Proxy Statement (Form DEF 14A)
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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))
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Definitive Proxy Statement
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Definitive Additional Materials
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Soliciting Material Under
§14a-12
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No fee required
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Fee paid previously with preliminary materials
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Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules
14a-6(i)(1)
and 0-11
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4421 WATERFRONT DR.
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING
The Annual Meeting of stockholders (the "Annual Meeting") of
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To elect twelve directors, each for a term expiring at the next annual meeting of stockholders and until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified; |
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To approve, on an advisory basis, the Company's Named Executive Officer compensation; |
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To ratify the appointment of |
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To transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting. |
The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on
We currently intend to hold our Annual Meeting in person. In the event it is not possible or advisable to hold the Annual Meeting in person, we will announce alternative arrangements for the meeting as promptly as practicable, which may include holding the meeting solely by means of remote communication. Please monitor our Annual Meeting webpage which can be accessed at https://www.hamiltonbeachbrands.com/investors/annual-meeting-materials for updated information.
Secretary
Your vote is very important. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting in person, you are encouraged to vote as soon as possible to ensure that your shares are represented at the meeting. If you are a stockholder of record and received a paper copy of the proxy materials by mail, you may vote your shares by proxy using one of the following methods: (i) vote via the internet (www.investorvote.com/HBB); (ii) vote by telephone (1-800-652-8683);or (iii) complete, sign, date and retuyour proxy card in the postage-paid envelope provided. If you hold shares of both ClassA Common Stock and ClassB Common Stock, you only have to complete the single enclosed form of proxy or vote once via the internet or telephone. If you wish to attend the meeting and vote in person, you may do so. If you hold your shares through an account with a bank, broker or similar organization, please follow the instructions you receive from the stockholder of record to vote your shares.
The Company's Annual Report for the year ended
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the
Annual Meeting of Stockholders To Be Held on May8, 2025:
The 2025 Proxy Statement and 2024 Annual Report are available, free of charge, at
https://www.hamiltonbeachbrands.com/investors/annual-meeting-materials.
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PART II - PROPOSALS TO BE VOTED ON AT THE 2024 ANNUAL MEETING |
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PROPOSAL 2 - ADVISORY VOTE TO APPROVE THE COMPANY'S NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION |
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Beneficial Ownership Of Class A Common And Class B Common Stock |
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Procedures For Submission And Consideration Of Director Candidates |
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4421 WATERFRONT DR.
PROXY STATEMENT
This Proxy Statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation by the Board of Directors (the "Board") of
If the enclosed form of proxy is executed, dated and returned or if you vote electronically, the shares represented by the proxy will be voted as directed on all matters properly coming before the Annual Meeting for a vote. Proxies that are properly signed without any indication of voting instructions will be voted as follows:
Proposal |
Description |
Board Vote Recommendation |
Page Reference for More Detail |
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1 | Election of twelve director nominees named in this Proxy Statement | FOR | 16 | |||
2 | Approval, on an advisory basis, of the Company's Named Executive Officer compensation | FOR | 22 | |||
3 | The ratification of the appointment of |
FOR | 23 | |||
N/A | Any other matter properly brought before the Board | As recommended by the Board or, if no recommendation is given, in the proxy holders' own discretion | N/A |
The proxies may be revoked at any time prior to their exercise by giving notice to us in writing or by executing and delivering a later-dated proxy. Attendance at the Annual Meeting will not automatically revoke a proxy, but a stockholder of record attending the Annual Meeting may request a ballot and vote in person, thereby revoking a previously granted proxy.
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Stockholders of record at the close of business on
At the Annual Meeting, in accordance with
Proposal 1 is to elect twelve directors, each for a term expiring at the next annual meeting of stockholders and until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified. Our Bylaws provide that our directors are elected by a plurality vote. Shares for which authority is withheld to vote for director nominees and broker non-voteswill have no effect on the election of directors except to the extent the failure to vote for a director nominee results in another nominee receiving a greater number of votes. In accordance with
Proposal 2 is an advisory vote to approve the Company's Named Executive Officer compensation. Although Proposal 2 is non-binding,the advisory vote allows our stockholders to express their opinions regarding our executive compensation. We will consider the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the votes cast as approval of Proposal 2. Abstentions and broker non-voteswill not be treated as votes cast, so they will not affect the outcome of Proposal 2.
Proposal 3 is an advisory vote to ratify the appointment of
We are not aware of any business that may properly be brought before the Annual Meeting other than those matters described in this Proxy Statement. If any matters other than those shown on the proxy card are properly brought before the Annual Meeting, the proxy card gives discretionary authority to the persons named on the proxy card to vote the shares represented by such proxy card.
In accordance with
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PART I - CORPORATE GOVERNANCE INFORMATION
About the Company
The Company operates through its wholly owned subsidiary
Board Composition
Our Board currently consists of thirteen directors. Directors are elected at each annual meeting to serve for one-yearterms or until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified, subject to their earlier death, resignation or removal. Biographical information and qualifications of our directors are included under "Proposal 1 - Election of Directors."
Board Leadership Structure
Under the Company's current leadership structure, the Company's roles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") are separated, enabling
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focus our Board on the most significant strategic goals and risks of our business; |
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utilize the individual qualifications, skills and experience of the other Board members to maximize their contributions to our Board; |
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ensure that each Board member has sufficient knowledge and understanding of our business to enable such member to make informed judgments; |
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facilitate the flow of information between our Board and our management; |
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provide consultation and advice to our management on significant business matters and strategic initiatives; |
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provide experience regarding public company governance and related public company responsibilities; and |
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provide the perspective of a long-term stockholder. |
We do not assign a lead independent director. For meetings of the independent directors, the presiding director is determined based upon the context and subject matter of the meeting.
In accordance with the Company's Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Board retains the right to exercise its discretion in combining or separating the offices of Chairman of the Board and CEO. This determination is made after considering relevant factors, including the specific needs of the business and the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. The Board believes that its current leadership structure is appropriate and meets the Company's current needs. The Board will regularly assess its leadership structure to determine whether the leadership structure is the most appropriate for the Company at the time.
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Directors' Independence
In making a determination as to the independence of our directors, our Board considered Section 303A of the
Board Oversight of Risk Management
The Board oversees our risk management process, including by being actively engaged in overseeing key risks and by employing a distributed oversight model where the Board delegates primary oversight responsibility of certain risk areas to relevant Board committees based on their expertise. This structure enables focused, specialized risk oversight while maintaining cohesive oversight through regular committee reporting back to the full Board. Through this integrated oversight approach, the Board assesses evolving risks facing the Company and evaluates the allocation of oversight responsibilities. The Board's oversight is supported by an information reporting system, which establishes a structured process for identifying key risks through comprehensive management interviews and industry analysis, specifies regular reporting protocols for such risks, and is designed to ensure prompt escalation of significant developments to the Board or responsible committee. The Board and appropriate committees regularly review reports and related information provided by management to stay informed about key risks facing the Company and to assess whether our risk management policies and procedures are designed and implemented in a manner consistent with the Company's strategy and risk tolerance.
Cybersecurity represents a critical Board oversight priority, with the Audit Review Committee supporting the Board's oversight responsibilities through regular assessment of our cybersecurity, data privacy, and information technology risks, controls, and procedures. Given our significant reliance on information technology systems and the increasing frequency and sophistication of cybersecurity incidents, we have implemented a cybersecurity risk management program designed to mitigate the risks of disruption of our critical systems and to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our business data as well as that of our customers, employees and vendors. As part of our cybersecurity risk management process, we have established a cross-functional cybersecurity task force and leverage established cybersecurity frameworks and practices, which include regularly updating technology, developing security policies and procedures, monitoring and routine testing of information systems, developing an incident response plan, carrying appropriate levels of cybersecurity insurance, and providing cybersecurity awareness training to employees.
Directors' Meetings and Attendance
Our Board held four meetings in 2024. During their tenure in 2024, all of the directors attended at least 75% of the total meetings held by our Board and the committees on which they served.
In accordance with NYSE rules, our non-managementdirectors meet at regularly scheduled executive sessions without management. These executive sessions are typically held following each regular Board meeting, with the Non-ExecutiveChairman presiding. In addition, the independent members of the Board meet at least
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once a year in separately scheduled executive sessions, with the presiding director determined based upon the context and subject matter of the meeting. Additional meetings of the independent directors may be scheduled when the independent directors believe such meetings are desirable. A meeting of the independent directors was held on
We hold a regularly scheduled meeting of our Board in conjunction with our annual meeting of stockholders. Directors are expected to attend the annual meeting of stockholders absent an appropriate excuse. All of our directors who were directors on the date of our 2024 annual meeting of stockholders attended the annual meeting.
Board Committees
Our Board has an Audit Review Committee, a
The table below shows the current directors, the members of each committee and the number of meetings held in 2024:
Director |
Independent | Audit Review | Compensation and Human Capital |
NCG | Planning Advisory |
Executive | ||||||
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Yes | X | X | X | ||||||||
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No | X | X | |||||||||
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Yes | X | X | X | ||||||||
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Yes | X | X | X | ||||||||
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Yes | X | X | Chair | X | |||||||
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Yes | X | ||||||||||
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Yes | X | ||||||||||
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Yes | Chair | X | X | X | |||||||
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No | Chair | Chair | |||||||||
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No | |||||||||||
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Yes | X | Chair | X | X | |||||||
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No | X | ||||||||||
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No | X | ||||||||||
2024 Meetings |
5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
(1) |
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Description of Committees
The responsibilities of the
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Audit Review Committee. The Audit Review Committee has responsibilities in its charter with respect to:
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the quality and integrity of our consolidated financial statements; |
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our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; |
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the adequacy of our internal controls; |
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our guidelines and policies to monitor and control our major financial risk exposures; |
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the qualifications, independence, selection, compensation, retention and oversight of our independent registered public accounting firm; |
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the performance of our internal audit department and independent registered public accounting firm; |
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assisting our Board and us in interpreting and applying our Corporate Compliance Program and other issues related to corporate and employee ethics; |
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reviewing corporate responsibility disclosures, including environmental, social, and governance disclosures, in the context of |
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reviewing cybersecurity and data privacy risks, controls and procedures; |
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reviewing related-person transactions; |
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reviewing matters regarding our information systems, practices and procedures as they relate to accounting, auditing and financial reporting; and |
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preparing the Annual Report of the Audit Review Committee to be included in our Proxy Statement. |
Our Board has determined that:
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each of Messrs. Belgya and Miller qualify as audit committee financial experts as defined in the rules issued by the |
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all members of the Audit Review Committee are independent and financially literate, as described in the listing standards of the NYSE and under the rules of the |
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providing strategic guidance regarding the development of human capital strategies and programs that support our business objectives and promote long-term value creation; |
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reviewing and approving corporate goals and objectives relevant to executive officer compensation; |
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evaluating the performance of the CEO and the other executive officers in light of our corporate goals and objectives; |
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determining and approving CEO and other executive officer compensation; |
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reviewing the Company's responsiveness to the stockholder advisory vote on executive compensation; |
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considering whether the risks arising from our employee compensation policies are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on us; |
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making recommendations to our Board, where appropriate or required, and taking other actions with respect to all other compensation matters that are subject to Board approval, including, among other things, incentive plans, equity-based plans and the Company's compensation clawback policies; |
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periodically reviewing director compensation; and |
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reviewing and approving the Compensation Discussion and preparing the annual Compensation Committee Report to be included in our Proxy Statement. |
NCG Committee. Among other things, the NCG Committee's responsibilities contained in its charter include:
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reviewing and recommending to our Board criteria for membership on our Board; |
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reviewing and making recommendations to our Board regarding the size and leadership structure of the Board; |
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reviewing and recommending qualifications of directors believed to be desirable, and identifying and recommending to our Board specific candidates for membership on our Board; |
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reviewing and making recommendations to our Board regarding the roles and responsibilities of the Board's committees, particularly with respect to the Board's oversight of risk management and including the creation of new committees, the modification of existing committees, or other changes to the structure and composition of the Board's committees; |
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evaluating director independence according to the applicable independence requirements set forth in the NYSE listing standards and other applicable law; |
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reviewing and, where appropriate, recommending changes to our Corporate Governance Guidelines; |
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overseeing the Company's policies and practices with respect to corporate responsibility matters, including environmental, social, and governance matters; |
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overseeing new director orientation and director education on topics relevant to the duties and responsibilities of the directors; |
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overseeing evaluations of the Board's effectiveness; and |
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annually reporting to the Board its assessment of our Board's performance. |
The Board has determined that each member of the NCG Committee is independent, as defined in the NYSE listing standards. The NCG Committee will consider director candidates recommended by our stockholders. See the section herein entitled "Procedures for Submission and Consideration of Director Candidates." The NCG Committee may consult with members of the Taplin and Rankin families, including
Planning Advisory Committee.
