Blonder Tongue Proxy
SCHEDULE
14A
(Rule
14a-101)
INFORMATION
REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE
14A INFORMATION
Proxy
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities
Exchange
Act of 1934 (Amendment No. ___)
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by
the Registrant [X]
Filed
by
a Party other than the Registrant [ ]
Check
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appropriate box:
[
] Preliminary Proxy Statement
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Confidential,
for Use of the
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[X]
Definitive Proxy Statement
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Commission
Only (as permitted
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[
] Definitive Additional Materials
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by
Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
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[
] Soliciting Material Pursuant to Rule 14a-12
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BLONDER
TONGUE LABORATORIES, INC.
(Name
of
Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
(Name
of
Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)
Payment
of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
[X] No
fee
required.
[
] Fee
computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and
0-11.
1. |
Title
of each class of securities to which transaction
applies:
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2.
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Aggregate
number of securities to which transaction
applies:
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3.
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Per
unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant
to
Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing
fee is
calculated and state how it was
determined):
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4. Proposed
maximum aggregate value of transaction:
5. Total
fee
paid:
Fee
paid
previously with preliminary materials:
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Check
box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act
Rule
0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was
paid
previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement
number,
or the form or schedule and the date of its
filing.
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1. Amount
Previously Paid:
2. Form,
Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
3. Filing
Party:
4. Date
Filed:
BLONDER
TONGUE LABORATORIES, INC.
One
Jake Brown Road
Old
Bridge, New Jersey 08857
NOTICE
OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To
Be Held May 23, 2007
To
Our
Stockholders:
The
2007
Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Blonder Tongue Laboratories, Inc. (“Blonder”
or “we”) will be held at the Comfort
Suites East Brunswick, 555 Old Bridge Turnpike, East Brunswick, NJ, on May
23,
2007, beginning at 10:00 a.m., local time, for the following
purposes:
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1.
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To
elect two Directors constituting Class III of the Board of Directors
to
serve until the 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until their
successors have been elected and
qualified;
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2.
|
To
consider and vote upon an amendment of our 2005 Employee Equity Incentive
Plan to increase the aggregate number of shares which may be issued
pursuant to awards granted thereunder from 500,000 shares to 1,100,000
shares;
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3.
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To
ratify the appointment of Marcum & Kliegman LLP, certified public
accountants, as our independent registered public accountants for
the year
ending December 31, 2007; and
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4.
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To
transact any other business as may properly come before the meeting
or any
adjournments thereof. In their discretion, the Proxies are authorized
to
vote upon any other business as may properly come before the Annual
Meeting or any adjournments
thereof.
|
A
proxy,
if properly executed and received in time for the voting, will be voted in
the
manner directed on the proxy. If no direction is made, the proxy will be voted
FOR all proposals on the proxy card.
Our
Board
of Directors has fixed the close of business on March 30, 2007 as the record
date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting and to
vote
at the meeting or any adjournments thereof. Only stockholders of record at
the
close of business on March 30, 2007 are entitled to notice of and to vote at
the
meeting or any adjournments thereof.
Please
read the attached Proxy Statement for further information regarding each
proposal to be made.
We
cordially invite you to attend the meeting. Regardless of whether you plan
to
attend, please complete, date and sign the enclosed proxy and return it
promptly. If you receive more than one form of proxy, it is an indication that
your shares are registered in more than one account, and therefore you should
complete and return each proxy if you wish to vote all of your shares that
are
eligible to be voted at the meeting.
By
Order
of the Board of Directors
Robert
J.
Pallé, Jr., President, Chief Operating Officer and Secretary
April
25,
2007
PLEASE
COMPLETE AND RETURN THE PROXY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE, WHICH REQUIRES NO
POSTAGE IF MAILED IN THE UNITED STATES. IF YOU ATTEND THE MEETING AND DESIRE
TO
VOTE IN PERSON AT THE MEETING, YOUR PROXY WILL BE RETURNED TO YOU UPON WRITTEN
NOTICE TO THE SECRETARY OF THE COMPANY REVOKING YOUR
PROXY.
BLONDER
TONGUE LABORATORIES, INC.
One
Jake Brown Road
Old
Bridge, New Jersey 08857
PROXY
STATEMENT FOR
THE
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO
BE HELD ON
MAY
23, 2007
This
Proxy Statement is being furnished to the stockholders of Blonder Tongue
Laboratories, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Blonder” or “we”), in connection
with the solicitation of proxies by our Board of Directors for our 2007 Annual
Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) and at any adjournment or
adjournments thereof.
You
are
invited to attend the Annual Meeting on May 23, 2007, at 10:00 a.m., local
time.
The meeting will be held at the Comfort
Suites East Brunswick, 555 Old Bridge Turnpike, East Brunswick, NJ.
The
mailing address of our principal executive office is One Jake Brown Road, Old
Bridge, New Jersey 08857. Our telephone number is (732) 679-4000. This Proxy
Statement and the enclosed form of proxy will be mailed to each stockholder
on
or about April 25, 2007, together with the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2006.
Proxies
All
properly executed proxies delivered pursuant to this solicitation and not
revoked will be voted at the Annual Meeting in accordance with the directions
given. Regarding the election of Directors to serve until the 2010 Annual
Meeting of Stockholders, in voting by proxy, stockholders may vote in favor
of
all nominees or withhold their votes as to all nominees or withhold their votes
as to specific nominees. With respect to any other proposals to be voted upon,
stockholders may vote in favor of a proposal, against a proposal or may abstain
from voting. You should specify your choices on the enclosed form of proxy.
If
no specific instructions are given with respect to the matters to be acted
upon,
the shares represented by a signed proxy will be voted FOR the election of
all
nominees, FOR the proposal to amend the 2005 Employee Equity Incentive Plan
to
increase the aggregate number of shares available for grants thereunder, and
FOR
ratification of the appointment of Marcum & Kliegman LLP as independent
registered public accountants for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2007.
Directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast by the holders of
the
shares of our common stock, $.001 par value per share (“Common Stock”), voting
in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting. Thus, abstentions will have no
effect on the vote for election of Directors. Approval of any other matters
to
come before the Annual Meeting will require the affirmative vote of the holders
of a majority of the shares of our Common Stock present in person or by proxy
at
the Annual Meeting. Abstentions are deemed present for quorum purposes and
entitled to vote and, therefore, will have the effect of a vote against any
matter other than the election of Directors. Broker non-votes occur when a
broker or other nominee holding shares for a beneficial owner does not vote
on a
proposal because the beneficial owner has not provided voting instructions
and
the broker does not have discretionary authority to vote shares on the matter.
Broker non-votes are not considered to be shares “entitled to vote” (other than
for quorum purposes), will not be included in vote totals and will have no
effect on the outcome of any matters to be voted upon at the Annual
Meeting.
Revocation
of a Proxy
All
proxies delivered pursuant to this solicitation are revocable at any time before
they are exercised, by written notice to our Secretary or by delivering a later
dated proxy (to the mailing address of our executive offices). Your attendance
at the Annual Meeting will not, without delivery of the written notice described
in the immediately preceding sentence, constitute revocation of a proxy.
Voting
on Other Matters
We
know
of no other business to be transacted at the Annual Meeting other than the
election of Directors and the other proposals described in the attached Notice
of Annual Meeting of Stockholders. If any other matters do arise and are
properly presented, the persons named in the proxy will have the discretion
to
vote on those matters for you according to their best judgment.
Costs
of Proxy Solicitation
We
will
pay the expenses associated with soliciting proxies for the Annual Meeting,
including the cost of preparing, assembling and mailing the notice, proxy and
Proxy Statement. We will solicit proxies by use of the mails, through brokers
and banking institutions, and by our officers and regular employees. We may
also
solicit proxies by personal interview, mail, telephone or facsimile
transmission.
Voting
Securities
Only
owners of record of our Common Stock at the close of business on March 30,
2007
(the “Record Date”) are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting
or any adjournments or postponements thereof. Each owner of record on the Record
Date is entitled to one vote for each share of our Common Stock so held. There
is no cumulative voting. On the Record Date, there were 6,222,252 shares of
Common Stock issued, outstanding and entitled to vote.
PROPOSAL
NO. 1 - ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
Our
Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, provides that our Board shall consist
of between five and eleven members, as determined from time to time by the
Board, divided into three classes as nearly equal in number as possible. The
size of the Board has currently been set at seven directors, with Class I
comprised of three directors and Classes II and III each comprised of two
directors. The term of the current Class III Directors expires at the 2007
Annual Meeting, the term of the current Class I Directors expires at the 2008
Annual Meeting and the term of the current Class II Directors expires at the
2009 Annual Meeting. The successors to each class of Directors whose terms
expire at an Annual Meeting will be elected to hold office for a term expiring
at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders held in the third year following the
year
of their election.
The
Directors whose terms will expire at the 2007 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
are
Robert B. Mayer and James F. Williams, each of whom have been recommended for
nomination by our Nominating Committee and nominated by our Board to stand
for
re-election as Directors at the 2007 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, to hold
office until the 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until their successors
are elected and qualified. Messrs. Mayer and Williams have each consented to
serve for the new terms, if elected.
Recommendation
of the Board of Directors Concerning the Election of Directors
Our
Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR Robert B. Mayer and James F. Williams
as Class III Directors to hold office until the 2010 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders and until their successors are elected and qualified. Proxies
received by the Board of Directors will be so voted unless stockholders specify
in their proxy a contrary choice.
DIRECTORS
AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Nominee
and Continuing Directors
The
following table sets forth the names and certain information about each of
the
nominees for election as Director and our continuing Directors:
Name
|
Age
|
Director
Since
|
|
|
|
Nominees
for a three-year term expiring in 2010 (Class III
Directors):
|
|
|
Robert B.
Mayer(1)(2)(3) |
75
|
1995
|
James F.
Williams(1)
(4) |
49
|
1993
|
(1) Since
December, 1995, a member of the Audit Committee of the Board of
Directors.
(2) Since
December, 1995, a member of the Compensation Committee of the Board of
Directors.
(3) Since
April, 2004, a member of the Nominating Committee of the Board of
Directors.
(4) Since
January, 2007, a member of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors.
Name
|
Age
|
Director
Since
|
|
|
|
Directors
not standing for election this year whose terms expire in 2008
(Class I
Directors):
|
|
|
|
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John E. Dwight
|
71
|
1995
|
Robert E.
Heaton
(1)(2)(3) |
77
|
1998
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James
A. Luksch |
76
|
1988
|
|
|
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Directors
not standing for election this year whose terms expire in 2009
(Class II
Directors):
|
|
|
|
Robert J.
Pallé,
Jr. |
61
|
1993
|
Gary
P. Scharmett(4)
|
51
|
1997
|
______________________
(1) Since
May, 1998, a member of the Compensation Committee of the Board of
Directors.
(2) Since
June, 2000, a member of the Audit Committee of the Board of
Directors.
(3) Since
January, 2007, a member of the Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors.
(4) Since
February, 2004, a member of the Nominating Committee of the Board of
Directors.
Set
forth
below is a brief summary of the recent business experience and background of
each nominee, continuing Director and executive officer:
John
E. Dwight
has been
one of our Directors since December 14, 1995. He served as our Senior Vice
President from September, 1997 through December, 2000, and currently serves
as
Assistant to our Chief Executive Officer. From 1992 until September, 1997,
Mr.
Dwight served as President of Film Microelectronics, Inc., a designer and
manufacturer of microelectronic products.
Robert
E. Heaton
has been
one of our Directors since March, 1998. He presently serves on the Board of
Directors, Audit Committee and Compensation Committee of Bayou Steel Corp.,
and
the Board of Directors and Audit Committee of PTC Alliance Co. From August,
2003
through November, 2006, Mr. Heaton served on the Board of Directors and certain
committees of the Board of Directors of Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. From
April, 1993 through April, 1995, Mr. Heaton served as Vice Chairman of the
Stainless Steel Group of Lukens, Inc. From April, 1981, through April, 1993,
Mr.
Heaton was President and Chief Executive Officer of Washington Steel Corporation
until it was acquired by Lukens, Inc. Mr. Heaton is a past Chairman of the
Specialty Steel Industry of North America.
James
A. Luksch
has been
our Chief Executive Officer since November, 1988 and has been one of our
Directors since November, 1988. He has been the Chairman of our Board since
November, 1994. Mr. Luksch also served as our President from November, 1988
until May, 2003. Mr. Luksch is the father of Emily Nikoo, one of our Senior
Vice
Presidents.
Robert
B. Mayer
has been
one of our Directors since December, 1995. From 1966 to 1991, Mr. Mayer served
in various executive positions, including Director and Regional President of
Norstar Bank, N.A. (formerly known as Liberty National Bank & Trust Co.), a
member of Fleet Financial Group. Mr. Mayer has from time to time served as
a
part-time instructor at State University of New York at Buffalo and is currently
a Director and officer of People, Inc., a non-profit corporation dedicated
to
serving people with disabilities.
Robert
J. Pallé, Jr.
has been
our President since May, 2003 and our Chief Operating Officer and Secretary
since April, 1989. Mr. Pallé has been one of our Directors since September,
1993. He also served as our Executive Vice President from April, 1989 until
May,
2003 and as our Interim Treasurer from March through April, 2001.
Gary
P. Scharmett
has been
one of our Directors since December, 1997. Since January, 1989, Mr. Scharmett
has been a partner in the law firm of Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young, LLP,
our outside counsel, and served on the Board of Directors of that firm from
January, 2001 until December, 2003.
James
F. Williams
has been
one of our Directors since September, 1993. He has served as the President
and a
Director of Ontario Consolidated Leasing, Inc., a heavy equipment leasing
company, since March, 1997. Since April, 1996, Mr. Williams has also been the
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Integrated Waste Services,
Inc. Mr. Williams is the nephew of James H. Williams, who was one of our
Directors until May, 2006.
Other
Executive Officers
Eric
S. Skolnik, 42,
has
been a Senior Vice President since May, 2003 and our Chief Financial Officer,
Treasurer and Assistant Secretary since May, 2001. Mr. Skolnik served as our
Interim Chief Financial Officer from January, 2001 through April, 2001. He
was
our Corporate Controller from May, 2000 through January, 2001. From 1994 until
May, 2000, Mr. Skolnik worked as a certified public accountant with BDO Seidman,
LLP, our former registered public accountants.
Emily
M. Nikoo, 41,
has
been our Senior Vice President - Operations since February, 2007. She was Vice
President - Marketing and Technical Services from February, 2004 to February,
2007. She was hired by us in March, 1995 as a product manager and has held
several supervisory and management positions. From 1994 until 1995, Ms. Nikoo
was the Vice President of Electronic Systems Advanced Technology, and from
1987
to 1994 she worked as an electrical engineering and project manager for Lockheed
Martin Corporation in its space systems business segment. Ms. Nikoo is the
daughter of James A. Luksch.
Peter
F. Daly, Jr., 50,
has
been our Senior Vice President - Marketing and Sales since February, 2007 and
is
responsible for sales, marketing, business development, technical services
and
customer services. He was Vice President - Sales from April, 2004 to February,
2007. Mr. Daly was a co-founder of Lamont Digital Systems, Inc. where he served
as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer from November, 2000 to
November, 2003, during which time he oversaw the design, engineering and
operation of complex fiber-to-the-home video, voice and data systems. From
January, 1992 to November, 2000, Mr. Daly served as Vice President and Chief
Operating Officer of Campus TeleVideo, a division of Lamont Digital Systems,
Inc.
Norman
A. Westcott, 66,
has
been our Senior Vice President - Operational Services since October, 1999 and
was one of our Vice Presidents from July, 1994 until October, 1999. Mr. Westcott
is responsible for material purchasing and production.
Allen
Horvath, 55,
has
been our Vice President - Manufacturing since May, 2003 and is responsible
for
our manufacturing activities. Mr. Horvath served as our Manufacturing Manager
from 1998 until May, 2003. Since 1976 Mr. Horvath has served us in several
management positions in the areas of production testing, engineering, quality
control and manufacturing.
Kant
Mistry, 66,
has
been our Vice President - Engineering since May, 2003, and has been our Chief
Technical Officer since July, 2000. From October, 1990 to July, 2000, Mr. Mistry
served as our Chief Engineer.
Director
Independence
Our
Board
of Directors has considered the independence of our Directors pursuant to
Section 121A of the Rules of the American Stock Exchange. Based on this
consideration, our Board has determined that Robert B. Mayer, James F. Williams,
Robert E. Heaton, and Gary P. Scharmett, all current Directors, are independent
pursuant to Section 121A. Previously, our Board of Directors had determined
that
Stephen K. Necessary, a former Director, was independent during the period
in
2006 in which he served as our Director.
Meetings
of the Board of Directors; Committees
During
the year ended December 31, 2006, there were ten meetings of our Board of
Directors and each Director attended (either in person or via teleconference)
at
least 75% of the meetings held. The Board of Directors has three standing
committees: the Compensation Committee, the Nominating Committee and the Audit
Committee.
Compensation
Committee.
The
Compensation Committee is currently comprised of Robert E. Heaton, Robert B.
Mayer and James F. Williams, each of whom is a non-employee Director. Stephen
K.
Necessary
served
as
a member of the Compensation Committee prior to his resignation as a Director
effective September 30, 2006. The vacancy created on the Compensation Committee
by Mr. Necessary’s resignation was filled by the appointment of Mr. Williams in
January, 2007. Each of the members of the Compensation Committee who served
at
any time during the 2006 fiscal year was independent, as independence for
compensation committee members is defined by the American Stock Exchange. The
Compensation Committee currently does not have a formal charter. The
Compensation Committee determines compensation for our executive officers and
administers our stock incentive plans, except for the Amended and Restated
1996
Director Option Plan and the 2005 Director Equity Incentive Plan. This committee
held six meetings during 2006, and each committee member attended (either in
person or via teleconference) at least 75% of the meetings held during the
period he served as a committee member.
