Table of Contents
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
PROXY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(a)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Filed by the Registrant ☒
Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ☐
Check the appropriate box:
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Preliminary Proxy Statement
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule
14a-6(e)(2))
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Definitive Proxy Statement
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Definitive Additional Materials
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Soliciting Material under Rule 14a-12
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BIOLARGO,
INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than
Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
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No fee required
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Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4) and
0-11.
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(1)
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Title of each class of securities to which investment
applies:
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(2)
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Aggregate number of securities to which investment applies:
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(3)
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Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed
pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11:(set forth the amount on which
the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined):
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(4)
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Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
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(5)
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Total fee paid:
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Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
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Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange
Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the
offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by
registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date
of its filing.
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(1)
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Amount Previously Paid:
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(2)
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Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
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(3)
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Filing Party:
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(4)
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Date Filed:
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PRELIMINARY PROXY STATEMENT -
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION

BioLargo, Inc.
14921 Chestnut St.
Westminster, California 92683
(888) 400-2863
NOTICE OF 2020 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO
BE HELD ON JULY 23, 2020
To the Stockholders of BioLargo, Inc.:
You are cordially invited to attend the 2020 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders of BioLargo, Inc. The annual meeting will be held on
Thursday, July 23, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. local time, at our offices
located at 14921 Chestnut Street, Westminster, California
92683.
The expected actions to be taken at the annual meeting are
described in the attached Proxy Statement and Notice of Annual
Meeting of Stockholders. Included with the Proxy Statement is a
copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2019. We encourage you to read the Annual Report.
It includes our audited financial statements and information about
our operations, markets, products and services.
Stockholders of record as of May 26, 2020 may vote at the Annual
Meeting.
We are pleased to inform you that this year we will be taking
advantage of the “Notice and Access” method of providing proxy
materials via the Internet. On or about June 5, 2020, we will be
mailing to our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of
Proxy Materials containing instructions on how to access our Proxy
Statement and Annual Report for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2019, and how to vote. This notice also contains
instructions on how to receive a paper or e-mail copy of the proxy
materials. We believe that this method will expedite your receipt
of proxy materials, help conserve natural resources and reduce our
printing and mailing costs.
Your vote is important. Whether or not you plan to attend the
meeting, please promptly vote and submit your proxy by signing,
dating and returning the accompanying proxy card in the enclosed
postage-paid envelope, or through the voting website. Returning the
proxy card will ensure your representation at the meeting but does
NOT deprive you of your right to attend the meeting and to vote
your shares in person. The Proxy Statement explains more about the
proxy voting. Please read it carefully. We look forward to seeing
you at the Annual Meeting.
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Sincerely |
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Dennis P. Calvert
President and Chief Executive Officer
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NOTICE OF 2020 ANNUAL MEETING OF
STOCKHOLDERS
Date: |
Thursday July 23, 2020 |
Time: |
10:00 a.m. local time |
Place: |
BioLargo, Inc.
14921 Chestnut Street
Westminster, CA 92683
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Matters to be voted on:
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1.
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A proposal to elect the following seven individuals to our Board of
Directors: Dennis P. Calvert, Kenneth R. Code, Dennis E. Marshall,
Joseph L. Provenzano, Kent C. Roberts II, John S. Runyan and Jack
B. Strommen.
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2.
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Advisory approval of the Company’s executive compensation.
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3.
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A proposal to ratify the appointment of Haskell & White LLP as
our independent registered public accounting firm for the 2020
fiscal year.
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4.
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A proposal to re-authorize a reverse stock split of our common
stock at a ratio between one-for-four (1:4) and one-for-twenty
(1:20), if and as determined by our board of directors, at any time
before the next meeting of stockholders of the Company.
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5.
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A proposal to authorize a reduction of the number of shares of
common stock authorized by our Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation, if and in an amount as determined by our board of
directors.
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The annual meeting will also address such other business as may
properly come before the annual meeting or any postponement or
adjournment thereof.
The foregoing items of business are more fully described in the
Proxy Statement accompanying this Notice.
Only stockholders of record at the close of business on May 26,
2020 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the annual meeting. A
Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials containing
instructions on how to access our Proxy Statement and Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, and
how to vote will be mailed on or about June 5, 2020 to all
stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting.
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BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dennis P. Calvert
President and Chief Executive Officer
May *, 2020
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Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy
Materials for the Stockholder Meeting to be held on
Thursday, July 23, 2020. The Proxy
Statement and the Annual Report to Stockholders are available at
www.BioLargoReport.com.
YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT.
ALL STOCKHOLDERS ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL
MEETING. WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE MEETING IN PERSON,
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOUR SHARES BE REPRESENTED. FOR SPECIFIC
INSTRUCTIONS ON VOTING, PLEASE REFER TO THE
INSTRUCTIONS INCLUDED WITH THE NOTICE OF INTERNET AVAILABILITY
OF PROXY MATERIALS OR THE PROXY CARD OR VOTING
INSTRUCTION CARD INCLUDED WITH THE PROXY MATERIALS.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
TO
PROXY STATEMENT
OF
BIOLARGO, INC.
Index of Exhibits
Exhibit A: Form of Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy
Materials
Attachment A: Amendment to Certificate of
Incorporation
BIOLARGO, INC.
PROXY STATEMENT FOR THE
2020 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
INFORMATION CONCERNING SOLICITATION AND VOTING
The enclosed Proxy is solicited on behalf of the Board of Directors
of BioLargo, Inc. (“BioLargo” or the “Company”), for use at the
Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on Thursday, July 23,
2020, at 10:00 a.m. local time (the “Annual Meeting”), and at
any postponement or adjournment thereof. The Annual Meeting will be
held at the Company’s office at 14921 Chestnut Street, Westminster,
California 92683. The purposes of the Annual Meeting are set forth
in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
As permitted by the rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange
Commission, or SEC, we are making these proxy solicitation
materials and the Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December
31, 2019, including the financial statements, available to our
stockholders electronically via the Internet. A Notice of Internet
Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”) containing
instructions on how to access our Proxy Statement and Annual Report
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 and how to vote will be
mailed on or about June 5, 2020, to all stockholders entitled to
vote at the meeting. Our principal executive offices are located at
14921 Chestnut St., Westminster, California 92683. Our telephone
number is (888) 400-2863. Our proxy materials are posted on the
Internet at www.BioLargoReport.com.
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE MEETING
Who May Vote
You may vote if our records show that you own shares of BioLargo as
of May 26, 2020 (the “Record Date”). As of the Record Date, we had
a total of [---] shares of common stock issued and outstanding,
which were held of record by approximately [---] stockholders, and
beneficially by approximately [---]. As of the Record Date, we had
no shares of preferred stock outstanding. You are entitled to one
vote for each share that you own.
Voting Your Proxy
If a broker, bank or other nominee holds your shares, you will
receive instructions from them that you must follow in order to
have your shares voted. If a bank, broker or other nominee holds
your shares and you wish to attend the meeting and vote in person,
you must obtain a “legal proxy” from the record holder of the
shares giving you the right to vote the shares.
If you hold your shares in your own name as a holder of record, you
may instruct the proxy holders how to vote your common stock in one
of the following ways:
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Vote by Internet. You may vote via the Internet by following
the instructions provided in the Notice or, if you received printed
materials, on your proxy card. The website for Internet voting
is www.voteproxy.com and is also
printed on the Notice and on your proxy card. Please have your
Notice or proxy card in hand. Internet voting is available 24 hours
per day until 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on July 22, 2020. You will
receive a series of instructions that will allow you to vote your
shares of common stock. You will also be given the opportunity to
confirm that your instructions have been properly recorded. IF YOU
VOTE VIA THE INTERNET, YOU DO NOT NEED TO RETURN YOUR PROXY
CARD.
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Vote by Mail. If you would like to vote by mail, then please
mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it promptly in the
postage-paid envelope provided.
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Of course, you may also choose to attend the meeting and vote your
shares in person. The proxy holders will vote your shares in
accordance with your instructions on the proxy card. If you sign
and return a proxy card without giving specific voting
instructions, your shares will be voted as recommended by our Board
of Directors.
Matters to be Presented
We are not aware of any matters to be presented other than those
described in this Proxy Statement. If any matters not described in
the Proxy Statement are properly presented at the meeting, the
proxy holders will use their own judgment to determine how to vote
your shares. If the meeting is adjourned, the proxy holders can
vote your shares on the new meeting date as well, unless you have
revoked your proxy instructions.
Changing Your Vote
To revoke your proxy instructions if you are a holder of record,
you must (i) advise our Corporate Secretary in writing before
the proxy holders vote your shares, (ii) deliver later proxy
instructions, or (iii) attend the meeting and vote your shares
in person. If your shares are held by a bank, broker or other
nominee, you must follow the instructions provided by the bank,
broker or nominee.
Cost of This Proxy Solicitation
We will pay the cost of this proxy solicitation. We may, on
request, reimburse brokerage firms and other nominees for their
expenses in forwarding proxy materials to beneficial owners. In
addition to soliciting proxies by mail, we expect that our
directors, officers and employees may solicit proxies in person or
by telephone or facsimile. None of these individuals will receive
any additional or special compensation for doing this, although we
will reimburse these individuals for their reasonable out-of-pocket
expenses.
How Votes are Counted
The Annual Meeting will be held if a majority of the outstanding
common stock entitled to vote is represented at the meeting. If you
have returned valid proxy instructions or attend the meeting in
person, your common stock will be counted for the purpose of
determining whether there is a quorum, even if you wish to abstain
from voting on some or all matters at the meeting.
Abstentions and Broker Non-Votes
Shares that are voted “WITHHELD” or “ABSTAIN” are treated as being
present for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum and as
entitled to vote on a particular subject matter at the Annual
Meeting. If you hold your common stock through a bank, broker or
other nominee, the broker may be prevented from voting shares held
in your account on some proposals (a “broker non-vote”) unless you
have given voting instructions to the bank, broker or nominee.
Shares that are subject to a broker non-vote are counted for
purposes of determining whether a quorum exists but not for
purposes of determining whether a proposal has passed.
Our Voting Recommendations
When proxies are properly dated, executed and returned, the shares
represented by such proxies will be voted at the Annual Meeting in
accordance with the instructions of the stockholder. However, if no
specific instructions are given, the shares will be voted in
accordance with the following recommendations of our Board of
Directors:
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“FOR” the election of Dennis P. Calvert, Kenneth R. Code, Dennis E.
Marshall, Joseph L. Provenzano, Kent C. Roberts II, John S. Runyan
and Jack B. Strommen to the Board of Directors;
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“FOR” the advisory vote on executive compensation.
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“FOR” the proposal to ratify the appointment of Haskell & White
LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the
2020 fiscal year.
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“FOR” the proposal to authorize a reverse stock split of our common
stock at a ratio between one-for-four (1:4) and one-for-one twenty
(1:20), if and as determined by our board of directors, at any time
before the next meeting of stockholders of the Company.
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“FOR” the proposal to authorize a reduction of the number of shares
of common stock authorized by our Amended and Restated Certificate
of Incorporation, if and in an amount as determined by our board of
directors.
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Deadlines for Receipt of Stockholder Proposals
Stockholders may present proposals for action at a future meeting
only if they comply with the requirements of the proxy rules
established by the SEC and our bylaws. Stockholder proposals that
are intended to be included in our Proxy Statement and form of
Proxy relating to the meeting for our 2020 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders under rules set forth in the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act, must be
received by us no later than December 31, 2019 to be considered for
inclusion. All proposals should be addressed to the Corporate
Secretary, BioLargo, Inc., 14921 Chestnut St., Westminster,
California 92683.
MATTER I
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
The nominees listed below have been selected by the Board, and all
are currently members of the Board. If elected, each nominee will
serve until the annual meeting of stockholders to be held in 2021
(or action by written consent of stockholders in lieu thereof), or
until his successor has been duly elected and qualified.
Composition of Board of Directors
Our bylaws provide that the Board shall consist of not less than
two and not more than seven directors. The Board currently consists
of seven members. The Board has fixed the size of the Board to be
elected in 2020 at seven members. There are no family relationships
among any of our current directors, the nominees for directors and
our executive officers.
In the event that a nominee is unable or declines to serve as a
director at the time of the Annual Meeting, the Board’s
Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee would identify and make
recommendations to the Board regarding the selection and approval
of candidates to fill such vacancy either by election by
stockholders or appointment by the Board. As of the date of this
Proxy Statement, the Board is not aware of any nominee who is
unable or will decline to serve as a director. With respect to the
nominees for election in 2020, the Nominating/Corporate Governance
Committee recommended that the Board nominate for election by the
stockholders the individuals in Matter 1.
Nominees for Election as Directors
The following is certain information as of the Record Date
regarding the nominees for election as directors.
Name
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Position with Company
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Age
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Director Since
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Dennis P. Calvert
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President, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman, and Director
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57
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June 2002
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Kenneth R. Code
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Chief Science Officer, Director
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73
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April 2007
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Dennis E. Marshall(2)(4)(6)
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Director
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77
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April 2006
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Joseph L. Provenzano
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Vice President of Operations, Corporate Secretary and
Director
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51
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June 2002
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Kent C. Roberts, II (1)(3)
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Director
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60
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August 2011
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John S. Runyan (1)(5)(6)
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Director
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81
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October 2011
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Jack B. Strommen
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Director
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50
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June 2017
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(1)
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Member of Audit Committee
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(2)
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Member of Compensation Committee
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(3)
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Member of Nominating and Governance Committee
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(4)
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Chairman of Audit Committee
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(5)
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Chairman of Compensation Committee
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(6)
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Chairman of Nominating and Governance Committee
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Vote Required
If a quorum is present, the nominees receiving the highest number
of votes will be elected to the Board of Directors. Abstentions and
broker non-votes will have no effect on the election of
directors.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT STOCKHOLDERS
VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF DENNIS P. CALVERT, KENNETH R. CODE,
DENNIS E. MARSHALL, JOSEPH L. PROVENZANO, KENT C. ROBERTS II, JOHN
S. RUNYAN AND JACK B. STROMMEN TO THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS.
Biographical Information Regarding Directors and
Nominees
Dennis P. Calvert is our President, Chief Executive
Officer and Chairman of the Board. He also serves in the same
positions for BioLargo Life Technologies, Inc. and BioLargo Water
U.S.A., Inc., both wholly owned subsidiaries, and chairman of the
board of directors of our subsidiaries Odor-No-More, Inc., Clyra
Medical Technologies, Inc. and BioLargo Water, Inc. (Canada). Mr.
