def14a
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. )
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Preliminary Proxy Statement |
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Definitive Proxy Statement |
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Definitive Additional Materials |
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to Section 240.14a-12 |
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Lawson Products, Inc. |
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(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter) |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Lawson Products, Inc.
1666 East Touhy Avenue
Des Plaines, Illinois 60018
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING
OF STOCKHOLDERS
May 8, 2007
TO THE STOCKHOLDERS:
You are cordially invited to attend the annual meeting of
stockholders of Lawson Products, Inc. (the Company
or Lawson), which will be held at the offices of the
Company, 1666 East Touhy Avenue, Des Plaines, Illinois, on
Tuesday, May 8, 2007, at 10:00 A.M. for the following
purposes:
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(1)
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To elect three directors to serve three years;
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(2)
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To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as
Lawsons independent registered public accounting firm for
the fiscal year ending December 31, 2007;
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(3)
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To approve the Lawson Products, Inc. Senior Management
Annual Incentive Plan; and
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(4)
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To transact such other business as may properly come before the
meeting or any adjournment thereof.
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The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on
March 30, 2007, as the record date for the determination of
stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting.
Accompanying this notice is a proxy, a Proxy Statement and a
copy of the Companys 2006 Annual Report on
Form 10-K.
Even if you expect to attend the meeting in person, please
sign and return the enclosed proxy in the envelope provided so
that your shares may be voted at the meeting. You may also vote
your shares by telephone or via the Internet as set forth in the
enclosed proxy. If you execute a proxy, you still may attend the
meeting and vote in person.
By Order of the Board of Directors
Neil E. Jenkins
Secretary
Des Plaines, Illinois
April 20, 2007
Lawson Products, Inc.
1666 East Touhy Avenue
Des Plaines, Illinois 60018
PROXY STATEMENT
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
May 8, 2007
This Proxy Statement is being sent to stockholders on or about
April 20, 2007, in connection with the solicitation of the
accompanying proxy by the Board of Directors of the Company.
Only stockholders of record at the close of business on
March 30, 2007 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the
meeting. The Company has retained Morrow & Co., Inc., a
firm specializing in the solicitation of proxies, to assist in
the solicitation at a fee estimated to be $4,500 plus expenses.
Officers of the Company may make additional solicitations in
person or by telephone. Expenses incurred in the solicitation of
proxies will be borne by the Company. If the accompanying form
of proxy is executed and returned in time or you vote your
shares by telephone or via the Internet as set forth in the
enclosed proxy, the shares represented thereby will be voted. A
proxy may be revoked at any time prior to its voting by
execution of a later dated proxy or by voting in person at the
annual meeting.
As of March 30, 2007, the Company had outstanding
8,521,001 shares of the Companys Common Stock (the
Common Stock) and such shares are the only shares
entitled to vote at the annual meeting. Each holder of Common
Stock is entitled to one vote per share on all matters to come
before the meeting. For purposes of the meeting, a quorum means
a majority of the outstanding shares. In determining whether a
quorum exists, all shares represented in person or by proxy will
be counted.
Directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast at
the meeting by the holders of shares represented in person or by
proxy. It is intended that the named proxies will vote in favor
of the election of directors of the nominees listed below,
except as otherwise indicated on the proxy form. If any nominee
should become unavailable for election as a director (which is
not contemplated), the proxies will have discretionary authority
to vote for a substitute. In the absence of a specific direction
from the stockholders, proxies will be voted for the election of
all named director nominees. The ratification of
Ernst & Young LLP as the Companys independent
registered public accounting firm and the approval of the Senior
Management Annual Incentive Plan require the approval of the
affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of common stock
present or represented by proxy and voting at the meeting. A
properly executed proxy card marked Abstain with
respect to either proposal will constitute a vote against such
proposal.
Proxies received but marked as abstentions and broker non-votes
will be included in the calculation of the number of shares
considered to be present at the meeting. Broker non-votes will
not affect the determination of the outcome of the vote on the
election of directors, the ratification of Ernst &
Young LLP as the Companys independent registered public
accounting firm, or the approval of the Senior Management Annual
Incentive Plan. A broker non-vote occurs when a broker holding
shares
registered in street name is permitted to vote, in the
brokers discretion, on routine matters without receiving
instructions from the client, but is not permitted to vote
without instructions on non-routine matters, and the broker
returns a proxy card with no vote on the non-routine matter.
Under the rules and regulations of the primary trading markets
applicable to most brokers, the election of directors, the
ratification of Ernst & Young LLP as the Companys
independent registered public accounting firm, and approval of
the Senior Management Annual Incentive Plan are routine matters
on which a broker has the discretion to vote if instructions are
not received from the client in a timely manner.
Proposal 1:
Election of Directors
Stockholders are entitled to cumulative voting in the election
of directors. Under cumulative voting, each stockholder is
entitled to that number of votes equal to the number of
directors to be elected, multiplied by the number of shares such
stockholder owns, and such stockholder may cast its votes for
one nominee or distribute them in any manner it chooses among
any number of nominees. Unless otherwise indicated on the proxy
card, votes may, in the discretion of the proxies, be equally or
unequally allocated among the nominees named below. Directors
will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast at the meeting
by the holders of shares represented in person or by proxy.
Thus, assuming a quorum is present, the three persons receiving
the greatest number of votes will be elected as directors and
votes that are withheld will have no effect.
The By-Laws of the Company provide that the Board of Directors
shall consist of such number of members, between five and nine,
as the Board of Directors determines from time to time. The size
of the Board of Directors is currently set at nine members. The
Board of Directors is divided into three classes, with one class
being elected each year for a three-year term. At the annual
meeting, three directors are to be elected to serve until 2010
and until their successors are elected and qualified.
The following information has been furnished by the respective
nominees and continuing directors. Each nominee and continuing
director has held the indicated position, or an executive
position with the same employer, for at least the past five
years, unless otherwise indicated below.
1
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Year First
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Elected
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Name
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Age
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Principal
Occupation
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Director
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Nominees to be Elected to Serve
Until 2010
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James S. Errant
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58
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Managing Partner of Gore Range
Brewery from 1997 to the present. Managing Partner of Frites,
LLC from 2004 to the present. President of Prima Corporation
from 1973 to 2006. The companies listed above are in the
business of operating restaurants.
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2007
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Lee S. Hillman
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51
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Executive Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer, Power Plate International since February
2006. President of Liberation Investment Advisory Group since
2003. From 1996 to 2002, Mr. Hillman was Chief Executive
Officer, President and a Director and from 2000 to 2002 Chairman
of the Board of Bally Total Fitness Holding Corporation, an
owner and operator of health and fitness clubs. Mr. Hillman
is also a director of RCN Corporation.
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2004
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Sidney L. Port
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96
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Vice Chairman of the Board of
Directors of the Company since 2003 and prior thereto Chairman
of the Executive Committee of the Company. Mr. Port founded
the Company in 1952 and served as its Chairman of the Board and
Chief Executive Officer from 1952 to 1970.
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1952
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The Board recommends that stockholders vote FOR
these nominees.
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Year First
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Elected
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Name
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Age
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Principal
Occupation
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Director
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Directors whose Terms Expire in
2008
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Ronald B. Port, M.D.
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66
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Non-Executive Chairman of the Board
of Directors since April 2007. Retired Physician.
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1984
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Robert G. Rettig
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77
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Consultant.
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1989
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Wilma J. Smelcer
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58
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Ms. Smelcer was a member of the
Board of Governors of the Chicago Stock Exchange from 2001 until
April 2004. Also since 2001, Ms. Smelcer has been a trustee
of Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (a registered investment
company). Ms. Smelcer served as Chairman of Bank of
America, Illinois from 1998 to 2001.
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2004
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Year First
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Elected
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Name
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Age
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Principal
Occupation
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Director
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Directors Whose Terms Expire in
2009
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James T. Brophy
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79
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Private Investor.
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1971
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Thomas S. Postek
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66
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Certified public accountant and
chartered financial analyst currently affiliated with Geneva
Investment Management of Chicago since January 2005.
Mr. Postek was a partner and principal of William
Blair & Company, LLC from 1986 to 2001. During his
tenure at William Blair, Mr. Postek covered various
business services as an analyst, including industrial
distribution. Mr. Postek also served on the staff of the
Financial Accounting Standards Board from 1980 to 1982.
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2005
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2
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Year First
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Elected
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Name
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Age
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Principal
Occupation
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Director
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Mitchell H. Saranow
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61
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Chairman of the Saranow Group, a
family investment firm and its predecessors, since 1984. Since
2003, Mr. Saranow has been the Chairman and since 2005, the
Chief Executive Officer, of Lenteq, L.P., a specialized
machinery manufacturer headquartered in Holland.
Mr. Saranow was Chairman of the Board and co-Chief
Executive Officer of Navigant Consulting, Inc. from November
1999 to June 2000. Prior thereto, Mr. Saranow was Chairman
of Fluid Management, L.P., a specialized machinery manufacturer,
for more than five years. Mr. Saranow is also a director of
Telephone and Data Systems, Inc.
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1998
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Securities
Beneficially Owned by Principal Stockholders and
Management
The following table sets forth information as of March 30,
2007 concerning the beneficial ownership by each person
(including any group as defined in
Section 13(d)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934) known by the Company to own beneficially more than 5%
of the outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company, each
director, each named executive officer, and all executive
officers and directors as a group. Because the voting or
dispositive power of certain stock listed in the following table
is shared, in some cases the same securities are listed opposite
more than one name in the table. The total number of the
Companys shares of common stock issued and outstanding is
8,521,001.
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Sole Voting or
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Dispositive
Power
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Shared Voting
or
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Name
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(1)
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Dispositive
Power
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Percent
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Roberta Port Washlow(3)
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22,471
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3,011,436
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35.6
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%
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1666 East Touhy Avenue
Des Plaines, Illinois 60018
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Ronald B. Port, M.D.(2)(3)
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21,404
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3,011,436
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35.6
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%
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Sidney L. Port
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1,170,389
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13.7
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%
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1666 East Touhy Avenue
Des Plaines, Illinois 60018
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Royce & Associates LLC(4)
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947,900
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11.1
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%
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1414 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10019
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Jeffrey B. Belford
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100
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*
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James T. Brophy
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4,439
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*
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Roger F. Cannon
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4,367
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*
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James S. Errant
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19,204
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12,378(5
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*
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Lee S. Hillman
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2,289
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*
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Thomas Neri
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*
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Thomas S. Postek
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11,439
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*
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Robert G. Rettig
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6,289
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*
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Mitchell H. Saranow(2)(6)
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12,789
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*
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Wilma J. Smelcer
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2,289
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*
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Scott F. Stephens
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*
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Robert J. Washlow
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60,657
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*
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All executive officers and
directors as a group (14 persons)
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1,315,655
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3,023,814
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50.9
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%
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3
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Less than 1%. |
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(1) |
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Does not include certain shares held by wives and minor children
in the case of Mr. Brophy (725 shares) and
Dr. Port (4,803 shares) and all executive officers and
directors as a group (5,528 shares). |
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(2) |
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Stockholdings shown include shares issuable upon the exercise of
stock options exercisable within 60 days of March 30,
2007 by Dr. Port (2,500 shares) and Mr. Saranow
(2,500 shares). |
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(3) |
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Includes shares held in family partnerships in the aggregate
amount of 3,011,436 in which Dr. Ronald B. Port, and
Roberta Port Washlow (Mr. Sidney Ports daughter and
Mr. Washlows spouse) are the managing partners.
Approval of both of the managing general partners is required
for any actions with respect to the reported securities. |
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(4) |
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Based on an Amendment to Schedule 13G filed by
Royce & Associates LLC with the SEC, dated
January 23, 2007. |
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(5) |
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1,500 shares are held by GST Trust, and
10,878 shares are held by the Sandi Errant Trust. |
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(6) |
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8,000 shares are owned by Saranow Investments, L.L.C.,
which is owned by Mr. Saranow and his family. |
Section 16(a)
Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
requires the Companys directors and executive officers,
and persons who own more than 10% of shares of the
Companys Common Stock (collectively, Reporting
Persons) to file reports of ownership and changes in
ownership with the SEC. Reporting Persons are required by SEC
regulations to furnish the Company with copies of all
Section 16(a) forms they file. Based solely on its review
of the copies of such forms received or written representations
from the Reporting Persons, the Company believes that with
respect to the year ended December 31, 2006, all the
Reporting Persons complied with all applicable Section 16
filing requirements.
4
CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE
Board of Director
Meetings and Committees
In 2006, the Board of Directors held eleven meetings, the
Compensation Committee held six meetings, the Audit Committee
held ten meetings, the Management Development Committee held two
meetings, and the Nominating and Governance Committee and
Financial Strategies Committee each held one meeting. In 2006,
each director attended at least 75% of the meetings of the Board
of Directors and of the respective committees on which he served.
The Board of Directors has standing Audit, Compensation,
Financial Strategies, Nominating and Governance, and Management
Development Committees. The Audit, Compensation and Nominating
and Governance Committees have each adopted a charter for their
respective committees. These charters may be viewed on the
Companys website, www.lawsonproducts.com, and
copies may be obtained by request to the Secretary of the
Company. Those requests should be sent to Corporate Secretary,
Lawson Products, Inc., 1666 East Touhy Avenue, Des Plaines,
Illinois 60018.
Directors
The names and ages of all directors and all persons nominated to
become directors can be found under the foregoing heading
Proposal 1: Election of Directors. In April
2007, Robert J. Washlow resigned as Chairman, Director and Chief
Executive Officer of the Company, and the Board elected James S.
Errant to fill the Board vacancy left by his departure. On
April 13, 2007, the Board appointed Ronald B. Port, M.D.,
as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board and Thomas Neri as Chief
Executive Officer.
The Audit
Committee
The functions of the Audit Committee include the appointment,
compensation, retention and oversight of the Companys
independent auditors, reviewing the scope and results of the
audit by the Companys independent auditors and reviewing
the Companys procedures for monitoring internal control
over financial reporting. The current members of the Audit
Committee consist of Thomas Postek (Chairman), James T. Brophy,
Robert G. Rettig and Mitchell H. Saranow. Each member of the
Audit Committee satisfies the independence requirements of The
Nasdaq Stock Market and the SEC. The Board of Directors has
determined that Mr. Saranow is an audit committee
financial expert as such term is defined by the SEC and
satisfies the financial sophistication requirements of The
Nasdaq Stock Market.