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acting as a key participant, resource and advisor on various operational and strategic matters; |
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reviewing and advising on a preliminary basis possible acquisitions, divestitures or other transactions identified by management for possible consideration by the Board; and |
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providing general oversight on behalf of the Board with respect to stockholder interests and the Company's evolving structure and stockholder base. |
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Executive Committee. The Executive Committee may exercise all powers of our Board over the management and control of our business during the intervals between meetings of our Board.
Corporate Responsibility
Together with our predecessors, we have been enriching consumers' lives for decades with Good Thinking®, which incorporates teamwork and inspired thinking into all areas of our business and allows us to deliver innovative solutions that improve everyday living. We focus on working to create competitive advantage and long-term value, which requires us to take into consideration a host of complex factors such as impacts to our
customers and consumers, our workforce, our vendors and other business partners, our stockholders, the communities in which we operate, and the environment. We believe that effective governance demands that our management team and Board continue to perform the challenging job of exercising sound business judgment-evaluating competing considerations regarding complex issues and appropriately assessing trade-offs so that decisions are well-considered and reflect a reasonable strategy to create sustainable long-term value. We believe that our long-term perspective incorporates corporate responsibility into our governance and, in turn, our strategy, which we believe will maximize the likelihood of long-term value creation.
We believe that taking an integrated approach to issues that impact our business and our stakeholders-including environmental responsibility-protects the long-term interests of our stockholders by enhancing the health, prospects and sustainability of our business. We are committed to preparing for the future and being a responsible corporate citizen for the benefit of our customers and consumers, our workforce, our vendors and other business partners, our stockholders, the communities in which we operate, and the environment.
Governance
Our Board has determined that, based primarily on the ownership of Class A Common and Class
Although the Company may qualify as a controlled company, our Board evaluates its governance practices annually and has elected not to make use of any of the exceptions to the NYSE listing standards that are available to controlled companies. Accordingly, the majority of the members of our Board are independent, as described in the NYSE listing standards. Our Audit Review Committee, NCG Committee and
Our Board sets the tone for the Company and provides a foundation for strong governance practices. Our Board reflects a balance of longer-tenured members with in-depthknowledge of our business, and newer members who bring valuable attributes, skills and experiences that are relevant to our business and the challenges we face. We believe this combination results in a well-balanced membership that combines a mix of experience, skill and intellect, enabling the Company to pursue its long-term, strategic objectives effectively.
The NCG Committee oversees and reviews our corporate responsibility programs, including environmental, social and governance matters, while the
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Environmental Responsibility
We are committed to conducting our business in a manner that not only complies with our environmental obligations, but also is environmentally responsible. Our employee-ledEnvironmental Sustainability Committee provides input to our management team regarding environmental responsibility initiatives. For example, through our recycling and recertification program, we recycle certain electronics and research and development products, as we strive to continue to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. We also recognize the importance of environmental responsibility in the everyday lives of our consumers. As a result, we are committed to promoting environmental responsibility by bringing to market appliances that are environmentally friendly and that enable our customers to reduce or eliminate waste. One such example is our water filtration appliances, which help to mitigate the impact of single use plastic bottles.
Social
The Company considers its commitment to people, including its employees, customers and consumers, and the local communities in which it operates as a primary focus of corporate responsibility. The Company's priority on people focuses on four principal areas: human capital resources, consumer health and safety, engagement with local communities, and supply chain management.
Our business is dependent upon, and focused on, people-our employees, our customers and the consumers who enjoy our appliances, and the communities in which we live. Our culture is built on and centered around Good Thinking®, which incorporates teamwork, service and inspired thinking into all areas of our business. We believe that this values-based culture is a core strength that provides the foundation for our working environment and our employees. Good Thinking® is more than developing new products; it inspires everything we do.
Within this culture, our people are our most valuable resource, and we expect them to remain the key to our success for decades to come. We strive to create an environment that attracts, engages and develops the talent necessary to enable our performance and growth, including by offering competitive compensation and benefits, providing attractive professional growth opportunities and insisting that everyone be treated with dignity and respect and be afforded equal opportunity. We also recognize the basic human need to feel a sense of inclusion, belonging and meaning. So, we strive to foster an environment in which our people are passionate about our business and our Good Thinking® culture, have a seat at the table and genuinely believe that they are doing meaningful work. We believe that employees with diverse experiences and viewpoints bring value to our Company, especially when coupled with a strong culture of trust in which competing ideas are not only allowed but encouraged to emerge. We strongly believe that this type of environment drives discretionary effort, morale, creativity, initiative and retention-and, in turn, long-term competitive advantage and value creation. Within the framework of our Good Thinking® culture, we operate as One Team and strive to enrich the lives of our customers and consumers by delivering innovative solutions that improve everyday living, all while having a positive, lasting impact on our people and the communities in which we operate.
We are committed to achieving the highest standards of legal and ethical conduct, including by protecting the human rights and fair treatment of our employees. Our policies and programs-including our Code of Corporate Conduct and other compliance policies, our employment-related policies, and our Human Rights Policy-are designed to support this effort.
As of
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teams as well as our state-of-the-arttest kitchen and UL-certifiedtest laboratory. Most of the remaining employees in
One of our top priorities is protecting the health and safety of our workforce. We are committed to maintaining a safe work environment and operating in a safe, secure and responsible manner. We require all our personnel to perform their work in a manner that complies with legal requirements protecting the safety and health of all persons from unreasonable risks. In addition to maintaining property and equipment in safe operating conditions, our occupational health and safety framework includes certain safety training programs and safety-related processes and procedures as we strive to ensure the health and safety of our workforce. Employees are encouraged to initiate safety improvements, participate in safety committees, and always reinforce safe behaviors.
Talent Acquisition, Development and Retention
The long-term success and growth of our business depend in large part on our ability to execute an effective talent strategy that attracts, engages and grows a highly talented and committed workforce capable of enabling and leading our performance. To meet our talent objectives, we utilize key strategies and processes related to recruitment while we remain focused on continuing to strengthen our onboarding and ongoing learning development. We monitor market compensation and benefits to be able to attract, retain and promote employees and reduce turnover and our associated costs. Through our total rewards programs, we strive to offer competitive compensation, benefits and services to our full-time employees including, incentive plans, recognition plans, defined contribution plans, healthcare benefits, tax-advantagedspending accounts, employee assistance programs and other programs such as sick leave, paid vacation and holidays.
We are a learning organization committed to the goal of continuous improvement and the development of our workforce. To empower our employees to reach their full potential, we offer certain training, learning experiences and resources, such as "
Inclusion
As an equal opportunity employer, we make decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. We strive to cultivate diversity of perspective in our workforce and believe teammates with diverse experiences and viewpoints bring value to our organization and improve our Good Thinking® and, in turn, our decision-making. We strive to create a workplace in which employee differences are embraced and competing perspectives are encouraged to emerge, allowing robust collaboration and teamwork to drive better decision making and more favorable results for all stakeholders. All employees participate in training intended to enhance our awareness of the benefits of an inclusive workforce, to encourage more meaningful collaboration, and to strengthen team effectiveness.
The strength of our brands depends on the trust that we eafrom our consumers and, if we are to enrich consumers' lives with Good Thinking®, our products must be known to be safe. For example, materials and component parts that contact food must be non-toxicand free of heavy metals and, because our products are primarily electrical appliances, the plastics used in them must satisfy very strict flammability, impact and material strength requirements.
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We have deep expertise in our products, consumer use of our products, and potential consumer misuse. We develop, test and refine the design of each of our products. We research usage patterns and conduct multiple design and safety reviews. As a result, our detailed specifications meet and often exceed applicable safety standards such as those of
We also carefully select our manufacturing partners, developing long-term relationships with organizations committed to our rigorous standards. All products must meet our detailed specifications and performance standards, and we actively monitor supplier performance on an ongoing basis. For example, we generally require our suppliers to submit weekly quality data, which results in feedback through formal corrective action requests. This prompt feedback drives the elimination of defects at the source and improves product quality, which is critical to safety.
Our suppliers must perform inspections of incoming component parts and raw materials, in-processquality control inspections along each assembly line, and end-of-lineaudits on a specified portion of product that has passed in-processinspections. With approximately 70 employees based in
Engagement with Local Communities
We recognize the interdependency among our business and the health of the communities in which we operate. We strive to be a responsible corporate citizen by supporting our local communities and helping them remain safe, healthy and resilient-which we think is not only the right thing to do but also in the long-term best interests of our stockholders.
We are proud of our contributions to the communities where we live and work. We have a focused and active charitable contributions program in which we seek to support not-forprofit organizations in our communities, including by providing an employee matching gift program of up to
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We are committed to achieving the highest standards of ethical and legal conduct for our Company and our business partners. We purchase substantially all our finished products from suppliers outside
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variable forward contracts, equity swaps, collars and exchange funds, or otherwise engaging in transactions that are designed to or have the effect of hedging or offsetting any change in the market value of equity securities granted by the Company as part of his or her compensation or held, directly or indirectly, by the officer, director or employee. The Company, however, does not prohibit employees who are not officers or designated employees from engaging in such transactions.
Class A Common or Class
for the year ended
of
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the nature of the related person's interest in the transaction;
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the material terms of the transaction, including, without limitation, the amount and type of transaction;
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the importance of the transaction to the related person and to us;
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whether the transaction would impair the judgment of a director or executive officer to act in our best interest; and
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any other matters the Audit Review Committee deems appropriate.
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directors as a group, or with any individual director by sending written communications to
services with EY's independence. The Audit Review Committee also reviewed and discussed with management and EY the Company's audited financial statements for the year ended
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In reliance on the reviews and discussions referred to above, the Audit Review Committee recommended to the Board, and the Board has approved, that the audited financial statements and management's assessment of the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-Kfor the year ended
Chairman |
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PART II - PROPOSALS TO BE VOTED ON AT THE 2025 ANNUAL MEETING
PROPOSAL 1 - ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
Director Nominee Information
Our Board currently consists of thirteen members. The directors will hold office from election until the next annual meeting or until their successors are elected (or, if applicable, until their death, resignation, or removal). All of the nominees presently serve as our directors and were elected at our 2024 annual meeting of stockholders, with the exception of
It is intended that shares represented by proxies in the enclosed form will be voted for the election of the nominees listed below unless contrary instructions are received. We have no reason to believe that any of the nominees will be unable to serve, if elected. If, however, an unexpected occurrence should make it necessary, in the judgment of the proxy holders, to substitute some other person for any of the nominees, shares represented by proxies will be voted for such other person as the proxy holders may select.