Calvert was appointed a director in June 2002 and has served as
President and Chief Executive Officer since June 2002, Corporate
Secretary from September 2002 until March 2003 and Chief Financial
Officer from March 2003 through January 2008. Mr. Calvert holds a
B.A. degree in Economics from Wake Forest University, where he was
a varsity basketball player. Mr. Calvert also studied at Columbia
University and Harding University. He also serves on the board of
directors at The Maximum Impact Foundation, a 501(c)(3), committed
to bridging the gap for lifesaving work around the globe for the
good of man and in the name of Christ. He serves as a Director of
Sustain SoCal (formerly known as Sustain OC). Sustain SoCal is a
trade association that seeks to promote economic growth in the
Southern California clean technology industry. He also serves on
the Board of Directors at TMA Bluetech the leading regional water
cluster promoting science-based ocean water industries and also
serves on the Board of Directors of Tilly’s Life Center, a
nonprofit charitable foundation aimed at empowering teens with a
positive mindset and enabling them to effectively cope with
crisis, adversity and tough decisions. He recently joined the
leadership board at Water UCI, which is an interdisciplinary center
in the School of Social Ecology at the University of California-
Irvine, that facilitates seamless collaboration across schools,
departments, and existing research centers around questions of
fundamental and applied water science, technology, management, and
policy. Mr. Calvert is a scholarship sponsor for the Environmental
Education Research Foundation and also the National Water Research
Institute. He is also an Eagle Scout. He is married and has two
children. Mr. Calvert has an extensive entrepreneurial background
as an operator, investor and consultant. Prior to his work with
BioLargo, he had participated in more than 300 consulting projects
and more than 50 acquisitions as well as various financing
transactions and companies that ranged from industrial chemicals,
healthcare management, finance, telecommunications and consumer
products.
Kenneth R. Code is our Chief Science Officer. He has been a
director since April 2007. Mr. Code is our single largest
stockholder. He is the founder of IOWC, which is engaged in the
research and development of advanced disinfection technology, and
from which the Company acquired its core iodine technology in April
2007. Mr. Code has authored several publications and holds several
patents, with additional pending, concerning advanced iodine
disinfection. Mr. Code graduated from the University of Calgary,
Alberta, Canada.
Dennis E. Marshall has been a director since April 2006. Mr.
Marshall has over 45 years of experience in real estate, asset
management, management level finance and operations-oriented
management. Since 1981, Mr. Marshall has been a real estate
investment broker in Orange County, California, representing buyers
and sellers in investment acquisitions and dispositions. From March
1977 to January 1981, Mr. Marshall was a real estate syndicator at
McCombs Corporation as well as the assistant to the Chairman of the
Board. While at McCombs Corporation, Mr. Marshall became the Vice
President of Finance, where he financially monitored numerous
public real estate syndications. From June 1973 to September 1976,
Mr. Marshall served as an equity controller for the Don Koll
Company, an investment builder and general contractor firm, at
which Mr. Marshall worked closely with institutional equity
partners and lenders. Before he began his career in real estate,
Mr. Marshall worked at Arthur Young & Co. (now Ernst &
Young) from June 1969 to June 1973, where he served as Supervising
Senior Auditor and was responsible for numerous independent audits
of publicly held corporations. During this period, he obtained
Certified Public Accountant certification. Mr. Marshall earned a
degree in Accounting from the University of Texas, Austin in 1966
and earned a Master of Science Business Administration from the
University of California, Los Angeles in 1969. Mr. Marshall serves
as Chairman of the Audit Committee.
Joseph L. Provenzano has been a director since June
2002, assumed the role of Corporate Secretary in March 2003, was
appointed Executive Vice President of Operations in January 2008,
was elected President of our subsidiary, Odor-No-More, Inc., upon
the commencement of its operations in January 2010. He is a
co-inventor on several of the company's patents and
proprietary manufacturing processes, and has developed over 30
products from our CupriDyne® technology. Mr. Provenzano began
his corporate career in 1988 in the marketing field. In 2001 he
began work with an investment holding company to manage their
mergers and acquisitions department, participating in more than 50
corporate mergers and acquisitions.
Kent C. Roberts II has been a director since August 2011. He
is a partner at Acacia Investment Partners, a management consulting
firm serving the asset management industry. Mr. Roberts has had a
long and successful career in the asset management business as a
north American practice leader or at the senior partner level. His
investment experience spans 25 years where he served in senior
positions in business management, trading, currency risk
management, business development and marketing strategy, as well as
governance and oversight roles. He has worked for both large firms
as well as boutiques that bring unique investment expertise to
investors around the world. Those firms include: Global Evolution
USA, First Quadrant and Bankers Trust Company. He has presented at
numerous industry conferences and as a guest speaker at numerous
industry conferences and events. Prior to entering the financial
services industry Mr. Roberts worked in the oil and gas exploration
industry. Mr. Roberts received a MBA in Finance from the University
of Notre Dame and a BS in Agriculture and Watershed Hydrology from
the University of Arizona. Mr. Roberts holds a series 3 securities
license.
John S. Runyan has been a director since October 2011. He
has spent his career in the food industry. He began as a stock
clerk at age 12, and ultimately served the Fleming Companies for 38
years, his last 10 years as a Senior Executive Officer in its
corporate headquarters where he was Group President of Price Impact
Retail Stores with annual sales of over $3 billion. He retired from
Fleming in 2001, and established JSR&R Company Executive
Advising, with a primary emphasis in the United States and
international food business. His clients have included Coca Cola,
Food 4 Less Price Impact Stores, IGA, Inc., Golden State Foods,
Bozzuto Companies Foodstuffs New Zealand, Metcash Australia and
McLane International. In 2005, he joined Associated Grocers in
Seattle Washington as President and CEO, overseeing its purchase in
2007 by Unified Grocers, at which time he became Executive Advisor
to its CEO and to its President. Mr. Runyan currently serves on the
board of directors of Western Association of Food Chains and
Retailer Owned Food Distributors of America. Additionally, Mr.
Runyan served eight years as a board member of the City of Hope’s
Northern California Food Industry Circle, which included two terms
as President, and was recognized with the City of Hope “Spirit of
Life” award. He was the first wholesale executive to be voted “Man
of the Year” by Food People Publication. He is a graduate of
Washburn University, which recognized his business accomplishments
in 2007 as the honoree from the School of Business “Alumni Fellow
Award.” Mr. Runyan serves as Chairman of the Compensation
Committee.
Jack B. Strommen is a member of the board of directors of
our subsidiary, Clyra Medical Technologies, as the representative
of Sanatio Capital LLC. Mr. Strommen is the CEO of PD Instore, a
leader in the design, production and installation of retail
environments and displays for many Fortune 500 companies including
Target, Adidas, Verizon, Disney and Sony. He is also the Chairman
of Our House Films, an angel investor in several private companies
ranging from bio-tech to med-tech to real estate, and serves on the
board of directors of several private and public companies. A
relentless force of growth, Mr. Strommen has taken his company, PD
Instore, to new and ever increasing levels of success. Mr. Strommen
purchased the family owned, local based printing firm, from his
grandfather in 1999. With his vision and leadership, it went from a
local company with $25M in revenues to a global company with $180M
in global sales. Mr. Strommen led the company in a private sale in
2015, remaining as CEO.
Other Executive Officer of the Company
The following is certain information as of the Record Date
regarding the executive officer of the Company not discussed
above.
Name
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Position with Company
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Age
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Officer Since
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Charles K. Dargan, II
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Chief Financial Officer
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65
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2008
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Charles K. Dargan II is our Chief Financial Officer and has
served as such since February 2008. Since January 2003, Mr. Dargan
has served as founder and President of CFO 911, an organization of
senior executives that provides accounting, finance and operational
expertise to both small capitalization public and middle market
private companies in all phases of their business life cycle. From
March 2000 to January 2003, Mr. Dargan was the Chief Financial
Officer of Semotus Solutions, Inc., an American Stock
Exchange-listed wireless mobility software company. Mr. Dargan also
serves as a director of Hiplink Software, Inc.. Further, Mr. Dargan
began his finance career in investment banking with Drexel Burnham
Lambert and later became Managing Director of two other investment
banking firms, including Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin, where
he was responsible for the management of the private placement
activities of the firm. Mr. Dargan received his B.A. degree in
Government from Dartmouth College, his M.B.A. degree and M.S.B.A.
degree in Finance from the University of Southern California. Mr.
Dargan is also a CPA (inactive) and CFA.
CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE
Our corporate website, www.biolargo.com,
contains the charters for our Audit, Compensation and
Nominating/Corporate Governance Committees, and certain other
corporate governance documents and policies, including our Code of
Ethics. Any changes to these documents and any waivers granted
with respect to our code of ethics will be posted
at www.biolargo.com. In addition, we will provide a
copy of any of these documents without charge to any stockholder
upon written request made to Corporate Secretary, BioLargo, Inc.,
14921 Chestnut St., Westminster, California 92683. The
information at www.biolargo.com is not, and
shall not be deemed to be, a part of this Proxy Statement or
incorporated by reference into this or any other filing we make
with the SEC.
Director Independence
The Board has determined that each of Messrs. Marshall, Roberts,
Runyan and Strommen is independent as defined under applicable
Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (“Nasdaq”) listing standards. The Board
has determined that none of Messrs. Calvert, Code or Provenzano is
independent as defined under applicable Nasdaq listing standards.
None of Messrs. Calvert, Code or Provenzano serves on any
committees of the Board.
Meetings of the Board
Our board of directors held five meetings during 2019, and acted
via unanimous written consent five times. Each of the incumbent
directors attended all the meetings of our board of directors and
committees on which the director served, except for one absence at
the annual board meeting in July 2019, and one absence at a meeting
in November 2019. Each of our directors is encouraged to attend our
Annual Meeting of Stockholders, when these are held, and to be
available to answer any questions posed by stockholders to such
director.
Communications with the Board
The following procedures have been established by the Board in
order to facilitate communications between our stockholders and the
Board:
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•
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Stockholders may send correspondence, which should indicate that
the sender is a Stockholder, to the Board or to any individual
director, by mail to Corporate Secretary, BioLargo, Inc., 14921
Chestnut Street, Westminster, California 92683.
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|
|
|
|
•
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Our Corporate Secretary will be responsible for the first review
and logging of this correspondence and will forward the
communication to the director or directors to whom it is addressed
unless it is a type of correspondence which the Board has
identified as correspondence which may be retained in our files and
not sent to directors. The Board has authorized the Corporate
Secretary to retain and not send to directors communications that:
(a) are advertising or promotional in nature (offering goods
or services), (b) solely relate to complaints by clients with
respect to ordinary course of business customer service and
satisfaction issues or (c) clearly are unrelated to our
business, industry, management or Board or committee matters. These
types of communications will be logged and filed but not circulated
to directors. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, the
Corporate Secretary will not screen communications sent to
directors.
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|
|
|
|
•
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The log of stockholder correspondence will be available to members
of the Board for inspection. At least once each year, the Corporate
Secretary will provide to the Board a summary of the communications
received from stockholders, including the communications not sent
to directors in accordance with the procedures set forth above.
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Our stockholders may also communicate directly with the
non-management directors as a group, by mail addressed to Dennis E.
Marshall, c/o Corporate Secretary, BioLargo, Inc., 14921 Chestnut
Street, Westminster, California 92683.
Our Audit Committee has established procedures for the receipt,
retention and treatment of complaints regarding questionable
accounting, internal controls, and financial improprieties or
auditing matters. Any of our employees may confidentially
communicate concerns about any of these matters by mail addressed
to Audit Committee, c/o Corporate Secretary, BioLargo,
Inc., 14921 Chestnut Street, Westminster, California
92683.
All of the reporting mechanisms are also posted on our corporate
website, www.biolargo.com. Upon receipt of a
complaint or concern, a determination will be made whether it
pertains to accounting, internal controls or auditing matters and,
if it does, it will be handled in accordance with the procedures
established by the Audit Committee.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors has established an Audit Committee, a
Compensation Committee, and a Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee.
The Audit Committee meets with management and our independent
registered public accounting firm to review the adequacy of
internal controls and other financial reporting matters. Dennis E.
Marshall served as Chairman of the Audit Committee during 2019 and
continues to serve in that capacity. John S. Runyan and Kent C.
Roberts II, current board members, also serve on the Audit
Committee. Our board of directors has determined that
Mr. Marshall qualifies as an “audit committee financial
expert” as defined in Item 401(h) of Regulation S-K of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Audit Committee
met four times in 2019.
The Compensation Committee reviews the compensation for all our
officers and directors and affiliates. The Committee also
administers our equity incentive option plan. Mr. Runyan served as
Chairman of the Compensation Committee during 2019. Mr. Marshall
also serves on the Compensation Committee. The Compensation
Committee met once and acted by consent three times during
2019.
Our board of directors did not modify any action or recommendation
made by the Compensation Committee with respect to executive
compensation for the 2018 or 2019 fiscal years. It is the opinion
of the Compensation Committee that the executive compensation
policies and plans provide the necessary total remuneration program
to properly align their performance and the interests of our
stockholders using competitive and equitable executive compensation
in a balanced and reasonable manner, for both the short and long
term.