The Compensation
Committee
The Compensation Committee makes all determinations with respect
to the compensation of the Chief Executive Officer and
establishes compensation for all other executive officers of the
Company. The Compensation Committee consists of Lee S. Hillman
(Chairman), James T. Brophy, Robert G. Rettig, Mitchell H.
Saranow and Wilma J. Smelcer. The agenda for meetings of the
Compensation Committee is determined by its Chair with the
assistance of the Chief Executive Officer. The Chief Executive
Officer recommended compensation decisions involving the
executive officers and discussed these recommendations and
related issues with the Compensation Committee. During Committee
meetings at which compensation actions involving the Chief
Executive Officer are discussed, the Chief Executive Officer
does not participate in the discussions if the Committee so
chooses. At each meeting, the Compensation Committee has the
opportunity to meet in executive session. Each member of the
Compensation Committee satisfies the independence requirements
of The Nasdaq Stock Market and is an outside
director as defined in Section 162(m) of the Internal
Revenue Code.
5
The Nominating
and Governance Committee
The Nominating and Governance Committee identifies and nominates
potential directors to the Board of Directors and otherwise
takes a leadership role in shaping the corporate governance of
the Company. The Nominating and Governance Committee consists of
Mitchell H. Saranow (Chairman), James T. Brophy, Robert G.
Rettig, and Wilma J. Smelcer. Each member of the Nominating and
Governance Committee satisfies the independence requirements of
The Nasdaq Stock Market.
The Financial
Strategies Committee
The Financial Strategies Committee reviews and evaluates the
financial activities of the Company and makes recommendations to
the Board of Directors and management regarding business
strategies and financial policies and objectives to promote and
maintain superior standards of performance. The Committee
consists of Mitchell Saranow (Chairman), James T. Brophy, Lee S.
Hillman, and Ronald B. Port, M.D.
The Management
Development Committee
The Management Development Committee is responsible for
management development and succession. The directors who serve
on the Management and Development Committee are Wilma J. Smelcer
(Chair), Lee S. Hillman, Ronald B. Port, M.D. and Robert G.
Rettig.
Family
Relationships
Ronald B. Port, M.D. is the son of Sidney L. Port. Robert
J. Washlow is the
son-in-law
of Sidney L. Port. James S. Errant is the former
son-in-law
of Sidney L. Port and former
brother-in-law
of Robert J. Washlow and Ronald B. Port, M.D.
Director
Nominations
The Nominating and Governance Committee will consider Board of
Director nominees recommended by stockholders. Those
recommendations should be sent to the Chair of the Nominating
and Governance Committee, care of the Corporate Secretary of
Lawson Products, Inc., 1666 East Touhy Avenue, Des Plaines,
Illinois 60018. In order for a stockholder to nominate a
candidate for director, under the Companys Charter, timely
notice of the nomination must be given in writing to the
Secretary of the Company. To be timely, such notice must be
received at the principal executive offices of the Company as
set forth under Proposals of Securityholders below.
The Nominating and Governance Committee may require any nominee
to furnish any other information, within reason, that may be
needed to determine the eligibility of the nominee. The
Nominating and Governance Committee will follow procedures which
the Committee deems reasonable and appropriate in the
identification of candidates for election to the Board of
Directors and evaluating the background and qualifications of
those candidates. Those processes include consideration of
nominees suggested by an outside search firm, by incumbent Board
of Directors members and by stockholders. The Committee will
seek candidates having experience and abilities relevant to
serving as a director of the Company and who represent the best
interests of stockholders as a whole and not any specific
interest group or constituency. The Committee will consider a
candidates qualifications and background, including, but
not limited to responsibility for operating a public company or
a division of a public company, international business
experience, a candidates technical background or
professional qualifications and other public company Boards of
Directors on which the candidate is a director. The Committee
will also consider whether the candidate would be
independent for purposes of The Nasdaq Stock Market
and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC). The Committee may from time to
time engage the service of a professional search firm to
identify and evaluate potential nominees.
6
Director
Independence
The Companys Board of Directors has determined that James
T. Brophy, Lee S. Hillman, Thomas S. Postek, Robert G. Rettig,
Mitchell H. Saranow, and Wilma J. Smelcer are independent within
the meaning of the rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market. In
determining independence, the Board of Directors considered the
specific criteria for independence under The Nasdaq Stock Market
rules and also the facts and circumstances of any other
relationships of individual directors with the Company.
The independent directors and the committees of the Board of
Directors regularly meet in executive session without the
presence of any management directors or representatives.
Annual Meeting
Attendance Policy
The Company expects all Board members to attend the annual
meeting of stockholders, but from time to time, other
commitments may prevent all directors from attending each
meeting. All directors, except James S. Errant, who was not
elected to the Board of Directors until April of 2007, attended
the most recent annual meeting of stockholders.
Code of
Ethics
The Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Ethics Policy. The
policy may be viewed on the Companys website,
www.lawsonproducts.com, and copies may be obtained by
request to the Secretary of the Company. Those requests should
be sent to Corporate Secretary, Lawson Products, Inc., 1666 East
Touhy Avenue, Des Plaines, Illinois 60018.
Stockholder
Communications with Board of Directors
Stockholders may send communications to members of the Board of
Directors by either sending a communication to the Board of
Directors
and/or a
particular member c/o Corporate Secretary, Lawson Products,
Inc., 1666 East Touhy Avenue, Des Plaines, Illinois 60018.
Communications intended for non-management directors should be
directed to the Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee.
7
REMUNERATION OF
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Compensation
Discussion and Analysis (CD&A)
Compensation
Philosophy and Objectives
Our executive compensation programs are designed to reward
executives for the consistent development and execution of
successful business strategies. In determining the type and
amount of compensation for each executive, we use both current
compensation and the opportunity to receive future compensation
in a manner that we believe optimizes the executives
contributions to our company. Our compensation programs are
designed to encourage and reward the creation of long-term
shareholder value.
The Company guides its executive compensation programs with a
compensation philosophy expressed in these three principles:
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1.
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Talent Acquisition and Retention. We believe
that having qualified people at every level of our Company is
critical to our success. We develop executives from within to
lead the organization, or as needed, recruit them from outside
the Company. Finding talented people with the right competencies
and experience is very important. Our compensation programs
should encourage talented executives to join and continue their
careers as part of our senior management team.
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2.
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Accountability for Lawsons Business
Performance. To achieve alignment between the
interests of our executives and our stockholders, we use
short-term and long-term incentive plans. Our executives
compensation will increase or decrease based on how well they
achieve set company performance goals.
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3.
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Accountability for Business Unit and Individual
Performance. We use incentives to reward business
unit and individual excellence. We believe teams and individuals
should be rewarded when their contributions are exemplary and
significantly contribute to Company performance.
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Named Executive
Officers
Robert Washlow, Scott Stephens, Jeffrey Belford, Thomas Neri,
and Roger Cannon represent our Chief Executive Officer, Chief
Financial Officer, and the three other most highly compensated
executive officers in 2006 (the named executives or
named executive officers).
Compensation
Committee
Our Compensation Committee discharges the responsibilities of
the Board of Directors relating to compensation of our executive
officers and produces an annual report on executive compensation
for inclusion in the Companys Proxy Statement.
The Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving
corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation for
executive officers, to evaluate the performance of executive
officers in light of those goals and objectives, and to set the
compensation level of executive officers based on this
evaluation. The Committee also administers
incentive-compensation plans and equity-based plans established
or maintained by the Company from time to time; makes
recommendations to the Board with respect to the adoption,
amendment, termination or replacement of the plans; and
recommends to the Board the compensation for Board members, such
as retainer, committee chairman fees, stock options and other
similar items as appropriate.
The Compensation Committee reviews and approves the compensation
programs for the CEO and senior management, which include the
named executives whose compensation is included in this report.
The Companys CEO makes recommendations on compensation to
the Committee for all executive officers except himself.
Executive officers will generally make compensation
recommendations to the CEO or the President & COO
regarding employees who report to them. The
8
Committee consults with independent compensation consultants to
ensure that compensation is reasonable and within market
practice.
Key Elements of
Compensation
We use four key pay elements to achieve our objectives for our
executive compensation programs: base salary, annual incentives,
long-term incentives and benefits. These compensation elements
are heavily weighted toward variable, or at-risk
compensation. Variable incentive pay is at-risk
because total pay is significantly reduced if performance does
not meet pre-established objectives.
Actual current compensation of our named executive officers
varies from the target mix based upon the actual Company
performance, individual performance and the timing of the
awards. For example, our current long-term incentive plan is a
five-year incentive plan whose performance cycle ends on
December 31, 2008. Any awards, if earned, will be paid over
the ensuing three years.
In 2004, we began to shift away from an emphasis on base salary
and stock-based incentives and instead following the following
compensation approach:
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Target base salaries at the 50th percentile or median of
the market;
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Introduce and target annual incentive opportunity at the median
of the market with significant upside opportunity for excellent
performance; and
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Introduce an objective-based, long-term incentive plan with the
potential for well above market rewards when stretch goals were
achieved. We believe that the use of objective-based goals to
grow revenue and increase profits is a more focused and
effective tool than awards of stock, stock options or stock
performance rights.
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We intend to continue to assess our compensation elements in the
future to ensure that our compensation elements align executive
and shareholder interests in the growing competitive landscape
facing our Company.
As part of the shift toward objective-based annual and long-term
incentive compensation, we slowed or stopped the growth of the
base salaries of our top officers, and many have remained
unchanged in the last three years as we have moved to a more pay
at-risk compensation philosophy, and significantly cut back or
eliminated the issuance to executives of equity-based
instruments such as stock options, restricted stock, and stock
performance rights.
Specific
Compensation Elements
Base
Salary
The five named executives have base salaries that are
illustrated in the Summary Compensation Table below. Base
salaries are paid to compensate the executives for the services
they rendered during the fiscal year. The midpoint of this range
is positioned at the median of the compensation market for
companies that are comparable in terms of size, industry and
complexity. Each salary range then has a minimum that is 75% of
the midpoint and a maximum that is 125% of the midpoint.
In setting 2006 base salaries for executives below the CEO and
Chief Operating Officer (COO) level, the Committee,
in concert with input from the former Chairman and CEO and the
former President and COO, considered the following:
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The competitive market data;
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The experience, skills and competencies of the individual;
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The compensation of the individual relative to other members of
the executive team; and
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9
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Individual performance of the executive in the prior year.
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Our competitive base salary program serves principally to assist
our Company in hiring and retaining the talent we need to serve
in key executive positions.
Increases in base salary may be given from time to time. These
typically will be attributable to market movement, as well as
incumbent growth in job performance. In cases where the Company
significantly raises an executives base salary, it usually
reflects (1) an important increase in responsibility due to
promotion or business reorganization, or (2) recognition
for substantially increased competencies and excellent
performance. From the end of fiscal year 2005 to the end of
fiscal year 2006, the Company increased Scott Stephens
base salary by $10,000 and Thomas Neris base salary by
$50,000. The Company did not increase base salaries for the
other named executive officers during this period.
Incentive
Plans
To reinforce strategic change initiatives and to attract and
retain leadership talent, we use an objective-based Annual
Incentive Plan (AIP) and a Long-Term Capital
Accumulation Plan (LTIP) for our executives.
Annual Incentive
Plan (AIP)
The Annual Incentive Plan is a short-term
fiscal-year incentive plan that rewards executives for the
achievement of goals that, depending on the role of the
executive, are composed of a mix of corporate, business unit,
department and individual objectives. The purpose of this plan
is to focus on the achievement of key business objectives for
the fiscal year. These objectives are aligned with the strategic
plan which has a long-term time horizon focused on creating
shareholder value.
Corporate AIP
Objective:
In 2006, the key performance measure for our executives was
Company profitability. To develop a meaningful measure for our
management, we exclude from the income statement line item
Income from Continuing Operations before Income Taxes and
Cumulative Effect of Accounting Change expenses not
generally within the control of management. For example, in
2006, we excluded these expenses:
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The amortization of 2006 $4.6 million of compensation
expense related to the LTIP established in 2003. This is
compared to $2.6 million of expense in 2005;
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The amortization of Stock Performance Rights in 2006 of
$2.5 million under a change in the accounting rules. This
is compared to no amortization expense in 2005;
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The payment of $3.2 million of 2006 legal expense
associated with an investigation by Federal authorities. There
were no comparable expenses in 2005. For more information on
this item please refer to page 9 of the Companys
Annual Report on
Form 10-K
filed with the SEC on March 15, 2007;
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and $2.9 million of 2006 incentive compensation costs. This
compared to $3.1 million in 2005.
|
Considering the items discussed in the section above, we set the
2006 AIP target for operating income at $44.36 million.
This was 21% above the comparable operating income results in
2005. This target was double the profit growth achieved in 2005,
and was selected as a challenging and stretch objective for our
management. Actual 2006 results were $39.70 million, 89.5%
of target and above the plan threshold of $39.67 million.
The plan threshold level is the minimum level of performance
needed to fund payment to our executives for this goal.
This corporate performance goal was weighted at between 75% and
85% of each of named executives target annual incentive
payment.
10
Business Unit,
Department and Individual AIP Goals:
The balance of the 2006 goals in the AIP represented 15% to 25%
of each of the named executive officers target annual
incentive payment. Each executive had between 3 and 6 objectives
in this category. At the time the annual grants were approved,
the Committee thought that it was more likely than not that each
named executive officer would achieve their 2006 goals. The
goals included re-engineering processes, increasing sales,
reducing costs, developing new products, and introducing new
systems, among others. Each goal is set to have significant
opportunity for business operating improvement and is important
in the attainment of Company strategy.
AIP Results in
2006
In 2006, our revenues increased by 15.1% to $518 million;
however, income from continuing operations before the cumulative
effective of account change decreased by 39.5% to
$24 million. As illustrated below, our AIP payments to the
named executive officers declined between 13% and 47% reflecting
the reduction in our Companys profitability. This decline
in named executive officer annual incentive payments is
consistent with our
pay-for-performance
compensation philosophy described above.
