UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE
14A
Proxy
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934
(Amendment
No. __)
Filed by
the Registrant
þ
Filed by
a party other than the Registrant
¨
Check the
appropriate box:
¨
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Preliminary
Proxy Statement
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¨
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Confidential,
for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule
14a-6(e)(2))
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þ
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Definitive
Proxy Statement
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¨
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Definitive
Additional Materials
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¨
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Soliciting
Material under Sec. 240.14a-12
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READING INTERNATIONAL,
INC.
(Name of
Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
N/A
(Name of
Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
Payment
of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
þ
|
No
fee required
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¨
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Fee
computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and
0-11
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(1)
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Title
of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
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(2)
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Aggregate
number of securities to which transaction applies:
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(3)
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Per
unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to
Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is
calculated and state how it was determined):
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(4)
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Proposed
maximum aggregate value of transaction:
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(5)
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Total
fee paid:
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¨
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Fee
paid previously with preliminary materials.
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¨
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Check
box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule
0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid
previously. Identify the previous filing by registration
statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its
filing.
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(1)
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Amount
Previously Paid:
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(2)
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Form,
Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
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(3)
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Filing
Party:
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(4)
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Date
Filed:
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READING
INTERNATIONAL, INC.
500
Citadel Drive, Suite 300
Commerce,
California 90040
NOTICE
OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO
BE HELD ON THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2009
TO THE
STOCKHOLDERS:
The 2009 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
(the “Annual Meeting”) of Reading International, Inc., a Nevada corporation,
will be held at the Hotel Bel-Air at 701 Stone Canyon Road, Los Angeles,
California, on Thursday, May 14, 2009, at 11:00 a.m., local time for the
following purposes:
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·
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To
elect eight directors to the Board of Directors to serve until the 2010
Annual Meeting of Stockholders; and
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·
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To
transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting, or
any adjournment or postponement
thereof.
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A copy of our Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 is enclosed. Only
holders of our class B voting common stock at the close of business on March 30,
2009 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting and any adjournment or
postponement thereof.
If you hold shares of our class B
voting common stock, you will have received a proxy card enclosed with this
notice.
Whether or
not you expect to attend the Annual Meeting in person, please fill in, sign,
date and complete the enclosed proxy card and return it promptly in the
accompanying postage prepaid, pre-addressed envelope, to ensure that your shares
will be represented at the Annual Meeting.
By Order of the Board of
Directors
James J. Cotter
Chairman
April 30,
2009
PLEASE
SIGN AND DATE THE ENCLOSED PROXY CARD AND MAIL IT PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED
RETURN ENVELOPE TO ENSURE THAT YOUR VOTES ARE COUNTED.
READING
INTERNATIONAL, INC.
500
Citadel Drive, Suite 300
Commerce,
California 90040
PROXY
STATEMENT
Annual
Meeting of Stockholders
Thursday,
May 14, 2009
INTRODUCTION
This Proxy Statement is furnished in
connection with the solicitation by the Board of Directors of Reading
International, Inc. (collectively with its consolidated subsidiaries and
corporate predecessors, the “company,” “Reading,” “we,” “us,” or
“our”) of proxies for use at our upcoming Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the
“Annual Meeting”) to be held on Thursday, May 14, 2009, at 11:00 a.m., local
time, at the Hotel Bel-Air at 701 Stone Canyon Road, Los Angeles, California,
and at any adjournment or postponement thereof. This proxy statement
and form of proxy are first being sent or given to stockholders on or about
April 30, 2009. Please sign, date and return the enclosed proxy card
in order to ensure that your shares are represented at our meeting.
At our Annual Meeting, you will be
asked to elect eight directors to the Board of Directors to serve until the 2010
Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
As of March 30, 2009 (the “Record
Date”), James J. Cotter, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, owned
directly or indirectly, 1,023,888 shares of our class B voting common stock
(“Class B Stock”), which represent a majority of the outstanding voting rights
of the Company. Accordingly, Mr. Cotter has the power, acting alone
and without the support or approval of any of our other stockholders, to
determine the outcome of the election of directors at the Annual
Meeting. Mr. Cotter has advised us that he intends to vote in favor
of each of the director nominees named herein.
VOTING
AND PROXIES
Am
I eligible to vote?
If you owned shares of Class B Stock on
March 30, 2009, you are eligible to vote, and you should have received a proxy
card enclosed with this notice. If you did not receive a proxy card,
please contact our Corporate Secretary, Kathryn Smith, at (213)
235-2236.
What
if I have only the Class A Stock?
Holders of our class A nonvoting common
stock (“Class A Stock”) on the Record Date do not have voting rights with
respect to the matters to be brought before the stockholders at this
meeting.
How
many votes do I have?
With respect to each matter to be
considered at the Annual Meeting, you will have one vote for each share of Class
B Stock that you owned on March 30, 2009. On that date, there were a
total of 1,495,490 shares of Class B Stock outstanding.
How
do I vote in person?
You may vote in person by attending the
2009 Annual Meeting. If you are not the record holder of your shares,
please refer to the discussion following the questions “What if I am not the
record holder of my shares?”
How
do I vote by proxy?
To vote
by proxy, you should complete, sign and date the enclosed proxy card and return
it promptly in the enclosed postage-paid envelope.
To be able to vote in accordance with
your instructions at the Annual Meeting, we must receive your proxy as soon as
possible, and before the Annual Meeting. We will vote at the Annual
Meeting in accordance with the instructions given to us in properly executed
proxies. If you execute and return the enclosed proxy card without
marking instructions, we will vote “FOR” each of the nominees for
director. Although we do not know of any other matter to be acted
upon at the Annual Meeting, the individuals indicated on your proxy card may
vote in accordance with their judgment with respect to any other matters that
may properly come before the Annual Meeting.
If
I plan to attend the Annual Meeting, should I still submit a proxy?
Whether or not you plan to attend the
Annual Meeting, we urge you to submit a proxy. Execution of a proxy
will not in any way affect your right to attend the Annual Meeting and vote in
person.
What
if I want to revoke my proxy?
You have
the right to revoke your proxy at any time before it is voted on your behalf
by:
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·
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filing
with our Corporate Secretary at our address at 500 Citadel Drive, Suite
300, Commerce, California 90040, prior to the commencement of the Annual
Meeting, a duly executed instrument dated subsequent to such proxy
revoking the same;
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·
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submitting
a duly executed proxy bearing a later date;
or
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·
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attending
the Annual Meeting and voting in
person.
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What
if I am not the record holder of my shares?