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee was established
in November 2018. Its responsibilities include to identify and
screen individuals qualified to become members of the Board, to
make recommendations to the Board regarding to the Board regarding
the selection and approval of the nominees for director to be
submitted to a stockholder vote at the annual meeting of
stockholders, subject to approval by the Board, to development
corporate governance guidelines and oversee corporate governance
practices, to develop a process for an annual evaluation of the
Board and its committees, to review all director compensation and
benefits, to review, approve and oversee and related party
transaction, to develop and recommend director independent
standards, and to develop and recommend a company code of conduct,
to investigate any alleged breach and enforce the provisions of the
code. This committee did not meet in 2019.
Our board of directors follows the written code of ethics that
applies to its principal executive officers, principal financial
officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons
performing similar functions.
Board Leadership Structure
Mr. Calvert serves as both principal executive officer and Chairman
of the Board. The Company does not have a lead independent
director. Messrs. Marshall, Roberts, Strommen and Runyan serve as
independent directors who provide active and effective oversight of
our strategic decisions. As of the date of this filing, the Company
has determined that the leadership structure of the Board has
permitted the Board to fulfill its duties effectively and
efficiently and is appropriate given the size and scope of the
Company and its financial condition.
The Board’s Role in Risk Oversight
As a smaller company, our executive management team, consisting of
Messrs. Calvert and Code, are also members of our Board. Our board
of directors, including our executive management members and
independent directors, is responsible for overseeing our executive
management team in the execution of its responsibilities and for
assessing our company’s approach to risk management. Our board of
directors exercises these responsibilities on an ongoing basis as
part of its meetings and through its committees. Each member of the
management team has direct access to the other Board members, and
our committees of our board of directors, to ensure that all risk
issues are frequently and openly communicated. Our board of
directors closely monitors the information it receives from
management and provides oversight and guidance to our executive
management team regarding the assessment and management of risk.
For example, our board of directors regularly reviews our company’s
critical strategic, operational, legal and financial risks with
management to set the tone and direction for ensuring appropriate
risk taking within the business.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires our
directors, certain officers and persons holding 10% or more of the
Company’s Common stock to file reports regarding their ownership
and regarding their acquisitions and dispositions of our Common
stock with the SEC. Such persons are required by SEC regulations to
furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a) forms
they file.
To our knowledge, based solely upon review of Forms 3, 4, and 5
(and amendments thereto) and written representations provided to us
by executive officers, directors and stockholders beneficially
owning 10% or greater of the outstanding shares, we believe that
such persons filed pursuant to the requirements of the SEC on a
timely basis during the year ended December 31, 2019.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
The following table sets forth all compensation earned for services
rendered to our company in all capacities for the fiscal years
ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, by our principal executive
officer and our three most highly compensated executive officers
other than our principal executive officer, collectively referred
to as the “Named Executive Officers.”
Summary Compensation Table
Name and
Principal
Positions
|
|
Year
|
|
Salary
|
|
|
Stock
Awards(1)
|
|
|
Option
Awards(1)
|
|
|
All other
Compensation
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Dennis P. Calvert,
|
|
2018
|
|
$
|
288,603
|
(2)
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
335,820
|
(3)
|
|
$
|
31,325
|
(4)
|
|
$
|
655,748
|
|
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
|
|
2019
|
|
$
|
288,603
|
(2)
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
335,820
|
(3)
|
|
$
|
33,405
|
(4)
|
|
$
|
657,829
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kenneth R. Code,
|
|
2018
|
|
$
|
288,603
|
(5)
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
12,600
|
(4)
|
|
$
|
301,203
|
|
Chief Science Officer
|
|
2019
|
|
$
|
288,603
|
(5)
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
12,600
|
(4)
|
|
$
|
301,203
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Charles K. Dargan
|
|
2018
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
$
|
87,750
|
(6)
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
87,750
|
|
Chief Financial Officer
|
|
2019
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
66,900
|
(6)
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
66,900
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joseph Provenzano,
|
|
2018
|
|
$
|
169,772
|
(7)
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
37,600
|
(8)
|
|
$
|
16,565
|
(4)
|
|
$
|
224,937
|
|
Corporate Secretary; President Odor-No-More, Inc
|
|
2019
|
|
$
|
169,772
|
(7)
|
|
$
|
—
|
(3)
|
|
$
|
26,795
|
(8)
|
|
$
|
13,940
|
(4)
|
|
$
|
210,507
|
|
(1)
|
Our company recognizes compensation expense for stock option awards
on a straight-line basis over the applicable service period of the
award, which is the vesting period. Share-based compensation
expense is based on the grant date fair value estimated using the
Black-Scholes method. The amounts in the “Stock Awards” and “Option
Awards” columns reflect the aggregate fair value of awards of stock
or options calculated as of the grant date, if the award is fully
vested at grant date. These amounts do not represent cash paid to
or realized by any of the recipients during the years
indicated.
|
(2)
|
In 2018 and 2019 the employment agreement for Mr. Calvert provided
for a base salary of $288,603, other compensation for health
insurance and an automobile allowance. During the year ended
December 31, 2018, Mr. Calvert agreed to forego $151,149 of cash
compensation due to him and accept 534,619 shares of our common
stock in lieu thereof, at prices ranging between $0.24 - $0.43 per
share. During the year ended December 31, 2019, Mr. Calvert agreed
forego $95,900 of cash compensation due to him and accept 498,653
shares of our common stock in lieu thereof, at prices ranging
between $0.16 - $0.23 per share. The common stock issued to Mr.
Calvert is subject to a “lock up agreement” that prohibits Mr.
Calvert from selling the shares until the earlier of (i) the sale
of the Company; (ii) the successful commercialization of BioLargo
products or technologies as demonstrated by its receipt of at least
$3,000,000 in cash, or the recognition of $3,000,000 in revenue,
over a 12-month period from the sale of products and/or the license
of technology; and (iii) the Company’s breach of the employment
agreement between the Company and Calvert dated May 2, 2017 and
resulting in Calvert’s termination. (See “Employment
Agreements—Dennis P. Calvert” and “Outstanding Equity Awards
at Fiscal Year-End” below for more details).
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(3)
|
On May 2, 2017, pursuant to his employment agreement, we granted to
our president, Dennis P. Calvert, an option to purchase
3,731,322 shares of the Company’s common stock. The option is a
non-qualified stock option, exercisable at $0.45 per share, the
closing price of our common stock on the grant date, exercisable
for ten years from the date of grant, and vesting in equal
increments on the anniversary of the option agreement for five
years. Any portion of the option which has not yet vested shall
immediately vest in the event of, and prior to, a change of
control, as defined in the employment agreement. The option cliff
vests in 4 equal amounts on each anniversary of the option
agreement. The option agreement contains the other terms standard
in option agreements issued by the Company, including provisions
for a cashless exercise. The fair value of this option totaled
$1,679,095 and is being amortized monthly through May 2, 2022.
During the year ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, we recorded
$335,820 and $335,820, respectively, of selling, general and
administrative expense related to the option.
|
(4)
|
Includes health insurance premiums, automobile allowance, and
bonus.
|
(5)
|
In 2018 and 2019 the employment agreement for Mr. Code provided for
a base salary of $288,603 and other compensation of $12,600. During
the year ended December 31, 2018, Mr. Code agreed to forego
$167,535 of cash compensation due to him and accept 596,417 shares
of our common stock in lieu thereof, at $0.24 - $0.43 per share.
During the year ended December 31, 2019, Mr. Code agreed forego
$115,101 of cash compensation due to him and accept 582,298 shares
of our common stock in lieu thereof, at prices ranging between
$0.16 - $0.32 per share. See “Employment Agreements—Kenneth R.
Code” and “Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End” below for
more details.
|
(6)
|
Our Chief Financial Officer, Charles K. Dargan II, did not receive
any cash compensation during the years ended December 31, 2018 and
2019. His only compensation is the issuance, each year, of an
option to purchase 300,000 shares of our common stock, with 25,000
shares vesting each month. The value set forth in the table
reflects the fair value of the options issued that vested during
the 12 months of the years indicated. See “Employment
Agreements—Charles K. Dargan II” and “Outstanding Equity Awards at
Fiscal Year-End” below for more details.
|
(7)
|
In 2018 and 2019, the employment agreement for Mr. Provenzano
provided for a base salary of $169,772, and other compensation for
health insurance and automobile allowance. See “Employment
Agreements – Joseph Provenzano” and “Outstanding Equity
Awards at Fiscal Year-End” below for more details.
|
(8)
|
On May 28, 2019, pursuant to his employment agreement, we granted
to our Vice President of Operations and President of our subsidiary
Odor-No-More, granted Joseph L. Provenzano a restricted stock unit
of 500,000 shares of common stock, subject to the execution of a
“lock-up agreement” whereby the shares remain unvested unless and
until the earlier of (i) a sale of the Company, (ii) the successful
commercialization of the Company’s products or technologies as
demonstrated by its receipt of at least $3,000,000 in cash, or the
recognition of $3,000,000 in revenue, over a 12-month period from
the sale of products and/or the license of technology, and (iii)
the Company’s breach of the employment agreement resulting in his
termination. Does not include an option to purchase 1,000,000
shares of common stock that vests in five equal increments
beginning one year after grant date.
|
Employment Agreements
Dennis P. Calvert
On May 2, 2017, BioLargo, Inc. (the “Company”) and its President
and Chief Executive Officer Dennis P. Calvert entered into an
employment agreement (the “Calvert Employment Agreement”),
replacing in its entirety the previous employment agreement with
Mr. Calvert dated April 30, 2007.
The Calvert Employment Agreement provides that Mr. Calvert
will continue to serve as the President and Chief Executive Officer
of the Company and receive base compensation equal to his current
rate of pay of $288,603 annually. In addition to this base
compensation, the agreement provides that he is eligible to
participate in incentive plans, stock option plans, and similar
arrangements as determined by the Company’s Board of Directors,
health insurance premium payments for himself and his immediate
family, a car allowance of $800 per month, paid vacation of four
weeks per year, and bonuses in such amount as the Compensation
Committee may determine from time to time.
The Calvert Employment Agreement provides that Mr. Calvert
will be granted an option (the “Option”) to purchase 3,731,322
shares of the Company’s common stock. The Option shall be a
non-qualified stock option, exercisable at $0.45 per share, which
represents the market price of the Company’s common stock as of the
date of the agreement, exercisable for ten years from the date of
grant and vesting in equal increments over five years.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, any portion of the Option which has
not yet vested shall be immediately vested in the event of, and
prior to, a change of control, as defined in the Calvert Employment
Agreement. The agreement also provides for a grant of 1,500,000
shares of common stock, subject to the execution of a “lock-up
agreement” whereby the shares remain unvested unless and until the
earlier of (i) a sale of the Company, (ii) the successful
commercialization of the Company’s products or technologies as
demonstrated by its receipt of at least $3,000,000 in cash, or the
recognition of $3,000,000 in revenue, over a 12-month period from
the sale of products and/or the license of technology, and (iii)
the Company’s breach of the employment agreement resulting in his
termination. The Option contains the other terms standard in option
agreements issued by the Company, including provisions for a
cashless exercise.
The Calvert Employment Agreement has a term of five years, unless
earlier terminated in accordance with its terms. The Calvert
Employment Agreement provides that Mr. Calvert’s employment
may be terminated by the Company due to his death or disability,
for cause, or upon a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy or
dissolution of the Company. “Disability” as used in the Calvert
Employment Agreement means physical or mental incapacity or illness
rendering Mr. Calvert unable to perform his duties on a
long-term basis (i) as evidenced by his failure or inability
to perform his duties for a total of 120 days in any 360-day
period, or (ii) as determined by an independent and licensed
physician whom Company selects, or (iii) as determined without
recourse by the Company’s disability insurance carrier. “Cause”
means that Mr. Calvert has (i) engaged in willful misconduct
in connection with the Company’s business; or (ii) been convicted
of, or plead guilty or nolo contendre in
connection with, fraud or any crime that constitutes a felony or
that involves moral turpitude or theft. If Mr. Calvert’s
employment is terminated due to merger or acquisition, then he will
be eligible to receive the greater of (i) one year’s
compensation plus an additional one half year for each year of
service since the effective date of the employment agreement or
(ii) one year’s compensation plus an additional one half year
for each year remaining in the term of the agreement. Otherwise, he
is only entitled to receive compensation due through the date of
termination.
The Calvert Employment Agreement requires Mr. Calvert to keep
certain information confidential, not to solicit customers or
employees of the Company or interfere with any business
relationship of the Company, and to assign all inventions made or
created during the term of the Calvert Employment Agreement as
“work made for hire”.
Kenneth R. Code
We entered into an employment agreement dated as of April 29, 2007
with Mr. Code, our Chief Science Officer (the “Code Employment
Agreement”), which we amended on December 28, 2012 such that his
salary will remain at $288,603, the level paid in April 2012, with
no further automatic increases. The Code Employment Agreement can
automatically renew for one year periods on April 29th of each
year but may be terminated “without cause” at any time upon 120
days’ notice, and upon such termination, Mr. Code would not receive
the severance originally provided for. All other terms in the 2007
agreement remain the same in the Code Employment Agreement.
In addition, Mr. Code will be eligible to participate in
incentive plans, stock option plans, and similar arrangements as
determined by our board of directors. When such benefits are made
available to our senior employees, Mr. Code is also eligible
to receive health insurance premium payments for himself and his
immediate family, a car allowance of $800 per month, paid vacation
of four weeks per year plus an additional two weeks per year for
each full year of service during the term of the agreement up to a
maximum of 10 weeks per year, life insurance equal to three times
his base salary and disability insurance.
The Code Employment Agreement further requires Mr. Code to
keep certain information confidential, not to solicit customers or
employees of our company or interfere with any business
relationship of our company, and to assign all inventions made or
created during the term of the Code Employment Agreement as “work
made for hire”.
