SCHEDULE 14A
INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section
14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Filed
by the Registrant
x
Filed
by a party other than the Registrant
o
Check the appropriate box:
x
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Preliminary Proxy Statement
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o
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
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o
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Definitive Proxy Statement
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o
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Definitive Additional Materials
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o
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to (S)240.14a-11(c) or (S)240.14a-12
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AXION POWER INTERNATIONAL,
INC.
(Name of Registrant
as Specified in Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement
if other than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate
box):
o
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Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
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o
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Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
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o
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Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.
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AXION POWER
INTERNATIONAL, INC.
(A Delaware Corporation)
3601 Clover Lane,
New Castle PA 16105
(724) 654-9300
NOTICE OF THE
ANNUAL MEETING
OF STOCKHOLDERS
To the Stockholders of Axion Power
International, Inc. (the “Company”):
The Axion Power
International, Inc. Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) will be held on September 26, 2013, at New
Castle Country Club, 511 Country Club Drive, New Castle, PA 16105 at 10:00 AM. The principal business of the meeting will
be:
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1.
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To elect two directors to serve commencing after the Annual Meeting and until the expiration of their three year terms and thereafter until their successors have been duly elected and qualified;
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2.
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To ratify the selection of EFP Rotenberg, LLP, as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2013;
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3.
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To amend the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to increase
the number of authorized shares of Common Stock from 200 million to 350 million; and
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4.
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To transact such other business as may be properly brought before the Annual Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof.
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Any action on
the items of business described above may be considered at the time and on the date specified above or at any other time and date
to which the Annual Meeting may be properly adjourned or postponed.
Holders of record
of the Company’s common stock at the close of business on July 29, 2013 (the “Record Date”), are entitled to
notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting. You are invited to attend the meeting. Whether or not you plan to attend in person,
you are urged to sign and return immediately the enclosed proxy in the envelope provided. No postage is required if the envelope
is mailed in the United States. The proxy is revocable and will not affect your right to vote in person if you are a stockholder
of record and attend the meeting. If your shares are held through an intermediary such as a broker or bank, you should present
proof of your ownership as of the record date, such as a recent account statement reflecting your holdings as of the record date,
a copy of the voting instruction card provided by your broker, trustee or nominee, or other similar evidence of ownership.
A list of stockholders
entitled to vote will be available at the meeting and during ordinary business hours for ten (10) days prior to the meeting at
our corporate offices, 3601 Clover Lane, New Castle, Pennsylvania 16105, for examination by any stockholder who is a stockholder
as of the Record Date for any legally valid purpose related to the meeting.
We encourage you
to take an active role in the affairs of your company by either attending the meeting in person or by executing and returning the
enclosed proxy card.
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By Order of the Board of Directors,
/s/ Thomas Granville
THOMAS GRANVILLE
Chief Executive Officer
August __, 2013
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To ensure your representation at
the Annual Meeting, please fill in, sign, date and return the attached proxy using the enclosed addressed envelope. By returning
the enclosed proxy, you will not affect your right to revoke doing so in writing or to cast your vote in person should you later
decide to attend the Annual Meeting.
Important Notice
Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be Held on September 26, 2013:
The Proxy
Statement and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012 are available at
http://www.cstproxy.com/axionpower/2013
AXION POWER
INTERNATIONAL, INC.
PROXY STATEMENT
FOR THE
2013 ANNUAL
MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
SEPTEMBER 26,
2013
The enclosed proxy
is solicited by the board of directors (the “board”) of Axion Power International, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“we,”
“our” or “us”) for use in voting at the 2013 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”)
to be held, on September 26, 2013, at 10:00 AM and at any adjournment thereof, for the purposes set forth in the accompanying Notice
of Annual Meeting of Stockholders. This Proxy Statement and the accompanying proxy card are being mailed to stockholders on or
about August 20, 2013.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Voting Procedures Questions And Answers Regarding This Proxy
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4
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Security Ownership Of Certain Beneficial Owners And Management
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5
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Proposal One: Election Of Directors
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6
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Corporate Governance
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9
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Proposal Two: Ratification of Selection of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for Fiscal Year 2013
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13
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Proposal Three: Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation to Increase Authorized Shares
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13
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Fees of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
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14
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Executive Compensation
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16
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Director Compensation
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20
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Certain Relationships And Related Transactions
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21
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Legal Proceedings
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21
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Section 16(A) Reporting
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22
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Other Business
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22
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Proxy Solicitation and Voting Information
We are paying
the costs of solicitation, including the cost of preparing and mailing this Proxy Statement. Proxies are being solicited primarily
by mail, but in addition, the solicitation by mail may be followed by solicitation in person, or by telephone or facsimile, by
our regular employees without additional compensation. We will reimburse brokers, banks and other custodians and nominees for their
reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in sending proxy materials to our stockholders.
YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. PLEASE VOTE
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BY COMPLETING, SIGNING AND DATING THE PROXY CARD ENCLOSED WITH THIS PROXY STATEMENT AND RETURNING IT IN THE
POSTAGE-PAID ENVELOPE WE HAVE ENCLOSED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE. PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE PROXY CARD REGARDING YOUR VOTING
OPTIONS.
Who May Vote?
If you were a
stockholder on our records at the close of business on July 29, 2013, you may vote at the Annual Meeting. On that day, there were
121,912,297 shares of common stock issued and outstanding.
If your shares
are held through an intermediary such as a broker or a bank, you will not be entitled to vote at the meeting unless you present
a proxy signed by the intermediary that entitles you to vote in person. To simplify the voting process, the board of directors
asks all stockholders who hold shares through intermediaries to complete the proxy card and vote through the intermediary, even
if they intend to attend the meeting in person.
How Many Votes Do I Have?
Holders of common
stock are entitled to cast one vote for each share held by them on the record date. Our Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws
do not provide for cumulative voting. The board requests your proxy to insure that your shares will count toward a quorum and be
voted at the Annual Meeting.
How May I Vote?
Your vote is important.
You may always vote in person at the Annual Meeting. Because many stockholders cannot attend the Annual Meeting in person,
it is necessary that a large number be represented by proxy. Under Delaware law, stockholders may submit proxies electronically. Stockholders
who hold their shares in a brokerage account may have the choice of voting over the Internet, by using a toll-free telephone number,
or by completing a proxy card and mailing it in the postage-paid envelope provided. Please refer to the proxy card provided
by your broker for details regarding the availability of electronic voting. Please also be aware that if you vote over
the Internet, you may incur costs such as telephone and Internet access charges for which you will be responsible.
If
you are a holder of record, you may also vote electronically over the Internet. To do so, please go to
http://www.cstproxy.com/axionpower/2013
,
and follow the instructions on the webpage which appears, which will give you access to an electronic version of the proxy card,
attached to this Schedule 14A, and which will allow you to electronically complete the proxy card and transmit electronically to
record your vote.
How Will The Board Vote My Proxy?
A
properly executed proxy received by our secretary prior to the meeting, and not revoked, will be voted as directed by the
stockholder. If you sign, date and return your proxy card without indicating how you want to vote, your proxy will be voted
as recommended by the board. If you provide no specific direction, your shares will be voted
FOR
the
election of the directors nominated by the board,
FOR
the ratification of the selection of EFP Rotenberg,
LLP, as our independent registered public accounting firm, and
FOR
the amendment to our Certificate of
Incorporation to increase authorized shares of Common Stock from 200 million to 350 million. If any other matter
should be presented at the Annual Meeting upon which a vote may properly be taken, the shares represented by the proxy will
be voted in accordance with the judgment of the holders of the proxy.
How Can I Revoke My Proxy?
If you hold our
shares in registered form, you may change your mind and revoke your proxy at any time before it is voted at the meeting by:
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Sending a written revocation of your proxy to our secretary, which must be received by us before the Annual Meeting commences;
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Transmitting a proxy by mail at a later date than your prior proxy, which must be received by us before the Annual Meeting commences; or
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Attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person or by proxy or over the internet.
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If you hold your
shares through a broker or other intermediary, you will need to contact your intermediary if you wish to revoke your proxy.
Voting Shares Held by Brokers, Banks
and Other Nominees
If you hold our
shares in a broker, bank or other nominee account, you are a “beneficial owner” of shares that are registered in “street
name.” In order to vote your shares, you must give voting instructions to the bank, broker or other intermediary that serves
as the “nominee holder” of your shares. We ask brokers, banks and other nominee holders to obtain voting instructions
from the beneficial owners of our shares. Proxies that are transmitted by nominee holders on behalf of beneficial owners will count
toward a quorum and will be voted as instructed by the nominee holder. If a beneficial owner fails to instruct a broker or other
nominee, his shares will not be voted on any matter other than the election of directors. The shares will, however, be voted by
brokers and other nominee holders for the election of the directors nominated by the board.
Upon What Matters Are Shareholders
Entitled to Vote?
Holders of common
stock are entitled to vote on all matters brought before this Annual Meeting.
