Warren B. Kanders Calls for James C. Janning's Resignation as Chairman of the Board and Director of Federal Signal Corporation
05 August 2008 - 10:30PM
PR Newswire (US)
Cites Disappointing Second Quarter Results, Flawed Sale of E-One
and Tainted CEO Search STAMFORD, Conn., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ --
Warren B. Kanders, in a letter to James C. Janning, Chairman of the
Board of Federal Signal Corporation (NYSE: FSS) called for his
resignation as Chairman and as a director following FSS's
disappointing second quarter results, the flawed sale of E-One for
a price significantly below expectations, and a tainted CEO search
process which has yet to result in the selection of a new Chief
Executive Officer. Responding to Mr. Janning's allegations that Mr.
Kanders' letter of July 23, 2008, which questioned the process and
price for FSS's sale of E-One to a group that included E-One
management, contained "inaccuracies, innuendos, and
misrepresentations", Mr. Kanders stated: "You claim that despite
the active involvement of E-One management in the sale - the
process was nonetheless 'robust' and 'fully negotiated at arms
length.' Yet we know that bona fide, highly qualified and well
financed bidders were deliberately excluded from the process -
which resulted in a purchase price significantly below my and most
analysts' expectations. Did our Board not consider the payment of a
success fee to Mr. Guile of $400,000, plus 1% of the sale proceeds
in excess of liquidation value of E-One, a conflict of interest?
The Board apparently did not see fit to obtain an independent
fairness opinion, yet FSS wrote off an additional $21M as a result
of this material transaction." Mr. Kanders called the Second
Quarter results "unacceptable", noting that: -- "Sales were up
marginally - missing consensus expectations. -- Margins of the
Safety and Security Group, FSS's most profitable division, declined
for the fourth consecutive quarter, year over year. -- Earnings per
share from continuing operations were down precipitously -- falling
32 % year over year. -- Overhead remains far too high after the
sale of E-One; FSS's cost cutting program is lagging." "Even the
analysts at BMO Capital Markets, the investment bank that advised
the Board on the sale of E-One, in their July 28, 2008 report,
concluded that 'given the performance over the past few quarters,
our confidence level in the Company's ability to meet its own
targets and our estimate is less than it has been in the past.' You
have apparently lost all credibility." Observing that FSS's July 25
earnings call was "carefully orchestrated to prevent shareholders
from asking tough questions challenging management's and the
Board's performance", Mr. Kanders continued: "FSS could have
declined to have any Q&A period. Instead, after announcing he
would open the call to questions, Mr. Goodwin manipulated the call
and misled the audience by taking only powder-puff questions from
friendly analysts -- most of whom had or have investment banking
relationships with FSS. Not one question was taken from a single
shareholder -- although I know that several sought to be heard --
unsuccessfully." Mr. Kanders, noting further that three days before
the earnings call, the Board had adopted Amended and Restated
By-Laws, but made no mention of them on the earnings call, accused
the Board and management of shamefully trying to "quietly slip them
by shareholders" by burying them as an exhibit to FSS's Second
Quarter Form 10-Q. Mr. Kanders charged that: "Clearly, the Restated
By-Laws are designed to insulate the current Board to the maximum
extent possible and limit even further the rights of unhappy
shareholders fed up with nine years of unfulfilled expectations,
dismal financial performance and a depressed stock price, by, among
other things: -- Moving the date of the annual meeting of
stockholders to the Friday of Memorial Day weekend; -- Replacing
the inspectors of election responsible for determining contested
elections from two persons 'who are not affiliated with the
Corporation' to persons who may be employees of the Corporation; --
Lengthening the advance notice requirement for shareholders
nominating directors to the Board from 30 days prior to the Annual
Meeting to a narrow window between 90 and 120 days prior to the
anniversary of the last Annual Meeting; -- Requiring any person
nominated by a shareholder for election as a director to furnish,
in addition to the information required by the Federal proxy rules,
any information the Corporation may require, including 'submission
of a questionnaire, representation and agreement in the form
requested by the Corporation.'" Mr. Kanders nonetheless offered to
meet with a "select group of independent directors to discuss where
we go from here." DATASOURCE: Warren B. Kanders CONTACT: Warren B.
Kanders, +1-203-552-9600, ,
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