The disclosure below provides biographical information about each director nominee. The disclosure presented is based upon information each director has given us about his or her age, all positions held, principal occupation and business experience for the past five years, and the names of other publicly held companies for which the nominee currently serves as director or has served as director during the past five years. We also highlighted certain notable qualifications and skills that led our Board to conclude that each should serve as a director. We believe that the nomination of each of our director nominees is in the best long-term interests of our stockholders, as each individual possesses the highest personal and professional ethics, integrity and values, and has the judgment, skill, independence and experience required to serve as a member of our Board. Each current director has also demonstrated a strong commitment of service to the Company.
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Retired Vice Chair and Chief Financial Officer of
As Vice Chair and Chief Financial Officer of
President and Chief Executive Officer of
With over 20 years of service as a member of management at NACCO while we were its wholly owned subsidiary,
Co-Founder/Co-Presidentof
With over 20 years of experience as the Co-Presidentof a private equity investment firm and member of the Boards of Directors of several of the companies in which his firm holds investments,
Retired Partner of
Chief Merchandising Officer of
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Managing Partner of
With over 20 years of experience as the Managing Partner of a private investment group,
Retired Managing Director of
Non-ExecutiveChairman of the Company and its principal subsidiary,
In over 50 years of service as a Director of NACCO, our former parent company, and as a Senior Manager at NACCO, Mr.
Retired Owner and President of Cross Country Marketing (a private food brokerage firm). Mr.
Mr.
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Partner of
Director, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and its principal subsidiary,
With over 15 years of service in senior management of the Company and its principal operating subsidiary, including as the President and Chief Executive Officer,
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the
Prior to founding the
YOUR BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "FOR" EACH OF THE
DIRECTOR NOMINEES PRESENTED IN PROPOSAL 1.
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Director Compensation
The following table sets forth all compensation each director received for their 2024 service as a director of the Company and as a director of our principal subsidiary, other than
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
For Fiscal Year Ended
|
Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ( |
Stock Awards ( |
All Other Compensation ( |
Total ($) | ||||||||||||
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$ | 83,038 | $ | 111,728 | $ | 4,095 | $ | 198,861 | ||||||||
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$ | 75,038 | $ | 111,728 | $ | 6,442 | $ | 193,208 | ||||||||
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$ | 83,038 | $ | 111,728 | $ | 9,095 | $ | 203,861 | ||||||||
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$ | 83,038 | $ | 111,728 | $ | 6,442 | $ | 201,208 | ||||||||
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$ | 108,038 | $ | 111,728 | $ | 9,095 | $ | 228,861 | ||||||||
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$ | 8,000 | $ | 9,012 | $ | - | $ | 17,011 | ||||||||
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$ | 8,000 | $ | 9,012 | $ | - | $ | 17,011 | ||||||||
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$ | 103,038 | $ | 111,728 | $ | 6,442 | $ | 221,208 | ||||||||
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$ | 120,027 | $ | 152,381 | $ | 501,442 | $ | 773,850 | ||||||||
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$ | 65,038 | $ | 111,728 | $ | 4,095 | $ | 180,861 | ||||||||
|
$ | 98,038 | $ | 111,728 | $ | 9,095 | $ | 218,861 | ||||||||
|
$ | 70,038 | $ | 111,728 | $ | 10,059 | $ | 191,825 |
(1) |
Amounts in this column reflect the annual retainers and other fees earned by the directors in 2024 and paid in cash. They also include payment for fractional shares of Class A Common that were paid under the |
(2) |
Under the Non-EmployeeDirectors Plan, the directors are required to receive a portion of their annual retainer in shares of Class A Common (the "Mandatory Shares"). They are also permitted to elect to receive all or part of the remainder of the retainers in the form of shares of Class A Common (the "Voluntary Shares"). Amounts in this column reflect the aggregate grant date fair value of the Mandatory Shares that were granted to directors under the Non-EmployeeDirectors Plan, determined pursuant to Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718, referred to as "FASB ASC Topic 718." No Voluntary Shares were granted to directors for 2024. See Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-Kfor the year ended |
(3) |
The amount listed includes: (a) with the exception of Ms. Lane and |
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matching charitable gift program in the amount of |
(4) |
|
(5) |
Mr. |
Additional Information Relating to the Director Compensation Table
The compensation program for non-employeedirectors is established by the
In connection with its review of our director compensation program, KoFerry also reviews the compensation structure for our Non-ExecutiveChairman, which includes an annual retainer of
Under the 2024 non-employeedirector compensation program, each non-employeedirector, except the Non-ExecutiveChairman of the Board, was entitled to receive the following compensation in 2024 for service on our Board and on our subsidiaries' boards of directors:
Type of Compensation |
Amount |
|
Annual Board Retainer: | ||
Annual Committee Retainer: | ||
Committee Chairman Retainer: | ||
Annual Retainer for Service on a Subsidiary Board of Directors: |
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As the Non-ExecutiveChairman of the Board, Mr.
The retainers for all of the directors are paid quarterly in arrears. No meeting fees are paid, but each director is also reimbursed for expenses incurred as a result of attendance at meetings.
Under the Non-EmployeeDirectors Plan, each non-employeedirector receives shares of Class A Common that are subject to restrictions generally prohibiting transfer of such shares for a period of 10 years, with any fractional shares paid in cash. The number of shares of Class A Common issued to a director is determined by the following formula: the dollar value of the quarterly installment of the portion of the retainer that is required to be paid in transfer-restricted shares of Class A Common divided by the average closing price of shares of Class A Common on the NYSE at the end of each week during such quarter.
These shares are fully vested on the date of issue, and the director is entitled to all rights of a stockholder, including the right to vote and receive dividends. As mentioned, however, the directors are generally required to hold the shares for a period of up to 10 years from the last day of the calendar quarter for which the shares were earned and, during that ten-yearholding period, the shares cannot be assigned, pledged, hypothecated or otherwise transferred except by will or by laws of descent and distribution, in the event of divorce pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order or to a trust or partnership for the benefit of the director or his or her spouse, children or grandchildren. The transfer restrictions lapse earlier in the event of:
• |
death, cessation of service due to permanent disability or five years from the date the director is no longer on the Board; |
• |
the date that a director is both no longer a member of our Board and has reached age 70; or |
• |
at such other time as determined by the Board in its sole discretion. |
In addition, each director may elect to receive Class A Common in lieu of cash for up to 100% of the balance of the retainer. These Voluntary Shares are not subject to the foregoing restrictions. Under the Non-EmployeeDirectors Plan, no director may receive more than 30,000 shares of Class A Common in any calendar year. No Voluntary Shares were granted to directors for 2024.
Each director also receives (1)
PROPOSAL 2 - ADVISORY VOTE TO APPROVE THE COMPANY'S NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION
As required by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the "Dodd Frank Act"), and Section 14A of the Exchange Act, we are asking our stockholders to cast a non-bindingadvisory vote on the Company's Named Executive Officer ("NEO") compensation, commonly referred to as a "say-on-pay"vote. The vote is not intended to address specific items of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of our NEOs and the policies and practices described in this Proxy Statement.
At our 2024 annual meeting, the compensation of our NEOs received approval from over 99% of the stockholder votes cast. We believe that this result demonstrates our stockholders' endorsement of our
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We encourage stockholders to read the Executive Compensation Information section of this Proxy Statement, including the Compensation Discussion and compensation tables (and related narrative), for a more detailed discussion of our compensation programs and policies.
Action Requested
The Board asks stockholders to vote on the following advisory resolution:
"RESOLVED, THAT THE COMPENSATION OF THE COMPANY'S NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, AS DESCRIBED IN THE COMPENSATION DISCUSSION, THE COMPENSATION TABLES AND RELATED NARRATIVE DISCUSSION IN THE COMPANY'S 2025 PROXY STATEMENT, IS HEREBY APPROVED."
Nature and Frequency of Stockholder Vote
Although the say-on-payvote is advisory and non-binding,the Board and its
YOUR BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "FOR" PROPOSAL 2 TO
APPROVE, ON AN ADVISORY BASIS, THE COMPANY'S NAMED EXECUTIVE
OFFICER COMPENSATION.
PROPOSAL 3 -
THE COMPANY'S INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR 2025
The Audit Review Committee selected EY as the principal independent registered public accounting firm for the current fiscal year for us and our subsidiaries. The Audit Review Committee considered carefully EY's performance and its independence with respect to the services to be performed. The Audit Review Committee is responsible for the audit fee negotiations associated with EY's retention. In connection with the mandated rotation of the lead audit partner, the Audit Review Committee and its Chairman will continue to be directly involved in the selection of EY's lead audit partner. The Audit Review Committee annually evaluates EY's performance and determines whether to reengage the independent registered public accounting firm.
While we are not required to obtain stockholder ratification of the appointment of EY as our independent registered public accounting firm, our Board believes that stockholder ratification is a sound governance practice.
YOUR BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "FOR"
PROPOSAL 3
AS OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR 2025.
It is expected that EY representatives will attend the Annual Meeting and have an opportunity to make a statement, if desired. If in attendance, the representative will be available to answer appropriate questions.
If our stockholders fail to vote in favor of the appointment of EY, the Audit Review Committee will take such actions as it deems necessary. Even if the appointment of EY is ratified, the Audit Review Committee may select a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during fiscal year 2025 if it determines such a change would be in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.
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Pre-Approvalof Audit and Permitted Non-AuditServices
The Audit Review Committee charter requires that all audit and permitted non-auditservices provided by our independent registered public accounting firm must be pre-approvedby our Audit Review Committee. These services may include audit services, audit-related services, tax services and, in limited circumstances, other services. For 2024, the Audit Review Committee authorized us to engage EY for specific audit, audit-related, and tax services up to specified fee levels.
Fee Information
Fees for professional services provided by our auditors in 2024 and 2023 are included in the table below:
2024 | 2023 | |||||||
Audit Fees (1) |
$ | 1,652,702 | $ | 1,598,460 | ||||
Audit-Related Fees (2) |
142,805 | 243,114 | ||||||
Tax Fees (3) |
371,306 | 3,776 | ||||||
All Other Fees |
- | - | ||||||
Total |
$ | 2,166,813 | $ | 1,845,350 | ||||
(1) |
"Audit Fees" principally include services rendered by EY for the audit of our annual financial statements and internal controls, the reviews of the interim financial statements included in our Forms 10-Qand services provided in connection with statutory audits, opening balance sheet procedures in connection with the acquisition of |
(2) |
"Audit-Related Fees" include assurance and related services rendered by EY for accounting advisory matters, including due diligence services in connection with the acquisition of |
(3) |
"Tax Fees" include tax consultation related services rendered by EY for certain routine tax matters. |
PART III - EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION INFORMATION
Following are the material elements of our 2024 compensation objectives and policies, as they relate to the NEOs listed in the Summary Compensation Table. This discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with all accompanying tables, footnotes, and text in the Proxy Statement.