The
Compensation Committee’s responsibilities include, among other duties, the
responsibility to:
· |
evaluate
the performance of the Chief Executive Officer and the
President;
|
· |
review
and approve the base salary (subject to Board approval), bonus, incentive
compensation and any other compensation for the Chief Executive Officer
and the President;
|
· |
review
the Chief Executive Officer’s recommendations for the compensation of the
other executive officers, make appropriate adjustments and
approve;
|
· |
monitor
our cash bonus and equity-based compensation plans and discharge
the
duties imposed on the Compensation Committee by the terms of those
plans;
and
|
· |
perform
other functions or duties deemed appropriate by the
Board.
|
Compensation
decisions for the Chief Executive Officer, President and all other executive
officers are reviewed and approved by the Compensation Committee, subject to
ratification by the Board of Directors of the base salary for the Chief
Executive Officer and the President. The Compensation Committee relies upon
the
Chief Executive Officer to assist the Compensation Committee in performing
its
duties with regard to all other executive officers. While the Compensation
Committee has not retained a compensation consultant, in determining the base
salary for our executive officers, the Compensation Committee obtains, from
time
to time, salary survey information from companies such as Watson Wyatt Data
Services. The Compensation Committee does not delegate any of its authority
to
other persons.
With
regard to the compensation of the Chief Executive Officer and the President,
Messrs. Luksch and Pallé, respectively, the Compensation Committee reviews their
respective performance, the relevant compensation information from salary
surveys, and the written comments received from members of the Board regarding
their respective performance. The Chief Executive Officer also provides the
Compensation Committee with a summary review of the President’s performance.
Based upon such review, the Compensation Committee determines their respective
compensation, subject to Board approval of their base salaries. The base salary
of the Chief Executive Officer and the President is presently reviewed every
other year.
With
regard to compensation for the other named executive officers, the Chief
Executive Officer provides the Compensation Committee with a written summary
review of the executive officers’ performance and a recommendation as to the
appropriate form and amount of compensation for each executive officer. The
Compensation Committee reviews and considers the recommendation of the Chief
Executive Officer, makes adjustments as appropriate and approves them. This
review and adjustment procedure is performed annually for the other named
executive officers.
The
Compensation Committee does not establish or recommend the amount or form of
Director compensation. These determinations are made and approved by the full
Board of Directors. Grants of stock option awards to non-employee Directors
are
generally made annually upon consideration and approval by the full Board of
Directors with the non-employee Directors abstaining from such
vote.
Nominating
Committee.
The
Nominating Committee is currently comprised of Robert E. Heaton, Robert B.
Mayer
and Gary P. Scharmett, each of whom is a non-employee Director. Stephen K.
Necessary served as a member of the Nominating Committee prior to his
resignation as a Director effective September 30, 2006. The vacancy created
on
the Nominating Committee by Mr. Necessary’s resignation was filled by the
appointment of Mr. Heaton in January, 2007. Each of the members of the
Nominating Committee who served during the 2006 fiscal
year
were
independent, as independence for nominating committee members is defined by
the
American Stock Exchange. The Nominating Committee, among other things, considers
and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors concerning the appropriate
size of the Board and nominees to stand for election or fill vacancies on the
Board. In particular, the Nominating Committee identifies, recruits, considers
and recommends candidates to fill positions on the Board in accordance with
its
criteria for Board membership (as such criteria are generally described below).
In searching for qualified director candidates to nominate for election at
an
annual meeting of stockholders, the Nominating Committee will initially consider
nominating the current Directors whose terms are expiring and will consider
their past performance on the Board, along with the criteria for Board
membership, in determining whether to nominate them for re-election. In
connection with nominations for elections at annual meetings or to fill
vacancies in the Board, the Nominating Committee may solicit the current members
of the Board to identify qualified candidates through their business and other
organizational networks and may also retain director search firms as it
determines necessary in its own discretion. The Nominating Committee will then
consider the potential pool of Director candidates derived from the foregoing
process, select the top candidates to fill the number of openings based on
their
qualifications, the Board’s needs (including the need for independent directors)
and the criteria for Board membership. The Nominating Committee will then
conduct a thorough investigation of the proposed candidates’ backgrounds to
ensure there is no past history that would disqualify such candidates from
serving as our Directors. Those candidates that are selected and pass the
background investigation will be recommended to the full Board for
nomination.
The
criteria for a nominee to the Board includes, among other things:
· |
The
highest personal and professional ethics, strength of character,
integrity
and values;
|
· |
Experience
as a senior manager, chief operating officer or chief executive officer
of
a relatively complex organization or, if in a professional or scientific
capacity, be accustomed to dealing with complex problems, or otherwise
shall have obtained and excelled in a position of
leadership;
|
· |
Education,
experience, intelligence, independence, fairness, reasoning ability,
practical wisdom, and vision to exercise sound, mature judgments
on a
macro and entrepreneurial basis on matters which relate to our current
and
long-term objectives;
|
· |
Competence
and willingness to learn our business, and the breadth of viewpoint
and
experience necessary for an understanding of the diverse and sometimes
conflicting interests of stockholders and other
constituencies;
|
· |
The
nominee should be of such an age at the time of election to assure
a
minimum of three years of service as a director, and should be free
and
willing to attend regularly scheduled meetings of our Board of Directors
and its committees over a sustained period and otherwise be able
to
contribute a reasonable amount of time to our company
affairs;
|
· |
The
stature and capability to represent us before the public, stockholders,
and other various individuals and groups that affect us;
and
|
· |
Willingness
to appraise objectively the performance of management in the interest
of
the stockholders and question management’s assumptions when inquiry is
appropriate.
|
The
Nominating Committee does not have a formal charter, but our Board has adopted
guidelines addressing the purpose and responsibilities of the Nominating
Committee in connection with its formation. The guidelines include procedures
for recruiting, considering and recommending nominees to our Board and criteria
for Board membership. Although the Nominating Committee will not consider any
director candidates recommended by stockholders, our Board believes this is
appropriate as our certificate of incorporation and bylaws permit stockholders
to directly nominate persons for election as Directors by following the
procedures set forth therein. This committee held five meetings during 2006,
and
each committee member attended (either in person or via teleconference) at
least
75% of the meetings held during the period he served as a committee member.
Audit
Committee.
We have
a separately-designated standing Audit Committee established in accordance
with
Section 3(a)(58)(A) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
The
Audit Committee is currently comprised of Robert E. Heaton, Robert B. Mayer
and
James F. Williams, all of whom are non-employee Directors. The Audit Committee,
among other things:
· |
oversees
our accounting and financial reporting process and audits of our
financial
statements;
|
· |
selects,
retains or terminates our independent registered public
accountants;
|
· |
reviews
the plans and results of the audit engagement with the independent
registered public accountants;
|
· |
discusses
with the independent registered public accountants all accounting
policies
and practices to be used and alternative treatments of financial
information discussed with management;
|
· |
oversees
the work of the independent registered public accountants;
|
· |
evaluates
and pre-approves audit and non-audit services provided by the independent
registered public accountants;
|
· |
reviews
the independence of the independent registered public accountants;
|
· |
assures
the regular rotation of the audit partners;
|
· |
considers
the range of audit and non-audit fees and determines the compensation
of
the independent registered public accountants;
|
· |
reviews
financial and earnings information released to the public, analysts
and
other third parties; and
|
· |
reviews
the adequacy of our internal accounting controls.
|
This
committee held four meetings during 2006, all of which were attended (either
in
person or via teleconference) by each committee member.
The
members of the Audit Committee are independent, as “independence” for audit
committee members is defined by the American Stock Exchange. Our Board of
Directors has determined that a member of the Audit Committee, James F.
Williams, qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in
Section 407(d)(5)(ii) of Regulation S-K promulgated by the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “Commission”). The Board of Directors adopted a written
charter for the Audit Committee in June, 2000, which was amended by the Board
of
Directors in March, 2003 and March, 2004. The Audit Committee reviews and
reassesses the charter for adequacy on an annual basis, most recently in March,
2007. A copy of the Audit Committee Charter is attached to this proxy statement
as Appendix A.
Board
Policies Regarding Communications With the Board of Directors and Attendance
at
Annual Meetings
Our
Board
of Directors maintains a process for stockholders to communicate with the Board
of Directors. A stockholder wishing to communicate with our Board of Directors,
or any individual member(s) of the Board of Directors, can send a written
communication to the attention of the Board of Directors (or specific individual
Director(s), if applicable) at the following address: c/o Corporate Secretary,
One Jake Brown Road, Old Bridge, New Jersey 08857. Any such communication must
state the number of shares beneficially owned by the stockholder making the
communication. Our Corporate Secretary will forward such communication to the
full Board of Directors or to any individual Director or Directors to whom
the
communication is directed unless the communication is unduly hostile,
threatening, illegal or similarly inappropriate, in which case our Corporate
Secretary has the authority to discard the communication or take appropriate
legal action regarding the communication.
While
we
do not have a formal written policy regarding Board member attendance at our
Annual Meeting, we actively encourage our Directors to attend the Annual Meeting
of Stockholders. All Directors attended our 2006 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders.
AUDIT
COMMITTEE REPORT
The
Audit
Committee of the Board of Directors has:
· |
reviewed
and discussed the audited financial statements for the fiscal year
ended
December 31, 2006 with management;
|
· |
discussed
with Blonder’s independent registered public accountants the matters
required to be discussed by Statement on Accounting Standards No.
61, as
the same was in effect on the date of Blonder’s financial
statements;
|
· |
received
the written disclosures and the letter from Blonder’s independent
registered public accountants required by Independence Standards
Board
Standard No. 1 (Independence Discussions with Audit Committees),
as the
same was in effect on the date of Blonder’s financial statements;
and
|
· |
discussed
with Blonder’s independent registered public accountants their
independence from Blonder and its
management.
|
Management
is responsible for the preparation, presentation and integrity of Blonder’s
financial statements, the financial reporting process, accounting principles
and
internal controls and procedures designed to assure compliance with accounting
standards and applicable laws and regulations. Blonder’s independent registered
public accountants are responsible for performing an independent audit of the
financial statements in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards
and issuing a report thereon. The Audit Committee’s responsibility is to monitor
and oversee these processes. The Audit Committee has relied, without independent
verification, on the information provided to it and on the representations
of
management and the independent registered public accountants that the financial
statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting
principles.
Based
on
the review and discussions referred to in the items above, the Audit Committee
recommended to the Board of Directors that the audited financial statements
for
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 be included in Blonder’s Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006.
The
Audit Committee
Robert
E.
Heaton, Chairman
James
F.
Williams
Robert
B.
Mayer
Directors’
Compensation
2006
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
The
following table discloses the actual compensation paid to or earned by each
of
our Directors who is not also a named executive officer in fiscal year
2006:
Name
|
|
|
Fees
Earned or
Paid
in Cash ($)
|
|
|
Option
Awards
($)(4)
|
|
|
|
|
All
Other
Compensation
($)
|
|
|
|
|
Total
($)
|
|
Robert
B. Mayer
|
|
$
|
25,400
|
|
$
|
9,363
|
|
(5)(6)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
$
|
34,763
|
|
John
E. Dwight(1)
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
6,158
|
|
(7)
|
|
$
|
48,462
|
|
(8)
|
|
$
|
54,620
|
|
James
F. Williams
|
|
$
|
23,000
|
|
$
|
9,363
|
|
(5)(6)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
$
|
32,363
|
|
James
H. Williams(2)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
$
|
168,525
|
|
(9)
|
|
$
|
168,525
|
|
Robert
E. Heaton
|
|
$
|
24,700
|
|
$
|
9,363
|
|
(5)(6)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
$
|
34,063
|
|
Stephen
K. Necessary(3)
|
|
$
|
17,750
|
|
$
|
9,363
|
|
(5)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
$
|
27,113
|
|
Gary
P. Scharmett
|
|
$
|
24,000
|
|
$
|
9,363
|
|
(5)(6)
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
$
|
33,363
|
|
_______________
(1)
John
E. Dwight is an employee in his capacity as Assistant to the Chief Executive
Officer.
(2)
James
H. Williams term as a Director expired on May 24, 2006.
(3)
Stephen K. Necessary resigned as a Director effective September 30,
2006.
(4)
The
amounts in the “Option Awards” column reflect the dollar amount recognized by us
for financial statement reporting purposes under FAS 123(R) for the fiscal
year
ended December 31, 2006, disregarding the estimate of forfeitures related to
service-based vesting conditions. In accordance with FAS 123(R), this column
may
include amounts from awards granted in and prior to 2006 under our long term
incentive plans for Directors. Assumptions used in the calculation of these
amounts are included in Note 1(o) to our audited consolidated financial
statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2006.
(5)
Each
non-employee Director as of March 28, 2006, other than James H. Williams, was
granted an option to purchase 10,000 shares of Common Stock on such date under
the 2005 Director Equity Incentive Plan. The grant date fair value of each
of
these option awards was $13,200.
(6)
As of
December 31, 2006, each non-employee Director held options for the following
number of shares: Mr. Mayer, 47,000 shares; Mr. J.F. Williams, 47,000 shares;
Mr. Heaton, 47,000 shares; and Mr. Scharmett, 47,000 shares.
(7) Mr.
Dwight was granted an option award to purchase 10,000 shares of Common Stock
on
March 28, 2006 under the 2005 Employee Equity Incentive Plan. The grant date
fair value of this option award was $13,200. As of December 31, 2006, Mr. Dwight
held options to purchase an aggregate of 100,000 shares of Common
Stock.
(8)
Represents amounts paid as compensation for service as our
employee.
(9)
Represents amounts paid pursuant to a Consulting and Non-Competition Agreement
between us and James H. Williams.
We
pay
each of our non-employee Directors a retainer at the annual rate of $15,000,
payable quarterly, a fee of $1,000 for each Board meeting attended in person
($500 if attendance was telephonic) and a fee of $600 for each committee meeting
attended in person ($300 if attendance was telephonic or if attending on the
same date as a Board meeting). We reimburse each Director for certain travel,
lodging and related expenses incurred in connection with attendance at Board
and
committee meetings. During calendar year 2006, we did not pay Messrs. Luksch,
Pallé and Dwight any separate compensation for serving on the Board of Directors
or any committees thereof.
Effective
January 1, 2000, we enacted a policy requiring each of our Directors to maintain
an investment in our Common Stock during his or her entire tenure as a Director
equal to at least $25,000, calculated by taking the greater of (i) the amount
paid for such stock by the Director and (ii) the highest fair market value
of
such stock. We encourage our non-employee Directors to purchase our Common
Stock
in amount equal to or exceeding one year’s annual retainer during any three-year
period until they meet this requirement.
In
May,
1998, our stockholders approved the adoption of our Amended and Restated 1996
Director Option Plan, as further amended by approval of the stockholders in
May,
2003 (the “1996 Plan”). The 1996 Plan expired on January 2, 2006. The 1996 Plan
is administered by our Board of Directors. Under the 1996 Plan, Directors who
were not employed by us or by any of our subsidiaries and were not so employed
within the six months prior to the date of grant, were eligible to receive
options from time to time to purchase a number of shares of Common Stock as
determined by our Board; provided, however, that no Director could be granted
options to purchase more than 5,000 shares of Common Stock in any one calendar
year. The exercise price for such shares was the fair market value thereof
on
the date of grant, and the options vest as determined in each case by the Board
of Directors. Options granted under the 1996 Plan were generally exercisable
over the term of the option, as determined by our Board; however, no option
granted under the 1996 Plan had a term of greater than ten years from the date
of grant. A maximum of 200,000 shares were available to be awarded under the
1996 Plan of which 153,000 shares are currently subject to outstanding awards,
and awards with respect to the remaining 47,000 shares have expired without
being exercised.
In
May
2005, our stockholders approved the adoption of the Blonder Tongue Laboratories,
Inc. 2005 Director Equity Incentive Plan (the “Director Plan”). The Director
Plan is administered by our Board of Directors. Under the Director Plan,
Directors who are not currently employed by us or by any of our subsidiaries
and
who have not been so employed within the past six months, are eligible to
receive equity-based awards from time to time as determined by our Board. A
maximum of 200,000 shares may be awarded under the Director Plan, and any shares
subject to an award which is terminated, canceled, expired or forfeited for
any
reason will again be available for the grant of an award. Under the Director
Plan, eligible Directors may be awarded stock options to purchase a number
of
shares of Common Stock (“Stock Options”), stock appreciation rights to receive
the excess, if any, of the fair market value of a specified number of shares
of
Common Stock at the time of exercise over the grant price (“SARS”) or stock
awards at no cost to the Director (“Stock Awards”), which may be either
restricted stock or unrestricted stock. Each grant of a Stock Option, SAR or
Stock Award will be subject to a written Award Agreement which shall specify
the
terms and conditions of the grant as determined by the Board of Directors,
provided,
however,
that
the exercise price for any Stock Option or SAR granted shall not be less than
the fair market value of the underlying Common Stock on the date of grant.
The
Director Plan expires on February 1, 2015.
On
March
28, 2006, each of our non-employee Directors, other than James H. Williams,
was
granted an option under the Director Plan to purchase 10,000 shares of Common
Stock at an exercise price equal to $1.905 per share, the fair market value
of
our Common Stock on March 28, 2006, calculated by taking the average
of the high and low selling prices as reported on the American Stock Exchange
on
the grant date of March 28, 2006. These
options
vested
on March 28, 2007 and expire on March 27, 2016.
On
April
3, 2007, each of our non-employee Directors was granted an option under the
Director Plan to purchase 10,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price
equal to $1.98 per share, the fair market value of our Common Stock on April
3,
2007, calculated by taking the average
of the high and low selling prices as reported on the American Stock Exchange
on
the grant date of April 3, 2007.
These
options
vest on
April 3, 2008 and expire on April 2, 2017.
We
are a
party to a consulting and non-competition agreement with James H. Williams,
who
served as a Director until May 24, 2006, for the purpose of obtaining advice
and
counseling from Mr. Williams concerning strategic planning and financial and
business matters. Under this agreement, as amended, Mr. Williams is obligated
to
make himself available to us for up to 25 hours per month. We pay Mr. Williams
at the rate of $168,525 per year for his services under this agreement, subject
to adjustment on a basis consistent with adjustments to compensation for our
senior management. The agreement provides a cap of $200,000 on payments to
be
made thereunder during any calendar year. The initial term of this agreement
expired on December 31, 2004 and automatically renews thereafter for successive
one year terms (subject to termination at the end of any renewal term on at
least 90 days’ notice). The agreement was automatically renewed for a one-year
term, expiring December 31, 2007. We pay Mr. Williams certain amounts in
connection with the reimbursement of travel, lodging and related expenses
incurred in connection with attendance at our Board and committee
meetings.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
COMPENSATION
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Our
Compensation Committee is responsible for evaluating and approving compensation
for our executive officers. The individuals who served in 2006 as Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, along with the other individuals
included in the Summary Compensation Table on page 15, are referred to as the
"named executive officers." This section discusses our compensation of the
named executive officers.
