Table of Contents
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Filed by the Registrant ☒
Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ☐
Check the appropriate box:
☐Preliminary
Proxy Statement
☐ Confidential,
for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule
14a-6(e)(2))
☒Definitive
Proxy Statement
☐Definitive
Additional Materials
☐ Soliciting
Material Pursuant under Sec.240.14a-12
Medicine Man Technologies, Inc.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
____________________________________________
(Name of
Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
☒
No fee required
☐
Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and
0-11.
|
(1) |
Title of each class of securities to which transaction
applies: |
|
(2) |
Aggregate number of securities to which transaction
applies: |
|
(3) |
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): |
|
(4) |
Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction: |
☐
Fee paid previously with preliminary materials:
☐
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.
|
(1) |
Amount previously paid: |
|
(2) |
Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.: |
MEDICINE MAN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
4880 Havana Street, Suite 201
Denver, Colorado 80239
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To be Held December 9, 2021
To the Stockholders of Medicine Man Technologies, Inc.:
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
(the “Annual Meeting”) of Medicine Man Technologies, Inc., a Nevada
corporation doing business as Schwazze (the “Company”), will be
held at 9 a.m. local time on December 9, 2021, or such later date
or dates as such Annual Meeting date may be adjourned, at 4880
Havana Street, Suite 201, Denver CO 80239 for the purpose of
considering and taking action on the following proposals:
|
· |
Elect as Class B directors the
nominees named in the proxy statement; |
|
· |
To ratify the appointment of BF
Borgers, CPA P.C. as our independent public accountant for the
fiscal year ending December 31, 2021; and |
|
· |
To transact any other business
properly brought before the meeting. |
The foregoing business items are more fully described in the
following pages, which are made part of this notice.
The Company’s Board of Directors recommends that you vote as
follows:
|
· |
“FOR” for the election of
each of Justin Dye, Pratap Mukharji, and Brian Ruden as Class B
directors; and |
|
· |
“FOR” ratification of the
selection of BF Borgers, CPA P.C. as our independent public
accountant for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021. |
The Company’s Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on
October 20, 2021 as the record date (the “Record Date”) for the
determination of stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at
the Annual Meeting and at any adjournments thereof. You may vote if
you were the record owner of the Company’s common stock or Series A
Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock at the close of business on
the Record Date.
As of the Record Date, there were 44,622,253 shares of common stock
and 82,838 shares of Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred
Stock outstanding and entitled to vote. A list of stockholders of
record will be available at the Annual Meeting and, during the 10
days before the Annual Meeting, at the office of the Secretary of
the Company at 4880 Havana Street, Suite 201, Denver, CO 80239.
All stockholders are cordially invited to attend the Annual
Meeting. Whether you plan to attend the Annual Meeting or not, you
are requested to complete, sign, date and return the enclosed proxy
card, or respond via Internet or telephone, as soon as possible in
accordance with the instructions on the proxy card. A
pre-addressed, postage prepaid return envelope is enclosed for your
convenience.
These proxy materials are also available via the Internet at
www.proxyvote.com. You are encouraged to read the proxy materials
carefully in their entirety and submit your proxy as soon as
possible so that your shares can be voted at the Annual Meeting in
accordance with your instructions.
Dated: November 4,
2021 |
By Order of the Board of Directors of Medicine Man Technologies,
Inc.
Sincerely,
Justin Dye
Justin Dye
Chief Executive Officer and
Executive Chairman of the Board
|
YOUR VOTE AT THE ANNUAL MEETING IS IMPORTANT
Your vote is important. Please vote as promptly as possible even if
you plan to attend the Annual Meeting.
For information on how to vote your shares, please see the
instruction from your broker or other fiduciary, as applicable, as
well as “General Information About the Annual Meeting” in the proxy
statement accompanying this notice.
We encourage you to vote by completing, signing, and dating the
proxy card, and returning it in the enclosed envelope.
If you have questions about voting your shares, please contact our
Corporate Secretary at Medicine Man Technologies, Inc., at 4880
Havana Street, Suite 201, Denver, CO 80239, telephone number (303)
371-0387.
If you decide to change your vote, you may revoke your proxy in the
manner described in the attached proxy statement at any time before
it is voted.
We urge you to review the accompanying materials carefully and to
vote as promptly as possible.
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR
THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 9, 2021
AT 8 A.M. PST – 9 A.M. MST.
The Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders, our Proxy
Statement and our 2020 Annual Report are available at:
www.proxyvote.com.
Table of Contents

MEDICINE MAN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
4880 Havana Street, Suite 201
Denver, Colorado 80239
PROXY STATEMENT
2021 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 9,
2021
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANNUAL
MEETING
This proxy statement, along with the accompanying notice of the
2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, contains information about the
2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company, including any
adjournments or postponements thereof (referred to herein as the
“Annual Meeting”). We are holding the Annual Meeting at 9:00 a.m.
local time on December 9, 2021, at 4880 Havana Street, Suite 201,
Denver CO 80239, or such later date or dates as such Annual Meeting
date may be adjourned. For directions to the meeting, please call
(303) 371-0387.
This proxy statement has been prepared by the Company’s management
and it solicits proxies by and on behalf of the Company’s Board of
Directors (referred to herein as the “Board of Directors” or the
“Board”).
This proxy statement and the other proxy materials for the Annual
Meeting also are available via the Internet at www.proxyvote.com.
You are encouraged to read the proxy materials carefully, and in
their entirety, and submit your proxy as soon as possible so that
your shares can be voted at the Annual Meeting in accordance with
your instructions. Even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting,
you are encouraged to submit your vote promptly. You have a choice
of submitting your proxy by Internet, by telephone or by mail, and
the proxy card provides instructions (and access number) for each
option.
In this proxy statement, we refer to Medicine Man Technologies,
Inc., doing business as Schwazze, as the “Company,” “we,” “us” or
“our.”
We are mailing this proxy statement on or about November 10,
2021.
Why
Did You Send Me This Proxy Statement?
The Board of Directors is soliciting proxies, in the accompanying
form, to be used at the Annual Meeting and any adjournments
thereof. This proxy statement, along with the accompanying Notice
of Annual Meeting of Stockholders, summarizes the purposes of the
Annual Meeting and the information you need to know to vote at the
Annual Meeting. At the Annual Meeting, you will be asked to vote on
the following proposals:
|
1) |
Elect each of Justin Dye, Pratap
Mukharji, and Brian Ruden as Class B directors of the Board; |
|
2) |
To ratify the appointment of BF
Borgers, CPA P.C. as our independent public accountant for the
fiscal year ending December 31, 2021; and |
|
3) |
To transact any other business
properly brought before the meeting. |
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials
for the Stockholder Meeting to Be Held on December 9, 2021: The
Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders, our Proxy Statement and
our 2020 Annual Report are available at www.proxyvote.com.
The following documents are being made available to all
stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual
Meeting:
|
2) |
The accompanying proxy. |
|
3) |
Our 2020 Annual Report. |
The 2020 Annual Report includes our financial statements for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 but is not a part of this proxy
statement. You can also find a copy of our 2020 Annual Report on
Form 10-K, as amended by our Annual Reports on Form 10-K/A, on the
Internet through the Securities and Exchange Commission’s
electronic data system called EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar or through
the “SEC Filings” section of our website at
https://ir.schwazze.com/sec-filings/all-sec-filings.
Who
Can Vote?
Stockholders who owned shares of our common stock and our Series A
Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Series A Preferred
Stock”) at the close of business on October 20, 2020 (the “Record
Date”), are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. Holders of our
common stock and Series A Preferred Stock vote together as a single
class.
You do not need to attend the Annual Meeting to vote your shares.
Shares represented by valid proxies, received in time for the
Annual Meeting and not revoked prior to the Annual Meeting, will be
voted at the Annual Meeting. A stockholder may revoke a proxy
before the proxy is voted by following the instructions included
below under “May I Change or Revoke My Proxy?”
How
Many Votes Do I Have?
Each share of common stock that you own entitles you to one vote.
Each share of Series A Preferred Stock that you own entitles you to
cast a number of votes equal to the number of whole shares of
common stock into which the share of Series A Preferred Stock would
convert into as of the Record Date as if such share of Series A
Preferred Stock were convertible as of such date. Each share of
Series A Preferred Stock is convertible into the number of share(s)
of common stock determined by dividing (i) the Series A Preferred
Stock preference amount (which includes accrued dividends) plus the
pro rata portion of the amount of the next dividend for the period
between the previous dividend payment date and the date of
determination, by (ii) $1.20.
As of the Record Date, there were 44,622,253 shares of common stock
and 82,838 shares of Series A Preferred Stock outstanding and
entitled to vote. The shares of Series A Preferred Stock
outstanding as of the Record Date are entitled to cast an aggregate
of 74,544,200 votes. The 4,428 shares of Series A Preferred Stock
that are held in escrow under the asset purchase agreements entered
into with the Star Buds Companies are not outstanding as of the
Record Date nor entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.
How Do I Vote?
Whether you plan to attend the Annual Meeting or not, we urge you
to vote by proxy. All shares represented by valid proxies that we
receive through this solicitation, and that are not revoked, will
be voted in accordance with your instructions on the proxy card or
as instructed via Internet or telephone. You may specify whether
your shares should be voted for or withheld for each nominee for
director, and how your shares should be voted with respect to each
of the other proposals. Except as set forth below, if you properly
submit a proxy without giving specific voting instructions, your
shares will be voted in accordance with the Board’s recommendations
as noted below. Voting by proxy will not affect your right to
attend the Annual Meeting. If your shares are registered directly
in your name through our stock transfer agent, Globex Transfer,
LLC, you may vote:
|
· |
By mail. Complete and mail
the proxy card in the enclosed postage prepaid envelope. Your proxy
will be voted in accordance with your instructions. If you sign the
proxy card, but do not specify how you want your shares voted, they
will be voted as recommended by the Board. |
|
· |
By Internet. At
www.proxyvote.com. |
|
· |
In person at the meeting. If
you attend the Annual Meeting, you may deliver your completed proxy
card in person or you may vote by completing a ballot, which will
be available at the Annual Meeting. |
If your shares are held in “street name” (held in the name of a
bank, broker or other nominee), you must provide the bank, broker
or other nominee with instructions on how to vote your shares and
can do so as follows:
|
· |
By Internet or by telephone.
Follow the instructions you receive from your bank, broker or other
nominee to vote by Internet or telephone. |
|
· |
By mail. You will receive
instructions from your bank, broker or other nominee explaining how
to vote your shares. |
|
· |
In person at the meeting.
Contact the bank, broker or other nominee who holds your shares to
obtain a broker’s proxy card and bring it with you to the meeting.
You will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting unless you have a
proxy card from your bank, broker or other nominee. |
How
Does the Board Recommend That I Vote On the Proposals?
The Board recommends that you vote as follows:
|
· |
“FOR” for the election of
Messrs. Dye, Mukharji, and Ruden as Class B directors of the Board;
and |
|
· |
“FOR” ratification of the
selection of BF Borgers, CPA P.C. as our independent public
accountant for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021. |
If any other matter is presented, the proxy card provides that your
shares will be voted by the proxy holder listed on the proxy card
in accordance with his or her judgment if permitted by applicable
law. As of the date of this proxy statement, we are not aware of
any other matters that need to be acted on at the Annual Meeting,
other than those discussed in this proxy statement.
May I Change or Revoke My Proxy?
If you give us your proxy, you may change or revoke it at any time
before the Annual Meeting. You may change or revoke your proxy in
any one of the following ways:
|
· |
signing a new proxy card bearing a
later date and submitting it as instructed above; |
|
· |
if your shares are held in street
name, re-voting by Internet or by telephone as instructed above –
only your latest Internet or telephone vote will be counted; |
|
· |
if your shares are registered in
your name, notifying the Company’s Corporate Secretary in writing
before the Annual Meeting that you have revoked your proxy; or |
|
· |
attending the Annual Meeting and
voting in person. Attending the Annual Meeting in person will not
in and of itself revoke a previously submitted proxy unless you
specifically request it. |
What
If I Receive More Than One Proxy Card?
You may receive more than one proxy card or voting instruction form
if you hold shares of our common stock or Series A Preferred Stock
in more than one account, which may be in registered form or held
in street name. Please vote in the manner described above or on the
proxy card for each account to ensure that all of your shares are
voted.
Will
My Shares Be Voted If I Do Not Return My Proxy Card?