Charles K. Dargan II
Charles K. Dargan, II has served as our Chief Financial Officer
since February 2008 pursuant to an engagement agreement with his
company, CFO 911, that has been renewed each year.
On December 31, 2017, we and Mr. Dargan further extended his
engagement agreement. The extension provides for an additional term
to expire September 30, 2018 (the “Extended Term”), and is
retroactively effective to the termination of the prior extension
on October 1, 2017. This more recent extension again compensates
Mr. Dargan through the issuance of an option to purchase 300,000
shares of the Company’s common stock. The strike price of the
option is $0.39 per share, which is equal to the closing price of
the Company’s common stock on December 29, 2017, expires December
31, 2027, and vests over the term of the engagement with 75,000
shares having vested as of December 31, 2017, and the remaining
shares to vest 25,000 shares monthly beginning January 31, 2018,
and each month thereafter, so long as his agreement is in full
force and effect.
On January 16, 2019, we and Mr. Dargan again extended his
engagement agreement. The extension provides for an additional term
to expire September 30, 2019, and is retroactively effective to the
termination of the prior extension on September 30, 2018. This
extension again compensates Mr. Dargan through the issuance of
an option to purchase 300,000 shares of the Company’s common stock,
at a strike price equal to the closing price of the Company’s
common stock on January 16, 2019 of $0.223, to expire January 16,
2029, and to vest over the term of the engagement with 75,000
shares having vested as of December 31, 2018, and the remaining
shares to vest 25,000 shares monthly beginning January 31, 2019,
and each month thereafter, so long as the engagement agreement is
in full force and effect. The Option was issued pursuant to the
Company’s 2018 Equity Incentive Plan. The issuance of the Option is
Mr. Dargan’s sole source of compensation for the extended term. All
other provisions of the Engagement Agreement not expressly amended
pursuant to the Engagement Extension Agreement remain the same,
including provisions regarding indemnification and arbitration of
disputes.
On February 25, 2020, we and Mr. Dargan again extended his
engagement agreement to expire January 31, 2021. As the sole
compensation for the Extended Term, Mr. Dargan was issued an
option (“Option”) to purchase 25,000 shares of the Company’s common
stock for each month during the term (thus, an option to purchase
400,000 shares reflecting an extended term of 16 months). The
Option vests over the period of the agreement, with 75,000 shares
having vested as of December 31, 2019, and the remaining shares to
vest 25,000 shares monthly beginning January 31, 2020, and each
month thereafter, so long as the agreement is in full force and
effect. The Option is exercisable at $0.21 per share, the closing
price of BioLargo’s common stock on February 25, 2020, expires ten
years from the grant date, and was issued pursuant to the Company’s
2018 Equity Incentive Plan. The Option is Mr. Dargan’s sole
compensation for the Extended Term. As was the case in all prior
terms of his engagement, there is no cash component of his
compensation for the Extended Term. Mr. Dargan is eligible to be
reimbursed for business expenses he incurs in connection with the
performance of his services as the Company’s Chief Financial
Officer (although he has made no such requests for reimbursement in
the past). All other provisions of the Engagement Agreement not
expressly amended pursuant to the Engagement Extension Agreement
remain the same, including provisions regarding indemnification and
arbitration of disputes.
Joseph Provenzano
Mr. Provenzano has served as Vice President of Operations since
January 1, 2008, in addition to continuing to serve as our
Corporate Secretary. On May 28, 2019, the Compensation Committee of
the Board of Directors approved the terms of a new employment
agreement for Mr. Provenzano, and granted to him an incentive stock
option (the “Option”) to purchase 1,000,000 shares of the Company’s
common stock pursuant to the terms of the Company’s 2018 Equity
Incentive Plan (“Plan”). As set forth in the Plan, the exercise
price of the Option is equal to the closing price of the Company’s
common stock on the May 28 grant date, at $0.17 per share. The
shares in the Option vest in five in equal increments over five
years, and the Option may be exercised for up to ten years
following the grant date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any
portion of the Option which has not yet vested shall be immediately
vested in the event of, and prior to, a change of control, as
defined in the Provenzano Employment Agreement. The Option contains
the other terms standard in option agreements issued by the
Company, including provisions for a cashless exercise. On May 28,
2019, the Committee also granted Mr. Provenzano a restricted stock
unit of 500,000 shares of common stock, subject to the execution of
a “lock-up agreement” whereby the shares remain unvested unless and
until the earlier of (i) a sale of the Company, (ii) the successful
commercialization of the Company’s products or technologies as
demonstrated by its receipt of at least $3,000,000 in cash, or the
recognition of $3,000,000 in revenue, over a 12-month period from
the sale of products and/or the license of technology, and (iii)
the Company’s breach of the employment agreement resulting in his
termination. On June 18, 2019, the other terms of his employment
agreement were finalized and a document fully executed. Although
fully executed on June 18, 2019, the employment agreement is
effective as of May 28, 2019, to reflect Option grant date.
The Provenzano Employment Agreement provides that
Mr. Provenzano will serve as our Executive Vice President of
Operations, as well as the President and Chief Executive Officer of
our wholly owned subsidiary Odor-No-More. Mr. Provenzano’s base
compensation will remain at his current rate of $170,000 annually.
In addition to this base compensation, the agreement provides that
he is eligible to participate in incentive plans, stock option
plans, and similar arrangements as determined by the our Board of
Directors, health insurance premium payments for himself and his
immediate family, a car allowance covering the expenses of his
personal commercial grade truck which the company uses in company
operations on a continual basis, paid vacation of four weeks per
year, and bonuses in such amount as the Compensation Committee may
determine from time to time.
The Provenzano Employment Agreement has a term of five years,
unless earlier terminated in accordance with its terms. The
Provenzano Employment Agreement provides that Mr. Provenzano’s
employment may be terminated by the Company due to his death or
disability, for cause, or upon a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy or
dissolution of the Company. “Disability” as used in the Provenzano
Employment Agreement means physical or mental incapacity or illness
rendering Mr. Provenzano unable to perform his duties on a
long-term basis (i) as evidenced by his failure or inability
to perform his duties for a total of 120 days in any 360-day
period, or (ii) as determined by an independent and licensed
physician whom Company selects, or (iii) as determined without
recourse by the Company’s disability insurance carrier. “Cause”
means that Mr. Provenzano has (i) engaged in willful misconduct in
connection with the Company’s business; or (ii) been convicted of,
or plead guilty or nolo contendre in connection with, fraud or any
crime that constitutes a felony or that involves moral turpitude or
theft. If Mr. Provenzano’s employment is terminated due to
merger or acquisition, then he will be eligible to receive the
greater of (i) one year’s compensation plus an additional one
half year for each year of service since the effective date of the
employment agreement or (ii) one year’s compensation plus an
additional one half year for each year remaining in the term of the
agreement. Otherwise, he is only entitled to receive compensation
due through the date of termination.
The Provenzano Employment Agreement requires Mr. Provenzano to
keep certain information confidential, not to solicit customers or
employees of the Company or interfere with any business
relationship of the Company, and to assign all inventions made or
created during the term of the Provenzano Employment Agreement as
“work made for hire”.
Director Compensation
Each director who is not an officer or employee of our company
receives an annual retainer of $60,000, paid in cash or shares of
our common stock, or options to purchase our common stock (pursuant
to a plan put in place by our board of directors), in our sole
discretion. Historically, all but one director has received the
entirety of his fees in the form of options to purchase stock,
rather than cash. In addition, Mr. Marshall and Mr. Runyan each
receive an additional $15,000 for their services as the chairman of
the Audit Committee and chairman of the Compensation Committee,
respectively. The following table sets forth information for the
fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 regarding compensation of our
non-employee directors. Our employee directors do not receive any
additional compensation for serving as a director.
Name
|
|
Fees Earned
or Fees Paid
in Cash
|
|
|
Option
Awards
|
|
|
Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
|
|
All Other
Compensation
|
|
Total
|
|
Dennis E. Marshall
|
|
$
|
75,000
|
(1)
|
|
9,639
|
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
$
|
84,639
|
|
Jack B. Strommen
|
|
$
|
60,000
|
(2)
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
$
|
60,000
|
|
Kent C. Roberts III
|
|
$
|
60,000
|
(3)
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
$
|
60,000
|
|
John S. Runyan
|
|
$
|
75,000
|
(4)
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
—
|
|
$
|
75,000
|
|
(1)
|
In 2019, Mr. Marshall earned director fees of $75,000, which
included compensation for serving as Chairman of the Audit
Committee of our board of directors. None of these fees was paid in
cash. During 2019, Mr. Marshall received options in lieu of cash
consisting of (i) on March 29, 2019, an issuance of an option to
purchase 117,188 shares of our common stock at $0.16 per share,
(ii) on June 28, 2019, an issuance of an option to purchase 81,522
shares of our common stock at $0.23 per share, (iii) on September
30, 2019, an issuance of an option to purchase 59,524 shares of our
common stock at $0.32 per share, and (iv) on December 30, 2019, an
issuance of an option to purchase 85,227 shares of our common stock
at $0.22 per share. In addition, on September 18, 2019, he was
issued an option to purchase 45,000 shares of our common stock at
an exercise price of $0.21 per share.
|
|
|
(2)
|
In 2019 Mr. Strommen earned director fees of $60,000. During 2019,
Mr. Strommen received options in lieu of cash consisting of (i) on
March 29, 2019, an issuance of an option to purchase 93,750 shares
of our common stock at $0.16 per share, (ii) on June 28, 2019, an
issuance of an option to purchase 65,217 shares of our common stock
at $0.23 per share, (iii) on September 30, 2019, an option to
purchase 47,619 shares of our common stock at $0.32 per share, and
(iv) on December 31, 2019, an option to purchase 68,182 shares of
our common stock at $0.22 per share.
|
|
|
(3)
|
In 2019 Mr. Roberts earned director fees of $60,000. During 2019,
Mr. Roberts received options in lieu of cash consisting of (i) on
March 29, 2019, an issuance of an option to purchase 93,750 shares
of our common stock at $0.16 per share, (ii) on June 28, 2019, an
issuance of an option to purchase 65,217 shares of our common stock
at $0.23 per share, (iii) on September 30, 2019, an option to
purchase 47,619 shares of our common stock at $0.32 per share, and
(iv) on December 31, 2019, an option to purchase 68,182 shares of
our common stock at $0.22 per share.
|
|
|
(4)
|
In 2019, Mr. Runyan earned director fees of $75,000. None of these
fees was paid in cash. During 2019, Mr. Runyan received options in
lieu of cash consisting of (i) on March 29, 2019, an issuance of an
option to purchase 117,188 shares of our common stock at $0.16 per
share, (ii) on June 28, 2019, an issuance of an option to purchase
81,522 shares of our common stock at $0.23 per share, (iii) on
September 30, 2019, an issuance of an option to purchase 59,524
shares of our common stock at $0.32 per share, and (iv) on December
30, 2019, an issuance of an option to purchase 85,227 shares of our
common stock at $0.22 per share.
|
Equity Compensation Plans
We have one ongoing, and one expired (but with outstanding awards),
equity compensation plans.
2007 Plan
On August 7, 2007, our Board adopted the BioLargo, Inc. 2007
Equity Incentive Plan (“2007 Plan”) as a means of providing our
directors, key employees and consultants additional incentive to
provide services. Both stock options and stock grants were made
under this plan, as administered by the Compensation Committee. The
plan automatically terminated on September 7, 2017.
Under this plan, as amended in 2011, 12,000,000 shares of our
common stock were reserved for issuance under awards, and at March
31, 2020, awards of options authorizing a total of
8,821,586 shares were outstanding.
2018 Plan
On March 7, 2018, our board of directors adopted BioLargo, Inc.
2018 Equity Incentive Plan (“2018 Equity Plan”) as a means of
providing our directors, key employees, and consultants additional
incentive to provide services. This plan was approved by our
stockholders at our annual meeting on May 23, 2018. The
Compensation Committee administers this plan, except for awards
made to non-employee directors. The plan allows for the grant of
stock options, restricted stock awards, stock bonus awards, stock
appreciation rights, restricted stock units and performance awards
in any combination, separately or in tandem. Subject to the terms
of the 2018 Equity Plan, the Compensation Committee will determine
the terms and conditions of awards, including the times when awards
vest or become payable and the effect of certain events such as
termination of employment. Under the 2018 Equity Plan, 40,000,000
shares of our common stock are reserved for issuance under awards.
Each January 1, through January 1, 2028, the number of shares
available for grant and issuance will be increased by the lesser of
2,000,000 and such number of shares set by the Board. As of March
31, 2020, we had issued options under the plan to purchase
9,675,697 shares.
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The following table sets forth information regarding unexercised
stock options and equity incentive plan awards for each of the
Named Executive Officers outstanding as of December 31,
2019. All stock or options that were granted to the
Named Executive Officers during the fiscal year ended December 31,
2019 have fully vested, except as indicated.