The Company is a smaller reporting company under the
Summary of our Named Executive Officer Compensation Program
Our executive compensation program strongly ties the compensation of our NEOs to our short-term and long-term business objectives and to our stockholder interests. Key elements of compensation include base salary, annual incentive compensation, long-term incentive compensation, and defined contribution retirement benefits.
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Pay for Performance
We align our executive compensation with corporate performance on both a short-term and long-term basis. In 2024, over 70% of the target compensation for each of
Additional information about our named executive officer compensation program:
What We Do |
What We Do NOT Do |
|
Equity compensation awards for NEOs generally must be held for 10 years (equity awards cannot be pledged, hedged, or transferred during this time) | We do not provide our NEOs with employment agreements | |
We provide limited change-in-controlprotections for all employees that (1) accelerate the time of payment of previously vested incentive benefits and non-qualifiedretirement benefits and (2) provide for pro-ratatarget incentive payments for the year of any change-in-control | We do not provide our NEOs with individual change-in-controlagreements | |
We typically set our target compensation at the 50th percentile of our chosen compensation comparator group and deliver compensation above or below this level based on performance | We do not provide our NEOs with any minimum or guaranteed bonuses | |
We use an independent compensation consultant | We do not take into account our long-term awards when determining retirement benefits | |
We provide a modest level of perquisites to NEOs (paid in cash) that are determined based on market reasonableness | We do not have active defined benefit plans and only gave our NEOs credit for time worked under our frozen pension plan |
Compensation Discussion
Executive Compensation Governance
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
The members of the
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Named Executive Officers for 2024
The NEOs for 2024 are listed below:
|
Titles |
|
President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer | ||
Former Chief Executive Officer | ||
Former Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary |
Executive Transitions
In connection with his retirement from the Company on
Compensation Consultant
KoFerry makes recommendations regarding substantially all aspects of compensation for our directors and senior management employees, including the NEOs. KoFerry, however, does not design the Company's compensation programs. For 2024, KoFerry was engaged, in general, to make recommendations regarding:
• |
Director compensation levels; |
• |
Salary midpoints, incentive compensation targets (calculated as a percentage of salary midpoint), and total target compensation for senior management positions; |
• |
Salary point levels, salary midpoints, and incentive targets for new senior management positions and/or changes to current senior management positions; and |
• |
Salary midpoints and/or range movement for all other employee positions. |
All salary point recommendations are determined through consistent application of the KoFerry salary point methodology, which is a proprietary method that takes into account the know-how,problem solving and accountability requirements of the position.
A KoFerry representative attended one of the
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under the Exchange Act, that could give rise to a potential conflict of interest with respect to KoFerry. Based on this review, we are not aware of any conflict of interest that has been raised by KoFerry's services.
KoFerry's
For 2024, KoFerry used its proprietary
Using its proprietary salary midpoint methodology, KoFerry compares positions of similar scope and complexity with the data contained in the
Compensation Policy, Objectives, and Methodology
The guiding principle of our compensation program is the maintenance of a strong link among an employee's compensation, individual performance and the performance of the Company or the subsidiary or business unit for which the employee performs services. The primary objectives of our program are to:
• |
attract, retain, and motivate talented management; |
• |
reward management with competitive total compensation for achievement of specific corporate and individual goals; |
• |
make management long-term stakeholders in the Company; |
• |
help ensure management's interests are closely aligned with those of our stockholders; and |
• |
maintain consistency in compensation. |
• |
salary midpoint, as determined by KoFerry from the |
• |
cash in lieu of perquisites (if applicable); |
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• |
short-term incentive target dollar amount (determined by multiplying the salary midpoint by a specified percentage of that midpoint, as determined by the |
• |
long-term incentive target dollar amount (determined in the same manner as the short-term incentive target); |
• |
total target compensation, which is the sum of the foregoing amounts; and |
• |
base salary (a defined amount related to the salary midpoint). |
In
The following table sets forth each component of total target compensation in dollars and as a percentage of the target total compensation for each NEO, as recommended by KoFerry and approved by the
TOTAL TARGET COMPENSATION FOR 2024
Named Executive Officers |
(A) Salary Midpoint ($)(%) |
(B) Cash in Lieu of Perquisites ($)(%)(1) |
(C) Short-Term Plan Target ($)(%) |
(D) Long-Term Plan Target ($)(%)(2) |
(A)+ (B)+(C)+(D) Target Total Compensation ($) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
$ | 883,100 | 26.5 | % | $ | 23,742 | 0.7 | % | $ | 794,790 | 23.9 | % | $ | 1,624,904 | 48.8 | % | $ | 3,326,536 | |||||||||||||||||||
$ | 406,900 | 44.9 | % | $ | 15,996 | 1.8 | % | $ | 203,450 | 22.4 | % | $ | 280,761 | 31.0 | % | $ | 907,107 | |||||||||||||||||||
$ | 883,100 | 26.5 | % | $ | 34,992 | 1.0 | % | $ | 794,790 | 23.8 | % | $ | 1,624,904 | 48.7 | % | $ | 3,337,786 | |||||||||||||||||||
$ | 406,900 | 44.9 | % | $ | 15,996 | 1.8 | % | $ | 203,450 | 22.4 | % | $ | 280,761 | 31.0 | % | $ | 907,107 |
(1) |
NEOs are paid a fixed dollar amount of cash in lieu of perquisites. These amounts are paid ratably throughout the year. The dollar amounts provided to NEOs in 2024 reflect a defined perquisite allowance for each senior management employee based on salary point levels, pursuant to a triennial analysis performed by KoFerry in 2023 and approved by the |
(2) |
The amounts shown include a 15% increase from the KoFerry-recommended long-term incentive target award that the |
(3) |
|
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payout amounts shown on the Summary Compensation Table. |
Target total compensation is supplemented by health and welfare benefits and retirement benefits, which consist of both (1) the
Base Salary
For 2024, the
• |
general inflation, salary trends and economic forecasts provided by KoFerry; |
• |
general budget considerations and business forecasts provided by management; and |
• |
any extraordinary personal accomplishments or corporate events that occurred during 2023. |
Employees with lower base salaries compared to their salary midpoint and/or superior performance have the potential for larger salary increases. Employees with higher base salaries compared to their salary midpoint and/or who have performed less effectively during the performance period have the potential for smaller or no salary increases.
The following table sets forth base salary for each NEO for 2024, including cash paid in lieu of perquisites:
BASE SALARY FOR 2024
Named Executive Officer |
Salary Midpoint ($) |
Base Salary ($) and as a Percentage of Salary Midpoint (%) (1) |
Salary Increase (%) Compared to 2023 Base Salary (1) |
Cash in Lieu of Perquisites ($) |
||||||||||||||||
|
$ | 883,100 | $ | 652,322 | 73.9 | % | 25.1 | % | $ | 23,742 | ||||||||||
|
$ | 406,900 | $ | 400,000 | 98.3 | % | 11.1 | % | $ | 15,996 | ||||||||||
|
$ | 883,100 | $ | 836,253 | 94.7 | % | 3.4 | % | $ | 34,992 | ||||||||||
|
$ | 406,900 | $ | 409,430 | 100.6 | % | 9.8 | % | $ | 15,996 |
(1) |
For 2024, the |
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(2) |
|
(3) |
|
Incentive Compensation
One of the principles of our compensation program is that senior management employees, including NEOs, generally are compensated based on the performance of the Company and/or the business unit for which the employee performed services. In 2024, all of the NEOs participated in (1) the
Overview. Our incentive compensation plans are designed to align the compensation interests of senior management with our short-term and long-term interests. As such, a significant portion of the NEOs' compensation is linked directly to the attainment of specific financial and operating targets.
The performance criteria and target performance levels for the incentive plans are established within the
• |
Targets Based on Annual Operating Plans. Certain performance targets are based on forecasts contained in the 2024 annual operating plan ("AOP"). With respect to these targets, there is an expectation that these performance targets will be met during the year. If they are not, the participants will not receive all or a portion of the award that is based on these performance criteria. In 2024, the |
• |
Targets Based on Long-Term Goals. Other performance targets are not based on the 2024 AOP. Rather, they are based on long-term goals established by the |
• |
ROTCE Over-Ride. |
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Each NEO is eligible to receive a short-term incentive award and a long-term incentive award based on a target incentive amount that is equal to a percentage of the NEO's salary midpoint. The final payout, however, may be higher or lower than the target amount, depending on actual Company performance.