If your shares are registered in your name, they will not be voted
if you do not return your proxy card by mail or vote at the Annual
Meeting as described above under “How Do I Vote?” If your bank,
broker or other nominee cannot vote your shares on a particular
matter because it has not received instructions from you and does
not have discretionary voting authority on that matter, or because
your bank, broker or other nominee chooses not to vote on a matter
for which it does have discretionary voting authority, this is
referred to as a “broker non-vote.” The New York Stock Exchange
(“NYSE”) has rules that govern bank, broker or other nominee who
have record ownership of listed company stock (including stock such
as ours that is quoted on the OTCQX) held in brokerage accounts for
their clients who beneficially own the shares. Under these rules,
bank, broker or other nominee who do not receive voting
instructions from their clients have the discretion to vote
uninstructed shares on certain matters (“routine matters”), but do
not have the discretion to vote uninstructed shares as to certain
other matters (“non-routine matters”). Under NYSE interpretations,
Proposal 1 (election of directors), is considered a non-routine
matter, and Proposal 2 (the ratification of our independent public
accountant) is considered a routine matter. If your shares are held
in street name and you do not provide voting instructions to the
bank, broker or other nominee that holds your shares as described
above under “How Do I Vote?,” the bank, broker or other nominee has
the authority, even if it does not receive instructions from you,
to vote your unvoted shares for Proposal 2 (the ratification of our
independent public accountant) but does not have authority to vote
your unvoted shares for Proposal 1 (election of directors). We
encourage you to provide voting instructions. This ensures your
shares will be voted at the Annual Meeting in the manner you
desire.
What Vote is Required to Approve Each Proposal and How are Votes
Counted?
Proposal 1:
Election of Justin Dye, Pratap Mukharji, and Brian Ruden as
Class B Directors
|
|
The
affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of stock present and
entitled to vote at a meeting of stockholders at which a quorum is
present is necessary to approve the election of directors. You may
vote FOR or AGAINST any of the nominees or ABSTAIN from voting on
any of the nominees. Banks, brokers or other nominees do not have
authority to vote customers’ unvoted shares held by them in street
name for the election of directors. As a result, any shares not
voted by a beneficial owner will be treated as a broker non-vote.
Abstentions and broker non-votes with respect to any of the
nominees will have the effect of a vote AGAINST that nominee. |
|
|
|
Proposal 2:
Ratification of the Appointment of BF Borgers, CPA P.C. as our
Independent Public Accountant for the Fiscal Year Ending December
31, 2021
|
|
The affirmative
vote of a majority of the shares of stock present and entitled to
vote at a meeting of stockholders at which a quorum is present is
necessary to ratify the appointment of the Company’s independent
public accountant. Abstentions will have the same effect as a vote
against this proposal. Banks, brokers or other nominees
have authority to vote customers’ unvoted shares held by them in
street name on this proposal. If a bank, broker or other nominee
does not exercise this authority, it will result in broker
non-votes and such broker non-votes will have the same effect as a
vote AGAINST this proposal. We are seeking the approval of our
stockholders to appoint the Company’s independent accountant in an
effort to maintain sound corporate governance practices. If our
stockholders do not ratify the appointment of BF Borgers, CPA P.C.
as the Company’s independent public accountant for the fiscal year
ending December 31, 2021, the Audit Committee of the Board may
reconsider its appointment based upon such feedback but is not
required to do so. |
What
Constitutes a Quorum for the Annual Meeting?
The presence, in person, by means of electronic communication, or
by proxy, of a majority of the aggregate number of shares of each
class of capital stock outstanding and entitled to vote at the
Annual Meeting is necessary to constitute a quorum at the Annual
Meeting. Votes of stockholders of record who are present at the
Annual Meeting in person or by proxy, abstentions, and broker
non-votes are counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum
exists.
Householding of Annual Disclosure Documents
The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) previously
adopted a rule concerning the delivery of annual disclosure
documents. The rule allows us or banks, brokers or other nominees
holding our shares on your behalf to send a single mailing
containing our annual report and proxy statement to any household
at which two or more of our stockholders reside if either we or the
banks, brokers or other nominees believe that the stockholders are
members of the same family. This practice, referred to as
“householding,” benefits both stockholders and us. It reduces the
volume of duplicate information received by you and helps to reduce
our expenses. The rule applies to our annual reports, proxy
statements and information statements. Once stockholders receive
notice from their banks, brokers or other nominees or from us that
communications to their addresses will be “householded,” the
practice will continue until stockholders are otherwise notified or
until they revoke their consent to the practice. Each stockholder
will continue to receive a separate proxy card or voting
instruction card.
Those stockholders who either (i) do not wish to participate in
“householding” and would like to receive their own sets of our
annual disclosure documents in future years or (ii) who share an
address with another one of our stockholders and who would like to
receive only a single set of our annual disclosure documents should
follow the instructions described below:
|
· |
Stockholders whose shares are
registered in their own name should contact our transfer agent,
Globex Transfer, LLC, 780 Deltona Blvd., Suite 202, Deltona, FL
32725 telephone: (813) 344-4490. |
|
· |
Stockholders whose shares are held
by a bank, broker or other nominee should contact such bank, broker
or other nominee directly and inform them of this request.
Stockholders should be sure to include their name, the name of
their brokerage firm and their account number. |
Who
is paying for this proxy solicitation?
We will bear the cost of preparing, printing, assembling and
mailing this proxy statement, the accompanying proxy card and other
material furnished to stockholders in connection with the
solicitation of proxies. In addition to mailed proxy materials, our
directors, officers and employees may also solicit proxies in
person, by telephone, or by other means of communication. We will
not pay our directors, officers and employees any additional
compensation for soliciting proxies. We may reimburse brokerage
firms, banks and other agents for the cost of forwarding proxy
materials to beneficial owners.
When
are stockholder proposals due for next year’s annual meeting?
At our annual meeting each year, our Board of Directors submits to
stockholders its nominees for election as directors. In addition,
the Board of Directors may submit other matters to the stockholders
for action at the annual meeting. Stockholders may also submit
proposals on matters appropriate for stockholder action at our
annual meetings consistent with regulations adopted by the SEC and
our bylaws.
Pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended, stockholders may present proper proposals for inclusion
in our proxy statement for consideration at the 2022 annual meeting
of stockholders by submitting their proposals to us in a timely
manner. These proposals must meet the stockholder’s eligibility and
other requirements of the SEC. To be considered for inclusion in
next year’s proxy materials pursuant to Rule 14a-8, you must submit
your proposal to our Corporate Secretary in writing by July 13,
2022 if the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders is held on or
within 30 days of December 9, 2022. If we elect to hold our 2022
annual meeting of stockholders more than 30 days before or after
December 9, 2022, such stockholder proposals would have to be
received a reasonable time before we begin to print and send our
proxy materials for the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders.
In addition, under the terms of our bylaws, stockholders who desire
to present a proposal for action or to nominate directors (other
than proposals and nominations to be included in our proxy
statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 promulgated under the Exchange
Act) at the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders must give written
notice, either by personal delivery or by U.S. mail, to our
Corporate Secretary no earlier than 90 and no later than 30
calendar days before the date of the 2022 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders. Such notices must contain the information required by
Section 2.13 of our bylaws.
All proposals or other notices should be addressed to our Corporate
Secretary, 4880 Havana Street, Suite 201 Denver, CO 80239.
If we do not have notice of a proposal or director nomination to
come before an annual meeting of stockholders at least 30 calendar
days before such annual meeting (unless the annual meeting in
question is held more than 30 days before or after the first
anniversary of the prior year’s annual meeting of stockholders),
your proxy card for such annual meeting will confer discretionary
authority to vote on such proposal or nomination. If we elect to
hold an annual meeting more than 30 days before or after the first
anniversary of the prior year’s annual meeting of stockholders,
your proxy for such annual meeting will confer discretionary
authority to vote on such proposal or nomination if we do not have
notice of such matter a reasonable time before we begin to send our
proxy materials for such annual meeting.
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN
BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The following table sets forth, based on 44,622,253 shares of our
common stock outstanding as of October 20, 2021, certain
information as to the stock ownership of each person known by us to
own beneficially more than five percent of our outstanding common
stock, of each of the named executive officers included in the
Summary Compensation Table below (“NEOs”), of our directors, and of
all our current executive officers and directors as a group. In
computing the outstanding shares of common stock, we have excluded
all shares of common stock subject to options, warrants or other
securities that are not currently exercisable or convertible or
exercisable or convertible within 60 days of October 20, 2021 and
are therefore not deemed to be outstanding and beneficially owned
by the person holding the options, warrants or other securities for
the purpose of computing the number of shares beneficially owned
and the percentage ownership of that person; provided, that we have
included shares of common stock underlying such options, warrants
or other securities with respect to each person who acquired any
such options, warrants or other securities with the purpose or
effect of changing or influencing the control of the Company in
accordance with Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act.
The shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of
Series A Preferred Stock are calculated by including accrued but
unpaid dividends as of October 20, 2021. The table below does not
include shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of 4,428
shares of Series A Preferred Stock that are held in escrow under
the asset purchase agreements entered into with the Star Buds
Companies, which are not outstanding as of the Record Date nor
entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.
Unless otherwise indicated, the persons or entities identified in
this table have sole voting and investment power with respect to
all shares shown as beneficially owned by them, subject to
applicable community property laws. Except as otherwise noted
below, the address for persons listed in the table is c/o Medicine
Man Technologies, Inc., 4880 Havana Street, Suite 201, Denver, CO
80239.
Name of Beneficial Holder |
|
Number of
Shares of
Beneficially
Owned (A)
|
|
|
Percent of
Outstanding
Class
|
|
NEOs & Directors |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Justin Dye (NEO, Director)
(1) |
|
|
43,424,355 |
|
|
|
55.19% |
|
Jeffrey Cozad (Director) (2) |
|
|
22,839,510 |
|
|
|
33.87% |
|
Jeffrey Garwood (Director) |
|
|
107,735 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Pratap Mukharji (Director) |
|
|
64,192 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Brian Ruden (Director) (3) |
|
|
8,758,871 |
|
|
|
16.42% |
|
Salim Wahdan (Director) (4) |
|
|
1,010,439 |
|
|
|
2.22% |
|
Nancy Huber (NEO) (5) |
|
|
362,543 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Nirup Krishnamurthy (NEO) (6) |
|
|
400,000 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Daniel Pabon (NEO) (6) |
|
|
300,000 |
|
|
|
* |
|
All Executive Officers and Directors
as a Group (9 Persons) |
|
|
77,267,646 |
|
|
|
68.84% |
|
5% or greater holders: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dye Capital and Co. (“Dye Capital”)
(7) |
|
|
42,344,000 |
|
|
|
54.51% |
|
CRW Capital Cann Holdings LLC (“CRW”)
(8) |
|
|
22,815,000 |
|
|
|
33.83% |
|
Dye Capital Cann Holdings, LLC (“Dye
Cann I”) (9) |
|
|
18,575,000 |
|
|
|
34.46% |
|
Dye Capital Cann Holdings II, LLC
(“Dye Cann II”) (10) |
|
|
19,215,000 |
|
|
|
30.10% |
|
Brian Ruden (11) |
|
|
8,758,871 |
|
|
|
16.42% |
|
Naser A. Joudeh (12) |
|
|
7,886,657 |
|
|
|
15.02% |
|
James E. Parco (13) |
|
|
2,799,262 |
|
|
|
6.26% |
|
* Less than 1%
|
(1) |
Represents 80,355 shares of common
stock held by Mr. Dye, 1,000,000 shares of common stock underlying
options that have vested held by Mr. Dye, 9,287,500 shares of
common stock and 9,287,500 shares of common stock issuable upon
exercise of warrants held by Dye Cann I, 4,554,000 shares of common
stock issuable upon conversion of Series A Preferred Stock held by
Dye Capital, and 19,215,000 shares of common stock issuable upon
conversion of Series A Preferred Stock held by Dye Cann II. Mr. Dye
has voting and investment control over the shares of common stock
beneficially owned by Dye Capital, Dye Cann I and Dye Cann II as
described below. Mr. Dye disclaims beneficial ownership of the
shares held by Dye Capital, Dye Cann I and Dye Cann II except to
the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. |
|
(2) |
Represents 24,510 shares of common
stock held by Mr. Cozad and 22,815,000 shares of common stock
issuable upon conversion of Series A Preferred Stock held by CRW
Capital Cann Holdings LLC. Mr. Cozad has voting and investment
control over the shares of common stock beneficially owned by CRW
Capital Cann Holdings LLC. Mr. Cozad disclaims beneficial ownership
of the shares held by CRW Capital Cann Holdings LLC except to the
extent of his pecuniary interest therein. |
|
(3) |
Represents 42,735 shares of common
stock, 1,715,936 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of
warrants, and 7,000,200 shares of common stock issuable upon
conversion of Series A Preferred Stock |
|
(4) |
Represents 24,510 shares of common
stock, 193,929 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of
warrants, and 792,000 shares of common stock issuable upon
conversion of Series A Preferred Stock. |
|
(5) |
Represents 12,543 shares of common
stock and 350,000 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of
vested options. |
|
(6) |
Represents shares of common stock
issuable upon exercise of vested options. |
|
(7) |
Represents 4,554,000 shares of
common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of Series A
Preferred Stock held by Dye Capital, 9,287,500 shares of common
stock held by Dye Cann I, 9,287,500 shares of common stock issuable
upon exercise of warrants held by Dye Cann I, and 19,215,000 shares
of common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of Series A
Preferred Stock held by Dye Cann II. Dye Capital is the manager of
each of Dye Cann I and Dye Cann II and has voting and investment
control over the shares beneficially owned by Dye Cann I and Dye
Cann II. Justin Dye is the general partner of Dye Capital and has
voting and investment control over the shares beneficially owned by
Dye Capital and, indirectly, over the shares beneficially owned by
Dye Cann I and Dye Cann II. Dye Capital disclaims beneficial
ownership of the shares beneficially owned by Dye Cann I and Dye
Cann II except to the extent of its pecuniary interest therein. Mr.
