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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
(Rule 14a-101)
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AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
July 22, 2010
Dear Fellow Crown Crafts Shareholders:
We take shareholder concerns very seriously and have consistently made shareholder engagement
a priority through open communications. In particular, we have tried our best to reach out to, and
have a regular dialogue with, Wynnefield Partners Small Cap Value, L.P. and certain of its
affiliates (the Wynnefield Group), who have chosen to engage the Company in yet another costly
proxy battle. We have acted prudently on the Wynnefield Groups input when we believed it to be
constructive and in the best interest of all our shareholders. In many cases, however, the
Wynnefield Group has acted more as an antagonistic investor with capricious and self-serving
demands. Consider the following chronology and see if you agree with our view that the Wynnefield
Group can never be satisfied.
2004: At the request of the Wynnefield Group, which is Crown Crafts largest
shareholder, the Company hired an investment banker to evaluate the repurchase of warrants
held by the Companys lenders. The investment bankers proposed that the Company repurchase
the warrants for more than $4.5 million, including investment banker fees. The Wynnefield
Group supported the repurchase at that price. Luckily for the Companys shareholders, the
Companys lenders rejected the offer at that time. Ultimately, the Company, without
hiring an investment banker or paying anything to repurchase the warrants, completed a debt
and capital restructuring in 2006. This restructuring not only eliminated all the
outstanding warrants held by the lenders, thus saving shareholders more than $4.5 million
compared with the bankers prior proposal, but also resulted in the lenders forgiving $4
million of the Companys debt. This, however, was not enough to appease the Wynnefield
Group.
2005: Your Board agreed to allow Frederick Wasserman, who was handpicked by the
Wynnefield Group, to participate in all Board meetings as a non-voting observer. The Board
welcomed the opportunity to hear an additional independent viewpoint and provide greater
insight about the business to a representative of a key shareholder. This was still not
enough for the Wynnefield Group.
2007: The Wynnefield Group launched its first proxy contest against Crown Crafts by
nominating Mr. Wasserman and Nelson Obus, a principal of the Wynnefield Group who had been
named a month earlier as a defendant in an enforcement proceeding brought by the Securities
and Exchange Commission that is still pending in federal court in New York. After the
Company received notice of these nominations, the Board terminated Mr. Wassermans status as
a non-voting observer. At the annual meeting, our shareholders elected Mr. Wasserman but
defeated Mr. Obus. Also in 2007, at the urging of the Wynnefield Group, the Board
authorized a stock repurchase program under which the Company repurchased 914,051 shares of
stock from August 2007 to August 2009 for a total price of $3.1 million (average price of
$3.40 per share). All of this was still not enough for the Wynnefield Group.
916 S. Burnside Avenue * PO Box 1028 * Gonzales, LA 70707-1028 * (225) 647-9100 * Fax (225) 647-9104
2008: Faced with the Wynnefield Groups threats of another proxy fight in 2008,
your Board agreed to appoint Joseph Kling as a director and support his election at the 2008
annual meeting of shareholders in exchange for a two-year standstill agreement with the
Wynnefield Group. James Verbrugge, a director since 2001, agreed to resign from the Board
at that time to make space for Mr. Kling. With two handpicked members on the seven-member
Board, this gave the Wynnefield Group 29% representation on the Board, even though it
then held less than 16% of the common shares of the Company. At the same time, the
Company formed a Strategic Review Committee, which included Mr. Wasserman as a member, to
consider all strategic options available to the Company to enhance shareholder value. Even
this was not enough for the Wynnefield Group.
2010: With Mr. Wassermans term and the standstill agreement expiring, the
Wynnefield Group has now initiated yet another costly and distracting proxy contest naming
two candidates who we believe are less qualified to represent Crown Crafts than your
Board-supported nominees. Curiously, the Wynnefield Group chose not to re-nominate Mr.
Wasserman who voted with the majority of the Board more than 92% of the time during
his three-year term. Further, the Wynnefield Group also suggested that Mr. Kling step
down from the Board after he has voted with the majority more than 94% of the time
since his election and that the Board elect a different handpicked representative of the
Wynnefield Group to serve as a director in his place. Did the Wynnefield Group make this
suggestion because Mr. Kling supports our agenda, our strategic plan and our nominees, not
theirs? What does the Wynnefield Group truly want from the Company?