Name
|
|
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Exercisable
|
|
|
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Unexercisable
|
|
|
Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Unearned
Options
|
|
|
Option
Exercise
Price
|
|
|
Share
Price on
Grant Date
|
|
Option
Expiration
Date
|
|
Dennis P. Calvert
|
|
3,731,322 |
|
|
|
1,865,661 |
|
|
1,865,661 |
|
|
$ |
0.45 |
|
|
$ |
0.45 |
|
May 2, 2027
|
|
|
|
200,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.575 |
|
|
$ |
0.50 |
|
February 1, 2020
|
|
Charles K. Dargan II
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.50 |
|
|
$ |
0.50 |
|
January 31, 2020
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.45 |
|
|
$ |
0.45 |
|
February 28, 2020
|
|
|
|
60,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.575 |
|
|
$ |
0.50 |
|
February 1, 2020
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.50 |
|
|
$ |
0.50 |
|
March 31, 2020
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.39 |
|
|
$ |
0.39 |
|
April 29, 2020
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.31 |
|
|
$ |
0.31 |
|
May 31, 2020
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.25 |
|
|
$ |
0.25 |
|
June 30, 2020
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.24 |
|
|
$ |
0.24 |
|
July 31, 2020
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.23 |
|
|
$ |
0.23 |
|
August 30, 2020
|
|
|
|
200,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.30 |
|
|
$ |
0.30 |
|
August 4, 2020
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.35 |
|
|
$ |
0.35 |
|
September 30, 2020
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.42 |
|
|
$ |
0.42 |
|
October 31, 2020
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.40 |
|
|
$ |
0.40 |
|
November 30, 2020
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.50 |
|
|
$ |
0.50 |
|
December 31, 2020
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.42 |
|
|
$ |
0.42 |
|
January 31, 2021
|
|
|
|
120,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.41 |
|
|
$ |
0.41 |
|
February 28, 2021
|
|
|
|
300,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.35 |
|
|
$ |
0.35 |
|
April 10, 2022
|
|
|
|
410,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.30 |
|
|
$ |
0.30 |
|
December 28, 2022
|
|
|
|
300,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.30 |
|
|
$ |
0.30 |
|
July 17, 2023
|
|
|
|
300,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.30 |
|
|
$ |
0.30 |
|
June 23, 2024
|
|
|
|
300,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.57 |
|
|
$ |
0.57 |
|
September 30, 2025
|
|
|
|
300,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.69 |
|
|
$ |
0.69 |
|
February 10, 2027
|
|
|
|
300,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.39 |
|
|
$ |
0.39 |
|
December 31, 2027
|
|
|
|
300,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.22 |
|
|
$ |
0.22 |
|
January 16, 2029
|
|
Kenneth R. Code
|
|
200,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
1.03 |
|
|
$ |
0.94 |
|
July 17, 2023
|
|
|
|
200,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
-- |
|
|
$ |
0.575 |
|
|
$ |
0.50 |
|
February 1, 2020
|
|
Joseph Provenzano
|
|
200,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
0.575 |
|
|
$ |
0.50 |
|
February 1, 2020
|
|
|
|
296,203 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
0.30 |
|
|
$ |
0.30 |
|
August 4, 2020
|
|
|
|
200,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
0.41 |
|
|
$ |
0.41 |
|
March 21, 2021
|
|
|
|
100,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
0.45 |
|
|
$ |
0.45 |
|
October 23, 2027
|
|
|
|
1,000,000 |
|
|
|
800,000 |
|
|
800,000 |
|
|
$ |
0.17 |
|
|
$ |
0.17 |
|
May 28, 2029
|
|
|
|
32,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
0.22 |
|
|
$ |
0.22 |
|
September 18, 2029
|
|
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial
ownership of shares of our common stock as of April 10, 2020,
including rights to acquire beneficial ownership of shares of our
common stock within 60 days of April 10, 2020, by (a) all
stockholders known to the Company to be beneficial owners of more
than 5% of the outstanding Common stock; (b) each director, (c)
each Named Executive Officer, and (d) all directors and executive
officers of the Company as a group:
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)
|
Amount of
Beneficial
Ownership
|
Percent of
Class(2)
|
Kenneth R. Code(4)
|
24,020,994
|
13.5%
|
Dennis P. Calvert(5)
|
11,270,657
|
6.3%
|
Jack B. Strommen(6)
|
8,479,879
|
4.7%
|
Charles K. Dargan II(7)
|
3,581,500
|
2.0%
|
Dennis E. Marshall(8)
|
3,044,448
|
1.7%
|
Joseph L. Provenzano(9)
|
2,799,446
|
1.6%
|
Kent C. Roberts II(10)
|
2,131,173
|
1.2%
|
John S. Runyan(11)
|
2,188,283
|
1.2%
|
All directors and officers as a group (8 persons)
|
57,516,380
|
32.2%
|
Except as noted in any footnotes below, each person has sole voting
power and sole dispositive power as to all of the shares shown as
beneficially owned by them. Beneficial ownership is determined in
accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally includes voting
or investment power with respect to securities.
|
(1)
|
The address for all directors and the Named Executive Officers is:
c/o BioLargo, Inc., 14921 Chestnut St., Westminster, CA 92683,
except for: Kent C. Roberts II’s address is 1146 Oxford Road, San
Marino, CA 91108; Charles K. Dargan II’s address is 18841 NE 29th
Avenue, Suite 700, Aventura, FL 33180; and John S. Runyan’s address
is 30001 Hillside Terrace, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675
|
|
(2)
|
Our company has only one class of stock outstanding. The sum
of 177,100,206 shares of common stock outstanding as of the date
hereof, and 17,075,677 shares of common stock subject to options
currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days by the
directors and officers, are deemed outstanding for determining the
number of shares beneficially owned by the directors and officers,
and the directors and officers as a group, and for computing the
percentage ownership of the person holding such options, but are
not deemed outstanding for computing the percentage ownership of
any other person.
|
|
(3)
|
Includes 22,139,012 shares owned indirectly by Mr. Code issued on
April 29, 2007 to IOWC Technologies, Inc. in connection with the
acquisition by our company of certain intellectual property and
other assets on that date. Includes 265,000 shares issuable to Mr.
Code upon exercise of options.
|
|
(4)
|
Includes 1,528,695 shares of common stock held by New Millennium
Capital Partners, LLC, which is wholly owned and controlled by Mr.
Calvert. Includes 2,130,661 shares issuable to Mr. Calvert upon
exercise of other options granted from time to time by our
company.
|
|
(5)
|
Includes 573,589 shares issuable to Mr. Strommen upon exercise of
options; includes 3,590,476 shares issuable to Mr. Strommen upon
the exercise of warrants.
|
|
(6)
|
Includes 3,256,500 shares issuable to Mr. Dargan upon exercise of
options.
|
|
(7)
|
Includes 2,784,476 shares issuable to Mr. Marshall upon exercise of
options.
|
|
(8)
|
Includes 1,028,703 shares issuable to Mr. Provenzano upon exercise
of options.
|
|
(9)
|
Includes 1,604,948 shares issuable to Mr. Roberts upon exercise of
options.
|
|
(10)
|
Includes 1,841,114 shares issuable to Mr. Runyan upon exercise of
options.
|
CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Our company has adopted a policy that all transactions between our
company and its executive officers, directors and other affiliates
must be approved by a majority of the members of our board of
directors and by a majority of the disinterested members of our
board of directors, and must be on terms no less favorable to our
company than could be obtained from unaffiliated third parties.
Our officers and board members routinely forego cash compensation
in lieu of receiving common stock or options to purchase common
stock, pursuant to a plan adopted by our board for the payment of
outstanding payables.
On March 31, 2019, we issued options to purchase 421,876 shares of
our common stock at an exercise price of $0.16 per share to four
members of our board of directors, in lieu of $67,500 in fees, as
follows: 117,188 to Mr. Marshall in exchange for $18,750 in fees
due; 93,750 to Mr. Strommen in exchange for $15,000 in fees due;
93,750 to Mr. Roberts in exchange for $15,000 in fees due; and
117,188 to Mr. Runyan in exchange for $18,750 in fees due. The
options expire 10 years from the date of grant.
On March 31, 2019, we issued an aggregate 579,996 shares of our
common stock to two executive officers in exchange for a reduction
of $92,799 of salary and unreimbursed business expenses owed to the
officers.
On April 29, 2019, we issued an aggregate 579,996 shares of our
common stock to two executive officers in exchange for a reduction
of $92,799 of salary and unreimbursed business expenses owed to the
officers.
On June 30, 2019, we issued options to purchase 293,478 shares of
our common stock at an exercise price of $0.23 per share to four
members of our board of directors, in lieu of $67,500 in fees, as
follows: 81,522 to Mr. Marshall in exchange for $18,750 in fees
due; 65,217 to Mr. Strommen in exchange for $15,000 in fees due;
65,217 to Mr. Roberts in exchange for $15,000 in fees due; and
81,522 to Mr. Runyan in exchange for $18,750 in fees due. The
options expire 10 years from the date of grant.
On September 30, 2019, we issued options to purchase 214,286 shares
of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.315 per share to
four members of our board of directors, in lieu of $67,500 in fees,
as follows: 59,524 to Mr. Marshall in exchange for $18,750 in fees
due; 47,619 to Mr. Strommen in exchange for $15,000 in fees due;
47,619 to Mr. Roberts in exchange for $15,000 in fees due; and
59,524 to Mr. Runyan in exchange for $18,750 in fees due. The
options expire 10 years from the date of grant.
On December 31, 2019, we issued options to purchase 306,818 shares
of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.22 per share to four
members of our board of directors, in lieu of $67,500 in fees, as
follows: 85,227 to Mr. Marshall in exchange for $18,750 in fees
due; 68,182 to Mr. Strommen in exchange for $15,000 in fees due;
68,182 to Mr. Roberts in exchange for $15,000 in fees due; and
85,227 to Mr. Runyan in exchange for $18,750 in fees due. The
options expire 10 years from the date of grant.
On March 31, 2018, we issued an aggregate 323,030 shares of our
common stock to two executive officers in exchange for a reduction
of $83,664 of salary owed to the officers.
On March 31, 2018, we issued options to purchase 260,620 shares of
our common stock at an exercise price of $0.295 per share to four
members of our board of directors, in lieu of $67,500 in fees, as
follows: 72,394 to Mr. Marshall in exchange for $18,750 in fees
due; 57,916 to Mr. Strommen in exchange for $15,000 in fees due;
57,916 to Mr. Roberts in exchange for $15,000 in fees due; and
72,394 to Mr. Runyan in exchange for $18,750 in fees due. The
options expire 10 years from the date of grant.
On March 28, 2018, Mr. Strommen invested $100,000 in the Company’s
private securities offering, receiving a promissory note in the
face amount of $100,000, bearing annual interest at the rate of
12%, which is convertible into the Company’s common stock by Mr.
Strommen at any time, or the Company at the April 30, 2021
maturity, at the rate of $0.30 per share. Investors in the offering
also receive a stock purchase warrant to purchase the number of
shares calculated by dividing the investment amount by the note
conversion price. Mr. Strommen received a warrant to purchase
333,334 shares of common stock at $0.48 per share, which expires
April 20, 2023.
On June 29, 2018, we issued an aggregate 176,950 shares of our
common stock to two executive officers in exchange for a reduction
of $76,087 of salary owed to the officers.
On June 29, 2018, we issued options to purchase 156,978 shares of
our common stock at an exercise price of $0.31 per share to four
members of our board of directors, in lieu of $67,500 in fees, as
follows: 43,605 to Mr. Marshall in exchange for $18,750 in fees
due; 34,884 to Mr. Strommen in exchange for $15,000 in fees due;
34,884 to Mr. Roberts in exchange for $15,000 in fees due; and
43,605 to Mr. Runyan in exchange for $18,750 in fees due. The
options expire 10 years from the date of grant.
On September 30, 2018, we issued an aggregate 249,258 shares of our
common stock to two executive officers in exchange for a reduction
of $67,300 of salary owed to the officers.
On September 30, 2018, we issued options to purchase 250,000 shares
of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.27 per share to four
members of our board of directors, in lieu of $67,500 in fees, as
follows: 69,444 to Mr. Marshall in exchange for $18,750 in fees
due; 55,556 to Mr. Strommen in exchange for $15,000 in fees due;
55,556 to Mr. Roberts in exchange for $15,000 in fees due; and
69,444 to Mr. Runyan in exchange for $18,750 in fees due. The
options expire 10 years from the date of grant.
On December 31, 2018, we issued an aggregate 381,801 shares of our
common stock to two executive officers in exchange for a reduction
of $91,632 of salary and unreimbursed business expenses owed to the
officers.
On December 31, 2018, we issued options to purchase 281,250 shares
of our common stock at an exercise price of $0.22 per share to four
members of our board of directors, in lieu of $67,500 in fees, as
follows: 78,125 to Mr. Marshall in exchange for $18,750 in fees
due; 62,500 to Mr. Strommen in exchange for $15,000 in fees due;
62,500to Mr. Roberts in exchange for $15,000 in fees due; and
78,125 to Mr. Runyan in exchange for $18,750 in fees due. The
options expire 10 years from the date of grant.
REPORT OF
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE
The following Report of the Compensation Committee does not
constitute soliciting material and should not be deemed filed or
incorporated by reference into any of our other filings under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the
Exchange Act, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate
this report. The Compensation Committee has furnished this report
on executive compensation for the 2019 fiscal
year.
Compensation Program and Philosophy
The Compensation Committee administers the Company’s
executive compensation program. The Compensation Committee has the
authority to review and determine the salaries and bonuses of the
executive officers of the Company, including the Chief Executive
Officer and the other Named Executive Officers, and to establish
the general compensation policies for such individuals. The
Compensation Committee also has the sole and exclusive authority to
make discretionary option grants to all of the Company’s employees
under the Company’s equity incentive plans.
The Compensation Committee operates under a written charter.
The duties and responsibilities of a member of the Compensation
Committee are in addition to his or her duties as a member of the
Board. The charter reflects these various responsibilities, and the
Committee is charged with periodically reviewing the charter. The
Committee’s membership is determined by the Board and is composed
entirely of independent directors. In addition, the Committee has
the authority to engage the services of outside advisors, experts
and others, including independent compensation consultants who do
not advise the Company, to assist the Committee. Mr. John Runyan is
chairman. The Compensation Committee met five times and acted via
unanimous written consent three times during the year ended
December 31, 2019.
The Compensation Committee believes that the compensation
programs for the Company’s executive officers should reflect the
Company’s performance, support the short- and long-term strategic
goals and values of the Company, reward individual contribution to
the Company’s success and align the interests of the Company’s
executive officers with the interests of the Company’s
stockholders. The Company is engaged in a very competitive
industry, and the Company’s success depends upon its ability to
attract and retain qualified executives through the competitive
compensation packages it offers to such individuals. To that end,
it is the view of the Board that the total compensation program for
executive officers should consist of all or most of the following
components:
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base salary |
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bonus
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equity-based compensation
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The Committee does not rely solely on predetermined formulas or a
limited set of criteria when it evaluates the performance of the
Company’s chief executive officer and the Company’s other executive
officers. Typically, our Chief Executive Officer makes compensation
recommendations to the Committee with respect to the compensation
of our officers, and the Committee may accept or adjust such
recommendations in its discretion. In 2019, the Committee
considered management’s continuing achievement of its short- and
long-term goals versus its strategic imperatives and re-evaluated
the executive officer compensation.
Chief Executive Officer Compensation
On May 2, 2017, we entered into a new employment agreement with our
president and chief executive officer Dennis P. Calvert (the
“Calvert Employment Agreement”), replacing in its entirety the
previous employment agreement with Mr. Calvert dated April 30,
2007.
The Calvert Employment Agreement provides that Mr. Calvert
will continue to serve as the president and chief executive officer
of the Company and receive base compensation equal to his current
rate of pay of $288,603 annually. In addition to this base
compensation, the agreement provides that he is eligible to
participate in incentive plans, stock option plans, and similar
arrangements as determined by the Company’s Board of Directors,
health insurance premium payments for himself and his immediate
family, a car allowance of $800 per month, paid vacation of four
weeks per year, and bonuses in such amount as the Compensation
Committee may determine from time to time.
Mr. Calvert was granted an option (the “Option”) to purchase
3,731,322 shares of the Company’s common stock as part of the
compensation set forth in his employment agreement. The Option is a
non-qualified stock option, exercisable at $0.45 per share, which
represents the market price of the Company’s common stock as of the
date of the agreement, exercisable for ten years from the date of
grant and vesting in equal increments over five years.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, any portion of the Option which has
not yet vested shall be immediately vested in the event of, and
prior to, a change of control, as defined in the Calvert Employment
Agreement. The agreement also provides for a grant of 1,500,000
shares of common stock, subject to the execution of a “lock-up
agreement” whereby the shares remain unvested unless and until the
earlier of (i) a sale of the Company, (ii) the successful
commercialization of the Company’s products or technologies as
demonstrated by its receipt of at least $3,000,000 in cash, or the
recognition of $3,000,000 in revenue, over a 12-month period from
the sale of products and/or the license of technology, and (iii)
the Company’s breach of the employment agreement resulting in his
termination. The Option contains the other terms standard in option
agreements issued by the Company, including provisions for a
cashless exercise.
The Calvert Employment Agreement has a term of five years, unless
earlier terminated in accordance with its terms. The Calvert
Employment Agreement provides that Mr. Calvert’s employment
may be terminated by the Company due to his death or disability,
for cause, or upon a merger, acquisition, bankruptcy or
dissolution of the Company. “Disability” as used in the Calvert
Employment Agreement means physical or mental incapacity or illness
rendering Mr. Calvert unable to perform his duties on a
long-term basis (i) as evidenced by his failure or inability
to perform his duties for a total of 120 days in any 360-day
period, or (ii) as determined by an independent and licensed
physician whom Company selects, or (iii) as determined without
recourse by the Company’s disability insurance carrier. “Cause”
means that Mr. Calvert has (i) engaged in willful misconduct
in connection with the Company’s business; or (ii) been convicted
of, or plead guilty or nolo contendre in
connection with, fraud or any crime that constitutes a felony or
that involves moral turpitude or theft. If Mr. Calvert’s
employment is terminated due to merger or acquisition, then he will
be eligible to receive the greater of (i) one year’s
compensation plus an additional one-half year for each year of
service since the effective date of the employment agreement or
(ii) one year’s compensation plus an additional one half year
for each year remaining in the term of the agreement. Otherwise, he
is only entitled to receive compensation due through the date of
termination.
The Calvert Employment Agreement requires Mr. Calvert to keep
certain information confidential, not to solicit customers or
employees of the Company or interfere with any business
relationship of the Company, and to assign all inventions made or
created during the term of the Calvert Employment Agreement as
“work made for hire”.
Chief Science Officer Compensation
On April 29, 2007, the Company entered an employment
agreement with Mr. Code, pursuant to which, since that time,
Mr. Code has served as the Company’s Chief Science Officer. On
December 28, 2012, we and Mr. Code amended his employment agreement
such that his salary will remain at $288,603, the level paid in
April 2012, with no further automatic increases, his agreement
would automatically renew for one year periods on April 29th of
each year, but may be terminated “without cause” at any time upon
120 days’ notice, and upon such termination he would not receive
the severance originally provided for. All other terms in the 2007
agreement remain the same. Other provisions of Mr. Code’s
employment agreement are discussed elsewhere in this Proxy
Statement.
Other Executive Compensation
Charles K. Dargan, II has served as our Chief Financial Officer
since February 2008 pursuant to an engagement agreement with his
company, CFO 911, that has been renewed each year. Mr. Dargan’s
compensation has consisted sole of the issuance of options to
purchase common stock.
On January 16, 2019, we and Mr. Dargan further extended his
engagement agreement. The extension provides for an additional term
to expire September 30, 2019 (the “Extended Term”). For the
Extended Term, Mr. Dargan was issued an option (“Option”) to
purchase 300,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, at a strike
price equal to the closing price of the Company’s common stock on
January 16, 2019 of $0.223, to expire January 16, 2029, and to vest
over the term of the engagement with 75,000 shares having vested as
of December 31, 2018, and the remaining shares to vest 25,000
shares monthly beginning January 31, 2019, and each month
thereafter, so long as the Engagement Agreement is in full force
and effect. The Option was issued pursuant to the Company’s 2018
Equity Incentive Plan.
On February 25, 2020, we and Mr. Dargan again agreed to extend his
engagement agreement, for an additional term to expire January 31,
2021. As the sole compensation for the extended term,
Mr. Dargan was issued an option to purchase 25,000 shares of
the Company’s common stock for each month during the Extended Term
(thus, an option to purchase 400,000 shares reflecting an extended
term of 16 months), vesting over the period of the extension, with
75,000 shares having vested as of December 31, 2019, and the
remaining shares to vest 25,000 shares monthly beginning January
31, 2020, and each month thereafter, so long as the agreement is in
full force and effect. The Option is exercisable at $0.21 per
share, the closing price of BioLargo’s common stock on February 25,
2020, expires ten years from the grant date, and was issued
pursuant to the Company’s 2018 Equity Incentive Plan.
Deductibility of Executive Compensation
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code disallows a tax
deduction to publicly-held companies for compensation paid to
certain of their executive officers, to the extent that
compensation exceeds $1 million per covered officer in any fiscal
year. The limitation applies only to compensation which is not
considered to be performance based. Non-performance based
compensation paid to the Company’s executive officers for the 2019
fiscal year did not exceed the $1 million limit per officer, and
the Compensation Committee does not anticipate that the
non-performance based compensation to be paid to the Company’s
executive officers for the 2020 fiscal year will exceed that limit.
Because it is unlikely that the cash non-performance based
compensation payable to any of the Company’s executive officers in
the foreseeable future will approach the $1 million limit, the
Compensation Committee has decided at this time not to take any
action to limit or restructure the elements of cash compensation
payable to the Company’s executive officers. The Compensation
Committee will reconsider this decision should the individual cash
non-performance based compensation of any executive officer ever
approach the $1 million level.
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Submitted by the Compensation Committee:
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/s/ John S. Runyan, Chair
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/s/ Dennis E. Marshall
/s/ Kent C. Roberts II
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MATTER II
ADVISORY APPROVAL OF THE COMPANY'S EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
Pursuant to Section 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, we
are requesting your advisory approval of the compensation of our
named executive officers as disclosed in the
“Executive Compensation” discussion and analysis, the
compensation tables, and the narrative discussion set forth in this
Proxy Statement. This non-binding advisory vote is commonly
referred to as a “say on pay” vote. The next non-binding advisory
vote on executive compensation will occur at our 2021 Annual
Meeting of Stockholders. While this vote is advisory, and not
binding on our company, it will provide information to our
Compensation Committee and management regarding investor sentiment
about our executive compensation philosophy, policies and
practices, which the Compensation Committee will consider when
evaluating compensation for the remainder of 2020 and determining
executive compensation for future years.
As described more fully in the Compensation Discussion and
Analysis portion of this proxy, our executive compensation program
has been designed to attract, motivate and retain individuals with
the skills needed to formulate, implement and execute strategy to
further the creation of stockholder value.
We encourage you to carefully review the “Executive
Compensation” discussion beginning on page 9 of this Proxy
Statement for additional details on our executive compensation,
including our compensation philosophy and objectives, as well as
the processes our Compensation Committee used to determine the
structure and amounts of the compensation of our named executive
officers.
We are asking you to indicate your support for the
compensation of our named executive officers as described in this
Proxy Statement. This vote is not intended to address any specific
item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of our
named executive officers and the philosophy, policies and practices
described in this Proxy Statement. Accordingly, we are asking you
to vote “FOR” the approval, on an advisory basis, of the following
resolution at the Annual Meeting:
“RESOLVED, that the compensation paid to BioLargo,
Inc.’s named executive officers, as disclosed pursuant to the
Securities and Exchange Commission's compensation disclosure rules,
including the “Executive Compensation” discussion and
analysis, the compensation tables and the narrative discussion set
forth in the Proxy Statement, is hereby approved.”
While the results of this advisory approval are not binding,
the Compensation Committee will consider the outcome of the vote in
deciding whether to take any action as a result of the vote and
when making future compensation decisions for named executive
officers.
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "FOR" THE
APPROVAL OF THE COMPENSATION OF OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
AS DISCLOSED IN THIS PROXY STATEMENT.
MATTER III
RATIFICATION OF SELECTION OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Haskell & White LLP audited our financial statements for the
years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019. Our Audit Committee has
again selected Haskell & White LLP as our independent
registered public accounting firm to audit our financial statements
for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020. Haskell & White
LLP has represented to us that it is independent with respect to
the Company within the meaning of the published rules and
regulations of the SEC.
Although ratification by stockholders is not required by law, the
Board of Directors has determined that it is desirable to request
ratification of this selection by the stockholders. Notwithstanding
its selection, the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors, in
its discretion, may appoint a new independent registered public
accounting firm at any time during the year if the Board of
Directors believes that such a change would be in the best interest
of BioLargo and its stockholders. If the stockholders do not ratify
the appointment of Haskell & White LLP, the Audit Committee of
the Board of Directors may reconsider its selection.
The Board of Directors expects that representatives of Haskell
& White LLP will be present at the Annual Meeting to respond to
appropriate questions and to make a statement if they so
desire.
Vote Required
If a quorum is present, the affirmative vote of a majority of the
shares present and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be
required to ratify the appointment of Haskell & White LLP as
our independent registered public accounting firm. Abstentions will
have the effect of a vote “against” the ratification of Haskell
& White LLP as our independent registered public accounting
firm. Broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of the
vote.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT STOCKHOLDERS
VOTE “FOR” THE RATIFICATION OF HASKELL & WHITE LLP AS
OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR
THE 2020 FISCAL YEAR.
Principal
Accountant Fees and Services
The following table summarizes the fees billed by Haskell &
White, LLP, our principal accountant engaged to audit our financial
statements for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, for
professional services rendered to the Company and its subsidiaries
during the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019.
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Amount Billed
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Type of Fee
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Fiscal Year
2018
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Fiscal Year
2019
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Audit Fees(1)
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$
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79,600
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$
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91,150
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Audit-Related(2)
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49,500
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26,710
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Tax Fees
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—
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—
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All Other Fees
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—
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—
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Total
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$
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129,100
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$
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117,860
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(1)
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This category consists of fees for the audit of our annual
financial statements included in our annual report on Form 10-K and
review of the financial statements included in the Company’s
quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. This category also includes advice
on audit and accounting matters that arose during, or as a result
of, the audit or the review of interim financial statements,
statutory audits required by non-U.S. jurisdictions and the
preparation of an annual “management letter” on internal control
matters.
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(2)
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Represents services that are normally provided by the independent
auditors in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or
engagements for those fiscal years, aggregate fees charged for
assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the
performance of the audit and are not reported as audit fees. These
services include consultations regarding Sarbanes-Oxley Act
requirements, various SEC filings such as registration statements
and consents, and the implementation of new accounting
requirements.
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REPORT OF
AUDIT COMMITTEE
The following report of the Audit Committee does not constitute
soliciting material and should not be deemed filed or incorporated
by reference into any of our other filings under the Securities Act
or the Exchange Act, except to the extent that we specifically
incorporate this report by reference therein, and shall not be
deemed to be soliciting material or otherwise deemed filed under
either such Act.
The Audit Committee is currently comprised of three independent
directors, all of whom are independent under the rules of the SEC
and Nasdaq. Mr. Marshall serves as Chairman of the Audit
Committee. Mssrs. Roberts and Runyan also serve on the Audit
Committee. The Board has determined that Mr. Marshall
qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in
Item 401(h) of Regulation S-K of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended. The duties and responsibilities of a member of
the Audit Committee are in addition to his or her duties as a
member of the Board. The Audit Committee operates under a written
charter, a copy of which is available on our corporate
website, www.biolargo.com. The Audit Committee met four times
during 2019.
The Audit Committee’s primary duties and responsibilities are
to:
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engage the Company’s independent registered public accounting
firm,
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monitor the independent registered public accounting firm’s
independence, qualifications and performance,
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pre-approve all audit and non-audit services,
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monitor the integrity of the Company’s financial reporting process
and internal control systems,
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provide an open avenue of communication among the independent
registered public accounting firm, financial and senior management
of the Company and the Board, and
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monitor the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory
requirements, contingent liabilities, risk assessment and risk
management.