Required Quorum
Our By-Laws specify
that the holders of a majority of our outstanding shares entitled to vote will constitute a quorum for purposes of the meeting.
This provision will require the holders of at least 60,956,616 shares of our common stock to be represented at the Annual Meeting
in person or by proxy.
Required Vote
With respect to
the various proposals included in this Proxy Statement:
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A plurality of the votes cast by holders of common stock is required for the election of board of directors. Thomas Granville and Charles Trego are the director nominees who are nominated for these director positions.
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The affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast by holders of our shares of common stock is required to ratify the selection of EFP Rotenberg, LLP, as our independent registered public accounting firm.
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The affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast by holders
of our shares of common stock is required to approve the amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to increase the authorized
shares of our Common Stock from 200 million to 350 million.
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Any vote that
is characterized as an abstention is not counted as a vote cast. Broker non-votes that relate to shares held for the benefit of
beneficial owners who do not provide voting instructions are not counted as votes cast. Abstentions and broker non-votes are, however,
considered as shares present at the meeting for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum.
We are not aware
of any business that will be presented for consideration at the meeting other than the matters described in this Proxy Statement.
If any other matters are properly brought before the meeting, the persons named on the enclosed proxy card will vote on such matters
in accordance with their best judgment.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial
Owners and Management
A copy of our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012 is being furnished to each Stockholder with this Proxy Statement.
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
On July 29, 2013, we had 200,000,000 shares
of common stock authorized and 121,912,297 shares of common stock issued and outstanding. The following table sets forth certain
information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our securities as of July 29, 2013, for (i) each of our directors and executive
officers and (ii) all of our directors and executive officers as a group. We do not have any persons who we know beneficially owns
more than 5% of our common stock. Normally, the Company would rely on the Section 16 filings for determining if there are any 5%
owners. Our reporting is limited to the information we do have when we do not have the benefit of further information.
Beneficial ownership data in the table
has been calculated based on the Securities and Exchange Commission rules that require us to identify all securities that are exercisable
for or convertible into shares of our common stock within 60 days of July 29, 2013 and treat the underlying stock as outstanding
for the purpose of computing the percentage of ownership of the holder.
Except as indicated by the footnotes following
the table, and subject to applicable community property laws, each person identified in the table possesses sole voting and investment
power with respect to all capital stock held by that person. The address of each named executive officer and director, unless indicated
otherwise by footnote, is c/o Axion Power International, Inc. 3601 Clover Lane, New Castle PA 16105.
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Common Stock
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Warrants & Options (1)
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Combined Ownership
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Percentage
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Averill, Robert
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3,535,153
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160,273
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3,695,426
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3.0
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%
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Granville, Tom
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696,596
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446,250
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1,142,846
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*
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Trego, Charles
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-
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265,000
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265,000
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*
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Baker, Philip
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-
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230,000
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230,000
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*
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Wainwright, Walker
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67,349
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56,410
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123,759
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*
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Schmidt, Howard
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66,935
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48,500
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115,435
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*
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Kishinevsky, Michael
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61,422
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48,500
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109,922
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*
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Dantam, Vani
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-
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78,540
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78,540
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*
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Directors and officers as a group (8 persons)
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4,427,455
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1,333,473
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5,760,928
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4.7
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%
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*Less than 1%
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(1)
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Represents shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants and options held by the stockholders that are presentably exercisable or will become exercisable within 60 days.
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PROPOSAL
ONE
ELECTION OF
DIRECTORS
The following
table identifies the individuals who have been nominated to serve as directors; specifies the class of stockholders who will be
entitled to vote with respect to their election and specifies the Annual Meeting when their new term as a member of the board will
expire.
Name
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Director Nominees
To Be Elected By
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Term Expires (If Elected)
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Thomas Granville
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Common Stockholders
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2016
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Charles Trego
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Common Stockholders
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2016
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If a nominee
becomes unable to serve, the proxies will vote for a board-designated substitute. The board has no reason to believe that
either nominee will be unable to serve.
Voting on Director Nominees
A plurality of
the votes cast by the holders of our common stock is required for the election of Messrs. Trego and Granville for terms of three
years.
If you sign and
return your proxy card, the individuals named as proxies on the card will vote your shares for the election of the nominees identified
above unless you provide other instructions. You may withhold authority for the proxies to vote your shares on any or all of the
nominees by following the instructions on your proxy card. If your shares are held in a brokerage account, your broker will vote
your shares for the election of all nominees to be elected by your applicable class unless you provide specific instructions to
your broker to the contrary.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS
A VOTE FOR EACH OF THE DIRECTOR NOMINEES.
Biographies of Directors and Director
Nominees
The following
biographies for our directors and director nominees include their recent employment, other directorships, education, year in which
each joined the board and age as of the date of this Proxy Statement. See "Principal Stockholders" above for information
regarding the number and percentage of shares of our Common Stock beneficially owned by each nominee as of July 29, 2013.
Director Nominees
Charles
R. Trego
, 63, joined the Company as Chief Financial Officer on April 1, 2010 and has resigned as Chief Financial
Officer as of August 2, 2013. He most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Minrad International,
an MKT-listed pharmaceutical and medical device company in Orchard Park, NY. Minrad was acquired by India's Piramal Healthcare
in early 2009, and Trego was an integral part of the acquisition strategy and managed the bridge financing through the transition.
He served as a consultant providing financial management services to several companies from April 2009 to February 2010. Prior
to that, from 2005 to 2008, he was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Elmira NY-based Hardinge Inc, a Nasdaq-listed
global machine tool company ($327 million in annual revenue), and from 2003 to 2005 he was Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
of Latham NY-based Latham International ($180 million in annual revenue), a privately equity held manufacturer and marketer of
swimming pool components, His career began with a position as Senior Auditor with Ernst & Whinney in Dayton, and continued
with financial officer positions with increasing responsibility with Ponderosa Inc., Bojangles of America, Rich Sea Pak, Rymer
Foods and Rich Products Corporation. During his 14-year tenure as Chief Financial Officer at Rich Products, revenue increased from
$650 million to more than $1.8 billion. He has over 35 years of experience as a financial officer of global middle businesses across
several industries and includes private (family), public and private equity ownership structures. He has served as the chief financial
officer of startup, turnaround, restructuring and growth businesses with revenue ranging from $10 million to $2 billion. Trego
graduated from the University of Dayton in 1972 (BS in Accounting) and in 1978 (MBA). He achieved his CPA designation in 1973 from
the State of Ohio.
Thomas Granville
,
69
,
has served on our board of directors since February 2004 and is both our chairman of our board of directors and chief executive
officer. Effective as of August 2, 2013, the date of Mr. Trego’s resignation, Mr. Granville is also serving as Principal
Financial Officer until a new Chief Financial Officer is employed by the Company as a result of the ongoing active search for a
replacement CFO. Mr. Granville served as the president of a New York State elevator company that specialized in the installation
and maintenance of elevators, escalators, moving walkways and other building transportation products. Mr. Granville also served
15 years as treasurer and ten years as the president of the National Elevator Industry Inc., a trade association that represents
elevator manufacturers and contractors, where his duties included labor negotiations for national contracts and oversight duties
to a $2.3 billion national pension fund. Mr. Granville has also been a partner, or the general partner, of a number of real estate
partnerships that owned multi-family housing, commercial real estate and a cable television company. Mr. Granville is a 1967 graduate
of Canisus College. (BA - Business Administration). The Company has determined that Mr. Granville should serve as a director due
to his position as senior executive officer of the Company, which gives him valuable insight, as well as his prior managerial experience
which provides unique insight for the Board into the operations of the Company.
Continuing Directors
Michael Kishinevsky
,
47
is
an independent director who has served on our board since June 2005. Mr. Kishinevsky is a Canadian lawyer who had been principally
engaged in the practice of corporate and commercial law from February 1995 until August 2005. For five years Mr. Kishinevsky served
as general legal counsel for C&T. Mr. Kishinevsky currently serves as a director of Sunrock Consulting Ltd., a company he co-founded
in October 1995, which specializes in the import and distribution of carbon black and synthetic rubber. He is also the president
and director of SunBoss Chemicals Corp., a corporation specializing in chemical additives for the custom rubber mixing industry.
Mr. Kishinevsky is a 1989 graduate of the University of Calgary (B.Sc. in Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology and B.Sc. in
Psychology) and a 1993 graduate of the University of Ottawa Law School. Mr. Kishinevsky was called to the bar in the Ontario courts
in 1995 and is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada. The Company has determined that Mr. Kishinevsky should serve as a director
due to his legal background as well as his import and distribution experience which provides expertise on the Board with regard
to product distribution.
Howard K.
Schmidt, Ph.D., 55
, is an independent director, who has served on our board of directors since April, 2005. Dr. Schmidt
has been employed as a Petroleum Engineering Consultant at Saudi Aramco since August, 2009. Dr. Schmidt is an expert in the field
of carbon nanotechnology and single-wall carbon nanotubes, and occasionally acts as an expert witness in nanotechnology patent
litigation. He founded AOTA Energy, LLC in mid-2009 to pursue long-term research in renewable energy and sustainable water technologies.
