QXO, Inc. (NYSE: QXO) announced today that it has informed Beacon
Roofing Supply, Inc. (Nasdaq: BECN) that it will propose 10
independent director nominees at Beacon’s 2025 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders to replace Beacon’s Board of Directors.
The slate of independent nominees includes current and former
senior executives and directors of leading global companies who
were selected for their deep expertise with large-scale corporate
transformations, extensive knowledge of the building products and
distribution sectors, and track records of unlocking shareholder
value.
“We are proposing a slate of high-caliber, independent director
nominees who are astute at delivering value to shareholders of
large public companies,” said Brad Jacobs, chairman and chief
executive officer of QXO. “If elected, our nominees would give
Beacon’s shareholders a direct voice in advocating for an
independent evaluation of QXO’s proposal.”
On January 27, 2025, QXO commenced a tender offer to purchase
all outstanding shares of Beacon for $124.25 per share in cash for
an aggregate enterprise value of approximately $11 billion,
representing a 37% premium to Beacon’s 90-day unaffected
volume-weighted average price per share as of November 15, 2024,
when news of QXO’s offer was first brought to public attention.
QXO’s offer price of $124.25 per share is higher than Beacon’s
shares have ever traded. QXO's tender offer will be outstanding
until 12:00 midnight (New York City time) at the end of February
24, 2025. QXO has received antitrust clearance for the acquisition
in both the U.S. and Canada and is prepared to complete it shortly
after the offer expires, subject to the terms of the offer.
QXO intends to solicit proxies from Beacon stockholders by
filing a proxy statement and universal WHITE proxy voting card for
Beacon’s 2025 Annual Meeting. Beacon stockholders can choose to
replace Beacon’s current directors and elect the 10 new directors
proposed by QXO by voting “FOR” on the universal WHITE proxy card.
Stockholders can cast their vote prior to or at Beacon’s 2025
Annual Meeting, which is expected to be held in May.
Nominees
QXO’s independent nominees for Beacon’s Board of Directors
are:
Sheree Bargabos: Sheree Bargabos served as
president, roofing and asphalt for over a decade with Owens Corning
(NYSE: OC), a global manufacturer of building and composite
material systems. During her 37-year tenure with the company, she
held a variety of leadership roles, including vice president,
customer experience, roofing. More recently, Ms. Bargabos was a
non-executive director of the board and member of the governance
committee of PGT Innovations, Inc. (formerly NYSE: PGTI), a
manufacturer of high-performance windows and doors, until the
company was acquired by MITER Brands in 2024. Since 2018, she has
served on the board of Steel Dynamics, Inc. (Nasdaq: STLD), a
leading steel producer in the U.S., where she sits on the audit and
compensation committees.
Paul Camuti: Paul Camuti is the former
executive vice president and chief technology and sustainability
officer of Trane Technologies plc (NYSE: TT), a global leader in
HVAC and refrigeration solutions for residential, commercial, and
industrial markets, which separated from Ingersoll Rand, Inc.
(NYSE: IR) in 2020. Prior to that, Mr. Camuti served as chief
technology officer, corporate sustainability, and senior vice
president, innovation, at Ingersoll Rand for nine years. Earlier,
he spent 13 years at Siemens AG (OTC: SIEGY), holding various
divisional executive leadership roles. Mr. Camuti currently serves
on the board of Garrett Motion, Inc. (Nasdaq: GTX) and previously
served on the board of The ExOne Company (formerly Nasdaq:
XONE).
Karel Czanderna: Karel Czanderna is the former
president, chief executive officer and a board director of
Flexsteel Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq: FLXS), a global leader in the
design and production of residential furniture. Prior to Flexsteel,
she was group president of the building materials division of Owens
Corning (NYSE: OC) and earlier held divisional executive leadership
roles with Whirlpool Corp. (NYSE: WHR). Ms. Czanderna serves on the
boards of Cibo Vita, Inc. and Soteria Flexibles, and previously
served on the board of BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BXC), a
wholesale distributor of building and industrial products.
Jonathan Foster: Jonathan Foster is the founder
and a managing director of Current Capital Partners, an independent
advisory and merchant banking firm. His 35-year career in financial
and investment services includes 10 years with Lazard, Inc. (NYSE:
LAZ), where he rose to managing director. He has served on more
than 40 corporate boards, including current roles on the boards of
Berry Global Group, Inc. (NYSE: BERY), Five Point Holdings, LLC
(NYSE: FPH), and Lear Corp. (NYSE: LEA). Previously, he was a
director and the audit committee chair of door manufacturer
Masonite International Corp. for 15 years and served on the special
transaction committee during the company’s sale to Owens Corning
(NYSE: OC).