2006 ANNUAL
INCENTIVE PLAN COMPARISON TO 2005 ANNUAL INCENTIVE
PLAN
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2006 AIP
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2005 AIP
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2006 Award
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Target
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Target
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Compared to
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Incentive
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2006
Award
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Incentive
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2005
Award
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2005
Award
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Robert Washlow
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$
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317,900
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$
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208,000
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$
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290,000
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$
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389,868
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−47
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%
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Scott Stephens
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$
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66,000
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$
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47,850
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$
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55,000
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$
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83,754
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−43
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%
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Jeffrey Belford
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$
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181,000
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$
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189,000
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$
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160,000
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$
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217,968
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−13
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%
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Thomas Neri
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$
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113,200
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$
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107,540
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$
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99,050
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$
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144,396
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−26
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%
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Roger Cannon
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$
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100,000
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$
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70,000
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$
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87,500
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$
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116,242
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−40
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%
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Long Term
Incentive Plan
The third key element of our executive compensation program is
the Long Term Capital Accumulation Plan (LTIP or
Plan). The LTIP is a multi-year incentive plan that
provides awards for corporate performance over a five-year
period. These awards gain value as specified levels of earnings
and working capital are achieved and a formula-based shareholder
value is calculated therefrom. As of December 31, 2006, the
long-term plan has completed 60% of its five-year measurement
period. It commenced on January 1, 2004 and concludes on
December 31, 2008. Selected executive officers, including
all of the named executive officers, have been provided with a
formula-based Shareholder Value Creation Plan based primarily on
increasing the earnings of the Company. The amount of
compensation to be paid to the participants in the Plan will be
based upon the degree of improvement in:
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(a)
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the consolidated income of the Company and its subsidiaries
before adjustment for interest, income taxes, depreciation and
amortization (EBITDA); and
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(b)
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the net value of certain non-operating assets and liabilities of
the Company, as described in the Plan. The value of the Company
at the end of the performance period, as calculated using those
criteria, will be compared with the value of the Company as of
December 31, 2003, which was calculated as
$242.1 million using the same criteria. However, no
compensation will be payable under the Plan unless the
calculated increase in Company value during the performance
period is greater than an amount
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11
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representing a cumulative 10% annual preferred rate of return
for the stockholders of the Company.
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The compensation payable to a participant in the Plan will be a
percentage of an overall funding pool that is generated based on
Plan performance. A participant receives rights of
participation, each of which will normally represent one-tenth
of 1% of the pool. A maximum of 1,000 participation rights may
be awarded under the Plan, and no individual may receive more
than 350 participation rights. The Plan does not specify any
maximum dollar amount that can be earned by any one participant.
The overall pool amount under the Plan will be calculated by
applying a participation rate (which will be either 10% or
12.5%) to the net increase in stockholder value during the
performance period. The higher participation rate of 12.5% will
apply if the recent operating income of the Company has reached
certain high levels designated in advance by the Compensation
Committee. The net increase in stockholder value will be the
ending value of the Company at the end of 2008 (calculated as
summarized below) reduced by the initial calculated value of
$242.1 million as of December 31, 2003, further
reduced by the calculated amount of the cumulative 10% annual
preferred return for stockholders. For purposes of calculating
the amount of the pool, the ending value of the Company will be
the sum of (a) 8 times the EBITDA of the Company for the
preceding 12 months, plus (b) the net value of certain
non-operating assets and liabilities, as described in the Plan,
plus (c) all dividend distributions and stock repurchases
by the Company since December 31, 2003, with certain
additional adjustments as described in the Plan. If our Company
is sold before December 31, 2008, and if the calculated
Company value then exceeds a minimum threshold amount, the
overall pool amount under the Plan will be calculated using the
actual sale price as the ending Company value (rather than
calculating the ending value in the way summarized above), and
the amount of compensation payable under the Plan will not be
subtracted in arriving at the net increase in stockholder value.
In addition, in the event of such a sale of our Company, any of
the 1,000 potential participation rights under the Plan that
remain available at the time of the sale will be allocated among
the active participants in the Plan in proportion to the number
of rights then held by each participant.
LTIP
Example
As an example of the application of the Plan, if the calculated
value of our Company at the end of 2008 were $385 million
(compared to the initial calculated value of
$242.1 million) and no special distributions had been made
to stockholders (beyond normal dividends), no payments would be
made to the participants in the Plan because our Company did not
achieve the cumulative 10% annual preferred rate of return for
the stockholders. As another example of the application of the
Plan, if our Company were sold for $680 million in early
2008 (compared to the initial calculated value of
$242.1 million), and the higher participation rate of 12.5%
applied because operating income was at a sufficiently high
level, the overall pool amount would be approximately
$33.7 million.
Benefits
The named executives are eligible for both qualified
and non-qualified benefits. Qualified benefits are
generally available to all Lawson employees and are subject to
favorable tax treatment by the IRS under the tax code. Qualified
benefit plans cover such items as health Insurance, life
insurance, vacation, profit sharing, and 401(k) retirement
savings. Named executives and employees are required to
contribute to offset a portion of the cost of some of these
plans. In contrast to qualified benefits plans, non-qualified
plans are not generally available to all employees and are not
subject to favorable tax treatment under the IRS Code.
Non-qualified benefit plans are designed to fill a gap in
executive compensation that is not covered by qualified plans.
One non-qualified benefit for executives is the opportunity to
defer compensation in an unfunded deferred compensation plan.
The plan allows participants to defer the receipt of earnings
until a later year, and therefore to defer payment of income
taxes. Our Company has use of the money until the participants
elect to receive it, usually upon retirement or after leaving
our Company. A feature of the
12
deferred compensation plan allows participants to select a set
of mutual funds, which are then tracked for growth. Based on the
increase or decrease in the tracked mutual funds total
value, the Company uses its own funds to adjust the deferred
compensation by that gain (or loss) when distributed. This type
of plan is an attractive way to defer the receipt of
compensation into retirement years, when income and tax levels
are generally lower. This is a positive feature in Lawsons
compensation program and a good way to help retain executives
without significant cost. The executives in the plan, however,
are unsecured creditors and are at risk of losing part or all of
their deferrals if the Company goes into bankruptcy.
The Company has broad-based, employee eligible qualified
profit-sharing and 401(k) plans available in the Company and its
divisions to facilitate retirement savings. For the year 2006,
the Company paid 8.75% of base salary compensation to the named
executives and many employees under a qualified profit-sharing
plan. For those executives with base salaries above
$220,000, the Company also paid 8.75% on amounts of base salary
above $220,000 into the Executive Deferred Compensation Plan.
The specific amounts for these awards may be found in the All
Other Compensation table on page 18.
Perquisites
Our Company operates in a spirit of thrift and directs its
resources at building shareholder value. We believe that
perquisites are generally not a good Company investment. We do
not offer perquisites for our executives, such as country club
memberships, executive life insurance or car allowances. Nor do
we provide executives with the use of a company aircraft, the
services of an executive dining room or vehicles. A financial
counseling adviser was engaged to assist a small group of senior
executives to plan for retirement as shown in the All Other
Compensation table on page 18.
Other
Matters:
Adjustments of
Certain Items
The Compensation Committee has the ability under the AIP and
LTIP plans to adjust compensation but did not make any
adjustments in 2006.
The Company has never re-priced stock options in its history as
a publicly-traded Company.
Dilution from
Equity-Based Compensation
Lawson pays close attention to the issue of dilution from
equity-based compensation. We believe that non-equity incentive
programs, guided by strategic performance objectives, are the
best way to align executive interests with those of
shareholders, create shareholder value, and attract, retain and
motivate executives.
Employee
Contracts and Severance Protection
Certain executive officers, including some of those reported in
the Summary Compensation Table, have employment contracts with
the Company. The main purpose of the employment contracts is to
protect the Company from certain business risks (threats from
competitors, loss of confidentiality or trade secrets,
disparagement, solicitation of customers and employees) and to
define the Companys right to terminate the employment
relationship.
Employment contracts help attract executives to work for the
Company by protecting them from certain risks, such as business
reorganization with position elimination, or position
elimination in the event of a change in control or sale of the
Company. The executives or their heirs may also be protected in
case of disability or death. A description of the provisions of
the employment agreements for certain executive officers may be
found under the heading Termination and
Change-in-Control
Payments beginning on page 21.
13
Retirement of Key
Employee in Company LTIP
Mr. Jeffrey Belford, former President and Chief Operating
Officer, retired from the Company on January 5, 2007 and is
no longer an employee of the Company. As disclosed in the
Summary Compensation Table below, Mr. Belford received a
payment of $1,442,000 upon his retirement in recognition of his
long-standing performance for the Company and in connection with
his forfeit of certain rights under Company benefit programs,
including rights under the Plan. At the time of his retirement
he held 90 or 9% of the participation rights of the potential
1,000 rights in the Plan. The Company has cancelled those rights
and reduced maximum rights under the plan to 910 and reduced the
potential award pool by 9%.
Change-in-Control
or Sale of the Company
Change-in-control
arrangements are designed to retain executives and provide
continuity of management in the event of an actual or threatened
change-in-control.
These benefits are determined based upon the terms of the LTIP
Plan. None of the named executives, other than Mr. Washlow,
have
change-in-control
provisions in their employment agreements.
Role of Executive
Officers in Compensation Decisions
As discussed above, the Compensation Committee reviews and
approves the compensation programs for the CEO and senior
management, which includes the named executives whose
compensation is included in this report. The Companys CEO
makes recommendations on compensation to the Committee for all
executive officers except himself. Executive officers will
generally make compensation recommendations to the CEO or the
President & COO regarding employees who report to them.
The Committee consults with independent compensation consultants
to ensure that compensation is reasonable and within market
practice.
Accounting and
Tax Considerations
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code limits the
Companys ability to deduct compensation paid in any given
year to a named executive officer in excess of
$1.0 million. Performance-based compensation plans, such as
Lawsons LTIP plan, are not subject to this restriction. As
much as practicable, Lawson uses performance-based compensation.
In the event the proposed compensation for any of the
Companys executive officers is expected to exceed the
$1.0 million limitation, the Committee will, in making a
decision, balance the benefits of tax deductibility with its
responsibility to hire, retain and motivate executive officers
with competitive compensation programs.
Each year the Company records a compensation expense which
reduces our reported net income for the potential annual LTIP
plan awards. This estimated expense is based on the progress
toward the plans shareholder value creation goal which
will be measured as of December 31, 2008. The Company will
realize a tax deduction for the compensation expenses in year
the awards are paid. The Company recorded $0.9 million in
2004, $2.6 million in 2005, and $4.6 million in 2006
of annual compensation expenses related to the plan. If the plan
does not meet its threshold, the compensation accruals will be
reversed. There is no income or corresponding tax-effect for the
executives until the plan is deemed to have met its performance
criteria and an award is earned. The Plan has been qualified
under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code. This
will allow payments made to any named executive officer in the
plan to be deductible by the Company if that officers
compensation exceeds $1.0 million in a given year.
Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer Compensation
In setting former Chairman & CEO Robert Washlows
compensation for 2006, the Compensation Committee considered a
variety of factors, including market competitive pay, level of
responsibility, personal abilities, individual expertise and
performance. As mentioned earlier, from 2003 to his resignation
in April 2007, Mr. Washlows base salary remained at
$650,000 annually. His annual
14
incentive award was $208,000 in 2006, declining by 47% from
$389,868 in 2005. In determining his incentive award in 2006,
the Committee considered, among other factors,
Mr. Washlows performance against objectives set by
the Compensation Committee for operating income, with a
weighting of 85%, and six individual performance objectives with
a total weighting of 15%. Mr. Washlow resigned from the
Company in April 2007 and entered into a severance arrangement
described below under Certain Relationships and Related
Transactions on page 27.
Compensation
Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
In 2006, no executive officer of the Company served on the Board
of Directors or Compensation Committee of any other company with
respect to which any member of the Compensation Committee was
engaged as an executive officer. No member of the Compensation
Committee was an officer or employee of the Company during 2006,
and no member of the Compensation Committee was formerly an
officer of the Company.
* * *
15
Report of the
Compensation Committee
The Compensation Committee reviewed and discussed with
management the foregoing Compensation Discussion and Analysis
required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K for the year ended
December 31, 2006. Based on such review and discussion, the
Compensation Committee recommended to the Board, and the Board
approved, that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be
included in this Proxy Statement.
Respectfully Submitted by the Compensation Committee:
Lee S. Hillman, Compensation Committee Chair
James T. Brophy, Compensation Committee Member
Robert G. Rettig, Compensation Committee Member
Mitchell H. Saranow, Compensation Committee Member
Wilma J. Smelcer, Compensation Committee Member
16
2006 SUMMARY
COMPENSATION
TABLE(1)
The following table shows the compensation for the last fiscal
year awarded to or earned by individuals who served as the
Companys Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officers
and each of the Companys three other most highly
compensated executive officers during fiscal year 2006.