Compensation
Objectives
The
primary objective of our executive compensation program is to assist us in
attracting, retaining and motivating talented executives to execute our business
strategy and maximize short-term and long-term profits and shareholder value.
We
seek to achieve these objectives by:
· |
providing
direct compensation and rewards programs that are externally competitive
to attract and retain the talent
needed;
|
· |
rewarding
performance of executives who contribute to strategic and operational
goals; and
|
· |
providing
compensation that aligns with business objectives and shareholders’
interests.
|
The
key
elements of our executive officer compensation program are base salary, annual
incentive compensation in the form of cash bonuses, and long-term incentive
compensation. Our Compensation Committee subjectively apportions total
compensation among these elements in such proportions as it determines are
appropriate in the circumstances and, therefore, such apportionment may vary
from time to time and among executives. The Compensation Committee retains
the
flexibility to consider various factors when making compensation decisions,
including external market forces, individual circumstances and
performance.
While
the
Compensation Committee has not retained a compensation consultant, in
determining the salary for our executive officers, the Compensation Committee
obtains, from time to time, salary survey information from companies such as
Watson Wyatt Data Services, of salaries paid to officers of durable goods
manufacturing companies located in the Northeastern United States, ranging
in
size from $20 million to $130 million in revenues. The Compensation Committee
generally seeks to set compensation at or above the middle range of salaries
in
these surveys to remain competitive in order to attract, retain and motivate
talented executives.
With
regard to the compensation of each of our Chief Executive Officer and President,
Messrs. Luksch and Pallé, the Compensation Committee reviews their respective
performance and the relevant compensation information from the surveys and
determines their compensation, subject to approval of their base salary by
the
full Board of Directors. In evaluating their performance, the Compensation
Committee conducts a review process whereby comments are solicited from the
members of the Board regarding their respective performance, which performance
review is used by the Compensation Committee as a guide in making any
adjustments to their compensation. The Chief Executive Officer also provides
the
Compensation Committee with a summary review of our President’s performance.
With regard to the other named executive officers, our Chief Executive Officer
provides the Compensation Committee with a written summary review of these
other
executive officers accompanied by recommendations to the Compensation Committee
as to appropriate levels of compensation. The Compensation Committee then
reviews these recommendations, makes appropriate adjustments and approves
them.
Base
Salary.
Base
salaries are intended to provide a level of cash compensation that is externally
competitive in relation to the responsibilities of the executive’s position,
with adjustments reflective of recent performance. Individual salaries for
executive officers are generally reviewed annually by the Compensation
Committee, except for Messrs. Luksch and Pallé whose compensation levels are
presently reviewed every other year. Generally, our Chief Executive Officer
recommends annual salary adjustments for the named executive officers other
than
Messrs. Luksch or Pallé. In addition to the compensation survey utilized every
few years to ensure base salary is externally competitive, the Compensation
Committee conducts an annual performance evaluation of these named executive
officers to determine any salary adjustment based upon the written summaries
of
each such officer’s performance prepared and provided by our Chief Executive
Officer. The performance evaluation focuses on the executive’s performance
during the past year of the responsibilities of his position, the executive’s
improvement in areas where any deficiencies may have been noted in the past,
and
the executive’s achievement of any specific goals and objectives which may have
been established for him, including achievement of budget objectives. Our
overall profit for the fiscal year and the executive’s individual contribution
to that profit are also considered. This assessment of individual performance
contributions is, however, subjective and not conditioned upon the achievement
of any specific, pre-determined performance targets. In March, 2006, based
on
the foregoing analysis, including our overall general performance and the
performance of the executives, the following annual adjustments to base salaries
for the named executive officers other than Messrs. Luksch and Pallé were
approved effective January 1, 2006:
Name
|
|
2005
Salary
|
|
Adjustment
|
|
2006
Salary
|
|
Peter
F. Daly, Jr.
|
|
|
$
175,000
|
|
|
$
3,500
|
|
|
$
178,500
|
|
Kant
Mistry
|
|
|
$
157,000
|
|
|
$
4,000
|
|
|
$
161,000
|
|
Eric
S. Skolnik
|
|
|
$
137,000
|
|
|
$
5,000
|
|
|
$
142,000
|
|
While
the
2005 salaries of Messrs. Luksch ($383,250) and Pallé ($300,000) were not
adjusted for 2006, their salaries are being reviewed by the Compensation
Committee in 2007 and it is anticipated that the review process will be
concluded and compensation adjustments determined during April, 2007. As in
recent prior years, adjustments to compensation for Messrs. Luksch and Pallé
will be determined by the Compensation Committee based upon the performance
review process described above, which includes solicited written comments from
member of the Board of Directors. In addition, in January, 2007, the
Compensation Committee, as part of its annual compensation review as described
above, approved new base salaries for the other named executive officers as
follows:
Name
|
|
Base
Salary as of January 1, 2007
|
|
Peter
F. Daly, Jr.
|
|
|
$
180,500
|
|
Kant
Mistry
|
|
|
$
164,000
|
|
Eric
S. Skolnik
|
|
|
$
150,000
|
|
Executive
Officer Bonus Plan.
We
provide executives with an annual opportunity to earn cash incentive awards
through the Executive Officer Bonus Plan (the “Executive Bonus Plan”). These
cash bonuses are intended to motivate and reward the achievement of short-term
profit, which is a key element of the Compensation Committee’s overall
compensation philosophy. Cash
bonus awards under the Executive Bonus Plan are paid to officers during a
particular fiscal year based upon and relating to our financial performance
during the prior fiscal year. During the first quarter of each fiscal year,
we
designate which of our executive officers are to participate in the Executive
Bonus Plan for that year. We then establish one or more objective performance
goals for the participants and a formula to determine bonus payments based
on
the achievement of the goal(s). In no event may the bonus for any participant
exceed 100% of the participant’s base salary.
The
performance goals are expressed in terms of (a) one or more corporate or
divisional earnings-based measures (which may be based on net income, operating
income, cash flows, or any combination thereof) and/or (b) one or more corporate
or divisional sales-based measures. Each such goal may be expressed on an
absolute and/or relative basis, may employ comparisons with our past performance
(including one or more divisions) and/or the current or past performance of
other companies, and in the case of earnings-based measures, may employ
comparisons to capital, stockholders’ equity and shares outstanding. Performance
goals need not be uniform among participants, but they have been in recent
years.
After
our
financial results for a fiscal year have been determined, the Compensation
Committee will certify the level of performance goal attainment and the
potential bonus payment for each participant. The Compensation Committee has
full authority to decrease the amount that would otherwise be payable to any
participant for a fiscal year.
For
2006,
each of the named executed officers were participants under the Executive Bonus
Plan. The participants were entitled to share in a Bonus Pool based upon a
subjectively determined allocation, which took into account the relative
compensation levels of the executives as well as other subjective factors
related to job performance in 2005, such as the ease with which the executive
could be replaced, whether further opportunities for advancement within the
company existed for the executive, teamwork skills, perceived efforts,
interpersonal relationships and overall job performance. The Bonus Pool for
2006
was equal to the sum of (i) forty percent (40%) of the first $1,000,000 (or
portion thereof) of our pre-tax income, plus (ii) twenty percent (20%) of our
pre-tax income in excess of $1,000,000, but less than or equal to $2,000,000,
plus (iii) ten percent (10%) of our pre-tax income in excess of $2,000,000,
all
as set forth on our audited financial statements (in all cases calculated before
taking into account any accrual for such Bonus Pool). In no event, however,
may
the Bonus Pool exceed the sum of the base salaries of all participants, in
the
aggregate. Also, no bonus may be paid to any participant unless the Bonus Pool
(calculated in the manner described above) equals or exceeds $90,000. Based
upon
our reported pre-tax income for 2006, in March, 2007 the following bonuses
were
paid to our named executive officers based upon their overall share of the
Bonus
Pool as reflected below:
Name
|
|
Pool
Percentage
|
|
2006
Bonus Award
|
|
James
A. Luksch
|
|
0.2398
|
|
$52,845
|
|
Robert
J. Pallé, Jr.
|
|
0.1668
|
|
$36,758
|
|
Peter
F. Daly, Jr.
|
|
0.0993
|
|
$21,883
|
|
Kant
Mistry
|
|
0.1007
|
|
$22,191
|
|
Eric
S. Skolnik
|
|
0.0790
|
|
$17,409
|
|
In
addition, from time to time we may establish a discretionary bonus arrangement
with one or more of our executive officers, with the receipt of any bonus
conditioned upon the attainment of certain performance goals. Currently there
is
a bonus arrangement with Peter F. Daly. Mr. Daly is eligible to receive a bonus
under this arrangement based upon our achievement of certain sales-based
measures (“Sales Bonus”). However, in no event may the sum of any Sales Bonus
paid to Mr. Daly pursuant to this arrangement plus any bonus paid to him under
the Executive Bonus Plan exceed 100% of his base salary. For 2006, in order
for
Mr. Daly to be eligible to receive the Sales Bonus, our net sales had to
increase by 20% over net sales for the preceding fiscal year. This performance
measure was not met in 2006 and, therefore, no Sales Bonus was paid to Mr.
Daly
in 2007 in respect of our performance in 2006.
In
January, 2007, the Compensation Committee approved the participation of all
of
the named executive officers in the Bonus Pool for 2007. The Bonus Pool for
2007
will be determined based upon the measurement of our income before income taxes
for fiscal 2007 at the same percentages (and subject to the same limitations)
as
was used for these calculations in 2006. As of the printing of this proxy
statement the Pool Percentages at which each individual named executive officer
will participate in the 2007 Bonus Pool, have not yet been determined.
Long-Term
Incentive. Long-term
incentives are intended to motivate and retain executives and reward them based
upon our long-term performance. Our primary vehicle for providing these
incentives is the grant of equity-based and other performance awards under
our
2005 Employee Equity Incentive Plan (“2005 Plan”). While other awards are
authorized under the 2005 Plan, to date, the Compensation Committee has granted
only stock options under the 2005 Plan. The Compensation Committee believes
stock options provide long-term incentives to executives while aligning their
interests with those of the public shareholders, as the executive only benefits
if the stock price increases after the date of grant and only by the amount
of
the increase. While the Compensation Committee subjectively determines the
number of options to be granted, it generally considers the following in making
its decisions:
· |
the
number of outstanding options in relation to the number of outstanding
shares of our Common Stock to determine the dilutive effect of additional
options,
|
· |
the
number of outstanding options that have an exercise price below the
current market price (and the magnitude of the exercise price below
the
current market price) to determine the incentive being created by
the
outstanding options,
|
· |
the
position and level of responsibility of the executive officer and
his
recent performance, and
|
· |
the
number of shares owned and options outstanding for an individual
executive
officer to determine the incentive effect of further options and
the
relative wealth and retirement needs of the
executive.
|
Similar
to other types of compensation, the Compensation Committee determines the grant
of stock options to Messrs. Luksch and Pallé, and for all other named executive
officers Mr. Luksch provides a list of proposed option grants, which the
Compensation Committee reviews, makes appropriate adjustments and thereafter
approves. In 2006, the Compensation Committee took into the account that the
exercise price of many of the outstanding options were significantly above
the
current stock price and options have been expiring out-of-the-money.
Accordingly, most of these past grants no longer provided significant incentives
for our executives. Also, while Messrs. Luksch and Pallé had not received option
grants in many years, the Compensation Committee believed new grants would
create additional incentives for them during this critical time when we are
consolidating operations and transforming to offshore manufacturing. Based
upon
the foregoing reasons and procedures, in March, 2006 the Compensation Committee
granted the following stock options with an exercise price of $1.905 per share,
a ten-year term and vesting in three equal installments on March 28, 2007,
2008
and 2009:
Name
|
|
No.
of Shares
|
James
A. Luksch
|
|
45,000
shares
|
|
|
35,000
shares
|
Peter
F. Daly, Jr.
|
|
20,000
shares
|
Kant
Mistry
|
|
25,000
shares
|
Eric
S. Skolnik
|
|
25,000
shares
|
As
part
of its annual compensation review in January, 2007 and for the same reasons
described above, the Compensation Committee granted the following stock options
(subject to shareholder approval of Proposal 2 in this proxy statement) with
an
exercise price of $1.98 per share, a ten-year term and vesting in three equal
installments on April 3, 2008, 2009 and 2010:
Name
|
|
No.
of Shares
|
James
A. Luksch
|
|
35,000
shares
|
Robert
J. Pallé, Jr.
|
|
25,000
shares
|
Peter
F. Daly, Jr.
|
|
20,000
shares
|
Kant
Mistry
|
|
20,000
shares
|
Eric
S. Skolnik
|
|
25,000
shares
|
We
generally award options to our executives annually at one of the first regularly
scheduled meetings of the Compensation Committee in a new fiscal year, which
is
done in connection with our annual review of executive officers and their
performance. The date of approval of these grants occurs before the release
of
fourth quarter and annual earnings announcements for the prior fiscal year.
We
do not, however, take into account our earnings announcements when determining
the number of stock options to be granted. For the last several annual stock
option grants, the Compensation Committee provided that the exercise price
could
not be lower than the average of the high and low selling prices of our Common
Stock on the first or second business day after fourth quarter and year end
earnings were announced.
Other
Compensation and Benefits.
The
named executive officers may participate in our broad-based 401(k) Plan on
the
same terms as all of our employees. The named executive officers do not receive
any other retirement benefits. The named executive officers receive certain
perquisites as described in the footnotes to the Summary Compensation Table,
including our payment of life insurance premiums, car allowances, professional
fees for tax preparation and other matters, and with respect to our Chief
Executive Officer, below market interest on certain outstanding loans and
professional fees for legal services.
No
Severance Agreements.
None of
our executive officers have employment, severance or change-of-control
agreements. Our executives serve at the will of the Board, which enables us
to
terminate their employment with discretion as to the terms of any severance
arrangement.
COMPENSATION
COMMITTEE REPORT
The
Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion
and Analysis with management and, based on such review and discussion, it has
recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and
Analysis be included in this proxy statement.
|
The
Compensation Committee
|
|
Robert
B. Mayer, Chair
|
|
Robert
E. Heaton
|
|
James
F. Williams
|
Summary
Executive Compensation
The
following table summarizes the total compensation paid to or earned by each
of
the named executive officers for services rendered to us in all capacities
for
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006.
2006
Summary Compensation Table
|
|
Name
and
Principal
Position
|
|
Year
|
|
Salary
($)
|
|
Option
Awards($)(1)
|
|
Non-Equity
Incentive Plan Compensation
($)(2)
|
|
All
Other
Compensation
($)
|
|
Total
($)
|
|
James
A. Luksch
Chairman
of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
$383,250
|
|
|
$27,708
|
|
|
$52,845
|
|
|
$48,548(3
|
)
|
|
$512,351
|
|
Robert
J. Pallé, Jr.
President,
Chief Operating Officer and Secretary
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
300,000
|
|
|
21,550
|
|
|
36,758
|
|
|
22,125(4
|
)
|
|
380,433
|
|
Peter
F. Daly, Jr.
Senior
Vice President - Marketing and Sales
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
178,500
|
|
|
20,819
|
|
|
21,883
|
|
|
471(5
|
)
|
|
221,673
|
|
Kant
Mistry
Vice
President - Engineering and Chief Technical Officer
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
161,000
|
|
|
15,393
|
|
|
22,191
|
|
|
5,273(6
|
)
|
|
203,857
|
|
Eric
S. Skolnik
Senior
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Assistant
Secretary
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
142,000
|
|
|
15,393
|
|
|
17,409
|
|
|
4,311(6
|
)
|
|
179,113
|
|
__________________
(1)
The
amounts in the “Option Awards” column reflect the dollar amount recognized by us
for financial statement reporting purposes under FAS 123(R) for the fiscal
year
ended December 31, 2006, disregarding the estimate of forfeitures related to
service-based vesting conditions. In accordance with FAS 123(R), this column
may
include amounts from awards granted in and prior to 2006 under our various
long
term incentive plans. Assumptions used in the calculation of these amounts
are
included in Note 1(o) to our audited consolidated financial statements included
in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006.
(2)
The
amounts in the “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation” column reflect the cash
awards made under our Executive Officer Bonus Plan. These awards were paid
in
March, 2007 for 2006 performance.
(3)
The
amount shown in the “All Other Compensation” column for Mr. Luksch includes
$10,428 for personal use of a company car, $3,185 of professional fees for
tax
preparation, $15,353 of below market interest benefit on outstanding loan
amounts owing to us as described under “Certain Relationships and Related
Transactions” on page 20 below, and $11,970 of professional fees for legal
services. This amount also includes our matching contribution to our 401(k)
defined contribution plan for the benefit of Mr. Luksch and the dollar value
for
life insurance premiums paid by us during 2006 with respect to life insurance
for the benefit of Mr. Luksch. The cost to provide a company car to Mr. Luksch
was calculated based on the actual lease cost incurred during 2006, prorated
by
the estimated personal use of the car by Mr. Luksch, plus the estimated cost
of
fuel, maintenance and insurance. The cost of the below market interest benefit
was determined based on the average outstanding loan balance (calculated using
the average of the outstanding loan balance at January 1, 2006 and December
31,
2006) at our weighted average borrowing rate under our credit facilities during
2006 (8.90%).
(4)
The
amount shown in the “All Other Compensation” column for Mr. Pallé includes
$6,878 for personal use of a company car and $7,855 of professional fees for
tax
preparation. This amount also includes our matching contribution to our 401(k)
defined contribution plan for the benefit of Mr. Pallé and the dollar value for
life insurance premiums paid by us during 2006 with respect to life insurance
for the benefit of Mr. Pallé.
(5)
The
amount shown in the “All Other Compensation” column for Mr. Daly includes the
dollar value for life insurance premiums paid by us during 2006 with respect
to
life insurance for the benefit of Mr. Daly.
(6)
The
amounts shown in the “All Other Compensation” column for each of Messrs. Skolnik
and Mistry includes our matching contribution to our 401(k) defined contribution
plan and the dollar value for life insurance premiums paid by us during 2006
with respect to life insurance for the benefit of these named executive
officers.
Grants
of Plan Based Awards
The
following table provides information with respect each grant of a plan-based
award to a named executive officer during fiscal year 2006.