If your shares are held in the name of
a brokerage firm, bank nominee, or other institution, only it can give a proxy
with respect to your shares. You should receive a proxy card from
your bank or broker, which you must return in the envelope provided in order to
have your shares voted.
If you do not have record ownership of
your shares and want to vote in person at the Annual Meeting, you may obtain a
document called a “legal proxy” from the record holder of your shares and bring
it to the Annual Meeting in order to vote in person.
Proxy
Solicitation and Expenses
In addition to the solicitation by
mail, our employees may solicit proxies in person or by telephone, but no
additional compensation will be paid to them for such services. We
will bear all costs of soliciting proxies on behalf of our Board of Directors
and will reimburse persons holding shares in their own names or in the names of
their nominees, but not owning such shares beneficially, for the expenses of
forwarding solicitation materials to the beneficial owners. We
estimate that the costs of soliciting proxies will total approximately
$30,000.
The presence in person or by proxy of
the holders of a majority of our outstanding shares of Class B Stock will
constitute a quorum. Abstentions will be counted for purposes of
determining the presence of a quorum, as will broker non-votes, provided
authority is given to attend the meeting or to vote on any matter to come before
the meeting. Directors are elected by a plurality vote, so
abstentions and broker non-votes will not affect the outcome of the election of
directors.
ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
Beneficial
Ownership of Securities
The
following table sets forth the shares of Class A Stock and Class B Stock
beneficially owned as of April 16, 2009 by:
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·
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each
of our incumbent directors and each director
nominee;
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·
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each
of our named executive officers set forth in the Summary Compensation
Table of this Proxy Statement;
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·
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each
person known to us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our Class
B Stock; and
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·
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all
of our directors and executive officers as a
group.
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Except as
noted, we believe that the indicated beneficial owner of the shares has sole
voting power and sole investment power.
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Amount
and Nature of Beneficial Ownership (1)
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Class A Stock
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Class B Stock
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Name
and Address of
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Number
of
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Percentage
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Number
of
|
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Percentage
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Beneficial
Owner
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Shares
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of
Stock
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Shares
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of
Stock
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James
J. Cotter (2)
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3,171,503
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15.0
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%
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1,123,888
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70.4
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%
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Eric
Barr
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30,000
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(3)
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*
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--
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--
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James
J. Cotter, Jr.
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554,569
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(3)
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2.6
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%
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--
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--
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Margaret
Cotter
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559,207
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(3)
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2.6
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%
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--
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--
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William
D. Gould
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67,340
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(3)
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*
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--
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--
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Edward
L. Kane
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37,500
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(3)
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*
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100
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*
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Gerard
P. Laheney
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30,000
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(3)
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*
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--
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--
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Alfred
Villaseñor
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30,000
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(3)
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*
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--
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--
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Ellen
Cotter(4)
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601,909
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2.8
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%
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50,000
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3.2
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%
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John
Hunter
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30,362
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*
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--
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--
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Andrzej
Matyczynski
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114,561
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(5)
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*
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--
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--
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Robert
F. Smerling
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43,750
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(6)
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*
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--
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--
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Pacific
Assets Management, LLC (7)
11601
Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 2180
Los
Angeles, California 90025
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N/A
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N/A
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133,043
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8.9
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%
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PICO
Holdings, Inc. and PICO Deferred Holdings, LLC (8)
875
Prospect St., Suite 301
La
Jolla, California 92037
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N/A
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N/A
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117,500
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7.9
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%
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Dimensional
Fund Advisors LP (9)
Palisades
West
Building
One
6300
Bee Cave Road
Austin,
Texas 78746
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N/A
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N/A
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88,164
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5.9
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%
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All
Directors and Executive Officers as a Group (15
persons)(10)
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5,296,839
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24.5
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%
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1,173,988
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71.3
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%
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* Less
than 1%.
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(1)
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Beneficial
ownership is determined in accordance with Securities and Exchange
Commission rules. Shares subject to options that are presently
exercisable, or exercisable within 60 days of April 16, 2009, which are
indicated by footnote, are deemed outstanding in computing the percentage
ownership of the person holding the warrants or options, but not in
computing the percentage ownership of any other person. An
asterisk (*) denotes beneficial ownership of less than
1%.
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(2)
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Mr.
Cotter’s address is c/o the Company, 500 Citadel Drive, Suite 300,
Commerce, California 90040. The Class B Stock shown includes
100,000 shares subject to stock options and 696,080 shares owned by the
James J. Cotter Living Trust. The Class A Stock shown includes
768,076 shares of Class A Stock owned by Hecco Ventures, a general
partnership (“HV”). Mr. Cotter
is
|
|
the
general partner of James J. Cotter Ltd., a 20% general partner of
HV. The Class A Stock shown also includes 2,216,299 shares
owned by the James J. Cotter Living Trust, 29,730 shares held in Mr.
Cotter’s profit sharing plan, and 10,000 shares held by Cotter
Enterprises, LLC.
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(3)
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Includes
30,000 shares subject to stock
options.
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(4)
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Class
A Stock includes 75,000 shares subject to stock options and Class B Stock
includes 50,000 shares subject to stock
options.
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(5)
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Includes
100,100 shares subject to stock
options.
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(6)
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Consists
of shares subject to stock options.
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(7)
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Based
on Schedule 13F filed on February 17,
2009.
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(8)
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Based
on Schedule 13-G/A filed on January 14,
2009.
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(9)
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Based
on Schedule 13-G/A filed on February 9,
2009.
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(10)
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Class
A Stock includes 444,350 shares subject to stock options and Class B Stock
includes 150,000 shares subject to stock
options.
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Nominees
for Election
Eight directors are to be elected at
our Annual Meeting to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders to be
held in 2010 or until their successors are elected and
qualified. Unless otherwise instructed, the proxy holders will vote
the proxies received by us for the election of the nominees below, all of whom
are currently our directors. The eight nominees for election to the
Board of Directors who receive the greatest number of votes cast for the
election of directors by the shares present and entitled to vote will be elected
directors. If any nominee becomes unavailable for any reason, it is
intended that the proxies will be voted for a substitute nominee designated by
the Board of Directors. We have no reason to believe the nominees
named will be unable to serve if elected.
The names of the nominees for director,
together with certain information regarding them, are as follows:
Name
|
Age
|
Position
|
James
J. Cotter
|
71
|
Chairman
of the Board and Chief Executive Officer (1)
|
James
J. Cotter, Jr.
|
39
|
Vice
Chairman of the Board
|
Eric
Barr
|
62
|
Director
(2)
|
Margaret
Cotter
|
41
|
Director
|
William
D. Gould
|
70
|
Director
(3)
|
Edward
L. Kane
|
71
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Director
(2)
|
Gerard
P. Laheney
|
71
|
Director
(1)(2)(3)
|
Alfred
Villaseñor
|
79
|
Director
(1)(3)
|
(1) Member
of the Executive Committee.