Prior to Aramco, Schmidt served as a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice
University in Houston, Texas. Between September, 2003 and March, 2008, he was the Executive Director of the Carbon Nanotechnology
Laboratory (the “CNL”) at Rice University. Before joining CNL, Dr. Schmidt operated Stump Partners, a Houston-based
consultancy firm and was involved in two Internet ventures. In 1989, Dr. Schmidt founded SI Diamond Technology, Inc., a company
that received the prestigious R&D 100 Award from Research and Development Magazine in 1989, went public in 1993, and recently
changed its name to Applied Nanotech Holdings, Inc. Dr. Schmidt holds two degrees from Rice University (BS-Electrical Engineering,
1980 and Ph.D.-Chemistry, 1986). The Company has determined that Dr. Schmidt should serve as a director due to his unique and extensive
technical knowledge.
D. Walker Wainwright
,
63
,
is an independent director who was appointed to our board of directors in January 2007. He is the founder and Chairman of
American Intermodal Container Manufacturing Co., LLC, a manufacturing concern to be located in Fulton, NY. He is the former Chairman
of Interboro Insurance Company, a provider of personal lines insurance products in New York State. He is also the founder and chief
executive of Wainwright & Co. LLC, an independent financial advisory firm and investment manager. In this capacity he is the
manager of a fund of hedge funds titled Dunemere Investor Partners, LP. Formerly a Managing Director in investment banking at Smith
Barney, Inc. and at Kidder, Peabody & Co., Mr. Wainwright has over 37 years’ consulting, banking and investment banking
experience. Having directed Kidder’s investment banking efforts in the Asia Pacific Region, he has extensive international
experience and has lived in Australia and Lebanon. Mr. Wainwright began his career at Chemical Bank and, subsequently, the Schroder
Group. He is a graduate of Stanford University (A.B. – 1972) and of Columbia University (M.B.A. – 1976). The Company
has determined that Mr. Wainwright should serve as a director due to his long term finance and banking experience.
Directors Not Continuing After the
Annual Meeting
Robert Averill has determined to not run
for reelection at the 2013 Annual Meeting, and his current three year term expires as of the date of the 2013 Annual Meeting. His
biographical information is provided hereinbelow.
Robert G.
Averill
,
73
, has served on our board of directors since February 2004. Mr. Averill is retired and principally
involved in personal investments. He served as a director of Implex Corp., a New Jersey based developer and manufacturer of orthopedic
implants that he co-founded in 1991 and then sold to Zimmer Holdings, Inc. From 1978 to 1991, Mr. Averill held a variety of executive
positions with Osteonics Corp., a developer and manufacturer of orthopedic implants that he co-founded in 1978 and then sold to
Stryker Corporation. From 1971 to 1977, Mr. Averill served as a director and held a variety of executive positions with Meditech
Inc., a developer and manufacturer of orthopedic implants that he co-founded in 1971 and sold to 3M Corporation in 1975. Mr. Averill
holds 28 patents on a variety of orthopedic devices and materials, and he is the co-author of several publications in the field
of orthopedics. Mr. Averill holds two degrees from the Newark College of Engineering (BS-mechanical engineering, 1962 and MS-engineering
management, 1966). The Company has determined that Mr. Averill should serve as a director due to his extensive engineering and
manufacturing background.
Executive officers
The following table identifies our
current non-director executive officers and their respective ages and positions with the Company.
Name
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Age
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Position
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Philip S. Baker
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65
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Chief Operating Officer
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Vani Kumar Dantam
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54
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Senior Vice President
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Charles R. Trego
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63
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Chief Financial Officer (resigned as of August 2, 2013)
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Philip S.
Baker
joined the Company as Chief Operating Officer on April 1, 2010. He was with Santa Fe Springs CA-based Trojan
Battery Company from 1997 to 2009. From 2006 to 2009 he was Senior Vice President and General Manager of a new battery facility
for which he led all the phases of development and operations in Sandersville, GA. Baker guided the lead-acid battery plant from
negotiations and permitting forward, and is considered to be an expert in quality control and documentation, productivity and the
maximization of uptime, automation and the management of environmental issues. Prior to Sandersville, Baker served from 2001 to
2005 at the Trojan plant in Lithonia GA as Senior Vice President and General Manager, where he executed a turn-around in leadership,
quality and output, introduced Kaizen events and Six-Sigma tools and improved productive output by 20% in critical bottleneck areas.
Before Lithonia, Baker worked for Trojan in Santa Fe Springs as Director of Operations. He was with privately held Wyomissing PA-based
Glen-Gery Corporation, a manufacturer of building materials where 700 employees reported upstream to him. He began his career at
the Houston Brick & Tile Company. He is a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology in 1971 (BS in Ceramic Engineering).
Vani Kumar
Dantam
joined the Company as Senior Vice President-Business Development, Sales and Marketing on January 23, 2012.
From 2010 – 2011, Mr. Dantam served as the Vice President – Business Development & Sales for Ener 1, a manufacturer
of EV and HEV batteries. During his tenure with Ener 1, Dantam developed over 35 comprehensive proposals for new global customers,
building a pipeline of over $500 million in EV and HEV battery business. From 1994 – 2010, Dantam was employed with Remy
International, as Director – Sales & Marketing, Global Director – Heavy Duty Sales & Marketing (2004-2009)
and Global Director – Hybrid & Traction Motor Sales & Business Development (2009 – 2010). Mr. Dantam holds
an MBA (Finance and International Business) from Indiana University, an MS, Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt University and
a BE, Metallurgical Engineering from Banaras Hindu University- in India.
Charles
Trego
will have resigned as of August 2, 2013 as Chief Financial Officer, and his biographical information is set forth
above as a director nominee.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Our board of directors
directs the management of the business and affairs of our company as provided in our certificate of incorporation, our by-laws
and the General Corporation Law of Delaware. Members of our board of directors keep informed about our business through discussions
with senior management, by reviewing analyses and reports sent to them, and by participating in board and committee meetings.
Board Leadership Structure and
Risk Oversight; Diversity
Our Company is
led by Thomas Granville, who has served as chief executive officer and chairman of the board since 2005 (he is to serve as interim
Principal Financial Officer effective as of August 2, 2013 until a new CFO is hired due to the recently announced resignation of
Mr. Trego). Our board of directors is divided into three classes of directors that serve for staggered three-year terms.
Two of our current board members have been elected to serve for terms that expire on the date of our 2014 Annual Meeting; one has
been elected to serve for term that expires on the date of our 2015 Annual Meeting; and two are nominated here to serve for a term
that expires on the date of our 2016 Annual Meeting. The board has four standing committees – audit, compensation,
nominating and technology. The Audit Committee is comprised solely of independent directors, and each committee has
a separate chair. Our Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing risk management, and our full board receives periodic
reports from management.
Our board leadership
structure is used by other smaller public companies in the Unites States, and we believe that this leadership structure is effective
for the Company. We believe that having a combined Chairman/CEO and chairs for each of our board committees is the correct
form of leadership for our Company. We have a single leader for our Company and oversight of Company operations by experienced
directors, three of whom are also committee chairs. We believe that our directors provide effective oversight of the
risk management function, especially through the work of the Audit Committee and dialogue between the full board and our management.
The Company does
not currently consider diversity in identifying nominees for director. Due to the small size of the Company, the priority
has been in attracting qualified directors, and issues such as diversity have not yet been considered.
The following
table identifies our current directors and specifies their respective ages and positions with our Company.
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Position
|
Thomas Granville
|
|
|
69
|
|
Chief Executive Officer and Director
|
Howard K. Schmidt, Ph. D.
|
|
|
55
|
|
Director
|
Michael Kishinevsky
|
|
|
47
|
|
Director
|
Robert G. Averill
|
|
|
73
|
|
Director
|
D. Walker Wainwright
|
|
|
63
|
|
Director
|
Executive officers.
The
following table identifies our current non-director executive officers and specifies their respective ages and positions with
the Company.
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Position
|
Charles R. Trego
|
|
|
63
|
|
Chief Financial Officer (until 8/2/13)
|
Philip S. Baker
|
|
|
65
|
|
Chief Operating Officer
|
Vani Kumar Dantam
|
|
|
54
|
|
Senior
Vice President
|
Presiding Director
Our Chief Executive
Officer, Thomas Granville, acts as the presiding director at meetings of our board of directors. In the event that Mr. Granville
is unavailable to serve at a particular meeting, responsibility for the presiding director function will rotate among the chairmen
of each of the committees of our board of directors.