Dye disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares beneficially owned
by Dye Capital, Dye Cann I and Dye Cann II except to the extent of
his pecuniary interest therein. Dye Capital, Dye Cann I and Dye
Cann II’s address is 350 Camino Gardens Blvd, Suite 200, Boca
Raton, FL 33432. |
|
(8) |
Represents shares of common stock
issuable upon conversion of Series A Preferred Stock. CRW Capital,
LLC is the manager of CRW and has voting and investment control
over the shares beneficially owned by CRW. Jeffrey Cozad and Marc
Rubin are the managers of CRW Capital, LLC and share voting and
investment control over the shares beneficially owned by CRW. CRW
Capital, LLC and Messrs. Cozad and Rubin disclaim beneficial
ownership of the shares held by CRW except to the extent of their
respective pecuniary interest therein. The address for CRW, CRW
Capital LLC and Mr. Rubin is 4740 W. Mockingbird Lane, P.O. Box
195579, Dallas, Texas 75209. |
|
(9) |
Represents 9,287,500 shares of
common stock and 9,287,500 shares of common stock issuable upon
exercise of warrants. Dye Capital and Mr. Dye have voting and
investment control over the shares of common stock beneficially
owned by Dye Cann I as described above. Dye Capital and Mr. Dye
disclaim beneficial ownership of the shares held by Dye Cann I
except to the extent of their respective pecuniary interest
therein. Dye Cann I’s address is 350 Camino Gardens Blvd, Suite
200, Boca Raton, FL 33432. |
|
(10) |
Represents 19,215,000 shares of
common stock issuable upon conversion of Series A Preferred Stock
held by Dye Cann II. Dye Capital and Mr. Dye have voting and
investment control over the shares of common stock beneficially
owned by Dye Cann II as described above. Dye Capital and Mr. Dye
disclaim beneficial ownership of the shares held by Dye Cann II
except to the extent of their respective pecuniary interest
therein. Dye Cann II’s address is 350 Camino Gardens Blvd, Suite
200, Boca Raton, FL 33432. |
|
(11) |
Represents 42,735 shares of common
stock, 1,715,936 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of
warrants, and 7,000,200 shares of common stock issuable upon
conversion of Series A Preferred Stock. |
|
(12) |
Represents 560,662 shares of common
stock issuable upon exercise of warrants and 2,286,900 shares of
common stock issuable upon conversion of Series A Preferred Stock
held by Mr. Joudeh and 991,795 shares of common stock issuable upon
exercise of warrants and 4,047,300 shares of common stock issuable
upon conversion of Series A Preferred Stock held by his spouse in
her name and a wholly owned limited liability company. Mr. Joudeh
and his spouse share voting and investment power over these
securities. The address of Mr. Joudeh and his spouse is 16836 E.
Weaver Pl., Aurora, CO 80016. |
|
(13) |
Represents 1,421,887 shares of
common stock and 100,000 shares of common stock underlying options
that have vested held by James E Parco and 1,277,375 shares of
common stock held by his spouse, Pamela S. Parco. The Company does
not know if Mr. Parco and his spouse share voting and investment
power over these securities. The address of Mr. Parco and his
spouse is P.O. Box 324, Palmer Lake, CO 80133 |
The following table sets forth, based on 82,838 shares of our
Series A Preferred Stock outstanding as of October 20, 2021,
certain information as to the stock ownership of each person known
by us to own beneficially more than five percent of our Series A
Preferred Stock, of each of the NEOs, of our directors, and of all
our current executive officers and directors as a group. Unless
otherwise indicated, the address of each of the following
beneficial owner is c/o Medicine Man Technologies, Inc., 4880
Havana Street, Suite 201, Denver, CO 80239. All beneficial
ownership is direct and the beneficial owner has sole voting and
investment power over the securities beneficially owned unless
otherwise noted. The table below does not include 4,428 shares of
Series A Preferred Stock that are held in escrow under the asset
purchase agreements entered into with the Star Buds Companies,
which are not outstanding as of the Record Date nor entitled to
vote at the Annual Meeting.
Name of Beneficial Holder |
|
Number of
Shares of
Beneficially
Owned
|
|
|
Percent of
Outstanding
Class
|
|
NEOs & Directors |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Justin Dye (NEO, Director)
(1) |
|
|
26,410 |
|
|
|
31.88% |
|
Jeffrey Cozad (Director) (2) |
|
|
25,350 |
|
|
|
30.60% |
|
Brian Ruden (Director) |
|
|
7,778 |
|
|
|
9.39% |
|
Salim Wahdan (Director) |
|
|
880 |
|
|
|
1.06% |
|
All Executive Officers and Directors
as a Group (9 Persons) |
|
|
60,418 |
|
|
|
72.94% |
|
5% or greater holders: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dye Capital and Co. (3) |
|
|
26,410 |
|
|
|
31.88% |
|
CRW Capital Cann Holdings LLC (4) |
|
|
25,350 |
|
|
|
30.60% |
|
Dye Capital Cann Holdings II, LLC
(5) |
|
|
21,350 |
|
|
|
25.77% |
|
Brian Ruden |
|
|
7,778 |
|
|
|
9.39% |
|
Naser A. Joudeh (6) |
|
|
7,038 |
|
|
|
8.50% |
|
|
(1) |
Represents 21,350 shares of Series A Preferred Stock held by
Dye Cann II and 5,060 shares of Series A Preferred Stock held by
Dye Capital. Mr. Dye has voting and investment control over the
shares beneficially owned by Dye Cann II and Dye Capital as
described below. Mr. Dye disclaims beneficial ownership of the
shares held by Dye Cann II and Dye Capital except to the extent of
his pecuniary interest therein. |
|
(2) |
Represents 25,350 shares held by CRW. CRW Capital, LLC is the
manager of CRW and has voting and investment control over the
shares beneficially owned by CRW. Mr. Cozad is one of the managers
of CRW Capital, LLC and therefore has shared voting and investment
control over the shares beneficially owned by CRW. Mr. Cozad
disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held by CRW except to
the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. The address for CRW,
CRW Capital LLC and Mr. Cozad is 4740 W. Mockingbird Lane, P.O. Box
195579, Dallas, Texas 75209 |
|
(3) |
Represents 5,060 shares of Series A Preferred Stock held by Dye
Capital and 21,350 shares of Series A Preferred Stock held by Dye
Cann II. Dye Capital is the manager of Dye Cann II and has voting
and investment control over the shares beneficially owned by Dye
Cann II. Justin Dye is the general partner of Dye Capital and has
voting and investment control over the shares beneficially owned by
Dye Capital and, indirectly, over the shares beneficially owned by
Dye Cann II. Dye Capital disclaims beneficial ownership of the
shares beneficially owned by Dye Cann II except to the extent of
its pecuniary interest therein. Mr. Dye disclaims beneficial
ownership of the shares beneficially owned by Dye Capital and Dye
Cann II except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. Dye
Capital and Dye Cann II’s address is 350 Camino Gardens Blvd, Suite
200, Boca Raton, FL 33432. |
|
(4) |
CRW Capital, LLC is the manager of CRW and has voting and
investment control over the shares beneficially owned by CRW.
Jeffrey Cozad and Marc Rubin are the managers of CRW Capital, LLC
and share voting and investment control over the shares
beneficially owned by CRW. CRW Capital, LLC and Messrs. Cozad and
Rubin disclaim beneficial ownership of the shares held by CRW
except to the extent of their respective pecuniary interest
therein. The address for CRW, CRW Capital LLC and Messrs. Cozad and
Rubin is 4740 W. Mockingbird Lane, P.O. Box 195579, Dallas, Texas
75209. |
|
(5) |
Dye Capital is the manager of Dye Cann II and has voting and
investment control over the shares beneficially owned by Dye Cann
II. Mr. Dye is the general partner of Dye Capital and has voting
and investment control over the shares held by Dye Capital and,
indirectly, over the shares held by Dye Cann II. Dye Capital
disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares beneficially owned by
Dye Cann II except to the extent of its pecuniary interest therein.
Mr. Dye disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares beneficially
owned by Dye Capital and Dye Cann II except to the extent of his
pecuniary interest therein. Dye Capital and Dye Cann II’s address
is 350 Camino Gardens Blvd, Suite 200, Boca Raton, FL 33432. |
|
(6) |
Represents 2,541 shares held by Mr. Joudeh and 4,497 shares
held by his spouse in her name and a wholly owned limited liability
company. Mr. Joudeh and his spouse share voting and investment
power over these securities. The address of Mr. Joudeh and his
spouse is 16836 E. Weaver Pl., Aurora, CO 80016. |
PROPOSAL NO. 1 - ELECTION OF
DIRECTORS
At the Annual Meeting, the Board of Directors has nominated each of
Justin Dye, Pratap Mukharji, and Brian Ruden for election as Class
B directors for a two-year term expiring at the Company’s 2023
annual meeting. Each nominee, if elected, will serve until the
expiration of his respective term and until a successor is elected
and qualified, or until his earlier death, resignation or removal.
All nominees are members of the present Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR the director nominees.
The persons named in the accompanying proxy card will vote for
the election of the nominees named in this proxy statement unless
stockholders specify otherwise in their proxies. If any nominee
at the time of election is unable to serve, or otherwise is
unavailable for election, and if other nominees are designated by
the Board of Directors, the persons named as proxy holders on the
accompanying proxy card intend to vote for such substitute
nominees. Management is not aware of the existence of any
circumstance which would render the nominees named below
unavailable for election.
Set forth below are the names, ages, and biographical information
of the nominees for Class B directors of the Company.
Justin Dye, 49, was named
Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman of the Company in
December 2019 and has served as a director and Chairman since June
2019. Mr. Dye has 25 years of experience in private equity, general
management, operations, strategy, corporate finance, and M&A.
Prior to founding Dye Capital, a private equity firm investing in
growth companies in disruptive industries, in 2018, he served as an
integral part of the private equity consortium that acquired
Albertsons Companies (“Albertsons”), a grocery store chain, and led
its expansion through over $40 billion in acquisitions,
divestitures, real estate and financing transactions. During his
11-year tenure as Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Operating Officer,
and Chief Administration Officer, Albertsons grew sales from
approximately $10 billion to over $60 billion with over 2,300
stores and 285,000 employees. Prior to Albertsons, Justin held
roles at Cerberus Capital Management, General Electric and Arthur
Andersen. Justin serves as lead director for New Seasons Market and
is a member of the DePauw University Board of Trustees. Mr. Dye’s
financial and executive experience qualifies him to serve on our
Board of Directors.
Pratap Mukharji, 61, has
served as a director since January 2021. He was a senior partner
and director at Bain & Company, a global management consulting
company, from 2015 to 2020 where he led its Supply Chain and
Service Operations practice. He retired in May 2020. Since
retirement, he has been an Executive in Residence at the Fuqua
School of Business at Duke University. With a concentration in
Industrials and Retail, Mr. Mukharji has led strategy; M&A;
transformation and turnaround; operations improvement; due
diligence, omnichannel; and e-commerce efforts across multiple
industries. Prior to Bain, he was at Kearney and Booz-Allen &
Hamilton. Mr. Mukharji received a BA in Economics from Haverford
College at which he was Phi Beta Kappa, and an MBA from the Fuqua
School of Business at Duke University at which he was a Fuqua
Scholar. During his career, Mr. Mukharji examined small and large
capitalized companies and advised them on growth opportunities. We
believe his significant experience through consulting work
analyzing company financial statements and performing due diligence
qualify him to serve on our Board of Directors.