(2) Member
of the Audit and Conflicts Committee.
(3) Member
of the Compensation and Stock Option Committee.
James J. Cotter has been a director of
the Company since 1991, the Chairman of our Board since 1992, and our Chief
Executive Officer since December 27, 2000. Mr. Cotter also served as
our Chief Executive Officer from August 1, 1999 to October 16, 2000, and as a
director of our company from 1986
to
1988. Mr. Cotter is the general partner of James J. Cotter, Ltd., the
general partner of Hecco Ventures, a private investment partnership and a major
stockholder in our company. He is a 50% owner of Sutton Hill
Associates, a general partnership engaged in cinema-related activities,
primarily with our company, and the sole voting stockholder of Cotter
Enterprises LLC. Mr. Cotter is the father of Ellen Cotter, James J.
Cotter, Jr., and Margaret Cotter.
Eric Barr has been a director of the
Company since March 21, 2002. Mr. Barr is a resident of Brighton,
Victoria, Australia, with extensive knowledge of the Australian business
community. In June 2001, Mr. Barr retired from his position as audit
partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC in Australia, after having been with
that firm for 36 years. He serves as the Chairman of our Audit and
Conflicts Committee.
James J. Cotter, Jr. has been a
director of the Company since March 21, 2002, and was appointed Vice Chairman of
the Board in 2007. He has been Chief Executive Officer of Cecelia
Packing Corporation (a Cotter family-owned citrus grower, packer, and marketer)
since July 2004. Mr. Cotter, Jr. served as a director to Cecelia
Packing Corporation from February 1996 to September 1997 and as a director of
Gish Biomedical from September 1999 to March 2002. He was an attorney
in the law firm of Winston & Strawn, specializing in corporate law, from
September 1997 to May 2004. Mr. Cotter, Jr. is the son of James J.
Cotter and the brother of Margaret Cotter and Ellen Cotter.
Margaret Cotter has been a director of
the Company since September 27, 2002. Ms. Cotter is the owner and
President of Off Broadway Investments, LLC, a company that provides live theatre
management services to our live theaters. Pursuant to that management
arrangement, Ms. Cotter also serves as the President of Liberty Theaters, the
subsidiary through which we own our live theaters. Ms. Cotter is also
a theatrical producer who has produced shows in Chicago and New
York. Ms. Cotter is a board member of the League of Off-Broadway
Theaters and Producers and is a member of the New York State
Bar. From February 1994 until October 1997, Ms. Cotter was an
Assistant District Attorney for King’s County in Brooklyn, New
York. Ms. Cotter graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in
1993. She is the daughter of Mr. James J. Cotter and the sister of
Mr. James J. Cotter, Jr. and Ms. Ellen Cotter.
William D. Gould has been a director of
the Company since October 15, 2004 and has been a member of the law firm of
TroyGould PC since 1986. Previously, he was a partner of the law firm
of O’Melveny & Myers. We have from time to time retained
TroyGould PC for legal advice.
Edward L. Kane has been a director of
the Company since October 15, 2004. Mr. Kane was also a director of
the Company from 1985 to 1991, and served as President from 1987 to
1988. Mr. Kane currently serves as the Chairman of our Tax Oversight
Committee. Mr. Kane has been President of High Avenue Consulting, a
healthcare consulting firm, since May 2000. Mr. Kane is also an
Adjunct Professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law.
Gerard P. Laheney has been a director
of the Company since September 27, 2002. Mr. Laheney has been
President of Aegis Investment Management Company, an investment advisory firm
specializing in global investment portfolio management, since August
1993. Mr. Laheney was a Vice President of Dean Witter Reynolds from
April 1990 to December 1993.
Alfred
Villaseñor has been a director of the Company since 1987. Mr. Villaseñor
serves as the Chairman of our Compensation and Stock Option
Committee. He also served from 1987 to 1994 as a director for
Fidelity Federal Bank. Mr. Villaseñor is the President and owner of
Unisure Insurance Services, Incorporated, an insurance agency that has
specialized in life, business and group health
insurance
for over 40 years. Mr. Villaseñor was a director of the John Gogian Family
Foundation and currently serves as a member of their scholarship committee.
Mr. Villaseñor is a past president and is currently a director of
Richstone Family Centers, a non-profit organization helping abused
children.
Attendance
at Board and Committee Meetings
During the year ended December 31,
2008, the Board of Directors met six times. Each director attended at
least 75% of the aggregate of the meetings of the Board of Directors and of all
committees on which he or she served, during the period such individual
served. The Audit and Conflicts Committee held four meetings in
2008. The Stock Options and Compensation Committee held three meetings
during 2008. We do not have a standing nominating committee.
Our Board committees are discussed in greater detail under the caption
“Board Committees and Corporate
Governance,”
below.
Section
16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act
requires our officers and directors and persons who own more than 10% of either
class of our common stock to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership
with the SEC. The SEC rules also require such reporting persons to
furnish us with a copy of all Section 16(a) forms they file.
Based solely on a review of the copies
of the forms which we have received and written representations from certain
reporting persons, during 2008, the following Section 16(a) filings were filed
late:
Filer
|
Form
|
Date
of Earliest Transaction
|
Date
Filed
|
James
J. Cotter
|
4
|
4/21/2008
|
12/22/2008
|
John
Hunter
|
4
|
4/29/2008
|
2/17/2009
(on Form 5)
|
Andrzej
Matyczynski
|
4
|
4/29/2008
|
2/17/2009
(on Form 5)
|
James
J. Cotter
|
4
|
6/24/2008
|
2/17/2009
(on Form 5)
|
Code
of Ethics
We have
adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our principal executive officer,
principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller and
company employees (a copy of which is available on our website at
www.readingrdi.com). We will furnish, without charge, a copy of our
Code of Ethics upon request. Such requests should be directed to us
at 500 Citadel Drive, Suite 300, Commerce, California 90040, Attention:
Corporate Secretary, or by telephone at 213-235-2240.