Corporate Governance
Our board of directors
believes that sound governance practices and policies provide an important framework to assist them in fulfilling their duty to
stockholders. Our board of directors is working to adopt and implement many “best practices” in the area of corporate
governance, including separate committees for the areas of audit and compensation, careful annual review of the independence of
our Audit and Compensation Committee members, maintenance of a majority of independent directors, and written expectations of management
and directors, among other things. In 2012, all incumbent directors attended 75% of our meetings of the board of directors.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
Our board of directors
has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, which has been distributed to all directors, officers, and employees and will
be given to new employees at the time of hire. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics contains a number of provisions that apply
principally to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and other key accounting and financial personnel. A copy of
our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics can be found under the “Investor Information” section of our website at
www.axionpower.com
.
We intend to disclose future amendments to certain provisions of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics , or waivers of such provisions,
applicable to our directors and executive officers, at the same location on our web site identified above. The inclusion of our
web site address in this proxy statement does not include or incorporate by reference the information on our web site into this
proxy statement.
Communications with the Board of
Directors
Stockholders and
other parties who are interested in communicating with members of our board of directors, either individually or as a group, may
do so by writing to Thomas Granville, c/o Axion Power International, Inc., 3601 Clover Lane, New Castle, Pennsylvania, 16105. Mr.
Granville will review all correspondence and forward to the appropriate members of the board of directors copies of all correspondence
that, in the opinion of Mr. Granville, deals with the functions of the board of directors or its committees or that he otherwise
determines requires their attention. Concerns relating to accounting, internal controls or auditing matters should be immediately
brought to the attention of our audit committee and will be handled in accordance with procedures established by that committee.
Director Independence
Our board of directors
has determined that four of our current directors would meet the independence requirements of the NYSE MKT if such standards applied
to the Company. In the judgment of the board of directors, Mr. Granville does not meet such independence standards. In reaching
its conclusions, the board of directors considered all relevant facts and circumstances with respect to any direct or indirect
relationships between the Company and each of the directors, including those discussed under the caption “Certain Relationships
and Related Transactions” below. Our board of directors determined that any relationships that exist or existed in the past
between the Company and each of the independent directors were immaterial on the basis of the information set forth in the above-referenced
sections.
Board Committees
The board of directors
currently has four standing committees: the audit committee, the compensation committee, the nominating committee and the technology
committee. These committees are responsible to the full board.
Audit Committee
–
Our board of directors has created an audit committee that presently consists of Mr. Wainwright and Dr. Schmidt. Mr.
Wainwright serves as the current chairman of our audit committee. Each of the members has a basic understanding of finance and
accounting, and is able to read and understand fundamental financial statements. The board of directors has determined that each
of the members of the audit committee would meet the independence requirements applicable to NYSE MKT listed companies although
such standards do not apply to our company. Our board of directors has also determined that based on work history none of our current
committee members meet the definition of an “Audit Committee Financial Expert” as defined in Item 407(d)(5)(ii) under
Regulation S-K, promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The audit committee has the sole authority to appoint, review
and discharge our independent registered public accounting firm. The audit committee reviews the results and scope of the audit
and other services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm, as well as our accounting principles and our
system of internal controls, reports the results of their review to the full board of directors and to management, and recommends
to the full board of directors that the our audited consolidated financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form
10-K.
The audit committee
met four times during the year-ended December 31, 2012. The audit committee charter can be found on our website under
About
Axion; Corporate Governance / Committees
, at
www.axionpower.com.
Compensation
Committee
– Our board of directors has created a compensation committee that presently consists of Messrs. Averill,
Kishinevsky and Wainwright. Mr. Wainwright serves as chairman of the compensation committee. The compensation committee makes recommendations
concerning compensation of the executive management team and non-employee directors and administers our stock-based incentive compensation
plans. The chairman establishes meeting agendas after consultation with other committee members and Mr. Thomas Granville, our Chief
Executive Officer. Subject to supervision by the full board of directors, the compensation committee administers our stock option
plans. Our Chief Executive Officer and other members of management regularly discuss our compensation issues with compensation
committee members. Subject to compensation committee review, modification and approval, Mr. Granville typically makes recommendations
respecting bonuses and equity incentive awards for the other members of the executive management team. The compensation committee
in conjunction with other non-employee directors establishes all bonus and equity incentive awards for Mr. Granville and the other
executive members of the management team. Our board of directors has determined that all members of the compensation
committee would meet the independence requirements applicable to NYSE MKT listed companies although such standards do not apply
to us.
The
compensation committee met twice during the year ended December 31, 2012. The compensation committee charter can be found on our
website under “
About Axion; Corporate Governance; Committees
,” at
www.axionpower.com
.
Nominating
Committee
-Our board of directors has created a nominating committee that consists of Messrs. Averill, Wainwright and Kishinevsky.
Mr. Kishinevsky serves as chairman of the nomination committee. As currently constituted, the nominating committee will seek out
candidates for director positions on the board of directors and present those candidates to the entire board for approval. At the
current time, due to the recent formation of the committee, a charter has not yet been enacted. With respect to director nominees,
our nominating committee will consider nominees recommended by stockholders that are submitted in accordance with our By-Laws.
We do not have any specific minimum qualifications that our board believes must be met by a board recommended nominee for a position
on our board of directors or any specific qualities or skills that our board believes are necessary for one or more of our directors
to possess. We are developing a formal process for identifying and evaluating nominees for director, including nominees recommended
by security holders. The nominating committee may consider use of an executive search firm for assistance in discovering potential
board candidates.
Technology
Committee
– Our board of directors has created a technology committee that consists of Dr. Schmidt, Messrs. Averill,
Kishinevsky and Granville. The technology committee provides board-level oversight, guidance and direction to our R&D staff,
supervises evaluates and makes recommendations with respect to the acquisition and licensing of complementary and competitive technologies
and supervises the activities of our intellectual property lawyers.
The technology
committee met 12 times during the year ended December 31, 2012 and met informally with members of the R&D and manufacturing
teams during the course of the year.
Board nominations
Stockholders wishing
to bring a nomination for a director candidate before a stockholders meeting must give written notice to our Corporate Secretary,
either by personal delivery or by United States mail, postage prepaid. The stockholder’s notice must be received by the Corporate
Secretary not later than (a) with respect to an Annual Meeting of Stockholders,120 days before the date on which next year’s
proxy statement will be mailed, which the Company anticipates will be on or about May 1, 2014, and (b) with respect to a special
meeting of stockholders for the election of directors, the close of business on the tenth day following the date on which notice
of the meeting is first given to stockholders. The stockholder’s notice must set forth all information relating to each person
whom the stockholder proposes to nominate that is required to be disclosed under applicable rules and regulations of the SEC, including
the written consent of the person proposed to be nominated to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as
a director if elected. The stockholder’s notice must also set forth as to the stockholder making the nomination (i) the name
and address of the stockholder, (ii) the number of shares held by the stockholder, (iii) a representation that the stockholder
is a holder of record of stock of the Company, entitled to vote at the meeting and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the
meeting to nominate the person named in the notice, and (iv) a description of all arrangements or understandings between the stockholder
and each nominee.
Stockholder Communications with
the Board of Directors
Stockholders may
communicate directly with the board of directors or any board member by writing to them at Axion Power International, Inc., 3601
Clover Lane, New Castle, PA 16105, C/O Secretary, Michael Kishinevsky. The outside of the envelope should prominently indicate
that the correspondence is intended for the board of directors or for a specific director. The secretary will forward all such
written communications to the director to whom it is addressed or, if no director is specified, to the entire board of directors.
Director Attendance at Annual Meetings
of Stockholders
We encourage our
directors to attend Annual Meetings, although such attendance is not required. Five directors attended the 2012 Annual Meeting.
PROPOSAL
TWO
TO RATIFY THE
SELECTION OF
INDEPENDENT
REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR FISCAL YEAR 2013
The Audit Committee
has selected EFP Rotenberg, LLP, to serve as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for our fiscal year
ending December 31, 2013. The board of directors seeks to have the stockholders ratify the selection of this appointment. EFP Rotenberg,
LLP served as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended December 31, 2013.
Current Principal Accountant’s
Presence at This Year’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders
Representatives
of EFP Rotenberg, LLP, are expected to be present at this year’s Annual Meeting. They will be given an opportunity to make
a statement if it is their desire to do so, and they will be available to respond to appropriate questions from stockholders
Vote Required for Proposal Two
The ratification
of the selection of independent registered public accounting firm must be approved by a majority of the votes actually cast by
holders of our common stock, present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote thereon.
THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR RATIFICATION OF THE SELECTION OF EFP
ROTENBERG, LLP,
AS INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS FOR US FOR FISCAL YEAR 2013.
PROPOSAL
THREE
TO AMEND OUR
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
TO INCREASE
THE NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED COMMON SHARES FROM 125 MILLION TO 200 MILLION SHARES
Our Certificate
of Incorporation currently provides us with the authority to issue up to 212,500,000 shares of stock, of which 200,000,000 shares
are designated as common stock, par value $.0001 per share and 12,500,000 are designated as preferred stock, par value $.0001 per
share.