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Option Awards
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Non-Equity
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Name and
Principal
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Discretionary
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(Stock
Performance
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Incentive Plan
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All Other
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Position of
Named
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Salary
|
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Bonus
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Rights)
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Compensation
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Compensation
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Total
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Executives
|
|
Year
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|
|
($)
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|
|
($)
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($)(2)
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(3)
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($)(4)
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|
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($)
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Robert Washlow
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2006
|
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$
|
650,000
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$
|
943,440
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$
|
208,000
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$
|
62,625
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$
|
1,864,065
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Chairman of the Board and
CEO(5)
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scott Stephens
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
$
|
220,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
47,850
|
|
|
$
|
19,250
|
|
|
$
|
287,100
|
|
SVP and CFO
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jeffrey Belford
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
$
|
390,000
|
|
|
$
|
1,442,000
|
(7)
|
|
$
|
171,815
|
|
|
$
|
347,000
|
|
|
$
|
36,575
|
|
|
$
|
2,387,390
|
|
President and Chief Operating
Officer(4)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomas Neri
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
$
|
314,571
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
48,255
|
|
|
$
|
107,540
|
|
|
$
|
29,976
|
|
|
$
|
500,342
|
|
President and Chief Operating
Officer(8)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Roger Cannon
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
$
|
340,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
109,680
|
|
|
$
|
70,000
|
|
|
$
|
32,200
|
|
|
$
|
551,880
|
|
EVP Agent
Development
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
The Bonus, Stock Awards, and Change in Pension Value and
Non-qualified Deferred Compensation Earnings columns have been
deleted from the Summary Compensation Table as such compensation
was not granted in 2006. |
|
(2) |
|
The amounts in this column represent the expense recognized for
financial statement reporting purposes for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2006, in accordance with FAS 123(R) for
cash-settled stock performance rights (SPRs) awarded
prior to 2006. The Black-Scholes option valuation model
assumptions used in calculating the grant-date fair value are
included in Note K to our audited financial statements for
the year ended December 31, 2006, included in our Annual
Report on
Form 10-K
filed with the SEC on March 15, 2007. These amounts reflect
our accounting expense for these awards, and may not correspond
to the actual value that will be recognized by the named
executive officer. Upon adoption of FAS 123(R), our SPR
liability was required to be calculated under the fair-value
method instead of the intrinsic-value method. The cumulative
effect of this change is included in the table. |
|
(3) |
|
Reflects amounts paid under the Annual Incentive Plan for the
named executive officers and an additional $158,000 paid to
Mr. Belford under the Companys LTIP. |
|
(4) |
|
See All Other Compensation below for a breakdown of payments. |
|
(5) |
|
Mr. Washlow resigned after more than 8 years of
service with the Company in April 2007. |
|
(6) |
|
Mr. Jeffrey Belford retired after more than 26 years
of service with the Company in January 2007. |
|
(7) |
|
Reflects compensation awarded in connection with
Mr. Belfords retirement from the Company and his
forfeit, among other things, of participation rights in the
Companys LTIP. |
|
(8) |
|
Mr. Thomas Neri became President and Chief Operating
Officer on January 5, 2007 and our Chief Executive Officer
in April 2007. |
17
ALL OTHER
COMPENSATION
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deferred
|
|
|
Financial
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
Profit Sharing
|
|
|
Compensation
Plan
|
|
|
Counseling
|
|
|
All Other
|
|
|
|
Contribution
|
|
|
Contributions
for
|
|
|
Payments
|
|
|
Compensation
|
|
Name
|
|
($)(1)
|
|
|
FY 2006
($)(2)
|
|
|
($)
|
|
|
($)
|
|
|
Robert Washlow
|
|
$
|
19,500
|
|
|
$
|
37,625
|
|
|
$
|
5,500
|
|
|
$
|
62,625
|
|
Scott Stephens
|
|
|
18,288
|
|
|
|
962
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
19,250
|
|
Jeffrey Belford
|
|
|
19,500
|
|
|
|
14,875
|
|
|
|
2,200
|
|
|
|
36,575
|
|
Thomas Neri
|
|
|
19,500
|
|
|
|
8,276
|
|
|
|
2,200
|
|
|
|
29,976
|
|
Roger Cannon
|
|
|
19,500
|
|
|
|
10,500
|
|
|
|
2,200
|
|
|
|
32,200
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
The Company made a profit sharing contribution of 8.75% of base
salary up to the IRS wage base limit of $220,000. |
|
(2) |
|
For executives with base salaries above $220,000, the Company
paid 8.75% on excess above $220,000 into the
Executive Deferred Compensation Plan. Please see the
Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Table on page 20. |
GRANTS OF
PLAN-BASED AWARDS IN
2006(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Estimated Future
Payouts Under Non-Equity
|
|
|
|
Effective
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Incentive Plan
Awards
|
|
Named
Executive
|
|
Grant
Date
|
|
|
Action
Date
|
|
|
Rights(#)(3)
|
|
|
Threshold($)
|
|
|
Target($)
|
|
|
Maximum($)
|
|
|
Robert Washlow(2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2006 LTIP(3)
|
|
|
1/01/04
|
|
|
|
3/13/06
|
|
|
|
63
|
|
|
|
1,157,317
|
|
|
|
1,446,646
|
|
|
|
3,182,622
|
|
2006 AIP(4)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
158,950
|
|
|
|
317,900
|
|
|
|
635,800
|
|
Scott Stephens
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2006 LTIP(3)
|
|
|
1/01/04
|
|
|
|
3/13/06
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
|
91,851
|
|
|
|
114,813
|
|
|
|
252,589
|
|
2006 AIP(4)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
33,000
|
|
|
|
66,000
|
|
|
|
132,000
|
|
Jeffrey Belford(5)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2006 LTIP(3)
|
|
|
1/01/04
|
|
|
|
3/13/06
|
|
|
|
20
|
|
|
|
367,402
|
|
|
|
459,253
|
|
|
|
1.010,356
|
|
2006 AIP(4)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
90,000
|
|
|
|
180,000
|
|
|
|
360,000
|
|
Thomas Neri
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2006 LTIP(3)
|
|
|
1/01/04
|
|
|
|
3/13/06
|
|
|
|
30
|
|
|
|
551,103
|
|
|
|
668,879
|
|
|
|
1,515,534
|
|
2006 AIP(4)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
56,600
|
|
|
|
113,200
|
|
|
|
226,400
|
|
Roger Cannon
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2006 LTIP(3)
|
|
|
1/01/04
|
|
|
|
3/13/06
|
|
|
|
9
|
|
|
|
165,331
|
|
|
|
206,664
|
|
|
|
454,660
|
|
2006 AIP(4)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
50,000
|
|
|
|
100,000
|
|
|
|
200,000
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
The columns for Estimated Future Payments under Equity Incentive
Plan Awards, All Other Stock Awards, Exercise or Base Price of
Option Awards have been deleted. |
|
(2) |
|
In April 2007, Robert Washlow resigned as Chairman, Director and
Chief Executive Officer of the Company. |
|
(3) |
|
Reflects Shareholder Value Appreciation Rights under the
Companys LTIP. The estimated future payout for the LTIP
awards listed is expected to begin in 2009, provided that
earlier payments may be made under the LTIP in the event of a
sale of the Company or the termination of employment of an
executive under certain circumstances. |
|
(4) |
|
Reflects potential awards under the Lawson Products, Inc. 2006
Annual Incentive Plan (AIP). The 2007 payments for
2006 performance under the AIP have been made as described in
AIP |
18
|
|
|
|
|
Results in 2006 under the section entitled Compensation
Discussion and Analysis and are shown in the Summary
Compensation Table in the column entitled
Non-Equity
Plan Compensation. |
|
(5) |
|
Mr. Belford, former President and Chief Operating Officer,
retired from the Company on January 5, 2007. The Company
cancelled his rights under the LTIP. |
OUTSTANDING
EQUITY AWARDS/SPRs AT FISCAL
YEAR-END(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SPR Awards (Stock
Performance Rights)(1)
|
|
|
|
Number
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
of
|
|
|
Number of
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Securities
|
|
|
Securities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Underlying
|
|
|
Underlying
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Unexercised
|
|
|
Unexercised
|
|
|
SPR
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Options/SPRs
|
|
|
Options/SPRs
|
|
|
Exercise
|
|
|
SPR
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(#)
|
|
|
(#)
|
|
|
Price
|
|
|
Expiration
|
|
|
|
|
Named
Executive
|
|
Exercisable
|
|
|
Unexercisable
|
|
|
($)
|
|
|
Date
|
|
|
|
|
|
Robert Washlow
|
|
|
28,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
27.08
|
|
|
|
04/13/08
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scott Stephens
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jeffrey Belford
|
|
|
400
|
|
|
|
1,600
|
(2)
|
|
$
|
26.85
|
|
|
|
01/05/08
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomas Neri
|
|
|
3,000
|
|
|
|
2,000
|
(3)
|
|
$
|
33.15
|
|
|
|
12/08/2013
|
|
|
|
|
|
Roger Cannon
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
The columns for stock awards have been deleted as the Company
has no outstanding stock awards as of December 31, 2006.
The data in this chart represents grants under the Stock
Performance Rights (SPRs), which have similar
characteristics as options as they are tied to performance of
the Companys stock price but are settled in cash upon
exercise. |
|
(2) |
|
Vest in equal amounts over the next four years. |
|
(3) |
|
Vest in equal amounts over the next two years. |
OPTION/SPR
EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED IN 2006(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Option/SPR
Awards
|
|
|
|
Number of
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares/SPRs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Acquired
|
|
|
Value Realized
|
|
|
|
on Exercise
|
|
|
on Exercise
|
|
Name
|
|
(#)
|
|
|
($)(2)
|
|
|
Robert Washlow
|
|
|
5,000 (options
|
)
|
|
$
|
129,400
|
|
|
|
|
5,000 (options
|
)
|
|
$
|
123,899
|
|
|
|
|
29,200 (SPRs
|
)
|
|
$
|
647,120
|
|
Scott Stephens
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jeffrey Belford
|
|
|
6,000 (SPRs
|
)
|
|
$
|
149,080
|
|
Thomas Neri
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Roger Cannon
|
|
|
5,000 (SPRs
|
)
|
|
$
|
109,680
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
The columns for stock awards have been deleted as there is no
data for these columns. |
|
(2) |
|
Amounts reflect the difference between the market price at the
time of exercise and the exercise price. |
NONQUALIFIED
DEFERRED COMPENSATION
With respect to the Companys 2004 Executive Deferral Plan,
certain executives, including named executives may defer
portions of base salary, bonus, LTIP awards, and the
excess contribution to the
19
profit-sharing plan. Deferral elections are made by eligible
executives by the end of the year preceding the plan year for
which the election is made. An executive may defer a minimum of
$2,000 aggregate of Base Salary, Bonus
and/or LTIP.
The maximum deferral amount for each plan year is 80% of base
salary, 100% of bonus and 100% of LTIP amounts.
The investment options available to an executive include any of
the funds listed in the table below, which includes each
funds annual rate of return for the calendar year ended
December 31, 2006, as reported by the plan administrator of
the Executive Deferral Plan.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name of
Fund
|
|
Rate of
Return
|
|
|
Name of
Fund
|
|
Rate of
Return
|
|
|
MainStay VP Cash Mgmt
|
|
|
4.6
|
%
|
|
PIMCO VIT Total Return: AC
|
|
|
3.85
|
%
|
Fidelity VIP Eq Inc: IC
|
|
|
20.17
|
|
|
Fidelity VIP Index 500: IC
|
|
|
15.71
|
|
Fidelity VIP Growth: IC
|
|
|
6.86
|
|
|
Fidelity VIP Midcap: IC
|
|
|
12.69
|
|
Janus AS MidCap Grow: IS
|
|
|
13.61
|
|
|
DWS VIT SmCap Index: Cl A
|
|
|
17.48
|
|
Baron Cap Asset: IS
|
|
|
15.50
|
|
|
Janus AS WW Growth: IS
|
|
|
18.19
|
|
Fidelity VIP Overseas: IC
|
|
|
18.10
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Distributions
from the Plan
Unforeseeable Financial Emergency: Upon showing a financial
hardship and receipt of approval from the Committee, an
executive may interrupt deferral or be allowed to access funds
in his or her deferred compensation account. An executive may
elect to receive distributions under four scenarios, receiving
benefits in either a lump sum or in annual installment of
between 2 and 15 years. The four scenarios include
retirement, termination of employment, disability, or death. In
the event of a change in control of the Company, an independent
third party administrator would be appointed to oversee the plan.
NONQUALIFIED
DEFERRED COMPENSATION TABLE
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Executive
|
|
|
Registrant
|
|
|
Aggregate
|
|
|
Aggregate
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contributions
|
|
|
Contributions
|
|
|
Earnings
|
|
|
Balance
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
in Last FY
|
|
|
in Last FY
|
|
|
in Last FY
|
|
|
at Last
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
($)
|
|
|
($)(1)
|
|
|
($)
|
|
|
FYE($)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Robert Washlow
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
37,625
|
|
|
$
|
63,715
|
|
|
$
|
645,989
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scott Stephens
|
|
$
|
15,188
|
|
|
$
|
962
|
|
|
$
|
2,655
|
|
|
$
|
30,503
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jeffrey Belford
|
|
$
|
226,781
|
|
|
$
|
14,875
|
|
|
$
|
111,104
|
|
|
$
|
1,451,373
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thomas Neri
|
|
$
|
7,220
|
|
|
$
|
8,276
|
|
|
$
|
3,023
|
|
|
$
|
30,366
|
|
|
|
|
|
Roger Cannon
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
10,500
|
|
|
$
|
136,686
|
|
|
$
|
1,135,989
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Each of these amounts were also reported in column All Other
Compensation in the 2006 Summary Compensation Table above. |
20
EQUITY
COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION
The following table provides information as of December 31,
2006 with respect to shares of the Companys common stock
that may be issued under equity compensation plans.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(c)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
securities
|
|
|
|
(a)
|
|
|
|
|
|
remaining
available
|
|
|
|
Number of
|
|
|
|
|
|
for future
issuance
|
|
|
|
securities to
be
|
|
|
|
|
|
under equity
|
|
|
|
issued upon
|
|
|
(b)
|
|
|
compensation
plans
|
|
|
|
exercise of
|
|
|
Weighted
average
|
|
|
(excluding
|
|
|
|
outstanding
|
|
|
exercise price
of
|
|
|
securities
|
|
|
|
options,
warrants
|
|
|
outstanding
options
|
|
|
reflected in
column
|
|
Plan
Category
|
|
and
rights
|
|
|
warrants and
rights
|
|
|
(a))
|
|
|
Equity Compensation Plans Approved
by Security Holders
|
|
|
6,000
|
|
|
$
|
23.72
|
|
|
|
451,885
|
|
Equity Compensation Plans Not
Approved by Security Holders
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
6,000
|
|
|
$
|
23.72
|
|
|
|
451,885
|
|
Termination and
Change-in-Control
Payments
SUMMARY TABLE OF
POTENTIAL PAYMENTS UPON TERMINATION OR
CHANGE-IN-CONTROL
The following table shows potential payments to our named
executives under existing contracts, agreements, plans or
arrangements for various scenarios under termination or a
change-in-control
of each of our named executives, assuming a December 31,
2006 termination date and the closing price of our common stock
of $45.89 on that date.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Voluntary
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Voluntary
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
for Good
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Without
|
|
|
Without
|
|
|
Change-
|
|
|
|
for
|
|
|
Reason by
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cause by
|
|
|
Good
|
|
|
in-
|
|
|
|
Cause
|
|
|
Executive
|
|
|
Retirement
|
|
|
Death(1)(2)
|
|
|
Disability(3)
|
|
|
the
Company
|
|
|
Reason
|
|
|
Control(1)(4)
|
|
|
Washlow
|
|
$
|
672,241
|
|
|
$
|
3,976,711
|
|
|
$
|
1,089,241
|
|
|
$
|
3,967,466
|
|
|
$
|
5,406,579
|
|
|
$
|
3,976,711
|
|
|
$
|
1,098,486
|
|
|
$
|
9,862,898
|
|
Stephens
|
|
$
|
30,503
|
|
|
$
|
30,503
|
|
|
$
|
30,503
|
|
|
$
|
43,032
|
|
|
$
|
43,032
|
|
|
$
|
43,032
|
|
|
$
|
30,503
|
|
|
$
|
83,778
|
|
Belford
|
|
$
|
1,466,374
|
|
|
$
|
1,466,374
|
|
|
$
|
2,524,454
|
|
|
$
|
2,509,968
|
|
|
$
|
2,167,968
|
|
|
$
|
2,524,454
|
|
|
$
|
1,466,374
|
|
|
$
|
3,257,887
|
|
Neri
|
|
$
|
59,536
|
|
|
$
|
59,536
|
|
|
$
|
316,795
|
|
|
$
|
1,016,795
|
|
|
$
|
674,795
|
|
|
$
|
795,788
|
|
|
$
|
59,536
|
|
|
$
|
1,549,594
|
|
Cannon
|
|
$
|
1,158,875
|
|
|
$
|
1,158,875
|
|
|
$
|
1,938,124
|
|
|
$
|
1,936,598
|
|
|
$
|
1,594,598
|
|
|
$
|
1,938,124
|
|
|
$
|
1,158,875
|
|
|
$
|
2,255,945
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Vesting on SPRs and LTIPs accelerates upon a
change-in-control,
death or disability. |
|
(2) |
|
Upon death, executive receives a formula benefit, equal to the
sum of the supplemental profit share balance, the supplemental
401(a) balance, and the present value of two times the
participants annual deferral; otherwise executive receives
the balance in his deferred compensation plan upon termination. |
|
(3) |
|
Includes credits for Company provided insurance benefits. |
|
(4) |
|
LTIP provides for potential cut back to avoid
Section 280G excise tax limit if LTIP payment from a
change-in-control
net of excise tax is less than the after-tax reduced payment.