2006
GRANTS OF PLAN BASED AWARDS
|
|
|
|
|
|
Estimated
Future Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards
(1)
|
|
All
Other Option Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Options
(#)(5)
|
|
Exercise
or Base Price of Option Awards
($/SH)(6)
|
|
Grant
Date Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards
($)
|
|
Name
|
|
Grant
Date
|
|
Threshold
($)(2)
|
|
Target
($)(3)
|
|
Maximum
($)(4)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
James
A. Luksch
|
|
|
03/28/2006
|
|
|
$21,582
|
|
|
$52,845
|
|
|
$383,250
|
|
|
45,000
|
|
|
$1.905
|
|
|
$59,400
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Robert
J. Pallé, Jr.
|
|
|
03/28/2006
|
|
|
$15,012
|
|
|
$36,758
|
|
|
$300,000
|
|
|
35,000
|
|
|
$1.905
|
|
|
$46,200
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peter
F. Daly, Jr.
|
|
|
03/28/2006
|
|
|
$8,937
|
|
|
$21,883
|
|
|
$178,500
|
|
|
20,000
|
|
|
$1.905
|
|
|
$26,400
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kant
Mistry
|
|
|
03/28/2006
|
|
|
$9,063
|
|
|
$22,191
|
|
|
$161,000
|
|
|
25,000
|
|
|
$1.905
|
|
|
$33,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eric
S. Skolnik
|
|
|
03/28/2006
|
|
|
$7,110
|
|
|
$17,409
|
|
|
$142,000
|
|
|
25,000
|
|
|
$1.905
|
|
|
$33,000
|
|
__________________
(1)
The amounts under the “Estimated Future Payouts Under Non-Equity
Incentive Plan Awards” column relate to cash awards payable to the named
executive officers under the Executive Officer Bonus Plan as described under
“Compensation Discussion and Analysis - Executive Officer Bonus Plan” on page
12.
(2)
The Bonus Pool under the Executive Officer Bonus Plan must equal or exceed
$90,000 before any cash bonuses will be awarded. The threshold amounts shown
reflect the minimum payment level under this plan based upon a minimum Bonus
Pool amount of $90,000 and each named executive officer’s Pool Percentage as
determined by our Compensation Committee.
(3)
No target awards were set under the Executive Officer Bonus Plan. The
target amounts shown reflect the actual cash bonuses awarded to the named
executive officers under the Executive Officer Bonus Plan for 2006. These awards
were paid in March, 2007.
(4)
The
maximum amounts shown reflect the actual base salary of each named executive
officer, which is the maximum amount payable as a cash bonus under the Executive
Officer Bonus Plan.
(5)
The amounts in the “All Other Options Awards” column reflect the number of
shares underlying options granted to each named executive officer in 2006 under
the 2005 Employee Equity Incentive Plan.
(6)
The option award exercise price is calculated by taking the average of the
high and low selling prices as reported on the American Stock Exchange on the
grant date of March 28, 2006.
Outstanding
Equity Awards
The
following table discloses for each named executive officer all shares of our
Common Stock underlying unexercised options as of December 31,
2006.
OUTSTANDING
EQUITY AWARDS AT DECEMBER 31, 2006
|
Name
|
Number
of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#)
Exercisable
|
Number
of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#)
Unexercisable
|
Option
Exercise
Price ($)
|
Option
Expiration Date
|
James
A. Luksch
|
-
|
45,000
(1)
|
$
1.905
|
03/28/2016
|
Robert
J. Pallé, Jr.
|
-
|
35,000
(1)
|
$
1.905
|
03/28/2016
|
Peter
F. Daly, Jr.
|
13,333(2)
|
6,667
(2)
|
$
3.375
|
04/17/2014
|
|
5,000
(3)
|
-
|
$
3.84
|
03/29/2015
|
|
-
|
20,000
(1)
|
$
1.905
|
03/28/2016
|
Kant
Mistry
|
6,000
(3)
|
-
|
$
6.88
|
07/16/2007
|
|
8,000
(3)
|
-
|
$
6.88
|
06/09/2007
|
|
3,000
(3)
|
-
|
$
6.34
|
08/18/2009
|
|
10,000
(3)
|
-
|
$
6.75
|
08/13/2010
|
|
10,000
(3)
|
-
|
$
2.88
|
02/14/2011
|
|
20,000
(3)
|
-
|
$
3.43
|
03/26/2012
|
|
15,000
(3)
|
-
|
$
3.84
|
03/29/2015
|
|
-
|
25,000
(1)
|
$
1.905
|
03/28/2016
|
Eric
S. Skolnik
|
3,000
(3)
|
-
|
$
7.38
|
05/21/2010
|
|
8,000
(3)
|
-
|
$
2.88
|
02/14/2011
|
|
25,000
(3)
|
-
|
$
3.43
|
03/26/2012
|
|
15,000
(3)
|
-
|
$
3.84
|
03/29/2015
|
|
-
|
25,000
(1)
|
$
1.905
|
03/28/2016
|
__________________
(1)
This
option award vests in three equal installments on March 28, 2007, 2008 and
2009.
(2)
This
option award is for a total of 20,000 shares of Common Stock. As of December
31,
2006, 13,333 shares were
vested and exercisable and the remaining 6,667 shares will vest on April 19,
2007.
(3)
This
option award vested as of December 31, 2006.
Options
Exercises
During
fiscal year 2006, no named executive officer exercised any stock
options.
Compensation
Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
Messrs.
Heaton, Mayer and Necessary served on the Compensation Committee during 2006.
None of them, during the time he served on the Compensation Committee, was
one
of our officers or employees during fiscal year 2006. None of our executive
officers has served on the board of directors, the compensation committee or
any
other board committee performing equivalent functions of any other entity,
any
of whose officers served either on our Board of Directors or our Compensation
Committee.
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN
BENEFICIAL
OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The
following table sets forth certain information regarding beneficial ownership
of
our Common Stock as of March 15, 2007 by (i) each person who is known by us
to
beneficially own more than five percent of our Common Stock, (ii) each of our
Directors, including nominee Directors, (iii) each of our executive officers
named in the Summary Compensation Table, and (iv) all our executive officers
and
Directors as a group. Except as otherwise indicated, the persons named in the
table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares that
they
beneficially own, subject to community property laws where applicable.
Name
and Address of
Beneficial
Owner(1)(2)
|
|
Amount
and Nature of
Beneficial
Ownership (1)
|
|
Percent
of Class Beneficially
Owned |
|
James
A. Luksch
|
|
|
1,043,002
|
|
(3)
|
|
|
16.72
|
%
|
Robert
J. Pallé, Jr.
|
|
|
1,247,566
|
|
(4)
|
|
|
20.01
|
%
|
Kant
Mistry
|
|
|
82,334
|
|
(5)
|
|
|
1.31
|
%
|
Peter
F. Daly, Jr.
|
|
|
31,668
|
|
(6)
|
|
|
*
|
|
Eric
S. Skolnik
|
|
|
59,584
|
|
(7)
|
|
|
*
|
|
John
E. Dwight
|
|
|
119,334
|
|
(8)
|
|
|
1.89
|
%
|
James
F. Williams
|
|
|
114,173
|
|
(9)
|
|
|
1.81
|
%
|
Gary
P. Scharmett
|
|
|
65,600
|
|
(10)
|
|
|
1.05
|
%
|
Robert
B. Mayer
|
|
|
50,000
|
|
(11)
|
|
|
*
|
|
Robert
E. Heaton
|
|
|
52,500
|
|
(12)
|
|
|
*
|
|
All
Directors and executive officers as a group (13 persons)
|
|
|
3,168,257
|
|
|
|
|
44.98
|
%
|
FMR
Corp.
82
Devonshire Street
Boston,
Massachusetts 02109
|
|
|
432,683
|
|
(13)
|
|
|
6.95
|
%
|
Al
Frank Asset Management, Inc.
32392
Coast Highway, Suite 260
Laguna
Beach, California 92651
|
|
|
450,946
|
|
(14)
|
|
|
7.25
|
%
|
_______________
* Less
than
1%
(1) |
Beneficial
ownership as of March 15, 2007 for each person includes shares subject
to
options held by such person (but not held by any other person) which
are
exercisable within 60 days after such date. Beneficial ownership
is
determined in accordance with the rules of the Commission and generally
includes voting or investment power with respect to securities, which
voting or investment power may be further described in the footnotes
below. This table contains information furnished to us by the respective
stockholders or contained in filings made with the Commission. Certain
of
our executive officers and Directors may, from time to time, hold
some or
all of their Common Stock in brokerage accounts having outstanding
margin
loan balances secured by the Common Stock and the other investment
securities held in such brokerage
accounts.
|
(2) |
Unless
otherwise indicated, the address for each beneficial owner is c/o
Blonder
Tongue Laboratories, Inc., One Jake Brown Road, Old Bridge, NJ
08857.
|
(3) |
Includes
10,928 shares of Common Stock owned of record by two trusts of which
Mr.
Luksch is the trustee, 9 shares of Common Stock owned of record by
an
estate of which Mr. Luksch is the executor, 294 shares of Common
Stock
held of record by Mr. Luksch’s spouse, as to which Mr. Luksch expressly
disclaims beneficial ownership, and 15,000 shares of Common Stock
underlying options granted by us. 899,000 shares of Common Stock
owned by
Mr. Luksch are pledged as
collateral.
|
(4) |
Includes
200,000 shares of Common Stock owned of record by a limited liability
company of which Mr. Pallé and his wife are the sole members and 11,667
shares of Common Stock underlying options granted by
us.
|
(5) |
Includes
2,000 shares of Common Stock held jointly by Mr. Mistry and his spouse
and
80,334 shares of Common Stock underlying options granted by
us.
|
(6) |
Includes
31,668 shares of Common Stock underlying options granted by
us.
|
(7) |
Includes
59,334 shares of Common Stock underlying options granted by us.
|
(8) |
Includes
93,334 shares of Common Stock underlying options granted by
us.
|
(10) |
Includes
47,000 shares of Common Stock underlying options granted by
us.
|
(9) |
Includes
47,000 shares of Common Stock underlying options granted by us and
52,173
shares of Common Stock underlying an option granted by James H. Williams,
a former Director, to James F. Williams, which shares are owned by
James
H. Williams.
|
(11) |
Includes
47,000 shares of Common Stock underlying options granted by us, 500
shares
of Common Stock held of record by Mr. Mayer’s adult son, as to which Mr.
Mayer expressly disclaims beneficial ownership, and 200 shares of
Common
Stock held of record by Mr. Mayer’s
spouse.
|
(12) |
Includes
47,000 shares of Common Stock underlying options granted by
us.
|
(13) |
Based
on a Schedule 13G/A filed by FMR Corp. (“FMR”) with the Commission on
February 14, 2007. The Schedule 13G/A discloses that the 432,683
shares of
Common Stock are held directly by Fidelity Low Priced Stock Fund,
that
each of FMR and Edward C. Johnson, 3rd,
Chairman of FMR, have the sole power to dispose of the 432,683 shares
of
Common Stock, and that sole power to vote or direct the voting of
the
432,683 shares of Common Stock is held by the Fidelity Funds’ Board of
Trustees.
|
(14) |
Based
on a Schedule 13G filed by Al Frank Asset Management, Inc. (“AFAM”) with
the Commission on February 14, 2006. The Schedule 13G discloses that
AFAM
has the sole power to vote 351,685 shares of Common Stock, and the
sole
power to dispose of 450,946 shares of Common
Stock.
|
Section
16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section
16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires our Directors and
executive officers, and persons who own more than ten percent of our Common
Stock, to file with the Commission and the American Stock Exchange, initial
reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of Common Stock and
our
other equity securities. Officers, Directors and greater than ten percent
stockholders (collectively, “Reporting Persons”) are additionally required to
furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file.
To
our
knowledge, based solely on review of the copies of such reports furnished to
us
or written representations that no reports were required with respect to fiscal
year 2006, we believe that all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable
to
Reporting Persons were complied with on a timely basis during 2006, except
for
an untimely Form 4 filing for each of James A. Luksch and Robert J.
Pallé,
Jr.
in
connection with the sale by Mr. Luksch to Mr. Pallé
of
7,576
shares of our Common Stock in a private transaction on September 18, 2006 that
were not filed until January 9, 2007.
CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
The
Chief
Executive Officer’s daughter, Emily Nikoo, is our Senior Vice President -
Operations. Ms. Nikoo’s annual salary in 2006 was $143,000. Nezam Nikoo, Ms.
Nikoo’s husband and our Chief Executive Officer’s son-in-law, is our Chief
Digital Engineer. Mr. Nikoo’s annual salary in 2006 was $135,754.
One
of
our Directors, Gary P. Scharmett, is a partner at the law firm of Stradley,
Ronon, Stevens & Young, LLP, which serves as our outside counsel. During the
2006 fiscal year, we paid fees for legal services to this firm in the aggregate
amount of $888,000. Mr. Scharmett’s interest in this relationship arises from
his minority ownership interest as a partner at this firm. In management's
opinion, the terms of such services were substantially equivalent to those
which
would have been obtained from unaffiliated parties.
As
of
March 31, 2007, James A. Luksch, our Chief Executive Officer and a Director,
was
indebted to us in the amount of $162,000, for which we have charged no interest.
This indebtedness arose from a series of cash advances made to Mr. Luksch,
the
latest of which was advanced in February, 2002. The largest aggregate amount
of
indebtedness during the 2006 fiscal year was $179,000. This debt is presently
being repaid at the rate of at least $1,000 per month, all of which represents
principal payments on the indebtedness. Mr. Luksch paid $13,500 of principal
during fiscal 2006.
On
January 1, 1995, we entered into a consulting and non-competition agreement with
James H. Williams who was one of our Directors until May 24, 2006. He was also
our largest stockholder until November 14, 2006. Under the agreement, Mr.
Williams provides consulting services on various operational and financial
issues and is currently paid at an annual rate of $168,525, but in no event
is
such annual rate permitted to exceed $200,000. Mr. Williams also agreed to
keep
all of our information confidential and not to compete directly or indirectly
with us for the term of the agreement and for a period of two years thereafter.
The initial term of this agreement expired on December 31, 2004 and
automatically renews thereafter for successive one-year terms (subject to
termination at the end of any renewal term on at least 90 days’ notice). This
agreement automatically renewed for a one-year extension until December 31,
2007. In addition, on November 14, 2006, we repurchased 1,293,000 shares of
our
Common Stock from Mr. Williams in a private off-market block transaction for
$0.75 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $970,000.
On
June
30, 2006, we entered into a Share Exchange and Settlement Agreement with Blonder
Tongue Telephone, LLC, which was a 5% stockholder immediately prior to the
transaction (“BTT”) and certain related parties of BTT. Under the terms of the
agreement, we transferred to BTT the 49 membership shares of BTT (representing
a
50% equity ownership interest) owned by us in exchange for BTT transferring
back
to us the 500,000 shares of our Common Stock that were previously contributed
by
us to the capital of BTT. Pursuant to the agreement, we granted BTT a
non-transferable equipment purchase credit in the aggregate amount of $400,000
(subject to certain off-sets), which was exercised in full by September 30,
2006. BTT agreed to change its corporate name within 90 days after closing
and
cease using any of our intellectual property, including the names “Blonder,”
“Blonder Tongue” or “BT.” As part of the transaction, certain other non-material
agreements between us and BTT were also terminated. We acquired our 50%
ownership interest in BTT as part of a series of agreements entered into in
March, 2003 and September, 2003.
Review
and Approval of Transactions with Related Persons
We
do not
have a formal, written policy solely for the review and approval of transactions
with related parties. However, the charter for our Audit Committee and our
Code
of Ethics provide guidelines for reviewing and handing related party
transactions with our directors, officers and employees. Pursuant to these
requirements, the Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing all conflict
of
interest transactions involving directors, officers and employees and for
approving such transactions. Under our Code of Ethics, all directors and
officers are required to fully disclose, in writing, to the Chief Financial
Officer or the Chairman of the Audit Committee, any potential conflict of
interest prior to accepting any position or commencing any such transaction.
Before approving any such transaction, the Audit Committee would take into
account all relevant facts and circumstances that it deems appropriate,
including, but not limited to, the risks, costs and benefits to us, the terms
of
the transaction, the availability of other sources for comparable services
or
products, and if applicable, the impact on a Director’s independence. Only those
transactions that, in light of known circumstances, are fair as to, and in
the
best interest of Blonder and its shareholders, as the Audit Committee determines
in the good faith exercise of its discretion, shall be approved. In addition,
related party transactions with significant shareholders have traditionally
been
reviewed and approved by the full Board of Directors, with any interested
Director not participating. In these transactions, the disinterested Directors
have used the same standards described above in determining whether to approve
any related party transaction with a significant shareholder.
We
do
not, on an annual basis, reconsider transactions and arrangements with related
persons that were commenced in a prior year so long as the circumstances have
not changed in any material fashion. The continued engagement of Stradley,
Ronon, Stevens & Young, LLP as our general counsel remains at all times
subject to the discretion of management and the Board of Directors and as such,
is not specifically approved or ratified by our Audit Committee.
PROPOSAL
NO. 2 - AMENDMENT OF 2005 EMPLOYEE EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
At
the
Annual Meeting, stockholders will be presented with a proposal to increase
the
number of shares subject to our 2005 Employee Equity Incentive Plan (“2005
Employee Plan”) from 500,000 shares to 1,100,000 shares. On January 31, 2006,
the Compensation Committee adopted, subject to stockholder approval, an
amendment to the 2005 Employee Equity Incentive Plan that would increase by
600,000 the total number of shares of our Common Stock authorized for issuance
under the 2005 Employee Plan from 500,000 shares to 1,100,000 shares. In May,
2005, our stockholders approved the adoption of the 2005 Employee Plan and
a
total of 500,000 shares of Common Stock for issuance under the 2005 Employee
Plan. Options to purchase a total of 403,407 shares of Common Stock at exercise
prices ranging from $1.91 to $3.84 per share have been granted and remain
outstanding under the 2005 Employee Plan as of March 30, 2007. The full text
of
the proposed amendment to the 2005 Employee Plan is set forth in Appendix B
to
this Proxy Statement. The foregoing description of the proposed amendment is
qualified in its entirety by reference to the text of Appendix B.