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Management is responsible for the Company’s internal controls and
the financial reporting process. The Company’s independent
registered public accounting firm is responsible for performing an
independent audit of the Company’s consolidated financial
statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board and issuing a report thereon. The Audit
Committee’s responsibility is to monitor and oversee these
processes.
In carrying out these responsibilities, the Audit Committee
monitored the Company’s operational effectiveness regarding the
progress and completion of the implementation of the Company’s
internal controls.
In overseeing the preparation of the Company’s financial
statements, the Audit Committee met with the Company’s Chief
Financial Officer and management, and held meetings with the
Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, both in
the presence of management and privately, to review and discuss all
financial statements prior to their issuance, the overall scope and
plans for the preparation of the financial statements and
respective audit, and the evaluation of the Company’s internal
controls and significant accounting issues. Management advised the
Audit Committee that all financial statements were prepared in
accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States of America, and the Audit Committee discussed the
statements with both management and the Company’s independent
registered public accounting firm. In accordance with
Section 204 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) Audit Standard
No. 16-1301 (Communications with Audit Committees) , the Audit
Committee has discussed with the Company’s independent registered
public accounting firm all matters required to be discussed under
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the foregoing standards. In
addition, the Audit Committee has received the written disclosures
and the letter from the independent registered public accounting
firm required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding the
independent registered public accounting firm’s communications with
the Audit Committee concerning independence, and has discussed with
the independent registered public accounting firm its
independence.
With respect to the Company’s independent registered
public accounting firm, the Audit Committee, among other things,
discussed with Haskell & White LLP matters relating to their
independence, including the written disclosures made to the Audit
Committee as required by the PCAOB Rule 3526, Communications with
Audit Committees Concerning Independence. The Audit
Committee also reviewed and approved the audit fees of Haskell
& White LLP.
On the basis of these reviews and discussions, the Audit
Committee (i) appointed Haskell & White LLP as the
Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the
year ending December 31, 2019 and (ii) recommended to the Board
that the Board approve the inclusion of the Company’s audited
financial statements in the Form 10-K for the year ended December
31, 2019 for filing with the SEC.
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Submitted by the Audit Committee:
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/s/ Dennis E. Marshall, Chair
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/s/ John S. Runyan
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/s/ Kent C. Roberts II
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MATTER IV
APPROVAL OF A REVERSE STOCK SPLIT
Introduction
The Board is presenting this proposal to the stockholders for
approval as part of its plan to uplist its common stock to the
Nasdaq Capital Markets (or another national exchange) and raise the
capital needed to further advance its business. The Company does
not currently meet the Nasdaq Capital Markets initial listing
requirements of share price ($4.00) and stockholder equity
($5,000,000). This proposal, if approved, would authorize the Board
to proceed with a reverse stock split, in its discretion, within a
certain range of ratios. Doing so would allow it to meet the
minimum share price requirement in Nasdaq’s listing standards. To
meet the net equity requirement, it would need to increase equity
by raising significant capital. The Company’s Board of Directors
would only proceed with the reverse stock split described in this
proposal if it had in place firm underwriting of an offering that
would allow it to meet the stockholder equity requirement.
Background
At the two previous stockholder meetings, the stockholders
authorized the Company’s Board to proceed with a reverse stock
split within a range of 1:4 and 1:40 in association with uplisting
the Company’s common stock to a national stock exchange (such as
Nasdaq). For the 2020 Annual stockholder meeting, the Board has
adopted a similar resolution, but at a lower ratio of up to a 1:20
reverse split. The Board believes that a lower ratio is appropriate
as it would only proceed with a reverse split if the Company was in
a stronger financial position from a profit/loss and revenue
standpoint, and with the market showing stronger support for its
stock. As such, it is recommending to the Company’s stockholders
approval of a proposal to amend our certificate of incorporation to
effect a reverse split of our outstanding shares of Common Stock
within a range of one share of Common Stock for every four shares
of Common Stock (1:4) to one share of Common Stock for every twenty
shares of Common Stock (1:20), with the exact reverse split ratio
to be decided and publicly announced by the Board prior to the
effective time of the amendment to our certificate of incorporation
(the “Reverse Stock Split”). If the stockholders approve
this proposal, the Board will have the authority to decide, at any
time prior to the next annual meeting of stockholders of the
Company, whether to implement the Reverse Stock Split, and the
precise ratio of the Reverse Stock Split within a range of 1-for-4
shares of our Common Stock to 1-for-20 shares of our Common Stock.
If the Board decides to implement the Reverse Stock Split, the
Reverse Stock Split will become effective upon the filing of an
amendment to our certificate of incorporation with the Secretary of
State of the State of Delaware.
The Board reserves the right, even after stockholder
approval, to abandon or postpone the filing of the amendment to
effect the Reverse Stock Split if the Board determines that it is
not in the best interests of the Company and the stockholders. The
Board has elected thus far not to proceed with the reverse stock
split authorized by the stockholders at last year’s annual meeting.
If the amendment effecting the Reverse Stock Split authorized by
this proposal is not implemented by the Board prior to the next
annual meeting of stockholders of the Company, the proposal will be
deemed abandoned, without any further effect. In that case, the
Board may again seek stockholder approval at a future date for a
reverse stock split if it deems a reverse stock split to be
advisable at that time.
If our stockholders approve this proposal and our Board of
Directors does not otherwise abandon the amendment contemplating
the reverse stock split, we will file a Certificate of Amendment to
the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware (the
“Delaware Secretary of State”) to effect the proposed
reverse stock split, in the form attached to this proxy statement
as Appendix A. Our Board of Directors has
approved and declared advisable the proposed amendment to the
Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation as set
forth in the Certificate of Amendment, in the form attached to this
proxy statement as Appendix A. If the
proposed reverse stock split is effected, then the number of issued
and outstanding shares of our Common Stock would be reduced. Our
Board of Directors has reserved the right to abandon the amendment
at any time before the effectiveness of the filing of the
Certificate of Amendment with the Delaware Secretary of State, even
if the adoption of the amendment is approved by the stockholders.
If the Certificate of Amendment is not filed with the Delaware
Secretary of State prior to our 2021 Annual Stockholders’ Meeting,
our Board of Directors will abandon the amendment and the Reverse
Stock Split will not be effected. Thus, the Board of Directors, at
its discretion, may cause the filing of the Certificate of
Amendment (following stockholder approval) to effect the Reverse
Stock Split or abandon the amendment and not effect the Reverse
Stock Split if it determines that any such action is or is not in
the best interests of our Company and stockholders.
Purpose of the Reverse Stock Split
We are submitting this proposal to our stockholders for approval in
preparation for a potential public offering of our Common Stock,
during which time we intend to “uplist” our Common Stock from the
OTCQB Marketplace to The Nasdaq Capital Market, or an equivalent
national exchange, and to help attract institutional investors with
minimum trading price requirements. The plan being pursued by the
Company includes an uplist to a national exchange, and securing
capital to grow the business through a fully underwritten and
nationally syndicated public offering. We believe increasing the
trading price of our Common Stock will assist in our
capital-raising efforts by making our Common Stock more attractive
to a broader range of investors. In addition, Management believes
that by listing the company shares on a national exchange like the
Nasdaq Capital Markets will offer a series of benefits to both the
Company and its stockholders including: the Company’s stock will be
more attractive to a larger pool of investors, it will remove
restrictions that currently prohibit many investors from investing
in companies like ours that are traded on the OTCQB, improved
regulatory oversight of broker/dealer market will reduce the risk
of potential trading violations, and the enhanced financial and
governance requirements enhance the Company’s profile to potential
investors. If successful, the company’s stockholders will also
benefit from expanded awareness by inclusion in a number of indexes
that are tracked by buy-side institutions and that will increase
the likelihood of analyst coverage. Accordingly, we believe that
the Reverse Stock Split is in our stockholders’ best interests.
In case we do pursue a listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market or
similar national exchange, we believe that the Reverse Stock Split
is our best option to meet one of the criteria to obtain an initial
listing. The Nasdaq Capital Market requires, among other criteria,
an initial bid price of least $4.00 per share and, following
initial listing, maintenance of a continued price of at least $1.00
per share. On June [**], 2020, the last reported sale price of our
Common Stock on the OTCQB was [$____] per share. A decrease in the
number of outstanding shares of our Common Stock resulting from the
Reverse Stock Split should, absent other factors, assist in
ensuring that our per share market price of our Common Stock
remains above the required price. However, we cannot provide any
assurance that (i) we will pursue a listing on the Nasdaq
Capital Market, or (ii) even if we do, our minimum bid price
would remain over the minimum bid price requirement of The Nasdaq
Capital Market following the reverse stock split.
In addition, an increase in the per share trading value of our
Common Stock would be beneficial because it would:
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improve the perception of our Common Stock as an investment
security;
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reset our stock price to more normalized trading levels in the face
of potentially extended market dislocation;
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appeal to a broader range of investors to generate greater investor
interest in us; and
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reduce stockholder transaction costs because investors would pay
lower commission to trade a fixed dollar amount of our stock if our
stock price were higher than they would if our stock price were
lower.
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You should consider that, although our Board of Directors believes
that a reverse stock split will in fact increase the price of our
Common Stock, in many cases, because of variables outside of a
company’s control (such as market volatility, investor response to
the news of a proposed reverse stock split and the general economic
environment), the market price of a company’s shares of Common
Stock may in fact decline in value after a reverse stock split. You
should also keep in mind that the implementation of a reverse stock
split does not have an effect on the actual or intrinsic value of
our business or a stockholder’s proportional ownership in our
Company. However, should the overall value of our Common Stock
decline after the proposed reverse stock split, then the actual or
intrinsic value of the shares of our Common Stock held by you will
also proportionately decrease as a result of the overall decline in
value.
Potential Effects of the Proposed Reverse Stock Split
If this proposal is approved and the Reverse Stock Split is
effected, the Reverse Stock Split will be realized simultaneously
and in the same ratio for all of our issued and outstanding shares
of Common Stock. The immediate effect of the Reverse Stock Split
would be to reduce the number of shares of our Common Stock
outstanding and to increase the trading price of our Common Stock,
in the same ratio.
However, we cannot predict the effect of any reverse stock split
upon the market price of our Common Stock over an extended period,
and in many cases, the market value of a company’s Common Stock
following a reverse stock split declines. We cannot assure you that
the trading price of our Common Stock after the Reverse Stock Split
will rise in inverse proportion to the reduction in the number of
shares of our Common Stock outstanding as a result of the Reverse
Stock Split. Also, we cannot assure you that the Reverse Stock
Split would lead to a sustained increase in the trading price of
our Common Stock. The trading price of our Common Stock may change
due to a variety of other factors, including our operating results
and other factors related to our business and general market
conditions.
Examples of Potential Reverse Stock Split at Various Ratios. The
table below provides examples of reverse stock splits at various
ratios up to 1-for-100, without giving effect to the
treatment of fractional shares. The actual number of shares
outstanding after giving effect to the Reverse Stock Split, if
effected, will depend on the actual ratio that is determined by our
Board of Directors in accordance with the amendment to the
Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.
Shares outstanding as of Record Date
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Reverse Stock Split Ratio
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Shares outstanding after Reverse Stock Split
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Reduction in Shares Outstanding*
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[---]
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1-for-4
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[---]
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%
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[---]
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1-for-10
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[---]
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%
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[---]
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1-for-15
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[---]
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%
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[---]
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1-for-20
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[---]
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%
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* The percentages set forth in this column do not reflect the
corresponding reduction of authorized shares set forth in Matter V.
In the event the Board reduces the number of shares authorized by
our Certificate of Incorporation in the same ratio as the Reverse
Stock Split, the ratio of the number of shares outstanding and the
number of shares authorized would not change.
The resulting decrease in the number of shares of our Common Stock
outstanding could potentially adversely affect the liquidity of our
Common Stock, especially in the case of larger block trades.
Effects on Ownership by Individual Stockholders.
If we implement the Reverse Stock Split, the number of shares of
our Common Stock held by each stockholder would be reduced by
multiplying the number of shares held immediately before the
Reverse Stock Split by the appropriate ratio and then rounding up
to the nearest whole share. The Reverse Stock Split would not
affect any stockholder’s percentage ownership interest in our
Company or proportionate voting power.
Effect on Restricted Stock Options, Warrants
and Convertible Debt. In addition, we would adjust all
outstanding shares of any restricted stock, options and warrants
entitling the holders to purchase shares of our Common Stock as a
result of the Reverse Stock Split, as required by the terms of
these securities, as well as adjust the conversion price of any
convertible debt. In particular, we would reduce the conversion
ratio for each instrument, and would increase the exercise price in
accordance with the terms of each instrument and based on
the 1-for-4, up to 1-for-100 ratio of the
Reverse Stock Split (i.e., the number of shares issuable under such
securities would decrease by 75%, up to 98%, respectively, and the
exercise price per share would be multiplied by 4, up to 100,
respectively). Also, we would reduce the number of shares reserved
for issuance under our existing 2018 Equity Incentive Plan, or the
2018 Plan, proportionately based on the ratio of the Reverse Stock
Split. The Reverse Stock Split would not otherwise affect any of
the rights currently accruing to holders of our Common Stock, or
options or warrants exercisable for our Common Stock.
Other Effects on Outstanding Shares.
If we implement a reverse stock split, the rights pertaining to the
outstanding shares of our Common Stock would be unchanged after the
reverse stock split. Each share of our Common Stock issued
following the reverse stock split would be fully paid and
nonassessable.
The reverse stock split would result in some stockholders
owning “odd-lots” of less than 100 shares of our Common
Stock. Brokerage commissions and other costs of transactions
in odd-lots are generally higher than the costs of
transactions in “round-lots” of even multiples of 100 shares.