Amounts in this category assume the executive (other than
Mr. Washlow) terminates his employment for good
reason (as defined in the executives employment
agreement) after a change-in-control of the Company. |
Mr. Robert
Washlow
Mr. Washlow resigned from all positions with the Company in
April 2007. At that time, the Company and Mr. Washlow
entered into a separation agreement, which is described below
under Certain
21
Relationships and Related Transactions. Prior to his
resignation, Mr. Washlow was employed under a contract that
provided him a minimum annual salary of $650,000. His salary was
subject to periodic review and could not be decreased. The
Company could cancel the contract at any time, and upon the
expiration of 60 days prior written notice, the contract
was cancelable by Mr. Washlow. If the Company terminated
Mr. Washlow without cause or he terminated his
employment for good reason (as such terms are
defined in the employment agreement), then the Company agreed to
pay Mr. Washlow an amount equal to two times his then
current base salary and most recent annual bonus. In addition,
all previously unvested options and other rights granted to
Mr. Washlow would immediately vest and become fully
exercisable as of the date of termination for a period of one
year. The employment agreement provided that upon the death of
Mr. Washlow, his estate would receive an amount equal to
two times his base salary, and all previously unvested options
and other rights granted to Mr. Washlow would vest and
become fully exercisable for one year after his death. Upon the
termination of the contract due to a disability, all previously
unvested options and other rights granted to Mr. Washlow
would immediately vest and become fully exercisable for one year
after the termination date. Under certain circumstances after a
change of control of the Company, he was entitled to receive a
lump sum payment equal to three times his then current annual
base salary and most recent annual bonus; in addition, all
previously unvested options and rights granted to him would
immediately vest and become fully exercisable as of the date of
termination for a period of one year.
The following table illustrates the potential payments for
Mr. Robert Washlow, the former Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer, upon his termination under certain circumstances as
though the termination occurred on December 31, 2006. The
following table does not reflect the Separation Agreement
entered into between Mr. Washlow and the Company in April
2007, as described under Certain Relationships and Related
Transactions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Voluntary
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
Voluntary
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
for Good
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
without
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
due to
|
|
|
|
for
|
|
|
Reason by
|
|
|
|
|
|
due to
|
|
|
due to
|
|
|
Cause by the
|
|
|
Without
|
|
|
Change-in-
|
|
|
|
Cause
|
|
|
Executive
|
|
|
Retirement
|
|
|
Death
|
|
|
Disability
|
|
|
Company
|
|
|
Good
Reason
|
|
|
Control(1)
|
|
|
Base Salary
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,300,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,300,000
|
|
|
$
|
1,950,000
|
|
|
$
|
1,300,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,950,000
|
|
Annual Incentive
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,559,736
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,559,736
|
|
|
$
|
2,339,604
|
|
|
$
|
1,559,736
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
2,339,604
|
|
LTIP(2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
417,000
|
|
|
$
|
417,000
|
|
|
$
|
417,000
|
|
|
$
|
417,000
|
|
|
$
|
417,000
|
|
|
$
|
417,000
|
|
|
$
|
2,535,883
|
|
Executive Deferral Plan
|
|
$
|
645,989
|
|
|
$
|
645,989
|
|
|
$
|
645,989
|
|
|
$
|
645,989
|
|
|
$
|
645,989
|
|
|
$
|
645,989
|
|
|
$
|
645,989
|
|
|
$
|
645,989
|
|
Heath Plan Payments
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
27,734
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
18,489
|
|
|
$
|
27,734
|
|
|
$
|
27,734
|
|
|
$
|
9,245
|
|
|
$
|
27,734
|
|
Accrued Vacation
|
|
$
|
26,252
|
|
|
$
|
26,252
|
|
|
$
|
26,252
|
|
|
$
|
26,252
|
|
|
$
|
26,252
|
|
|
$
|
26,252
|
|
|
$
|
26,252
|
|
|
$
|
26,252
|
|
Section 280G
Gross-up
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
2,337,436
|
|
Total:
|
|
$
|
672,241
|
|
|
$
|
3,976,711
|
|
|
$
|
1,089,241
|
|
|
$
|
3,967,466
|
|
|
$
|
5,406,579
|
|
|
$
|
3,976,711
|
|
|
$
|
1,098,486
|
|
|
$
|
9,862,898
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
In the event the named executive is terminated for any of these
events: (1) the Company terminates the executive without
cause within 24 months after the
change-in-control
or (2) the Executive terminates his employment for good
reason with 12 months after the
change-in-control
occurs or (3) Executive remains employed by the Company for
a one year period after the
change-in-control
occurs or for such shorter period as the Company requests, and
executive voluntarily terminates his employment within
3 months thereafter, then the Company will provide the
benefits listed in this column. |
|
(2) |
|
The LTIP amounts presented in this table reflect the values in
the Separation Agreement between the Company and
Mr. Washlow, dated April 13, 2007. |
22
Mr. Scott
Stephens
Mr. Stephens does not have an employment contract. The
following table illustrates the potential payments for
Mr. Stephens, Chief Financial Officer, upon his termination
under certain circumstances, as though such termination occurred
on December 31, 2006.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Voluntary
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
Voluntary
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
for Good
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
without
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
due to
|
|
|
|
for
|
|
|
Reason by
|
|
|
|
|
|
due to
|
|
|
due to
|
|
|
Cause by
|
|
|
Without
|
|
|
Change
|
|
|
|
Cause
|
|
|
Executive
|
|
|
Retirement
|
|
|
Death
|
|
|
Disability(1)
|
|
|
the
Company
|
|
|
Good
Reason
|
|
|
in
Control
|
|
|
LTIP
|
|
|
$0
|
|
|
|
$0
|
|
|
|
$0
|
|
|
$
|
12,529
|
|
|
$
|
12,529
|
|
|
$
|
12,529
|
|
|
|
$0
|
|
|
$
|
53,275
|
|
Executive Deferral Plan
|
|
$
|
30,503
|
|
|
$
|
30,503
|
|
|
$
|
30,503
|
|
|
$
|
30,503
|
|
|
$
|
30,503
|
|
|
$
|
30,503
|
|
|
$
|
30,503
|
|
|
$
|
30,503
|
|
Total:
|
|
$
|
30,503
|
|
|
$
|
30,503
|
|
|
$
|
30,503
|
|
|
$
|
43,032
|
|
|
$
|
43,032
|
|
|
$
|
43,032
|
|
|
$
|
30,503
|
|
|
$
|
83,778
|
|
Mr. Jeffrey
Belford
Mr. Belford retired from the Company on January 5,
2007. In connection with his retirement, the Company will
continue to pay his base salary and certain benefits for a
period of two years. During the salary continuation period,
Mr. Belford is obligated to provide certain limited
consulting services to the Company.
Before he retired, Mr. Belford was employed under a
contract pursuant to which he received a minimum salary of
$390,000 for 2006. The contract provided for salary increases
from time to time. The Company may cancel the contract at any
time, and upon the expiration of 60 days prior written
notice, the contract is cancelable by Mr. Belford.
Mr. Belford could also terminate his employment with the
Company in connection with his retirement after January 1,
2007 if he provided written notice of his retirement at any time
after July 1, 2006. The contract was cancelable upon his
death or disability. In the event that Mr. Belford was
terminated without cause or in connection with his retirement,
the Company agreed to continue to pay his base salary and
certain benefits for a period of two years. During the salary
continuation period, Mr. Belford is obligated to provide
certain limited consulting services to the Company. In the event
that he died while employed by the Company,
Mr. Belfords estate was entitled to receive an amount
equal to two times his then current annual base salary.
The following table illustrates the potential payments for
Mr. Belford upon his termination under certain
circumstances, as though such termination occurred on
December 31, 2006.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Voluntary
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
Voluntary
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
for Good
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
without
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
due to
|
|
|
|
for
|
|
|
Reason by
|
|
|
|
|
|
due to
|
|
|
due to
|
|
|
Cause by
|
|
|
Without
|
|
|
Change in
|
|
|
|
Cause
|
|
|
Executive
|
|
|
Retirement
|
|
|
Death
|
|
|
Disability
|
|
|
the
Company
|
|
|
Good
Reason
|
|
|
Control(1)
|
|
|
Base Salary
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
780,000
|
|
|
$
|
780,000
|
|
|
$
|
438,000
|
|
|
$
|
780,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
780,000
|
|
SPRs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
38,080
|
|
|
$
|
38,080
|
|
|
$
|
38,080
|
|
|
$
|
38,080
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
38,080
|
|
LTIP(2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
225,514
|
|
|
$
|
225,514
|
|
|
$
|
225,514
|
|
|
$
|
225,514
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
958,947
|
|
Executive Deferral Plan
|
|
$
|
1,451,373
|
|
|
$
|
1,451,373
|
|
|
$
|
1,451,373
|
|
|
$
|
1,451,373
|
|
|
$
|
1,451,373
|
|
|
$
|
1,451,373
|
|
|
$
|
1,451,373
|
|
|
$
|
1,451,373
|
|
Heath Plan Payments
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
14,486
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
14,486
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
14,486
|
|
Accrued Vacation
|
|
$
|
15,001
|
|
|
$
|
15,001
|
|
|
$
|
15,001
|
|
|
$
|
15,001
|
|
|
$
|
15,001
|
|
|
$
|
15,001
|
|
|
$
|
15,001
|
|
|
$
|
15,001
|
|
Total:
|
|
$
|
1,466,374
|
|
|
$
|
1,466,374
|
|
|
$
|
2,524,454
|
|
|
$
|
2,509,968
|
|
|
$
|
2,167,968
|
|
|
$
|
2,524,454
|
|
|
$
|
1,466,374
|
|
|
$
|
3,257,887
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Assumes executive terminated his employment for good
reason (as defined in his former employment agreement)
after a change-in-control of the Company. |
|
(2) |
|
In 2007, Mr. Belford received $1,442,000 upon his
retirement in recognition of his long-standing performance for
the Company and in connection within his forfeit of certain
rights under the LTIP. |
23
Mr. Thomas
Neri
Mr. Neri is employed under a contract pursuant to which he
received a minimum salary of $300,000 for 2006. As of
December 31, 2006, Mr. Neris salary was
$350,000. The contract provides for salary increases from time
to time. The Company may cancel the contract at any time, and
upon the expiration of 60 days prior written notice,
Mr. Neri may cancel the contract. The contract is also
cancelable upon his death or disability. In the event that
Mr. Neri is terminated without cause, the Company will
continue to pay his base salary and certain benefits for a
period of two years. During the salary continuation period,
Mr. Neri is obligated to provide certain limited consulting
services to the Company. In the event that Mr. Neri dies
while employed by the Company, Mr. Neris estate will
receive an amount equal to two times his then current annual
base salary.
The following table describes the potential payments for
Mr. Neri upon his termination under certain circumstances,
as though such termination occurred on December 31, 2006.