The
2005
Employee Plan authorizes our Compensation Committee to grant equity-based and
other performance-based awards to our executive officers and other key
employees, representing approximately 52 persons. The purpose of the 2005
Employee Plan is to promote our success and enhance our value by linking the
personal interests of participants to those of our stockholders and by providing
such individuals with an incentive for outstanding performance in order to
generate superior returns to stockholders. The 2005 Employee Plan is designed
to
give our Compensation Committee flexibility in structuring awards that will
achieve these objectives. The proposed amendment increasing the number of shares
subject to the 2005 Employee Plan will permit further grants under this plan,
thereby allowing us to continue to create incentives for our employees to
enhance stockholder value. As of March 30, 2007, there are only 96,593 shares
available for issuance under the 2005 Employee Plan. The Compensation Committee
believes that this number is not sufficient given our compensation structure
and
strategy. Accordingly, our Board of Directors believes it is in our best
interests and the best interests of our stockholders to amend the 2005 Employee
Plan as described above. The additional shares of Common Stock will be used
to
make additional grants of awards from time to time to eligible participants
under the 2005 Employee Plan.
Due
to
the nature of the 2005 Employee Plan, the benefits to be received by or
allocated to any of the eligible participants, either individually or as a
group, cannot be determined at this time, except for the conditional grants
described below. On January 31, 2007, the Compensation Committee approved,
subject to stockholder approval of the proposed amendment to the 2005 Employee
Plan, the grant of options to purchase an aggregate of 190,000 shares of Common
Stock to certain executive officers. If approved, these options will be granted
effective April 3, 2007 with an exercise price of $1.98 per share. The table
below summarizes these conditionally granted stock options and provides other
information as to the persons who received these stock options under the 2005
Employee Plan. In addition, on March 31, 2007, the Compensation Committee
approved, subject to stockholder approval of the proposed amendment to the
2005
Employee Plan, the grant of options to purchase an aggregate of 184,000 shares
of Common Stock to certain of our key employees who are not executive officers.
If approved, these options will be granted effective April 3, 2007 with an
exercise price of $1.98 per share. If this Proposal No. 2 is approved by
stockholders, the remaining shares of Common Stock available for grant under
the
Employee Plan will be used to make additional awards from time to time to
eligible participants under the 2005 Employee Plan.
New
Plan Benefits
2005
Employee Equity Incentive Plan
Name
and Position
|
|
Dollar
Value ($)(1)
|
|
Number
of Units(2)(3)
|
|
James
A. Luksch
Chairman
of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
|
|
$0
|
|
|
35,000
|
|
Robert
J. Pallé, Jr.
President,
Chief Operating Officer and Secretary
|
|
$0
|
|
|
25,000
|
|
Peter
F. Daly, Jr. .
Vice
President - Sales
|
|
$0
|
|
|
20,000
|
|
Kant
Mistry
Vice
President - Engineering and Chief Technical Officer
|
|
$0
|
|
|
20,000
|
|
Eric
S. Skolnik
Senior
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Assistant
Secretary
|
|
$0
|
|
|
25,000
|
|
Executive
Officer Group
|
|
$0
|
|
|
190,000(4
|
)
|
Non-Executive
Director Group
|
|
$0
|
|
|
0
|
|
Non-Executive
Officer Employee Group
|
|
$0
|
|
|
184,000
|
|
________________
(1) |
Represents
the value of the options granted subject to stockholder approval
calculated based on the difference between the option exercise price
of
$1.98 per share and the closing market price of $1.96 per share of
our
Common Stock on April 18, 2007.
|
(2) |
Represents
the number of shares of Common Stock underlying options granted by
the
Compensation Committee subject to stockholder approval. The stock
options
will expire April 2, 2017.
|
(3) |
These
stock options vest and become exercisable, subject to stockholder
approval, in three equal installments of one-third each on the first,
second and third anniversary of the date of
grant.
|
(4) |
Includes
amounts disclosed above for Messrs. Luksch, Pallé, Daly, Mistry and
Skolnik.
|
Summary
Description of the 2005 Employee Plan
The
following is a summary of the key provisions of the 2005 Employee Plan, as
proposed to be amended.
1. Number
of Shares. The
aggregate number of shares reserved and available for grant under the 2005
Employee Plan is 1,100,000 shares of Common Stock, adjusted for any stock
dividend, stock split or other subdivision or combination of the Common Stock.
The shares may be issued from
authorized and unissued shares of our Common Stock, our treasury stock or from
shares purchased on the open market. To the extent that an award terminates,
is
cancelled, expires, lapses or is forfeited for any reason, any shares subject
to
the award will again be available for the grant of an award under the 2005
Employee Plan.
2. Administration.
The 2005
Employee Plan is administered by our Compensation Committee. The members of
the
Compensation Committee must be comprised of Directors who satisfy the
requirements of "non-employee directors" within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”).
3.
Eligibility;
Participation.
All of
our executive officers and other key employees, and the executive officers
and
key employees of any of our subsidiaries, are eligible to become participants
in
the 2005 Employee Plan. From time to time, our Compensation Committee will
select those persons who will be granted an award from among all eligible
individuals.
4.
Term
of 2005 Employee Plan.
The 2005
Employee Plan became effective as of February 2, 2005 and will terminate on
February 1, 2015. Our Board reserves the right to terminate the 2005 Employee
Plan prior to such date without prejudice in any material way to the holders
of
any awards then outstanding.
5.
2005
Employee Plan Awards.
Our
Compensation Committee is authorized under the 2005 Employee Plan to grant
a
variety of incentive awards to participants, as described below. Each award
is
evidenced by a written Award Agreement, which specifies the terms and conditions
of the award, as determined by the Compensation Committee in its discretion,
subject to the limitations set forth in the 2005 Employee Plan.
a. Stock
Options.
Our
Compensation Committee can award stock options (“Options”) to purchase a
specified number of shares of Common Stock. The exercise price of an Option
is
determined by our Compensation Committee and can be no less than the fair market
value of the underlying shares on the date of grant. The maximum number of
shares of our Common Stock with respect to which Options and SARs (as described
below) may be granted to any single participant during any one of our fiscal
years is 100,000. Tax-qualified incentive stock options (“ISOs”) and
non-qualified stock options (“NQOs”) may be awarded to participants under the
2005 Employee Plan. Our Compensation Committee determines the term of the
Option, the vesting periods and the permissible methods of payment of the
exercise price (e.g., cash, shares of Common Stock, cashless exercise, etc.),
and this is reflected in the Award Agreement. Our Compensation Committee can
also provide that performance or other conditions be met before all or any
part
of an Option may be exercised. On April 18, 2007, the closing price of the
Common Stock on the American Stock Exchange was $1.96.
b. Stock
Appreciation Rights.
A stock
appreciation right (“SAR”) gives the participant the right to receive the excess
(if any) of the fair market value of a specified number of shares of Common
Stock at the time of exercise over the grant price of the SAR (which shall
not
be less than the fair market value of the shares on the date of grant). The
terms, methods of exercise, methods of settlement (e.g., cash, shares of Common
Stock, or a combination thereof), and any other terms and conditions of any
SAR
shall be determined by our Compensation Committee at the time of the grant
of
the award and is reflected in the Award Agreement.
c. Stock
Awards.
Our
Compensation Committee can award shares of our Common Stock to a participant
at
no cost to the participant. The award may take the form of an immediate transfer
of shares which are subject to forfeiture if conditions specified by the
Compensation Committee are not met (“Restricted Stock”). Alternatively, the
award may take the form of an immediate transfer of shares which are not subject
to a risk of forfeiture or a deferred transfer of shares if and when the
conditions specified by the Compensation Committee are met (“Unrestricted
Stock”). The criteria for avoiding forfeiture of Restricted Stock, or receiving
a deferred transfer of Unrestricted Stock, may be the completion of a period
of
continuous employment with us, or satisfaction of specified performance goals,
or a combination thereof.
d. Performance-Based
Awards.
Our
Compensation Committee can grant a stock award that will entitle the holder
to
receive a specified number of shares of Common Stock if certain performance
goals are met (“Performance Shares”). These goals may include, for example, the
price of our Common Stock as reported on the American Stock Exchange reaching
one or more targeted levels, or our earnings on a per-share basis reaching
one
or more targeted levels. Unless otherwise provided in the relevant Award
Agreement, a participant must be employed by us on the last day of the
performance period to be eligible for a performance award for such performance
period. These are essentially stock awards that are subject to performance
criteria to enable the award to qualify as “performance-based compensation”
under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
(“Code”).
6.
Interpretation.
Our
Compensation Committee has the power to set, alter or change the rules,
guidelines and regulations for the administration of the 2005 Employee Plan,
and
to interpret the 2005 Employee Plan, any awards under the 2005 Employee Plan,
and any and all guidelines, rules and regulations adopted pursuant to the 2005
Employee Plan. Any determinations made by the Compensation Committee will be
conclusive and binding on all 2005 Employee Plan participants and their
beneficiaries.
7. Amendments.
Our
Board may, from time to time, in its discretion, amend or supplement any
provision of the 2005 Employee Plan, in whole or in part; provided however,
no
amendment shall be made to modify the requirements for eligibility for
participation, to increase the number of shares of our Common Stock with respect
to which awards may be granted under the 2005 Employee Plan or extend the term
of the 2005 Employee Plan unless approved by our stockholders. No amendment
to
the 2005 Employee Plan shall adversely affect the rights of participants in
any
material way with respect to outstanding awards without the consent of the
affected participants.
8. Anti-Dilution.
The
number of shares with respect to which awards may be granted under the 2005
Employee Plan, the number of shares of our Common Stock subject to any
outstanding award, and the nature of the securities which may be issued under
the 2005 Employee Plan, in each case shall be adjusted as a result of stock
splits, stock dividends, or other subdivisions or combinations of our Common
Stock, or reorganizations, mergers, consolidations, dividends or
reclassifications affecting us. In particular, in the event of our merger,
liquidation or dissolution, or a sale of all or substantially all of our assets,
the Compensation Committee has discretion to cancel or exchange outstanding
awards for cash or other securities as described in more detail in Article
12 of
the 2005 Employee Plan.
9. Limits
on Transfer.
No right
or interest of a participant in any award may be pledged, encumbered, or
hypothecated to or in favor of any party other than us, or shall be subject
to
any lien, obligation, or liability of such participant to any other party other
us. No award shall be assignable or transferable by a participant other than
by
will or the laws of descent and distribution, except that the Compensation
Committee, in its discretion, may permit a participant to make a gratuitous
transfer of an award that is not an ISO (or SAR granted in tandem with an ISO)
to his or her spouse, lineal descendants, lineal ascendants, or a duly
established trust for the benefit of one or more of these
individuals.
Federal
Tax Consequences of 2005 Employee Plan
The
following is a summary of the principal federal tax consequences of the 2005
Employee Plan under the Code, based on laws and regulations in effect on the
date of this Proxy Statement, which laws and regulations are subject to change,
and does not purport to be a complete description of the federal tax aspects
of
the 2005 Employee Plan.
A
participant does not realize taxable income upon the award of an Option. If
the
Option qualifies as an ISO, the participant does not realize taxable income
upon
exercise of the Option (except for purposes of the alternative minimum tax).
The
maximum value of shares of our Common Stock (measured at the time of the award)
subject to ISOs granted to any participant which can become exercisable in
any
calendar year is $100,000. Provided the participant holds the Common Stock
for
at least one year and until the end of the two-year period from the date the
Option was awarded, the gain or loss upon the sale of the Common Stock will
be
treated as capital gain or loss. If the participant sells the stock before
satisfying both of these holding period requirements, this is known as a
“disqualifying disposition.” In the event of a disqualifying disposition, the
lesser of (1) the excess of the fair market value of the Common Stock at the
time of exercise over the exercise price, or (2) the excess (if any) of the
fair
market value of the Common Stock at the time of sale over the exercise price
will be taxable to the participant as ordinary income. We will not be entitled
to any tax deduction in connection with an ISO, except that we will be entitled
to a deduction equal to the amount that is taxable to the participant as
ordinary income as a result of a disqualifying disposition.
If
an
Option is an NQO, the participant will realize ordinary compensation income
at
the time of exercise equal to the excess of the fair market value of our Common
Stock at the time of exercise over the exercise price, and we will be entitled
to a tax deduction for the same amount.
A
participant does not realize taxable income upon the award of an SAR. The
participant will realize ordinary compensation income upon the receipt of the
cash or Common Stock resulting from the exercise of an SAR, and we will be
entitled to a tax deduction for the same amount.
In
general, a participant does not realize taxable income upon the award of
Restricted Stock; the value of the Restricted Stock will be taxable to the
participant as ordinary compensation income if and when the forfeiture
restrictions lapse. However, a participant may make an election under Section
83(b) of the Code (“83(b) Election”) to be taxed on the value of the Restricted
Stock at the time of the award. If a participant makes an 83(b) Election, he
or
she will not be taxed on the Restricted Stock if and when the forfeiture
restrictions lapse. A participant would make an 83(b) Election by filing a
written statement with the IRS no later than 30 days after the date of the
award
of the Restricted Stock. A copy of that statement also must be given to us,
and
another copy must be attached to the participant’s income tax return for the
year of the award.
A
participant will realize ordinary compensation income upon the receipt of
Unrestricted Stock equal to the value of the Unrestricted Stock at that time.
We
will
be entitled to a tax deduction attributable to Restricted Stock or Unrestricted
Stock equal to the amount taxable to the participant, and at the time it is
taxable to the participant, subject to special rules under Section 162(m) of
the
Code which may limit the deductibility of compensation attributable to such
awards which are granted to our Chief Executive Officer and the four highest
compensated officers (other than the Chief Executive Officer) whose compensation
must be reported in our Proxy Statement.
We
shall
have the authority and the right to deduct or withhold, or require a participant
to remit to us, an amount sufficient to satisfy federal, state, and local taxes
required by law to be withheld with respect to any taxable event arising as
a
result of the 2005 Employee Plan. A participant may elect to have us withhold
from the Common Stock that would otherwise be received upon the exercise of
any
Option, a number of shares having a fair market value equal to the minimum
statutory amount necessary to satisfy our applicable federal, state, local
and
foreign tax withholding obligations.
All
awards under the 2005 Employee Plan that are subject to the Section 409A of
the
Code shall be structured to comply with Section 409A. Section 409A, which became
law in October, 2004, provides new limitations on nonqualified deferred
compensation. Section 409A contains rules affecting elections to defer
compensation and the actual payment of the deferred compensation. For purposes
of Section 409A, "deferred compensation" is defined in a very broad manner,
and
could include certain types of awards under the 2005 Employee Plan, such as
SARs, Restricted Stock and Unrestricted Stock. Award recipients could be subject
to adverse federal income tax consequences to the extent that their awards
do
not comply with Section 409A.
EQUITY
COMPENSATION PLANS
The
following table provides certain summary information as of December 31, 2006
concerning our compensation plans (including individual compensation
arrangements) under which shares of our Common Stock may be issued.
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
The
First Column)(#)
|
|
Equity
Compensation Plans Approved By Security Holders
|
|
|
1,257,504(1
|
)
|
|
$4.17
|
|
|
256,584(2
|
)
|
Equity
Compensation Plans Not Approved By Security Holders
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
0
|
|
|
0
|
|
Total
|
|
|
1,257,504
|
|
|
$4.17
|
|
|
256,584
|
|
(1)
Includes shares of our Common Stock which may be issued upon the exercise of
options or rights granted under the 1994 Incentive Stock Option Plan, as
amended, which expired by its terms on March 13, 2004, the 1995 Long Term
Incentive Plan, as amended, which expired by its terms on November 30, 2005,
the
2005 Employee Equity Incentive Plan, the Amended and Restated 1996 Director
Option Plan, which expired by its terms on January 2, 2006, and the 2005
Director Equity Incentive Plan.
(2)
Includes 96,584 shares of our Common Stock available for issuance as stock
option grants, stock appreciation rights, restricted or unrestricted stock
awards or performance based stock awards under the 2005 Employee Equity
Incentive Plan. Includes 160,000 shares of our Common Stock available for
issuance as stock option grants, stock appreciation rights, or restricted or
unrestricted stock awards under the 2005 Director Equity Incentive Plan.
The
additional shares that are the subject of Proposal 2 to increase the number
of
shares available under the 2005 Employee Plan are not included.
Recommendation
of the Board of Directors Concerning the Approval of the Increase in the Number
of Shares Subject to the 2005 Employee Plan
Our
Board of Directors recommends that stockholders vote FOR the proposal to approve
the increase in the number of shares of Common Stock subject to the 2005
Employee Plan. Proxies received by our Board of Directors will be so voted
unless stockholders specify in their proxies a contrary
choice.
PROPOSAL
NO. 3 - RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT
OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
Our
Audit
Committee has selected Marcum & Kliegman LLP to serve as our independent
registered public accountants for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2007.
Marcum & Kliegman LLP has been our independent registered public accountants
since being engaged by us effective October 24, 2005 to review our quarterly
results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2005 and to audit our
financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2005. The
engagement of Marcum & Kliegman LLP was unanimously approved by our Audit
Committee on October 13, 2005 and the firm is considered by us to be well
qualified. Prior thereto, our independent registered public accountant was
BDO
Seidman, LLP. We have been advised by Marcum & Kliegman LLP that neither it
nor any member thereof has any financial interest, direct or indirect, in us
or
any of our subsidiaries, in any capacity. One or more representatives of Marcum
& Kliegman LLP is expected to be present at this year’s Annual Meeting of
Stockholders with an opportunity to make a statement if he or she desires to
do
so and to answer appropriate questions with respect to that firm’s examination
of our financial statements and records for the fiscal year ended December
31,
2006.
On
August
26, 2005, we received a letter from BDO Seidman, LLP advising us that it was
resigning as our independent registered public accounting firm. This resignation
became effective on October 24, 2005 upon the engagement of Marcum &
Kliegman LLP. The audit reports issued by BDO Seidman, LLP on our consolidated
financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2004 and 2003
did not contain an adverse opinion or a disclaimer of opinion, nor were they
qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope, or accounting
principles.