Brian Ruden, 46, has
served as director since December 2019. He was the owner of several
Colorado Retail Marijuana Store Licenses around the state of
Colorado doing business as Star Buds. Since 2010, he has owned and
operated marijuana licenses in Colorado, Washington DC, and Hawaii.
In 2014, Mr. Ruden founded Starbuds Consulting, a consulting
company which provides strategic advice to start-up marijuana
operations. Before entering the marijuana industry, Mr. Ruden was a
tax attorney in Colorado. In 2005, Mr. Ruden received his law
degree from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. He
received his Bachelor of Science from the University of
Massachusetts. Mr. Ruden’s extensive business experience in the
marijuana industry qualifies him to serve on our Board of
Directors. Mr. Ruden is currently a business owner and owns
marijuana licenses outside of the state of Colorado.
Vote
Required
The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of stock present
and entitled to vote at a meeting of stockholders at which a quorum
is present is necessary to approve the election of directors. You
may vote FOR or AGAINST any of the nominees or ABSTAIN from voting
on any of the nominees. Banks, brokers or other nominees do not
have authority to vote customers’ unvoted shares held by them in
street name for the election of directors. As a result, any shares
not voted by a beneficial owner will be treated as a broker
non-vote. Abstentions and broker non-votes with respect to any of
the nominees will have the effect of a vote AGAINST that
nominee.
THE BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF THE NOMINEES
NAMED ABOVE AS DIRECTORS
INFORMATION ABOUT THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS, COMMITTEES AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Board Composition and Director Appointment Rights
Our bylaws provide for a “staggered” or “classified” board of
directors, whereby the directors of the Board are divided into two
classes, Class A and Class B, respectively, each class consisting,
as nearly as possible, of one-half of the total number of directors
constituting the entire Board. Directors in each class are elected
to approximately two-year terms expiring at the election of their
respective successors at alternating annual meetings of our
stockholders. Currently, the size of the Board is set at seven and
the Board consists of three Class A directors with terms expiring
at our 2022 annual meeting of stockholders, three Class B directors
with terms expiring at the Annual Meeting, and one Class A director
vacancy. The following table sets forth the name, class, term and
designating party of each of our current directors:
Name |
Class |
Term |
Designating Party |
Jeffrey A. Cozad |
A |
Expires 2022 annual meeting |
CRW |
Jeffrey Garwood |
A |
Expires 2022 annual meeting |
Dye Cann I |
Salim Wahdan |
A |
Expires 2022 annual meeting |
Brian Ruden and Naser Joudeh |
Justin Dye, Chairman |
B |
Expires 2021 annual meeting |
Dye Cann I |
Pratap Mukharji |
B |
Expires 2021 annual meeting |
Dye Cann II |
Brian Ruden |
B |
Expires 2021 annual meeting |
Brian Ruden and Naser Joudeh |
The Company has granted rights to designated directors as
follows:
|
· |
Under the Securities Purchase
Agreement, dated June 5, 2019, between the Company and Dye Cann I,
as amended by the Amendment to Securities Purchase Agreement, dated
July 15, 2019, the Amendment to Security Purchase Agreement, dated
May 20, 2020, and the Consent, Waiver and Amendment, dated December
16, 2020 (as amended, the “Dye Cann I SPA”), until the later of (i)
two years from the last closing under the Dye Cann I SPA, or (ii)
the date Dye Cann I no longer owns, in the aggregate, at least
$10,000,000 of common stock, as measured by a trailing 30 day
volume weighted average price of the common stock, or continues to
hold at least 8,333,333 shares of common stock, the Company is
required to take all actions to ensure that two individuals
designated by Dye Cann I shall be appointed to the Board.
Currently, Justin Dye and Jeffrey Garwood serve as Dye Cann I’s
designees on the Board. |
|
· |
Under the letter agreement, dated
December 16, 2020, between the Company and Dye Cann II, for as long
as Dye Cann II owns, in the aggregate, at least $10,000,000 of the
Series A Preferred Stock, as measured by a trailing 30 day volume
weighted average price of the common stock, on an as-converted
basis, or continues to hold at least 10,000 shares of Series A
Preferred Stock, the Company is required to take all actions to
ensure that either one individual if the Board consists of five or
fewer members or two individuals if the Board consists of more than
five members designated by Dye Cann II shall be appointed to the
Board. For so long as Dye Cann II is entitled to designate
directors, each committee of the Board shall include at least one
of the directors designated by Dye Cann II as a member or, if Dye
Cann II so elects, as an observer. Currently, Pratap Mukharji
serves as Dye Cann II’s designee on the Board. |
|
· |
Under the letter agreement, dated
February 26, 2021, between the Company and CRW, for as long as CRW
owns, in the aggregate, at least $15,000,000 of Series A Preferred
Stock (calculated on an as-converted basis based on the volume
weighted average price of the Company’s common stock over a 30-day
period) or continues to hold at least 15,000 shares of Series A
Preferred Stock, the Company is required to take all actions to
ensure that one individual designated by CRW will be appointed to
the Board. For as long as CRW has the right to designate a
director, each committee of the Board shall include the CRW
designee as a member or, if CRW so elects, as an observer.
Currently, Jeffrey A. Cozad serves as CRW’s designee on the
Board. |
|
· |
Under the Omnibus Amendment No. 2
to Asset Purchase Agreements, dated December 17, 2020, among the
Company and the sellers party thereto (the “Star Buds Agreement”),
for as long as the Sellers (as defined in the Star Buds Agreement)
and the Members (as defined in the Star Buds Agreement) meet a
specified ownership threshold, the Company shall recommend to its
Board that Brian Ruden and Naser Joudeh jointly be permitted to
designate three directors for appointment to the Board if the Board
consists of seven or more members. Currently, Brian Ruden and Salim
Wahdan serve as Messrs. Ruden and Joudeh’s designees on the
Board. |
Information about Directors Not Up for Reelection
Set forth below are the names, ages, and biographical information
of the Company’s directors, other than the nominees for Class B
directors of the Company (which are described above).
Jeff Garwood, 59, has
served as a director since September 2020. Mr. Garwood is the
founder and since 2010 has been the managing member of Liberation
Capital, LLC, a private equity fund that is focused on providing
modular, repeatable waste to value project finance. He is also the
co-owner of, and since 2010 has actively managed, Zysense LLC, an
entity providing high precision measurement instruments for
research. Prior to founding Liberation Capital, Garwood, held a
variety of leadership positions with General Electric Company
(“GE”), including President and CEO of GE Water and Process
Technologies, President and CEO of GE Fanuc, and President of
Garrett Aviation. Prior to joining Garret Aviation, Mr. Garwood
worked for numerous years at the strategic consulting firm McKinsey
and Company. Garwood received a B.S. of Chemical Engineering from
North Carolina State University and an M.B.A. from the
Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill. Mr. Garwood is a recognized visionary business
leader bringing 30 years of extensive experience across finance and
operations, and we believe his significant experience and
qualifications across multiple industries qualify him to serve on
the Board.
Jeffrey A. Cozad, 57, has
served as a director since March 2021. From 2007 to 2019, Mr. Cozad
was a Managing Partner at Stonerise Capital Partners, an investment
management company, in San Francisco, CA, a firm he co-founded in
2007. Beginning in January 2020, Mr. Cozad became Managing Partner
Emeritus at Stonerise Capital Partners. In October 2020, Mr. Cozad
co-founded CRW Cann Holdings, LLC, a special purpose vehicle
created to support the Company’s vision of becoming one of the
biggest vertically integrated players in the Colorado cannabis
market. He is also the Managing Partner of his family office, Cozad
Investments, LP, which has completed more than 20 investments
across a disparate set of industries over the past 13 years. Mr.
Cozad holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of
Business and received a BA in Economics and Management from DePauw
University, where he serves on the Board of Trustees and is
Chairman of the University Endowment Fund Investment Committee. We
believe his significant experience with investments across a
variety of industries qualifies him to serve on the
Board.
Salim Wahdan, 41, has
served as a director since March 2021. Mr. Wahdan has close to two
decades of entrepreneurial experience owning and operating retail
businesses. During the last five years, he was a partner and
operator of Star Buds in Adams, Louisville, and Westminster,
several of the Star Buds’ branded dispensaries the Company
purchased between December 2020 and March 2021. He ran the back
office of the operation and was charged with accounting, inventory,
and strategic growth. Mr. Wahdan was instrumental in the early
growth of the Star Buds franchise. Previous to his time in the
cannabis industry, he owned and operated various retail concepts in
Colorado. We believe his significant experience within the cannabis
industry owning and operating retail concepts qualifies him to
serve on the Board.
Independence of Directors
Our Board has affirmatively determined that Mr. Cozad, Mr. Garwood
and Mr. Mukharji are each independent within the meaning of the
Nasdaq Marketplace Rules and the OTCQX Rules for U.S. Companies.
The Board currently has four members on its Audit Committee, three
of which are independent, Mr. Cozad, Mr. Garwood, and Mr. Mukharji,
and one of which is not independent, Mr. Wahdan, under the Nasdaq
Marketplace Rules and the OTCQX Rules for U.S. Companies.
Board Leadership Structure
The Board has no set policy with respect to the separation of the
offices of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Currently, Mr. Dye
serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Our Board does not
have a lead independent director. Our Board of Directors has
determined that its leadership structure is appropriate and
effective for us at this time, given our stage of development.
Director Attendance at Board, Committee, and Other Meetings
The Board held 11 meetings in 2020 and took action by written
consent on 2 occasions. Directors are expected to attend Board
meetings, the annual meeting of stockholders and meetings of the
committees on which they serve, with the understanding that on
occasion a director may be unable to attend a meeting. One director
attended the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders. During 2020, each
of our current directors attended more than 75% of the aggregate
number of meetings of the Board and all committees on which such
director serves that were held during the period he was a
director.
Board Role in Risk Oversight
The Board is primarily responsible for overseeing our risk
management processes. The Board receives and reviews periodic
reports from management, auditors, legal counsel, and others, as
considered appropriate regarding our company’s assessment of risks.
The Board focuses on the most significant risks facing our company
and our company’s general risk management strategy, and also
ensures that risks undertaken by our Company are consistent with
the Board’s appetite for risk. While the Board oversees the
Company, management is responsible for day-to-day risk management
processes. We believe this division of responsibilities is the most
effective approach for addressing the risks facing our company and
that our Board leadership structure supports this approach.
Committees of the Board
The Board has established various committees of the Board to assist
it with the performance of its responsibilities. These committees
and their members are listed below. The Board designates the
members of these committees and the committee chairs annually at
its organizational meeting following the annual meeting of
stockholders, based on the recommendation of the Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committee. The Board has adopted written
charters for each of these committees which can be found at the
investor relations section of the Company’s website at
www.schwazze.com. Copies are also available in print to any
stockholder upon written request to Schwazze, 4880 Havana Street,
Suite 201, Denver, Colorado 80239, Attention: Corporate Secretary.
The chair of each committee develops the agenda for that committee
and determines the frequency and length of committee meetings.
Audit Committee
Our Board has established an Audit Committee, which is composed of
Mr. Mukharji, Mr. Cozad, Mr. Garwood, and Mr. Wahdan. The Audit
Committee Chairman is Mr. Mukharji. The Board has determined that
Mr. Mukharji is an audit committee financial expert due to Mr.
Mukharji’s experience. Through his consulting work, Mr. Mukharji
has analyzed both public and private company financial statements,
performed due diligence work, implemented several financial
systems, and is proficient in internal controls and processes. The
Audit Committee met 3 times during 2020. The Audit Committee’s
primary duties are to:
|
· |
review and discuss with management
and our independent auditor our annual and quarterly financial
statements and related disclosures, including disclosure under
“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations,” and the results of the independent
auditor’s audit or review, as the case may be; |
|
· |
review our financial reporting
processes and internal control over financial reporting systems and
the performance, generally, of our internal audit function; |
|
· |
oversee the audit and other
services of our independent registered public accounting firm and
be directly responsible for the appointment, independence,
qualifications, compensation and oversight of the independent
registered public accounting firm, which reports directly to the
Audit Committee; |
|
· |
provide an open means of
communication among our independent registered public accounting
firm, management, our internal auditing function and our
Board; |
|
· |
review any disagreements between
our management and the independent registered public accounting
firm regarding our financial reporting; |
|
· |
prepare the Audit Committee report
for inclusion in our proxy statement for our annual stockholder
meetings; and |
|
· |
establish procedures for complaints
received regarding our accounting, internal accounting control and
auditing matters. |
Our Audit Committee charter also mandates that our Audit Committee
approve all audit and permissible non-audit services conducted by
our independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit
Committee was established in 2016.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Our Board has also established a Nominating and Corporate
Governance Committee. The Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee consists of Mr. Cozad, Mr. Dye and Mr. Mukharji. The
Nominating and Governance Committee Chair is Mr. Mukharji. The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee met 2 times during
2020. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s primary
duties are to:
|
· |
recruit new directors, consider
director nominees recommended by stockholders and others and
recommend nominees for election as directors to the Board; |
|
· |
review the size and composition of
our Board and its committees; |
|
· |
oversee the evaluation of the
Board; |
|
· |
recommend actions to increase the
Board’s effectiveness; and |
|
· |
develop, recommend and oversee our
corporate governance principles, including our Code of Business
Conduct and Ethics and our Nominating and Corporate Governance
Guidelines. |
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee was established
in 2016.