Mr. Neri assumed the role of President on January 5,
2007, upon Mr. Belfords retirement and Chief
Executive Officer upon Mr. Washlows resignation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Voluntary
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
Voluntary
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
for Good
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
without
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
due to
|
|
|
|
for
|
|
|
Reason by
|
|
|
|
|
|
due to
|
|
|
due to
|
|
|
Cause by
|
|
|
Without
|
|
|
Change in
|
|
|
|
Cause
|
|
|
Executive
|
|
|
Retirement
|
|
|
Death
|
|
|
Disability
|
|
|
the
Company
|
|
|
Good
Reason
|
|
|
Control(1)
|
|
|
Base Salary
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
700,000
|
|
|
$
|
358,000
|
|
|
$
|
466,667
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
466,667
|
|
SPRs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
25,480
|
|
|
$
|
25,480
|
|
|
$
|
25,480
|
|
|
$
|
25,480
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
25,480
|
|
LTIP
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
231,779
|
|
|
$
|
231,779
|
|
|
$
|
231,779
|
|
|
$
|
231,779
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
985,585
|
|
Executive Deferral Plan
|
|
$
|
30,366
|
|
|
$
|
30,366
|
|
|
$
|
30,366
|
|
|
$
|
30,366
|
|
|
$
|
30,366
|
|
|
$
|
30,366
|
|
|
$
|
30,366
|
|
|
$
|
30,366
|
|
Heath Plan Payments
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
12,326
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
12,326
|
|
Accrued Vacation
|
|
$
|
29,170
|
|
|
$
|
29,170
|
|
|
$
|
29,170
|
|
|
$
|
29,170
|
|
|
$
|
29,170
|
|
|
$
|
29,170
|
|
|
$
|
29,170
|
|
|
$
|
29,170
|
|
Total:
|
|
$
|
59,536
|
|
|
$
|
59,536
|
|
|
$
|
316,795
|
|
|
$
|
1,016,795
|
|
|
$
|
674,795
|
|
|
$
|
795,788
|
|
|
$
|
59,536
|
|
|
$
|
1,549,594
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Assumes executive terminates his employment for good
reason (as defined in the executives employment
agreement) after a change-in-control of the Company. |
Mr. Roger
Cannon
Mr. Cannon is employed under a contract pursuant to which
he will receive a minimum salary of $340,000 for 2007. The
contract provides for salary increases from time to time. The
Company may cancel the contract at any time, and upon the
expiration of 60 days prior written notice, the contract is
cancelable by Mr. Cannon. Mr. Cannon may also
terminate his employment with the Company in connection with his
retirement after January 1, 2007, provided that he gives
written notice of his retirement at any time after July 1,
2006. The contract is cancelable upon the death or disability of
Mr. Cannon. In the event that Mr. Cannon is terminated
without cause or in connection with his retirement, the Company
will continue to pay his base salary and certain benefits for a
period of two years. During the salary continuation period,
Mr. Cannon is obligated to provide certain limited
consulting services to the Company. In the event that
Mr. Cannon dies while employed by the Company,
Mr. Cannons estate will receive an amount equal to
two times his then current annual base salary.
24
The following table describes the potential payments for
Mr. Cannon upon his termination under certain circumstances
as though such termination occurred on December 31, 2006.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Voluntary
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
Voluntary
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
for Good
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
without
|
|
|
Termination
|
|
|
due to
|
|
|
|
for
|
|
|
Reason by
|
|
|
|
|
|
due to
|
|
|
due to
|
|
|
Cause by
|
|
|
Without
|
|
|
Change-in-
|
|
|
|
Cause
|
|
|
Executive
|
|
|
Retirement
|
|
|
Death
|
|
|
Disability
|
|
|
the
Company
|
|
|
Good
Reason
|
|
|
Control(1)
|
|
|
Base Salary
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
680,000
|
|
|
$
|
680,000
|
|
|
$
|
338,000
|
|
|
$
|
680,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
680,000
|
|
LTIP
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
97,723
|
|
|
$
|
97,723
|
|
|
$
|
97,723
|
|
|
$
|
97,723
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
415,544
|
|
Executive Deferral Plan
|
|
$
|
1,135,989
|
|
|
$
|
1,135,989
|
|
|
$
|
1,135,989
|
|
|
$
|
1,135,989
|
|
|
$
|
1,135,989
|
|
|
$
|
1,135,989
|
|
|
$
|
1,135,989
|
|
|
$
|
1,135,989
|
|
Heath Plan Payments
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,526
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,526
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,526
|
|
Accrued Vacation
|
|
$
|
22,886
|
|
|
$
|
22,886
|
|
|
$
|
22,886
|
|
|
$
|
22,886
|
|
|
$
|
22,886
|
|
|
$
|
22,886
|
|
|
$
|
22,886
|
|
|
$
|
22,886
|
|
Total:
|
|
$
|
1,158,875
|
|
|
$
|
1,158,875
|
|
|
$
|
1,938,124
|
|
|
$
|
1,936,598
|
|
|
$
|
1,594,598
|
|
|
$
|
1,938,124
|
|
|
$
|
1,158,875
|
|
|
$
|
2,255,945
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Assumes executive terminates his employment for good
reason (as defined in the executives employment
agreement) after a change-in-control of the Company. |
Director
Compensation
Lawsons non-employee Directors receive an annual retainer
of $60,000 for attending Board and Board Committee meetings. In
2006, 50% of the retainer was paid in cash and 50% in company
stock valued at $44.02 per share, which was the market
close, as reported on The Nasdaq Stock Market on the day of the
2006 Annual Meeting. The Chairs of the Audit and Compensation
Committee receive an additional $5,000 annual fee for their
service in leading these committees. A Special Committee of the
Board of Directors was formed to oversee an internal
investigation of the Company by the federal government into
certain Company customer loyalty programs. Mr. Brophy,
Mr. Postek, Mr. Rettig and Ms. Smelcer comprise
the Committee and were compensated $4,000 per calendar
quarter in 2006 for their services on this committee. Directors
travel expenses for attending meetings are reimbursed by the
Company.
An award of 5,000 Stock Performance Rights (SPRs)
was granted to each director on the day of the 2006 Annual
Meeting using the closing price of $44.02 on that date. These
SPRs have a grant date fair value of $15.90 or a total value of
$79,500 for each Director. The SPRs are a liability or
cash-based award to provide directors with a meaningful link to
creating shareholder value by tying their compensation to the
increase in value of the Company stock. The 2006 SPRs vest over
a three-year period at the rate of 1/3 each year.
DIRECTOR
COMPENSATION
TABLE(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fees Earned
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
or Paid
|
|
|
Stock
|
|
|
SPR
|
|
|
All Other
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
in Cash
|
|
|
Awards
|
|
|
Awards
|
|
|
Compensation
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Name
|
|
($)
|
|
|
($)
|
|
|
($)(2)
|
|
|
($)
|
|
|
($)
|
|
|
James T. Brophy(3)
|
|
$
|
53,500
|
|
|
$
|
30,000
|
|
|
$
|
220,735
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
304,235
|
|
Lee S. Hillman(4)
|
|
$
|
30,000
|
|
|
$
|
30,000
|
|
|
$
|
54,668
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
114,668
|
|
Ronald B. Port, M.D.
|
|
$
|
30,000
|
|
|
$
|
30,000
|
|
|
$
|
220,735
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
280,735
|
|
Sidney L. Port(5)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
402,375
|
(6)
|
|
$
|
402,375
|
|
Thomas S. Postek(7)
|
|
$
|
48,500
|
|
|
$
|
30,000
|
|
|
$
|
48,702
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
127,202
|
|
Robert G. Rettig(8)
|
|
$
|
51,000
|
|
|
$
|
30,000
|
|
|
$
|
220,735
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
301,735
|
|
Mitchell H. Saranow
|
|
$
|
30,000
|
|
|
$
|
30,000
|
|
|
$
|
220,735
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
280,735
|
|
Wilma J. Smelcer
|
|
$
|
46,000
|
|
|
$
|
30,000
|
|
|
$
|
54,668
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
130,668
|
|
25
|
|
|
(1) |
|
The Non-equity Incentive Plan Compensation and the Change in
Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings
columns have been eliminated as the Company does not have any
compensation plans to be reported in these columns.
Mr. Washlow is not listed in the table because he was an
employee of the Company. |
|
(2) |
|
The amounts in this column reflect the expense recognized for
financial statement purposes for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2006, in accordance with FAS 123(R) for
cash-settled SPRs awarded in and prior to 2006. The variation in
values in this column are amplified by specific grant holdings
noted below and the requirement that we expense the entire grant
for retirement eligible directors for financial statement
purposes. Grants for directors who are not retirement eligible
are expensed based on the three-year vesting schedule.
Assumptions used in the calculation of this amount are included
in Footnote K on page 37 to the Companys audited
financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2006, included in the Companys Annual Report on
Form 10-K
filed with the SEC on March 15, 2007. Includes 5,000 SPRs
granted on May 9, 2006, to directors with FAS 123(R)
grant date fair value of $15.90 equal to $79,500 for each of
James T. Brophy, Lee S. Hillman, Ronald B. Port, M.D, Thomas S.
Postek, Robert G. Rettig, Mitchell H. Saranow and Wilma J.
Smelcer. As of December 31, 2006, each director has the
following aggregate number of SPRs or options for all the years
of service as a director: James T. Brophy, SPRs 19,000, shares
3,789; Lee S. Hillman, SPRs 10,000, shares 2,289; Ronald B.
Port, M.D, SPRs 19,000, shares 2,289, options 2,500;
Thomas S. Postek, SPRs 5,000, shares 1,068; Robert G. Rettig,
SPRs 19,000, shares 2,289; Mitchell H. Saranow, SPRs 19,000,
shares 2,289 and options 2,500; and Wilma J. Smelcer, SPRs
10,000, shares 2,289. |
|
(3) |
|
Mr. Brophy received his fee for Audit Committee Chairman in
2006 for 2005. Mr. Brophy resigned from his position as
Chairman of Audit Committee on May 10, 2006. |
|
(4) |
|
Mr. Hillman assumed the role of Chairman of the
Compensation Committee as of November 21, 2006. |
|
(5) |
|
Mr. Sidney L. Port is Vice Chairman of the Board of
Directors. As an employee director he does not receive any
compensation under the Directors Compensation programs.
Because he is a director and not one of the named executives,
his compensation is listed in this table. |
|
(6) |
|
Includes salary of $370,000 and profit sharing of $19,250, which
is 8.75% of $220,000 of Mr. Ports base salary. An
additional $13,125 has been paid at 8.75% for the amount of his
salary which is above $220,000. While an employee of the
Company, Mr. Port received other qualified employee
benefits and has a death benefit of two times his base salary. |
|
(7) |
|
Mr. Postek was elected to replace Mr. Brophy as
Chairman of the Audit Committee on May 10, 2006. |
|
(8) |
|
Mr. Rettig received $5,000 as Chairman of the Compensation
Committee. On November 21, 2006, he resigned from the
position of Chairman. He continues as a director serving on the
Compensation Committee. |
26
Certain
Relationships and Related Transactions
On April 13, 2007, Robert J. Washlow, the Chief Executive
Officer and Chairman of the Board at the time, resigned from all
positions he held with the Company. On April 13, 2007, the
Company and Mr. Washlow entered into a Separation Agreement
and General Release (the Separation Agreement). The
Separation Agreement was negotiated and approved by the
independent and disinterested members of the Board of Directors.
Mr. Washlows termination was deemed to be for Good
Reason (as defined in Mr. Washlows employment
agreement), and Mr. Washlow agreed to release the Company
from all claims related to his employment, including claims
under his employment agreement. The Company agreed to pay
Mr. Washlow two times his base salary of $650,000 and most
recent bonus of $208,000, or $1,716,000 in total, in addition to
paying his base salary through May 15, 2007 and providing
him with four weeks of accrued vacation pay. Mr. Washlow
retained the right to exercise 28,000 vested Stock Performance
Rights for 1 year and to continue for five years insurance
coverage under the Companys group insurance plans. The
Company also agreed to assign to Mr. Washlow a key man term
life insurance policy, which has a face value of
$5 million, and for which he is responsible for future
premium payments. Mr. Washlow is entitled to the
distribution of his vested account balance under the
Companys 2004 Executive Deferral Plan, calculated on the
last day of the
6-month
period following his separation. Under the LTIP,
Mr. Washlow had 301 Shareholder Value Appreciation
Rights that vested upon his separation and which were valued at
$417,000 as of April 13, 2007. In the event of a sale of
the Company on or prior to December 31, 2008,
Mr. Washlow is entitled to the difference in the amount he
would have been paid under the LTIP had he remained an active
employee of the Company and the $417,000 he will receive due to
his termination, provided that the amount will be reduced to the
extent it would be considered an excess parachute
payment as determined under Section 280G of the
Internal Revenue Code (Code). Mr. Washlow is
also prohibited from competing with the Company for a period of
two years after his termination.
The Companys practice has been that all transactions
between the Company and any related person will be approved by a
majority of the members of the Companys Board of Directors
and by a majority of independent and disinterested directors.
All proposed related person transactions are generally reported
to the Chief Executive Officer, President and Chief Operating
Officer, Chief Financial Officer, or General Counsel, who assist
in gathering the relevant information about the transaction, and
present the information to the Board of Directors or one of its
Committees. The Board then determines whether the transaction is
a related person transaction and approves, ratifies, or rejects
the transaction.
Report of the
Audit Committee of the Board of Directors
The responsibilities of the Audit Committee, which are set forth
in the Audit Committee Charter adopted by the Board of Directors
in 2004 include providing oversight to the Companys
financial reporting process through periodic meetings with the
Companys independent auditors and management to review
accounting, auditing, internal controls, and financial reporting
matters. The management of the Company is responsible for the
preparation and integrity of the financial reporting information
and related systems of internal controls. The Audit Committee,
in carrying out its role, relies on the Companys senior
management, including senior financial management, and its
independent auditors.
With regard to the 2006 audit, the Audit Committee discussed
with the Companys independent auditors the scope, extent
and procedures for their audits. Following the completion of the
audit, the Audit Committee met with the independent auditors,
with and without management present, to discuss the results of
their examinations, the cooperation received by the auditors
during the audit examination, their evaluation of the
Companys internal control over financial reporting and the
overall quality of the Companys financial reporting.
27
The Audit Committee reviewed and discussed the audited financial
statements included in the 2006 Annual Report on
Form 10-K
with management. Management has confirmed to us that such
financial statements (i) have been prepared with integrity
and objectivity and are the responsibility of management and
(ii) have been prepared in conformity with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States.
We have discussed with Ernst & Young LLP, our
independent auditors, the matters required to be discussed by
SAS 61 (Communications with Audit Committee). SAS 61 requires
our independent auditors to provide us with additional
information regarding the scope and results of their audit of
the Companys financial statements with respect to
(i) their responsibility under auditing standards generally
accepted in the United States, (ii) significant accounting
policies, (iii) management judgments and estimates,
(iv) any significant audit adjustments, (v) any
disagreements with management, and (vi) any difficulties
encountered in performing the audit.
We have received from Ernst & Young LLP a letter
providing the disclosures required by Independence Standards
Board Standard No. 1 (Independence Discussions with Audit
Committees) with respect to any relationships between
Ernst & Young LLP and the Company that in its
professional judgment may reasonably be thought to bear on
independence. Ernst & Young LLP has discussed its
independence with us. Ernst & Young LLP confirmed in
its letter, that in its professional judgment, it is independent
of the Company within the meaning of the federal securities laws.