During
the fiscal years ended December 31, 2004 and 2003 and the subsequent interim
period from January 1, 2005 through October 24, 2005, there were no
disagreements with BDO Seidman, LLP on any matter of accounting principles
or
practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedure,
which
disagreements, if not resolved to the satisfaction of BDO Seidman, LLP, would
have caused it to make reference to the subject matter of the disagreement
in
connection with its report on our consolidated financial statements. During
our
fiscal years ended December 31, 2004 and 2003 and the subsequent interim period
from January 1, 2005 through October 24, 2005, there were no “reportable events”
(as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K) except those material
weaknesses in the Company’s internal controls described in (i) Item 9A of the
Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004 related to
certain accounting procedures, and (ii) Item 9A of the Company’s Form 10-K/A for
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003 related to reconciliation and review
of
accounts payable and review of slow moving inventories. The Audit Committee
discussed the subject matter of these reportable events with BDO Seidman, LLP
and the Company has authorized BDO Seidman, LLP to respond fully to the
inquiries of the successor independent registered public accounting firm
regarding the subject matter of each such reportable event.
During
our fiscal years ended December 31, 2004 and 2003 and the subsequent interim
period from January 1, 2005 through October 24, 2005, neither we nor any person
acting on our behalf consulted with Marcum & Kliegman, LLP regarding: (i)
either the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction,
either completed or proposed; or the type of audit opinion that might be
rendered on our financial statements, and either a written report was provided
to us or oral advice was provided that Marcum & Kliegman LLP concluded was
an important factor considered by us in reaching a decision as to the
accounting, auditing or financial reporting issue; or (ii) any matter that
was
the subject of a disagreement (as defined in Item 304 (a)(1)(iv) of Regulation
S-K and the instructions to Item 304) or that constituted a reportable event
(as
described in Item 304 (a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K) with respect to our financial
statements.
Although
the submission of the appointment of Marcum & Kliegman LLP is not required
by the our By-Laws, the Board is submitting it to the stockholders to ascertain
their views. If the stockholders do not ratify the appointment, we will not
be
bound to seek other independent registered public accountant for 2007, but
the
selection of other independent registered public accountants will be considered
in future years.
Audit
and Other Fees Paid to Independent Registered Public
Accountants
Audit
and Other Fees Paid to Marcum & Kliegman LLP
As
discussed above, Marcum & Kliegman LLP was engaged as our independent
registered public accounting firm effective as of October 24, 2005. The
following table presents fees billed by Marcum & Kliegman LLP for
professional services rendered for the interim period from October 24, 2005
to
December 31, 2005 and the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006.
|
|
|
|
Interim
Period
|
|
|
|
|
|
October
24 -
|
|
Services
Rendered
|
|
Fiscal
2006
|
|
December
31, 2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Audit
Fees
|
|
|
$237,550
|
|
|
$29,000
|
|
Audit-Related
Fees
|
|
|
$13,500
|
|
|
$--
|
|
Tax
Fees
|
|
|
$33,400
|
|
|
$--
|
|
All
Other Fees
|
|
|
$--
|
|
|
$--
|
|
Audit
and Other Fees Paid to BDO Seidman, LLP
As
discussed above, BDO Seidman, LLP resigned as our independent registered public
accounting firm effective as of October 24, 2005. The following table presents
fees billed by BDO Seidman, LLP for professional services rendered for the
interim period from January 1, 2005 through October 24, 2005.
|
|
Interim
Period
|
|
|
|
January
1 -
|
|
Services
Rendered
|
|
October
24, 2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
Audit
Fees
|
|
$
|
237,500
|
|
Audit-Related
Fees
|
|
$
|
36,500
|
|
Tax
Fees
|
|
$
|
101,212
|
|
All
Other Fees
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
In
addition, in April, 2006 we paid BDO Seidman, LLP a fee of $15,000 in connection
with obtaining their consent to include their Reports of Independent Registered
Public Accounting Firm related to the financial statements for the year ended
December 31, 2004, including the Valuation and Qualifying Accounts and Reserves,
in the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005.
Audit
Fees
The
audit
fees are billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual
financial statements, the reviews of the financial statements included in our
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, consents to incorporate audited financial
statements into registration statements related to our employee benefit plans,
and assistance with earnings announcements on Form 8-K.
Audit-Related
Fees
The
audit-related fees for fiscal years 2005 and 2006 consisted principally of
audits of our pension and 401(k) plans.
Tax
Fees
Tax
fees
for fiscal years 2005 and 2006 consisted principally of preparing our U.S.
federal and state income tax returns, preparing tax returns for certain of
our
executive officers and assisting us in the preparation of certain amended
federal returns and carryback claims.
Our
Audit
Committee has reviewed the non-audit services currently provided by our
independent registered public accountants and has considered whether the
provision of such services is compatible with maintaining the independence
of
such independent registered public accountants. Based on such review and
consideration, the Audit Committee has determined that the provision of such
non-audit services is compatible with maintaining the independence of the
independent registered public accountants.
Pre-Approval
Policy for Services by Independent Registered Public
Accountants
Our
Audit
Committee has implemented pre-approval policies and procedures for the
engagement of our independent registered public accountants for both audit
and
permissible non-audit services. Under these policies and procedures, all
services provided by the independent registered public accountants must either
(i) be approved by our Audit Committee prior to the commencement of the
services, (ii) relate to assisting us with tax audits and appeals before a
taxing authority or be services associated with periodic reports or registration
statements filed by us with the Commission, all of which services are
pre-approved by our Audit Committee, or (iii) be a de minimis non-audit service
(as described in Rule 2-01(c)(7)(C) of Regulation S-X) that does not have to
be
pre-approved as long as management promptly notifies our Audit Committee of
such
service and our Audit Committee approves it prior to the service being
completed. Within these parameters, our Audit Committee annually approves the
scope and fees payable for the year end audit, statutory audits and employee
benefit plans to be performed by the independent registered public accountants
for the next fiscal year. Our Audit Committee also delegates pre-approval
authority for permissible non-audit services to the Audit Committee’s Chairman.
Any approvals of non-audit services made by our Audit Committee’s Chairman are
then reported by him at the next Audit Committee meeting. All of the services
provided by our independent registered public accountants during fiscal year
2006 were approved in accordance with our pre-approval policies and
procedures.
Recommendation
of the Board Concerning the Ratification of Appointment of Independent
Registered Public Accountants
Our
Board of Directors recommends that stockholders vote FOR the ratification of
the
appointment of Marcum & Kliegman LLP as our independent registered public
accountants for the 2007 fiscal year. Proxies received by the Board of Directors
will be so voted unless stockholders specify in their proxies a contrary
choice.
OTHER
BUSINESS
We
know
of no other matters that will be presented at the Annual Meeting of
Stockholders. However, if any other matter properly comes before the meeting,
or
any adjournment or postponement thereof, it is intended that proxies in the
accompanying form will be voted in accordance with the judgment of the persons
named therein.
STOCKHOLDER
PROPOSALS
Director
Nominations at the Annual Meeting
Our
By-laws require advanced notice of any stockholder proposal for nomination
for
the election of a Director. Notice of any such stockholder proposal must be
received by our
Corporate Secretary at One Jake Brown Road, Old Bridge, New Jersey 08857 not
less than sixty (60) days prior to the date of the scheduled annual meeting,
regardless of any postponement, deferrals or adjournments of that meeting to
a
later date, however, if less than seventy (70) days’ notice of the date of the
scheduled annual meeting is given, then to be timely, such notice must be
received not later than the close of business on the tenth (10th)
day
following the date notice of the scheduled annual meeting was mailed.
Accordingly, any stockholder who wished to have a Director nomination considered
at the 2007 Annual Meeting must have delivered notice to the Secretary no later
than the close of business on March 24, 2007. Any proposal received after this
date is considered untimely.
Stockholder
Proposals for Inclusion in 2008 Proxy Statement
The
date
by which we must receive stockholder proposals intended to be included in our
Proxy Statement for presentation at the 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
is
December 26, 2007, to be eligible for inclusion in such Proxy Statement.
Stockholder proposals must comply with all of the applicable rules and
requirements set forth in the rules and regulations of the SEC, including Rule
14a-8 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Stockholder proposals
should be sent to our Chief Financial Officer at One Jake Brown Road, Old
Bridge, New Jersey 08857.
Stockholder
Proposals for Presentation at the 2008 Annual Meeting
Other
than a proposal for nomination for the election of a Director which is subject
to the advance notice requirements described above, if notice of a stockholder
proposal intended to be presented at the 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
is
not received by us on or before March 11, 2008 (whether or not the stockholder
wishes the proposal to be included in the proxy statement for such annual
meeting), we (through management proxy holders) may exercise discretionary
voting authority on such proposal when and if the proposal is raised at the
annual meeting without any reference to the matter in the Proxy
Statement.
FORM
10-K
A
COPY OF
OUR ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2006
ACCOMPANIES THIS PROXY STATEMENT. WE WILL FURNISH TO EACH PERSON WHOSE PROXY
IS
BEING SOLICITED, UPON WRITTEN REQUEST, ANY EXHIBIT DESCRIBED IN THE LIST
ACCOMPANYING THE FORM 10-K, UPON THE PAYMENT, IN ADVANCE, OF REASONABLE FEES
RELATED TO OUR FURNISHING SUCH EXHIBIT(S). REQUESTS FOR COPIES OF SUCH
EXHIBIT(S) SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO ERIC SKOLNIK, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, AT
OUR
PRINCIPAL ADDRESS AS SHOWN ON THE COVER PAGE OF THIS PROXY
STATEMENT.
By
Order
of the Board of Directors
James
A.
Luksch
Chairman
of the Board and
Chief
Executive Officer
Date:
April 25, 2007
Old
Bridge, New Jersey
APPENDIX
A
BLONDER
TONGUE LABORATORIES, INC.
AUDIT
COMMITTEE CHARTER
I. PURPOSE
The
primary function of the Audit Committee is to assist the Board of Directors
in
fulfilling its oversight responsibilities by reviewing: (i) the financial
reports and other financial information provided by the Company to any
governmental body or the public; (ii) the Company’s systems of internal controls
regarding finance, accounting, legal compliance and ethics that management
and
the Board have established and may establish from time to time; (iii) the
Company’s auditing, accounting and financial reporting practices generally; and
(iv) all potential conflict of interest situations, including those arising
from
any related-party transactions. Consistent with this function, the Audit
Committee should encourage continuous improvement of, and should foster
adherence to, the Company’s policies, procedures and practices at all levels.
The Audit Committee’s primary duties and responsibilities are to:
· |
Serve
as an independent and objective party to oversee and monitor the
accounting and financial reporting processes, internal control system,
and
the audit of the financial statements of the Company.
|
· |
Analyze
and approve conflict of interest transactions and investigate any
violations of the Company’s Code of Ethics and complaints regarding
accounting or auditing matters.
|
· |
Appoint,
compensate, retain and oversee the work of the independent auditors
employed for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report
with
respect to the Company or preparing other audit, review or attest
services
for the Company, and also review and appraise the qualifications
and
performance of the Company’s independent auditors and internal auditing
department.
|
· |
Provide
an open avenue of communication among the independent auditors, financial
and senior management, the internal auditing department and the Board
of
Directors.
|
The
Audit
Committee will primarily fulfill these responsibilities by being authorized
and
directed to do the following:
|
(a)
|
To
directly appoint, compensate, retain, evaluate, terminate and oversee
the
work of the independent auditors employed for the purpose of preparing
or
issuing an audit report with respect to the Company or preparing
other
audit, review or attest services for the Company; such independent
auditors shall be duly registered with the Public Accounting Oversight
Board and shall be instructed to report directly to the Audit Committee.
In connection therewith, the Audit Committee shall annually (i) receive,
evaluate and discuss with the independent auditors a formal written
report
from them setting forth all consulting or other relationships with
the
Company, which shall include specific representations and discussions
as
to their objectivity and independence as required by Independence
Standards Board Statement No. 1, and (ii) take, or recommend that
the full
Board take, appropriate action to oversee the independence of the
independent auditors;
|
|
(b)
|
To
meet with the Company’s independent auditors, including private meetings
as necessary, (i) to review the arrangements for and scope of the
annual
audit and any special audits; (ii) to discuss any matters of concern
relating to the Company’s financial statements, including any adjustments
to such statements recommended by the auditors, or other results
of said
audit(s); (iii) to consider the independent auditors’ comments with
respect to the Company’s financial policies, procedures and internal
accounting controls and management’s responses thereto; and (iv) to review
the form of opinion the independent auditors propose to render to
the
Board of Directors and
shareholders;
|
|
(c)
|
To
review as a committee, with management and the independent auditors,
the
audited financial statements to be included in the Company’s Annual Report
on Form 10-K to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(including disclosures made in the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis”
portion of the Form 10-K), and the matters required to be discussed
by
Statement of Auditing Standards (“SAS”) No. 61 and SAS No.
90;
|
|
(d)
|
To
review as a committee, or through the Audit Committee chairman, with
the
independent auditors, the Company’s interim financial results to be
included in the Company’s quarterly reports on Form 10-Q to be filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (including disclosures made
in the
“Management’s Discussion and Analysis” portion of the Form 10-Q), and the
matters required to be discussed by SAS No. 61 and SAS No.
90;
|
|
(e)
|
To
consider the effect upon the Company of any changes in accounting
principles or practices proposed by management or the independent
auditors;
|
|
(f)
|
To
review the fees charged by the independent auditors for audit and
non-audit services;
|
(g) |
To
report its activities to the full Board of Directors on a regular
basis
and to make such recommendations with respect to the above and other
matters as the Audit Committee may deem necessary or appropriate;
|
(h) |
To
act as a liaison between the Company’s independent auditors and the full
Board of Directors;
|
(i) |
To
review, evaluate and pre-approve any non-audit services the independent
auditors may perform for the Company (except where such prior approval
is
not required for services described in pre-approval policies and
procedures and for certain de minimis non-audit services), and, to
the
extent required by applicable regulations, disclose such approved
non-audit services in reports to stockholders and periodic reports
filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In connection therewith,
the
Audit Committee shall have the authority to establish pre-approval
policies and procedures for the engagement of the independent auditors
to
provide audit and permissible non-audit
services;
|
(j) |
As
required by law, the Audit Committee shall assure the regular rotation
of
the lead, concurring and other audit partners, and consider whether
there
should be a regular rotation of the independent
auditors;
|
(k) |
To
review and discuss with the independent auditors all necessary accounting
policies and practices to be used, all alternative treatments of
financial
information within generally accepted accounting principles that
have been
discussed with management and the risks of using such alternative
treatments, and other material written communications between the
independent auditors and
management;
|
(l) |
To
review and discuss the types of presentation and information to be
included in earnings press releases, and any additional financial
information and earning guidance generally provided to analysts and
rating
agencies;
|
(m) |
To
review and discuss the form and content of the certification documents
for
the quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and the annual report on Form
10-K with
the general auditor, the independent auditors, the chief financial
officer
and the chief executive officer;
|
(n) |
To
prepare, review and approve the annual proxy disclosure regarding
the
activities and report of
the Audit Committee for the year;
|
(o) |
To
establish procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of
complaints received by the Company regarding accounting, internal
accounting controls or auditing matters, as well as for the confidential,
anonymous submission by employees of the Company of concerns regarding
questionable accounting or auditing
matters;
|
(p) |
To
receive, investigate and recommend an appropriate response to the
receipt
of written correspondence from an attorney representing the Company
that
reports pursuant to Section 307 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that they
have
become aware of evidence of a material violation of securities laws
or a
material breach of fiduciary duty by the Company or any of its directors,
officers, employees or agents;
|
(q) |
To
perform all duties delegated to it under the Company’s Code of Ethics and
pursuant to paragraphs (o) and (p) above (including any procedures
adopted
pursuant such paragraphs), including without limitation, the review
and
approval of potential conflict of interest situations and investigation
of
accounting and auditing complaints;
and
|
(r) |
To
receive appropriate funding from the Company, as determined by the
Audit
Committee, for payment of: (i) compensation to any independent auditors
engaged for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or
performing other audit, review or attest services for the Company;
and
(ii) compensation to any advisers employed by the Audit Committee
under
Article IV below; and (iii) ordinary administrative expenses of the
Audit
Committee that are necessary or appropriate in carrying out its
duties.
|
II. COMPOSITION
The
Audit
Committee shall consist of three or more Directors as determined by the Board,
and shall be comprised solely of independent directors, as such term is defined
in Section 121 and Section 803 of the Rules of the American Stock Exchange,
LLC
(“AMEX”), except as otherwise set forth in such Rules, and subject to the
effective dates and any transition periods contained in such Rules. Each member
of the Audit Committee shall also meet the criteria for independence set forth
in Section 10A(m)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Act”) and Rule
10A-3 thereunder, subject to any exceptions therein.
All
members of the Audit Committee shall be able to read and understand fundamental
financial statements, including the Company’s balance sheet, income statement,
and cash flow statement. In addition, at least one member of the Audit Committee
shall have accounting or related financial management expertise such that he
or
she is deemed to have “financial sophistication” (as defined by Rule 121 of
AMEX). These requirements are intended to satisfy the Act and AMEX Rules
relating to the composition of Audit Committees, and shall be construed
accordingly.
The
members of the Audit Committee shall be elected by the Board at the annual
organizational meeting of the Board or until their successors shall be duly
elected and qualified. Unless a Chair is elected by the full Board, the members
of the Audit Committee may designate a Chair by majority vote of the full Audit
Committee membership.
III. MEETINGS
The
Audit
Committee shall meet on a regular basis, at least quarterly, and is empowered
to
hold special meetings as circumstances require. The Audit Committee shall meet
at least annually with management, the Chief Financial Officer of the Company
and the independent accountants in separate sessions to discuss any matters
that
the Audit Committee or each of these groups believe should be discussed
privately. Meetings may be by teleconference.
IV. RESOURCES
The
Audit
Committee shall have the resources and authority appropriate to discharge its
responsibilities, including the authority to retain special counsel and other
experts or consultants at the expense of the Company.
V. AUTHORITY
OF AUDIT COMMITTEE; DELEGATION
In
addition to all other responsibilities and authority granted to the Audit
Committee pursuant to this Audit Committee Charter, the Audit Committee shall
have all responsibilities and authority required by Rule 10A-3 of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Any responsibility or authority of the Audit
Committee, including, but not limited to, the authority to pre-approve all
permitted non-audit services, may be delegated to one or more members of the
Audit Committee.
VI. ANNUAL
CHARTER REVIEW
The
Audit
Committee shall review this Charter at least annually and recommend any changes
to the full Board of Directors.
APPENDIX
B
PROPOSED
AMENDMENT TO
2005
EMPLOYEE EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
FIRST
AMENDMENT TO
BLONDER
TONGUE LABORATORIES, INC.
