review and approval of the performance criteria and compensation of our executive officers, including the Named Executive Officers, the Compensation Committee meets at least twice each year for scheduled, in-person meetings and at least annually with our Chief Executive Officer. The Compensation Committee meets with the Company’s principal Human Resources executive and other corporate officers as it deems appropriate. During fiscal 2013, the Compensation Committee met a total of five times.

Role of Management

In determining the performance criteria and compensation of the Named Executive Officers (other than our Chief Executive Officer), the Compensation Committee considers the recommendations of our Chief Executive Officer. Typically, our Chief Executive Officer will make recommendations for the Named Executive Officers (other than for himself or herself) based on his or her assessment of each Named Executive Officer’s individual performance, as well as his or her knowledge of each Named Executive Officer’s job responsibilities, seniority, and expected future contributions to the Company.

Role of Compensation Consultant

The Compensation Committee has the authority to engage the services of outside advisers, experts, and consultants to assist it in discharging its responsibilities. During fiscal 2013, the Compensation Committee engaged Compensia, Inc. (“Compensia”), a national compensation consulting firm, to provide advice and

 

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information relating to executive and director compensation. During fiscal 2013, Compensia assisted the Compensation Committee with respect to compensation peer group development, the establishment of executive officer compensation, and advising on cash-based incentives and equity program design. Compensia reports directly to the Compensation Committee and does not provide any services directly to the Company or its management.

During fiscal year 2013, the Compensation Committee reviewed the independence of Compensia, including considering the factors required by Nasdaq listing standards. After the review, the Compensation Committee determined Compensia was independent and that no conflict of interest existed that would prevent Compensia from providing independent and objective advice to the committee.

Market Positioning

Each year, the Compensation Committee examines the compensation practices of a select group of peer companies recommended by its compensation consultant to assess the competitiveness of our executive compensation program. In fiscal 2013, the Compensation Committee used a compensation peer group consisting of 17 companies comprised of technology companies with a business model similar to that of the Company, and which represented both business and labor market competitors (the “Peer Group”). The compensation practices of the Peer Group were the primary reference used by the Compensation Committee to compare the competitiveness of each compensation component and overall compensation levels (base salary, target annual cash incentive award opportunities, and long-term equity awards).

For fiscal 2013, the Peer Group consisted of the following companies:

 

Anaren    Extreme Networks    Oplink Communications
Aviat Networks (1)    Globecomm Systems    Shoretel
Bel Fuse    Harmonic    Sonus Networks
Calix    Infinera   
CalAmp (1)    Ixia   
Communication Systems    MRV Communications   
Digi International    Oclaro   

 

(1) Denotes companies added to the Peer Group in fiscal 2013. EMS Technologies, SeaChange International, Tekelec, and Westell Technologies were removed from the Peer Group in fiscal 2013 because they no longer met the revenue and market cap criteria.

For comparison purposes, the Company’s revenue for the four quarters ending June 2012 was at the 31% percentile and market capitalization as of October 2012 was at 56% compared to the Peer Group.

 

     Last Fiscal
Year Revenue
     Market
Capitalization
 

Peer Group

   $ 293m       $ 349m   

Symmetricom

   $ 238m       $ 280m   

The Compensation Committee reviews the composition of the Compensation Consultant recommended compensation peer group annually to ensure that its companies are appropriate comparators and also reviews, on at least an annual basis, the executive compensation practices of the compensation peer group. The compensation peer group was reviewed and updated in September 2012 to ensure companies continued to meet the pre-defined selection criteria. This includes similar industry (communications equipment), revenue (0.5x – 2.5x the Company) and market capitalization (0.5x – 3.5x the Company).

 

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Named Executive Officer Compensation Components

As noted above, during fiscal 2013, the compensation of the Named Executive Officers consisted of base salary, an annual cash incentive award opportunity, long-term equity awards, health and welfare benefits, and severance and change in control payments and benefits. Each element of our executive compensation program is discussed in more detail below.

Base Salary

Base salaries serve primarily to provide a fixed amount of compensation at competitive levels, allowing us to attract and retain high-caliber executive talent. Each year, the Compensation Committee reviews the base salaries of our executive officers, and bases any adjustments on the following factors:

 

   

The achievement of corporate financial and strategic objectives during the prior fiscal year, as well as a number of qualitative individual performance factors, including managerial effectiveness, teamwork, and customer satisfaction;

 

   

The current base salary levels relative to the compensation of executives in comparable positions at the companies in the Peer Group as targeted at the 50 th percentile;

 

   

The expected future contribution of the individual executive officer to the Company; and

 

   

Internal pay equity based on the impact on the business and performance.

In October 2012, the Compensation Committee reviewed the base salaries of our executive officers, including the Named Executive Officers, and determined to increase two of their base salaries, effective as of December 2012. These base salary increases were made to align with competitive market base salary levels and the performance of the executive officers.

The annual base salaries for the Named Executive Officers during fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2013 were as follows.

 

Named Executive Officer

   Fiscal 2012
Base Salary
     Compensation vs.
Market Percentile
    Percentage
Increase
    Fiscal 2013
Base Salary
 

Mr. Côté

   $ 475,000         45 th       —        $ 475,000   

Mr. Spencer

   $ 300,000         40 th       3.3   $ 310,000   

Mr. Armstrong

   $ 280,000         65 th       —        $ 280,000   

Dr. Scharre

   $ 270,000         30 th       3.7   $ 280,000   

In April 2013, the Compensation Committee set Ms. Fetter’s annual base salary at $475,000 for her service as our new Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Ms. Fetter’s base salary was set at the same level as our former Chief Executive Officer’s base salary.

The base salaries of the Named Executive Officers during fiscal 2013 are set forth in the Summary Compensation Table below.

Annual Cash Incentive Awards

We use annual cash incentive awards to reinforce our “pay-for-performance” culture. We believe in positioning the target total cash compensation of our executive officers, including the Named Executive Officers, with reference to the 50 th percentile of the target total cash compensation of the Peer Group. To achieve this objective, the Compensation Committee provides annual cash incentive award opportunities under the Company’s Incentive Compensation Plan (the “ICP”) that are intended to reward our executive officers for achieving financial and strategic objectives that further our annual operating plan. We believe that these awards, which are expressly linked to corporate and individual performance, promote long-term stockholder value creation.

 

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Target Fiscal Year Cash Incentive Award Opportunities

The Compensation Committee determines the target total cash compensation levels for our executive officers, including the Named Executive Officers, and, after reviewing each executive officer’s base salary, establishes his or her target annual cash incentive award opportunity. Target award opportunities are based on a percentage of each executive officer’s base salary. Under the fiscal 2013 ICP, actual award payments could range from zero to 140% of the target annual cash incentive award opportunity, based on the actual level of the Company’s performance against the corporate performance objectives described below and the Named Executive Officer’s actual individual performance.

For fiscal 2013, the Compensation Committee set the target cash incentive award opportunities for the Named Executive Officers, other than Ms. Fetter, at the same levels as in 2012 as follows:

 

Named Executive Officer

   Fiscal 2013
Base Salary
     Target Cash Award
(as  % of base salary)
 

Mr. Côté

   $ 475,000         100

Mr. Spencer

   $ 310,000         55

Mr. Armstrong

   $ 280,000         55

Dr. Scharre

   $ 280,000         55

As stipulated in her employment offer letter, Ms. Fetter was not eligible for an award under the ICP for fiscal 2013. Ms. Fetter will be eligible for an annual target bonus for the Company’s 2014 fiscal year of up to 100% of base salary, based on the achievement of fiscal 2014 performance goals. Ms. Fetter’s 2014 target bonus opportunity was set at the same level as our former Chief Executive Officer’s target bonus opportunity.

Fiscal 2013 ICP Design

At the beginning of each fiscal year, the Compensation Committee approves the specific corporate performance measures and individual performance objectives for that year’s annual cash incentive awards. Further, the Compensation Committee weights the corporate performance measures and individual performance objectives for each executive officer. Individual performance objectives for our executive officers, including the Named Executive Officers, are determined based on the recommendations of our Chief Executive Officer (other than with respect to his or her own cash incentive award opportunity) and include one or more quantitative and qualitative factors that relate to the corporate function or business operation that he or she manages. In the case of our Chief Executive Officer, his or her individual performance objectives are established by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee weighted the corporate performance measures at 80% of the target annual cash award opportunity and the individual performance objectives at 20% of the target award opportunity for our executive officers. The components of the corporate performance measures and individual performance objectives for the fiscal 2013 ICP are described below.

Corporate Performance Measures

The Compensation Committee selected revenue and non-GAAP operating income (as adjusted for the items described below) as the corporate performance measures to be used to determine funding of the fiscal 2013 ICP, as well as the calculation of individual award payments. Each corporate performance measure was weighted equally. For purposes of the fiscal 2013 ICP, “Non-GAAP operating income” excluded certain items related to non-cash equity-based compensation, amortization of acquired intangibles, restructuring charges, impairment of goodwill and other intangibles, gains and losses on investments and repayment of convertible notes, non-cash interest expense charges, and other items that the Company does not consider indicative of its ongoing performance.

 

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These performance measures were selected, and the related target performance levels set, by the Compensation Committee based on an evaluation of the Company’s fiscal 2013 operating plan as approved by our Board of Directors. The Compensation Committee also believes that these performance measures were an appropriate means for motivating our executive officers, including the Named Executive Officers, to focus on increasing the short-term profitability of the Company. The target levels for the two performance measures were as follows:

 

     Fiscal Year 2013
ICP Target Level
 

Revenue

   $ 250.0m   

Non-GAAP Operating Income

   $  27.5m   

The Compensation Committee set the Company payout factor (80% of each Named Executive Officer’s target incentive) for each of these performance measures from zero to 150% of the related target levels. The following table sets forth the threshold, target, and maximum levels of performance required to produce the Company’s payout factor at 70%, 100%, and 150%, respectively, of the pre-established target levels.

 

           Threshold
Performance (1)
    Target
Performance
    Maximum
Performance
 

Company Performance Achievement

     <85     85     100     125

Company Payout Factor (2)

     0        70     100     150

 

(1) Threshold performance for Revenue was 90% of target and Operating income was 80% of target; therefore the lowest weighted average performance to pass threshold is 85%.

 

(2) The 2013 ICP payout formula incorporated two slopes; 85-99.9% performance carried a 2:1 reduction and achievement above 100% would result in a 2:1 increase.

As illustrated by the preceding table, to the extent that the Company’s actual revenue and adjusted operating income for fiscal 2013 did not meet or exceed the threshold performance level, then the fiscal 2013 ICP would not be funded and no award payments would be made.

Individual Performance Objectives – Former Chief Executive Officer

The Compensation Committee established Mr. Côté’s individual performance objectives, which included developing new business opportunities, improving operational performance by increasing profitability, and increasing revenue in new products. Each of these individual performance objectives was set by the Compensation Committee at a level intended to be difficult to achieve and Mr. Côté was not expected to achieve his individual performance objectives with average or below average performance.

Individual Performance Objectives – Other Named Executive Officers

The Compensation Committee approved individual performance objectives for each of the other Named Executive Officers based on the recommendations of Mr. Côté. These performance objectives were related to the specific function or business segment for which each Named Executive Officer was responsible.

Mr. Spencer’s individual performance objectives were improving financial management reporting, implementing an enterprise-wide information technology upgrade and improving key processes.

Mr. Armstrong’s individual performance objectives were delivering key new technologies, enhancing IP protection and developing a new roadmap.

Dr. Scharre’s individual performance objectives were delivering key products to market and increasing revenue.

 

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Each such Named Executive Officer had an additional individual performance objective tied to corporate performance based on achievement of the same corporate performance measures described above. Each of these individual performance objectives was formulated by our Chief Executive Officer and approved by the Compensation Committee at a level intended to be difficult to achieve and the Named Executive Officers were not expected to achieve their individual performance objectives with average or below average performance.

Fiscal 2013 Cash Incentive Award Decisions

Award decisions were made based on the Company’s actual performance during the first half of fiscal 2013, in the case of the mid-year award, and during the entire fiscal year, in the case of the end-of-the-year award, and each Named Executive Officer’s performance as measured against his or her individual performance objectives. If the Company met or exceeded the threshold performance levels established for the corporate performance measures for the relevant period, then the fiscal 2013 ICP would be funded for that period. The award payment for the first-half of fiscal 2013 was contingent on achievement of at least 90% of each financial performance measure for the first half of the year; with a maximum Company Payout Factor limit of 30%. The award payment for the end-of the year payout was determined on plan achievement for the full fiscal year and was contingent on the achievement of at least 90% of the revenue target and 80% of the operating income target.

Because the threshold performance level for the funding of annual cash incentive award payments was not met, the Named Executive Officers did not receive any annual cash incentive award payments for fiscal 2013.

 

     Revenue           Operating
Income
 

Fiscal 2013 ICP Target

   $ 250.0m        $ 27.0m   

Fiscal 2013 ICP Actual

   $ 211.0m        $ 11.2m   

Plan Achievement

     84.4       40.7

Overall Plan Achievement

       62.6  

Variable Plan Slope (1)

       N/A     

Company Performance Factor

       0.0  

As discussed above, Ms. Fetter was not eligible for an award under the ICP for fiscal 2013. In addition, Ms. Fetter did not receive any discretionary or one-time bonuses during fiscal 2013.

Long-Term Incentive Compensation

Long-term incentive compensation in the form of equity awards serves a critical role in our executive compensation program and is a key link between the interests of our executive officers, including the Named Executive Officers, and the long-term interests of our stockholders. We use equity awards to motivate our executive officers to deliver business results that increase the market price of the Company’s common stock. Typically, equity awards, in the form of stock options and/or restricted stock awards, are granted at the commencement of employment and, thereafter, annually or from time to time following a significant change in job responsibilities or to meet other specific retention objectives.

The amount of an executive officer’s equity award is based primarily on the individual’s performance, responsibilities, and position with the Company, as well as on a review of his or her current outstanding vested and unvested stock options and restricted stock awards and the equity grant practices of similarly-situated executives in comparable positions at the companies in the Peer Group. The Compensation Committee also takes into consideration the Company’s overall stock usage for equity awards and the potential dilutive effect on the Company’s stockholders in determining the size of the executive officers’ equity awards.

The Compensation Committee grants one half of the value of an equity award in form of an option to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock and the other half in the form of a restricted stock award for shares of the Company’s common stock. The restricted stock awards are a mix of the time-based vesting (over four years) and performance-based vesting (for fiscal 2013 performance) awards.

 

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In October 2012 in connection with our annual long-term equity incentive award grants and to encourage each of our executive officers, including the then-employed Named Executive Officers, to hold a long-term ownership interest in the Company, the Compensation Committee recommended, and our Board of Directors approved, the grant of stock options and restricted stock awards to our executive officers. The Compensation Committee based the size of these awards on an analysis provided by Compensia relating to equity award grant practices of the companies in the Peer Group, the recommendations of our former Chief Executive Officer for each executive officer (other than with respect to his own award), and the factors described above.

The stock options were granted with an exercise price of $6.15 per share and a four-year vesting schedule, with one-quarter of the shares of the Company’s common stock subject to the options vesting on the first anniversary of the date of grant, and the remainder vesting in monthly increments over the following three years. The grant was approved on October 26, 2012 which coincided with the last day of a black-out period which under our policy dictated the effective date of the options as October 31, 2012, three business days following the end of our blackout period. The time based restricted stock awards also vest over four years, at the rate of one-quarter of the shares of the Company’s common stock on each of the first four anniversaries of the date of grant. The restricted stock awards were approved on and effective on October 26, 2012. The equity awards granted to the Named Executive Officers were as follows:

 

Named Executive Officer

   Number of Shares
Underlying
Stock Option Grant
     Number of Shares
Underlying
Restricted Stock Award
 

Mr. Côté

     150,000         35,000   

Mr. Spencer

     45,000         10,000   

Mr. Armstrong

     35,000         9,000   

Dr. Scharre

     40,000         10,000   

Additionally, the Compensation Committee adopted an equity incentive program under which our executive officers, including the Named Executive Officers, were eligible to receive grants of restricted stock based upon the performance of the Company measured against the Company performance factor described above for the fiscal 2013 ICP. The annual financial thresholds matched the fiscal 2013 ICP though the Compensation Committee established the weighting for the revenue goal at 75% and the operating income goal at 25%. Under the equity incentive program, we agreed to grant each executive officer a target number of restricted shares of the Company’s common stock that would be issued upon the Compensation Committee’s certification of a Company Performance Factor of 100% and would vest in two equal tranches in November 2013 and 2014. Underachievement of the Company performance goals would reduce the number of shares to be issued by a factor of 2 to 1 and overachievement would increase the number of shares issued by a factor of 2 to 1 using the Company Performance Factor described for the fiscal 2013 ICP above.

In August 2013, the Compensation Committee certified the Company performance factor at 0% and each Named Executive Office who was eligible for these performance-based restricted stock awards was issued none of the target number of restricted stock under the program in settlement of his award.

 

Named Executive Officer

   Target
PBRS
     Company
Performance Factor
    Shares
Granted
 

Mr. Côté

     35,000         0.0     0   

Mr. Spencer

     10,000         0.0     0   

Mr. Armstrong

     9,000         0.0     0   

Dr. Scharre

     10,000         0.0     0   

Health, Welfare, and Other Benefits; Perquisites

Our executive officers, including the Named Executive Officers, are eligible to participate in our employee benefit plans, which are generally provided for all full-time employees, including a tax-qualified Section 401(k) savings plan. We currently match any contributions made to the Section 401(k) plan by our employees, including

 

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our executive officers, up to a maximum of 50% of the first 3% of compensation contributed by the employee to the plan. We intend for the plan to qualify under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) so that contributions by employees to the plan, and income earned on plan contributions, are not taxable to employees until withdrawn from the plan.

In addition, we provide other benefits to our executive officers, including the Named Executive Officers, on the same basis as all of our full-time employees in the country in which they are resident. These benefits include group health (medical, dental, and vision) insurance, and group life insurance.

Currently, we do not provide any perquisites or other personal benefits to our executive officers, including the Named Executive Officers.

Employment Agreements

We do not have written employment agreements with any of the current Named Executive Officers other than our Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Fetter, whose initial terms and conditions of employment are set forth in a written employment offer letter. The negotiation of this employment offer letter was undertaken on our behalf by the Compensation Committee and approved by our Board of Directors. The Compensation Committee decided to use a written agreement to document the terms and conditions of Ms. Fetter’s employment, set forth the rights and responsibilities of the parties, and protect both parties’ interests in the event of a termination of employment by providing for certain payments and benefits upon specific termination events and by prohibiting her from engaging directly or indirectly in competition with us, recruiting or soliciting any of our employees, diverting our customers to a competitor, or disclosing our confidential information or business practices.

Ms. Fetter’s employment is “at-will,” meaning that her employment may be terminated by the Company or her for any reason at any time, with or without prior notice and with or without cause. Further, the employment offer was subject to her execution of the Company’s standard employee confidentiality agreement

This employment offer letter also provides Ms. Fetter with certain protections in the event of her termination of employment under specified circumstances, including following a change in control of the Company. For a summary of the material terms and conditions of these post-employment compensation provisions, see “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control” below.

Post-Employment Compensation

Each of our executive officers, including the Named Executive Officers, is eligible to receive certain payments and benefits in the event of a termination of employment under specified circumstances, including following a change in control of the Company. The post-employment payments and benefits which our Named Executive Officers are eligible to receive are described in more detail in “Potential Payments upon Termination or Change in Control” below.

We believe that these arrangements assist us in motivating these individuals to performance their services in the best interests of the Company and our stockholders. We also believe that these arrangements serve our executive retention objectives by helping our executive officers, including the Named Executive Officers, maintain continued focus and dedication to their responsibilities to maximize stockholder value, including in the event that there is a potential transaction that could involve a change in control of the Company. The terms of these agreements were determined after review by the Compensation Committee and our Board of Directors of an analysis of relevant market data based on the severance and change in control benefits provided to executives in similar positions at the companies in the Peer Group.

Mr. Côté’s Resignation of Employment

In April 2013, we entered into a written Release and Waiver of Claims Agreement with Mr. Côté, dated as of April 30, 2013, under which we agreed to pay him an amount in cash amount equal to 12 months of his then-

 

39


current base salary and to pay or reimburse healthcare coverage premiums for him and his dependents for up to 12 months, in full satisfaction of any obligations under his employment offer letter dated July 17, 2009. In addition, pursuant to the Release Agreement, we agreed that each vested option to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock held by Mr. Côté will remain exercisable until April 29, 2014 (or, if earlier, the date on which the term of such option would otherwise have expired). Mr. Côté has furnished us with a release of claims in exchange for these payments and benefits.

Messrs. Scharre and Armstrong’s Resignation of Employment

In connection with the resignations of Mr. Armstrong and Dr. Scharre in May 2013 following the reorganization of our management structure, we agreed to provide each executive severance benefits in accordance with their existing executive severance benefits agreement. For additional information on these severance benefits see “Change in Control and Termination-Based Compensation.”

Other Compensation Policies

Stock Ownership Policy

We believe that our executive officers, including the Named Executive Officers, should own and hold shares of the Company’s common stock to further align their interests and actions with the interests of our stockholders. Our executive officers are expected to own and hold 50% of the number of shares of the Company’s common stock that constitute their annual equity award. Stock ownership levels are to be achieved by each executive officer within five years of the date of adoption of this policy (which was August 2006), or five years of his or her first annual equity award as an executive officer. Until his or her ownership level is achieved, each executive officer is encouraged to retain at least 10% of the net shares of the Company’s common stock obtained through his or her participation in the Company’s stock incentive plans.

Shares of the Company’s common stock that count toward the satisfaction of this policy include: shares owned outright by the executive officer or his or her immediate family members who share the same household, restricted stock where the restrictions have lapsed, shares acquired upon the exercise of stock options, and shares purchased in the open market in compliance with the law and the Company’s trading policies. Failure to comply with this policy will result in an executive officer’s ineligibility for any additional equity awards until such time as he or she is in compliance.

Equity Award Grant Practices

The Compensation Committee approves all equity awards granted to our executive officers and other employees, except for non-executive, new hire grants. Our current practice is for the Compensation Committee to review and approve annual equity awards for our executive officers, including the Named Executive Officers, at its November meeting, with these awards effective on the later of that date, or, if applicable, two days after the release of the Company’s earnings results for its first fiscal quarter. The Compensation Committee approves target level for performance-based awards in November with any shares of the Company’s common stock issued thereunder granted the following August. Awards must be made subject to an annual equity pool approved by our Board of Directors, which for fiscal 2013 was approximately 2.2 million shares of the Company’s common stock. Management is required to provide quarterly tracking updates to the Compensation Committee regarding the Company’s equity use.

All equity awards granted to our executive officers are made under the Company’s stockholder-approved stock plans. The per share exercise price of stock options cannot be less than the closing sale price of a share of the Company’s common stock on the NASDAQ Stock Market on the date of grant.

Derivatives Trading and Hedging Policy

Our Board of Directors has adopted a policy regarding the trading of derivatives or the hedging of our equity securities by our employees, including our executive officers, and directors. This policy provides that all

 

40


employees and member of our Board of Directors are prohibited from engaging in certain forms of hedging or monetization transactions, such as zero-cost collars and forward sales contracts, that allow the employee or director to continue to own the covered securities, but without the full risks and rewards of ownership.

In addition to the foregoing, our executive offers and members of our Board of Directors are prohibited from holding Company securities in a margin account or otherwise pledging Company securities as collateral for a loan.

Compensation Recovery Policy

Currently, we have not implemented a policy regarding retroactive adjustments to any cash or equity-based incentive compensation paid to our executive officers and other employees where the payments were predicated upon the achievement of financial results that were subsequently the subject of a financial restatement. We intend to adopt a general compensation recovery (“clawback”) policy covering our annual and long-term incentive award plans and arrangements once the SEC adopts final rules implementing the requirement of Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Tax and Accounting Considerations

Deductibility of Executive Compensation

Section 162(m) of the Code generally disallows a deduction for federal income tax purposes to any publicly-traded corporation for any remuneration in excess of $1 million paid in any taxable year to its chief executive officer and each of the three other most highly-compensated executive officers (other than its chief financial officer). Generally, remuneration in excess of $1 million may be deducted if, among other things, it qualifies as “performance-based compensation” within the meaning of the Code. In this regard, the compensation income realized upon the exercise of stock options granted under a stockholder-approved stock option plan generally will be deductible so long as the options are granted by a committee whose members are outside directors and certain other conditions are satisfied.

The Compensation Committee seeks to qualify the variable compensation paid to the covered executive officers for the “performance-based compensation” exemption from the deduction limit under Section 162(m) when it believes such action is in the best interests of the Company. In approving the amount and form of compensation for our executive officers, the Compensation Committee considers all elements of the cost to us of providing such compensation, including the potential impact of the Section 162(m) deduction limit. However, the Compensation Committee reserves the discretion, in its judgment, to authorize compensation payments that do not comply with an exemption from the deduction limit when it believes that such payments are appropriate to attract and retain executive talent.

Taxation of Nonqualified Deferred Compensation

Section 409A of the Code requires that amounts that qualify as “nonqualified deferred compensation” satisfy requirements with respect to the timing of deferral elections, timing of payments, and certain other matters. Generally, the Compensation Committee intends to administer our executive compensation program and design individual compensation components, as well as the compensation plans and arrangements for our employees generally, so that they are either exempt from, or satisfy the requirements of, Section 409A. From time to time, we may be required to amend some of our compensation plans and arrangements to ensure that they are either exempt from, or compliant with, Section 409A.

Taxation of “Parachute” Payments

Sections 280G and 4999 of the Code provide that executive officers and directors who hold significant equity interests and certain other service providers may be subject to significant additional taxes if they receive payments or benefits in connection with a change in control of the Company that exceeds certain prescribed

 

41


limits, and that the Company (or a successor) may forfeit a deduction on the amounts subject to this additional tax. We are not obligated to provide any Named Executive Officer with a “gross-up” or other reimbursement payment for any tax liability that he may owe as a result of the application of Sections 280G or 4999 in the event of a change in control of the Company.

Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation

The Compensation Committee takes accounting considerations into account in designing compensation plans and arrangements for our executive officers and other employees. Chief among these is Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (“ASC Topic 718”), the standard which governs the accounting treatment of stock-based compensation awards. Among other things, ASC Topic 718 requires companies to measure and record the compensation expense for all share-based payment awards made to our employees and directors, including stock options and restricted stock awards, based on the grant date “fair value” of these awards. This calculation is performed for accounting purposes and reported in the compensation tables below, even though our executive officers may never realize any value from their awards. ASC Topic 718 also requires companies to recognize the compensation cost of their share-based payment awards in their income statements over the period that an executive officer is required to render service in exchange for the option or other award (which, generally, will correspond to the award’s vesting schedule).

 

42


REPORT OF THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K and contained within this Proxy Statement with management and, based on such review and discussions, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement and incorporated into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013. The information contained in this report shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the SEC, nor shall such information be incorporated by reference into any future filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates it by reference in such filing.

By the Members of the Compensation Committee

Robert T. Clarkson, Chair

James A. Chiddix

Richard Oliver

 

 

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

The Compensation Committee of the Board is currently composed of non-employee directors Robert Clarkson, Chair, James A. Chiddix and Richard Oliver. No interlocking relationship exists between the Board and the compensation committee of any other company, nor has any such interlocking relationship existed in the past. No current executive officer of the Company has ever served as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any other entity that has had one or more executive officers serving as a member of the Company’s Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee.

 

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The following table shows compensation information for the fiscal years 2013, 2012 and 2011 for the Named Executive Officers.

Summary Compensation Table for Fiscal 2013

 

Name and Principal Position

  Year     Salary
($)
    Bonus
($)
    Stock
Awards
($) (1)
    Option
Awards

($) (2)
    Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
($)
    All Other
Compensation
($) (3)
    Total
($)
 

Elizabeth Fetter(4)

    2013        153,212        —          41,510        2,440,857        —          822        2,636,401   

CEO & Director

               

Dave G. Côté

    2013        457,014        —          436,100        438,852        —          3,567        1,335,533   

Former CEO & Director

    2012        455,769        —          400,140        442,116        403,085        3,675        1,704,785   
    2011        458,654        —          311,500        620,662        202,500        3,942        1,597,258   

Justin R. Spencer

    2013        305,000        —          124,600        131,655        —          3,209        564,464   

CFO & Secretary

    2012        292,308        —          100,035        122,810        140,184        3,774        659,111   
    2011        295,577        —          93,450        124,132        61,184        4,368        578,711   

James Armstrong

    2013        259,929        —          112,140        102,399        —          2,992        477,460   

Former Executive

Vice President & CTO

    2012        280,000        —          100,035        147,372        127,758        3,723        658,888   
    2011        285,385        —          93,450        124,132        59,998        4,326        567,291   

Daniel Scharre

    2013        282,708        —          124,600        117,027        —          3,497        527,832   

Former Executive Vice President

    2012        270,000        —          100,035        110,529        124,681        3,718        608,963   
    2011        270,865        —          93,450        149,978        58,747        4,970        578,010   

 

(1) These amounts reflect the value for accounting purposes for these awards and do not reflect whether the recipient has actually realized a financial benefit from the awards (such as by vesting in restricted stock). This column represents the aggregate grant date fair value computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. For 2012 and 2013, amounts also include the grant date fair value of performance-based restricted stock that the named executive officers were eligible to receive based upon the probable outcome of Company performance conditions computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. The grant date fair value of fiscal 2013 performance-based restricted stock determined based upon achieving the maximum level of performance under the performance conditions is as follows: Mr. Cote: $218,050, Mr. Spencer: $62,300; Mr. Armstrong $56,070 and Mr. Scharre $62,300. The fiscal 2013 awards to Messrs. Cote, Armstrong and Scharre were forfeited in connection with the termination of their employment. In addition, August 2013, the Committee certified that the Company had not achieved the performance conditions under this program and as a result no shares were issued with respect to the fiscal 2013 performance-based restricted stock awards. The assumptions used in the valuation of the fiscal 2013 stock awards are set forth in the Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements, which are included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2013, filed with the SEC on September 11, 2013.