Based on the review and discussions described above with respect
to the Companys audited financial statements included in
the Companys 2006 Annual Report on
Form 10-K,
we have recommended to the Board of Directors that such
financial statements be included in the Companys Annual
Report on
Form 10-K.
The Audit Committee has selected Ernst & Young LLP as
the Companys independent auditors for the fiscal year
ending December 31, 2007, and the Board of Directors has
concurred with such selection.
The Audit Committee also reviewed managements process
designed to achieve compliance with Section 404 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and received periodic updates
regarding managements progress.
As specified in the Audit Committee Charter, it is not the duty
of the Audit Committee to plan or conduct audits or to determine
that the Companys financial statements are complete and
accurate and in accordance with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States. That is the responsibility of
management and the Companys independent auditors. In
giving our recommendation to the Board of Directors, we have
relied on (i) managements representation that such
financial statements have been prepared with integrity and
objectivity and in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States and (ii) the report
of the Companys independent auditors with respect to such
financial statements.
Respectfully submitted by the Audit Committee:
Thomas S. Postek (Chairman)
James T. Brophy
Robert G. Rettig
Mitchell H. Saranow
The foregoing report of the Audit Committee does not
constitute soliciting material and shall not be deemed
incorporated by reference by any general statement incorporating
by reference the proxy statement into any filing by the Company
under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate
this information by reference, and shall not otherwise be deemed
filed under such acts.
28
Fees Billed to
the Company by Ernst & Young LLP During Fiscal Years
2006 and 2005
Ernst & Young LLP was the Companys principal
accountant for fiscal years 2006 and 2005. Aggregate fees for
professional services rendered for the Company by
Ernst & Young LLP for such fiscal years were as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fiscal Year
Ended
|
|
|
Fiscal Year
Ended
|
|
|
|
December 31,
2006
|
|
|
December 31,
2005
|
|
|
Audit Fees
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Audit and Quarterly Reviews
|
|
$
|
521,000
|
|
|
$
|
379,000
|
|
Accounting and Audit Consultations
|
|
|
19,700
|
|
|
|
93,000
|
|
Sarbanes-Oxley 404
|
|
|
439,000
|
|
|
|
485,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
979,700
|
|
|
|
957,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Audit-Related Fees
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Benefit Plan
|
|
|
23,000
|
|
|
|
22,000
|
|
M&A Due Diligence
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
65,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
23,000
|
|
|
|
87,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tax Fees
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Domestic Tax
|
|
|
169,000
|
|
|
|
118,000
|
|
International Tax
|
|
|
55,000
|
|
|
|
34,400
|
|
Other Tax Consultations
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
22,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
224,000
|
|
|
|
174,400
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All Other Fees
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,226,700
|
|
|
|
1,218,400
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Audit
Fees
Fees of $979,700 in 2006 and $957,000 in 2005 were paid to
Ernst & Young by the Company for audit services which
includes fees for the annual audit, review of the Companys
reports on
Form 10-Q
each year, statutory audits required internationally, consulting
on accounting and auditing matters and fees related to
Ernst & Youngs audit of the Companys
managements assessment of internal controls over financial
reporting as required by the Rule 404 Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
Audit-Related
Fees
The Company paid Ernst & Young $23,000 in 2006 and
$87,000 in 2005 for audit-related fees primarily for benefit
plan audits and merger and acquisition due diligence.
Tax
Fees
Fees of $224,000 in 2006 and $174,400 in 2005 were paid to
Ernst & Young by the Company for domestic and
international income tax compliance and consulting services.
All Other
Fees
Ernst & Young did not render any other services to the
Company.
The Audit Committee has considered the compatibility of the
non-audit services provided by Ernst & Young LLP to
Ernst & Young LLPs continued independence and has
concluded that the independence of Ernst & Young LLP is
not compromised by the performance of such services.
29
Pre-Approval of
Services by External Auditor
The Audit Committee has adopted policies and procedures for the
pre-approval of the audit and
non-audit
services performed by the independent auditor in order to assure
that the provision of such services does not impair the
auditors independence. The Audit Committee approves all
audit fees and terms for all services provided by the
independent auditor and considers whether these services are
compatible with the auditors independence. The Chairman of
the Audit Committee may approve additional proposed services
that arise between Committee meetings provided that the decision
to approve the service is presented at the next scheduled
Committee meeting. All non-audit services provided by the
external auditor must be pre-approved by the Audit Committee
Chairman prior to the engagement. The Chief Financial Officer
has provided quarterly reports of external auditor services, by
category, to the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee
pre-approved all audit and permitted
non-audit
services by the Companys external auditors in 2006.
Any proposed engagement that does not fit within the definition
of a pre-approved service may be presented to the Audit
Committee for consideration at its next regular meeting or, if
earlier consideration is required, to the Audit Committee or one
or more of its members. The member or members to whom such
authority is delegated shall report any specific approval of
services at the Committees next regular meeting. The Audit
Committee will regularly review summary reports detailing all
services being provided to the Company by its external auditor.
Proposal 2:
Ratification of the Appointment of Ernst & Young
LLP
The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors has appointed
Ernst & Young LLP to serve as the Companys
independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal
year ending December 31, 2007. Although the Companys
governing documents do not require the submission of this matter
to stockholders, the Board of Directors considers it desirable
that the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP be ratified
by stockholders.
Audit services provided by Ernst & Young LLP for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 included the audit of
the consolidated financial statements of the Company; audit of
the Companys internal control over financial reporting and
attestation of managements report on internal control over
financial reporting; and services related to periodic filings
made with the SEC. Additionally, Ernst & Young LLP
provided certain services relating to pension audits and
domestic and international tax compliance and consulting
services.
One or more representatives of Ernst & Young LLP will
be present at the Annual Meeting. The representatives will have
an opportunity to make a statement if they desire and will be
available to respond to questions from stockholders.
If the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP is not
ratified, the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors will
reconsider the appointment.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR THE
RATIFICATION OF ERNST & YOUNG LLP AS THE COMPANYS
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR THE FISCAL
YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2007
Proposal 3:
Approval of the Senior Management Annual Incentive
Plan
On April 13, 2007, the Board of Directors, on the
recommendation of its Compensation Committee and subject to
shareholder approval, adopted the Lawson Products, Inc. Senior
Management Annual Incentive Plan (the Annual Incentive
Plan or Plan) to provide incentives for
Company senior management to improve Company performance and
increase shareholder value.
30
The Plan is designed to take into account Section 162(m) of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the Code), as
amended, which generally denies corporate tax deductions for
annual compensation exceeding $1,000,000 paid to the chief
executive officer and the four other most highly compensated
officers of a public company as of the end of the Companys
taxable year (Covered Employees). Certain types of
compensation, including performance-based compensation, are
excluded from this deduction limit. In an effort to ensure that
compensation payable under the Plan to Covered Employees will
qualify as performance-based compensation, the material terms of
the performance goals in the Plan must be disclosed to and
approved by shareholders before the compensation is paid. The
material terms of the Plan and the performance measures
described below are being submitted for approval by our
shareholders at the annual meeting. Upon shareholder approval,
we believe that qualified awards payable pursuant to the Plan
will be deductible for federal income tax purposes under most
circumstances, but there can be no assurance in this regard. By
approving the Plan, you will be approving, among other things,
the performance measures, eligibility requirements and annual
incentive award limits contained therein.
Approval of the Annual Incentive Plan requires the affirmative
vote of a majority of shares of common stock present or
represented by proxy and voting at the meeting.
The principal features of the Plan are summarized below. This
summary does not contain all information about the Plan. A copy
of the complete text of the Annual Incentive Plan is included in
Appendix A to this Proxy Statement, and the following
description is qualified in its entirety by reference to the
text of the Annual Incentive Plan.
Summary of
Terms
Purpose. The Annual Incentive Plan is designed
to:
|
|
|
|
|
Reward senior managers for achieving pre-established financial
and non-financial objectives that support Lawsons annual
business objectives;
|
|
|
|
Encourage and reinforce effective teamwork and individual
contributions toward Lawsons stated goals; and
|
|
|
|
Provide an incentive compensation opportunity, incorporating an
appropriate level of risk, that will enable Lawson to attract,
motivate and retain outstanding executives.
|
Administration by the Compensation
Committee. The Compensation Committee of the
Board of Directors (the Committee) is responsible
for administering the Annual Incentive Plan. Each member of the
Committee is an outside director as defined for
purposes of Section 162(m).
Eligibility and Participation. The Plan will
include approximately 20 participants, including the Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) and other senior managers of
the Company. The Committee will determine, with advice from the
CEO, those who are eligible to participate and the terms and
amounts of each participants award opportunities.
Performance Objectives and Awards. Annual
incentives shall be awarded in the form of annual cash payments,
paid based on the level of achievement of pre-established annual
Corporate, Business Unit or Functional Department
and/or
Individual performance objectives. In 2006, the key performance
measure for our executives was Company profitability. Future
performance objectives may include targets based on corporate
net income, earnings per share, cash flow, expense reduction or
management, operating profits of individual business units,
strategic innovations, customer service, or any other criteria
established by the Committee. Awards based on criteria not
listed in the Plan will not qualify as performance-based
compensation under Section 162(m). Awards shall be made to
the extent that the performance objectives are achieved. No
payment shall be made unless and until the Committee shall have
certified in writing that the applicable performance objectives
have been attained. The maximum amount payable to a Covered
Employee for any fiscal year shall be $2 million.
31
For 2007, the named executive officers are eligible to receive
the following annual cash awards under the Plan based upon the
achievement of certain performance objectives.
NEW PLAN
BENEFITS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dollar
Values
|
|
Name and
Position
|
|
Threshold(1)
|
|
|
Target(1)
|
|
|
Maximum(1)
|
|
|
|
Thomas Neri
|
|
$
|
112,500
|
|
|
$
|
225,000
|
|
|
$
|
337,500
|
|
Chief Executive
Officer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Roger F. Cannon
|
|
$
|
50,000
|
|
|
$
|
100,000
|
|
|
$
|
150,000
|
|
Executive Vice President, Field
Sales Strategy and Development
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scott F. Stephens
|
|
$
|
40,250
|
|
|
$
|
80,500
|
|
|
$
|
127,500
|
|
Senior Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Michael W. Ruprich
|
|
$
|
73,425
|
|
|
$
|
146,850
|
|
|
$
|
220,275
|
|
Group President, MRO &
New Channels
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stewart Howley
|
|
$
|
66,750
|
|
|
$
|
133,500
|
|
|
$
|
200,250
|
|
Senior Vice President and Chief
Marketing Officer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All Current Executive Officers as
a Group (2)
|
|
$
|
503,858
|
|
|
$
|
1,007,701
|
|
|
$
|
1,511,557
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
Reflects the annual cash award based on the named
executives performance as determined by the Compensation
Committee. |
|
(2) |
|
Includes Thomas Neri, Roger Cannon, Scott Stephens,
Michael Ruprich, Stewart Howley, Kenneth Malik, Peter
Alsberg, and Neil Jenkins. The calculation of benefits for all
employees as a group has not been determined. Directors are not
eligible to receive annual cash awards under the Plan. |
Performance-Based Compensation Under
Section 162(m). Covered Awards
are those made to employees who are designated by the Committee
prior to the grant of any award who are, or who are expected to
be at the time taxable income is realized with respect to the
award, Covered Employees. In the case of Covered
Awards, the Plan is intended to provide an incentive
compensation opportunity, which is exempt from the deduction
limitations contained in Section 162(m).
Termination and Amendment. The Committee may
amend, suspend, or terminate the Plan in whole or in part at any
time; provided, however, that if in the judgment of the
Committee, such action would have a material effect on the Plan,
such action must be approved by the Board. The Annual Incentive
Plan will remain in effect until it is terminated by the Board
of Directors, provided, however, that no awards may be made to
Covered Employees after the date of the Companys annual
meeting of its stockholders occurring in the fifth calendar year
following the year that includes the effective date of the Plan,
unless the Plan shall have been re-approved by the stockholders
of the Company.
Tax Consequences. Upon receipt of cash awards
under the Plan, the recipient will have taxable ordinary income
for federal income tax purposes, in the year of receipt, equal
to the amount of cash received. Unless limited by
Section 162(m), we will be entitled to a tax deduction in
the amount and at the time the recipient recognizes compensation
income. This discussion of the tax consequences of awards under
the Plan does not purport to be complete in that it discusses
only federal income tax consequences and it does not discuss tax
consequences that may arise in special circumstances, such as
death of the participant.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR THE
APPROVAL OF THE LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC. SENIOR MANAGEMENT ANNUAL
INCENTIVE PLAN.
32
Proposals of
Security Holders
A stockholder proposal to be presented at the annual meeting to
be held in 2008 must be received at the Companys executive
offices, 1666 East Touhy Avenue, Des Plaines, Illinois 60018, by
no later than December 22, 2007, for evaluation as to
inclusion in the Proxy Statement in connection with such meeting.
Stockholders wishing to present proposals at the Annual Meeting
(but not include them in the Proxy Statement) are required to
notify the Secretary of the Company in writing no less than
14 days prior to any meeting of stockholders called for the
election of directors; however, that if less than 21 days
notice of the meeting is given to the stockholders, such written
notice shall be delivered or mailed to the Secretary of the
Company not later than the close of business of the seventh day
following the day on which notice of the meeting was mailed to
stockholders.
Householding of
Annual Meeting Materials
Some banks, brokers, and other nominee record holders may be
participating in the practice of householding proxy
statements and annual reports. This means that only one copy of
this Notice of Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement and the 2006
Annual Report on
Form 10-K
may have been sent to multiple stockholders in your household.
If you would prefer to receive separate copies of a proxy
statement or annual report either now or in the future, please
contact your bank, broker or other nominee. Upon written or oral
request to the Corporate Secretary, we will provide a separate
copy of the 2006 Annual Report on
Form 10-K
or Notice of Annual Meeting and Proxy Statement.
Other
Matters
A copy of our Annual Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2006, excluding certain of
the exhibits thereto, may be obtained without charge by writing
to: Corporate Secretary, Lawson Products, Inc., 1666 East Touhy
Avenue, Des Plaines, Illinois 60018.
The Board of Directors knows of no other proposals which may be
presented for action at the meeting. However, if any other
proposal properly comes before the meeting, the persons named in
the proxy form enclosed will vote in accordance with their
judgment upon such matter.