2005
EMPLOYEE EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
The
Blonder Tongue Laboratories, Inc. 2005 Employee Equity Incentive Plan (the
“Plan”),
is
hereby amended as follows:
1. Section
5.1 of the Plan is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as
follows:
“NUMBER
OF SHARES.
Subject
to adjustment provided in Section 12.1, the aggregate number of shares of Stock
reserved and available for grant under the Plan pursuant to Awards shall be
One
Million One Hundred Thousand (1,100,000) shares.”
|
2.
|
Ratification.
Except as expressly set forth in this First Amendment to the Plan,
the
Plan is hereby ratified and confirmed without
modification.
|
|
3.
|
Effective
Date. The effective date of this First Amendment to the Plan shall
be
January 31, 2007.
|
BLONDER
TONGUE LABORATORIES, INC.
2005
EMPLOYEE EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
ARTICLE
PURPOSE
1.1 GENERAL.
The
purpose of this Blonder Tongue Laboratories, Inc. 2005 Employee Equity
Incentive
Plan (the “Plan”) is to promote the success and enhance the value of Blonder
Tongue Laboratories, Inc. (the “Company”) by linking the personal interests of
key employees of the Company and its subsidiaries to those of Company
shareholders and by providing such individuals with an incentive for
outstanding
performance in order to generate superior returns to shareholders of
the
Company. The Plan is further intended to provide flexibility to the Company
in
its ability to motivate, attract, and retain the services of key employees
upon
whose judgment, interest, and special effort the successful conduct of
the
Company’s operation is largely dependent. For purposes of this Plan, “Company”
shall be deemed to include direct and indirect subsidiaries of Blonder
Tongue
Laboratories, Inc., unless the context requires otherwise.
ARTICLE
2
EFFECTIVE
DATE AND TERM
2.1 EFFECTIVE
DATE.
The
Plan
will be effective as of February 2, 2005 (the “Effective Date”).
2.2 TERM.
Unless
sooner terminated by the Board, the Plan shall terminate on the tenth
(10th)
anniversary of the Effective Date, and no Awards may be granted under
the Plan
thereafter. The termination of the Plan shall not affect any Award that
is
outstanding on the termination date, without the consent of the
Participant.
ARTICLE
3
DEFINITIONS
AND CONSTRUCTION
3.1 DEFINITIONS.
When
a
word or phrase appears in this Plan with the initial letter capitalized,
and the
word or phrase does not commence a sentence, the word or phrase shall
generally
be given the meaning ascribed to it in this Section or in Sections 1.1
or 2.1
unless a clearly different meaning is required by the context. The following
words and phrases shall have the following meanings:
(a) “Award”
means any Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Award, Unrestricted
Stock Award, or Performance-Based Award granted to a Participant under
the
Plan.
(b) “Award
Agreement” means a writing, in such form as the Committee in its discretion
shall prescribe, evidencing an Award.
(c) “Board”
means the Board of Directors of Blonder Tongue Laboratories, Inc.
(d) “Code”
means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and regulations
promulgated
thereunder.
(e) “Committee”
means the committee of the Board described in Article 4.
(f) “Covered
Employee” means an Employee who is a “covered employee” within the meaning of
Section 162(m) of the Code.
(g) “Exchange
Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the regulations
promulgated thereunder.
(h) “Fair
Market Value” means, with respect to a share of Stock as of any given date, (i)
if the Stock is traded on the over-the-counter market, the mean average
of the
bid and the asked prices for the Stock at the close of trading on that
date, or
if that day is not a trading day on the trading day immediately preceding
such
day; (ii) if the Stock is listed on a national securities exchange, the
mean
average of the high and low selling prices of the Stock on the composite
tape on
that date, or if that day in not a trading day on the trading day immediately
preceding such given date; and (iii) if the Stock is neither traded on
the
over-the-counter market nor listed on a national securities exchange,
such value
as the Committee, in good faith, shall determine.
(i) “Incentive
Stock Option” means an Option that is intended to meet the requirements of
Section 422 of the Code or any successor provision thereto.
(j) “Non-Employee
Director” means a member of the Board who qualifies as a “Non-Employee Director”
as defined in Rule 16b-3(b)(3) under the Exchange Act, or any successor
definition adopted by the Board.
(k) “Non-Qualified
Stock Option” means an Option that is not intended to be an Incentive Stock
Option.
(l) “Option”
means a right granted to a Participant under Article 7 of the Plan to
purchase
Stock at a specified price during specified time periods. An Option may
be
either an Incentive Stock Option or a Non-Qualified Stock Option.
(m) “Participant”
means a person who has been granted an Award under the Plan.
(n) “Performance-Based
Awards” means Stock Awards granted to selected Covered Employees pursuant to
Article 9, but which are subject to the terms and conditions set forth
in
Article 10. All Performance-Based Awards are intended to qualify as
“performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code.
(o) “Performance
Criteria” means the criteria that the Committee selects for purposes of
establishing the Performance Goal or Performance Goals for a Participant
for a
Performance Period. The Performance Criteria that will be used to establish
Performance Goals may include, but shall not be limited to, one or more
of the
following: pre- or after-tax net earnings, sales growth, operating earnings,
operating cash flow, working capital, return on net assets, return on
stockholders’ equity, return on assets, return on capital, Stock price growth,
stockholder returns, gross or net profit margin, earnings per share,
price per
share of Stock, and market share, any of which may be measured either
in
absolute terms or as compared to any incremental increase or as compared
to
results of a peer group. The Committee shall, within the time prescribed
by
Section 162(m) of the Code, define in an objective fashion the manner
of
calculating the Performance Criteria it selects to use for such Performance
Period for such Participant.
(p) “Performance
Goals” means, for a Performance Period, the goals established in writing by
the
Committee for the Performance Period based upon the Performance Criteria.
Depending on the Performance Criteria used to establish such Performance
Goals,
the Performance Goals may be expressed in terms of overall Company performance
or the performance of a division, business unit, or an individual. The
Committee, in its discretion, may, within the time prescribed by Section
162(m)
of the Code, adjust or modify the calculation of Performance Goals for
such
Performance Period in order to prevent the dilution or enlargement of
the rights
of Participants (i) in the event of, or in anticipation of, any unusual
or
extraordinary corporate item, transaction, event, or development, or
(ii) in
recognition of, or in anticipation of, any other unusual or nonrecurring
events
affecting the Company, or the financial statements of the Company, or
in
response to, or in anticipation of, changes in applicable laws, regulations,
accounting principles, or business conditions.
(q) “Performance
Period” means the one or more periods of time, which may be of varying and
overlapping durations, as the Committee may select, over which the attainment
of
one or more Performance Goals will be measured for the purpose of determining
a
Participant’s right to, and the payment of, a Performance-Based
Award.
(r) “Plan”
means the Blonder Tongue Laboratories, Inc. 2005 Employee Equity Incentive
Plan
as set forth herein.
(s) “Restricted
Stock Award” means Stock granted to a Participant under Article 9 that is
subject to certain restrictions and to risk of forfeiture.
(t) “Stock”
means the common stock of Blonder Tongue Laboratories, Inc. and such
other
securities that may be substituted for Stock pursuant to Article
12.
(u) “Stock
Appreciation Right” or “SAR” means a right granted to a Participant under
Article 8 to receive a payment equal to the difference between the Fair
Market
Value of a share of Stock as of the date of exercise of the SAR over
the grant
price of the SAR, all as determined pursuant to Article 8.
(v) “Stock
Award” means a Restricted Stock Award or an Unrestricted Stock
Award.
(w) “Unrestricted
Stock Award” means Stock granted to a Participant under Article 9 that is not
subject to restrictions or a risk of forfeiture.
ARTICLE
4
ADMINISTRATION
4.1 COMMITTEE;
BOARD APPROVAL.
The
Plan
shall be administered by a Committee appointed by, and which serves at
the
discretion of, the Board. The Board may designate the Compensation Committee
of
the Board as the “Committee” hereunder provided the Compensation Committee meets
the requirements of this Section. Notwithstanding any other provision
of the
Plan, at all times the Committee shall consist of at least two individuals
and
each member of the Committee shall qualify as a Non-Employee Director.
To the
extent necessary or desirable (as may be determined by the Board from
time to
time) each member of the Committee shall also qualify as an “outside director”
under Code Section 162(m) and the regulations issued thereunder. The
members of
the Committee shall meet such additional criteria, as may be necessary
or
desirable to comply with regulatory or stock exchange rules or exemptions.
The
Company will pay all reasonable expenses of the Committee.
4.2 AUTHORITY
OF COMMITTEE.
Subject
to any specific designation in the Plan, the Committee has the exclusive
power,
authority and discretion to:
(a) Designate
Participants to receive Awards;
(b) Determine
the type or types of Awards to be granted to each Participant;
(c) Determine
the number of Awards to be granted and the number of shares of Stock
to which an
Award will relate;
(d) Determine
the terms and conditions of any Award granted under the Plan including
but not
limited to, the exercise price, grant price, or purchase price, any restrictions
or limitations on the Award, any schedule for lapse of forfeiture restrictions
or restrictions on the exercisability of an Award, and accelerations
or waivers
thereof, based in each case on such considerations as the Committee in
its sole
discretion determines;
(e) Amend,
modify, or terminate any outstanding Award (including re-pricing), with
the
Participant’s consent unless the Committee has the authority to amend, modify,
or terminate an Award without the Participant’s consent under any other
provision of the Plan.
(f) Determine
whether, to what extent, and under what circumstances an Award may be
settled
in, or the exercise price of an Award may be paid in, cash, Stock, other
Awards,
or other property, or an Award may be canceled, forfeited, or
surrendered;
(g) Prescribe
the form of each Award Agreement which need not be identical for each
Participant;
(h) Decide
all other matters that must be determined in connection with an
Award;
(i) Establish,
adopt, revise, amend or rescind any guidelines, rules and regulations
as it may
deem necessary or advisable to administer the Plan; and
(j) Interpret
the terms of, and rule on any matter arising under, the Plan or any Award
Agreement;
(k) Make
all
other decisions and determinations that may be required under the Plan
or as the
Committee deems necessary or advisable to administer the Plan, including
but not
limited to, the determination of whether and to what extent any Performance
Goals have been achieved; and
(l) Retain
counsel, accountants and other consultants to aid in exercising its powers
and
carrying out its duties under the Plan.
4.3 DECISIONS
BINDING.
The
Committee’s interpretation of the Plan, any Awards granted under the Plan, any
Award Agreement and all decisions and determinations by the Committee
with
respect to the Plan shall be final, binding, and conclusive on all parties
and
any other persons claiming an interest in any Award or under the
Plan.
ARTICLE
5
SHARES
SUBJECT TO THE PLAN
5.1 NUMBER
OF SHARES.
Subject
to adjustment provided in Section 12.1, the aggregate number of shares
of Stock
reserved and available for grant under the Plan pursuant to Awards shall
be Five
Hundred Thousand (500,000) shares.
5.2 LAPSED
AWARDS.
To
the
extent that an Award terminates, is cancelled, expires, lapses or is
forfeited
for any reason, including, but not limited to, the failure to achieve
any
Performance Goals, any shares of Stock subject to the Award will again
be
available for the grant of an Award under the Plan.
5.3 STOCK
DISTRIBUTED.
Any
Stock
distributed pursuant to an Award may consist, in whole or in part, of
authorized
and unissued Stock, treasury Stock or Stock purchased on the open
market.
5.4 LIMITATION
ON NUMBER OF SHARES SUBJECT TO AWARDS.
Notwithstanding
any provision in the Plan to the contrary, and subject to the adjustment
in
Section 12.1, the maximum number of shares of Stock with respect to Options
and
Stock Appreciation Rights that may be granted to any one Participant
during a
fiscal year of the Company shall be One Hundred Thousand (100,000)
shares.
ARTICLE
6
ELIGIBILITY
AND PARTICIPATION
6.1 ELIGIBILITY.
Persons
eligible to participate in this Plan include all executive officers and
other
key employees of the Company, as determined by the Committee.
6.2 ACTUAL
PARTICIPATION.
Subject
to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee may, from time to time,
select from
among all eligible individuals those to whom Awards shall be granted
and shall
determine the nature and amount of each Award. No individual shall have
any
right to be granted an Award under this Plan.
ARTICLE
7
STOCK
OPTIONS
7.1 GENERAL.
The
Committee is authorized to grant Options to Participants on the following
terms
and conditions:
(a) EXERCISE
PRICE. The exercise price per share of Stock under an Option shall be
not less
than the Fair Market Value as of the date of grant.
(b) TERM
OF
OPTION. No Option shall be exercisable after the date that is ten years
from the
date it is granted.
(c) TIME
AND
CONDITIONS OF EXERCISE. Except as provided herein, the Committee shall
determine
the time or times at which an Option may be exercised in whole or in
part. The
Committee shall also determine the performance or other conditions, if
any, that
must be satisfied before all or part of an Option may be exercised.
(d) PAYMENT.
An Option shall be exercised by giving a written notice to the Company
stating
the number of shares of Stock with respect to which the Option is being
exercised and containing such other information as the Committee may
require and
by tendering payment therefore with a cashier’s check or certified check. In
addition, if the Award Agreement with respect to an Option so provides,
or upon
exercise of discretion by the Committee in accordance with the terms
of the
Award Agreement, the Participant may pay the exercise price by (i) to
the extent
permitted by applicable law, delivering the Participant’s note payable to the
Company over such period of time, at such rate of interest and in form
and
substance satisfactory to the Committee, (ii) transferring shares of
Stock
previously acquired by the Participant, (iii) directing the Company to
withhold
that number of shares of Stock acquired upon exercise having an aggregate
Fair
Market Value as of the date of exercise equal to the Option’s exercise price, or
the applicable portion of the Option’s exercise price if the Option is not
exercised in full, (iv) an open market broker-assisted sale transaction
pursuant
to which the Company is promptly delivered the amount of proceeds necessary
to
satisfy the exercise price, (v) a combination of the methods described
above, or
(vi) such other method as may be approved by the Committee and set forth
in the
Award Agreement.
(e) EVIDENCE
OF GRANT. All Options shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement. The Award
Agreement shall include such additional provisions as may be specified
by the
Committee.
7.2 INCENTIVE
STOCK OPTIONS.
The
terms
of any Incentive Stock Options granted under the Plan must comply with
the
following additional rules, which in case of conflict shall control over
other
provisions of this Plan that might otherwise be applicable:
(a) EXERCISE.
In no event may any Incentive Stock Option be exercisable for more than
ten
years from the date of its grant.
(b) INDIVIDUAL
DOLLAR LIMITATION. The aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of
the time an
Award is made) of all shares of Stock with respect to which Incentive
Stock
Options are first exercisable by a Participant in any calendar year may
not
exceed $100,000.00 or such other limitation as imposed by Section 422(d)
of the
Code, or any successor provision. To the extent that Incentive Stock
Options are
first exercisable by a Participant in excess of such limitation, the
excess
shall be considered Non-Qualified Stock Options.
(c) TEN
PERCENT OWNERS. An Incentive Stock Option may be granted to any individual
who,
at the date of grant, owns stock possessing more than ten percent of
the total
combined voting power of all classes of Stock of the Company only if
such Option
is granted at a price that is not less than 110% of Fair Market Value
on the
date of grant and the Option is exercisable for no more than five years
from the
date of grant.
(d) RIGHT
TO
EXERCISE. During a Participant’s lifetime, an Incentive Stock Option may be
exercised only by the Participant.
ARTICLE
8
STOCK
APPRECIATION RIGHTS
8.1 GRANT
OF SARS.
The
Committee is authorized to grant SARs to Participants on the following
terms and
conditions:
(a) RIGHT
TO
PAYMENT. Upon the exercise of a Stock Appreciation Right, the Participant
to
whom it is granted has the right to receive the excess, if any, of:
(1) The
Fair
Market Value of a share of Stock on the date of exercise; over
(2) The
grant
price of the Stock Appreciation Right as determined by the Committee,
which
shall not be less than the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the
date of
grant.
(b) OTHER
TERMS. All such Awards shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement. The
terms,
methods of exercise, methods of settlement, form of consideration payable
in
settlement, and any other terms and conditions of any Stock Appreciation
Right
shall be determined by the Committee at the time of the grant of the
Award and
shall be reflected in the Award Agreement, except that in all events
a Stock
Appreciation Right granted in tandem with an Incentive Stock Option shall
be
exercisable only when the underlying Incentive Stock Option may be exercised.
For purposes of the Plan, a Stock Appreciation Right shall be considered
to be
granted in tandem with an Incentive Stock Option if the exercise of one
results
in an automatic forfeiture of the other, or if the exercise of one results
in
the automatic exercise of the other.
ARTICLE
9
STOCK
AWARDS
9.1 GRANT
OF STOCK.
The
Committee is authorized to grant Unrestricted Stock Awards and Restricted
Stock
Awards to Participants in such amounts and subject to such terms and
conditions
as determined by the Committee. All such Awards shall be evidenced by
an Award
Agreement.
9.2 ISSUANCE
AND RESTRICTIONS.
An
Unrestricted Stock Award may provide for a transfer of shares of Stock
to a
Participant at the time the Award is granted, or it may provide for a
deferred
transfer of shares of Stock subject to conditions prescribed by the Committee.
Restricted Stock Awards shall be subject to such restrictions on transferability
and risks of forfeiture as the Committee may impose. These restrictions
and
risks may lapse separately or in combination at such times, under such
circumstances, in such installments, or otherwise, as the Committee determines
at the time of the grant of the Award or thereafter.
9.3 FORFEITURE.
Except
as otherwise determined by the Committee at the time of the grant of
the Award
or thereafter, upon termination of employment during the applicable restriction
period, Stock subject to a Restricted Stock Award that is at that time
subject
to restrictions shall be forfeited, provided, however, that the Committee
may
provide in any Restricted Stock Award that restrictions or forfeiture
conditions
relating to the Stock will be waived in whole or in part in the event
of
terminations resulting from specified causes, and the Committee may in
other
cases waive in whole or in part restrictions or forfeiture conditions
relating
to the Stock.
9.4 CERTIFICATES
FOR RESTRICTED STOCK.
Restricted Stock Awards granted under the Plan may be evidenced in such
manner
as the Committee shall determine. If certificates representing shares
of Stock
subject to Restricted Stock Awards are registered in the name of the
Participant, certificates must bear an appropriate legend referring to
the
terms, conditions, and restrictions applicable to such shares, and the
Company
may, at its discretion, retain physical possession of the certificate
until such
time as all applicable restrictions lapse.