Incentive Compensation Tables. The following factors should be considered when reviewing the incentive compensation tables:
• |
|
• |
For 2024, the maximum awards under the Short-Term Plan could not exceed 150% of the target award level (or |
• |
The achievement percentages are based on the formulas contained in underlying performance guidelines adopted annually by the |
• |
Target awards for each executive are equal to a specified percentage of the executive's 2024 salary midpoint, based on the number of salary points assigned to the position and the appropriate level of incentive compensation targets recommended by KoFerry and adopted by the |
• |
The plans have a one-yearperformance period. Final awards are determined after year-endby comparing actual performance to the |
• |
|
• |
Short-Term Plan awards are paid annually in cash. Long-Term Equity Plan awards are paid annually in a combination of cash and transfer-restricted shares of Class A Common. Shares issued to NEOs under the Long-Term Equity Plan are subject to a ten-yearholding period to provide an incentive over the ten-yearperiod to increase the value of the Company, which in tuincreases the value of the stock awards. |
• |
All awards are fully vested when issued. |
Short-Term Incentive Compensation
Depending on the NEO's position, the Short-Term Plan was designed to provide target short-term incentive compensation from 50% to 90% of each NEO's 2024 salary midpoint. The following table shows the short-term target awards and payouts approved by the
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TARGET SHORT-TERM COMPENSATION FOR 2024
Named Executive Officer |
(A) 2024 Salary Midpoint |
(B) Short- Term Plan Target as a % of Salary Midpoint |
( Short-Term Plan Target ($) |
(D) Short- Term Plan Payout as % of Target (%) |
(E)= (C) x (D) Short-Term Plan Payout ($) |
|||||||||||||||
|
$ | 883,100 | 90 | % | $ | 794,790 | 121.1 | % | $ | 962,491 | ||||||||||
|
$ | 406,900 | 50 | % | $ | 203,450 | 121.1 | % | $ | 246,378 | ||||||||||
|
$ | 883,100 | 90 | % | $ | 794,790 | 121.1 | % | $ | 962,491 | ||||||||||
|
$ | 406,900 | 50 | % | $ | 203,450 | - | - |
(1) |
|
(2) |
|
The following table shows the performance criteria established by the
Performance Criteria |
(A) Weighting |
Performance Target |
Performance Result |
(B) Achievement Percentage |
(A) x (B) Payout Percentage |
|||||||||||||||
Adjusted ROTCE (1) |
30 | % | 16.8 | % | 22.0 | % | 143.3 | % | 43.0 | % | ||||||||||
Adjusted |
40 | % | $ | 655,274,866 | $ | 654,693,445 | 99.8 | % | 39.9 | % | ||||||||||
Adjusted Operating Profit (2) |
30 | % | $ | 39,599,761 | $ | 46,110,250 | 127.4 | % | 38.2 | % | ||||||||||
Final Payout Percentage (3) |
121.1 | % |
(1) |
ROTCE is defined in the Short-Term Plan as (a) Earnings Before Interest After-Taxafter adjustments divided by (b) Average Total Capital Employed after adjustments. Earnings Before Interest After-Taxis the sum of net income from continuing operations plus after-taxnet interest expense. Average Total Capital Employed is equal to (x) the sum of Average Debt and Average Stockholders' Equity less (y) Average Cash. Average Debt, Average Stockholders' Equity and Average Cash are calculated taking the sum of the balance at the start of the year and the balance at the end of each of the next twelve months divided by thirteen. The following amounts show the adjusted 2024 ROTCE for purposes of determining 2024 Short-Term Plan payouts: |
(Amountsin thousands) |
||||
2024 Net Income from Continuing Operations |
$30,759 | |||
Plus: 2024 Adjustments to Net Income from Continuing Operations |
$3,421 | |||
Plus: 2024 Interest Expense, Net |
$858 | |||
Less: Income Taxes on 2024 Interest Expense |
( |
|||
Adjusted Earnings Before Interest After-Tax |
$34,823 | |||
2024 Average Stockholders' Equity |
$154,121 | |||
Plus: 2024 Average Debt |
$50,000 | |||
Less: 2024 Average Cash |
( |
|||
Plus: Adjustments to Average Total Capital Employed |
||||
Adjusted Average Total Capital Employed |
$158,146 | |||
Adjusted ROTCE |
22.0% |
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Adjustments to Earnings Before Interest After-Taxand Average Total Capital Employed are for non-recurringor special items established by the
• |
tangible or intangible asset impairments; |
• |
restructuring costs including reduction in force and impacts from acquisition or disposition of a business; |
• |
loss related to, and investment in, a subsidiary accounted for as discontinued operations, held for sale, or in bankruptcy, liquidation or a similar process; |
• |
certain patent infringement and other litigation and settlement costs; |
• |
environmental expenses, asset retirement obligations, and early lease termination expenses; |
• |
costs relating to valuation allowances against deferred tax assets; |
• |
costs associated with the pension plan termination, including any non-cashsettlement charges; and |
• |
costs relating to changes in laws and regulations. |
When evaluating the actual performance results for 2024, the
(2) |
In calculating the final performance results, adjustments were made for various items, generally consistent with the adjustments listed in Note (1). |
(3) |
Had Adjusted ROTCE not exceeded a specified target for the year, the final payout percentage would be reduced by up to 40% from the amount otherwise determined under the above formula. This feature acts as an additional control which reflects the |
Long-Term Incentive Compensation
The purpose of our long-term incentive compensation program is to enable senior management employees, including NEOs, to accumulate capital through managerial performance, which the
Those individual NEOs who have a greater impact on our long-term strategy receive a higher percentage of their compensation as long-term compensation. In general, the
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Long-Term Equity Plan.In 2024, all senior executives in the
Target awards under the Long-Term Equity Plan are expressed initially as a dollar amount equal to a percentage of the participant's salary midpoint based on the long-term incentive compensation targets for that salary point level recommended by KoFerry (increased by 15%) and adopted by the
• |
the average closing price of our Class A Common stock on the NYSE at the end of each week during the 2023 calendar year (or such other previous calendar year as determined by the |
• |
the average closing price of our Class A Common stock on the NYSE at the end of each week during the 2024 award year, which price was |
Participants have all the rights of a stockholder, including the right to vote, upon receipt of the shares. The participants also have the right to receive dividends that are declared and paid after they receive the award shares. The award shares issued are subject to transfer restrictions that generally lapse the earliest of: (1) 10 years after the last day of the performance period (for senior management other than NEOs, three, five or ten years depending on salary point level); (2) the participant's death or permanent disability; or (3) three years from the date of retirement (or earlier with the approval of the
For 2024, the Long-Term Equity Plan was designed to provide target long-term incentive compensation between 60% and 160% of the NEO's 2024 salary midpoint, depending on the NEO's position. The table below shows the long-term target awards (including a 15% increase in the target percentages to reflect the immediately taxable nature of the equity awards) and payouts approved by the
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TARGET LONG-TERM COMPENSATION FOR 2024
Named Executive Officer |
(A) 2024 Salary Midpoint ($) |
(B) Long-Term Plan Target as % of Salary Midpoint (1) |
( Long-Term Plan Target ( |
(D) Long- Term Plan Payout as (%) of Plan Target (2) |
(E)= (C) x (D) Total Long-term Award ($) |
(F) Shares Issued (#)(3) |
(G) Grant Date Fair Value of Shares Awarded ( |
(H) Fair Value of Long-term Plan Payout ( |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
$ | 883,100 | 184.0 | % | $ | 1,624,904 | 109.6 | % | $ | 1,780,895 | 61,550 | $ | 1,026,962 | $ | 1,419,489 | ||||||||||||||||||
$ | 406,900 | 69.0 | % | $ | 280,761 | 109.6 | % | $ | 307,714 | 16,888 | $ | 281,776 | $ | 389,490 | ||||||||||||||||||
$ | 883,100 | 184.0 | % | $ | 1,624,904 | 109.6 | % | $ | 1,780,895 | 97,743 | $ | 1,630,842 | $ | 2,254,172 | ||||||||||||||||||
$ | 406,900 | 69.0 | % | $ | 280,761 | - | - | - | - | - |
(1) |
The target percentages include a 15% increase in the target awards which will be granted to Long-Term Equity Plan participants to account for the immediately taxable nature of the equity awards. This is the amount that is used by the |
(2) |
Refer to the table below for detailed calculations of the 2024 payout percentage for the Long-Term Equity Plan. |
(3) |
Awards under the Long-Term Equity Plan are initially denominated in dollars. The amounts shown in columns ( |
(4) |
Column (G) represents the grant date fair value of the shares awarded computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, which was |
(5) |
The amount shown in column (H) is the sum of (a) the cash distributed, and (b) the amount shown in Column (G). This is the same amount that is disclosed in the Summary Compensation Table. |
(6) |
|
(7) |
|
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The following table shows the performance criteria established by the
Performance Criteria |
(A) Weighting |
Performance Target |
Performance Result |
(B) Achievement Percentage |
(A) x (B) Payout Percentage |
|||||||||||||||
Adjusted |
33 | % | - | - | 99.8 | % | 32.9 | % | ||||||||||||
Adjusted ROTCE (1) |
33 | % | - | - | 125.0 | % | 41.3 | % | ||||||||||||
Project Focus List (2) |
34 | % | 100.0 | % | 104.0 | % | 104.0 | % | 35.4 | % | ||||||||||
Final Payout Percentage (3) |
109.6 | % |
(1) |
In 2024, the |
(2) |
We do not disclose the Project Focus List targets or results due to their competitively sensitive nature. Among other items, they identify specific future projects, customers and strategic activities that enhance stockholder value over time. |
(3) |
Had Adjusted ROTCE not exceeded a specified target for the year, the final payout percentage would be reduced by up to 40% from the amount otherwise determined under the above formula. This feature acts as an additional control which reflects the |
Other Compensation of Named Executive Officers
Discretionary Transfer-Restricted Stock Awards. The Company also maintains the Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company Supplemental Executive Long-Term Incentive Bonus Plan ("Supplemental Equity Plan"), which gives the
Discretionary Cash Bonuses.
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Retirement Plans. The material terms of the various retirement plans are described below and in the footnotes to the Pension Benefit Table and the Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Table.
Defined Benefit Plan. We no longer provide defined benefit pensions to employees, including the NEOs. The HBB Pension Plan was frozen to new participants and benefit accruals (other than interest credits required by law for frozen cash balance accounts) as of
Defined Contribution Plans. We provide all full-time employees (including, the NEOs) with defined contribution retirement benefits. Employer contributions are calculated under formulas designed to provide employees with competitive retirement income. In general, the NEOs and other executive officers receive the same retirement benefits as all other similarly situated employees. NEOs and other executive officers of the Company, however, receive their benefits under a combination of the tax-qualifiedHBB 401(k) and the non-qualifiedHBB Excess Plan. The HBB Excess Plan provides certain retirement benefits that would have been provided under the qualified plan, but that cannot be provided due to federal tax limits and
Our defined contribution plans provide the following three types of benefits: (1) employee deferrals of up to 25% of compensation; (2) "safe harbor" employer nonelective contributions equal to 3% of compensation; and (3) profit-sharing benefits. The compensation taken into account under our plans generally includes base salary, overtime and other similar items of compensation required to be reported on a Form W-2but excludes most other forms of compensation including long-term incentive compensation and other bonus or discretionary payments. Short-term incentive payments and other annual bonuses are included solely for purposes of calculating profit-sharing benefits.
The HBB 401(k) profit-sharing formula is based on a specified percentage of compensation that also takes into account the employee's age and Company performance for the year. If the Company performs well, the amount of the profit-sharing contribution increases. As applied to the NEOs in 2024, the range of profit-sharing contributions attributable to all eligible compensation were: (1) between 4.4% and 13.2% for all of our NEOs; plus (2) 5.7% of eligible compensation in excess of the Social Security Wage Base for the year.
HBB 401(k) profit sharing contributions are subject to a five-year graded vesting schedule and all of our NEOs (other than
Excess Benefit Plan. The HBB Excess Plan is an excess benefit plan that is exempt from the requirements of Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). This means that the employer contributions the Company was unable to contribute to the HBB 401(k) plan on behalf of the NEOs due to tax code and other limitations were instead credited to each person's accounts under the HBB Excess Plan, generally consisting of excess employer nonelective and other profit sharing contributions. Additionally, under the HBB Excess Plan:
• |
except for amounts attributable to excess profit sharing benefits, account balances are credited with interest during the year based on the rate of retuof the |
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• |
amounts credited each year generally are paid by |
• |
the amounts credited are increased by 15% to reflect the immediately taxable nature of the payments. |
Other Benefits. All salaried
Perquisites and Other Personal Benefits. Although we provide limited perquisites in the form of cash payments to NEOs, we do not believe these perquisites constitute a material component of the executive officer's compensation package. The modest amount of cash paid to the NEOs in lieu of perquisites in 2024 is separately disclosed in the Total Target Compensation table.
No Individual Employment or Severance Agreements. During 2024, no NEO had an employment agreement that provides a fixed period of employment, fixed position or duties, or fixed base salary, actual, or target incentive bonus. Upon an NEO's termination for any reason, the NEO (as other employees) will receive:
• |
amounts earned during the term of employment, including earned but unpaid salary and accrued but unused vacation pay; and |
• |
benefits under the retirement plans, incentive plans, and the HBB Excess Plan. |
There are no individual severance contracts with any continuing NEO. Upon termination of employment in certain circumstances and in accordance with the terms of the plans, the NEOs are only entitled to severance pay under broad-based severance pay plans that generally are available to all salaried employees that provide benefits for a stated period of time based on the length of service, with various maximum time periods.
Limited Change in Control Benefits for All Employees. To advance the objective of attracting, retaining and motivating qualified management, the
Importantly, these change in control provisions are not employment agreements and do not guarantee employment for any period of time. In addition, no change in control payment will be "grossed up" for any excise tax imposed on an executive as a result of the receipt of payments upon a change in control.