In its July 19, 2010 communication to Crown Crafts shareholders, the Wynnefield Group
declares, ...we have had enough. But we are the ones who have had enough. We believe that the
Wynnefield Group will never have enough until its own ever-changing, narrow, self-serving
and short-sighted agenda is completed.
YOUR BOARD REFUSES TO BE INTIMIDATED AND WILL CONTINUE PURSUING ITS STRATEGY
TO CREATE LONG-TERM VALUE IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF ALL SHAREHOLDERS
Following a thorough evaluation of all alternatives by the Strategic Review Committee, your
Board unanimously approved the Companys current strategic growth plan and concluded that it is the
best alternative available to the Company to create long-term value for all our shareholders.
Our strategy is generating results we have delivered strong cash flow and adjusted EBITDA
and raised shareholders equity by 23% in fiscal 2010. Your Board also has instituted payment
of a quarterly dividend which, at its current level, is enough by itself to provide the Wynnefield
Group with an attractive 8.9% annual return on their investment. With an enviable balance sheet
and the three accretive acquisitions we have completed within the past three years, your Company is
well-positioned to continue its successful strategic trajectory of long-term profitable growth.
YOUR BOARD-SUPPORTED NOMINEES E. RANDALL CHESTNUT, WILLIAM T. DEYO, JR.,
SIDNEY KIRSCHNER AND RICHARD L. SOLAR ARE HIGHLY QUALIFIED STEWARDS OF
YOUR INVESTMENT AND ARE FULLY COMMITTED TO DILIGENTLY
PURSUING OUR SUCCESSFUL GROWTH STRATEGY AND
ACTING IN THE BEST LONG-TERM INTERESTS OF ALL SHAREHOLDERS
Your Board firmly believes that the best path to maximize value for all shareholders is the
continued execution of our strategic plan. This is not the time to disrupt our operations or
distract our employees with concerns about the Companys direction. This is the time to grow our
Company with the leadership of an experienced Board and management team.
Your vote is very important to us, no matter the size of your holdings. We urge you to vote
your shares today by signing, dating and returning the enclosed WHITE proxy card by mailing
it in the enclosed pre-addressed, stamped envelope. You can also vote by internet or telephone by
following the instructions on the WHITE proxy card. Please do not sign or return any gold
proxy card sent to you by the Wynnefield Group as a reminder,
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you cannot vote the gold proxy card and also vote for our Chief Executive Officer, E. Randall
Chestnut, or any other Class I nominee. If you have any questions or need any assistance voting
your shares, do not hesitate to contact Georgeson, who is assisting us in this matter, toll free at
1-888-605-7561.
On behalf the Board of Directors and the dedicated men and women of Crown Crafts, we thank you
for your ongoing support.
Sincerely,
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E. Randall Chestnut
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Zenon S. Nie |
Chairman of the Board, President
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Independent Lead Director |
and Chief Executive Officer |
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YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT
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To vote FOR your Companys nominees, you MUST execute a WHITE proxy card. |
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The Board of Directors urges you to DISCARD any gold proxy cards that you may have
received from the Wynnefield Group. A WITHHOLD AUTHORITY vote on the Wynnefield Groups
gold proxy card is NOT a vote for the Companys nominees. |
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If you have voted on a gold proxy card but wish to support your Companys nominees,
please sign, date and mail the enclosed WHITE proxy card in the postage-paid envelope
provided as soon as possible. You can also vote by internet or telephone by following the
instructions on the WHITE proxy card. |
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Remember ONLY YOUR LATEST DATED PROXY WILL DETERMINE HOW YOUR SHARES ARE TO BE VOTED
AT THE MEETING. |
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If any of your shares are held in the name of a bank, broker or other nominee, please
contact the party responsible for your account and direct them to vote your shares FOR your
Companys nominees on the WHITE proxy card. |
If you have any questions or need assistance in voting your shares,
please contact our proxy solicitor.
199 Water Street, 26th Floor
New York, NY 10038
Banks and Brokers (212) 440-9800
Shareholders Call Toll Free (888) 605-7561
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