ARTICLE
10
PERFORMANCE-BASED
AWARDS
10.1 PURPOSE.
The
purpose of this Article 10 is to provide the Committee the ability to
qualify
the Awards under Article 9 as “performance-based compensation” under Section
162(m) of the Code. If the Committee, in its discretion, decides to grant
a
Performance-Based Award to a Covered Employee, the provisions of this
Article 10
shall control over any contrary provision contained in Article 9.
10.2 APPLICABILITY.
This
Article 10 shall apply only to those Covered Employees selected by the
Committee
to receive Performance-Based Awards. The Committee may, in its discretion,
grant
Awards other than Performance-Based Awards to Covered Employees that
do not
satisfy the requirements of this Article 10. The designation of a Covered
Employee as a Participant for a Performance Period shall not in any manner
entitle the Participant to receive an Award for the period. Moreover,
designation of a Covered Employee as a Participant for a particular Performance
Period shall not require designation of such Covered Employee as a Participant
in any subsequent Performance Period and designation of one Covered Employee
as
a Participant shall not require designation of any other Covered Employees
as a
Participant in such period or in any other period.
10.3 DISCRETION
OF COMMITTEE WITH RESPECT TO PERFORMANCE AWARDS.
With
regard to a particular Performance Period, the Committee shall have full
discretion to select the length of such Performance Period, the type
of
Performance-Based Awards to be issued, the kind and/or level of the Performance
Goal, and whether the Performance Goal is to apply to the Company or
any
division or business unit thereof or to particular Participants or other
individuals.
10.4 PAYMENT
OF PERFORMANCE-BASED AWARDS.
Unless
otherwise provided in the relevant Award Agreement, a Participant must
be
employed by the Company on the last day of the Performance Period to
be eligible
for a Performance-Based Award for such Performance Period. In determining
the
actual size of an individual Performance-Based Award, the Committee may
reduce
or eliminate the amount of the Performance-Based Award earned for the
Performance Period, if in its sole and absolute discretion, such reduction
or
elimination is appropriate.
10.5 SHAREHOLDER
APPROVAL.
The
Board shall disclose to the shareholders of the Company the material
terms of
any Performance-Based Award, and shall secure approval of the shareholders
of
the Performance-Based Award before any Stock or cash is transferred or
paid to a
Participant, or before any restrictions with respect to same lapse, pursuant
to
the Award. The Committee shall certify that the Performance Goals with
respect
to any Performance-Based Award have been achieved before any Stock or
cash is
transferred or paid to a Participant, or before any restrictions with
respect to
same lapse. Such disclosure, approval and certification shall be effected
in
accordance with the requirements of Section 162(m)(4)(C) of the
Code.
ARTICLE
11
PROVISIONS
APPLICABLE TO ALL AWARDS
11.1 STAND-ALONE
AND TANDEM AWARDS.
Awards
granted under the Plan may, in the discretion of the Committee, be granted
either alone, in addition to, or in tandem with, any other Award granted
under
the Plan. Awards granted in addition to or in tandem with other Awards
may be
granted either at the same time as or at a different time from the grant
of such
other Awards.
11.2 EXCHANGE
PROVISIONS.
The
Committee may at any time offer to exchange or buy out any previously
granted
Award for a payment in cash, Stock, or another Award, based on the terms
and
conditions the Committee determines and communicates to the Participant
at the
time the offer is made.
11.3 TERM
OF AWARD.
The
term of each Award shall be for the period as determined by the Committee,
provided that in no event shall the term of any Incentive Stock Option
or a
Stock Appreciation Right granted in tandem with an Incentive Stock Option
exceed
a period of ten years from the date of its grant.
11.4 LIMITS
ON TRANSFER.
No
right or interest of a Participant in any Award may be pledged, encumbered,
or
hypothecated to or in favor of any party other than the Company, or shall
be
subject to any lien, obligation, or liability of such Participant to
any other
party other than the Company; provided, however, that the foregoing shall
not be
deemed to imply any obligation of the Company to lend against or accept
a lien
or pledge of any Award for any reason. No Award shall be assignable or
transferable by a Participant other than by will or the laws of descent
and
distribution, except that the Committee, in its discretion, may permit
a
Participant to make a gratuitous transfer of an Award that is not an
Incentive
Stock Option or a Stock Appreciation Right granted in tandem with an
Incentive
Stock Option to his or her spouse, lineal descendants, lineal ascendants,
or a
duly established trust for the benefit of one or more of these individuals.
Awards so transferred may thereafter be transferred only to the Participant
who
originally received the Award or to an individual or trust to whom the
Participant could have initially transferred the Award pursuant to this
Section
11.4.
11.5 BENEFICIARIES.
Notwithstanding Section 11.4, a Participant may, if and to the extent,
and in
such manner as may be determined by the Committee from time to time,
designate a
beneficiary to exercise the rights of the Participant and to receive
any
distribution with respect to any Award upon the Participant’s death. A
beneficiary, legal guardian, legal representative, or other person claiming
any
rights under the Plan is subject to all terms and conditions of the Plan
and any
Award applicable to the Participant, except to the extent the Plan and
Award
otherwise provide, and to any additional restrictions deemed necessary
or
appropriate by the Committee. If no beneficiary has been designated or
survives
the Participant, payment shall be made to the Participant’s estate. Subject to
the foregoing, if a Participant is entitled to designate a beneficiary,
a
beneficiary designation may be changed or revoked by a Participant at
any time
in accordance with any procedures or conditions established by the Committee
from time to time, provided the change or revocation is filed with the
Committee.
11.6 STOCK
CERTIFICATES.
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company shall not
be
required to issue or deliver any certificates evidencing shares of Stock
pursuant to the exercise of any Awards, unless and until the Committee
has
determined, with advice of counsel, that the issuance and delivery of
such
certificates is in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations of
governmental authorities and, if applicable, the requirements of any
exchange on
which the shares of Stock are listed or traded as well as the terms of
this Plan
and any other terms, conditions or restrictions that may be applicable.
All
Stock certificates delivered under the Plan are subject to any stop-transfer
orders and other restrictions as the Committee deems necessary or advisable
to
comply with Federal, state, or foreign jurisdiction, securities or other
laws,
rules and regulations and the rules of any national securities exchange
or
automated quotation system on which the Stock is listed, quoted, or traded.
The
Committee may place legends on any Stock certificate to reference restrictions
applicable to the Stock. In addition to the terms and conditions provided
herein, the Committee may require that a Participant make such reasonable
covenants, agreements, and representations as the Committee, in its discretion,
deems advisable in order to comply with any such laws, regulations, or
requirements.
11.7 COMPLIANCE
WITH SECTION 409A.
The
terms
of all Awards granted under the Plan shall comply with the requirements
of
Section 409A of the Code, to the extent subject to Section 409A.
ARTICLE
12
CHANGES
IN CAPITAL STRUCTURE
12.1 GENERAL.
(a) SHARES
AVAILABLE FOR GRANT. In the event of any change in the number of shares
of Stock
outstanding by reason of any stock dividend or split, recapitalization,
merger,
consolidation, combination or exchange of shares or similar corporate
change,
the maximum aggregate number of shares of Stock with respect to which
the
Committee may grant Awards shall be appropriately adjusted. In the event
of any
change in the number of shares of Stock outstanding by reason of any
other event
or transaction, the Committee may, but need not, make such adjustments
in the
number and class of shares of Stock with respect to which Awards may
be granted
as the Committee may deem appropriate.
(b) OUTSTANDING
AWARDS - INCREASE OR DECREASE IN ISSUED SHARES WITHOUT CONSIDERATION.
Subject to
any required action by the shareholders of the Company, in the event
of any
increase or decrease in the number of issued shares of Stock resulting
from a
subdivision or consolidation of shares of Stock or the payment of a stock
dividend (but only on the shares of Stock), or any other increase or
decrease in
the number of such shares effected without receipt or payment of consideration
by the Company, the Committee shall proportionally adjust the number
of shares
of Stock subject to each outstanding Award and the exercise price per
share of
Stock of each such Award.
(c) OUTSTANDING
AWARDS - CERTAIN MERGERS. Subject to any required action by the shareholders
of
the Company, in the event that the Company shall be the surviving corporation
in
any merger or consolidation (except a merger or consolidation as a result
of
which the holders of shares of Stock receive securities of another corporation),
each Award outstanding on the date of such merger or consolidation shall
pertain
to and apply to the securities which a holder of the number of shares
of Stock
subject to such Award would have received in such merger or
consolidation.
(d) OUTSTANDING
AWARDS - CERTAIN OTHER TRANSACTIONS. In the event of (1) a dissolution
or
liquidation of the Company, (ii) a sale of all or substantially all of
the
Company’s assets, (iii) a merger or consolidation involving the Company in which
the Company is not the surviving corporation or (iv) a merger or consolidation
involving the Company in which the Company is the surviving corporation
but the
holders of shares of Stock receive securities of another corporation
and/or
other property, including cash, the Committee shall, in its absolute
discretion,
have the power to cancel, effective immediately prior to the occurrence
of such
event, each Award outstanding immediately prior to such event (whether
or not
then exercisable), and, in full consideration of such cancellation, pay
to the
Participant to whom such Award was granted an amount in cash, for each
share of
Stock subject to such Award, respectively, equal to the excess of (A)
the value,
as determined by the Committee in its absolute discretion, of the property
(including cash) received by the holder of a share of Stock as a result
of such
event over (B) the exercise price (if any) of such Award.
(e) OUTSTANDING
AWARDS - OTHER CHANGES. In the event of any other change in the capitalization
of the Company or corporate change other than those specifically referred
to in
this Article, the Committee may, in its absolute discretion, make such
adjustments in the number and class of shares subject to Awards outstanding
on
the date on which such change occurs and in the per share exercise price
of each
Award as the Committee may consider appropriate to prevent dilution or
enlargement of rights.
(f) NO
ADDITIONAL SHAREHOLDER APPROVAL REQUIRED IN CERTAIN CASES. Except to
the extent
required by applicable law or stock exchange rule, no adjustment in the
number
of shares subject to outstanding Awards, and no adjustment in the number
of
shares available for grant under this Plan, shall require additional
shareholder
approval, and all such future adjustments shall be deemed approved by
the
approval of this Plan, to the extent that such adjustment, whether automatic
or
discretionary, is proportional to and accompanies an equivalent adjustment
in
the number of shares held by the Company’s shareholders.
(g) NO
OTHER
RIGHTS. Except as expressly provided in the Plan, no Participant shall
have any
rights by reason of any subdivision or consolidation of shares of stock
of any
class, the payment of any dividend, any increase or decrease in the number
of
shares of stock of any class or any dissolution, liquidation, merger,
or
consolidation of the Company or any other corporation. Except as expressly
provided in the Plan, no issuance by the Company of shares of stock of
any
class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, shall
affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect
to, the
number of shares of Stock subject to an Award or the exercise price of
any
Award.
ARTICLE
13
AMENDMENT,
MODIFICATION, AND TERMINATION
13.1 AMENDMENT,
MODIFICATION, AND TERMINATION.
At any
time and from time to time, the Board may terminate, amend or modify
the Plan;
provided, however, that the Board shall not, without the affirmative
vote of the
holder of a majority of the shares of each class of voting stock of the
Company,
make any amendment which would (i) increase the maximum number of shares
of
Stock for which Awards may be granted under the Plan, (ii) extend the
term of
the Plan, or (iii) amend the requirements as to the employees eligible
to
receive Awards; and further provided that no other amendment shall be
made
without shareholder approval to the extent shareholder approval is necessary
to
comply with any applicable law, regulations or stock exchange rule.
13.2 AWARDS
PREVIOUSLY GRANTED.
Except
as otherwise provided in the Plan, including without limitation, the
provisions
of Article 12, no termination, amendment, or modification of the Plan
shall
adversely affect in any material way any Award previously granted under
the
Plan, without the written consent of the Participant.
ARTICLE
14
GENERAL
PROVISIONS
14.1 NO
RIGHTS TO AWARDS.
No
employee or other person shall have any claim to be granted any Award
under the
Plan, and neither the Company nor the Committee is obligated to treat
Participants, employees, and other persons uniformly.
14.2 NO
STOCKHOLDERS RIGHTS.
No
Award gives the Participant any of the rights of a stockholder of the
Company
unless and until shares of Stock are in fact issued to such person in
connection
with such Award.
14.3 WITHHOLDING.
The
Company shall have the authority and the right to deduct or withhold,
or require
a Participant to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient to satisfy
Federal,
state, and local taxes (including the Participant’s FICA obligation) required by
law to be withheld with respect to any taxable event arising as a result
of this
Plan. A Participant may elect to have the Company withhold from those
shares of
Stock that would otherwise be received upon the settlement of any Award,
a
number of shares having a Fair Market Value equal to the minimum statutory
amount necessary to satisfy the Company’s applicable federal, state, local and
foreign income and employment tax withholding obligations.
14.4 NO
RIGHT TO EMPLOYMENT.
Nothing
in the Plan or any Award Agreement shall interfere with or limit in any
way the
right of the Company to terminate any Participant’s employment at any time, nor
confer upon any Participant any right to continue in the employ of the
Company.
14.5 INDEMNIFICATION.
To the
extent allowable under applicable law, each member of the Committee shall
be
indemnified and held harmless by the Company from any loss, cost, liability,
or
expense that may be imposed upon or reasonably incurred by such member
in
connection with or resulting from any claim, action, suit, or proceeding
to
which he or she may be a party or in which he or she may be involved
by reason
of any action or failure to act under the Plan and against and from any
and all
amounts paid by him or her in satisfaction of judgment in such action,
suit, or
proceeding against him or her provided he or she gives the Company an
opportunity, at its own expense, to handle and defend the same before
he or she
undertakes to handle and defend it on his or her own behalf. The foregoing
right
of indemnification shall not be exclusive of any other rights of indemnification
to which such persons may be entitled under the Company’s Articles of
Incorporation or Bylaws, as a matter of law, or otherwise, or any power
that the
Company may have to indemnify them or hold them harmless.
14.6 FRACTIONAL
SHARES.
No
fractional shares of stock shall be issued and the Committee shall determine,
in
its discretion, whether cash shall be given in lieu of fractional shares
or
whether such fractional shares shall be eliminated by rounding up or
down as
appropriate.
14.7 GOVERNMENT
AND OTHER REGULATIONS.
The
obligation of the Company to make payment of awards in Stock or otherwise
shall
be subject to all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, and to such
approvals
by government agencies as may be required. The Company shall be under
no
obligation to register under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
any of the
shares of Stock paid under the Plan. If the shares paid under the Plan
may in
certain circumstances be exempt from registration under the Securities
Act of
1933, as amended, the Company may restrict the transfer of such shares
in such
manner as it deems advisable to ensure the availability of any such
exemption.
14.8 GOVERNING
LAW.
The
Plan and the terms of all Awards shall be construed in accordance with
and
governed by the laws of the State of New Jersey without regard to rules
of
choice of law or conflict of laws, except to the extent such laws may
be
pre-empted by the federal laws of the United States of America.
ANNUAL
MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS OF
BLONDER
TONGUE LABORATORIES, INC.
May
23, 2007
Please
date, sign and mail
your
proxy card in the
envelope
provided as soon
as
possible.
Please
detach along perforated line and mail in the envelope
provided.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR ALL NOMINEES” FOR THE ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS AND “FOR” PROPOSALS 2 AND 3. PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND RETURN
PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. PLEASE MARK YOUR VOTE IN BLUE
OR BLACK
INK AS SHOWN HERE: x
|
1. Election
of two Class III Directors to hold office until the 2010 Annual
Meeting of
Stockholders or until their successors have been elected and
qualified.
NOMINEES:
FOR
ALL
NOMINEES
¡
Robert B. Mayer
¡
James F. Williams
WITHHOLD
AUTHORITY
FOR
ALL NOMINEES
FOR
ALL EXCEPT
(See
Instructions below)
INSTRUCTION:
To withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee(s) mark
“FOR ALL
EXCEPT” and fill in the circle next to each nominee you wish to withhold
as shown here: l
|
FOR AGAINST ABSTAIN
2. Proposal
to amend the 2005 Employee Equity Incentive Plan to
Increase
the number of shares issuable pursuant to awards
granted
thereunder from 500,000 to 1,100,000 shares.
3.
Proposal
to ratify the appointment of Marcum & Kliegman LLP
as
the independent registered public accountants for the fiscal
year
ending December 31, 2007.
In
their discretion, the Proxies are authorized to vote upon such
other
matters as may properly come before the meeting and at any postponements
or adjournments thereof.
This
proxy when properly executed will be voted in the manner directed
by the
stockholder. If no direction is made on this Proxy Card, this
Proxy will
be voted FOR the election of all nominees to serve as Class III
Directors,
FOR proposals 2 and 3 and in accordance with the instructions
of the Board
of Directors on all other matters which may properly come before
the
meeting.
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To
change the address on your account, please check the box at right
and
indicate your new address in the address space above. Please
note that
changes to the registered name(s) on the account my not be submitted
via
this method.
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Signature
of Stockholder
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Date:
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Signature
of Stockholder
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Date:
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Note:
Please
sign exactly as your name or names appear on this Proxy. When
shares are
hold jointly, each holder should sign. When signing as executor,
administrator, attorney, trustee or guardian, please give full
title as
such. If the signer is a corporation, please sign full corporate
name by
duly authorized officer, giving full title as such. If signer
is a
partnership, please sign in partnership name by authorized
person.
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BLONDER
TONGUE LABORATORIES, INC.
One
Jake Brown Road
Old
Bridge, NJ 08857
PROXY
CARD FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
MAY
23, 2007
THIS
PROXY IS BEING SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
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The
Undersigned hereby appoints James A. Luksch and Robert J. Pallé, Jr., and
either of them (with full power to act alone), as Proxies of
the
undersigned, each with the power to appoint his substitute, and
hereby
authorizes them to represent and to vote, as designated on this Proxy
Card, all shares of Common Stock of Blonder Tongue Laboratories,
Inc.
(the “Company”) held of record by the undersigned on the record date
of March 30, 2007, at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be
held on May
23, 2007 and at any postponements or adjournments thereof, all as in
accordance with the Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders
and Proxy
Statement furnished with this Proxy.
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(Continued
and to be signed on the reverse
side)
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