Tax Implications
Deductibility of Executive Compensation. Section 162(m) of the Code ("Section 162(m)") generally provides that, subject to certain exceptions, we may not deduct compensation of more than
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Other Policies and Considerations
Assessment of Risks in Our Compensation Program. As part of its oversight, the
Compensation Clawback Policy. We maintain and operate a Compensation Clawback Policy, which provides for the reasonably prompt recovery (or clawback) of certain excess incentive-based compensation received during an applicable three-year recovery period by current or former executive officers in the event the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement due to the material noncompliance with any financial reporting requirement under the securities laws. Triggering events include accounting restatements to correct an error in previously issued financial statements that is material to such previously issued financial statements, or that would result in a material misstatement if the error were corrected in the current period or left uncorrected in the current period. Excess incentive-based compensation for these purposes generally means the amount of incentive-based compensation received (on or after
In general, the Company may utilize a broad range of recoupment methods under the Compensation Clawback Policy for mandatory accounting restatement clawbacks. The Compensation Clawback Policy does not condition such clawback on the fault of the executive officer, but the Company is not required to clawback amounts in limited circumstances where the
Supplemental Compensation Recoupment Policy. Further, the Company maintains and operates a Supplemental Compensation Recoupment Policy, which amended, restated and continued applicable provisions of the Company's Compensation Recoupment Policy, which was originally adopted effective
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Stock Ownership Guidelines. While the Company encourages the executive officers to own shares of Class A Common, it does not have any formal policy requiring the executive officers to own any specified amount of Class A Common. The executive officers, however, generally must hold the shares of Class A Common granted under the Long-Term Equity Plan for 10 years, which can result in the executive officers holding a significant accumulation of Class A Common during their careers.
Role of Executive Officers in Compensation Decisions. Our management, specifically the President and CEO of the Company, reviews our goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of executive officers. The CEO annually reviews the performance of each executive officer and makes recommendations based on those reviews to the
"Say-on-Pay"Stockholder Vote
When setting executive compensation for 2025, the
Compensation Committee Report
Chairman |
||||
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Compensation Tables
The following tables disclose the compensation of our NEOs for services rendered in 2024.
SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE
For Fiscal Year Ended
The following table sets forth NEO compensation for 2023 and 2024:
|
Year | Salary ( |
Stock Awards ( |
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ( |
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ( |
All Other Compensation ( |
Total ($) | |||||||||||||||||||||
2024 | $ | 676,064 | $ | 1,026,962 | $ | 1,036,765 | $ | 16,487 | $ | 196,934 | $ | 2,953,212 | ||||||||||||||||
2023 | $ | 551,894 | $ | 433,557 | $ | 464,120 | $ | 8,370 | $ | 110,532 | $ | 1,568,473 | ||||||||||||||||
2024 | $ | 415,996 | $ | 281,776 | $ | 354,092 | $ | 5,226 | $ | 87,467 | $ | 1,144,557 | ||||||||||||||||
2023 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | ||||||||||||||||
Officer (7) |
2024 | $ | 871,245 | $ | 1,630,842 | $ | 1,585,821 | $ | 29,183 | $ | 354,169 | $ | 4,471,260 | |||||||||||||||
2023 | $ | 859,923 | $ | 1,501,966 | $ | 1,360,317 | $ | 20,256 | $ | 230,997 | $ | 3,973,459 | ||||||||||||||||
2024 | $ | 380,875 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 6,573 | $ | 692,419 | $ | 1,079,867 | ||||||||||||||||
2023 | $ | 396,234 | $ | 205,370 | $ | 252,867 | $ | 3,843 | $ | 67,854 | $ | 926,169 |
(1) |
The amounts reported under the "Salary" column for 2024 include both base salary and the perquisite allowance. As previously mentioned, Hamilton Beach provides a defined, limited cash perquisite allowance to each senior management employee based on salary point levels, pursuant to advice received from KoFerry. These amounts are reported above in the table entitled "Base Salary for 2024." |
(2) |
The amounts reported in the "Stock Awards" column for 2024 represent the accounting grant date fair value of the shares of stock that were granted to NEOs for awards under the Long-Term Equity Plan, determined in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. See Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-Kfor the years ended |
(3) |
The amounts listed for 2024 are comprised of (a) the cash payments under the Short-Term Plan, and (b) the cash portion (approximately 35%) of the awards to the NEOs under the Long-Term Equity Plan, in each case as earned for 2024. |
(4) |
Amounts listed in this column for 2024 reflect only the interest that is in excess of 120% of the long-term applicable federal rate, compounded monthly, referred to as "Above-Market Interest," that was credited to the NEO's accounts under the HBB Excess Plan. We have omitted the changes in the actuarial present value of accumulated benefits under the frozen HBB Pension Plan for the NEOs, which we are not required to report due to the different disclosure rules that apply to smaller reporting companies. |
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(5) |
All other compensation earned during 2024 for each of the NEOs is as follows: |
Sally M. Cunningham |
Gregory H. Trepp |
Lawrence K. Workman, Jr. |
||||||||||||||
Employer Qualified Profit Sharing Contributions | $ | 20,804 | $ | 20,804 | $ | 20,804 | $ | 20,804 | ||||||||
Employer Excess Plan Profit Sharing Contributions | $ | 149,041 | $ | 51,051 | $ | 278,083 | $ | 64,731 | ||||||||
Other Qualified Employer Retirement Contributions | $ | 10,350 | $ | 10,350 | $ | 10,350 | $ | 10,350 | ||||||||
Other Excess Plan Employer Retirement Contributions | $ | 13,950 | $ | 2,130 | $ | 15,787 | $ | 2,140 | ||||||||
Employer Paid Life Insurance Premiums | $ | 870 | $ | 557 | $ | 940 | $ | 523 | ||||||||
Severance Payments and Benefits | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 25,730 | $ | 591,486 | ||||||||
Other | $ | 1,919 | $ | 2,575 | $ | 2,475 | $ | 2,385 | ||||||||
Total |
$ | 196,934 | $ | 87,467 | $ | 354,169 | $ | 692,419 | ||||||||
Amounts listed in "Other" include (a) employer-paid premiums for the NEOs' personal excess liability insurance, (b) executive travel accident insurance premiums and wellness subsidies, and (c) the value of service award gift cards.
(6) |
No 2023 compensation information is shown for |
(7) |
|
(8) |
|
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Grants of Plan-Based Awards
The following table sets forth information concerning all awards granted to the NEOs for 2024 and estimated payouts under our incentive plans.
GRANTS OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS
For Fiscal Year Ended
(A) Estimated Possible Payouts Under Non- Equity Incentive Plan Awards |
(B) Estimated Possible Payouts Under Equity Incentive Plan Awards |
Grant Date Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards ( |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Grant Date | Plan |
Target ($) |
Maximum ($) |
Target ($) |
Maximum ($) |
||||||||||||||||||||||
N/A | Short-Term Plan | (3) | $ | 794,790 | $ | 1,192,185 | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||||||
Long-Term
Equity Plan |
(4) | $ | 568,716 | $ | 853,075 | $ | 1,056,188 | $ | 1,584,281 | $ | 1,026,962 | |||||||||||||||||
N/A | Short-Term Plan | (3) | $ | 203,450 | $ | 305,175 | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||||||
Long-Term
Equity Plan |
(4) | $ | 98,266 | $ | 147,400 | $ | 182,495 | $ | 273,742 | $ | 281,776 | |||||||||||||||||
N/A | Short-Term Plan | (3) | $ | 794,790 | $ | 1,192,185 | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||||||
Long-Term
Equity Plan |
(4) | $ | 568,716 | $ | 853,075 | $ | 1,056,188 | $ | 1,584,281 | $ | 1,630,842 | |||||||||||||||||
N/A | Short-TermPlan | (3) | $ | 203,450 | $ | 305,175 | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||||||
Long-Term
Equity Plan |
(4) | $ | 98,266 | $ | 147,400 | $ | 182,495 | $ | 273,742 | $ | - |
(1) |
There are no minimum or threshold payouts under any of our incentive plans. |
(2) |
These amounts reflect the accounting grant date fair value of the shares, determined in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. These amounts also are reflected in the Summary Compensation Table. |
(3) |
Awards under the Short-Term Plan are based on a one-yearperformance period that consists solely of the 2024 calendar year. Awards are paid in cash (not equity) as soon as practicable after approval by the |
(4) |
Awards under the Long-Term Equity Plan are based on a one-yearperformance period that consists solely of the 2024 calendar year. Awards are paid, partially in transfer-restricted stock (approximately 65%) and partially in cash (approximately 35%), as soon as practicable after approval by the |
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and maximum awards established by the |
Equity Compensation
In 2024 all
Awards under the Long-Term Equity Plan are paid partially in cash and partially in the form of fully vested shares of stock subject to transfer restrictions generally for a period of 10 years for NEOs, from the last day of the performance period. Refer to the section above entitled "Long-Term Incentive Compensation" for additional information regarding our equity awards.
The following table reflects the stock awards vested under the Long-Term Equity Plan for 2024 performance. No stock awards were issued under the Supplemental Equity Plan for services in 2024.
OPTION EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED
For Fiscal Year Ended
|
Stock Awards | |||||||
Number of Shares Acquired on Vesting (#)(1) |
Value Realized on Vesting ( |
|||||||
|
54,342 | $ | 956,419 | |||||
|
15,722 | $ | 276,707 | |||||
|
81,178 | $ | 1,428,733 | |||||
|
- | $ | - |
(1) |
The amounts shown in this table represent the number of shares received by the NEOs. Their awards were granted pursuant to a net exercise feature, whereby if the amount of the tax liability associated with the stock portion of the awards exceeded the cash portion of the awards under the Long-Term Equity Plan, then a portion of the shares to be issued would be subject to withholding by the Company to pay taxes associated with the stock portion of the awards. As required under the Long-Term Equity Plan, at the time the stock was issued, |
(2) |
The value realized on vesting is the average of the high and low price of Class A Common (which average price was |
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Stock Options
The Company does not sponsor and never sponsored a stock option plan.
Defined Benefit Pension Plans
The frozen HBB Pension Plan was terminated effective
PENSION BENEFITS
For Fiscal Year Ended
|
Plan |
Number of Years Credited Service (#) |
Present Value of Accumulated Benefit ( |
Payments During Last Fiscal Year ( |
||||||||||
|
HBB Pension Plan | 3 | $ | 0 | $ | 15,736 | ||||||||
|
N/A (4) | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||
|
N/A (4) | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||
|
N/A (4) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
(1) |
The amount shown above represents the present value as of |
(2) |
The amount shown above represents an estimate of the value of the annuity premium paid to settle |
(3) |
|
(4) |
|
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Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Benefits
Refer to the section above entitled "Other Compensation of Named Executive Officers-Excess Benefit Plan" for a detailed description of the HBB Excess Plan. The following table sets forth information concerning benefits earned by, and paid to, the NEOs under our HBB Excess Plan:
NONQUALIFIED DEFERRED COMPENSATION
For Fiscal Year Ended
|
Executive Contributions in 2024 ( |
Employer Contributions in 2024 ( |
Aggregate Earnings in 2024 ( |
Aggregate Withdrawals/ Distributions in 2024 ($) |
Aggregate Balance at 2024 ( |
|||||||||||||||
|
N/A | $ | 162,991 | $ | 11,600 | $ | 95,767 | $ | 174,591 | |||||||||||
|
N/A | $ | 53,181 | $ | 1,946 | $ | 14,956 | $ | 55,127 | |||||||||||
|
N/A | $ | 293,870 | $ | 28,186 | $ | 232,256 | $ | 322,056 | |||||||||||
|
N/A | $ | 66,871 | $ | 5,573 | $ | 44,624 | $ | 72,444 |
(1) |
The HBB Excess Plan does not permit employee contributions. |
(2) |
The employer contributions shown in this table are also reflected in the "All Other Compensation" column of the 2024 Summary Compensation Table. The "above-market earnings" portion (in other words, the interest earned in excess of 120% of the long-term applicable federal rate) of the amounts shown in the Aggregate Earnings column of this table also are included in the Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings column of the 2024 Summary Compensation Table. |
(3) |
Because the entire account balance under the HBB Excess Plan is paid out each year, no portion of the account balances under that plan as of |
Potential Payments Upon Termination/Change In Control
As previously discussed above in the section entitled "Limited Change in Control Benefits for All Employees," the following change in control provisions apply to NEOs during their service: participants will receive a pro-ratedtarget award for the year of the change in control under the incentive plans.