Stockholders are urged to execute and return promptly the
enclosed form of proxy in the envelope provided or to vote your
shares by telephone or via the Internet.
By Order of the Board of Directors
Neil E. Jenkins
Secretary
April 20, 2007
33
Appendix A
Lawson Products,
Inc.
Senior Management Annual Incentive Plan
Effective as of January 1, 2007
A-1
1. Purpose of the Plan. The Lawson
Products, Inc. Senior Management Annual Incentive Plan
(Plan) is designed to provide incentives for the
senior management of Lawson Products, Inc. (herein referred to
as the Company), to improve Company performance and
increase shareholder value. The awards are designed to:
|
|
|
Reward senior managers for achieving pre-established financial
and non-financial objectives that support Lawsons annual
business objectives;
|
|
|
Encourage and reinforce effective teamwork and individual
contributions toward Lawsons stated goals; and
|
|
|
Provide an incentive compensation opportunity, incorporating an
appropriate level of risk, that will enable Lawson to attract,
motivate and retain outstanding executives.
|
2. Administration of the Plan.
(a) The Committee. The Plan shall be administered by a
committee (the Committee) which shall consist of
members of the Board of Directors of the Company (the
Board), each of whom qualifies as a disinterested
person and an outside director (directors meeting both such
requirements being hereinafter referred to as Qualified
Directors), which Committee shall be composed of not less
than the minimum number of Qualified Directors from time to time
required by Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended (the Code) and the Treasury
Regulations thereunder. Notwithstanding any other provision of
the Plan, for all purposes involving Covered Awards, the
Committee shall consist of at least two members of the Board,
each of whom is an outside director within the
meaning of Code Section 162(m). The Committee shall have
full authority to establish rules for the administration of the
Plan and to make administrative decisions regarding the Plan or
awards.
(b) Determination Binding. Unless otherwise expressly
provided in the Plan, all designations, determinations,
interpretations, and other decisions under or with respect to
the Plan, any award, or any award agreement or certificate shall
be with and in the sole discretion of the Committee, may be made
at any time, and shall be final, conclusive, and binding upon
all persons, including the Company, any affiliate, any
participant, any holder or beneficiary of any award, and any
employee of any affiliate or of the Company.
3. Awards.
(a) Determination of Participation and Award
Amounts. Subject to Section 9 hereof, the
Committee will determine with advice from the CEO, who is a
participant in the Plan, and the terms and amounts of each
participants minimum (or threshold), target, commendable,
and maximum (or stretch) award opportunities hereunder.
(b) Annual incentives shall be awards in the form of
annual cash payments, paid based on the level of achievement of
pre-established annual Corporate, Business Unit or Functional
Department
and/or
Individual performance objectives.
(c) Earning Awards. Awards shall be
paid hereunder to the extent that Corporate, Business Unit or
Functional Department
and/or
Individual performance objectives, as specified by the Committee
and consistent with paragraph 9c of this document, are
achieved, and pursuant to all eligibility criteria set forth in
this document.
(d) Award Period. The Plan is a
calendar year plan which coincides with the Companys
fiscal year, which commences on January 1 and concludes on
December 31 each year.
(e) Discretionary Awards. In the
event that a discretionary incentive award is necessary and
approved by the Committee and then by the Board of Directors to
attract, retain or motivate an employee or employees and is
determined to be in the best interests of the Company, it is
understood that this action may be outside the Plan and not meet
the requirements of Code Section 162(m) for Covered
Employees. Not meeting Code Section 162(m) requirements
means that compensation paid
A-2
in excess of the limit set forth in Code Section 162(m)
would not be deductible by the Company for tax purposes.
4. Participants.
(a) Plan Participants. The Plan
will include approximately twenty participants, including the
CEO and other senior managers of the Company. Participation in
the Plan may change from year to year based upon the
recommendation of the CEO of the Company and approval by the
Committee.
(b) Neither the Plan nor any action taken thereunder
shall be understood as giving any person any right to be
retained in the employment of the Company or subsidiary or
affiliate, nor shall any person (including participants in a
prior year) be entitled as a right to be selected as a
participant in the Plan for any subsequent year. This Plan is
not an agreement of employment.
5. Amendment/Termination of
Plan. The Committee may amend, suspend, or
terminate the Plan in whole or in part at any time; provided,
however, that if in the judgment of the Committee, such
amendment or other action would have a material effect on the
Plan, such amendment or other action must be approved by the
Board. No amendment that would materially increase the cost of
the Plan shall be made effective unless approved by the
shareholders of the Company; provided, however, that the Plan
may not be amended, suspended or terminated from and after a
date of Sale of the Company (as hereunder defined) or in
anticipation of a Sale of the Company so as to reduce or
otherwise adversely affect the benefits under outstanding awards
to which participants in the Plan would be entitled upon a Sale
of the Company.
6. Sale of the Company. Upon a Sale
of the Company, as defined by the Committee, all awards
hereunder shall be paid as soon as practicable following the
Sale of the Company in an amount equal to the value of the
target award for the relevant pro-rata portion of performance
period in months up to the date of the sale.
7. Termination of Employment: Transfer
Restrictions.
(a) Except as otherwise provided by the Committee, if
a participants employment with the Company terminates due
to permanent disability or death, the participant or his
beneficiary, as the case may be, shall be paid as soon as
practicable, following the date of termination, an amount equal
to the value of the target award for the relevant pro-rata
portion of the performance period in which the termination
occurs.
(b) Except as otherwise provided by the Committee, if
a participants employment with the Company is terminated
for any reason other than the participants permanent
disability or death, the participants right to the payment
of an award for the year such termination occurs and all other
rights under this Plan will be forfeited, and no amount will be
paid or payable hereunder to or in respect of such participant.
(c) No award, and no right under any award, shall be
assignable, alienable, saleable, or transferable by a
participant. Except as provided in 7(a) above, each award, and
each right under any award, shall be payable only to the
participant, or if permissible under applicable law, to the
participants guardian or legal representative and any
purported pledge, alienation, attachment, or encumbrance thereof
shall be void and unenforceable against the Company or any
subsidiary or affiliate.
8. Effectiveness. The Plan shall
become effective on the date it is initially approved by the
shareholders of the Company (the Effective Date).
9. Criteria.
(a) Covered Employees. The
provisions of this Section 9 shall be applicable to awards
under the Plan to Covered Employees if the Committee
so provides at the time of the grant (such awards being referred
to as Covered Awards). For purposes of
Section 10, Covered Employees means
A-3
participants in the Plan who are designated by the Committee
prior to the grant of any award hereunder who are, or are
expected to be at the time taxable income is realized with
respect to the award, Covered Employees within the
meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code.
(b) Determinations. Covered Awards
shall be made subject to the achievement of one or more
pre-established Performance Objectives (as defined below), in
accordance with procedures to be established by the Committee
from time to time. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to
the contrary, the Committee shall not have discretion to waive
or amend such Performance Objectives or to increase the amount
payable pursuant to Covered Awards after the Performance
Objectives have been established; provided, however, the
Committee may, in its sole discretion, reduce the amount that
would otherwise be payable with respect to any Covered Award,
and provided, further, that the provisions of Section 6
shall override any contrary provision of this Section 9.
(c) Performance
Objectives. Performance Objectives
under the Plan will be one or more objective performance goals ,
established by the Committee at or prior to the time a grant is
made, and based upon the attainment of the targets for one or
more or any combination of the following criteria;
|
|
|
|
(i)
|
corporate adjusted operating income, or corporate net income;
|
|
|
(ii)
|
earnings per share;
|
|
|
(iii)
|
cash flow;
|
|
|
(iv)
|
expense reduction or management;
|
|
|
(v)
|
the operating profit of an identifiable business unit,
|
|
|
(vi)
|
the revenue growth of the Company or of an identifiable business
unit;
|
|
|
(vii)
|
productivity improvement;
|
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return on assets or return on net assets;
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(ix)
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net economic profit (operating earnings minus a charge for
capital);
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customer service and satisfaction;
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development of new products;
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employee satisfaction;
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improvement of accounts receivable or accounts payable practices;
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reorganization and cost reduction;
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strategic innovation;
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expansion of product lines;
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improvements in the efficiency of internal systems and
distribution processes;
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participant specific personal performance improvement or
education; or
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any other criteria established, at any time and from time to
time established by the Committee.
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Attainment of Performance Objectives shall be determined in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The
Committee may provide, in connection with the setting of the
Performance Objectives, that any evaluation of performance may
include or exclude certain items that may occur during any
calendar year including, but not limited to the following:
(i) to exclude the dilutive effects of acquisitions or
joint ventures; (ii) to assume that any business divested
by the Company achieved Performance Objectives at targeted
levels during the balance of a calendar year following such
A-4
divestiture; (iii) to exclude restructuring
and/or other
nonrecurring charges; (iv) to exclude the effects of
changes to generally accepted accounting standards required by
the Financial Accounting Standards Board; (v) to exclude
the impact of any extraordinary items as determined
under generally accepted accounting principles; (vi) to
exclude the effect of any change in the outstanding shares of
common stock of the Company by reason of any stock dividend or
split, stock repurchase, reorganization, recapitalization,
merger, consolidation, spin-off, combination or exchange of
shares or other similar corporate change, or any distributions
to common shareholders other than regular cash dividends; and
(vii) to exclude any other unusual, non-recurring gain or
loss or other extraordinary item. To the extent such inclusions
or exclusions affect an award under this Plan, they shall be
prescribed in a form that meets the requirements of Code
Section 162(m) for deductibility.
(d) Written Certification: Maximum Annual
Award. No payment shall be made pursuant to a
Covered Award unless and until the Committee shall have
certified in writing that the applicable Performance Objectives
have been attained. The maximum amount payable pursuant to
Covered Awards to a particular Covered Employee for any fiscal
year of the Company shall be $2.0 million.
(e) In the case of awards to Covered Employees, the
Plan is intended to provide an incentive compensation
opportunity which is exempt from the deduction limitations
contained in Code Section 162(m), and should be construed
to the extent possible as providing for remuneration which is
performance-based compensation within the meaning of
Section 162(m) of the Code and
Section 1.162-27
of the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder.
11. Delaware Law to Govern. All
questions pertaining to the construction, validity and effect of
the provisions and administration of this Plan shall be
determined in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware.
12. Effective Date. This Plan shall
take effect upon adoption by the Board, but until the material
terms of the compensation opportunity under this Plan have been
approved by a majority vote of the shareholders of the Company,
no payment shall be made under this Plan that would be a
non-deductible payment based on Code Section 162(m) of the
Code or any successor provision. This Plan shall remain in
effect until terminated by the Board pursuant to Section 5
hereof, provided however that no awards may be made to Covered
Employees from and after the date of the Companys annual
meeting of its shareholders occurring in the fifth calendar year
following the year that includes the Effective Date unless this
Plan (or a successor hereto) shall have been re-approved by the
shareholders of the Company.
A-5
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Using a black ink pen, mark your votes with an X as shown in
this example. Please do not write outside the designated areas. |
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Annual Meeting Proxy Card
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6
PLEASE FOLD ALONG THE PERFORATION, DETCH AND RETURN THE BOTTOM PORTION IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE.6
A
Proposals The Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR all the nominees listed and
FOR Proposals 2 and 3.
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1. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS:
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For
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Withhold
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For
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Withhold
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For
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Withhold |
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01 James S. Errant
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o
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o
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02 Lee S. Hillman
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o
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o
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03 Sidney L. Port
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o
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o
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+ |
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Instruction: To maximize the number of nominees elected to the
Companys Board of Directors, unless otherwise specified below, this proxy authorizes
the proxies named above to cumulate all votes that the undersigned is entitled to
cast at the Annual Meeting for, and to allocate such votes among, one or more of the nominees
listed above as the proxies shall determine, in their sole and absolute discretion.
To specify a different method of cumulative voting, write Cumulate For and
the number of shares and the name(s) of
the nominee(s)
on this line:
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For
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Abstain
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For
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2.
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RATIFICATION OF ERNST & YOUNG LLP AS
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING
FIRM FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2007
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o
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o
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o
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3. |
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APPROVAL OF THE LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC. SENIOR
MANAGEMENT ANNUAL INCENTIVE PLAN
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o
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o
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o |
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4. |
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In their discretion, the Proxy is authorized to vote on any other matter that may properly
come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof. |
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B Authorized
Signatures This section must be completed for your vote to be
counted. Date and Sign Below |
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Please sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s) on this card. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator,
trustee, officer, partner or guardian, please give full title. If more than one trustee, all should sign. |
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Date (mm/dd/yyyy) Please print date below. |
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Signature 1 Please keep signature within the box. |
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Signature 2 Please keep signature within the box. |
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n
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1 U P X
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0 1 3 3 0 1 2
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+ |
6
PLEASE FOLD ALONG THE PERFORATION, DETACH AND RETURN THE BOTTOM PORTION IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE.
6
Proxy LAWSON PRODUCTS, INC.
C/O COMPUTERSHARE TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
P.O. BOX 8694
EDISON, NJ 08818-8694
This proxy is solicited on behalf of the Board of Directors for the Annual Meeting on May 8, 2007.
The undersigned hereby makes, constitutes and appoints Neil E. Jenkins, Thomas Neri, and
Ronald B. Port, M.D., and each of them, proxies for the
undersigned, with full power of substitution, to vote on behalf of the undersigned at the Annual
Meeting of Stockholders of Lawson Products, Inc.
(the Company), to be held at the offices of the Company, 1666 East Touhy Avenue, Des Plaines,
Illinois, on Tuesday, May 8, 2007, at 10:00 A.M. (Local Time),
or any adjournment thereof.
If a properly signed proxy is returned without any choices marked, the proxies will distribute, in
their discretion, votes in respect of all proxies they hold
equally or unequally to or among the Board of Directors nominees.
The undersigned hereby revokes any proxy heretofore given and confirms all that said proxies, or
any of them, or any substitute or substitutes, may lawfully
do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
THIS PROXY WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED WILL BE VOTED IN THE MANNER DIRECTED BY THE UNDERSIGNED
STOCKHOLDER(S). IF NO
DIRECTION IS MADE, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED FOR PROPOSAL 1, FOR PROPOSAL 2, AND FOR PROPOSAL
3.
PLEASE VOTE, DATE AND SIGN THIS PROXY ON THE OTHER SIDE AND RETURN PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE.