9 nominees · 4 ballot items.
Elect nine directors; ratify Ernst & Young as independent auditor for 2026; non-binding advisory vote to approve 2025 executive compensation; and approve an amendment and restatement of the Amended and Restated 2000 Long-Term Incentive Plan (increase share reserve by 1,000,000 shares).
Elect a board of nine director nominees named in the proxy statement, each to serve until the 2027 Annual Meeting and until their successors are duly elected and qualified.
Ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026.
Non-binding advisory vote to approve the 2025 compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in the proxy statement.
This non-binding advisory proposal asks shareholders to approve the Company’s 2025 named executive officer (NEO) compensation as disclosed in the proxy materials. Management is seeking shareholder endorsement to reinforce its pay-for-performance framework, which emphasizes a significant portion of NEO pay tied to Adjusted EBITDA-driven annual bonuses and multi-year performance share awards alongside time-based restricted stock for retention. The Company’s 2025 results were challenged — Adjusted EBITDA and net results missed targets, resulting in no annual bonuses paid and no performance shares earned for the 2023–2025 cycle — yet management highlights that individual goals were met and temporary salary reductions and other cost actions were taken. The Compensation Committee, comprised of independent directors and supported by an external consultant, argues that the compensation program remains appropriately calibrated to align executives’ incentives with long-term stockholder value while mitigating excessive risk through vesting schedules, clawback policy and stock ownership guidelines. The vote is advisory and non-binding, but a favorable result would provide the Board and Compensation Committee validation of their compensation approach; a significant negative vote would trigger review and potential adjustments. The Board notes prior say-on-pay support (approximately 85% approval in 2025) and commits to consider stockholder feedback, though it is not compelled to implement specific changes. Investors should weigh that while pay structures link rewards to performance metrics, the actual 2025 pay outcomes (no bonus payouts and unearned performance shares) reduce near-term dilution and demonstrate pay-for-performance, the Board retains discretion over design and future metrics. Given the Company’s recent financial pressure and management’s remedial actions, the proposal functions as a governance signal on whether current pay practices and the Committee’s oversight are sufficiently aligned with stockholder interests.
Approve an amendment and restatement of the Amended and Restated 2000 Long-Term Incentive Plan to increase the aggregate share reserve by 1,000,000 shares (bringing total shares issuable since inception to 10,717,500), and to adopt the amended and restated Plan set forth as Appendix B.
This management proposal asks shareholders to approve an amended and restated long-term incentive plan that principally increases the plan share reserve by 1,000,000 shares to 10,717,500 shares in total since inception. Management seeks this approval to ensure there is sufficient equity available to continue granting time-based restricted stock and performance-based awards that are central to its compensation and retention strategy and to satisfy Nasdaq listing requirements and tax-qualified incentive stock option (ISO) rules under the Code. The Plan restatement also codifies governance safeguards: no repricing without shareholder approval, one-year minimum vesting (subject to limited exceptions), per-participant and per-year limits, no evergreen feature, clawback provisions, and other features intended to protect stockholders and mitigate excessive dilution. The company discloses that, as of April 17, 2026, only a modest number of shares remained available under the Plan under various performance assumptions, and that the requested 1,000,000 shares would represent approximately 3.7% of fully diluted shares — a material but not atypical pool for replenishing long-term equity incentive capacity. From a governance perspective, the Plan includes several investor-friendly elements (vesting floors, dividend-equivalent limitations, anti-repricing restrictions) that the Board highlights to justify replenishment without undermining shareholder protections. Analysts and investors should weigh the need for continued equity incentives to retain management against the short-term dilution and monitor how quickly the additional shares are used and the design of future grants (mix of performance vs. time-based awards). Given the company’s recent operating challenges and emphasis on pay-for-performance (including instances where performance shares were not earned), shareholders might view the refresh as reasonable to preserve the compensation program but should watch grant practices and cumulative dilution over time.
| # | Owner | % of shares | Shares | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JB CAPITAL PARTNERS LP | 7.1% | 1,627,852 | $9M |
| 2 | Mill Road Capital Management LLC | 4.7% | 1,065,810 | $6M |
| 3 | DIMENSIONAL FUND ADVISORS LP | 4.5% | 1,019,211 | $6M |
| 4 | AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL INC | 4.0% | 922,216 | $5M |
| 5 | VANGUARD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC | 2.5% | 566,530 | $3M |
| 6 | MARTIN CO INC /TN/ | 2.3% | 532,041 | $3M |
| 7 | Pacific Ridge Capital Partners, LLC | 2.2% | 495,737 | $3M |
| 8 | RBF Capital, LLC | 1.8% | 402,452 | $2M |
| 9 | ACADIAN ASSET MANAGEMENT LLC | 1.0% | 236,658 | $1M |
| 10 | AMERICAN CENTURY COMPANIES INC | 1.0% | 227,686 | $1M |
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