As of July 29,
2013, we had 121,912,297 shares of common stock outstanding, and had issued options of 4,033,309 of which 3,364,357 are exercisable
and 668,952 are non- exercisable. and warrants issued of 20,155,981 of which 45,661 are exercisable and 20,110,320 are non –
exercisable..
The board believes
it to be generally in the best interests of us and our stockholders to amend our Certificate of Incorporation, to increase the
authorized number of shares of stock by 150,000,000, from 212,500,000 shares to 362,500,000 (the “Proposed Amendment”),
all 150,000,000
shares of additional stock to be designated common stock. Therefore, by action of the board of directors
taken on July 29, 2013, the board of directors adopted a proposed Certificate of Amendment to our certificate of incorporation,
increasing the number of authorized shares of common stock from 200,000,000 to
350,000,000
,
increasing
the total number of authorized shares from 212,500,000
to
362,500,000.
The board of
directors believes that the proposed increase in the number of authorized shares of common stock will provide us with the
flexibility we need to conduct our business. We also contractually agreed to so increase our authorized common
shares to at least 300 million shares as part of the May 8, 2013 financing transaction in which we issued $9.0
million principal amount of our Senior Convertible Notes. Additionally, the board of directors also believes that this
amendment will provide us with greater flexibility in capitalization, including potential future equity and/or convertible
debt offerings (which would have a dilutive effect) and consideration for funding growth, strategic
investments and ongoing operations , by increasing authorized capital to allow issuance of additional shares of common
stock, although except as stated above, there are no current finalized arrangements by us that would result in the issuance of
the additional authorized shares, nor do we have any current plans to enter into a business combination or merger.
The additional
shares of common stock for which authorization is sought will have the same terms and rights as the shares of common stock now
authorized. Subject to applicable provisions of law, the proposed additional shares of common stock may be issued at such time
and on such terms and conditions as the board may determine without further approval by the stockholders.
Possible Effects of Increase in
Authorized Common Stock
If this proposal
is approved by the stockholders, the Board of Directors will have the authority to issue the additional authorized shares of Common
Stock, or any part thereof, without further action by the stockholders except as required by law or applicable requirements of
self-regulatory organizations. In addition to the issuance of additional Common Stock, our Certificate of Incorporation, as amended,
currently empowers the Board of Directors to authorize the issuance of one or more series of Preferred Stock without stockholder
approval. The proposed increase in the authorized number of shares of Common Stock could have an anti-takeover effect, in that
additional shares could be issued, within the limits imposed by applicable law, in one or more transactions that could discourage,
delay or make more difficult a change in control or takeover of the Company, although this is not the present intent of the Board.
For example, additional shares could be issued by us to dilute the stock ownership or voting rights of persons seeking to obtain
control of the Company and thereby increase the cost of acquiring a given percentage of the outstanding stock. Similarly, the issuance
of additional shares to certain persons allied with our management and/or Board could have the effect of making it more difficult
to remove our current management and/or directors by diluting the stock ownership or voting rights of persons seeking to cause
such removal. Although this Proposal to increase the authorized number of shares of Common Stock has been prompted by business
considerations and not by the threat of any hostile takeover attempt (nor is the Board currently aware of any such attempts directed
at the Company), stockholders should be aware that approval of the amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation could facilitate
future efforts by us to deter or prevent changes in control of the Company, including transactions in which the stockholders
might otherwise receive a premium for their shares over then-current market prices. In addition, the issuance of additional
shares by us could have an effect on the potential realizable value of a stockholder’s investment. In the absence of a proportionate
increase in our earnings and book value (or decrease in our net loss), an increase in the aggregate number of outstanding shares
of the Common Stock caused by the issuance of additional shares would dilute the earnings per share and book value per share (or
increase the loss per share) of all outstanding shares of our capital stock. If such factors were reflected in the price per share
of Common Stock, the potential realizable value of a stockholder’s investment could be adversely affected. While authorization
of the additional shares will not directly dilute the proportionate voting power or other rights of existing stockholders, future
issuances of Common Stock enabled by authorization of the additional shares could reduce the proportionate ownership of existing
holders of Common Stock, and, depending on the price at which such shares are issued, may be dilutive to the existing stockholders.
THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR RATIFICATION OF THE AMENDMENT OF OUR
CERTIFICATE
OF INCORPORATION TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED COMMON SHARES.
Fees of
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The following
table presents fees for professional audit services billed for services rendered by EFP Rotenberg, LLP for
the audit of the Company’s annual financial statements for the years ending December 31, 2012 and 2011, and for fees
billed for other services rendered by EFP Rotenberg, LLP during those periods.
|
|
2012
|
|
|
2011
|
|
Audit Fees
|
|
$
|
78,600
|
|
|
$
|
76,500
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Audit-Related Fees - registration statement consents
|
|
$
|
7,500
|
|
|
$
|
6,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tax Fees
|
|
$
|
6,900
|
|
|
$
|
6,800
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All Other Fees
|
|
$
|
5,000
|
|
|
$
|
8,500
|
|
Audit Committee Preapproval of Registered
Public Accounting Firm Services
Our independent
registered public accounting firm will provide audit, review and attest services only at the direction of, and pursuant to engagement
fees and terms approved by, the audit committee. Such engagement will be pursuant to a written proposal, submitted to the audit
committee for review and discussion. If acceptable, the audit committee will engage the independent registered public accounting
firm pursuant to a written retention agreement, duly approved by the audit committee. As proscribed by Section 10A(g) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, certain non-audit services may not be provided by our independent registered public accounting firm, including
bookkeeping or other services related to our accounting records or financial statements; financial information systems design and
implementation; appraisal or valuation services, fairness opinions, or contribution-in-kind reports; actuarial services; internal
audit outsourcing services; management functions or human resource functions, broker or dealer, investment adviser, or investment
banking services; legal services and expert services unrelated to the audit; and any other service that the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board determines, by regulation, is impermissible.
The audit committee
has reviewed the proposed retention for compliance with three basic principles, violations of which would impair the independent
registered public accounting firm’s independence: (1) an independent registered public accounting firm cannot function in
the role of management, (2) an independent registered public accounting firm cannot audit his or her own work, and (3) an independent
registered public accounting firm cannot serve in an advocacy role for our company. If the audit committee determines that the
proposed retention does not and will not violate these principles, it may authorize, in writing, the retention of the independent
registered public accounting firm for the agreed scope of non-audit services and compensation structure.
The Company does
not currently have an audit committee financial expert due to the various experiences of those directors on its audit committee.
Due to the Company’s limited resources and stage of development, it is not able to select from as large a pool of potential
directors as other public companies and seeks to attract those directors, who present an overall composite of characteristics beneficial
to the Company. At this time, the Company has not been successful in finding a director with the sought profile who would also
qualify as an audit committee financial expert. Furthermore, in order to compensate for the lack of a financial expert, the audit
committee engages consultants with financial expertise in specific areas on an as-needed basis. Although the Company has no current
plans to seek an individual who so qualifies, it will re-examine this priority in future years as appropriate and certainly should
it become so necessary in compliance with future regulatory requirements.
AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT
The following
report shall not be deemed incorporated by reference by any general statement incorporating this Proxy Statement by reference to
any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 and is not to be deemed "soliciting material" or deemed to be filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission or subject to Regulation 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the extent
specifically requested by the Company or incorporated by reference in documents otherwise filed.
For the year ended
December 31, 2012, the audit committee was composed of Dr. Schmidt and Mr. Wainwright, Chair. For the year ended December
31, 2012, all members of the audit committee would have met the independence requirements of the NYSE MKT if such standards applied
to our company.
The Audit Committee
reviews the Company's financial reporting process on behalf of the Board of Directors. In fulfilling its responsibilities, the
Committee has reviewed and discussed the audited financial statements contained in the 2012 Annual Report on SEC Form 10-K with
the Company's management and the independent auditors. Management is responsible for the financial statements and the reporting
process, including the system of internal controls. The independent auditors are responsible for expressing an opinion on the conformity
of those audited financial statements with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.
The Committee
discussed with the independent auditors their independence from the Company and its management including the matters in the written
disclosures required by Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1, Independence Discussions with Audit Committees and considered
the compatibility of non-audit services with the auditors' independence. In addition, the Committee discussed the matters required
to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61, Communication with Audit Committees, as amended.
In reliance on
the reviews and discussions referred to above, the Committee recommended to the Board, and the Board has approved, the inclusion
of the audited financial statements in the Company's Annual Report on SEC Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, for filing
with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Respectfully submitted by the members
of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors:
D. Walker Wainwright
Howard K. Schmidt, Ph.D.
The Members of the Audit Committee
of the Board of Directors
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT
The following
report is not to be deemed "soliciting material" or deemed to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission or
subject to Regulation 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the extent specifically requested by the Company or
incorporated by reference in documents otherwise filed.