Indemnity
Agreements
In 1990, our Board authorized us to
enter into indemnity agreements with our then current directors and
officers. Since that time, we have typically entered into indemnity
agreements with our directors and senior officers. In 2001, our
stockholders approved a new form of indemnity agreement, which has been used
since that date to memorialize our indemnity obligations. Under these
agreements, we, generally speaking, have agreed to indemnify our directors and
various of our senior officers against all expenses, liabilities and losses
incurred in connection with any threatened, pending or contemplated action, suit
or proceeding, whether civil or criminal, administrative or investigative, to
which any such director or officer is a party or is threatened to be made a
party, in any manner, based upon, arising from, relating to or by reason of the
fact that such individual is, was, shall be or has been a director,
officer
employee,
agent or fiduciary of our company. Each of our current directors and
senior officers, as well as certain of the directors and senior officers of our
subsidiaries, currently has the benefit of such indemnity
agreements.
Compensation
of Directors
The
following table summarizes the director compensation for the year ending
December 31, 2008:
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING
2008
|
|
Name
|
|
Fees
Earned or
Paid
in Cash
($)
|
|
|
Option
Awards
($) (1)
|
|
|
Total
($)
|
|
James
J. Cotter (1)
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
Eric
Barr
|
|
$
|
37,000
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
37,000
|
|
James
J. Cotter, Jr.
|
|
$
|
135,000
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
135,000
|
|
Margaret
Cotter
|
|
$
|
35,000
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
35,000
|
|
William
D. Gould
|
|
$
|
35,000
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
35,000
|
|
Edward
L. Kane
|
|
$
|
75,000
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
75,000
|
|
Gerard
P. Laheney
|
|
$
|
35,000
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
35,000
|
|
Alfred
Villaseñor
|
|
$
|
35,000
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
35,000
|
|
|
(1)
|
Mr.
Cotter receives compensation only as an executive officer of the Company
and not in his capacity as a
director.
|
During 2008, our non-employee directors
received an annual fee of $35,000 for their services, including attendance at
meetings and service on Board committees. Mr. James J. Cotter, Jr.
receives $100,000 in addition to his $35,000 director’s fee to serve as the Vice
Chairman of the Board. The Chairman of our Audit and Conflicts
Committee receives an additional $2,000 of compensation for his
services. The Chairman of our Tax Oversight Committee received an
additional $40,000 in 2008. In addition, upon joining the Board,
non-employee directors receive 20,000 immediately vested options to purchase
shares of our Class A Stock at an exercise price equal to the market price of
the stock at the date of grant. In 2007, the Board of Directors also
granted to each of the seven members of the Board, except the Chairman, an
option to purchase an additional 10,000 shares of Reading Class A
Stock.
Board
Committees and Corporate Governance
Our Board of Directors has standing
Executive, Audit and Conflicts, and Compensation and Stock Options
Committees. These committees are discussed in greater detail
below. Our Board of Directors does not have a nominating
committee. Typically, nominations are suggested to our Board of
Directors by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and controlling
stockholder, Mr. Cotter.
Because Mr. Cotter owns a majority of
our Class B Stock, our Board of Directors has determined that our company
satisfies the criteria for a “Controlled Company” under Section 801 of Part 8 of
the NYSE Amex Company Guide. After reviewing the benefits and
detriments of taking advantage of the exceptions to the Corporate Governance
Rules set forth in Part 8, the Board of Directors in 2004 unanimously determined
to take advantage of all of the exceptions from Part 8 afforded to us as a
Controlled Company under Section 801.
Among the exceptions afforded to
Controlled Companies is an exception from the requirement that we have an
independent nominating committee or independent nominating
process. It was noted by our directors that the use of an independent
nominating committee or independent nominating process would be of limited
utility, in light of the fact that any nominee would need to be acceptable to
Mr. Cotter as our controlling stockholder and in light of the fact that under
our governing documents and applicable Nevada law, Mr. Cotter, acting in his
capacity as a stockholder, can unilaterally elect candidates to our Board of
Directors at our annual meeting or any other meeting where our directors are to
be elected. Mr. Cotter has advised our directors that he prefers to
be actively involved in the identification and selection of Board nominees, and
that he believes that it is in the best interests of our company and
stockholders if we continued to treat the nomination process in the same way as
in prior periods.
Our Board
of Directors does not have a formal written policy with respect to the
consideration of director candidates recommended by our stockholders since, in
the view of our Board, there has been no compelling reason to put any formal
policy in place. No stockholder has, in more than the past ten years,
made any proposal or recommendation to the Board as to potential nominees, nor
has Mr. Cotter ever proposed, in the time he has been our principal or
controlling stockholder, any nominee that our remaining directors have found to
be unacceptable. Furthermore, except for the notice requirement
described in the succeeding paragraph below, neither our governing documents nor
applicable Nevada law place any restriction on the nomination of candidates for
election to our Board of Directors directly by our
stockholders. Accordingly, our Directors are currently of the view
that in light of (i) the fact that we are a “Controlled Company” under
applicable NYSE Amex criteria and exempted from the NYSE Amex requirements for
an independent nominating process, and (ii) the fact that neither our governing
documents nor Nevada law place any limitation upon the direct nomination of
director candidates by our stockholders, that the current system suitably
addresses the needs of our company and our stockholders and that little if
anything would be gained by adopting a formal policy with respect to such
matters at this time.
Our Board of Directors will, as it has
traditionally advised our stockholders in our proxy materials each year,
consider nominations from our stockholders, provided written notice is delivered
to our Secretary at our principal executive offices not less than 120 days prior
to the first anniversary of the immediately preceding annual meeting of our
stockholders at which directors are elected, or such earlier date as may be
reasonable in the event that our annual stockholders meeting is moved
forward. Such written notice must set forth the name, age, address
and principal occupation or employment of such nominee, the number of shares of
our common stock beneficially owned by such nominee and such other information
as is required by the proxy rules of the SEC with respect to a nominee of our
Board of Directors.
Alternatively, under our governing
documents and applicable Nevada Law, nominations may be made directly by
stockholders from the floor of any meeting at which directors are to be
elected. See also, the material set forth below under the
caption
“
Stockholder Proposals and Director
Nominations.
”
Our directors have not adopted any
formal criteria with respect to the qualifications required to be a director or
the particular skills that should be represented on our Board of Directors,
other than the need to have at least one director and member of our Audit and
Compensation Committee who qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,”
and has not historically retained any third party to identify or evaluate or to
assist in identifying or evaluating potential nominees.
All of
the current nominees were recommended to the Board by Mr. Cotter. No
other recommendations were received by us with respect to possible nominees to
our Board of Directors.
We
encourage, but do not require, our Board members to attend our Annual Meeting of
Stockholders. All of our incumbent directors attended last year’s
annual meeting.