A "change in control" for purposes of these plans generally consists of any of the following provided that the event otherwise qualifies as a change in control under the regulations issued pursuant to Code Section 409A:
• |
an acquisition of more than 50% of the voting securities of the Company or the voting securities of the subsidiary (for those employees of that particular subsidiary) other than acquisitions directly from the Company or the subsidiary, as applicable involving: (1) any employee benefit plan; (2) the Company; (3) the applicable subsidiary or one of its affiliates; or (4) the parties to the stockholders' agreement discussed under the section entitled "Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership;" |
• |
the members of the Company's current Board (and their approved successors) ceasing to constitute a majority of the Company's Board or, if applicable, the board of directors of a successor of the Company; |
• |
for those plans that cover the employees of a subsidiary, the consummation of a reorganization, merger or consolidation or sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the subsidiary and its affiliates, excluding a business combination pursuant to which the individuals and entities who |
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beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the combined voting power of the applicable entity immediately prior to such business combination continue to hold at least 50% of the voting securities of the successor; and |
• |
for all plans, the consummation of a reorganization, merger or consolidation or sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company or the acquisition of assets of another corporation, or other transaction involving the Company excluding, however, a business combination pursuant to which both of the following apply: (1) the individuals and entities who beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the combined voting power of the Company immediately prior to such business combination continue to hold at least 50% of the voting securities of the successor; and (2) at the time of the execution of the initial agreement, or of the action of the Board providing such business combination, at least a majority of the members of the Board were incumbent directors. |
For purposes of calculating the amount of any potential payments to the continuing NEOs under the table provided below, we assumed that a change in control occurred on
Since
POTENTIAL PAYMENTS UPON TERMINATION/CHANGE IN CONTROL
For Fiscal Year Ended
|
Estimated Total Value of Payments Based on Incentive Plan Award Targets in Year of Change in Control ( |
|||
|
$ | 2,419,694 | ||
|
$ | 484,211 | ||
|
$ | 2,419,694 |
(1) |
This column reflects the award targets under the 2024 incentive plans for the NEOs. Under the change in control provisions of the plans, the NEOs are assumed to be entitled to receive their award targets for 2024 if a change in control had occurred on |
(2) |
|
Departed NEOs
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CEO Pay Ratio
As a smaller reporting company, the Company is exempt from the requirement to disclose the ratio of our CEO's annual total compensation to that of our median employee. We, nevertheless, have chosen to provide the ratio of our CEO's annual total compensation to the annual total compensation of our median employee ("Median Employee") for 2024.
For purposes of this year's disclosure relating to 2024 pay, we did not repeat the process described below for selecting the new Median Employee because there has been no change in our employee population or employee compensation arrangements that we reasonably believe would significantly impact our pay ratio disclosure. As a result, under
We chose
We calculated annual total compensation for 2024 for the Median Employee (a
Based on this, our estimate of the ratio of CEO compensation to the compensation of our Median Employee for 2024 was approximately 56 to 1.
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information about compensation for 2024 for this Proxy Statement's named executive officers, as well as compensation for 2022 and 2023 for our named executive officers from our 2023 and 2024 Proxy Statements (each of 2022, 2023 and 2024, a "Covered Year"). We refer to all of the named executive officers covered in the PVP Table below, collectively, as the "PVP NEOs". The PVP Table also provides information about the results for certain measures of financial performance during those same Covered Years. In reviewing this information, there are a few important things we believe you should consider:
• |
The information in columns (b) and (d) of the PVP Table comes directly from the 2022, 2023 and 2024 Summary Compensation Tables, without adjustment;
|
• |
As required by the
|
• |
As required by the
|
PAY VERSUS PERFORMANCE
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Year (a)
|
Summary
Compensation
Table
Total for
PEO Trepp
(b)(1)
|
Summary
Compensation
Table
Total for
PEO Tidey
(b)(1)
|
Compensation
Actually
Paid to
PEO Trepp
(c)(1)(2)(3)
|
Compensation
Actually
Paid to
PEO Tidey
(c)(1)(2)(3)
|
Average
Summary
Compensation
Table
Total for
Non-PEO
Named
Executive
Officers
(d)(1)
|
Average
Compensation
Actually
Paid to
Non-PEO
Named
Executive
Officers
(e)(1)(2)(3)
|
Value of Initial
Fixed
Investment
Based
on Total
Shareholder Retu(f)(4) |
Net Income
(g)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
2024
|
$ | 4,471,260 | $ | 2,953,212 | $ | 4,471,260 | $ | 2,953,212 | $ | 1,112,212 | $ | 1,112,212 | $ | 126.29 | $ | 30,759,000 | ||||||||||||||||
2023
|
$ | 3,973,459 | N/A | $ | 3,973,459 | N/A | $ | 1,247,321 | $ | 1,247,321 | $ | 127.72 | $ | 25,242,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
2022
|
$ | 2,709,759 | N/A | $ | 2,709,759 | N/A | $ | 961,152 | $ | 961,152 | $ | 89.17 | $ | 25,267,000 |
(1) |
non-PEO
PVP NEOs were non-PEO
PVP NEOs were non-PEO
PVP NEOs were |
(2) |
For 2024, in determining both the CAP to our PEOs and the average CAP to our
non-PEO
PVP NEOs for purposes of this PVP Table, we deducted from or added back to the total amounts of compensation reported in column (b) for such Covered Year the following amounts: |
Item and
|
2024 ($)
|
|||
For
|
||||
-
Summary Compensation Table ("SCT") "Stock Awards" column value
|
($ | 1,630,842 | ) | |
-
SCT "Option Awards" column value
|
N/A | |||
+
Covered
Year-end
fair value of outstanding equity awards granted in Covered Year |
N/A | |||
+/-
change in fair value (from prior
year-end
to Covered Year-end)
of equity awards outstanding at Covered Year-end
that were granted prior to Covered Year |
N/A | |||
+
vesting date fair value of equity awards granted and vested in Covered Year
|
$ | 1,630,842 | ||
+/-
change in fair value (from prior
year-end
to vesting date) of equity awards granted prior to Covered Year that vested in Covered Year |
N/A | |||
-
prior
year-end
fair value of equity awards granted prior to Covered Year that were forfeited in Covered Year |
N/A | |||
+
includable dividends/earnings on equity awards during Covered Year
|
N/A | |||
TOTAL ADDED (DEDUCTED):
|
0 |
Item and
|
2024 ($)
|
|||
For
|
||||
-
SCT "Stock Awards" column value
|
($ | 1,026,962 | ) | |
-
SCT "Option Awards" column value
|
N/A | |||
+
Covered
Year-end
fair value of outstanding equity awards granted in Covered Year |
N/A | |||
+/-
change in fair value (from prior
year-end
to Covered Year-end)
of equity awards outstanding at Covered Year-end
that were granted prior to Covered Year |
N/A | |||
+
vesting date fair value of equity awards granted and vested in Covered Year
|
$ | 1,026,962 | ||
+/-
change in fair value (from prior
year-end
to vesting date) of equity awards granted prior to Covered Year that vested in Covered Year |
N/A | |||
-
prior
year-end
fair value of equity awards granted prior to Covered Year that were forfeited in Covered Year |
N/A | |||
+
includable dividends/earnings on equity awards during Covered Year
|
N/A | |||
TOTAL ADDED (DEDUCTED):
|
0 |
Item and
|
2024 ($)
|
|||
For
Non-PEO
Named Executive Officers (Average): |
||||
-
SCT "Stock Awards" column value
|
($ | 140,888 | ) | |
-
SCT "Option Awards" column value
|
N/A | |||
+
Covered
Year-end
fair value of outstanding equity awards granted in Covered Year |
N/A | |||
+/-
change in fair value (from prior
year-end
to Covered Year-end)
of equity awards outstanding at Covered Year-end
that were granted prior to Covered Year |
N/A | |||
+
vesting date fair value of equity awards granted and vested in Covered Year
|
$ | 140,888 | ||
+/-
change in fair value (from prior
year-end
to vesting date) of equity awards granted prior to Covered Year that vested in Covered Year |
N/A | |||
-
prior
year-end
fair value of equity awards granted prior to Covered Year that were forfeited in Covered Year |
N/A | |||
+
includable dividends/earnings on equity awards during Covered Year
|
N/A | |||
TOTAL ADDED (DEDUCTED):
|
0 |
Please note that while similar adjustment information was provided in our 2024 proxy statement for the 2023 Covered Year and in our 2023 proxy statement for the 2022 Covered Year, under applicable
|
(3) |
|
(4) |
For each Covered Year, our total shareholder retuwas calculated as the yearly percentage change in our cumulative total shareholder retuon our common stock, par value
one-,
two-,
and three-year period, a "Measurement Period"), assuming dividend reinvestment, plus (ii) the difference between our closing stock price at the end versus the beginning of the Measurement Period, divided by (b) our closing share price at the beginning of the Measurement Period. Each of these yearly percentage changes was then applied to a deemed fixed investment of Year-end
values of such investment as of the end of 2024, 2023 and 2022, as applicable. Because Covered Years are presented in the table in reverse chronical order (from top to bottom), the table should be read from bottom to top for purposes of understanding cumulative returns over time. |
PVP NEO CAP (in each case as set forth in the PVP Table above) and (2) each of the performance measures set forth in columns (f) and (g) of the PVP Table above.