The Compensation
Committee (the "Committee") is composed of non-employee directors, who would also qualify as “independent”
directors under NYSE MKT rules. The Committee's primary responsibility is to assist the Board in discharging its responsibilities
for compensating the Company's executives. The goals of the Committee's compensation policies pertaining to executive officers
are to provide a competitive level of salary and other benefits to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified personnel, while
balancing the desire for cost containment. The Committee believes that its compensation policies achieve these goals.
The Committee
seeks to reflect a balance between providing rewards to executives while at the same time effectively controlling costs.
This report shall
not be deemed incorporated by reference by any general statement incorporating this Proxy Statement by reference to any filing
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and shall not be deemed
filed under either of such acts except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates this information by reference.
Respectfully submitted
by the members of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors:
Robert G. Averill
Michael Kishinevsky
D. Walker Wainwright
The following
table sets forth the compensation earned by or paid to our Named Executive Officers with respect to the year ended December 31,
2012. The Named Executive Officers are as shown. We did not have any non-equity incentive plans, pension plans or deferred
compensation plans during the year ended December 31, 2012.
SUMMARY COMPENSATION
TABLE
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock
|
|
|
Option
|
|
|
All Other
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Name and Principal
|
|
|
|
|
Salary
|
|
|
Bonus
|
|
|
Awards
|
|
|
Awards
|
|
|
Compensation
|
|
|
Compensation
|
|
Position
|
|
Year
|
|
|
($)(1)
|
|
|
($)(2)
|
|
|
($) (3)
|
|
|
($)(3)
|
|
|
($)(4)
|
|
|
($)
|
|
Thomas Granville
CEO and Director
|
|
|
2012
|
|
|
|
380,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20,715
|
|
|
|
400,715
|
|
Thomas Granville
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CEO and Director
|
|
|
2011
|
|
|
|
380,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18,847
|
|
|
|
398,847
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Charles R. Trego
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CFO
|
|
|
2012
|
|
|
|
225,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
22,109
|
|
|
|
247,109
|
|
Charles R. Trego
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CFO
|
|
|
2011
|
|
|
|
225,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
23,429
|
|
|
|
248,429
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Philip S. Baker
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COO
|
|
|
2012
|
|
|
|
199,800
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
18,317
|
|
|
|
218,117
|
|
Philip S. Baker
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COO
|
|
|
2011
|
|
|
|
199,800
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
15,328
|
|
|
|
215,128
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vani K. Dantam
|
|
|
2012
|
|
|
|
225,000
|
|
|
|
20,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21,384
|
|
|
|
44,271
|
|
|
|
310,655
|
|
|
1.
|
Salaries are presented as the contractual amount paid during 2012 and 2011.
|
|
2.
|
Discretionary bonuses are not made pursuant to any specific bonus
plan. The bonus cited was awarded and paid in 2012.
|
|
3.
|
Stock and option awards were granted pursuant to the individual employment contracts. Options are valued using the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model.
|
|
4.
|
Other compensation includes Company perquisites relating to pre and post-employment consulting contracts, severance payments, auto allowance, personal use of company cars, accrued vacation payments, moving expenses, other earned compensation, as well as healthcare premiums paid under the group health plan.
|
Employment Agreements
Effective as of
April 1, 2013, the Company entered into new three year employment agreements (“Agreement”
or “Agreements”) with each of Thomas Granville, Charles Trego, Phillip Baker and Vani Dantam, which expire on March
31, 2016. Each of the Agreements is identical to the prior employment agreements in effect with each of the officers, except with
respect to the new terms and as set forth below.
For each officer, there is a new payment
schedule, which calls for a stipend payment equal to 10% of base salary (which is the same as in the prior Agreement and which
remains unchanged during the term of said Agreement), in cash within 45 days from the date of effectiveness of each Agreements,
and then the same stipend payment is due on the first, second and third anniversaries of the effective date of the Agreement so
long as the executive is still employed by the Company on each said anniversary date.
The following table sets forth the
stipend payment schedule:
Executive
|
|
Payment within 45 days of April 1, 2013
|
|
|
Payment on 1 year
anniversary (1)
|
|
|
Payment on 2 year anniversary (1)
|
|
|
Payment on 3 year
anniversary (1)
|
|
Thomas Granville
|
|
$
|
38,000
|
|
|
$
|
38,000
|
|
|
$
|
38,000
|
|
|
$
|
38,000
|
|
Charles Trego
|
|
$
|
22,500
|
|
|
$
|
22,500
|
|
|
$
|
22,500
|
|
|
$
|
22,500
|
|
Vani Dantam (2)
|
|
$
|
22,500
|
|
|
$
|
22,500
|
|
|
$
|
22,500
|
|
|
$
|
22,500
|
|
Philip Baker
|
|
$
|
19,980
|
|
|
$
|
19,980
|
|
|
$
|
19,980
|
|
|
$
|
19,980
|
|
|
(1)
|
Payable only if executive is still employed by the Company on the anniversary date.
|
|
(2)
|
Also has been given an automobile allowance of $500 per month.
|
A description of the previous contracts
is set forth below due to the almost identical terms.
During 2010, the
Company has entered into executive employment agreements with Thomas Granville, Charles R. Trego, and Phillip S. Baker. These agreements
generally require each executive to devote substantially all of his business time to the Company’s affairs, establish standards
of conduct, prohibit competition with our company during their term, affirm our rights respecting the ownership and disclosure
of patents, trade secrets and other confidential information, provide for the acts and events that would give rise to termination
of such agreements and provide express remedies for a breach of the agreement. Each of the executives is allowed to participate
in our standard employee benefit programs, including medical/hospitalization insurance and group life insurance, as in effect from
time to time. Each of the covered executives will generally receive an automobile allowance, reimbursement for all reasonable business
expenses incurred by him on behalf of the Company in the performance of his duties, and a severance package that guarantees continued
remuneration equal to the executive’s base salary for a total of 23 months so long as the Company elects to enforce the provisions
of the Non-Competition Agreement, should the executive be unable to find employment or accepts employment at a reduced rate of
pay due solely to the Non-Competition Agreement. There are no non-qualified deferred compensation plans. The provisions of the
individual agreements are set forth in the following table:
|
•
|
Thomas Granville
. On June 29, 2010, the Company entered into an Executive Employment Agreement with Thomas Granville as Chief Executive Officer. Pursuant to this agreement, Mr. Granville receives an annual salary of $380,000, and an annual car allowance of $9,000 for the period commencing June 29, 2010, and terminating June 30, 2013. Mr. Granville’s base salary is subject to annual review, and such salary is subject to renegotiation on the basis of Mr. Granville’s and the Company’s performance. In addition, Mr. Granville received a signing bonus of $270,000 that was paid on July 9, 2010. The Company also granted Mr. Granville an option to purchase 360,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $1.50 per share at a vesting rate of 10,000 shares per month through the term of the agreement. Mr. Granville is eligible to participate in any executive compensation plans adopted by the shareholders of the Company and the Company's standard employee benefit programs.
|
|
•
|
Charles R. Trego.
On April 1, 2010, the Company entered into an Executive Employment Agreement with Charles R. Trego as Chief Financial Officer
.
Under the terms of his employment agreement, which has a term of three years (and thus terminates on March 31, 2013), Mr. Trego receives an annual salary of $225,000, which is subject to review after the initial six month term of the agreement and annually thereafter, an annual car allowance of $9,000, bonuses as determined by the compensation committee, and a 5-year option to purchase 265,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $1.50 per share. 27,000 options shall vest upon execution of this contract and, beginning in June 2010, 7,000 options will vest monthly through the remaining 34 months of this agreement.
|
|
•
|
Philip S. Baker.
On April 1, 2010, the Company entered into an Executive Employment Agreement with Philip S. Baker as Chief Operating Officer. Under the terms of his employment agreement, which has a term of three years (and thus terminates on March 31, 2013), Mr. Baker receives an annual salary of $199,800,which is subject to review after the initial six month term of the agreement and annually thereafter, an annual car allowance of $6,000, and a 5-year option to purchase 230,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $1.50 per share, of which 26,000 options shall vest upon execution of this contract and, beginning in June, 2010, 6,000 options will vest monthly through the remaining 34 months of this agreement.
|
In conjunction
with the appointment of Mr. Dantam, the Company entered into an employment agreement with him that generally requires the executive
to devote substantially all of his business time to our affairs, establish standards of conduct, prohibit competition with our
company during his term, affirm our rights respecting the ownership and disclosure of patents, trade secrets and other confidential
information, provide for the acts and events that would give rise to termination of such agreements and provide express remedies
for a breach of the agreement. Each of our executives will participate in our standard employee benefit programs, including medical/hospitalization
insurance as in effect from time to time. Each of the covered executives will generally receive reimbursement for all reasonable
business expenses incurred by them on behalf of the Company in the performance of their duties.
Under the terms
of his employment agreement effective January 1, 2012, which has a term of three years, Mr. Dantam receives an annual salary of
$225,000, which is subject to review on an annual basis, a $20,000 sign on bonus, bonuses as determined by the compensation committee,
and a 5-year option to purchase 150,000 shares of our common stock at a price of $1.50 per share, 15,020 options shall vest upon
execution of this contract and, beginning in March 2012, 3,970 options will vest monthly through the remaining 34 months of this
contract.