Executive
Committee
We have a standing Executive Committee
comprised of Messrs. Cotter, Laheney and Villaseñor that is authorized, to the
fullest extent permitted by Nevada law, to take action on matters between
meetings of the full Board of Directors. In recent years, this
Committee has not been used, and with the exception of matters delegated to the
Audit and Conflicts Committee or the Compensation and Stock Options Committee,
all matters requiring Board approval have been considered by the entire Board of
Directors.
Audit
and Conflicts Committee; Audit Committee Report
Our Board of Directors maintains a
standing Audit and Conflicts Committee, which we refer to as the Audit
Committee. The Audit Committee operates under a Charter adopted by
the Board of Directors, which is available on our website at
www.readingrdi.com. Our Board of Directors has determined that the
Audit Committee is comprised entirely of independent directors, (as independence
is defined in Section 121(A) of the listing standards of the NYSE Amex), and
that Mr. Barr, the Chairman of our Audit Committee, is qualified as an Audit
Committee Financial Expert. With respect to our fiscal year ended
December 31, 2008, our Audit and Conflicts Committee was comprised of Messrs.
Barr, Kane and Laheney.
Set forth
below is the Audit Committee Report.
The
following is the report of the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors
with respect to our audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2008.
|
|
The
information contained in this report shall not be deemed to be “soliciting
material” or “filed” with the SEC or subject to the liabilities of Section
18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange
Act”), except to the extent that we specifically incorporate it by
reference into a document filed under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, or the Exchange Act.
|
|
Composition
of Audit Committee
|
|
The Audit Committee of our Board
of Directors is composed of the directors named below. Each
member of the Audit Committee meets the independence requirements under
applicable SEC rules and NYSE Amex listing standards.
|
|
In addition, our Board of
Directors has determined that Mr. Barr is an “audit committee financial
expert” as defined by SEC rules.
|
|
The purpose of the Audit
Committee is to assist the Board in its general oversight of our financial
reporting, internal controls and audit functions. The Audit
Committee operates under a written Charter adopted by our Board of
Directors. The Charter is reviewed periodically and subject to
change, as appropriate. The Audit Committee Charter describes
in greater detail the full responsibilities of the
Committee.
|
|
In this context, the Audit
Committee has reviewed and discussed the Company’s audited financial
statements with management and Deloitte & Touche, LLP, our independent
auditors. Management is responsible for the preparation,
presentation and integrity of our financial statements; accounting and
financial reporting principles; establishing and maintaining disclosure
controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e));
establishing and maintaining internal control over financial reporting (as
defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f)); evaluating the effectiveness
of disclosure controls and procedures; evaluating the effectiveness of
internal control over financial reporting; and evaluating any change in
internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or
is reasonably likely to materially affect, internal control over financial
reporting. Deloitte & Touche, LLP is responsible for performing an
independent audit of the consolidated financial statements and expressing
an opinion on the conformity of those financial statements with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States of America, as well as
expressing an opinion on (i) management’s assessment of the
effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting and
(ii) the effectiveness of internal control over financial
reporting.
|
|
The Audit Committee also has
discussed with Deloitte & Touche, LLP the matters required to be
discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61, as amended,
“Communication with Audit Committees” and PCAOB Auditing Standard
No. 2, “An Audit of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Performed in Conjunction with an Audit of Financial
Statements.” In addition, Deloitte & Touche, LLP has
provided the Audit Committee with the written disclosures and the letter
required by the Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1, as
amended, “Independence Discussions with Audit Committees,” and the Audit
Committee has discussed with Deloitte & Touche, LLP their firm’s
independence.
|
|
Based on their review of the
consolidated financial statements and discussions with and representations
from management and Deloitte & Touche, LLP referred to above, the
Audit Committee recommended to our Board of Directors that the audited
financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K
for fiscal year 2008, for filing with the SEC.
|
|
Respectfully
submitted by the Audit Committee.
|
|
Eric
Barr, Chairman
Edward
L. Kane
Gerard
P. Laheney
|
Compensation
and Stock Options Committee
Our Board
of Directors has a standing Compensation and Stock Options Committee, which we
refer to as our Compensation Committee, comprised of two or more of our
independent directors. The current Compensation Committee members are
Alfred Villaseñor, William D. Gould and Gerard P. Laheney.
Mr. Villaseñor serves
as Chairman of the Compensation Committee.
The
Compensation Committee evaluates and makes recommendations to the full Board of
Directors regarding the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer, James J.
Cotter, and that of any Cotter family members and generally oversees our
executive compensation programs. The Compensation Committee Report is
shown below under the heading, “Compensation Committee Report.”
Vote
Required; Recommendation of the Board
The eight nominees receiving the
greatest number of votes cast at the Annual Meeting will be elected to the Board
of Directors. Mr. Cotter has advised us that he intends to vote his
shares of Class B Stock in favor of each of our nominees. Since Mr.
Cotter owns a majority of the outstanding Class B Stock, if he votes his shares
as he has advised, then the nominees will be elected whether or not they receive
the votes of any other holders of our voting stock.
THE
BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” EACH OF THE NOMINEES.
EXECUTIVE
OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Management
of Our Company
Executive
Officers
The
following table sets forth information regarding our executive officers other
than Mr. Cotter, whose information is set forth in the Nominees for Election
section of this Proxy Statement:
Name
|
Age
|
Title
|
Ellen
M. Cotter
|
43
|
Chief
Operating Officer – Domestic Cinemas
|
John
Hunter
|
50
|
Chief
Operating Officer
|
Jay
Laifman
|
45
|
General
Counsel and Chief Legal Officer
|
Brett
Marsh
|
61
|
Vice
President – Real Estate
|
Andrzej
Matyczynski
|
56
|
Chief
Financial Officer and Treasurer
|
Wayne
Smith
|
51
|
Executive
Director – Australia and New Zealand
|
Robert
F. Smerling
|
74
|
President
- Domestic Cinemas
|
Ellen Cotter joined us in March 1998
and is the Chief Operating Officer of our domestic cinema
operations. Ms. Cotter is also Chief Executive Officer of our
subsidiary, Consolidated Entertainment, Inc., which owns cinemas in the United
States. Ms. Cotter is a graduate of Smith College and holds a Juris
Doctorate from Georgetown Law School. Prior to joining us, Ms. Cotter
spent four years in private practice as a corporate attorney with the law firm
of White & Case in Manhattan. Ms. Cotter is the daughter of James
J. Cotter and the sister of James J. Cotter, Jr. and Margaret Cotter, each of
whom are directors of our company.