Table of Contents
PART IV - OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table sets forth the information as of
Plan Category |
Number of Securities to Be Issued Upon Exercise of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights |
Weighted-Average Exercise Price of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights |
Number of Securities Remaining Available for Future Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans (Excluding Securities Reflected in Column (a)) |
|||||||||
Class A Shares: |
(a) | (b) | (c) | |||||||||
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders |
0 | N/A | 1,544,567 | (1) | ||||||||
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders |
0 | N/A | 0 | |||||||||
Total |
0 | N/A | 1,544,567 | (1) | ||||||||
Class |
||||||||||||
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders |
0 | N/A | 0 | |||||||||
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders |
0 | N/A | 0 | |||||||||
Total |
0 | N/A | 0 | |||||||||
(1) |
The share amount in column (c) includes 433,173 shares available under our Non-Employee Directors Plan, 100,000 shares available under our Supplemental Equity Plan, and 1,011,394 shares available under our Long-Term Equity Plan. Of these shares, 13,474 shares were issued to directors in |
Beneficial Ownership Of Class A Common And Class B Common Stock
Set forth in the following tables is the indicated information as of the Record Date (except as otherwise indicated) with respect to (1) each person who is known to us to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of the Class A Common, (2) each person who is known to us to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of the Class
Holders of shares of Class A Common and Class
Class
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Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership
Class A Common
|
Title of Class |
Sole Voting or |
Shared Voting or Investment Power |
Aggregate Amount |
Percent of Class |
|||||||||||||||
|
Class A | - | (1) | - | (1) | 698,200 | (1) | 6.86% | ||||||||||||
50 Hudson Yards |
Class A | 586,239 | (2) | - | (2) | 593,699 | (2) | 5.83% | ||||||||||||
675 Third Avenue Suite 2900-005 |
Class A | 570,298 | (3) | - | (3) | 570,298 | (3) | 5.60% | ||||||||||||
|
Class A | 45,751 | - | 45,751 | ** | |||||||||||||||
|
Class A | 198,522 | (5) | 158,558 | (5) | 357,080 | (5) | 3.51% | ||||||||||||
|
Class A | 63,953 | - | 63,953 | ** | |||||||||||||||
|
Class A | 52,179 | - | 52,179 | ** | |||||||||||||||
|
Class A | 63,420 | - | 63,420 | ** | |||||||||||||||
|
Class A | 545 | - | 545 | ** | |||||||||||||||
|
Class A | 545 | - | 545 | ** | |||||||||||||||
|
Class A | 47,825 | - | 47,825 | ** | |||||||||||||||
|
Class A | 441,335 | (6) | 11,076 | (6) | 452,411 | (6) | 4.44% | ||||||||||||
|
Class A | 184,243 | (7) | 11,766 | (7) | 196,009 | (7) | 1.93% | ||||||||||||
|
Class A | 62,580 | - | 62,580 | ** | |||||||||||||||
|
Class A | 142,768 | - | 142,768 | 1.40% | |||||||||||||||
|
Class A | 235,582 | 100,000 | 335,582 | 3.30% | |||||||||||||||
|
Class A | 198,160 | (9) | 37,439 | (9) | 235,599 | (9) | 2.31% | ||||||||||||
|
Class A | 32,425 | - | 32,425 | ** | |||||||||||||||
|
Class A | 22,280 | - | 22,280 | ** | |||||||||||||||
All executive officers and directors as a group (14 persons) (11) |
Class A | 1,534,251 | (12) | 218,839 | (12) | 1,753,090 | (12) | 17.22% |
** |
Less than 1.0%. |
(1) |
A Schedule 13D/A filed with the |
(2) |
A Schedule 13G filed with the |
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(3) |
A Schedule 13G/A filed with the |
(4) |
Pursuant to our Non-EmployeeDirectors' Plan, each current non-employeedirector has the right to acquire additional shares of Class A Common within 60 days after the Record Date. The shares each non-employeedirector has the right to receive are not included in the table because the actual number of additional shares will be determined on |
(5) |
|
(6) |
|
(7) |
|
(8) |
|
(9) |
|
(10) |
|
(11) |
Does not include |
(12) |
The aggregate amount of Class A Common beneficially owned by all executive officers and directors and the aggregate amount of Class A Common beneficially owned by all executive officers and directors as a group for which they have shared voting or investment power include the shares of Class A Common of which: (a) Mr. |
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note (4) above, the aggregate amount of Class A Common beneficially owned by all executive officers and directors as a group as set forth in the table above does not include shares that the non-employeedirectors have the right to acquire within 60 days after the Record Date pursuant to the Non-EmployeeDirectors' Plan. |
Class
|
Title of Class |
Sole Voting or Investment Power |
Shared Voting or Investment Power |
Aggregate Amount |
Percent of Class |
|||||||||||||
5875 Landerbrook Drive Suite 300 |
Class B | - | - | 3,362,311 | (1) | 93.37% | ||||||||||||
5875 Landerbrook Drive Suite 300 |
Class B | - | - | 2,753,267 | (2) | 76.46% | ||||||||||||
Class B | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||
Class B | 2,800 | (3) | 2,753,267 | (3) | 2,756,067 | (3) | 76.54% | |||||||||||
Class B | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||
Class B | 6,968 | - | 6,968 | ** | ||||||||||||||
Class B | 17,669 | - | 17,669 | ** | ||||||||||||||
Class B | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||
Class B | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||
Class B | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||
Class B | 78,855 | (4) | 2,753,267 | (4) | 2,832,122 | (4) | 78.65% | |||||||||||
Class B | 155,778 | (5) | 2,753,267 | (5) | 2,909,045 | (5) | 80.79% | |||||||||||
Class B | 12,272 | - | 12,272 | ** | ||||||||||||||
Class B | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||
Class B | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||
Class B | - | 2,753,267 | (7) | 2,753,267 | (7) | 76.46% | ||||||||||||
Class B | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||
Class B | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||
All executive officers and directors as a group (14 persons) (9) | Class B | 274,342 | (10) | 2,753,267 | (10) | 3,027,609 | (10) | 84.08% |
** |
Less than 1.0%. |
(1) |
A Schedule 13D/A filed with the |
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Common prior to their sale or transfer. The shares of Class |
(2) |
A Schedule 13D filed with the |
(3) |
|
(4) |
|
(5) |
|
(6) |
|
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(7) |
|
(8) |
|
(9) |
Does not include |
(10) |
The aggregate amount of Class |
Procedures For Submission And Consideration Of Director Candidates
Stockholder recommendations for nominees for election to our Board must be submitted in writing to
1. |
the name and address of the stockholder recommending the candidate for consideration as such information appears on the records of the Company, the telephone number where such stockholder can be reached during normal business hours, the number of shares of Class A Common and Class |
2. |
complete information as to the identity and qualifications of the proposed nominee, including the full legal name, age, business and residence addresses and telephone numbers and other contact information, and the principal occupation and employment of the candidate recommended for |
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consideration, including his or her occupation for at least the past five years, with a reasonably detailed description of the background, education, professional affiliations and business and other relevant experience (including directorships, employment and civic activities) and qualifications of the candidate; |
3. |
the reasons why, in the opinion of the recommending stockholder, the proposed nominee is qualified and suited to be a director of the Company; |
4. |
the disclosure of any relationship of the candidate being recommended with the Company or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, or its independent public accountants, whether direct or indirect; |
5. |
the disclosure of any relationship of the candidate being recommended or any immediate family member of the candidate being recommended with the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company; |
6. |
a description of all relationships, arrangements and understandings between the proposing stockholder and the candidate and any other person(s) (naming such person(s)) pursuant to which the candidate is being proposed or would serve as a director, if elected; and |
7. |
a written acknowledgement by the candidate being recommended that he or she has consented to being considered as a candidate, has consented to the Company's undertaking of an investigation into that individual's background, credit history, education, experience and other qualifications in the event that the NCG Committee desires to do so, has consented to be named in the Company's proxy statement and has consented to serve as a director of the Company, if elected. |
The NCG Committee has not specifically identified or published qualifications, qualities or skills that our directors must possess. In evaluating director nominees, the NCG Committee will consider such factors as it deems appropriate and other factors identified from time to time by the Board. The NCG Committee will consider factors such as judgment, skill, integrity, independence, possible conflicts of interest, experience with businesses and other organizations of comparable size or character, and the interplay of the candidate's experience and approach to addressing business issues with the experience and approach of incumbent members of the Board and other new director candidates. The NCG Committee's goal in selecting directors for nomination to the Board is generally to seek a well-balanced membership that combines a variety of experience, skill and intellect in order to enable the Company to pursue its strategic objectives.
The NCG Committee will consider all information provided to it that is relevant to a candidate's nomination as a director of the Company. Following such consideration, the NCG Committee may seek additional information regarding, and may request an interview with, any candidate whom it wishes to continue to consider. Based upon all information available to it and any interviews it may have conducted, the NCG Committee will meet to determine whether to recommend the candidate to the Board. The NCG Committee will consider candidates recommended by stockholders on the same basis as candidates from other sources.
The NCG Committee utilizes a variety of methods for identifying and evaluating nominees for directors. The NCG Committee regularly reviews the appropriate size of the Board and whether any vacancies on the Board are expected due to retirement or otherwise. In the event vacancies are anticipated, or otherwise arise, the NCG Committee will consider various potential candidates. Candidates may be recommended by current members of the Board, third- party search firms or stockholders. During 2024, the NCG Committee retained an independent, third-party search firm to assist the NCG Committee in identifying, screening and evaluating potential director candidates. The NCG Committee generally does not consider recommendations for director nominees submitted by individuals who are not affiliated with the Company. In order to preserve its impartiality, the NCG Committee may not consider a recommendation that is not submitted in accordance with the procedures set forth above.
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Submission Of Stockholder Proposals
Proposals of stockholders intended to be eligible for inclusion in our Proxy Statement and form of proxy relating to our next annual meeting must be received on or before November 28, 2025. Such proposals must be addressed to the Company, 4421 Waterfront Drive,
In addition to satisfying the requirements under our Bylaws, to comply with the universal proxy rules, stockholders who intend to solicit proxies in support of director nominees other than the Company's nominees must provide notice that sets forth the information required by Rule 14a-19under the Exchange Act, which notice must be postmarked or transmitted electronically to the Company no later than 60 calendar days prior to the first anniversary of this year's Annual Meeting. If the date of the next annual meeting is changed by more than 30 calendar days from the first anniversary of this year's Annual Meeting, then notice must be provided by the later of 60 calendar days prior to the date of the next annual meeting or the 10th calendar day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the next annual meeting is first made. Accordingly, for the next annual meeting, stockholders must deliver such notice no later than March 9, 2026.
Notices should be submitted to the address set forth above.
Solicitation Of Proxies
We will bear the costs of soliciting proxies from our stockholders. In addition to the use of the mail, proxies may be solicited by our directors, officers and employees by in-personmeeting, telephone or other forms of communication. Such persons will not be additionally compensated for such solicitation, but may be reimbursed for out-of-pocketexpenses incurred in connection therewith. Arrangements will also be made with, and reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocketexpenses will be paid to, brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for forwarding solicitation materials to the beneficial owners of Class A Common and Class
Other Matters
The directors know of no other matters that are likely to be brought before the meeting. The enclosed proxy card grants to the persons named in the proxy card the authority to vote in their best judgment regarding all other matters properly raised at the Annual Meeting.
Secretary
March 28, 2025
Your vote is very important. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting in person, you are encouraged to vote as soon as possible to ensure that your shares are represented at the meeting. If you are a stockholder of record and received a paper copy of the proxy materials by mail, you may vote your
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shares by proxy using one of the following methods: (i) vote via the internet (www.investorvote.com/HBB); (ii) vote by telephone (1-800-652-8683);or (iii) complete, sign, date and retuyour proxy card in the postage-paid envelope provided. If you hold shares of both ClassA Common Stock and ClassB Common Stock, you only have to complete the single enclosed form of proxy or vote once via the internet or telephone. If you wish to attend the meeting and vote in person, you may do so. If you hold your shares through an account with a bank, broker or similar organization, please follow the instructions you receive from the stockholder of record to vote your shares.
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ENDORSEMENT_LINE______________ SACKPACK_____________ MR A SAMPLE DESIGNATION (IF ANY) ADD 1 000001 ADD 2 ADD 3 ADD 4 ADD 5 ADD 6 C123456789 000000000.000000 ext 000000000.000000 ext 000000000.000000 ext 000000000.000000 ext 000000000.000000 ext 000000000.000000 ext Your vote matters - here's how to vote! You may vote online or by phone instead of mailing this card. Votes submitted electronically must be received by May 8, 2025 at 11 A.M. EasteTime. Online Go to www.investorvote.com/HBB or scan the QR code - login details are located in the shaded bar below. Phone Call toll free 1-800-652-VOTE (8683) within the
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2025 Annual Meeting Admission Ticket 2025 Annual Meeting of Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company Stockholders May 8, 2025, 11:00 a.m. EasteTime 5875 Landerbrook Drive,
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