Compensation Committee
Our Board has established a Compensation Committee. Mr. Cozad, Mr.
Garwood, Mr. Makharji and Mr. Ruden serve on this committee. The
Compensation Committee Chairman is Mr. Garwood. The Compensation
Committee met 2 times during 2020. The Compensation Committee’s
primary duties are to:
|
· |
approve corporate goals and
objectives relevant to executive officer compensation and evaluate
executive officer performance in light of those goals and
objectives; |
|
· |
determine and approve executive
officer compensation, including base salary and incentive
awards; |
|
· |
make recommendations to the Board
regarding compensation plans; |
|
· |
administer our stock plan; and |
|
· |
prepare a report on executive
compensation for inclusion in our proxy statement for our annual
stockholder meetings, if required. |
Our Compensation Committee determines and approves all elements of
executive officer compensation. It also provides recommendations to
the full Board with respect to non-employee director compensation.
The Compensation Committee may not delegate its authority to any
other person, although it may delegate its authority to a
subcommittee.
During 2020, the Company’s management engaged Alvarez and Marsal
Taxand, LLC (“A&M”) as a compensation consultant. Management
engaged A&M to build a peer group comprised of publicly-traded
companies in comparable and relevant industries and to collect data
and present information on the use of short-term incentive plans,
long-term incentive plans, nonqualified deferred compensation
plans, employee stock purchase plans, and the amount of equity
securities authorized for issuance under relevant plans within this
peer group. A&M also performed services on a sales tax project
unrelated to compensation. The Company paid A&M an aggregate of
$87,694.70 in 2020.
The Compensation Committee was established in 2016.
Consideration of Director Nominees
We seek directors with the highest standards of ethics and
integrity, sound business judgment, and the willingness to make a
strong commitment to the Company and its success. The Nominating
and Corporate Governance Committee works with the Board on an
annual basis to determine the appropriate and desirable mix of
characteristics, skills, expertise, and experience for the full
Board and each Board committee, taking into account both existing
directors and all nominees for election as directors, as well as
any diversity considerations and the membership criteria applied by
the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The Nominating
and Corporate Governance Committee and the Board, which do not have
a formal diversity policy, consider diversity in a broad sense when
evaluating Board composition and nominations; and they seek to
include directors with a diversity of experience, professions,
viewpoints, skills, and backgrounds that will enable them to make
significant contributions to the Board and the Company, both as
individuals and as part of a group of directors. The Board
evaluates each individual in the context of the full Board, with
the objective of recommending a group that can best contribute to
the success of the business and represent stockholder interests
through the exercise of sound judgment. In determining whether to
recommend a director for re-election, the Nominating and Corporate
Governance Committee also considers the director’s attendance at
meetings and participation in and contributions to the activities
of the Board and its committees.
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee does not have a
formal policy that addresses director candidates recommended by
stockholders because the Board of Directors believes that its
current director solicitation processes and stockholder engagement
are sufficient to incorporate stockholder involvement without a
formal policy. Additionally, the Nominating and Corporate
Governance Committee will consider director candidates recommended
by stockholders, and its process and criteria for considering such
recommendations are no different than its process and criteria for
screening and evaluating candidates suggested by directors,
management of the Company, or third parties.
Code
of Business Conduct and Ethics
We have adopted a Code of
Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to all of our officers,
employees and directors, including our Chief Executive Officer and
Chief Financial Officer. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is
available on our website at https://www.schwazze.com. We will
provide a copy of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics to any
person without charge upon request to: Medicine Man Technologies,
Inc., 4880 Havana Street, Suite 201, Denver Colorado, 80239
Attention: Corporate Secretary.
We intend to satisfy the
disclosure requirement under Item 5.05 of Form 8-K relating to
amendments to or waivers from any provision of the Code of Business
Conduct and Ethics applicable to our Chief Executive Officer and
Chief Financial Officer by posting such information at the investor
relations site on our website at www.schwazze.com in the near
future.
Communications with the Board of Directors
Stockholders and other interested parties who wish to communicate
with the Board may do so by writing to:
Justin Dye, Chairman of the Board of Directors
Medicine Man Technologies, Inc.
4880 Havana Street
Suite 201
Denver, Colorado 80239
Our Audit Committee has also adopted a whistle-blower policy to
allow employees, stockholders and other interested persons to
communicate directly with our Audit Committee, including reporting
complaints relating to accounting, internal accounting controls, or
auditing matters. Communications should be addressed to:
Mr. Pratap Mukharji, Chairperson of the Audit Committee
Medicine Man Technologies, Inc.
4880 Havana Street
Suite 201
Denver, Colorado 80239
Any communications may be made on an anonymous or confidential
basis but should contain sufficiently specific information to
permit the Audit Committee or Board to pursue the matter.
Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our officers and
directors, and persons who beneficially own more than 10% of our
equity securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange
Act, to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the
SEC. Based solely upon a review of the reports filed during 2020
and or written representations from the reporting persons, we
believe that, during our fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, there
were untimely filings of a Form 3, 4 and/or 5 by the Company’s
Section 16(a) filers as follows: (i) Justin Dye filed one late Form
4 on April 30, 2021 reporting fourteen transactions related to a
grant of stock options on December 5, 2019, a grant of shares of
Company common stock as compensation for Board service on October
1, 2020, the repricing of outstanding options on December 15, 2020
and the purchase of shares of Series A Preferred Stock by
affiliated entities on December 16, 18, 22, 2020; February 3, 25,
26, 2021; and March 2,30, 2021; (ii) Nancy Huber filed one late
Form 3 on April 30, 2021 relating to her appointment as Chief
Financial Officer on December 5, 2019, and one late Form 4 on April
30, 2021 reporting nine transactions related to grants of stock
options on December 5, 2019, March 27, 2020 and December 15, 2020
and the repricing of outstanding options on December 15, 2020;
(iii) Nirup Krishnamurthy filed one late Form 4 on April 30, 2021
reporting five transactions related to a grant of stock options on
December 15, 2020 and the repricing of outstanding options on
December 15, 2020; (iv) Dan Pabon filed one late Form 3 on April
30, 2021 relating to his appointment as General Counsel on August
12, 2019, and one late Form 4 on April 30, 2021 reporting six
transactions related to grants of stock options on December 5, 2019
and March 27, 2020 and the repricing of outstanding options on
December 15, 2020; (v) Jeffrey Garwood filed one late Form 4 on
April 30, 2021 reporting two transactions related to the purchase
of shares of the Company’s common stock and a grant of shares of
Company common stock as compensation for Board service on March 25,
2021; (vi) Leo Riera filed one late Form 4 on April 30, 2021
reporting two transactions related to a grant of stock options on
April 20, 2020 and a grant of shares of Company common stock as
compensation for Board service on October 1, 2020; and (vii) Brian
Ruden filed one late Form 4 on April 30, 2021 reporting nine
transactions related to a grant of shares of Company common stock
as compensation for Board service on October 1, 2020 and the
receipt of shares of Series A Preferred Stock and warrants to
purchase shares of the Company’s common stock in connection with
the Star Buds acquisitions on December 17, 2020 and December 18,
2020.
Audit Committee
Report
In fulfilling its oversight responsibilities, the Audit Committee
reviewed and discussed the audited financial statements in our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the ended December 31, 2020 with
management.
The Audit Committee discussed with the independent auditors the
matters required to be discussed under the standards of the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), including Auditing
Standard 1301 (Communications with Audit Committees). In addition,
the Audit Committee has discussed with the independent auditors the
auditors’ independence from management and our company, including
the matters in the written disclosures required by Independence
Standards Board Standard No. 1 (Independent Discussions with Audit
Committees).
Our independent auditors provided to the Audit Committee the
written communications required by applicable standards of the
PCAOB regarding the independent accountant’s communications with
the Audit Committee concerning independence, and the Audit
Committee discussed the independent auditors’ independence with
management and the auditors.
In reliance on these reviews and discussions, the Audit Committee
recommended to our Board (and our Board approved) that our audited
financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020 be
included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2020 for filing with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
The Audit Committee currently consists of Pratap Mukharji, Jeffrey
A. Cozad, Jeff Garwood and Salim Wahdan. Mr. Mukharji is an Audit
Committee financial expert, and the Board has determined that each
of Messrs. Mukharji, Cozad and Garwood is independent within the
meaning of the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules and the OTCQX Rules for
U.S. Companies.
By the members of the Audit Committee:
Pratap Mukharji
Jeffrey A. Cozad
Jeff Garwood
Salim Wahdan
The material in this report is not deemed to be “soliciting
material,” or to be “filed” with the Securities and Exchange
Commission and is not to be incorporated by reference in any of our
filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, whether made before or
after the date hereof and irrespective of any general incorporation
language in any such filings.
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Set forth below are the Company’s Executive Officers, together with
an overview of their positions and professional experience.
Justin Dye – See “Proposal No. 1 – Election of
Directors” above.
Nirup Krishnamurthy, 59, was named Chief Operating
Officer of the Company in September 2020. He had previously served
as the Company’s Chief Information and Integration Officer since
June 2019; Mr. Krishnamurthy provided such service as a consultant
until March 1, 2020, at which time he began formal employment with
the Company. Mr. Krishnamurthy has over 25 years of experience in
innovation, technology, restructuring, and M&A for Fortune 500
companies. Since May 2018, Mr. Krishnamurthy has been a partner
with Dye Capital, a private equity firm investing in growth
companies in disruptive industries. In addition to his work with
Dye Capital, Mr. Krishnamurthy has acted as managing director of
EBIT+ LLC (“EBIT+”), a management consulting firm he founded in
January 2016; EBIT+ works with executive management to improve
revenues and margins while reducing operating costs. From September
2011 through December 2015, Mr. Krishnamurthy was EVP and Chief
Strategy Officer & Chief Information Officer with The Great
Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company (“A&P”), a grocery store
chain, where he was responsible for the information services,
digital commerce, supply chain & logistics, strategic sourcing
and retail space planning functions for A&P. Mr. Krishnamurthy
has also held senior management positions with companies including
Northern Trust Corporation and United Airlines, Inc. He obtained a
Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering Operations Research and a M.S. in
Industrial Engineering Operations/Production Management from the
State University of New York, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering
from Anna University in Chennai, India.
Nancy Huber, 63, was named Chief Financial Officer of
the Company in December 2019. She was hired in August 2019 as
Senior Vice President of Finance for the Company. Ms. Huber has
over 30 years of experience in accounting and finance. Most
recently she spent 12 years as the Chief Financial Officer for
Forward Foods, LLC, a privately held consumer-packaged goods
company, which sold products to grocery, mass distribution,
military, convenience store, club and natural channels, both
directly and indirectly. Ms. Huber also has leadership experience
in gold and diatomaceous earth mining. She worked as the Chief
Financial Officer for Western Multiplex Corporation, taking the
company public on the Nasdaq stock exchange and was a founder and
Chief Financial Officer of AccelGraphics Inc. also listed on the
Nasdaq. Ms. Huber has an MBA from Kellogg School of Management,
Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical
Engineering from Purdue University.
Daniel Pabon, 44, was named General Counsel, Chief
Government Affairs Officer and Corporate Secretary in August 2019.
Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Pabon served as Vice President of
Sewald Hanfling Public Affairs, a government affairs firm, from
2018 and 2019. Before that, he was in private law practice. In
addition, he served eight years in the State of Colorado
Legislature as a State Representative from 2011 to 2019. He held
numerous leadership positions including Deputy Whip, Assistant
Majority Leader, Speaker Pro Tempore, and Chair of the Finance
Committee. During his tenure, he assisted with the design and
development of Colorado’s cannabis legal and regulatory model. Mr.