John Hunter joined our Company in
February 2007 as our Chief Operating Officer. He is also President of our
Australia and New Zealand based subsidiaries. Mr. Hunter has spent fifteen
years in senior management positions in cinema operations and real estate
development. He has worked with Landmark Theatres, Loews Theatres,
and Pacific Theatres. Immediately prior to joining the Company, he
was the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for Hollywood
Theatres. Mr. Hunter served on the board of directors for the
National Association of Theatre Owners. Prior to becoming involved in
the cinema business, Mr. Hunter spent several years in senior management
positions in the home video, magazine, and book publishing
industries.
Jay Laifman has been our General
Counsel and Chief Legal Officer since July 21, 2008. Mr. Laifman was
with Countrywide Financial Corporation from 1997 until just before joining our
Company, serving most recently as Countrywide’s Deputy General Counsel, a
position in which he oversaw and handled legal services for corporate real
estate, human resources, intellectual property, corporate contracts, and
charitable giving.
Brett Marsh has been with our Company
since 1993 and is responsible for our real estate activities. From
1989 to 1993, Mr. Marsh was the Senior Vice President of Burton Property Trust,
Inc., the U.S. real estate subsidiary of the Burton Group PLC. In
this position, Mr. Marsh was responsible for the real estate portfolio of that
company.
Andrzej Matyczynski
was named Chief
Financial Officer and Treasurer of our Company and Craig Corporation and the
Chief Administrative Officer of Reading Entertainment, Inc. on November 18,
1999. Mr. Matyczynski was named the Chief Financial Officer and
Treasurer of Reading Entertainment, Inc. effective June 2,
2000. Prior to joining us, Mr. Matyczynski held various positions
over a twenty-
year
period with Beckman Coulter in the U.S. and Europe. Beckman Coulter
is a leading provider of instrument systems and related products that automate
laboratory processes. He last served as Beckman Coulter’s Worldwide
Director of Financial Reporting and Accounting, and as a director for certain
Beckman Coulter subsidiaries.
Wayne
Smith joined our Company in April 2004 after 23 years with Hoyts Cinemas, a
company which internationally had 1,200 cinema screens. He was a key
driver, as Hoyts head of Property and Development, in growing the company’s
Australia and New Zealand operations via an AUS$250 million expansion program to
more than 50 sites and 400 screens. His career also included heading up
Hoyts’ car parking company, cinema operations, representing Hoyts on various
Joint Venture interests plus coordinating many asset acquisitions and disposals
the company made.
Robert F. Smerling
was appointed President
of Citadel Cinemas, Inc. effective September 1, 2000 following our acquisition
of our City Cinemas circuit. Mr. Smerling also served as the
President and a director of Reading Entertainment, Inc. Mr. Smerling
has served as the senior executive officer responsible for our various domestic
subsidiaries since 1994. Prior to joining us, Mr. Smerling was the
President of Loews Theater Management Corporation from May 1990 until November
1993. Mr. Smerling also served as President and Chief Executive
Officer of City Cinemas Corporation, a motion picture exhibitor located in New
York City, from November 1993 to September 2000.
COMPENSATION
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Role
and Authority of the Compensation Committee
The Board of Directors of our company
has established a standing Compensation and Stock Options Committee, which we
refer to in this section as the “Compensation Committee” or the “Committee,”
comprised of two or more of our non-employee directors. As a
“controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE Amex Company Guide, we are
exempt from the listing standards regarding the determination of executive
compensation. The Compensation Committee has no formal charter, and
acts pursuant to the general authority delegated to the Committee by our Board
of Directors at the time it established the Compensation Committee and any
specific authority delegated by our Board from time to time.
Generally speaking, the Compensation
Committee has advisory authority only with respect to the compensation of our
named executive officers. The final authority to make compensation
decisions rests with our Board of Directors.
Throughout this proxy section, the
individuals named in the Summary Compensation Table below are referred to as
“named executive officers.”
Compensation
Objectives and Policies
The principal objectives of our
executive compensation program are to:
|
·
|
attract
and retain talented executives;
|
|
·
|
reward
executives appropriately for their individual efforts and job performance;
and
|
|
·
|
afford
executives appropriate incentives to achieve the short-term and long-term
business objectives established by management and our Board of
Directors.
|
Our general policies for achieving
these objectives are that the total compensation paid to our named executive
officers:
|
·
|
should
be fair to us and to the named executive
officers;
|
|
·
|
reasonable
in nature and amount; and
|
|
·
|
competitive
with market pay rates.
|
With certain exceptions, our company’s
compensation policies are not related specifically to our company’s
performance. As described below, our company’s performance is just
one of the factors considered by us and our Compensation Committee in awarding
discretionary compensation. These policies remained in place
throughout 2008, and we expect to continue to follow them for the foreseeable
future.
Role
of Compensation Consultant
In 2004, our company retained Towers
Perrin, executive compensation consultants, to perform an analysis of our Chief
Executive Officer’s compensation among a peer group of companies. In
consultation with our management, including Mr. Cotter, our Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer, Towers Perrin
identified
a peer group of companies in the real estate investment trust and cinema
exhibition industries, the two principal lines of business of our
company. Based upon Towers Perrin’s review, the Compensation
Committee determined that Mr. Cotter’s total direct compensation, consisting of
salary, bonus and annualized expected value of long-term incentive compensation,
should fall within the 66
th
percentile among the peer group. Based upon this determination, we
entered into a two-year employment agreement with Mr. Cotter under which we
agreed to employ him as Chairman of the Board and
Chief Executive Officer
for a base salary of $500,000, to award him an annual cash bonus of $250,000 if
specific goals were achieved with respect to company projects in which Mr.
Cotter was involved on a hands-on basis, and to award $250,000 of restricted
shares of our Class A Stock annually as of the end of each year, so long as
he was then still serving as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Cotter’s
employment agreement expired on December 31, 2006, and we currently have no
employment agreement with him. As described below, however, the terms
of his prior employment agreement continue to form the basis of Mr. Cotter’s
compensation.
The Compensation Committee has
periodically requested new assessments from Towers Perrin for the purpose of
benchmarking Mr. Cotter’s compensation. In August 2008, Towers Perrin
assessed Mr. Cotter’s base salary, actual and target total cash bonus
compensation, and actual and target total direct compensation. Towers
Perrin compared these with those of a peer group of companies selected in
consultation with our management, including Mr. Cotter, based on market value,
industry, and business description. The following is a list of the
peer companies used in this assessment:
Acadia
Realty Trust
|
Marcus
Corp (The)
|
Agree
Realty Corp
|
Monmouth
Real Estate Investment Corp
|
AMC
Entertainment
|
Omega
Healthcare Investors
|
Associated
Estates Realty Corp
|
Orleans
Homebuilders Inc.
|
Bluegreen
Corp
|
Ramco-Gershenson
Properties Trust
|
Bresler
& Reiner Inc.
|
Regal
Entertainment Group
|
Carmike
Cinemas Inc.
|
Tarragon
Corp
|
Imax
Corp
|
Urstadt
Biddle Properties Inc.
|
LTC
Properties
|
|
The
Compensation Committee considered Towers Perrin’s assessment in its decision to
maintain Mr. Cotter’s annual base salary for 2008 at $500,000 and to set his
potential cash bonus and his potential restricted stock bonus for 2008 at
$500,000 each.
Role
of Executive Officers in Compensation Decisions
The Compensation Committee recommends
to our full Board of Directors for its determination all compensation decisions
relating to Mr. Cotter and his family members who serve as officers or directors
of our company. Decisions regarding the compensation of our other
named executive officers are made by Mr. Cotter, as our Chief Executive Officer,
in consultation with our Compensation Committee. Mr. Cotter proposes
the compensation of directors, which is reviewed and approved, or modified, in
the Board’s discretion. Annual director fees are reviewed only
infrequently, and are adjusted periodically based primarily on market
considerations. Somewhat more often, we review and adjust the fees we
pay to directors for any special services provided by them.
The Compensation Committee and Mr.
Cotter periodically review at least annually
the performance of each
named executive officer (other than Mr. Cotter, whose performance may be
reviewed less frequently and only by the Compensation Committee). Mr.
Cotter personally assesses the performance of our named executive officers and
their base salaries, bonuses and any stock-based compensation. Mr.
Cotter then presents to the Committee his conclusions and recommendations,
including with respect to salary adjustments and annual discretionary cash
bonuses and other awards. The Compensation Committee may suggest
modifications to some of Mr. Cotter’s proposals and has done so in recent years,
including in 2008.
The Chief
Executive Officer’s decisions regarding the compensation of our other named
executive officers also are subject to the final oversight authority of our
Board of Directors.
Mr. Cotter sometimes attends the
Compensation Committee meetings, but did not do so in 2008. Andrzej
Matyczynski, our Chief Financial Officer, attended all of the Compensation
Committee meetings in 2008. The Compensation Committee occasionally
meets in executive session without the presence or participation of any members
of management, but did not do so in 2008. Before recommending any
changes to Mr. Cotter’s compensation or that of his family members who are named
executive officers, the Compensation Committee discusses the proposed changes
with Mr. Cotter.
Setting
Executive Compensation
Mr. Matyczynski and John Hunter, our
Chief Operating Officer, have written employment agreements with our company
that provide for a specified annual base salary and other compensation to
them. Each of the other named executive officers other than Mr.
Cotter receives a base annual salary that was originally established by
negotiation between our company and the executive when he or she joined our
company. These base salaries may be adjusted periodically, based
primarily upon the recommendations of the Compensation Committee,
Mr. Cotter, and other senior management, and upon other factors, including
market and competitive factors.
The Compensation Committee is not
authorized generally to retain its own independent advisors to assist in
carrying out its responsibilities. From time to time, however, our
company and the Compensation Committee have relied upon outside compensation
consultants as discussed above.
We have no pre-established policy or
target for allocating total executive compensation between base and
discretionary or incentive compensation, or between cash and non-cash incentive
compensation. Historically and in 2008, a majority of total
compensation to our named executive officers was in the form of annual base
salaries and discretionary cash bonuses.
2008
Executive Compensation Components
For 2008,
the principal components of compensation for our named executive officers
were:
|
·
|
discretionary
annual cash bonuses; and
|
|
·
|
discretionary
awards of restricted stock.
|
Base
Salary
We provide our named executive officers
with base salaries to compensate them for services rendered during the fiscal
year in the ordinary course of performing their job
responsibilities. We determine base salaries for named executive
officers primarily based on:
|
·
|
the
negotiated terms of each executive’s employment agreement or original
terms of employment;
|
|
·
|
the
individual’s position and level of responsibility with our
company;
|
|
·
|
periodic
review of the executive’s compensation, both individually and relative to
other named executive officers; and
|
|
·
|
a
subjective evaluation of individual job performance of the
executive.
|
Salary levels are typically considered
periodically, as part of our performance review process, as well as upon any
change in job responsibility. Merit-based increases or other changes
to salaries also are determined at that time, based on the Compensation
Committee’s discussions with Mr. Cotter and Ellen Cotter in the case of their
salaries, or based on Mr. Cotter’s own assessment in the case of our other named
executive officers.
The Compensation Committee originally
approved an annual base salary for Mr. Cotter of $500,000 for 2008, but
determined to reduce Mr. Cotter’s salary to $400,000 in connection with the
appointment of his son, James J. Cotter, Jr., as Vice Chairman of the Board and
the determination to pay Mr. Cotter, Jr. an annual fee of $100,000 for his
services as Vice Chairman. For 2009, the Committee determined that
the Company rather than Mr. Cotter, Sr. should assume responsibility for
compensating Mr. Cotter, Jr. for his services as Vice
Chairman. Accordingly, the Committee approved a salary of $500,000
for Mr. Cotter, Sr. for 2009 and approved an annual Vice Chairman fee for Mr.
Cotter, Jr. of $100,000.
Effective March 1, 2008, the
Compensation Committee approved an increase in Ellen Cotter’s annual base salary
of $50,000, or 22% over her salary in 2007. The base salaries of the
other named executive officers were unchanged in 2008 from 2007.
Discretionary
Cash Bonuses
We supplement the base salaries of Mr.
Cotter and our other named executive officers with periodic discretionary cash
bonuses in recognition of individual performance and predicated on, among other
things, the overall financial performance of our company. These
bonuses are made in recognition of individual contributions, and are determined
based upon such factors as the level of the executive’s responsibilities, the
efficiency and effectiveness with which he or she oversees the matters under his
or her supervision, and the degree to which the officer has contributed to the
accomplishment of major tasks that advance the company’s goals. We
assign no particular weighting to individual performance versus the achievement
of the company’s objectives. Due to the uncertainty of discretionary
bonuses, we deem these bonuses as earned compensation once they are approved by
management or, in the case of Mr. Cotter, by our Compensation
Committee.
The Compensation Committee set Mr.