Mauro Gregorio: Mauro Gregorio is the former
president of Performance Materials & Coatings at Dow Inc.
(NYSE: DOW), a global leader in materials science. He previously
served as chief executive officer of Dow Silicones Corp., formerly
Dow Corning, and president of Dow Consumer Solutions. Mr. Gregorio
serves on the board of Eagle Materials, Inc. (NYSE: EXP), a
construction products manufacturer, and sits on the audit and
corporate governance, nominating and sustainability committees. Mr.
Gregorio also serves on the board of Radius Recycling, Inc.
(Nasdaq: RDUS), formerly Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc., and sits
on the audit and compensation and human resources committees.
Michael Lenz: Michael Lenz is the former chief
financial officer of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), overseeing all
financial functions within its portfolio of transportation,
e-commerce and supply chain management services. He held a variety
of senior roles during his 18-year tenure with FedEx, including
senior vice president and treasurer. Prior to FedEx, he was with
American Airlines Group, Inc. (NYSE: AAL) for 11 years in investor
relations, international network, and strategic planning roles. Mr.
Lenz serves on the board of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare.
Teresa May: Teresa May is the president and
owner of H+G Advisory, LLC and an advisor for portfolio operations
at private equity firm KPS Capital Partners. Her 25-year career as
an international growth and strategic marketing executive includes
prior positions as chief marketing officer for American Woodmark
Corp. (Nasdaq: AMWD), head of global strategic marketing for Owens
Corning (NYSE: OC), and president of healthcare and chief strategy
officer of security solutions for Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.
(NYSE: SWK). Ms. May is a member of the board of Fluidmaster, Inc.,
a global leader in water management, and previously served on the
boards of American Woodmark and Transcendia, Inc.
Stephen Newlin: Stephen Newlin is the former
president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of
Univar Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: UNVR), a global chemicals
distributor. Prior to Univar, he was president, chief executive
officer and chairman of PolyOne Corp., now Avient Corp. (NYSE:
AVNT), a specialty polymer manufacturer and distributor. Mr. Newlin
is currently chairman of the board of Oshkosh Corp. (NYSE: OSK), a
global equipment manufacturer, where he also sits on the audit,
governance, and human resource committees. He previously served on
the boards of The Chemours Company (NYSE: CC) and Valspar Corp
(NYSE: VAL), prior to its acquisition by Sherwin Williams in
2017.
Joseph Reitmeier: Joseph Reitmeier is the
former chief financial officer of Lennox International, Inc. (NYSE:
LII), a global manufacturer of residential and commercial climate
control solutions and refrigeration systems. Since 2016, he has
served on the board of Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: WTS),
a global leader of water quality solutions. Mr. Reitmeier currently
sits on the board’s audit committee, the governance and
sustainability committees, and previously served on the nominating
and corporate governance committee.
Wendy Whiteash: Wendy Whiteash is the former
executive vice president, integration and strategic priorities, for
US LBM Holdings, LLC, a leading distributor of roofing, siding,
windows, doors, decking, and engineered components. Earlier, she
served as US LBM’s chief human resources officer. Ms. Whiteash
spent the first 17 years of her career with Ferguson Enterprises,
Inc. (NYSE: FERG), the largest U.S. value-added distributor of
plumbing, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and MRO solutions,
where she held various roles in finance, operations and human
resources.
Advisors
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is acting as lead financial advisor
to QXO, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is
acting as legal counsel.
About QXO
QXO provides technology solutions, primarily to clients in the
manufacturing, distribution and service sectors. The company
provides consulting and professional services, including
specialized programming, training and technical support, and
develops proprietary software. As a value-added reseller of
business application software, QXO offers solutions for accounting,
financial reporting, enterprise resource planning, warehouse
management systems, customer relationship management, business
intelligence and other applications. QXO plans to become a
tech-forward leader in the $800 billion building products
distribution industry. The company is targeting tens of billions of
dollars of annual revenue in the next decade through accretive
acquisitions and organic growth. Visit www.qxo.com for
more information.
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains forward-looking statements.
Statements that are not historical facts, including statements
about beliefs, expectations, targets, goals, regulatory approval
timing and nominating directors are forward-looking statements.
These statements are based on plans, estimates, expectations and/or
goals at the time the statements are made, and readers should not
place undue reliance on them. In some cases, readers can identify
forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terms such
as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “opportunity,” “intend,”
“plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,”
“potential,” “target,” “goal,” or “continue,” or the negative of
these terms or other comparable terms. Forward-looking statements
involve inherent risks and uncertainties and readers are cautioned
that a number of important factors could cause actual results to
differ materially from those contained in any such forward-looking
statements. Such factors include but are not limited to: the
ultimate outcome of any possible transaction between QXO, Inc.