Pabon has had extensive experience in compliance, law department
management, litigation, cannabis regulation and governance and
government affairs issues. He has consulted with and advised state
and local governments as well as private businesses all over the
world on how to implement cannabis regulations, both medical and
recreational. Mr. Pabon served as a member of the City of Denver
Marijuana Licensing Working Group (MLWG). He was a volunteer with
the Covid-19 Eviction Defense Project. He has served as an adjunct
professor of business law at the Community College of Denver. He
also served on the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team. Mr.
Pabon received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical
Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his
Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado School of Law. Mr.
Pabon is also a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School for
Executive Education.
EXECUTIVE AND DIRECTOR
COMPENSATION
Summary Compensation Table
Name and principal position |
|
|
|
Year |
|
|
Salary
($)
|
|
|
|
Stock
Awards
($)
|
|
|
|
Option
Awards
($)
|
|
|
|
Total
($)
|
|
Justin Dye, |
|
(1) |
|
2020 |
|
|
311,540 |
|
|
|
50,000 |
|
|
|
303,978 |
|
|
|
665,518 |
|
Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
|
2019 |
|
|
128,077 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,280,532 |
|
|
|
5,408,609 |
|
Nancy Huber, |
|
(2) |
|
2020 |
|
|
207,695 |
|
|
|
– |
|
|
|
145,526 |
|
|
|
353,221 |
|
Chief Financial Officer |
|
|
|
2019 |
|
|
60,885 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,440,135 |
|
|
|
1,501,020 |
|
Daniel Pabon, |
|
(3) |
|
2020 |
|
|
228,461 |
|
|
|
– |
|
|
|
145,526 |
|
|
|
373,987 |
|
Chief Government Affairs Officer |
|
|
|
2019 |
|
|
76,152 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,424,845 |
|
|
|
1,500,997 |
|
Nirup Krishnamurthy, |
|
(4) |
|
2020 |
|
|
218,306 |
|
|
|
– |
|
|
|
981,109 |
|
|
|
1,199,415 |
|
Chief Operating Officer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1) |
Mr. Dye was named Chief Executive Officer and
Executive Chairman in December 2019. Prior to his appointment, Mr.
Dye served as the Company’s Chairman. The amounts listed under
“Salary” in 2019 includes $120,000 of board
compensation. |
|
2) |
Ms. Huber was named Chief Financial Officer
in December 2019. |
|
3) |
Mr. Pabon was named General Counsel and Chief
Government Affairs Officer in August 2019. |
|
4) |
Mr. Krishnamurthy was named Chief Operating
Officer in September 2020. |
|
5) |
The amounts in the “Options Award” column
reflect the aggregate grant date fair value of stock options
granted during 2019 and 2020, computed in accordance with FASB ASC
Topic 718. This amount does not reflect the actual economic value
realized by the named executive officer. Assumptions used in the
calculation of the aggregated grant date fair value for these
options are included in Note 12 Stockholder’s Equity to our audited
financial statements, included in Item 8 of our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. On December
15, 2020, the Board repriced certain outstanding stock options
issued to the Company’s employees. The repriced stock options had
original exercise prices ranging from $1.52 per share to $3.83 per
share. All of these stock options were repriced to have an exercise
price of $1.26 per share, which was the closing price of the
Company’s common stock on December 15, 2020. The repriced share
incremental fair value is included in the 2020 amounts within the
“Options Awards” column. The terms of the options are described
under the Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End Table
below. |
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal-Year End
The following table discloses information regarding outstanding
equity awards granted or accrued as of December 31, 2020 for each
of our named executive officers included in the Summary
Compensation Table above.
|
|
|
Outstanding Equity Awards |
|
|
|
|
Option Awards |
|
|
|
Stock Awards |
|
Name |
|
|
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised (#)
Exercisable |
|
|
|
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#)
Unexercisable |
|
|
|
Option Exercise Price ($) |
|
|
|
Option Expiration Date |
|
|
|
Number of Shares or Units of Stock that have not Vested
(#) |
|
|
|
Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock that have not Vested
($) |
|
Justin Dye |
|
|
500,000 |
|
|
|
1,500,000 (1) |
|
|
|
1.26 |
|
|
|
12/15/2030 |
|
|
|
– |
|
|
$ |
– |
|
Nancy Huber |
|
|
50,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.26 |
|
|
|
12/15/2030 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
137,500 |
|
|
|
412,500 (2) |
|
|
|
1.26 |
|
|
|
12/15/2030 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
100,000 (3) |
|
|
|
1.26 |
|
|
|
12/15/2030 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Daniel Pabon |
|
|
137,500 |
|
|
|
412,500 (4) |
|
|
|
1.26 |
|
|
|
12/15/2030 |
|
|
|
– |
|
|
$ |
– |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
100,000 (5) |
|
|
|
1.26 |
|
|
|
12/15/2030 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nirup Krishnamurthy |
|
|
150,000 |
|
|
|
150,000 (6) |
|
|
|
1.26 |
|
|
|
12/15/2030 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
300,000 (7) |
|
|
|
1.26 |
|
|
|
12/15/2030 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
400,000 (8) |
|
|
|
1.26 |
|
|
|
12/15/2030 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) Mr. Dye’s options vest in four equal installments beginning on
December 5, 2020 and on the following three anniversaries
thereafter.
(2) Ms. Huber’s options vest in four equal installments beginning
on December 5, 2020 and on the following three anniversaries
thereafter.
(3) Ms. Huber’s options vest in four equal installments beginning
on March 27, 2021 and on the following three anniversaries
thereafter.
(4) Mr. Pabon’s options vest in four equal installments beginning
on September 2, 2020 and on the following three anniversaries
thereafter.
(5) Mr. Pabon’s options in four equal installments beginning on
March 27, 2021 and on the following three anniversaries
thereafter.
(6) Mr. Krishnamurthy’s options fully vested on June 4, 2021.
(7) Mr. Krishnamurthy’s options vest in two equal installments
beginning on June 4, 2022 and on the following anniversary
thereafter.
(8) Mr. Krishnamurthy’s options vest in four equal installments
beginning on December 15, 2021 and on the following three
anniversaries thereafter.
Employment Agreements
We have entered into employment agreements with each of our
NEOs.
Employment Agreement with Justin Dye
We entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Dye effective
December 5, 2019, as amended on June 14, 2021. The initial term of
Mr. Dye’s agreement was for one year, after which the
agreement automatically renews for successive one-year terms unless
either party provides at least 30 days’ notice prior to the
expiration of the applicable term of its intention not to renew the
agreement. Under the amended agreement, Mr. Dye is entitled to
compensation as follows: (i) an annual base salary of $300,000,
increased to $350,000 beginning January 1, 2021, subject to
periodic discretionary increases, (ii) an option to purchase
2,000,000 shares of Company common stock (upon entering into the
original employment agreement), which vests in equal annual
installments over four years, and (iii) initially, quarterly
discretionary bonuses granted at the discretion of the Board of
Directors based on certain performance metrics, and after the June
14, 2021 amendment, bonus eligibility under the Company’s unwritten
cash bonus plan. Mr. Dye is entitled to receive benefits paid
to similarly situated employees, which include participation in
retirement, health, disability and vacation plans. Mr. Dye is
entitled to receive severance benefits upon termination of
employment as described below under “—Potential Payments upon
Termination or Change in Control.”
Employment Agreement with Nancy Huber
We entered into an employment agreement with Ms. Huber effective
December 5, 2019, which was amended on February 6, 2020 and again
on June 14, 2021. The term of Ms. Huber’s agreement is continuous
until either party provides at least 30 days’ notice prior of its
intention not to renew the agreement. Under the amended agreement,
Ms. Huber is entitled to compensation as follows: (i) an initial
annual base salary of $200,000, increased to $225,000 beginning
January 1, 2021, subject to periodic discretionary increases and
(ii) an option to purchase 550,000 shares of Company common stock
(upon entering into the original employment agreement), which vests
in equal annual installments over four years. Ms. Huber is entitled
to receive benefits paid to similarly situated employees, which
include participation in retirement, health, disability and
vacation plans. Ms. Huber is entitled to receive severance benefits
upon termination of employment as described below under “—Potential
Payments upon Termination or Change in Control.”
Employment Agreement with Dan Pabon
We entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Pabon effective
August 12, 2019, as amended on June 14, 2021. The term of Mr.
Pabon’s agreement is continuous until either party provides at
least 30 days’ notice prior of its intention not to renew the
agreement. Under the amended agreement, Mr. Pabon is entitled to
compensation as follows: (i) an initial annual base salary of
$220,000, increased to $250,000 starting January 1, 2021, and (ii)
an option to purchase 550,000 shares of Company common stock (upon
entering into the original employment agreement), which vests in
equal annual installments over four years. Mr. Pabon is
entitled to receive benefits paid to similarly situated employees,
which include participation in retirement, health, disability and
vacation plans. Mr. Pabon is entitled to receive severance benefits
upon termination of employment as described below under “—Potential
Payments upon Termination or Change in Control.”
Employment Agreement with Nirup Krishnamurthy
We entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Krishnamurthy
effective March 1, 2020, as amended on June 14, 2021. The term of
Mr. Krishnamurthy’s agreement is continuous until either party
provides at least 30 days’ notice prior of its intention not to
renew the agreement. Under the amended agreement, Mr. Krishnamurthy
is entitled to compensation as follows: (i) an initial annual base
salary of $264,000, increased to $300,000 starting January 1, 2021,
subject to periodic discretionary increases, and (ii) an option to
purchase 600,000 shares of Company common stock (upon entering into
the original employment agreement), which vests in equal annual
installments over four years. Mr. Krishnamurthy is entitled to
receive benefits paid to similarly situated employees, which
include participation in retirement, health, disability and
vacation plans. Mr. Krishnamurthy is entitled to receive severance
benefits upon termination of employment as described below under
“—Potential Payments upon Termination or Change in
Control.”
Potential Payments upon Termination or Change in
Control
Each of the Company’s employment agreements with its NEOs provide
for payments and benefits in the event of termination of employment
in certain circumstances and upon a Change in Control (as defined
therein). Under the employment agreements, each NEO is entitled to
severance as follows if he or she is terminated without Cause (as
defined therein): (i) 12 months gross salary payable in accordance
with the normal payroll practice of the Company as if such NEO was
employed by the Company during this time, (ii) any earned but
unpaid bonuses, (iii) the number of shares of Company common stock
that would have vested through the next anniversary of the
effective date of the employment agreement, and (iv) reimbursement
for Company-sponsored benefits under the employment agreement for
one year after termination. Upon a Change in Control, the
employment agreements provide for 100% acceleration and vesting of
the options granted thereunder.
Director Compensation Policy
For the year ended December 31, 2020, each of our directors was
awarded an annual grant of shares of common stock worth $50,000
during the fourth quarter as compensation for service on the
Board.
Director Compensation Table
The following provided compensation information for the year ended
December 31, 2020 for our non-executive directors.
Name |
|
Fees Earned or Paid
in Cash
($)
|
|
|
Stock Awards
($)
|
|
|
Option Awards
($)
|
|
|
All Other
Compensation
($)
|
|
|
Total
($)
|
|
Leonardo Riera (1) |
|
$ |
217,808 |
|
|
$ |
50,000 |
|
|
$ |
665,509 |
|
|
$ |
160,000 (2) |
|
|
$ |
1,094,317 |
|
Brian Ruden |
|
$ |
100,000 |
|
|
$ |
50,000 |
|
|
$ |
– |
|
|
$ |
9,500 |
|
|
$ |
142,735 |
|
Jeff Garwood |
|
$ |
50,000 |
|
|
$ |
50,000 |
|
|
$ |
– |
|
|
$ |
95,000 (3) |
|
|
$ |
92,735 |
|
|
(1) |
Mr. Riera resigned as director in
January 2021. All other compensation relates to severance related
costs. As of December 31, 2020, Mr. Riera held an option to
purchase 225,000 shares of common stock for $1.71 per share, which
vested immediately on the grant date of March 5, 2020. He also held
an option to purchase 325,000 shares of common stock for $1.17 per
share, which vested immediately on November 10, 2020. The exercise
price of the options is equal to the closing stock market price of
our common stock on the date of grant and the options expire 10
years from the date of grant. For further information, see Note 12
Stockholder’s Equity to our audited financial statements, included
in Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2021. |
|
(2) |
Represents fees paid for consulting
services related to merger and acquisition activity and investor
relationships. |
|
(3) |
Represents fees paid for consulting
services related to research and development. |
Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table summarizes plans under which our equity
securities are authorized for issuance as of December 31, 2020.
Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation
Plans
Plan
Category |
|
Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding
options, warrants and rights |
|
|
Weighted-average exercise prices of outstanding options, warrants
and rights |
|
|
Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under
the equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in
column (a)) |
|
|
|
(a) |
|
|
(b) |
|
|
|
|
Equity compensation plans
approved by security holders |
|
|
9,573,250 |
|
|
$ |
1.26 |
|
|
|
8,926,750 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity
compensation plans not approved by security holders |
|
|
3,500,000 |
|
|
$ |
4.57 |
|
|
|
– |
|
Total |
|
|
– |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
– |
|
The Medicine Man Technologies, Inc. 2017 Equity Incentive Plan, as
Amended (the “Plan”), is intended to promote the best interests of
the Company and its stockholders by assisting the Company in the
recruitment and retention of persons with ability and initiative
and providing an incentive to such persons to contribute to the
growth of the Company’s business. The Company is authorized to make
awards of up to an aggregate of 18,500,000 shares of the Company’s
common stock under the Plan. The Company is authorized to make such
awards of shares of common stock, shares of restricted stock,
appreciation rights, deferred shares, performance shares, incentive
stock options, nonqualified stock options under the Plan. Eligible
persons under the Plan include employees, directors and consultants
of the Company or any affiliate of the Company. Unless earlier
terminated, the Plan will terminate in 2027.
Under two separate Securities Purchase Agreements the Company has
entered into with Dye Cann II and CRW, respectively, for as long as
Dye Cann II or CRW, as the case may be, holds any shares of Series
A Preferred Stock, the Company may not have issued any outstanding
awards under any equity incentive plan for the issuance of shares
of common stock representing more than 12% of the then-issued and
outstanding shares of common stock (calculated on an as-converted,
fully-diluted basis, excluding warrants) in the aggregate.
In addition, the Company has made the following awards outside of
the Plan: (i) the right to receive an aggregate of 1,500,000 shares
of common stock granted to two former officers (one of which also
is a former director), which will vest at such time that the
Company’s stock price appreciates to $8.00 per share with defined
minimum average daily trading volume thresholds, and (ii) option to
purchase an aggregate of 2,000,000 shares of common stock at an
exercise price of $1.49 per share granted to one former
officer.
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED
TRANSACTIONS
Related Party Transactions
Transactions Involving Former Directors, Former Executive
Officers or Their Affiliated Entities
During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company recorded sales
to Futurevision, Inc., f/k/a Medicine Man Production Corp., d/b/a
Medicine Man Denver (“Medicine Man Denver”), a customer of the
Company, totaling $402,839 and sales discounts totaling $143,473.
As of December 31, 2019, the Company had an accounts receivable
balance with Medicine Man Denver totaling $34,748. Also, during the
year ended December 31, 2019, the Company incurred expenses from
Medicine Man Denver totaling $125,897 for contract labor and other
related administrative costs. During the year ended December 31,
2020, the Company recorded sales to Medicine Man Denver, totaling
$997,262. The Company had an accounts receivable balance with
Medicine Man Denver totaling $72,109 as of December 31, 2020. The
Company’s former Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Williams,
currently owns 38% of Medicine Man Denver.
During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company recorded sales
to MedPharm Holdings LLC (“MedPharm”), a customer of the Company,
totaling $64,378 and sales discounts totaling $7,498. As of
December 31, 2019, the Company had an accounts receivable balance
with MedPharm Holdings totaling $2,604. During the year ended
December 31, 2020, the Company recorded sales to MedPharm totaling
$73,557. The Company had a net accounts receivable balance with
MedPharm totaling $5,885 as of December 31, 2020.
During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company made loans to
MedPharm totaling $767,695 evidenced by promissory notes with
original maturity dates ranging from September 21, 2019 through
January 19, 2020 and bearing interest between 8 and 10% per annum.
On August 1, 2020, the Company and MedPharm entered into a
Settlement Agreement and Mutual Release (the “Settlement
Agreement”) pursuant to which (i) the parties agreed that the
outstanding amount owed by MedPharm to the Company was $767,695 of
principal and $47,161 in accrued and unpaid interest, (ii) MedPharm
paid the Company $100,000 in cash, (iii) Andrew Williams returned
175,000 shares of the Company’s common stock to the Company, as
partial repayment of the outstanding balance at a value of $1.90
per share. These shares are held in treasury. The remaining
outstanding principal and interest of $181,911 due and payable by
MedPharm under the Settlement Agreement was to be paid out in
bi-weekly installments of product by scheduled deliveries through
June 30, 2021. This amount was paid off on April 19, 2021.
During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company recorded sales
to Baseball 18, LLC (“Baseball”) totaling $165,617. The revenue is
included under product sales - related party, net, in the Company’s
consolidated financial statements. As of December 31, 2019, the
Company had an accounts receivable balance with Baseball totaling
$169,960. During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company
recorded sales from Farm Boy, LLC (“Farm Boy”) totaling $321,307.
The revenue is included under product sales - related party, net,
in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. As of December
31, 2019, the Company had an accounts receivable balance with Farm
Boy totaling $330,911. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the
Company recorded sales to Baseball totaling $14,605, to Farm Boy
totaling $16,125, to Emerald Fields LLC totaling $16,605, and to
Los Sueños Farms totaling $52,244. As of December 31, 2020, the
Company had net accounts payable balances with Baseball of $31,250,
and with Farm Boy of $93,944. One of the Company’s former Chief
Operating Officers and directors, Robert DeGabrielle, owns the
Colorado retail marijuana cultivation licenses for Baseball, Farm
Boy, Emerald Fields LLC and Los Sueños Farms.
Transactions with Entities Affiliated with Justin Dye
The Company has participated in several transaction involving Dye
Capital, Dye Cann I and Dye Cann II. Justin Dye, the Company’s
Chief Executive Officer, one of our directors, and the largest
beneficial owner of the Company’s common stock and Series A
Preferred Stock, controls Dye Capital and Dye Capital controls Dye
Cann I and Dye Cann II. Dye Cann I is the largest holder of the
Company’s outstanding common stock. Dye Cann II is a significant
holder of the Series A Preferred Stock. Mr. Dye has sole voting and
dispositive power over the securities held by Dye Capital, Dye Cann
I, and Dye Cann II.
The Company entered into the Dye Cann I SPA with Dye Cann I on June
5, 2019, pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell to Dye Cann I
between 8,187,500 and up to 10,687,500 shares of the Company’s
common stock in several tranches at $2.00 per share and warrants to
purchase 100% of the number of shares of common stock sold at a
purchase price of $3.50 per share. At the initial closing on June
5, 2019, the Company sold to Dye Cann I 1,500,000 shares of common
stock and warrants to purchase 1,500,000 shares of common stock for
gross proceeds of $3,000,000, and the Company has consummated
subsequent closings for an aggregate of 9,287,500 shares of common
stock and warrants to purchase 9,287,500 shares of common stock for
aggregate gross proceeds of $18,575,000 to the Company. The terms
of the Dye Cann I SPA are disclosed in the Company’s Current Report
on Form 8-K filed on June 6, 2019. The Company and Dye Cann I
entered into a first amendment to the Dye Cann I SPA on July 15,
2019, as described in the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K
filed on July 17, 2019, a second amendment to the Dye Cann I SPA on
May 20, 2020, as described in the Company’s Current Report on Form
8-K filed on May 22, 2020, and a Consent, Waiver and Amendment on
December 16, 2020, as described in the Company’s Current Report on
Form 8-K filed on December 23, 2020. At the time of the initial
closing under the Dye Cann I SPA, Justin Dye became a director and
the Company’s Chief Executive Officer.
The Company granted Dye Cann I certain demand and piggyback
registration rights with respect to the shares of common stock sold
under the Dye Cann I SPA and issuable upon exercise of the warrants
sold under the Dye Cann I SPA. The Company also granted Dye Cann I
the right to designate one or more individuals for election or
appointment to the Board and Board observer rights as described
above under the heading “Information about the Board of Directors,
Committees and Corporate Governance – Board Composition and
Director Appointment Rights.” Further, under the Dye Cann I SPA,
until June 5, 2022, if the Company desires to pursue debt or equity
financing, the Company must first give Dye Cann I an opportunity to
provide a proposal to the Company with the terms upon which Dye
Cann I would be willing to provide or secure such financing. If the
Company does not accept Dye Cann I’s proposal, the Company may
pursue such debt or equity financing from other sources but Dye
Cann I has a right to participate in such financing to the extent
required to enable Dye Cann I to maintain the percentage of the
Company’s common stock (on a fully-diluted basis) that it then
owns, in the case of equity securities, or, in the case of debt, a
pro rata portion of such debt based on the percentage of the
Company’s common stock (on a fully-diluted basis) that it then
owns.
The Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Dye
Cann II SPA”) with Dye Cann II on November 16, 2020 pursuant to
which the Company agreed to sell to Dye Cann II shares of Series A
Preferred Stock in one or more tranches at a price of $1,000 per
share. The terms of the Dye Cann II SPA are disclosed in the
Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 23, 2020.
The Company and Dye Cann II entered into an amendment to the Dye
Cann II SPA on December 16, 2020, as described in the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 23, 2020, a second
amendment to the Dye Cann II SPA on February 3, 2021, as described
in the Company’s Form 8-K filed on February 9, 2021, and a third
amendment to the Dye Cann II SPA on March 30, 2021, as described
under Item 9B in the Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2020 filed on March 30, 2021, as amended by Form
10-K/A filed on April 30. 2021. The Company issued and sold to Dye
Cann II 7,700 shares of Series A Preferred Stock on December 16,
2020, 1,450 shares of Series A Preferred Stock on December 18,
2020, 1,300 shares of Series A Preferred Stock on December 22,
2020, 3,100 shares of Series A Preferred Stock on February 3, 2021,
3,800 shares of Series A Preferred Stock on March 2, 2021 and 4,000
shares of Series A Preferred Stock on March 30, 2021. As a result,
the Company issued and sold an aggregate of 21,350 shares of Series
A Preferred Stock to Dye Cann II for aggregate gross proceeds of
$21,350,000.
The Company granted Dye Cann II certain demand and piggyback
registration rights with respect to the shares of common stock
issuable upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock under the
Dye Cann II SPA. Further, the Company granted Dye Can II the right
to designate one or more individuals for election or appointment to
the Board and Board observer rights as described above under the
heading “Information about the Board of Directors, Committees and
Corporate Governance – Board Composition and Director Appointment
Rights” and such disclosure is incorporated herein by
reference.
On December 16, 2020, the Company entered into a Secured
Convertible Note Purchase Agreement with Dye Capital and issued and
sold to Dye Capital a Convertible Note and Security Agreement in
the principal amount of $5,000,000 as described in the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 23, 2020. On February
26, 2021, Dye Capital elected to convert the $5,000,000 principal
amount and the $60,250 of accrued but unpaid interest under the
Convertible Promissory Note and Security Agreement under its terms
and Dye Capital and the Company entered into a Conversion Notice
and Agreement pursuant to which the Company issued 5,060 shares of
Series A Preferred Stock to Dye Capital and also paid Dye Capital
$230.97 in cash in lieu of issuing any fractional shares of Series
A Preferred Stock upon conversion, as described in the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 4, 2021.
The Company previously reported the terms of the Series A Preferred
Stock in the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December
23, 2020.
During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company recorded
expenses of $66,264 with Tella Digital. Through the quarter ended
September 30, 2021, the Company recorded expenses of $188,354 with
Tella Digital. Tella Digital provides on-premise digital experience
solutions for our retail dispensary locations. Mr. Dye serves as
Chairman of Tella Digital and has super majority rights.
Transactions with CRW and Affiliated Entities
On February 26, 2021, the Company entered into a Securities
Purchase Agreement (the “CRW SPA”) with CRW pursuant to which the
Company issued and sold 25,350 shares of Series A Preferred Stock
to CRW at a price of $1,000 per share for aggregate gross proceeds
of $25,350,000. The transaction made CRW a beneficial owner of more
than 5% of the Company’s common stock. The Company granted CRW
certain demand and piggyback registration rights with respect to
the shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series A
Preferred Stock under the CRW SPA. On the same date, the Company
entered into a letter agreement with CRW, granting CRW the right to
designate one individual for election or appointment to the Board
and Board observer rights as described above under the heading
“Information about the Board of Directors, Committees and Corporate
Governance – Board Composition and Director Appointment Rights” and
such disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. Under the
letter agreement, for as long as CRW has the right to designate a
Board member, if the Company, directly or indirectly, plans to
issue, sell or grant any securities or options to purchase any of
its securities, CRW has a right to purchase its pro rata portion of
such securities, based on the number of shares of Series A
Preferred Stock beneficially held by CRW on the applicable date on
an as-converted to common stock basis divided by the total number
of shares of common stock outstanding on such date on an
as-converted, fully-diluted basis (taking into account all
outstanding securities of the Company regardless of whether the
holders of such securities have the right to convert or exercise
such securities for common stock at the time of determination).