Warrants
As of December
31, 2012, we had 11,712,315 outstanding warrants that represent potential future cash proceeds to our company of $9,720,623. The
warrants are divided into seven classes that are presently exercisable and expire at various times through December 8, 2014. The
following table summarizes the number of warrants in each class, the anticipated proceeds from the exercise of each class, and
the expiration date of each class.
Warrant
Series
|
|
Number of
Warrants
|
|
|
Exercise
Price
|
|
|
Anticipated
Proceeds
|
|
|
Expiration Date
|
2008Conversion-Warrants
|
|
|
580,940
|
|
|
$
|
2.60
|
|
|
$
|
1,510,444
|
|
|
June 29, 2013
|
2008 Quercus
|
|
|
10,000,000
|
|
|
|
0.75
|
|
|
|
7,500,000
|
|
|
June 29, 2013
|
2008 Derivatives
|
|
|
1,085,714
|
|
|
|
0.57
|
|
|
|
618,857
|
|
|
June 29, 2013
|
2009 Bridge Warrants
|
|
|
45,661
|
|
|
|
2.00
|
|
|
|
91,322
|
|
|
August 12, 2014
|
Total
|
|
|
11,712,315
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
9,720,623
|
|
|
|
The holders of
warrants are not required to exercise their rights at any time prior to the expiration date and we are unable to predict the amount
and timing of any future warrant exercises. We reserve the right to temporarily reduce the exercise prices of our warrants from
time to time in order to encourage the early exercise of the warrants.
Stock Options
As of December
31, 2012, we had 4,076,145 outstanding stock options that represent potential future cash proceeds to our company of $6,920,017.
The outstanding options include 2,965,998 options that are currently vested and exercisable and 1,110,147 that will vest and become
exercisable over the next three years. These options represent potential future cash proceeds to our company of $5,639,150 and
$ 1,280,867, respectively.
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
Price
|
|
|
Proceeds
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
Price
|
|
|
Proceeds
|
|
2012 Employee & Officer plan options
|
|
|
1,342,500
|
|
|
$
|
1.50
|
|
|
$
|
2,013,750
|
|
|
|
633,244
|
|
|
$
|
1.50
|
|
|
$
|
949,867
|
|
Directors plan options
|
|
|
374,998
|
|
|
|
1.52
|
|
|
|
568,900
|
|
|
|
384,903
|
|
|
|
.52
|
|
|
|
200,000
|
|
Non-plan options to consultants and employees
|
|
|
1,248,500
|
|
|
|
2.45
|
|
|
|
3,056,500
|
|
|
|
92,000
|
|
|
|
1.42
|
|
|
|
131,000
|
|
Total
|
|
|
2,965,998
|
|
|
$
|
1.90
|
|
|
$
|
5,639,150
|
|
|
|
1,110,147
|
|
|
$
|
1.15
|
|
|
$
|
1,280,867
|
|
The holders of options are not required to exercise their rights at any time and we are unable to predict the amount and timing of any future option exercises. We reserve the right to temporarily reduce the exercise prices of our options from time to time in order to encourage the early exercise of the options.
|
Outstanding Equity Awards at 2012
Fiscal Year-End
|
|
Option Awards
|
|
Stock Awards
|
|
|
Non-Plan
|
|
|
Equity Incentive Plan Awards
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity Incentive Plan Awards
|
|
|
Number of shares underlying unexercised options
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
#
Shares
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
#
Exercisable
|
|
|
#
Unexer-
cisable
|
|
|
Unearned
|
|
|
Option
Exercise
Price
|
|
|
Option
Expiration
Date
|
|
Number
Unearned
Shares
or units
of
stock
|
|
|
Market
Value
|
|
|
Unearned
shares,
units, or
other
rights not
vested
|
|
|
Market
Value
|
|
|
Footnotes
|
(a)
|
|
|
(b)
|
|
|
|
(c)
|
|
|
|
(d)
|
|
|
|
(e)
|
|
|
(f)
|
|
|
(g)
|
|
|
|
(h)
|
|
|
|
(i)
|
|
|
|
(j)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Granville,
Tom
|
|
|
90,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
2.50
|
|
|
varies through
6/15/2015
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Issued pursuant
to June 2008 Executive Employment Agreement. Options Expire 5 years after monthly vest date
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Granville, Tom
|
|
|
270,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
90,000
|
|
|
$
|
1.50
|
|
|
varies through 6/29/2018
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Issued pursuant to June
2010 Executive Employment Agreement. Options Expire 5 years after monthly vest date
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Charles Trego
|
|
|
223,000
|
|
|
|
42,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
1.50
|
|
|
varies through 3/30/2018
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Issued pursuant to April
2010 Executive Employment Agreement. Options Expire 5 years after monthly vest date
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Philip Baker
|
|
|
194,000
|
|
|
|
36,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
$
|
1.50
|
|
|
varies through 3/30/2018
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Issued pursuant to April
2010 Executive Employment Agreement. Options Expire 5 years after monthly vest date
|
Post-Termination Compensation
We have not entered into change in control
agreements with any of our named executive officers or other members of the executive management team, although our employment
agreements with certain members of management do call for immediate vesting of options upon a 50% change in control. No awards
of equity incentives under our 2004 Incentive Stock Plan or awards of options under our 2004 Outside Directors Stock Option Plan
provide for immediate vesting upon a change in control other than a restricted stock grant of 36,000 shares issued to Robert Nelson.
However, the compensation committee has the full and exclusive power to interpret the plans, including the power to accelerate
the vesting of outstanding, unvested awards. A “change in control” is generally defined as (1) the acquisition by any
person of 30% or more of the combined voting power of our outstanding securities or (2) the occurrence of a transaction requiring
stockholder approval and involving the sale of all or substantially all of our assets or the merger of us with or into another
corporation.
Director Compensation
The following table provides information
regarding compensation paid to non-employee directors for services rendered during the year ended December 31, 2012.
|
|
Fees Earned or
|
|
|
Stock
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paid in Cash
|
|
|
Awards
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Name
|
|
($)(1)
|
|
|
($)
|
|
|
($)
|
|
Thomas Granville (2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Robert G. Averill
|
|
|
45,523
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
45,523
|
|
Dr. Howard K. Schmidt
|
|
|
34,200
|
|
|
|
16,876
|
|
|
|
40,320
|
|
Michael Kishinevsky
|
|
|
30,300
|
|
|
|
15,360
|
|
|
|
35,880
|
|
Glenn Patterson
|
|
|
27,250
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
38,993
|
|
D. Walker Wainwright(3)
|
|
|
35,375
|
|
|
|
16,876
|
|
|
|
41,495
|
|
1.
|
Fees are presented based on the amount paid during 2012.
|
|
|
2.
|
Mr. Granville received no compensation during 2012 for his service as a Director, as he served as our chief executive officer during that time period. For a summary of the compensation received by him as chief executive officer during 2012, see Summary Compensation Table above.
|
|
|
3.
|
One director was reelected to serve on the Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting held on June 22, 2012, receiving 171,429 five-year options with an exercise price of $0.35 per share, pursuant to the 2004 Outside Directors Stock Option Plan. The options granted shall vest at the rate of 57,143 per year commencing on the date of the company's Annual Meeting, so long as the director serves as a member of the board on the date of such meeting.
|
The members of our board of directors
are actively involved in various aspects of our business ranging from relatively narrow board oversight functions to providing
hands-on guidance to our executives and scientific staff with respect to matters within their personal experience and expertise.
We believe that the active involvement of all directors in our principal business and policy decisions increases our board of directors’
understanding of our needs and improves the overall quality of our management decisions. In recognition of the substantial time
and personal effort that we require from our directors, we have adopted director compensation policies that provide for higher
director compensation than is typically found in companies at our early stage of development.
Only non-management
directors are compensated separately for service as members of our board of directors. Each of our non-management directors received
the following components of compensation for the period January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012:
|
•
|
A basic annual retainer of $25,000 for service as a director;
|
|
•
|
A supplemental retainer of $6,000 for service as chairman of any committee;
|
|
•
|
A supplemental annual retainer of $3,000 for service as a committee member;
|
|
•
|
A meeting fee of $1,500 per day for each board or committee meeting attended in person or $500 for each board or committee meeting attended by telephone;
|
|
•
|
Reimbursement for all reasonable travel, meals and lodging costs incurred on our behalf;
|
|
•
|
Options to reelected directors; and
|
|
•
|
Reimbursement for expenses up to $5,000 annually for education related to chairmanship of a committee.
|
The 2004 stock option plan for independent directors authorized
the issuance of options to purchase $20,000 of our common stock for each year of service as a director. The plan was amended on
September 28, 2010 increasing the shares reserved for issuance under the outside directors’ stock option plan to 500,000.