(“QXO”) and Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (“Beacon”), including the
possibility that the parties will not agree to pursue a business
combination transaction or that the terms of any definitive
agreement will be materially different from those proposed;
uncertainties as to whether Beacon will cooperate with QXO
regarding the proposed transaction; the ultimate result should QXO
commence a proxy contest for election of directors to Beacon’s
Board of Directors; QXO’s ability to consummate the proposed
transaction with Beacon; the conditions to the completion of the
proposed transaction, including the receipt of any required
shareholder approvals and any required regulatory approvals; QXO’s
ability to finance the proposed transaction; the substantial
indebtedness QXO expects to incur in connection with the proposed
transaction and the need to generate sufficient cash flows to
service and repay such debt; that operating costs, customer loss
and business disruption (including, without limitation,
difficulties in maintaining relationships with employees, customers
or suppliers) may be greater than expected following the proposed
transaction or the public announcement of the proposed transaction;
QXO’s ability to retain certain key employees; and general economic
conditions that are less favorable than expected. QXO cautions that
forward-looking statements should not be relied on as predictions
of future events, and these statements are not guarantees of
performance or results. Forward-looking statements herein speak
only as of the date each statement is made. QXO does not assume any
obligation to update any of these statements in light of new
information or future events, except to the extent required by
applicable law.
Important Additional Information and Where to Find
It
This communication is for informational purposes only and does
not constitute a recommendation, an offer to purchase or a
solicitation of an offer to sell Beacon securities. QXO and Queen
MergerCo, Inc. (the “Purchaser”) filed a Tender Offer Statement on
Schedule TO with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”)
on January 27, 2025, and Beacon filed a Solicitation/Recommendation
Statement on Schedule 14D-9 with respect to the tender offer with
the SEC on February 6, 2025. Investors and security holders are
urged to carefully read the Tender Offer Statement (including the
Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal and certain
other tender offer documents, as each may be amended or
supplemented from time to time) and the Solicitation/Recommendation
Statement as these materials contain important information that
investors and security holders should consider before making any
decision regarding tendering their common stock, including the
terms and conditions of the tender offer. The Tender Offer
Statement, Offer to Purchase, Solicitation/Recommendation Statement
and related materials are filed with the SEC, and investors and
security holders may obtain a free copy of these materials and
other documents filed by QXO and Beacon with the SEC at the website
maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. In addition, the Tender Offer
Statement and other documents that QXO and the Purchaser file with
the SEC will be made available to all investors and security
holders of Beacon free of charge from the information agent for the
tender offer: Innisfree M&A Incorporated, 501 Madison Avenue,
20th Floor, New York, NY 10022, toll-free telephone: +1 (888)
750-5834.
QXO and the other participants intend to file a preliminary
proxy statement and accompanying WHITE universal proxy card with
the SEC to be used to solicit proxies for, among other matters, the
election of its slate of director nominees at the 2025 Annual
Meeting of stockholders of Beacon. QXO strongly advises all
stockholders of Beacon to read the preliminary proxy statement, any
amendments or supplements to such proxy statement, and other proxy
materials filed by QXO with the SEC as they become available
because they will contain important information. Such proxy
materials will be available at no charge on the SEC’s website at
www.sec.gov and at QXO’s website at investors.qxo.com. In addition,
the participants in this proxy solicitation will provide copies of
the proxy statement, and other relevant documents, without charge,
when available, upon request. Requests for copies should be
directed to the participants’ proxy solicitor.
Certain Information Concerning the
Participants
The participants in the proxy solicitation are anticipated to be
QXO, Brad Jacobs, Ihsan Essaid, Matt Fassler, Mark Manduca, Sheree
Bargabos, Paul Camuti, Karel Czanderna, Jonathan Foster, Mauro
Gregorio, Michael Lenz, Teresa May, Stephen Newlin, Joseph
Reitmeier and Wendy Whiteash. As of the date of this communication,
QXO owns 100 shares of common stock of Beacon in record name and
Ms. Czanderna may be deemed to beneficially own 10 shares of common
stock of Beacon held in a trust, for which Ms. Czanderna’s husband
serves as trustee. As of the date of this communication, none of
the other participants has any direct or indirect interest, by
security holdings or otherwise, in Beacon.
Media Contacts
Joe Checklerjoe.checkler@qxo.com203-609-9650
Steve Lipin / Lauren OdellGladstone Place
Partners212-230-5930
Investor Contacts
Mark Manducamark.manduca@qxo.com203-321-3889
Scott Winter / Jonathan SalzbergerInnisfree M&A
Incorporated212-750-5833
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