 

(2) These amounts reflect the value for accounting purposes for these awards and do not reflect whether the recipient has actually realized a financial benefit from the awards (such as by exercising stock options). This column represents the aggregate grant date fair value computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2013, July 1, 2012, and July 3, 2011 for stock options granted to each of the Named Executive Officers in the applicable fiscal year. The assumptions used in the valuation of these awards are set forth in the Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements, which are included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2013, filed with the SEC on September 11, 2013.

 

(3) Amounts for fiscal 2013 are solely for 401(k) employer contribution matches for each Named Executive Officer.

 

(4) These amounts include $71,000 in director fees.

 

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Grants of Plan-Based Awards

The following table shows all plan-based awards granted to the Named Executive Officers during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013. The option awards and the unvested portion of the stock awards identified in the table below are also reported in the Outstanding Equity Awards at fiscal 2013 Year-End Table on the following page. The option awards which were granted prior to fiscal 2011 vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date, 25% on the second anniversary of the grant date and 50% on the third anniversary of grant date. All option awards which were granted to employees from fiscal 2011 vest 25% on the first anniversary of the grant date and the remaining shares will vest in monthly increments over the three years and stock awards which were granted in fiscal 2012 vest 25% annually on each anniversary of the grant date. In addition, awards are subject to acceleration of vesting as noted under “Employment Agreements.”

Grants of Plan-Based Awards For Fiscal 2013

 

Name

  Grant
Date
    Estimated Possible Payouts
Under Non-Equity Incentive
Plan Awards (1)
    Estimated Possible Payouts
Under Equity Incentive Plan
Awards (2)
    All
Other
Stock
Awards:
Number
of Shares

of Stock
(#) (3)
    All Other
Option
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying

Options
(#) (4)
    Exercise
or Base
Price of
Option
Awards
($/share)
    Grant
Date
Fair Value
of Stock

and
Option
Awards
($) (5)
 
    Threshold
($)
    Target
($)
    Maximum
($)
    Threshold
(#)
    Target
(#)
    Maximum
(#)
         

Dave G. Côté

    10/31/2012                      150,000        6.15        438,852   
    10/26/2012                    35,000          —          218,050   
    10/26/2012        361,000        475,000        665,000        24,500        35,000        52,500            —          218,050   

Justin R. Spencer

    10/31/2012                      45,000        6.15        131,655   
    10/26/2012                    10,000          —          62,300   
    10/26/2012        129,580        170,500        238,700        7,000        10,000        15,000            —          62,300   

James Armstrong

    10/31/2012                      35,000        6.15        102,398   
    10/26/2012                    9,000          —          56,070   
    10/26/2012        117,040        154,000        215,600        6,300        9,000        13,500            —          56,070   

Daniel Scharre

    10/31/2012                      40,000        6.15        117,027   
    10/26/2012                    10,000          —          62,300   
    10/26/2012        117,040        154,000        215,600        7,000        10,000        15,000            —          62,300   

 

(1) Amounts in the “Estimated Future Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards” column relate to amounts payable under the Fiscal 2013 Incentive Compensation Plan for our Named Executive Officers. The threshold column assumes the achievement of the corporate performance goals at the threshold level; 90% of target revenue and 80% of target operating income for a weighted company performance of 85%. 80% of the target incentive is based on corporate performance whereas the remaining 20% is based on individual. Assuming 100% individual performance achievement, the payout range, if corporate thresholds are met, is 76% to 140% of each Named Executive Officer’s individual target incentive. If the company thresholds are not met, no payout is made regardless of individual achievement. Amounts are calculated using base salary paid for fiscal year 2013, including any salary adjustments.

 

(2) Amounts in the “Estimated Possible Payouts Under Equity Incentive Plan Awards” reflect the fiscal 2013 performance based restricted shares subject to company performance conditions. The Compensation Committee set the range, if minimum thresholds are met, from 0% to 150% of the target number of shares.

 

(3) Amounts in the “All Other Stock Awards” reflect the time-based restricted stock awards granted by the Compensation Committee effective October 26, 2012.

 

(4) Amounts in the “All Other Option Awards” reflect the stock options granted by the Compensation Committee effective October 31, 2012.

 

(5) These amounts reflect the grant date fair value for accounting purposes for these awards and do not reflect whether the recipient has actually realized or will realize a financial benefit from the awards (such as by exercising stock options or by vesting in a restricted stock award). The value of a stock award or option award is based on the fair value as of the grant date of such award determined pursuant to FASB ASC Topic 718. For additional information on the valuation assumptions underlying the grant date fair value of these awards, see Note 6 of our financial statements in our Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2013, as filed with the SEC.

 

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Outstanding Equity Awards

The following table shows all outstanding equity awards held by the Named Executive Officers at the end of fiscal 2013, which ended on June 30, 2013.

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal 2013 Year-End

 

    Option Awards (1)     Stock Awards (1)

Name

  Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Exercisable
    Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Unexercisable
    Option
Exercise
Price ($)
    Option
Expiration
Date
    Number of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested (#)
    Market
Value of
Shares
of Stock
That
Have
Not
Vested
    Equity
Incentive
Plan Awards:
Number of
Unearned
Shares,
Units or
Other Rights
That Have
Not
Vested (#)
  Equity
Incentive
Plan Awards:
Market or
Payout Value
of Unearned
Shares,
Units or
Other Rights
that Have
Not
Vested ($)

Elizabeth Fetter

    10,000 (2)        7.50        1/2/14           
    10,000 (2)        9.25        1/3/15           
    15,000 (2)        5.42        1/4/17           
    14,000 (2)        7.44        1/3/18           
    14,000 (2)        5.65        1/3/19           
      14,000 (2)      5.93        1/2/20           
      900,000 (3)      5.08        4/29/20           
            7,000 (10)      31,430       

Dave G. Côté

    825,000          5.25        4/29/14           
    125,000          6.23        4/29/14           
    63,750          5.13        4/29/14           

Justin R. Spencer

    80,625        9,375 (4)      4.57        11/6/16           
    26,667        13,333 (5)      6.23        10/29/17           
    19,792        30,208 (6)      5.13        11/2/18           
    —          45,000 (7)      6.15        10/31/19           
            10,000 (8)      44,900       
            4,210 (9)      18,903       
            7,500 (11)      33,675       
            7,500 (12)      33,675       

James Armstrong

    77,000          4.78        8/25/13           
    61,250          4.57        5/29/14           
    25,833          6.23        5/29/14           
    22,500          5.13        5/29/14           

Daniel Scharre

    50,104          5.54        5/29/14           
    24,063          5.01        5/29/14           
    12,917          6.23        5/29/14           
    16,875          5.13        5/29/14           

 

(1) Options and unvested stock awards held by Named Executive Officers are subject to acceleration of vesting pursuant to agreements between the Company and each Named Executive Officer as described under “Employment Agreements.” For Stock Awards, market value is based on the closing price of our common stock of $4.49 on June 30, 2013, as reported on The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC. The Stock Awards columns do not reflect the fiscal 2013 performance-based restricted stock awards to Messrs. Cote, Armstrong and Scharre, as these were forfeited in connection with the terminations of their employment prior to fiscal year end. In addition, in August 2013, the Committee certified that the Company had not achieved the performance conditions under this program and as a result no shares were issued with respect to the fiscal 2013 performance-based restricted stock awards to Mr. Spencer.

 

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(2) The options were granted to Ms. Fetter prior to being appointed CEO and were obtained while she served on the Board of Directors.

 

(3) The option was granted on April 29, 2013, 225, 000 shares vest on April 29, 2014. Remainder of shares will vest in monthly increments over the following three years subject to continuing service with the Company.

 

(4) The option was granted on November 6, 2009. 22,500 shares vested on November 6, 2010 and 13,125 vested monthly for 7 months in fiscal 2011, 22,500 vested for 12 months in each fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2013. Assuming continued employment with the Company, rest will vest in monthly increments over the next 5 months.

 

(5) The option was granted on October 29, 2010. 10,000 shares vested on October 29, 2011 and 6,667 shares vested monthly in FY 2012 for eight months; 10,000 vested for 12 months in fiscal 2013 and remainder of shares will vest in monthly increments over the following 16 months subject to continuing service with the Company.

 

(6) The option was granted on November 2, 2011. 12,500 shares vested on November 2, 2012 and 7,292 shares vested monthly for 7 months in fiscal 2013. Remainder of shares will vest in monthly increments over the following 29 months subject to continuing service with the Company.

 

(7) The option was granted on October 31, 2012. 11,250 shares will vest on October 31, 2013. Remainder of shares will vest in monthly increments over the following three years subject to continuing service with the Company

 

(8) The restricted stock award was granted on October 26, 2012. 2,500 shares will vest on October 26, 2013. 25% shares each will vest annually on the anniversary date of Grant thereafter.

 

(9) The restricted stock award was granted on August 10, 2012. 4,210 shares vested on November 1, 2012. Remainder of shares will vest on November 1, 2013.

 

(10) The restricted stock award was granted on January 2, 2013. The shares vest on the date of Annual Meeting. These awards were granted to Ms. Fetter prior to being appointed to CEO and were obtained while she served on the Board of Directors.

 

(11) The award was granted on November 2, 2011. 2,500 shares vested on November 1, 2013 and 25% shares will each vest annually on the anniversary date of grant thereafter.

 

(12) The award was granted on October 29, 2010. 3,750 shares vested on October 29, 2011 and October 29, 2012. 25% shares each will vest annually on the anniversary date of Grant thereafter.

Option Exercises and Stock Vested

The following table shows all stock options exercised and value realized upon exercise, and all stock awards vested and value realized upon vesting, by the Named Executive Officers during Fiscal 2013, which ended on June 30, 2013.

Option Exercises and Stock Vested For Fiscal 2013

 

     Stock Options      Stock Awards  

Name

   Number of Shares
Exercised
(#)
     Value Realized on
Exercising
($) (2)
     Number of Shares 
Acquired on
Vesting
(#)
     Value Realized on
Vesting
($) (1)
 

Elizabeth Fetter

     7,500         7,612         7,000         41,230   

Dave Côté

     —          —          39,340         241,167   

Justin R. Spencer

     150,000         267,750         10,460         64,136   

James Armstrong

     50,000         97,500         10,460         64,136   

Daniel Scharre

           10,460         64,136   

 

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(1) The value realized equals the closing trading price of our common stock on the vesting date, multiplied by the number of shares that vested.

 

(2) The value realized equals the fair market value of our common stock on the exercise date, minus exercise price of the option, multiplied by number of shares for which option was exercised.

Nonqualified Deferred Compensation

We previously maintained the Deferred Compensation Plan (the “DCP”), which allowed eligible employees, including executive officers and members of our Board of Directors, to voluntarily defer receipt of a portion of their cash compensation on a pre-tax basis up to a maximum of 100% of base salary, bonus, or director fees until the date or dates elected by the participant, thereby allowing the participant to defer taxation on such amounts.

The DCP was discontinued in fiscal 2012 and no contributions are accepted with the exception of payments for fiscal 2012 which were made in fiscal 2012 period. Currently, our only Named Executive Officer who has not received a distribution of his account under the DCP is Mr. Spencer.

The following table shows Nonqualified Deferred Compensation information for Mr. Spencer for fiscal year 2013.

Nonqualified Deferred Compensation For Fiscal 2013

 

Name

   Aggregate
Earnings in
Last Fiscal
Year
($) (1)
     Aggregate
Balance at Last
Fiscal Year End
($)
 

Justin R. Spencer

     13,144         62,063   

 

(1) No portion of the earnings in this column is included in the Summary Compensation Table for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013 because such earnings are not considered preferential or above market.

Change in Control and Termination-Based Compensation

Each of the Named Executive Officers is eligible to receive certain payments and benefits in the event of a termination of employment under specified circumstances, including following a change in control of the Company. The severance benefits and payments to which our Named Executive Officers are entitled are described in more detail below.

Our CEO

Our CEO’s employment offer letter provides that, in the event of her termination of employment by us without cause prior to or more than 12 months after a change in control of the Company, she will continue to receive her annual base salary for a period of twelve months and continued health, dental, and life insurance coverage until the earlier of twelve months following such termination of employment or the date that she and her dependents are covered by comparable plans by another employer.

The following table describes the potential payments and benefits that would have been triggered by a termination of Ms. Fetter employment absent a change in control, by the Company without cause, in each case assuming her employment had been terminated on June 30, 2013:

 

Name

   Salary      Payment of
COBRA
     Accrued
Vacation
     Total  

Elizabeth Fetter (1)

   $ 475,000       $ 23,464       $ 2,384       $ 500,848   

 

48


 

(1) For this table, the salary is for twelve months based on the above agreement terms which is calculated using monthly salary based on annual salary for fiscal 2013 times the number of months; COBRA payments are calculated using fiscal 2013 plan participation rates times number of months; and accrued vacation is taken from calculations based on the Company policy for vacation accrual for fiscal 2013.

Our CEO’s employment offer letter also provides that, in the event of her termination of employment by us without cause or her resignation of her position for good reason within 12 months after a change in control of the Company, she will receive (i) cash severance at the rate of Ms. Fetter’s then current annual base salary and Company payment of COBRA insurance premiums for 12 months following the date of termination, (ii) an additional cash severance amount equal to the annual target bonus for the fiscal year in which the termination of employment occurs, payable in installments over the twelve months following the date of termination, and (iii) accelerated vesting of 50% of outstanding unvested equity awards that vest based solely on continued service to the Company, if the termination of employment occurs within one year after the date Ms. Fetter commenced employment with the Company (the “Start Date”); provided, however, that if the termination of employment occurs on or after the first anniversary and prior to the second anniversary of the Start Date, the percentage of outstanding unvested equity awards to be accelerated shall be 75%, and if the termination of employment occurs on or after the second anniversary of the Start Date, 100% of such outstanding unvested equity awards shall be accelerated.

The following table describes the potential payments and benefits that would have been triggered by a termination of Ms. Fetter employment following a change in control, by the Company without cause or by Ms. Fetter for good reason, in each case assuming her employment had been terminated on June 30, 2013:

 

Name

   Salary      Bonus      Payment of
COBRA
     Accrued
Vacation
     Equity
Acceleration
     Total  

Elizabeth Fetter (1)(2)

   $ 475,000       $ 0       $ 23,464       $ 2,384       $ 31,430       $ 532,278   

 

(1) For this table, the salary is for twelve months based on the above agreement terms which is calculated using monthly salary based on annual salary for fiscal 2013 times the number of months; COBRA payments are calculated using fiscal 2013 plan participation rates times number of months; and accrued vacation is taken from calculations based on the Company policy for vacation accrual for fiscal 2012.

 

(2) For this table, the equity acceleration for stock options is equal to the excess of our closing trading price of $4.49 on June 30, 2013, over the exercise price of the option, multiplied by the number of shares which would have become vested and exercisable. As of June 30, 2013, the exercise price of all stock options were below the closing trading price. For restricted stock, the equity acceleration is equal to our closing trading price of $4.49 on June 30, 2013, multiplied by the number of shares which would have become vested.

Mr. Spencer

We have entered into similar executive severance benefits agreements with Mr. Spencer. These severance benefits agreements each provide that, in the event of Mr. Spencer’s termination of employment by us without cause or by virtue of a constructive termination of employment prior to or more than 12 months after a change in control of the Company, Mr. Spencer will (1) continue to receive his annual base salary for a period of six, nine, or 12 months (depending on the length of his employment with the Company), (2) receive his target annual cash incentive award opportunity for the year of termination, prorated by six, nine, or 12 months (depending on the length of his employment with the Company), and (3) receive Company-subsidized health benefits for him and his dependents for six, nine, or 12 months (depending on the length of his employment with the Company) or earlier expiration of the COBRA benefits continuation period.

 

49


The following table describes the potential payments and benefits that would have been triggered by a termination of the above officers’ employment absent a change in control, by the Company without cause or by the officer for good reason, in each case assuming his employment had been terminated on June 30, 2013:

 

Name

   Salary      Bonus      Perquisites and Benefits      Accrued
Vacation
     Total  

Justin R. Spencer (1)

   $ 310,000       $ 170,500       $ 17,028       $ 22,216       $ 519,744   

 

(1) For this table, the salary is for twelve months based on the above agreement terms which is calculated using monthly salary based on annual salary for fiscal 2013 times the number of months; COBRA payments are calculated using fiscal 2013 plan participation rates times number of months; and accrued vacation is taken from calculations based on the Company policy for vacation accrual for fiscal 2013.

These executive severance benefits agreements with Mr. Spencer also provide for certain severance payments following a change in control of the Company. The agreements provide that, in the event of Mr. Spencer’s termination of employment by us without cause or by virtue of a constructive termination of employment within 12 months after a change in control of the Company, Mr. Spencer will (1) continue to receive his annual base salary for a period of 12 months, (2) receive a lump sum cash payment in the amount of (a) his target annual cash incentive award opportunity for the fiscal year during which the termination of employment occurs prorated by the portion of the fiscal year that he was employed by the Company plus (b) the full target annual cash incentive award opportunity for such fiscal year, (3) have the vesting accelerated for 100% of the unvested shares of common stock subject to his outstanding equity awards, and (4) receive Company-subsidized health benefits for him and his dependents for 12 months or earlier expiration of the COBRA benefits continuation period.

The following table describes the potential payments and benefits that would have been triggered by a termination of the above officer’s employment following a change in control, by the Company without cause or by the officer for good reason, in each case assuming his or her employment had been terminated on June 30, 2013:

 

Name

   Salary      Bonus      Perquisites and Benefits      Accrued
Vacation
     Equity
Acceleration
     Total  

Justin R. Spencer (1)(2)

   $ 310,000       $ 341,000       $ 17,028       $ 22,216       $ 131,153       $ 821,397   

 

(1) For this table, the salary is for twelve months based on the above agreement terms which is calculated using monthly salary based on annual salary for fiscal 2013 times the number of months; COBRA payments are calculated using fiscal 2013 plan participation rates times number of months; and accrued vacation is taken from calculations based on the Company policy for vacation accrual for fiscal 2013.

 

(2) For this table, the equity acceleration for stock options is equal to the excess of our share price of $4.49 on June 30, 2013, over the exercise price of the option, multiplied by the number of shares which would have become vested and exercisable. For restricted stock, the equity acceleration is equal to our share price of $4.49 on June 30, 2013, multiplied by the number of shares which would have become vested. As of June 30, 2013, the exercise price of all stock options were below the closing trading price.

 

50


Mr. Cote Termination of Employment

In April 2013, we entered into a written Release and Waiver of Claims Agreement with Mr. Côté pursuant to which we agreed to pay him an amount in cash amount equal to 12 months of his then-current base salary and to pay or reimburse healthcare coverage premiums for him and his dependents for up to 12 months, in full satisfaction of any obligations under his employment offer letter dated July 17, 2009. In addition, pursuant to the Release Agreement, we agreed that each vested option to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock held by Mr. Côté will remain exercisable until April 29, 2014 (or, if earlier, the date on which the term of such option would otherwise have expired). Mr. Côté has furnished us with a release of claims in exchange for these payments and benefits. The table below reflect the amounts Mr. Cote received in connection with his resignation of employment.

 

Name

   Salary      Payment of
COBRA
     Accrued
Vacation
     Total  

David G. Côté

     475,000         16,337         62,399         553,736   

Dr. Scharre Termination of Employment

We had entered into an executive severance benefit agreement with Dr. Scharre which provided that, in the event of Dr. Scharre’s termination of employment by us without cause or by virtue of a constructive termination of employment prior to or more than 12 months after a change in control of the Company, Dr. Scharre would (1) continue to receive his annual base salary for a period of nine months and (2) receive Company-subsidized health benefits for him and his dependents for nine months or earlier expiration of the COBRA benefits continuation period.

In connection with Dr. Scharre’s termination without cause in May 2013, we provided the following benefits to Dr. Scharre consistent with the terms of his employment:

 

Name

   Salary      Payment of
COBRA
     Accrued
Vacation
     Total  

Dr. Daniel Scharre (1)

     210,000         17,598         31,400         258,998   

 

(1) For this table, the salary was for nine months based on the above agreement terms which is calculated using monthly salary based on annual salary for fiscal 2013 times the number of months; COBRA payments were calculated using fiscal 2013 plan participation rates times number of months; and accrued vacation was taken from calculations based on the Company policy for vacation accrual for fiscal 2013.

Mr. Armstrong Termination of Employment

We had entered into an executive severance benefit agreements with Mr. Armstrong which provided that, in the event of Dr. Armstrong’s termination of employment by us without cause or by virtue of a constructive termination of employment prior to or more than 12 months after a change in control of the Company, Mr. Armstrong would (1) continue to receive his annual base salary for a period of six, nine, or 12 months (depending on the length of his employment with the Company), (2) receive his target annual cash incentive award opportunity for the year of termination, prorated by six, nine, or 12 months (depending on the length of his employment with the Company), and (3) receive Company-subsidized health benefits for him and his dependents for six, nine, or 12 months (depending on the length of his employment with the Company) or earlier expiration of the COBRA benefits continuation period.

In connection with Mr. Armstrong’s termination without cause in May 2013, we provided the following benefits to Mr. Armstrong consistent with the terms of his employment:

 

Name

   Salary      Bonus      Payment of
COBRA
     Accrued
Vacation
     Total  

James Armstrong (1)

     280,000         154,000         23,464         3,621         461,085   

 

51


 

(1) Salary was calculated for twelve months based on annual salary for fiscal 2013 times the number of months; COBRA payments were calculated using fiscal 2013 plan participation rates times number of months; and accrued vacation is taken from calculations based on the Company policy for vacation accrual for fiscal 2013.

We believe that the change in control and severance protections described above assisted us in attracting these individuals to join the Company. We also believe that these protections serve our executive retention objectives by helping the Named Executive Officers maintain continued focus and dedication to their responsibilities to maximize stockholder value, including in the event that there is a potential transaction that could involve a change in control of the Company. The terms of these agreements were determined after review by the Compensation Committee and our Board of Directors of an analysis of relevant market data based on the severance and change in control benefits provided to executives in the Peer Group.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

The following table sets forth information as of June 30, 2013 with respect to compensation plans under which our equity securities are authorized for issuance. We have not issued any securities under equity compensation plans that have not been approved by our stockholders.

Equity Compensation Plan Information as of June 30, 2013

 

Plan category

   Number of securities
to be issued upon
exercise of outstanding
options and rights (a)
     Weighted-average
exercise price of
outstanding options
and rights (b)
     Number of securities
remaining available for
future issuance under
equity compensation
plans (excluding
securities reflected in
column (a))
 

Equity Compensation plans approved by security holders (1)

     8,086,073       $ 5.64         2,893,000   

Equity Compensation plans not approved by security holders

     —        $ —           —    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     8,086,073       $ 5.64         2,893,000   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1) As of September 6, 2013, the figures are 7,436,605, $5.68 and 3,306,550 respectively.

 

52


CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Since the beginning of our fiscal year ended June 30, 2013, there has not been, nor is there currently proposed, any transaction or series of similar transactions to which the Company was or is a party in which the amount involved exceeds $120,000 and in which any director, nominee for director, executive officer or holder of more than 5% of the Company’s capital stock or any member of their immediate families had or will have a direct or indirect material interest other than the compensatory transactions described above under “Compensation Discussion and Analysis.”

Policies and Procedures with Respect to Related Party Transactions

Our Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving in advance any substantive related party transactions. Related parties include any of our directors or executive officers, certain of our stockholders and their immediate family members. This obligation is set forth in writing in the Audit Committee charter. A copy of the Audit Committee charter is accessible on our website at http://www.symmetricom.com, in the section titled, “Investor Relations” under the subsection titled, “Corporate Governance.”

To help identify related party transactions, each year, we submit and require our directors and officers to complete director and officer questionnaires identifying any transactions with us in which the executive officer or director or their family members have an interest.

In addition, our code of business conduct and ethics establishes the corporate standards of behavior for all our employees and officers, including the requirement to identify conflicts of interest. The code of conduct is available on our website at http://www.symmetricom.com, in the section titled, “Investors” under the subsection titled, “Charters and Policies.” Our code of conduct requires any employee, officer or director who becomes aware of a potential or actual conflict of interest to disclose it promptly to a supervisor or the chief executive officer or chief financial officer. In addition, our code of conduct requires any person who becomes aware of any departure from the standards in our code of conduct to report his or her knowledge promptly to their supervisor.

 

53


REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE

OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Audit Committee Report

The following is the report of the Audit Committee with respect to the Company’s audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013, which include the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of July 1, 2012, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years for the period ended June 30, 2013, July 1, 2012, and July 3, 2011 and the notes thereto. The information contained in this report shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the SEC, nor shall such information be incorporated by reference into any future filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates it by reference in such filing.

Review with Management

The Audit Committee oversees the Company’s financial reporting process on behalf of the Board. Management has the primary responsibility for the financial statements and the reporting process including the systems of internal controls. In fulfilling its oversight responsibilities, the Audit Committee reviewed the Company’s audited financial statements 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 financial statements.

Review and Discussion with Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Audit Committee has discussed with Deloitte & Touche LLP, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, the matters required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) 61, as amended, as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in Rule 3200T, which includes, among other items, matters related to the conduct of the audit of the Company’s financial statements.

The Audit Committee reviewed with the independent registered public accounting firm, who are responsible for expressing an opinion on the conformity of audited financial statements with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, 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 generally accepted auditing standards. In addition, the Audit Committee has discussed with the independent registered public accounting firm their independence from management and the Company including the matters in the written disclosures required by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and considered the compatibility of non-audit services with their independence.

The Audit Committee discussed with the independent registered public accounting firm the overall scope and plans for their audits. The Audit Committee met with the independent registered public accounting firm, with and without management present, to discuss the results of their examinations, their evaluations of the Company’s internal controls in connection with their audit procedures, and the overall quality of the Company’s financial reporting.

Conclusion

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 financial statements be included in the Annual Report on Form l0-K for the year ended June 30, 2013 for filing with the SEC. The Audit Committee and the Board have also recommended, subject to stockholder approval, the selection of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm.

By the Members of the Audit Committee

Robert M. Neumeister Jr., Chair

Alfred F. Boschulte

James Chiddix

 

54


OTHER MATTERS

The Company knows of no other matters to be submitted to the meeting. If any other matters properly come before the meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the enclosed form of Proxy to vote the shares they represent as the Board may recommend.

It is important that your shares be represented at the meeting, regardless of the number of shares that you hold. You are, therefore, urged to mark, sign, and date and return the accompanying Proxy as promptly as possible in the postage-paid envelope enclosed for that purpose.

We have adopted a procedure called “householding,” under which we will deliver only one copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K and proxy statement to stockholders of record who share the same address (if they appear to be members of the same family), unless we have received contrary instructions from an affected stockholder. A separate proxy card for each stockholder of record will be included in the materials. This procedure reduces our printing costs and mailing costs and fees. Upon written or oral request, we will promptly deliver a separate Annual Report on Form 10-K and proxy statement to any stockholder at a shared address to which a single copy of either of those documents was delivered. To receive a separate copy of the Annual Report on Form 10-K or this proxy statement, contact us at Symmetricom, Inc., 2300 Orchard Parkway, San Jose, California 95131-1017, attention: Investor Relations, or by calling +1 (408) 433-0910.

In addition, any person who was a beneficial owner of common stock on the record date for the 2013 Annual Meeting may obtain a copy of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission without charge (except for exhibits to such annual report, which will be furnished upon payment of the Company’s reasonable expenses in furnishing such exhibits). The request for such materials should identify the person making the request as a stockholder of the Company as of the record date and should be directed to Investor Relations, Symmetricom, Inc., 2300 Orchard Parkway, San Jose, CA 95131-1017.

 

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
/ S /    J USTIN R. S PENCER        
Justin R. Spencer

Executive Vice President Finance and Administration,

Chief Financial Officer and Secretary

Dated: September 27, 2013

 

55


Appendix A

AMENDED AND RESTATED

SYMMETRICOM, INC.

2006 INCENTIVE AWARD PLAN

ARTICLE 1.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the Amended and Restated Symmetricom, Inc. 2006 Incentive Award Plan (as amended and restated, the “ Plan ”) is to promote the success and enhance the value of Symmetricom, Inc. (the “ Company ”) by linking the personal interests of the members of the Board, Employees, and Consultants to those of Company stockholders and by providing such individuals with an incentive for outstanding performance to generate superior returns to Company stockholders. The Plan is further intended to provide flexibility to the Company in its ability to motivate, attract, and retain the services of members of the Board, Employees, and Consultants upon whose judgment, interest, and special effort the successful conduct of the Company’s operation is largely dependent. This Plan amends and restates in its entirety the Symmetricom, Inc. 2006 Incentive Award Plan, as amended through October 31, 2008 and as further amended and restated on October 27, 2012 (the “ Original Plan ”).

ARTICLE 2.

DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION

Wherever the following terms are used in the Plan they shall have the meanings specified below, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The singular pronoun shall include the plural where the context so indicates.

2.1 “ Award ” means an Option, a Restricted Stock award, a Stock Appreciation Right award, a Performance Share award, a Performance Stock Unit award, a Dividend Equivalents award, a Stock Payment award, a Deferred Stock award, a Restricted Stock Unit award, a Performance Bonus Award, or a Performance-Based Award granted to a Participant pursuant to the Plan.

2.2 “ Award Agreement ” means any written agreement, contract, or other instrument or document evidencing an Award, including through electronic medium.

2.3 “ Board ” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

2.4 “ Change of Control ” Change of Control means:

(a) the acquisition, directly or indirectly, by any “person” or “group” (as those terms are defined in Sections 3(a)(9), 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act of “beneficial ownership” (as determined pursuant to Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act of securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (“voting securities”) of the Company that represent fifty percent (50%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding voting securities, other than:

(i) an acquisition by a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under any employee benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the Company or any person controlled by the Company or by any employee benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the Company or any person controlled by the Company, or

(ii) an acquisition of voting securities by the Company or a corporation owned, directly or indirectly by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the stock of the Company.

 

A-1


Notwithstanding the foregoing, the following event shall not constitute an “acquisition” by any person or group for purposes of this Section: an acquisition of the Company’s securities by the Company that causes the Company’s voting securities beneficially owned by a person or group to represent fifty percent (50%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding voting securities; provided, however, that if a person or group shall become the beneficial owner of fifty percent (50%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding voting securities by reason of share acquisitions by the Company as described above and shall, after such share acquisitions by the Company, become the beneficial owner of any additional voting securities of the Company, then such acquisition shall constitute a Change of Control; or

(b) the consummation by the Company (whether directly involving the Company or indirectly involving the Company through one or more intermediaries) of (x) a merger, consolidation, reorganization, or business combination or (y) a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets or (z) the acquisition of assets or stock of another entity, in each case other than a transaction which results in the Company’s voting securities outstanding immediately before the transaction continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the Company or the person that, as a result of the transaction, controls, directly or indirectly, the Company or owns, directly or indirectly, all or substantially all of the Company’s assets or otherwise succeeds to the business of the Company (the Company or such person, the “Successor Entity”)) directly or indirectly, at least a majority of the combined voting power of the Successor Entity’s outstanding voting securities immediately after the transaction.

2.5 “ Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

2.6 “ Committee ” means the committee of the Board described in Article 12.

2.7 “ Consultant ” means any consultant or adviser if: (a) the consultant or adviser renders bona fide services to the Company; (b) the services rendered by the consultant or adviser are not in connection with the offer or sale of securities in a capital-raising transaction and do not directly or indirectly promote or maintain a market for the Company’s securities; and (c) the consultant or adviser is a natural person who has contracted directly with the Company to render such services.

2.8 “ Covered Employee ” means an Employee who is, or could be, a “covered employee” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code.

2.9 “ Deferred Stock ” means a right to receive a specified number of shares of Stock during specified time periods pursuant to Section 8.5.

2.10 “ Disability ” means that the Participant qualifies to receive long-term disability payments under the Company’s long-term disability insurance program, as it may be amended from time to time.

2.11 “ Dividend Equivalents ” means a right granted to a Participant pursuant to Section 8.3 to receive the equivalent value (in cash or Stock) of dividends paid on Stock.

2.12 “ Effective Date ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 13.1.

2.13 “ Eligible Individual ” means any person who is an Employee, a Consultant or an Independent Director, as determined by the Committee.

2.14 “ Employee ” means any officer or other employee (as defined in accordance with Section 3401(c) of the Code) of the Company or any Subsidiary.

2.15 “ Equity Restructuring ” means a nonreciprocal transaction between the Company and its stockholders, such as a stock dividend, stock split, spin-off, rights offering or recapitalization through a large, nonrecurring

 

A-2


cash dividend, that affects the number or kind of shares of Stock (or other securities of the Company) or the share price of Stock (or other securities) and causes a change in the per-share value of the Stock underlying outstanding Awards.

2.16 “ Exchange Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

2.17 “ Fair Market Value ” means, as of any given date, (a) if Stock is traded on an exchange, the closing price of a share of Stock as reported in the Wall Street Journal (or such other source as the Company may deem reliable for such purposes) for such date, or if no sale occurred on such date, the first trading date immediately prior to such date during which a sale occurred; or (b) if Stock is not traded on an exchange but is quoted on a quotation system the mean between the closing representative bid and asked prices for the Stock on such date, or if no sale occurred on such date, the first date immediately prior to such date on which sales prices or bid and asked prices, as applicable, are reported by such quotation system; or (c) if Stock is not publicly traded, the fair market value established by the Committee acting in good faith.

2.18 “ Full Value Award ” means any Award other than an Option or SAR that is settled by the issuance of shares of Stock.

2.19 “ Incentive Stock Option ” means an Option that is intended to meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Code or any successor provision thereto.

2.20 “ Independent Director ” means a member of the Board who is not an Employee of the Company.

2.21 “ Non-Employee Director ” means a member of the Board who qualifies as a “Non-Employee Director” as defined in Rule 16b-3(b)(3) under the Exchange Act, or any successor rule.

2.22 “ Non-Qualified Stock Option ” means an Option that is not intended to be an Incentive Stock Option.

2.23 “ Option ” means a right granted to a Participant pursuant to Article 5 of the Plan to purchase a specified number of shares of Stock at a specified price during specified time periods. An Option may be either an Incentive Stock Option or a Non-Qualified Stock Option.

2.24 “ Participant ” means any Eligible Individual who, as a member of the Board, Consultant or Employee, has been granted an Award pursuant to the Plan.

2.25 “ Performance-Based Award ” means an Award granted to selected Covered Employees pursuant to Section 8.7, but which is subject to the terms and conditions set forth in Article 9.

2.26 “ Performance Bonus Award ” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.7.

2.27 “ Performance Criteria ” means the criteria that the Committee selects for purposes of establishing the Performance Goal or Performance Goals for a Participant for a Performance Period. The Performance Criteria that will be used to establish Performance Goals are limited to the following: net earnings (either before or after interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), economic value-added, gross or net sales or revenue, net income (either before or after taxes), operating earnings, cash flow (including, but not limited to, operating cash flow and free cash flow), cash flow return on capital, return on net assets, return on stockholders’ equity, return on assets, return on capital, stockholder returns, return on sales, gross or net profit or operating margin, productivity, costs, expense, margins, operating efficiency, customer satisfaction, working capital, earnings per share, adjusted earnings per share, price per share of Stock, market share, regulatory body approval for commercialization of a product, implementation or completion of critical projects, and economic value, any of which may be measured either in absolute terms or as compared to any incremental increase or as compared to results of a peer group. The Committee shall define in an objective fashion the manner of calculating the Performance Criteria it selects to use for such Performance Period for such Participant.

 

A-3


2.28 “ Performance Goals ” means, for a Performance Period, the goals established in writing by the Committee for the Performance Period based upon the Performance Criteria. Depending on the Performance Criteria used to establish such Performance Goals, the Performance Goals may be expressed in terms of overall Company performance or the performance of a division, business unit, or an individual. The Committee, in its discretion, may, within the time prescribed by Section 162(m) of the Code, adjust or modify the calculation of Performance Goals for such Performance Period in order to prevent the dilution or enlargement of the rights of Participants (a) in the event of, or in anticipation of, any unusual or extraordinary corporate item, transaction, event, or development, or (b) in recognition of, or in anticipation of, any other unusual or nonrecurring events affecting the Company, or the financial statements of the Company, or in response to, or in anticipation of, changes in applicable laws, regulations, accounting principles, or business conditions.

2.29 “ Performance Period ” means the one or more periods of time, which may be of varying and overlapping durations, as the Committee may select, over which the attainment of one or more Performance Goals will be measured for the purpose of determining a Participant’s right to, and the payment of, a Performance-Based Award.

2.30 “ Performance Share ” means a right granted to a Participant pursuant to Section 8.1, to receive Stock, the payment of which is contingent upon achieving certain Performance Goals or other performance-based targets established by the Committee.

2.31 “ Performance Stock Unit ” means a right granted to a Participant pursuant to Section 8.2, to receive Stock, the payment of which is contingent upon achieving certain Performance Goals or other performance-based targets established by the Committee.

2.32 “ Prior Plans ” means, collectively, the following plans of the Company: the 1999 Director Stock Option Plan; the 1999 Employee Stock Option Plan and the 2002 Employee Stock Plan in each case as such plan may be amended from time to time.

2.33 “ Plan ” means this Amended and Restated Symmetricom, Inc. 2006 Incentive Award Plan, as it may be amended from time to time.

2.34 “ Qualified Performance-Based Compensation ” means any compensation that is intended to qualify as “qualified performance-based compensation” as described in Section 162(m)(4)(C) of the Code.

2.35 “ Restricted Stock ” means Stock awarded to a Participant pursuant to Article 6 that is subject to certain restrictions and may be subject to risk of forfeiture.

2.36 “ Restricted Stock Unit ” means an Award granted pursuant to Section 8.6.

2.37 “ Securities Act ” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

2.38 “ Stock ” means the common stock of the Company, and such other securities of the Company that may be substituted for Stock pursuant to Article 11.

2.39 “ Stock Appreciation Right ” or “ SAR ” means a right granted pursuant to Article 7 to receive a payment equal to the excess of the Fair Market Value of a specified number of shares of Stock on the date the SAR is exercised over the Fair Market Value on the date the SAR was granted as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement.

2.40 “ Stock Payment ” means (a) a payment in the form of shares of Stock, or (b) an option or other right to purchase shares of Stock, as part of any bonus, deferred compensation or other arrangement, made in lieu of all or any portion of the compensation, granted pursuant to Section 8.4.

 

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2.41 “ Subsidiary ” means any “subsidiary corporation” as defined in Section 424(f) of the Code and any applicable regulations promulgated thereunder or any other entity of which a majority of the outstanding voting stock or voting power is beneficially owned directly or indirectly by the Company.

ARTICLE 3.

SHARES SUBJECT TO THE PLAN

3.1 Number of Shares .

(a) Subject to Article 11 and Section 3.1(b), the aggregate number of shares of Stock which may be issued or transferred pursuant to Awards under the Plan shall be the sum of: (i) 12,700,000 shares, (ii) 2,361,732 shares of Stock that were previously available for issuance under any of the Prior Plans but were forfeited or expired unexercised after the date on which the Original Plan was adopted in October 31, 2008 through September 6, 2013, and (iii) any shares of Stock which as of September 6, 2013 are subject to stock options and other equity awards outstanding under the Prior Plans that expire, are cancelled or otherwise terminate unexercised, or shares of Stock that otherwise would have reverted to the share reserves of the Prior Plans following September 6, 2013 and which following September 6, 2013 are not issued under the Prior Plans; provided, however, that the maximum aggregate number of shares of Stock that may be issued or transferred pursuant to Awards under the Plan during the term of the Plan shall not exceed 15,565,659 shares, subject to Article 11. Any shares of Stock that are subject to Awards of Options or Stock Appreciation Rights shall be counted against this limit as one (1) share of Stock for every one (1) share of Stock granted. Any shares of Stock that are subject to Full Value Awards shall be counted against this limit as 1.83 shares of Stock for every one (1) share of Stock granted. The payment of Dividend Equivalents in cash in conjunction with any outstanding Awards shall not be counted against the shares available for issuance under the Plan.

(b) To the extent that an Award terminates, expires, or lapses for any reason, any shares of Stock subject to the Award shall again be available for the grant of an Award pursuant to the Plan. For the avoidance of doubt, shares of Stock tendered by the Participant to satisfy any tax withholding obligation with respect to a Full Value Award or shares of Stock withheld by the Company to satisfy any tax withholding obligation with respect to a Full Value Award shall again be available for the grant of an Award pursuant to the Plan. Any shares of Stock that again become available for grant pursuant to this Section 3.1 shall be added back as (i) one (1) share of Stock if such shares were subject to Options or Stock Appreciation Rights, and (ii) as 1.83 shares of Stock if such shares were subject to Full Value Awards. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the following shares of Stock shall not be added back to the shares authorized for grant under this Section 3.1: (i) shares of Stock tendered by the Participant or withheld by the Company in payment of the exercise price of an Option, (ii) shares of Stock tendered by the Participant to satisfy any tax withholding obligation with respect to an Award or shares of Stock withheld by the Company to satisfy any tax withholding obligation with respect to an Award that is not a Full Value Award, and (iii) shares of Stock that were subject to a stock-settled SAR and were not issued upon the net settlement or net exercise of such SAR. To the extent permitted by applicable law or any exchange rule, shares of Stock issued in assumption of, or in substitution for, any outstanding awards of any entity acquired in any form of combination by the Company or any Subsidiary shall not be counted against shares of Stock available for grant pursuant to this Plan. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 3.1(b), no shares of Stock may again be optioned, granted or awarded if such action would cause an Incentive Stock Option to fail to qualify as an incentive stock option under Section 422 of the Code.

3.2 Stock Distributed . Any Stock distributed pursuant to an Award may consist, in whole or in part, of authorized and unissued Stock, treasury Stock or Stock purchased on the open market.

3.3 Limitation on Number of Shares Subject to Awards . Notwithstanding any provision in the Plan to the contrary, and subject to Article 11, the maximum number of shares of Stock with respect to one or more Awards

 

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that may be granted to any one Participant during a calendar year (measured from the date of any grant) shall be 3,000,000 and the maximum amount that may be paid in cash during any calendar year with respect to any Performance-Based Award (including, without limitation, any Performance Bonus Award) shall be $2,000,000.

ARTICLE 4.

ELIGIBILITY AND PARTICIPATION

4.1 Eligibility . Each Eligible Individual shall be eligible to be granted one or more Awards pursuant to the Plan; provided, that Independent Directors shall be eligible to be granted Awards in accordance with Section 11.1 of the Plan.

4.2 Participation . Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee may, from time to time, select from among all Eligible Individuals, those to whom Awards shall be granted and shall determine the nature and amount of each Award. No Eligible Individual shall have any right to be granted an Award pursuant to this Plan.

4.3 Foreign Participants . Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, in order to comply with the laws in other countries in which the Company and its Subsidiaries operate or have Eligible Individuals, the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall have the power and authority to: (i) determine which Subsidiaries shall be covered by the Plan; (ii) determine which Eligible Individuals outside the United States are eligible to participate in the Plan; (iii) modify the terms and conditions of any Award granted to Eligible Individuals outside the United States to comply with applicable foreign laws; (iv) establish subplans and modify exercise procedures and other terms and procedures, to the extent such actions may be necessary or advisable (any such subplans and/or modifications shall be attached to this Plan as appendices); provided, however , that no such subplans and/or modifications shall increase the share limitations contained in Sections 3.1 and 3.3 of the Plan; and (v) take any action, before or after an Award is made, that it deems advisable to obtain approval or comply with any necessary local governmental regulatory exemptions or approvals. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may not take any actions hereunder, and no Awards shall be granted, that would violate the Exchange Act, the Code, any securities law or governing statute or any other applicable law.

ARTICLE 5.

STOCK OPTIONS

5.1 General . The Committee is authorized to grant Options to Participants on the following terms and conditions:

(a) Exercise Price . The exercise price per share of Stock subject to an Option shall be determined by the Committee and set forth in the Award Agreement; provided , that, subject to Section 5.2(d), the exercise price for any Option shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the date of grant.

(b) Time and Conditions of Exercise . The Committee shall determine the time or times at which an Option may be exercised in whole or in part; provided that the term of any Option granted under the Plan shall not exceed seven years. The Committee shall also determine the performance or other conditions, if any, that must be satisfied before all or part of an Option may be exercised.

(c) Payment . The Committee shall determine the methods by which the exercise price of an Option may be paid, the form of payment, including, without limitation: (i) cash, (ii) shares of Stock held for such period of time as may be required by the Committee in order to avoid adverse accounting consequences and having a Fair Market Value on the date of delivery equal to the aggregate exercise price of the Option or exercised portion

 

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thereof, or (iii) other property acceptable to the Committee (including through the delivery of a notice that the Participant has placed a market sell order with a broker with respect to shares of Stock then issuable upon exercise of the Option, and that the broker has been directed to pay a sufficient portion of the net proceeds of the sale to the Company in satisfaction of the Option exercise price; provided that payment of such proceeds is then made to the Company upon settlement of such sale), and the methods by which shares of Stock shall be delivered or deemed to be delivered to Participants. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan to the contrary, after the Public Trading Date, no Participant shall be permitted to pay the exercise price of an Option, or continue any extension of credit with respect to the exercise price of an Option with a loan from the Company or a loan arranged by the Company in violation of Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act.

(d) Evidence of Grant . All Options shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement between the Company and the Participant. The Award Agreement shall include such additional provisions as may be specified by the Committee.

5.2 Incentive Stock Options . Incentive Stock Options shall be granted only to Employees and the terms of any Incentive Stock Options granted pursuant to the Plan, in addition to the requirements of Section 5.1, must comply with the provisions of this Section 5.2.

(a) Expiration . Subject to Section 5.2(c), an Incentive Stock Option shall expire and may not be exercised to any extent by anyone after the first to occur of the following events:

(i) Seven years from the date it is granted, unless an earlier time is set in the Award Agreement;

(ii) Three months after the Participant’s termination of employment as an Employee; and

(iii) One year after the date of the Participant’s termination of employment or service on account of Disability or death. Upon the Participant’s Disability or death, any Incentive Stock Options exercisable at the Participant’s Disability or death may be exercised by the Participant’s legal representative or representatives, by the person or persons entitled to do so pursuant to the Participant’s last will and testament, or, if the Participant fails to make testamentary disposition of such Incentive Stock Option or dies intestate, by the person or persons entitled to receive the Incentive Stock Option pursuant to the applicable laws of descent and distribution.

(b) Dollar Limitation . The aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the time the Option is granted) of all shares of Stock with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are first exercisable by a Participant in any calendar year may not exceed $100,000 or such other limitation as imposed by Section 422(d) of the Code, or any successor provision. To the extent that Incentive Stock Options are first exercisable by a Participant in excess of such limitation, the excess shall be considered Non-Qualified Stock Options.

(c) Ten Percent Owners . An Incentive Stock Option shall be granted to any individual who, at the date of grant, owns stock possessing more than ten percent of the total combined voting power of all classes of Stock of the Company only if such Option is granted at a price that is not less than 110% of Fair Market Value on the date of grant and the Option is exercisable for no more than five years from the date of grant.

(d) Notice of Disposition . The Participant shall give the Company prompt notice of any disposition of shares of Stock acquired by exercise of an Incentive Stock Option within (i) two years from the date of grant of such Incentive Stock Option or (ii) one year after the transfer of such shares of Stock to the Participant.

(e) Right to Exercise . During a Participant’s lifetime, an Incentive Stock Option may be exercised only by the Participant.

(f) Failure to Meet Requirements . Any Option (or portion thereof) purported to be an Incentive Stock Option, which, for any reason, fails to meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Code shall be considered a Non-Qualified Stock Option.

 

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ARTICLE 6.

RESTRICTED STOCK AWARDS

6.1 Grant of Restricted Stock . The Committee is authorized to make Awards of Restricted Stock to any Participant selected by the Committee in such amounts and subject to such terms and conditions as determined by the Committee. All Awards of Restricted Stock shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement.

6.2 Issuance and Restrictions . Restricted Stock shall be subject to such restrictions on transferability and other restrictions as the Committee may impose (including, without limitation, limitations on the right to vote Restricted Stock or the right to receive dividends on the Restricted Stock). These restrictions may lapse separately or in combination at such times, pursuant to such circumstances, in such installments, or otherwise, as the Committee determines at the time of the grant of the Award or thereafter.

6.3 Forfeiture . Except as otherwise determined by the Committee at the time of the grant of the Award or thereafter, upon termination of employment or service during the applicable restriction period, Restricted Stock that is at that time subject to restrictions shall be forfeited; provided, however , that the Committee may (a) provide in any Restricted Stock Award Agreement that restrictions or forfeiture conditions relating to Restricted Stock will be waived in whole or in part in the event of terminations resulting from specified causes, and (b) in other cases waive in whole or in part restrictions or forfeiture conditions relating to Restricted Stock.

6.4 Certificates for Restricted Stock . Restricted Stock granted pursuant to the Plan may be evidenced in such manner as the Committee shall determine. If certificates representing shares of Restricted Stock are registered in the name of the Participant, certificates must bear an appropriate legend referring to the terms, conditions, and restrictions applicable to such Restricted Stock, and the Company may, at its discretion, retain physical possession of the certificate until such time as all applicable restrictions lapse.

ARTICLE 7.

STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHTS

7.1 Grant of Stock Appreciation Rights .

(a) A Stock Appreciation Right may be granted to any Participant selected by the Committee. A Stock Appreciation Right shall be subject to such terms and conditions not inconsistent with the Plan as the Committee shall impose and shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement; provided, however, that the term of a Stock Appreciation Right shall not exceed seven years from the date it is granted.

(b) A Stock Appreciation Right shall entitle the Participant (or other person entitled to exercise the Stock Appreciation Right pursuant to the Plan) to exercise all or a specified portion of the Stock Appreciation Right (to the extent then exercisable pursuant to its terms) and to receive from the Company an amount equal to the product of (i) the excess of (A) the Fair Market Value of the Stock on the date the Stock Appreciation Right is exercised over (B) the Fair Market Value of the Stock on the date the Stock Appreciation Right was granted and (ii) the number of shares of Stock with respect to which the Stock Appreciation Right is exercised, subject to any limitations the Committee may impose.

7.2 Payment and Limitations on Exercise .

(a) Subject to Section 7.2(b), payment of the amounts determined under Sections 7.1(b) above shall be in cash, in Stock (based on its Fair Market Value as of the date the Stock Appreciation Right is exercised) or a combination of both, as determined by the Committee in the Award Agreement.

(b) To the extent any payment under Section 7.1(b) is effected in Stock, it shall be made subject to satisfaction of all provisions of Article 5 above pertaining to Options.

 

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ARTICLE 8.

OTHER TYPES OF AWARDS

8.1 Performance Share Awards . Any Participant selected by the Committee may be granted one or more Performance Share awards which shall be denominated in a number of shares of Stock and which may be linked to any one or more of the Performance Criteria or other specific performance criteria determined appropriate by the Committee, in each case on a specified date or dates or over any period or periods determined by the Committee. In making such determinations, the Committee shall consider (among such other factors as it deems relevant in light of the specific type of award) the contributions, responsibilities and other compensation of the particular Participant.

8.2 Performance Stock Units . Any Participant selected by the Committee may be granted one or more Performance Stock Unit awards which shall be denominated in unit equivalent of shares of Stock and/or units of value including dollar value of shares of Stock and which may be linked to any one or more of the Performance Criteria or other specific performance criteria determined appropriate by the Committee, in each case on a specified date or dates or over any period or periods determined by the Committee. In making such determinations, the Committee shall consider (among such other factors as it deems relevant in light of the specific type of award) the contributions, responsibilities and other compensation of the particular Participant.

8.3 Dividend Equivalents .

(a) Any Participant selected by the Committee may be granted Dividend Equivalents based on the dividends declared on the shares of Stock that are subject to any Award, to be credited as of dividend payment dates, during the period between the date the Award is granted and the date the Award is exercised, vests or expires, as determined by the Committee. Such Dividend Equivalents shall be converted to cash or additional shares of Stock by such formula and at such time and subject to such limitations as may be determined by the Committee. In addition, Dividend Equivalents with respect to an Award that vests based on the attainment of Performance Goals or other performance-based objectives that are based on dividends paid prior to the vesting of such Award shall only be paid out to a Participant to the extent that the Performance Goals or other performance-based vesting conditions are subsequently satisfied and the Award vests.

(b) Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, Dividend Equivalents shall not be payable with respect to Options or SARs.

8.4 Stock Payments . Any Participant selected by the Committee may receive Stock Payments in the manner determined from time to time by the Committee. The number of shares shall be determined by the Committee and may be based upon the Performance Criteria or other specific performance criteria determined appropriate by the Committee, determined on the date such Stock Payment is made or on any date thereafter.

8.5 Deferred Stock . Any Participant selected by the Committee may be granted an award of Deferred Stock in the manner determined from time to time by the Committee. The number of shares of Deferred Stock shall be determined by the Committee and may be linked to the Performance Criteria or other specific performance criteria determined to be appropriate by the Committee, in each case on a specified date or dates or over any period or periods determined by the Committee. Stock underlying a Deferred Stock award will not be issued until the Deferred Stock award has vested, pursuant to a vesting schedule or performance criteria set by the Committee. Unless otherwise provided by the Committee, a Participant awarded Deferred Stock shall have no rights as a Company stockholder with respect to such Deferred Stock until such time as the Deferred Stock Award has vested and the Stock underlying the Deferred Stock Award has been issued.

8.6 Restricted Stock Units . The Committee is authorized to make Awards of Restricted Stock Units to any Participant selected by the Committee in such amounts and subject to such terms and conditions as determined by the Committee. At the time of grant, the Committee shall specify the date or dates on which the Restricted

 

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Stock Units shall become fully vested and nonforfeitable, and may specify such conditions to vesting as it deems appropriate. At the time of grant, the Committee shall specify the maturity date applicable to each grant of Restricted Stock Units which shall be no earlier than the vesting date or dates of the Award and may be determined at the election of the grantee. On the maturity date, the Company shall, subject to Section 10.5(b), transfer to the Participant one unrestricted, fully transferable share of Stock for each Restricted Stock Unit scheduled to be paid out on such date and not previously forfeited.

8.7 Performance Bonus Awards . Any Participant selected by the Committee may be granted one or more Performance-Based Awards in the form of a cash bonus (a “ Performance Bonus Award ”) payable upon the attainment of Performance Goals that are established by the Committee and relate to one or more of the Performance Criteria, in each case on a specified date or dates or over any period or periods determined by the Committee. Any such Performance Bonus Award paid to a Covered Employee shall be based upon objectively determinable bonus formulas established in accordance with Article 9.

8.8 Term . Except as otherwise provided herein, the term of any Award of Performance Shares, Performance Stock Units, Dividend Equivalents, Stock Payments, Deferred Stock or Restricted Stock Units shall be set by the Committee in its discretion.

8.9 Exercise or Purchase Price . The Committee may establish the exercise or purchase price, if any, of any Award of Performance Shares, Performance Stock Units, Deferred Stock, Stock Payments or Restricted Stock Units; provided, however , that such price shall not be less than the par value of a share of Stock on the date of grant, unless otherwise permitted by applicable state law.

8.10 Exercise upon Termination of Employment or Service . An Award of Performance Shares, Performance Stock Units, Dividend Equivalents, Deferred Stock, Stock Payments and Restricted Stock Units shall only be exercisable or payable while the Participant is an Employee, Consultant or a member of the Board, as applicable; provided, however , that the Committee in its sole and absolute discretion may provide that an Award of Performance Shares, Performance Stock Units, Dividend Equivalents, Stock Payments, Deferred Stock or Restricted Stock Units may be exercised or paid subsequent to a termination of employment or service, as applicable, or following a Change in Control of the Company, or because of the Participant’s retirement, death or disability, or otherwise; provided, however , that any such provision with respect to Performance Shares or Performance Stock Units shall be subject to the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Code that apply to Qualified Performance-Based Compensation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Dividend Equivalents with respect to an Award that vests based on the attainment of Performance Goals or other performance-based objectives that are based on dividends paid prior to the vesting of such Award shall only be paid out to a Participant to the extent that the Performance Goals or other performance-based vesting conditions are subsequently satisfied and the Award vests.

8.11 Form of Payment . Payments with respect to any Awards granted under this Article 8 shall be made in cash, in Stock or a combination of both, as determined by the Committee.

8.12 Award Agreement . All Awards under this Article 8 shall be subject to such additional terms and conditions as determined by the Committee and shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement.

ARTICLE 9.

PERFORMANCE-BASED AWARDS

9.1 Purpose . The purpose of this Article 9 is to provide the Committee the ability to qualify Awards other than Options and SARs and that are granted pursuant to Articles 6 and 8 as Qualified Performance-Based Compensation. If the Committee, in its discretion, decides to grant a Performance-Based Award to a Covered Employee, the provisions of this Article 9 shall control over any contrary provision contained in Articles 6 or 8; provided, however , that the Committee may in its discretion grant Awards to Covered Employees that are based on Performance Criteria or Performance Goals but that do not satisfy the requirements of this Article 9.

 

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9.2 Applicability . This Article 9 shall apply only to those Covered Employees selected by the Committee to receive Performance-Based Awards. The designation of a Covered Employee as a Participant for a Performance Period shall not in any manner entitle the Participant to receive an Award for the period. Moreover, designation of a Covered Employee as a Participant for a particular Performance Period shall not require designation of such Covered Employee as a Participant in any subsequent Performance Period and designation of one Covered Employee as a Participant shall not require designation of any other Covered Employees as a Participant in such period or in any other period.

9.3 Procedures with Respect to Performance-Based Awards . To the extent necessary to comply with the Qualified Performance-Based Compensation requirements of Section 162(m)(4)(C) of the Code, with respect to any Award granted under Articles 6 or 8 which may be granted to one or more Covered Employees, no later than ninety (90) days following the commencement of any fiscal year in question or any other designated fiscal period or period of service (or such other time as may be required or permitted by Section 162(m) of the Code), the Committee shall, in writing, (a) designate one or more Covered Employees, (b) select the Performance Criteria applicable to the Performance Period, (c) establish the Performance Goals, and amounts of such Awards, as applicable, which may be earned for such Performance Period, and (d) specify the relationship between Performance Criteria and the Performance Goals and the amounts of such Awards, as applicable, to be earned by each Covered Employee for such Performance Period. Following the completion of each Performance Period, the Committee shall certify in writing whether the applicable Performance Goals have been achieved for such Performance Period. In determining the amount earned by a Covered Employee, the Committee shall have the right to reduce or eliminate (but not to increase) the amount payable at a given level of performance to take into account additional factors that the Committee may deem relevant to the assessment of individual or corporate performance for the Performance Period.

9.4 Payment of Performance-Based Awards . Unless otherwise provided in the applicable Award Agreement, a Participant must be employed by the Company or a Subsidiary on the day a Performance-Based Award for such Performance Period is paid to the Participant. Furthermore, a Participant shall be eligible to receive payment pursuant to a Performance-Based Award for a Performance Period only if the Performance Goals for such period are achieved. In determining the amount earned under a Performance-Based Award, the Committee may reduce or eliminate the amount of the Performance-Based Award earned for the Performance Period, if in its sole and absolute discretion, such reduction or elimination is appropriate.

9.5 Additional Limitations . Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, any Award which is granted to a Covered Employee and is intended to constitute Qualified Performance-Based Compensation shall be subject to any additional limitations set forth in Section 162(m) of the Code (including any amendment to Section 162(m) of the Code) or any regulations or rulings issued thereunder that are requirements for qualification as qualified performance-based compensation as described in Section 162(m)(4)(C) of the Code, and the Plan shall be deemed amended to the extent necessary to conform to such requirements.

ARTICLE 10.

PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO AWARDS

10.1 Stand-Alone and Tandem Awards . Awards granted pursuant to the Plan may, in the discretion of the Committee, be granted either alone, in addition to, or in tandem with, any other Award granted pursuant to the Plan. Awards granted in addition to or in tandem with other Awards may be granted either at the same time as or at a different time from the grant of such other Awards.

10.2 Award Agreement . Awards under the Plan shall be evidenced by Award Agreements that set forth the terms, conditions and limitations for each Award which may include the term of an Award, the provisions applicable in the event the Participant’s employment or service terminates, and the Company’s authority to unilaterally or bilaterally amend, modify, suspend, cancel or rescind an Award.

 

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10.3 Limits on Transfer . No right or interest of a Participant in any Award may be pledged, encumbered, or hypothecated to or in favor of any party other than the Company or a Subsidiary, or shall be subject to any lien, obligation, or liability of such Participant to any other party other than the Company or a Subsidiary. Except as otherwise provided by the Committee, no Award shall be assigned, transferred, or otherwise disposed of by a Participant other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. The Committee by express provision in the Award or an amendment thereto may permit an Award (other than an Incentive Stock Option) to be transferred to, exercised by and paid to certain persons or entities related to the Participant, including but not limited to members of the Participant’s family, charitable institutions, or trusts or other entities whose beneficiaries or beneficial owners are members of the Participant’s family and/or charitable institutions, or to such other persons or entities as may be expressly approved by the Committee, pursuant to such conditions and procedures as the Committee may establish. Any permitted transfer shall be subject to the condition that the Committee receive evidence satisfactory to it that the transfer is being made for estate and/or tax planning purposes (or to a “blind trust” in connection with the Participant’s termination of employment or service with the Company or a Subsidiary to assume a position with a governmental, charitable, educational or similar non-profit institution) and on a basis consistent with the Company’s lawful issue of securities.

10.4 Beneficiaries . Notwithstanding Section 10.3, a Participant may, in the manner determined by the Committee, designate a beneficiary to exercise the rights of the Participant and to receive any distribution with respect to any Award upon the Participant’s death. A beneficiary, legal guardian, legal representative, or other person claiming any rights pursuant to the Plan is subject to all terms and conditions of the Plan and any Award Agreement applicable to the Participant, except to the extent the Plan and Award Agreement otherwise provide, and to any additional restrictions deemed necessary or appropriate by the Committee. If the Participant is married and resides in a community property state, a designation of a person other than the Participant’s spouse as his or her beneficiary with respect to more than 50% of the Participant’s interest in the Award shall not be effective without the prior written consent of the Participant’s spouse. If no beneficiary has been designated or survives the Participant, payment shall be made to the person entitled thereto pursuant to the Participant’s will or the laws of descent and distribution. Subject to the foregoing, a beneficiary designation may be changed or revoked by a Participant at any time provided the change or revocation is filed with the Committee.

10.5 Stock Certificates; Book Entry Procedures .

(a) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company shall not be required to issue or deliver any certificates evidencing shares of Stock pursuant to the exercise of any Award, unless and until the Board has determined, with advice of counsel, that the issuance and delivery of such certificates is in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations of governmental authorities and, if applicable, the requirements of any exchange on which the shares of Stock are listed or traded. All Stock certificates delivered pursuant to the Plan are subject to any stop-transfer orders and other restrictions as the Committee deems necessary or advisable to comply with federal, state, or foreign jurisdiction, securities or other laws, rules and regulations and the rules of any national securities exchange or automated quotation system on which the Stock is listed, quoted, or traded. The Committee may place legends on any Stock certificate to reference restrictions applicable to the Stock. In addition to the terms and conditions provided herein, the Board may require that a Participant make such reasonable covenants, agreements, and representations as the Board, in its discretion, deems advisable in order to comply with any such laws, regulations, or requirements. The Committee shall have the right to require any Participant to comply with any timing or other restrictions with respect to the settlement or exercise of any Award, including a window-period limitation, as may be imposed in the discretion of the Committee.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, unless otherwise determined by the Committee or required by any applicable law, rule or regulation, the Company shall not deliver to any Participant certificates evidencing shares of Stock issued in connection with any Award and instead such shares of Stock shall be recorded in the books of the Company (or, as applicable, its transfer agent or stock plan administrator).

 

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10.6 Paperless Exercise . In the event that the Company establishes, for itself or using the services of a third party, an automated system for the exercise of Awards, such as a system using an internet website or interactive voice response, then the paperless exercise of Awards by a Participant may be permitted through the use of such an automated system.

ARTICLE 11.

CHANGES IN CAPITAL STRUCTURE

11.1 Grants of Awards to Independent Directors . Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the grant of any Award to an Independent Director shall be made by the Board pursuant to a written policy or program recommended by the Compensation Committee of the Board (or any other committee of the Board assuming such responsibilities) and approved by the Board (the “ Independent Director Equity Compensation Policy ”) in its discretion. The Independent Director Equity Compensation Policy shall set forth the type of Award(s) to be granted to Independent Directors, the number of shares of Stock to be subject to Independent Director Awards, the conditions on which such Awards shall be granted, become exercisable and/or payable and expire, and such other terms and conditions as may be set forth in the Independent Director Equity Compensation Policy and determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board (or such other committee) in its discretion.

11.2 Adjustments .

(a) In the event of any stock dividend, stock split, combination or exchange of shares, merger, consolidation, spin-off, recapitalization or other distribution (other than normal cash dividends) of Company assets to stockholders, or any other change affecting the shares of Stock or the share price of the Stock (other than an Equity Restructuring), the Committee shall make such proportionate adjustments, if any, as the Committee in its discretion may deem appropriate to reflect such change with respect to (a) the aggregate number and kind of shares that may be issued under the Plan (including, but not limited to, adjustments of the limitations in Sections 3.1 and 3.3); (b) the terms and conditions of any outstanding Awards (including, without limitation, any applicable performance targets or criteria with respect thereto); and (c) the grant or exercise price per share for any outstanding Awards under the Plan. Any adjustment affecting an Award intended as Qualified Performance-Based Compensation shall be made consistent with the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Code.

(b) In the event of any transaction or event described in Section 11.2(a) or any unusual or nonrecurring transactions or events affecting the Company, any affiliate of the Company, or the financial statements of the Company or any affiliate, or of changes in applicable laws, regulations or accounting principles (in each case, other than an Equity Restructuring), the Committee, in its sole and absolute discretion, and on such terms and conditions as it deems appropriate, either by the terms of the Award or by action taken prior to the occurrence of such transaction or event and either automatically or upon the Participant’s request, is hereby authorized to take any one or more of the following actions whenever the Committee determines that such action is appropriate in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan or with respect to any Award under the Plan, to facilitate such transactions or events or to give effect to such changes in laws, regulations or principles:

(i) To provide for either (A) termination of any such Award in exchange for an amount of cash, if any, equal to the amount that would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or realization of the Participant’s rights (and, for the avoidance of doubt, if as of the date of the occurrence of the transaction or event described in this Section 11.3 the Committee determines in good faith that no amount would have been attained upon the exercise of such Award or realization of the Participant’s rights, then such Award may be terminated by the Company without payment) or (B) the replacement of such Award with other rights or property selected by the Committee in its sole discretion;

 

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(ii) To provide that such Award be assumed by the successor or survivor corporation, or a parent or subsidiary thereof, or shall be substituted for by similar options, rights or awards covering the stock of the successor or survivor corporation, or a parent or subsidiary thereof, with appropriate adjustments as to the number and kind of shares and prices;

(iii) To make adjustments in the number and type of shares of Stock (or other securities or property) subject to outstanding Awards, and in the number and kind of outstanding Restricted Stock or Deferred Stock and/or in the terms and conditions of (including the grant or exercise price), and the criteria included in, outstanding options, rights and awards and options, rights and awards which may be granted in the future;

(iv) To provide that such Award shall be exercisable or payable or fully vested with respect to all shares covered thereby, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Plan or the applicable Award Agreement; and

(v) To provide that the Award cannot vest, be exercised or become payable after such event.

(c) In connection with the occurrence of any Equity Restructuring, and notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 11.2(a) and 11.2(b):

(i) The number and type of securities subject to each outstanding Award and the exercise price or grant price thereof, if applicable, shall be equitably adjusted; and/or

(ii) The Committee shall make such equitable adjustments, if any, as the Committee, in its sole discretion, may deem appropriate to reflect such Equity Restructuring with respect to the aggregate number and kind of shares of Stock that may be issued under the Plan (including, but not limited to, adjustments of the limitations in Section 3.1 on the maximum number and kind of shares of Stock which may be issued under the Plan, adjustments of the Award limits in Section 3.3, and adjustments of the manner in which Shares subject to Full Value Awards will be counted under Section 3.1). The adjustments provided under this Section 11.2(c) shall be nondiscretionary and shall be final and binding on the affected Participant and the Company.

11.3 Acceleration Upon a Change in Control . Notwithstanding Section 11.2, and except as may otherwise be provided in any applicable Award Agreement or other written agreement entered into between the Company and a Participant, if a Change in Control occurs and a Participant’s Awards are not converted, assumed, or replaced by a successor entity, then immediately prior to the Change in Control such Awards shall become fully exercisable and all forfeiture restrictions on such Awards shall lapse. Upon, or in anticipation of, a Change in Control, the Committee may cause any and all Awards outstanding hereunder to terminate at a specific time in the future, including but not limited to the date of such Change in Control, and shall give each Participant the right to exercise such Awards during a period of time as the Committee, in its sole and absolute discretion, shall determine. In the event that the terms of any agreement between the Company or any Company subsidiary or affiliate and a Participant contains provisions that conflict with and are more restrictive than the provisions of this Section 11.3, this Section 11.3 shall prevail and control and the more restrictive terms of such agreement (and only such terms) shall be of no force or effect.

11.4 No Other Rights . Except as expressly provided in the Plan, no Participant shall have any rights by reason of any subdivision or consolidation of shares of stock of any class, the payment of any dividend, any increase or decrease in the number of shares of stock of any class or any dissolution, liquidation, merger, or consolidation of the Company or any other corporation. Except as expressly provided in the Plan or pursuant to action of the Committee under the Plan, no issuance by the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, shall affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, the number of shares of Stock subject to an Award or the grant or exercise price of any Award.

 

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ARTICLE 12.

ADMINISTRATION

12.1 Committee . Unless and until the Board delegates administration of the Plan to a Committee as set forth below, the Plan shall be administered by the full Board, and for such purposes the term “Committee” as used in this Plan shall be deemed to refer to the Board. The Board, at its discretion or as otherwise necessary to comply with the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Code, Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act or to the extent required by any other applicable rule or regulation, shall delegate administration of the Plan to a Committee. Unless otherwise determined by the Board, the Committee shall consist solely of two or more members of the Board each of whom is an “outside director,” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code, a Non-Employee Director and an “independent director” under the rules of the principal securities market on which shares of Stock are traded). Notwithstanding the foregoing: (a) the full Board, acting by a majority of its members in office, shall conduct the general administration of the Plan with respect to all Awards granted to Independent Directors and for purposes of such Awards the term “Committee” as used in this Plan shall be deemed to refer to the Board and (b) the Committee may delegate its authority hereunder to the extent permitted by Section 12.5. Appointment of Committee members shall be effective upon acceptance of appointment. In its sole discretion, the Board may at any time and from time to time exercise any and all rights and duties of the Committee under the Plan except with respect to matters which under Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act or Section 162(m) of the Code, or any regulations or rules issued thereunder, are required to be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee. Committee members may resign at any time by delivering written notice to the Board. Vacancies in the Committee may only be filled by the Board.

12.2 Action by the Committee . A majority of the Committee shall constitute a quorum. The acts of a majority of the members present at any meeting at which a quorum is present, and acts approved in writing by a majority of the Committee in lieu of a meeting, shall be deemed the acts of the Committee. Each member of the Committee is entitled to, in good faith, rely or act upon any report or other information furnished to that member by any officer or other employee of the Company or any Subsidiary, the Company’s independent certified public accountants, or any executive compensation consultant or other professional retained by the Company to assist in the administration of the Plan.

12.3 Authority of Committee . Subject to any specific designation in the Plan, the Committee has the exclusive power, authority and discretion to:

(a) Designate Participants to receive Awards;

(b) Determine the type or types of Awards to be granted to each Participant;

(c) Determine the number of Awards to be granted and the number of shares of Stock to which an Award will relate;

(d) Determine the terms and conditions of any Award granted pursuant to the Plan, including, but not limited to, the exercise price, grant price, or purchase price, any reload provision, any restrictions or limitations on the Award, any schedule for lapse of forfeiture restrictions or restrictions on the exercisability of an Award, and accelerations or waivers thereof, any provisions related to non-competition and recapture of gain on an Award, based in each case on such considerations as the Committee in its sole discretion determines;

(e) Determine whether, to what extent, and pursuant to what circumstances an Award may be settled in, or the exercise price of an Award may be paid in, cash, Stock, other Awards, or other property, or an Award may be canceled, forfeited, or surrendered;

(f) Prescribe the form of each Award Agreement, which need not be identical for each Participant;

(g) Decide all other matters that must be determined in connection with an Award;

 

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(h) Establish, adopt, or revise any rules and regulations as it may deem necessary or advisable to administer the Plan;

(i) Interpret the terms of, and any matter arising pursuant to, the Plan or any Award Agreement; and

(j) Make all other decisions and determinations that may be required pursuant to the Plan or as the Committee deems necessary or advisable to administer the Plan.

12.4 Decisions Binding . The Committee’s interpretation of the Plan, any Awards granted pursuant to the Plan, any Award Agreement and all decisions and determinations by the Committee with respect to the Plan are final, binding, and conclusive on all parties.

12.5 Delegation of Authority . To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Committee may from time to time delegate to a committee of one or more members of the Board or one or more officers of the Company the authority to grant or amend Awards to Participants other than (a) senior executives of the Company who are subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, (b) Covered Employees, or (c) officers of the Company (or members of the Board) to whom authority to grant or amend Awards has been delegated hereunder. Any delegation hereunder shall be subject to the restrictions and limits that the Committee specifies at the time of such delegation, and the Committee may at any time rescind the authority so delegated or appoint a new delegatee. At all times, the delegatee appointed under this Section 12.5 shall serve in such capacity at the pleasure of the Committee.

ARTICLE 13.

EFFECTIVE AND EXPIRATION DATE

13.1 Effective Date . The Plan (as amended and restated) shall become effective as of the date the Plan is approved by the Company’s stockholders (the “ Effective Date ”). The Plan (as amended and restated) will be deemed to be approved by the stockholders if it receives the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of stock of the Company present or represented and entitled to vote at a meeting duly held in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Company’s Bylaws. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Original Plan shall (i) continue to govern all Awards granted under the Original Plan prior to the Effective Date of the Plan (as amended and restated) and (ii) remain in effect unless and until the Plan (as amended and restated) is approved by the Company’s stockholders.

13.2 Expiration Date . The Plan (as amended and restated) will expire on, and no Award may be granted pursuant to the Plan after the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date, except that no Incentive Stock Options may be granted under the Plan after the earlier of the tenth anniversary of (i) the date the Plan (as amended and restated) is approved by the Board or (ii) the Effective Date. Any Awards that are outstanding on the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date shall remain in force according to the terms of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement.

ARTICLE 14.

AMENDMENT, MODIFICATION, AND TERMINATION

14.1 Amendment, Modification, and Termination . Subject to Section 15.14, with the approval of the Board, at any time and from time to time, the Committee may terminate, amend or modify the Plan; provided, however , that (a) to the extent necessary and desirable to comply with any applicable law, regulation, or stock exchange rule, the Company shall obtain stockholder approval of any Plan amendment in such a manner and to such a degree as required, and (b) stockholder approval is required for any amendment to the Plan that (i) increases the

 

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number of shares available under the Plan (other than any adjustment as provided by Article 11), (ii) permits the Committee to grant Options with an exercise price that is below Fair Market Value on the date of grant, or (iii) permits the Committee to extend the exercise period for an Option beyond ten years from the date of grant or (iv) results in a material increase in benefits or a change in eligibility requirements.

14.2 Repricing Prohibited . Notwithstanding any provision in this Plan to the contrary, absent approval of the stockholders of the Company, except as permitted by Article 11, (a) no Option or Stock Appreciation Right may be amended to reduce the exercise price per share of the Stock subject to such Award, (b) no Option or Stock Appreciation Right shall be cancelled and replaced with (i) an Option or Stock Appreciation Right having a lesser price per share or (ii) any other Award, and (c) the Committee shall not offer to buyout an outstanding Option or Stock Appreciation Right for a payment in cash.

14.3 Awards Previously Granted . Except with respect to amendments made pursuant to Section 15.14, no termination, amendment, or modification of the Plan shall adversely affect in any material way any Award previously granted pursuant to the Plan without the prior written consent of the Participant.

ARTICLE 15.

GENERAL PROVISIONS

15.1 No Rights to Awards . No Eligible Individual or other person shall have any claim to be granted any Award pursuant to the Plan, and neither the Company nor the Committee is obligated to treat Eligible Individuals, Participants or any other persons uniformly.

15.2 No Stockholders Rights . Except as otherwise provided herein, a Participant shall have none of the rights of a stockholder with respect to shares of Stock covered by any Award until the Participant becomes the record owner of such shares of Stock.

15.3 Withholding . The Company or any Subsidiary shall have the authority and the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient to satisfy federal, state, local and foreign taxes (including the Participant’s employment tax obligations) required by law to be withheld with respect to any taxable event concerning a Participant arising as a result of this Plan. The Committee may in its discretion and in satisfaction of the foregoing requirement allow a Participant to elect to have the Company withhold shares of Stock otherwise issuable under an Award (or allow the return of shares of Stock) having a Fair Market Value equal to the sums required to be withheld. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the number of shares of Stock which may be withheld with respect to the issuance, vesting, exercise or payment of any Award (or which may be repurchased from the Participant of such Award within six months (or such other period as may be determined by the Committee) after such shares of Stock were acquired by the Participant from the Company) in order to satisfy the Participant’s federal, state, local and foreign income and payroll tax liabilities with respect to the issuance, vesting, exercise or payment of the Award shall be limited to the number of shares which have a Fair Market Value on the date of withholding or repurchase equal to the aggregate amount of such liabilities based on the minimum statutory withholding rates for federal, state, local and foreign income tax and payroll tax purposes that are applicable to such supplemental taxable income.

15.4 No Right to Employment or Services . Nothing in the Plan or any Award Agreement shall interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Company or any Subsidiary to terminate any Participant’s employment or services at any time, nor confer upon any Participant any right to continue in the employ or service of the Company or any Subsidiary.

15.5 Unfunded Status of Awards . The Plan is intended to be an “unfunded” plan for incentive compensation. With respect to any payments not yet made to a Participant pursuant to an Award, nothing contained in the Plan or any Award Agreement shall give the Participant any rights that are greater than those of a general creditor of the Company or any Subsidiary.

 

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15.6 Indemnification . To the extent allowable pursuant to applicable law, each member of the Committee or of the Board shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company from any loss, cost, liability, or expense that may be imposed upon or reasonably incurred by such member in connection with or resulting from any claim, action, suit, or proceeding to which he or she may be a party or in which he or she may be involved by reason of any action or failure to act pursuant to the Plan and against and from any and all amounts paid by him or her in satisfaction of judgment in such action, suit, or proceeding against him or her; provided he or she gives the Company an opportunity, at its own expense, to handle and defend the same before he or she undertakes to handle and defend it on his or her own behalf. The foregoing right of indemnification shall not be exclusive of any other rights of indemnification to which such persons may be entitled pursuant to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws, as a matter of law, or otherwise, or any power that the Company may have to indemnify them or hold them harmless.

15.7 Relationship to other Benefits . No payment pursuant to the Plan shall be taken into account in determining any benefits pursuant to any pension, retirement, savings, profit sharing, group insurance, welfare or other benefit plan of the Company or any Subsidiary except to the extent otherwise expressly provided in writing in such other plan or an agreement thereunder.

15.8 Expenses . The expenses of administering the Plan shall be borne by the Company and its Subsidiaries.

15.9 Titles and Headings . The titles and headings of the Sections in the Plan are for convenience of reference only and, in the event of any conflict, the text of the Plan, rather than such titles or headings, shall control.

15.10 Fractional Shares . No fractional shares of Stock shall be issued and the Committee shall determine, in its discretion, whether cash shall be given in lieu of fractional shares or whether such fractional shares shall be eliminated by rounding up or down as appropriate.

15.11 Limitations Applicable to Section 16 Persons . Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, the Plan, and any Award granted or awarded to any Participant who is then subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, shall be subject to any additional limitations set forth in any applicable exemptive rule under Section 16 of the Exchange Act (including any amendment to Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act) that are requirements for the application of such exemptive rule. To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Plan and Awards granted or awarded hereunder shall be deemed amended to the extent necessary to conform to such applicable exemptive rule.

15.12 Government and Other Regulations . The obligation of the Company to make payment of awards in Stock or otherwise shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, and to such approvals by government agencies as may be required. The Company shall be under no obligation to register pursuant to the Securities Act, as amended, any of the shares of Stock paid pursuant to the Plan. If the shares paid pursuant to the Plan may in certain circumstances be exempt from registration pursuant to the Securities Act, as amended, the Company may restrict the transfer of such shares in such manner as it deems advisable to ensure the availability of any such exemption.

15.13 Governing Law . The Plan and all Award Agreements shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Delaware.

15.14 Section 409A . To the extent that the Committee determines that any Award granted under the Plan is subject to Section 409A of the Code, the Award Agreement evidencing such Award shall incorporate the terms and conditions required by Section 409A of the Code. To the extent applicable, the Plan and Award Agreements shall be interpreted in accordance with Section 409A of the Code and Department of Treasury regulations and other interpretive guidance issued thereunder, including without limitation any such regulations or other guidance that may be issued after the Effective Date. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, in the

 

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event that following the Effective Date the Committee determines that any Award may be subject to Section 409A of the Code and related Department of Treasury guidance (including such Department of Treasury guidance as may be issued after the Effective Date), the Committee may adopt such amendments to the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement or adopt other policies and procedures (including amendments, policies and procedures with retroactive effect), or take any other actions, that the Committee determines are necessary or appropriate to (a) exempt the Award from Section 409A of the Code and/or preserve the intended tax treatment of the benefits provided with respect to the Award, or (b) comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code and related Department of Treasury guidance.

* * * * *

I hereby certify that the foregoing Plan (as amended and restated) was duly approved by the Board of Directors of Symmetricom, Inc. on September 4, 2013.

* * * * *

I hereby certify that the foregoing Plan (as amended and restated) was approved by the stockholders of Symmetricom, Inc. on                     , 2013.

Executed on this      day of                     , 2013.

 

 

Corporate Secretary

 

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LOGO

 

ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS OF

SYMMETRICOM, INC.

October 25, 2013

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING:

The proxy materials and 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K are available at http://www.symmetricom.com/annualproxy

Please sign, date and mail your proxy card in the envelope provided as soon as possible.

Please detach along perforated line and mail in the envelope provided.

00033333330303000000

5

102513

PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND RETURN PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. PLEASE MARK YOUR VOTE IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS SHOWN HERE x

To change the address on your account, please check the box at right and indicate your new address in the address space above. Please note that changes to the registered name(s) on the account may not be submitted via this method.

FOR

AGAINST

ABSTAIN

1. Election of Directors: James A. Chiddix

Robert T. Clarkson

Elizabeth A. Fetter

Robert M. Neumeister Jr.

Richard N. Snyder

Robert J. Stanzione

2. Proposal to ratify the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the current fiscal year.

3. Proposal to approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in the proxy statement.

4. Proposal to approve the amendment and restatement of the Company’s 2006 Incentive Award Plan to increase the number of shares authorized for issuance thereunder by 1,500,000 shares.

5. The Board of Directors is not aware of any other business to come before the Annual Meeting. However, the Proxies appointed on the reverse side are authorized to vote in their discretion upon any other matters that may properly come before the meeting and any adjournment(s) or postponement(s) thereof.

Signature of Stockholder

Date:

Signature of Stockholder

Date:

Note: Please sign exactly as your name or names appear on this Proxy. When shares are held jointly, each holder should sign. When signing as executor, administrator, attorney, trustee or guardian, please give full title as such. If the signer is a corporation, please sign full corporate name by duly authorized officer, giving full title as such. If signer is a partnership, please sign in partnership name by authorized person.


LOGO

 

0

SYMMETRICOM, INC.

2013 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The undersigned stockholder of Symmetricom, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), hereby revokes all previous proxies, acknowledges receipt of the Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement, each dated September 27, 2013, and hereby appoints Elizabeth A. Fetter and Justin R. Spencer, and each of them, proxies and attorneys-in-fact, with full power to each of substitution, on behalf and in the name of the undersigned, to represent the undersigned at the 2013 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Symmetricom, Inc. (the “Annual Meeting”) to be held on October 25, 2013, at 1:00 p.m., at the offices of the Company at 2300 Orchard Parkway, San Jose, California 95131-1017, and at any adjournments or postponements thereof, and to vote all shares of common stock which the undersigned would be entitled to vote if then and there personally present on the matters set forth below:

THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED OR, IF NO DIRECTION IS INDICATED, WILL BE VOTED “FOR” THE ELECTION OF DIRECTORS NAMED HEREIN, “FOR” EACH PROPOSAL LISTED, AND AS SAID PROXIES DEEM ADVISABLE ON SUCH OTHER MATTERS AS MAY PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE MEETING. EITHER OF SUCH ATTORNEYS-IN-FACT OR SUBSTITUTES SHALL HAVE AND MAY EXERCISE ALL OF THE POWERS OF SAID ATTORNEYS-IN-FACT HEREUNDER.

(Continued and to be marked, date and signed on the reverse side)

14475

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