Further, under the letter agreement, the Company will pay CRW
Capital, LLC, the sole manager of CRW and a holder of a carried
interest in CRW, a monitoring fee equal to $150,000 in monthly
installments of $10,000. On March 14, 2021, the Board appointed
Jeffrey A. Cozad as a director to fill a vacancy on the Board. Mr.
Cozad is a manager and owns 50% of CRW Capital, LLC, and he shares
voting and disposition power over the shares of Series A Preferred
Stock held by CRW. Mr. Cozad and his family members indirectly own
membership interests in CRW. The Company previously reported the
terms of the CRW SPA and the CRW letter agreement in the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K filed March 4, 2021.
Transactions with Entities Affiliated with Brian Ruden
The Company has participated in several transactions involving
entities owned or affiliated with Brian Ruden, one of its directors
and a beneficial owner of more than 5% of the Company’s common
stock.
On June 5, 2020, the Company and the Company’s wholly-owned
subsidiary SBUD, LLC, on the one hand, entered into 13 separate
purchase agreements with, on the other hand, each of Colorado
Health Consultants, LLC, CitiMed, LLC, Lucky Ticket LLC, Kew LLC,
SB Aurora LLC, SB Arapahoe LLC, SB Alameda LLC, SB 44th LLC,
Starbuds Pueblo LLC, Starbuds Louisville LLC, Starbuds Niwot LLC,
Starbuds Longmont LLC, and Starbuds Commerce City LLC (each, a
“Star Buds Company” and collectively “Star Buds”) whereby SBUD, LLC
agreed to purchase substantially all of the assets of Star Buds
from each individual Star Buds Company pursuant to the agreements.
The parties entered into an Omnibus Amendment No. 1 to Asset
Purchase Agreements on September 15, 2020 and an Omnibus Amendment
No. 2 to Asset Purchase Agreement on December 17, 2020. The Company
previously reported the terms of the applicable purchase agreements
and related amendments in the Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K
filed June 8, 2020, September 21, 2020, December 22, 2020, and
March 8, 2021.
Between December 17, 2020 and March 2, 2021, SBUD, LLC acquired the
Star Buds assets. The aggregate purchase price for the Star Buds
assets was $118,000,000, paid as follows: (i) $44,250,000 in cash
at the applicable closings, (ii) $44,250,000 in deferred cash, also
referred to as “seller note(s),” (iii) 29,500 shares of Series A
Preferred Stock, of which 25,075 shares were issued at the
applicable closings and 4,425 shares are held in escrow and will be
released post-closing to either Star Buds or the Company depending
on post-closing adjustments to the purchase price. In addition, the
Company issued warrants to purchase an aggregate of 5,531,250
shares of the Company’s common stock to the sellers. As of
September 30, 2021, the Company owed an aggregate principal amount
of $44,250,000 under the seller notes and accrued but unpaid
interest of $ 442,500. The Company has not paid any principal and
has paid an aggregate of $3,010,887 of interest on the seller notes
as of September 30, 2021. Mr. Ruden’s interest in the aggregate
purchase price for the Star Buds assets is as follows: (i)
$13,727,490 in cash at the applicable closings, (ii) $13,727,490 in
seller notes, (iii) 9,151 shares of Series A Preferred Stock, of
which 7,779 shares were issued at the applicable closings and 1,373
shares are held in held in escrow and will be released post-closing
to either Mr. Ruden or the Company depending on post-closing
adjustments to the purchase price. In addition, the Company issued
warrants to purchase an aggregate of 1,715,936 shares of the
Company’s common stock to Mr. Ruden. The Company has paid Mr. Ruden
an aggregate of $929,912.93 in interest on his seller notes as of
September 30, 2021.
Mr. Ruden was a part-owner of each of the Star Buds Companies. Mr.
Ruden owned 50% of Colorado Health Consultants LLC, 50% of Starbuds
Aurora LLC, 50% of Starbuds Pueblo LLC, 50% of Starbuds Alameda
LLC, 48% of SB Arapahoe LLC, 36% of Starbuds Commerce City LLC, 30%
of Starbuds Louisville LLC, 25% of Starbuds Niwot LLC, 16.66% of
Lucky Ticket LLC, 15% of KEW LLC, and 10% of LM MJC LLC.
In connection with acquiring the Star Buds assets for our Pueblo
West and Commerce City locations, SBUD LLC entered into a lease
with each of 428 S. McCulloch LLC and 5844 Ventures LLC on
substantially the same terms. Each of the leases is for an initial
three-year term. The lease with 428 S. McCulloch LLC is for the
Company’s Pueblo West Star Buds location and was effective on
December 17, 2020. The lease with 45844 Ventures LLC is for the
Company’s Commerce City Star Buds location and was effective on
December 18, 2020. Each lease provides for a monthly rent payment
of $5,000. SBUD LLC expects to pay each landlord an aggregate of
$180,000 during the initial term of the leases. During 2020, SBUD
LLC made aggregate rent payments of $10,000. Between January 1,
2021 and September 30, 2021, SBUD LLC made aggregate rent payments
of $90,000. In addition, SBUD LLC must pay each landlord’s expenses
and disbursements incurred in connection with the ownership,
operation, maintenance, repair and replacement of the premises.
SBUD LLC has the option to renew each lease for two additional
three-year terms. The rent increase to $5,500 per month during the
first three-year renewal period, and to $6,050 during the second
three-year renewal period. The Company has an option to purchase
the premises at fair market value at any time during the lease term
and also has a right of first refusal if the landlords desire to
sell the premises to a third party.
On December 17, 2020, SBUD, LLC entered into a Trademark License
Agreement with Star Brands LLC under which Star Brands LLC licenses
certain trademarks to SBUD, LLC effective as of the closing of the
acquisitions of all of the Star Buds assets. SBUD LLC has no
payment obligation under this agreement. Mr. Ruden is a part-owner
of Star Brands LLC.
In connection with the Star Buds acquisitions, the Company granted
Mr. Ruden and Naser Joudeh the right designate individuals for
election or appointment to the Board as described under the heading
“Information about the Board of Directors, Committees and Corporate
Governance – Board Composition and Director Appointment
Rights.”
Procedures for Approval of Related Party Transactions
Related party
transactions are subject to the advance review and approval of the
Audit Committee and/or the full Board, with advice from outside
counsel. In its review, the Audit Committee and/or Board is
provided with full disclosure of the parties involved in the
transaction and considers the relationships amongst the parties and
members of our Board and executive officers.
Our bylaws
provide that until June 5, 2021, at least four members of the Board
must vote in favor of certain specified actions, including, among
others, entering into or be a party to or making modifications to
any transaction with any director or officer of the Company or any
“associate” (as defined in Rule 12b-2 promulgated under the
Exchange Act) of any such person (including any family member
thereof).
PROPOSAL NO. 2 - RATIFICATION OF THE
APPOINTMENT OF BF BORGERS, CPA P.C. AS INDEPENDENT PUBLIC
ACCOUNTANT FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2021
The Board has appointed BF Borgers, CPA P.C. as our independent
registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31,
2021. BF Borgers, CPA P.C. has been our independent registered
public accounting firm since 2016. A representative of BF Borgers,
CPA P.C. is expected to be present at the Annual Meeting and will
have an opportunity to make a statement if he or she so desires and
respond to appropriate questions as time permits.
Stockholder ratification of the appointment of our independent
registered public accounting firm is not required by our bylaws or
otherwise. However, our Board is submitting the appointment of BF
Borgers, CPA P.C. to the stockholders for ratification as a matter
of what we consider to be good corporate practice. Even if the
appointment is ratified, our Board in its discretion may direct the
appointment of a different independent registered public accounting
firm at any time during the year if the Board determines that such
a change would be in our and our stockholders’ best interests.
The following table sets forth the aggregate fees billed by our
independent registered accounting firm for the fiscal years ended
December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019. These fees are categorized
as audit fees, audit-related fees, tax fees, and all other fees.
The nature of the services provided in each category is described
in the table below.
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
Audit fees |
|
$ |
86,400 |
|
|
$ |
115,000 |
|
Audit-related fees |
|
|
– |
|
|
|
– |
|
Tax fees |
|
|
– |
|
|
|
2,500 |
|
All other
fees |
|
|
– |
|
|
|
– |
|
Total Fees |
|
$ |
86,400 |
|
|
$ |
117,500 |
|
Audit fees. Consists of fees billed for professional
services rendered for the audit of the consolidated financial
statements and review of the quarterly interim consolidated
financial statements. These fees also include the review of
registration statements and the delivery of consents in connection
with registration statements.
Tax fees. Consists of fees paid to BF Borgers, CPA P.C.
related to the filings of Federal and State returns during the year
ended December 31, 2019.
The Audit Committee of our Board has established its pre-approval
policies and procedures, pursuant to which the Audit Committee
approved the foregoing audit and tax services provided by BF
Borgers, CPA P.C. in 2020 and 2019 consistent with the Audit
Committee’s responsibility for engaging our independent auditors.
The Audit Committee also considered whether the non-audit services
rendered by our independent registered public accounting firm are
compatible with an auditor maintaining independence. The Audit
Committee has determined that the rendering of such services is
compatible with BF Borgers, CPA P.C. maintaining its
independence.
Vote
Required
The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of stock present
and entitled to vote at a meeting of stockholders at which a quorum
is present is necessary to ratify the appointment of the Company’s
independent public accountant. Abstentions will have the same
effect as a vote AGAINST this proposal. Banks, brokers or other
nominees have authority to vote customers’ unvoted shares held by
them in street name for this proposal. If a broker does not
exercise this authority, such broker non-votes will have the same
effect as a vote AGAINST this proposal.
THE BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE RATIFICATION OF THE
APPOINTMENT OF BF BORGERS, CPA P.C. AS OUR INDEPENDENT PUBLIC
ACCOUNTANT
OTHER MATTERS
As of the date of this proxy statement, the Board knows of no other
business that will be presented at the Annual Meeting. If any other
business is properly brought before the Annual Meeting, it is
intended that proxies in the enclosed form will be voted in respect
thereof in accordance with the judgment and in the discretion of
the persons voting the proxies if permitted by applicable law.
MEDICINE
MAN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
4880
HAVANA ST., SUITE 201
DENVER,
CO 80239
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VOTE BY
INTERNET - www.proxyvote.com
Use the
Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic
delivery of information up until 11:59 P.M. ET on December 8, 2021.
Have your proxy card in hand when you access the web site and
follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an
electronic voting instruction form.
ELECTRONIC
DELIVERY OF FUTURE PROXY MATERIALS
If you would
like to reduce the costs incurred by our company in mailing proxy
materials, you can consent to receiving all future proxy
statements, proxy cards and annual reports electronically via
e-mail or the Internet. To sign up for electronic delivery, please
follow the instructions above to vote using the Internet and, when
prompted, indicate that you agree to receive or access proxy
materials electronically in future years.
VOTE BY
PHONE - 1-800-690-6903
Use any
touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions up until
11:59 P.M. ET on December 8, 2021. Have your proxy card in hand
when you call and then follow the instructions.
VOTE BY
MAIL
Mark, sign and
date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope we
have provided or return it to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51
Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717.
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TO VOTE, MARK
BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS:
KEEP THIS
PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS

Important Notice Regarding the
Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting:
The Notice and Proxy Statement and Annual Report are available at
www.proxyvote.com.
MEDCINE
MAN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Annual Meeting of Stockholders
December 9, 2021 8:00 AM PST/9:00 AM MST
This proxy is solicited by the Board of Directors
The
stockholder(s) hereby appoint(s) Daniel Pabon, as proxy, with the
power to appoint his substitute, and hereby authorize(s) him to
represent and to vote, as designated on the reverse side of this
ballot, all of the shares of common stock of MEDICINE MAN
TECHNOLOGIES, INC. that the stockholder(s) is/are entitled to vote
at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held at 8:00 AM PST/
9:00 AM MST on December 9, 2021, at Schwazze Headquarters, 4880
Havana St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80239and any adjournment or
postponement thereof.
This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted as directed,
or, if no direction is given, will be voted FOR all nominees listed
in Proposal 1 and FOR Proposal 2. The proxies are authorized to
vote in accordance with the Board of Directors' recommendations
upon such other business not known as may properly come before the
Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.
Continued and to be
signed on reverse side
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