On October 17, 2012, the Board of Directors amended the Axion Power International, Inc. independent director’s stock option
plan to increase the number of shares of common stock available thereunder from 500,000 shares to 1,000,000 shares.
For 2012 and 2011,
we issued 171,429, and 187,500, options respectively pursuant to our directors’ stock option plan. Of this total, no options
were exercised during the year ended December 31, 2012, 374 998
options are currently vested and exercisable at a weighted
average price of $1.52 per share and 384,903 options are unvested and will be exercisable at a weighted average price of $0.52
per share.
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED
TRANSACTIONS
Transactions with Executive Management
See the “Executive
Compensation” section for a discussion of the material elements of compensation awarded to, earned by or paid to our named
executive officers. Other than as stated in the “Executive Compensation” section, we have not entered into any transactions
with executive management.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
From time to time, we are involved
in lawsuits, claims, investigations and proceedings, including pending opposition proceedings involving patents that arise in the
ordinary course of business. There are no matters pending that we expect to have a material adverse impact on our business, results
of operations, financial condition or cash flows.
SECTION 16(a)
REPORTING COMPLIANCE DISCLOSURE
Section 16(a)
of the Exchange Act requires the Company’s executive officers and directors, and persons who own more than ten percent of
our common stock to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC. Executive officers, directors and greater
than ten percent beneficial owners are required by SEC regulations to furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a) forms
they file.
We are not responsible
for the filing of these Forms and are not reporting on compliance on behalf of our officers, directors and other insiders.
OTHER BUSINESS
Except for the
matters described herein, as of the date of this Proxy Statement, the board of directors does not intend to present any other business
for action at the Annual Meeting and knows of no other matters to be presented at the Annual Meeting that are proper subjects for
action by the stockholders. However, if any other business should properly come before the Annual Meeting, it is intended that
votes will be cast pursuant to the authority granted by the enclosed proxy in accordance with the best judgment of the person acting
under the proxy.
DIRECTOR CANDIDATE
NOMINEES FOR 2014 ANNUAL MEETING
Stockholders wishing
to propose nominees for directors for next year’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders should submit such proposed nominees to
us by the date that stockholder proposals for next year’s Proxy Statement must be received, which is 120 days before the
date on which next year’s proxy statement will be mailed, which the Company anticipates will be on or about May 1, 2014.
Refer to “Stockholder Proposals for Annual Meeting in 2014.” All nominees proposed by stockholders will be considered
by the board of directors in making its nominations for directors, but not every proposed nominee will be accepted. Stockholders
also have the right to nominate persons for election as directors in accordance with procedures set forth in our By-Laws.
STOCKHOLDER
PROPOSALS FOR 2014 ANNUAL MEETING
If a stockholder
wishes to submit a stockholder proposal pursuant to Rule 14a-5(e) of the Exchange Act for inclusion in our Proxy Statement for
the 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, we must receive such proposal and supporting statements, if any, at our principal executive
office by March 31, 2014. A stockholder’s notice to our secretary must set forth as to each matter the stockholder proposes
to bring before the 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders: (1) a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the
2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders; (2) the reason(s) for conducting such business at the 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders;
(3) the name and record address of the stockholder proposing such business; (4) the class and number of our shares that are beneficially
owned by the stockholder proposing such business; and (5) any financial interest in the proposed business of the stockholder proposing
such business.
If a stockholder
wishes to submit a stockholder proposal outside of Rule 14a-5(e) to be brought before the 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders,
the stockholder must give timely notice in writing to our secretary. We must receive such notice at our principal executive office
not less than 60 days nor more than 90 days prior to the date of the 2014 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, pursuant to our By-Laws.
Such proposals
should be submitted in writing to: Axion Power International, Inc., 3601 Clover Lane, New Castle, PA 16105.
QUESTIONS
Proposals
You should rely
only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this Proxy Statement to vote on the proposals herein. We have
not authorized anyone to provide you with information that is different from what is contained in this Proxy Statement. You should
not assume that the information contained in the Proxy Statement is accurate as of any date other than the date hereof, and the
mailing of this Proxy Statement to our stockholders shall not create any implication to the contrary.
If you have any
questions regarding the proposals discussed in this Proxy Statement, you should contact: Axion Power International, Inc. 3601 Clover
Lane, New Castle, PA 16105.
Common Stock
If you have any
questions with respect to voting your shares, or if you would like additional copies of this Proxy Statement, you should contact
our transfer agent:
Continental Transfer & Trust
17 Battery Place
New York, NY 10004
FOR MORE INFORMATION
We file quarterly
and annual reports on Form 10-Q and Form 10-K, respectively, proxy statements and other information with the Commission. You may
read and copy any reports, statements or other information we file at the Commission’s public reference room, located at
100 F Street NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the Commission at (800) 732-0330 for further information on the public reference
room. Our Commission filings are also available to the public via: (1) commercial document retrieval services; (2) the Commission’s
website,
www.sec.gov
; and (3) our website,
www.axionpower.com
.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
AVAILABLE
A copy of our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010 filed with the SEC is available without charge upon written
request to: 3601 Clover Lane, New Castle PA 16105; Attn: Investor Relations.
HOUSEHOLDING
INFORMATION
As permitted by
the SEC’s proxy statement rules, we will deliver only one copy of our Annual Report to Shareholders or this proxy statement
to two or more shareholders who share an address, unless we have received contrary instructions from one or more of the shareholders.
We will deliver promptly, upon written or oral request, a separate copy of the annual report or proxy statement to a shareholder
at a shared address to which a single copy of the documents was delivered. Conversely, shareholders sharing an address who are
receiving multiple copies of our annual reports or proxy statements may request delivery of a single copy. Such a request must
be directed to the Shareholders Department of the transfer by mail to Continental Transfer & Trust, 17 Battery Place, New York,
NY 10004, Attention: Shareholders Department. Each request must include the name of the stockholder, the name of his brokerage
firm and the account number of his brokerage account. Please allow 72 hours from receipt by the transfer agent for any such request
to take effect.
SIGNATURES
By Order of the Board of Directors,
/s/ Thomas Granville
THOMAS GRANVILLE
Chief Executive Officer
July 29, 2013
PROXY
AXION POWER
INTERNATIONAL, INC.
The undersigned hereby appoints Thomas
Granville and Phillip Baker, and each of them, with full power of substitution, to vote for and on behalf of the undersigned at
the Annual Meeting of stockholders of Axion Power International, Inc. to be held on September 26, 2013, and any adjournment
thereof, upon matters properly coming before the meeting, as set forth in the related Notice of Meeting and Proxy Statement, both
of which have been received by the undersigned. Without otherwise limiting the general authorization given hereby, said attorneys
and proxies are instructed to vote on the following issues as
follows:
THIS PROXY, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED,
WILL BE VOTED IN THE MANNER DIRECTED BY THE UNDERSIGNED SHAREHOLDER. IF THIS PROXY IS EXECUTED BUT NO DIRECTION IS MADE, THIS PROXY
WILL BE VOTED "FOR" EACH OF THE MATTERS DESCRIBED ON THE REVERSE SIDE.
(CONTINUED AND
TO BE SIGNED ON THE REVERSE SIDE)
ANNUAL MEETING
OF STOCKHOLDERS OF
AXION POWER
INTERNATIONAL, INC.
September 26,
2013
PLEASE
SIGN, DATE AND RETURN PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. PLEASE MARK YOUR VOTE IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS SHOWN HERE
x
1. Nominees for directors:
COMMON STOCKHOLDERS VOTE FOR THE TWO
DIRECTORS DIRECTLY BELOW
Thomas Granville
FOR ___
|
AGAINST ___
|
ABSTAIN ____
|
Charles Trego
FOR ___
|
AGAINST ___
|
ABSTAIN ____
|
2. To ratify the selection of EFP Rotenberg
as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2013;
FOR ___
|
AGAINST ___
|
ABSTAIN ____
|
3. To increase authorized
shares of Common Stock from 200,000,000 to 350,000,000 shares.
FOR ___
|
AGAINST ___
|
ABSTAIN ____
|
WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND
THE MEETING, YOU ARE URGED TO EXECUTE AND RETURN THIS PROXY, WHICH MAY BE REVOKED AT ANY TIME PRIOR TO ITS USE. THIS PROXY
IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
Signature of Shareholder: ________________________________________________
Date: ________________________________________________
Signature of Shareholder: ________________________________________________
Date:
NOTE: Please sign exactly as your name
or names appear on this Proxy. When shares are held jointly, each holder should sign. When signing as executor, administrator,
attorney, trustee or guardian, please give full title as such. If the signer is a corporation, please sign full corporate name
by duly authorized officer, giving full title as such. If signer is a partnership, please sign in partnership name by authorized
person.
Any proxies which are signed and returned but for which one or more items are left blank will be considered
to be a vote FOR the items which are left blank.
Nonvoting Item:
Please print Change of Address in the
box provided below:
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