After the effective time, our Common Stock will have a new
Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures (CUSIP)
number, which is a number used to identify our equity securities,
and stock certificates with the older CUSIP number will need to be
exchanged for shares of Common Stock with the new CUSIP number by
following the procedures described below. However, until such
exchange is made, the old stock certificates will automatically
represent the new, post-split number of shares. After the Reverse
Stock Split, we will continue to voluntarily file periodic reports
and comply with other requirements of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Because our Board of
Directors intends to implement the Reverse Stock Split only in
conjunction with a public offering and uplist to the Nasdaq Capital
Markets, if the Reverse Stock Split is effected, our Common Stock
would be listed shortly thereafter on a national stock
exchange.
Authorized Shares of Stock
The Reverse Stock Split would affect all issued and outstanding
shares of Common Stock and outstanding rights to acquire Common
Stock. In Proposal Two, we are asking for authorization to reduce
the number of shares outstanding such that the ratio of shares
issued to shares outstanding would not change. By itself, Proposal
One does not change the number of shares of Common Stock currently
authorized. However, if Proposal One is approved, and Proposal Two
is not, upon the effectiveness of the Reverse Stock Split, the
number of authorized shares of Common Stock that are not issued or
outstanding would increase due to the reduction in the number of
shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding as a result of the
reverse stock split.
As of the Record Date, we had (i) 400,000,000 shares of authorized
Common Stock, of which [---] shares of Common Stock, par value
$0.00067 per share, were issued and outstanding, and (ii)
50,000,000 shares of authorized preferred stock, par value $0.00067
per share, of which there were no shares issued and outstanding. If
we issue additional shares, the ownership interest of holders of
Common Stock will be diluted.
We will reserve for issuance any authorized but unissued shares of
Common Stock that would be made available as a result of the
proposed reverse stock split.
Procedure for Effecting the Proposed Stock Split and Exchange of
Stock Certificates
If stockholders approve this proposal and our Board of Directors
does not otherwise abandon the amendment contemplating the Reverse
Stock Split, we will file with the Delaware Secretary of State a
Certificate of Amendment to our Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation, in the form attached to this proxy statement
as Appendix A. The Reverse Stock Split will
become effective at the time and on the date of filing of, or at
such later time as is specified in, the Certificate of Amendment,
which we refer to as the “effective time” and “effective date,”
respectively. Beginning at the effective time, each certificate
representing shares of Common Stock will be deemed for all
corporate purposes to evidence ownership of the number of whole
shares into which the shares previously represented by the
certificate were combined pursuant to the Reverse Stock Split.
Upon the Reverse Stock Split, we intend to treat stockholders
holding our Common Stock in “street name,” through a bank, broker
or other nominee, in the same manner as registered stockholders
whose shares are registered in their names. Banks, brokers or other
nominees will be instructed to effect the Reverse Stock Split for
their beneficial holders holding our Common Stock in “street name.”
However, these banks, brokers or other nominees may have different
procedures than registered stockholders for processing the Reverse
Stock Split. If you hold your shares with a bank, broker or other
nominee and if you have any questions in this regard, we encourage
you to contact your nominee.
Following the Reverse Stock Split, stockholders holding physical
certificates must exchange those certificates for new
certificates.
Our transfer agent will advise registered stockholders of the
procedures to be followed to exchange certificates in a letter of
transmittal to be sent to stockholders. No new certificates will be
issued to a stockholder until the stockholder has surrendered the
stockholder’s outstanding certificate(s), together with the
properly completed and executed letter of transmittal, to the
transfer agent. Any old shares submitted for transfer, whether
pursuant to a sale, other disposition or otherwise, will
automatically be exchanged for new shares. Stockholders
should not destroy any stock
certificate(s) and should not submit
any certificate(s) until requested to
do so.
Fractional Shares
We would not issue fractional shares in connection with the Reverse
Stock Split. In lieu thereof, any fractional share that results
from the Reverse Stock Split will be rounded up to the next whole
share of Common Stock.
No Appraisal Rights
No appraisal rights are available under the General Corporation Law
of the State of Delaware or under our Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation or amended and restated bylaws with
respect to the reverse stock split. There may exist other rights or
actions under state law for stockholders who are aggrieved by
reverse stock splits generally.
Accounting Consequences
The par value of our Common Stock would remain unchanged at
$0.00067 per share after the Reverse Stock Split. Also, our capital
account would remain unchanged, and we do not anticipate that any
other accounting consequences would arise as a result of the
reverse stock split.
No Going Private Transaction
Notwithstanding the decrease in the number of outstanding shares
following the reverse stock split, our Board of Directors does not
intend for this transaction to be the first step in a “going
private transaction” within the meaning of Rule 13e-3 of
the Exchange Act.
Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Reverse
Stock Split
The following is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax
consequences of the reverse stock split to holders of our shares.
This summary is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended (the “Code”), the Treasury regulations promulgated
thereunder, and administrative rulings and court decisions in
effect as of the date of this document, all of which may be subject
to change, possibly with retroactive effect. This summary only
addresses holders who hold their shares as capital assets within
the meaning of the Code and does not address all aspects of U.S.
federal income taxation that may be relevant to holders subject to
special tax treatment, such as financial institutions, dealers in
securities, insurance companies, foreign persons
and tax-exempt entities. In addition, this summary does
not consider the effects of any applicable state, local, foreign or
other tax laws.
We have not sought and will not seek any ruling from the Internal
Revenue Service (the “IRS”), or an opinion from counsel with
respect to the U.S. federal income tax consequences discussed
below. There can be no assurance that the tax consequences
discussed below would be accepted by the IRS or a court. The tax
treatment of the reverse stock split to holders may vary depending
upon a holder’s particular facts and circumstances.
We urge holders to consult with their own tax advisors as to any
U.S. federal, state, local or foreign tax consequences applicable
to them that could result from the reverse stock split.
The receipt of Common Stock in the Reverse Stock Split should not
result in any taxable gain or loss to a holder for U.S. federal
income tax purposes. The aggregate tax basis of the Common Stock
received by a holder as a result of the Reverse Stock Split
(including the basis of any fractional share to which a holder is
entitled) will be equal to the aggregate basis of the existing
Common Stock exchanged for such stock. A holder’s holding period
for the Common Stock received in the Reverse Stock Split will
include the holding period of the Common Stock exchanged
therefor.
Board Discretion to Implement the Reverse Stock Split
Our Board of Directors has reserved the right to abandon the
amendment at any time before the effectiveness of the filing of the
Certificate of Amendment with the Delaware Secretary of State, even
if the adoption of the amendment is approved by the
stockholders.
Required Vote
The vote required to approve Matter IV is governed by Delaware law,
and the minimum vote required to approve such proposal is a
majority of the total votes cast on such proposal, provided a
quorum is present. As a result, in accordance with Delaware law,
abstentions and broker non-votes will have the effect of a vote
“Against” each such proposal.
Recommendation of the Board of Directors
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT
YOU VOTE “FOR” MATTER IV
MATTER V
APPROVAL OF A PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO
AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
TO REDUCE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED SHARES OF COMMON
STOCK
Overview
In connection with the Reverse Stock Split described in Matter IV,
the Board of Directors is proposing that it be provided authority
to reduce the total number of authorized shares of common stock to
a number that it determines to be in the best interest of the
Company and its stockholders depending on the chosen ratio of the
Reverse Stock Split and any other factor it deems important to
consider, including future financing needs. The Board of Directors
could choose to reduce the number of shares in the same ratio as
the Reverse Stock Split, or some lessor ratio, or not at all. Thus,
for example, were Proposal One and Two approved and the Board
elected to do the Reverse Stock Split at a 1-for-10 ratio, then the
Board of Directors would be authorized to reduce the total number
of authorized shares of common stock from 400,000,000 to an amount
as low as 40,000,000 (the 1:10 ratio), or some higher number (e.g.,
to 100,000,000 shares, thus a 1:4 ratio). The par value per share
of the common stock would remain unchanged at $0.00067 per share
after the Reverse Stock Split.
The text of the proposed certificate of amendment to the Charter to
effect the Reverse Stock Split and reduce the total number of
authorized shares of common stock is attached to this proxy
statement as Appendix A. However, such text is subject to amendment
to include such changes as may be required by the office of the
Secretary of State of the State of Delaware or as the Board of
Directors deems necessary and advisable to effect the Reverse Stock
Split under Proposal One. The effectiveness or abandonment of such
amendment will be determined by the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors has recommended that the proposed amendment
be presented to stockholders for approval. Upon receiving
stockholder approval of the proposed amendment, the Board of
Directors will have the sole discretion, until the 2021 Annual
Meeting, to elect, as it determines to be in the best interests of
BioLargo and its stockholders, whether to effect the Reverse Stock
Split.
Matter V is conditioned on the approval of Matter IV. Therefore, if
Matter IV is not approved by the stockholders, Matter V will
automatically be deemed to have not been approved by the
stockholders, regardless of the number of shares actually voted
“FOR” Matter V. Matter IV is not conditioned on the approval of
Matter V.
Purposes and Effects of Decreasing our Total Number of
Authorized Shares of Common Stock
As a matter of Delaware law, implementation of the Reverse Stock
Split does not require a change in the total number of shares of
common stock authorized under the Charter. However, the although
the Board of Directors believes that the current ratio of
outstanding shares to authorized shares (approximately 1:3) is
sufficient to meet the needs of the Company in the near future,
future financing activities and company operations may necessitate
the availability of additional shares. If the number of outstanding
shares of common stock resulting from the Reverse Stock Split if
Matter IV is approved by the stockholders and implemented by the
Board decreases, the Company may no longer have a need for
400,000,000 authorized shares of common stock. This need will
depend on the ratio that the Board deems to be in the best interest
of the Company and its stockholders.
The proposed authorization to reduce the number of authorized
shares of common stock is also intended to conform to the
requirements of certain entities that make recommendations to
stockholders regarding proposals submitted by the Company and to
ensure that the Company does not have what some stockholders might
view as an unreasonably high number of authorized but unissued
shares of common stock. In the event that we need to increase our
authorized shares of common stock in the future, we may, subject to
stockholder approval, seek to amend the Charter to increase the
number of authorized shares of common stock. In addition, the Board
of Directors believes that the reduction in the number of
authorized shares of common stock may also reduce certain of
BioLargo’s costs, such as annual franchise taxes paid to the State
of Delaware.
Required Vote
The vote required to approve Matter V is governed by Delaware law,
and the minimum vote required to approve such proposal is a
majority of the total votes cast on such proposal, provided a
quorum is present. As a result, in accordance with Delaware law,
abstentions and broker non-votes will have the effect of a vote
“Against” each such proposal.
Recommendation of the Board of Directors
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT
YOU VOTE “FOR” MATTER V
ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K
We filed with the SEC our original Annual Report for our year ended
December 31, 2019 on Form 10-K on March 30, 2020. A copy of the
10-K has been mailed to all stockholders along with this proxy
statement, or stockholders have been given notice of Internet
availability of these documents. Stockholders may obtain additional
copies of the Annual Report, without charge, by writing to our
Corporate Secretary, at our principal executive offices at 14921
Chestnut St., Westminster, CA 92683.
We incorporate by this reference herein the Company’s Financial
Statements and the notes thereto, and the discussions under the
captions “Description of Business,” “Description of Properties,”
“Legal Proceedings,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Changes in and
Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial
Disclosure” contained in the 10-K.
OTHER MATTERS
Management does not know of any matters to be presented at the
Meeting other than those set forth herein and in the Notice
accompanying this proxy statement. If a stockholder vote is
necessary to transact any other business at the Meeting, the
proxyholders intend to vote their proxies in accordance with their
best judgment related to such business.
Attachment A
CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT OF
AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION OF
BIOLARGO, INC.
BioLargo, Inc., a corporation organized and existing under the laws
of the State of Delaware (the “Corporation”), hereby
certifies that:
A. The name of the Corporation is BioLargo,
Inc.
B. The Corporation was originally
incorporated under the name Repossession Auction, Inc., and the
original Certificate of Incorporation was filed with the Secretary
of State of the State of Delaware on September 19, 1991.
C. The FOURTH Article of the Amended and
Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation is hereby
amended and restated to read in its entirety as follows:
“FOURTH: The total number of shares of all classes that this
Corporation is authorized to issue is [•],000,000 shares, of which
(i) 50,000,000 shares shall be designated as preferred stock, par
value $0.00067 per share (the “Preferred Stock”), and (ii)
[•],000,000 shares shall be designated as common stock, par value
$0.00067 per share (the “Common Stock”). Upon the filing and
effectiveness (the “Effective Time”) pursuant to the
Delaware General Corporation Law of this Certificate of Amendment
to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the
Corporation, each [•] shares of Common Stock either issued and
outstanding or held by the Corporation in treasury stock
immediately prior to the Effective Time shall, automatically and
without any action on the part of the respective holders thereof,
be combined and converted into one share of Common Stock (the
“Reverse Stock Split”). No fractional shares shall be issued
in connection with the Reverse Stock Split. In lieu thereof, any
fractional share that results from the combination described in the
two immediately preceding sentences will be rounded up to the next
whole share of Common Stock.
Each certificate that immediately prior to the Effective Time
represented shares of Common Stock (an “Old Certificate”)
shall thereafter represent that number of shares of Common Stock
into which the shares of Common Stock represented by the Old
Certificate shall have been combined.”
D. This Certificate of Amendment to
the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation was duly
adopted by the Board of Directors and stockholders of the
Corporation in accordance with the provisions of Section 242 of the
Delaware General Corporation Law.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, BioLargo, Inc. has caused this Certificate of
Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
to be signed this [•] day of [•], 20[•].
BioLargo, Inc.
By:
Name:
Title:
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