Cotter’s maximum discretionary cash bonus for 2008 at $500,000 and established
several cash bonus criteria, including (1) the opening of a new cinema in
Dandenong, Australia, (2) securing a development plan for our property in
Burwood, Australia, (3) appreciation in the subject price of our Class A Stock,
(4) maintaining or improving theater cash flow in Australia from the 2007 level,
(5) re-negotiation and relaxation of our trust preferred securities financing,
and (6) maintaining cash flow of our Wellington, New Zealand property and cinema
at the same level as in 2007. The Committee determined that at least
four of these criteria were met, and on that basis, determined to award Mr.
Cotter the full bonus amount of $500,000 for 2008. Our Compensation
Committee is currently determining appropriate criteria for Mr. Cotter’s bonus
for 2009.
Due to the global economic recession,
the company has suspended discretionary cash bonuses for 2008 for our other
named executive officers. Except as provided in any employment
agreement with our named executive officers, additional compensation in excess
of base salary, whether in the form of cash bonuses or stock-based awards, is
awarded entirely on a discretionary basis.
Stock-Based
Awards
Historically, we have relied upon
periodic awards of stock-based compensation to link the executives’ long-term
compensation to appreciation in stockholder value over time. Initial
stock-based awards are made at the time of hire of named executive
officers. We may award restricted stock in lieu of stock options
where appropriate, because of the relative advantages to the recipient of
restricted stock as compared to stock options and the elimination of beneficial
accounting treatment previously given to stock options. We may also
continue to grant stock options from time to time, although we did not grant any
in 2008.
During
2008, we awarded Mr. Cotter $500,000 of Class A shares valued at $7.57 per
share, which corresponded to the market price of our Class A shares at August
31, 2008. These shares vested immediately, but Mr. Cotter has agreed
not to sell any of the shares for five years from the date of
issuance.
We
granted Mr. Hunter $100,000 of restricted Class A shares on February 12, 2008
valued at $9.70 per share, based on the first anniversary of Mr. Hunter’s date
of hire. These shares are subject to vesting in two equal annual
installments. In August 2008, we also granted $80,000 of Class A
shares valued at $9.45 per share as a bonus relating to our completion of the
acquisition of cinemas in California and Hawaii. The value of these
shares is based on the market price on March 24, 2008, which was 30 days after
the closing date of the transaction.
In August
2008, we granted Mr. Matyczynski $80,000 of Class A shares valued at $9.45 per
share as a bonus relating to our completion of the acquisition of cinemas in
California and Hawaii. The value of these shares is based on the
market price on March 24, 2008, which was 30 days after the closing date of the
transaction. At the same time, we granted Mr. Matyczynski $50,000 of
Class A shares valued at $8.34 per share as a bonus for completing our trust
preferred securities transaction. The value of these shares is based
on the market price on March 7, 2007, which was 30 days after the closing date
of the transaction.
Ownership
Guidelines
We have no requirement that each named
executive officer maintain any specific ownership interest in our
company.
Awards of stock-based compensation are
determined based primarily on negotiations with our named executive officers at
the time of their hire or thereafter, and vary among the named executive
officers based on their positions within our company. Newly hired
executive officers who are to receive stock options or restricted stock are
awarded such options or restricted stock at their hire date.
It is generally our policy to award
stock options and restricted stock at the closing price of our common stock as
reported on the NYSE Amex on the date the award is approved by our Compensation
Committee or
our
Board of Directors, or on the date of hire, if the stock is granted as a
recruitment incentive. When stock is granted as bonus compensation
for a particular transaction, we sometimes value the stock based on the market
price on a date calculated from the closing date of the relevant
transaction. In some instances, we value restricted stock on another
date that is set by our Compensation Committee or our Board of
Directors. In some circumstances, we may grant options to a named
executive officer at an exercise price in excess of the closing price of our
common stock on the award date. We have never granted options with an
exercise price that is less than the fair market value of our common stock on
the award or hire date.
Most stock options that we grant are
subject to vesting at a rate of 25% to 50% per year and have a ten-year option
term. Vesting and exercise rights generally cease upon termination of
employment, except in the case of fully vested options, which may be exercised
within 90 days of the termination date (or any such other period as may be
prescribed by the Compensation Committee). Prior to the exercise of
an option, the holder has no rights as a stockholder with respect to the shares
subject to such option, including voting rights and the right to receive
dividends or dividend equivalents.
Restricted stock awarded by us
generally is subject to forfeiture unless the recipient remains in our employ
for a specified period of time, typically one to two years. The
holder of the restricted stock is entitled to all rights of a stockholder
immediately upon issuance of the restricted stock and so long as the restricted
stock has not been forfeited.
Other
Policies
We have no program, practice or plan to
grant stock-based compensation to our named
executive officers,
including new executive officers, in coordination with the release of material
nonpublic information. We also have not timed the release of material
nonpublic information for the purpose of affecting the value of stock-based
compensation to our named executive officers, and we have no plan to do
so.
Except as described above with respect
to Mr. Cotter, the Compensation Committee does not attempt to establish or
measure executive compensation against any benchmarks.
We have not had occasion to restate our
company’s historical financial statements, and we have not established any
policy regarding the adjustment or recovery of compensation payments or awards
if any performance measures upon which such payments or awards are based are
subsequently restated or adjusted.
Generally speaking, we have not taken
into consideration any amounts realized by our named executive officers from
prior stock option or restricted stock awards in determining whether to grant
new stock options or restricted stock or, in the cases of Mr. Cotter and Mr.
Hunter, the establishment of their SERP and unfunded pension
benefits.
Compensation
of Chief Executive Officer
The Compensation Committee determined
that Mr. Cotter’s total direct compensation, consisting of salary, bonus and
annualized value of long-term incentive compensation, should fall within the
66
th
percentile of the selected peer group. Towers Perrin’s assessment in
2008 showed the 66
th
percentile to consist of an annual base salary of $562,000, a bonus of $452,000,
long-term incentives at $899,000, for a total direct compensation of
$1,959,000. The Committee approved total direct compensation for Mr.
Cotter of $1,500,000 for 2008.
Effective September 1, 2007, our
Board of Directors appointed James J. Cotter, Jr., Mr. Cotter’s son and a
director of our company, as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for an
additional fee of $100,000 per annum. In conjunction with this
appointment, Mr. Cotter offered to reduce his annual salary by $100,000, which
was effective for the calendar year 2008. In January 2009, the
Compensation Committee approved an increase in Mr. Cotter’s salary by $100,000
to $500,000 annually, and maintained Mr. Cotter, Jr.’s annual director fee at
$135,000.
The Compensation Committee sets the
criteria for Mr. Cotter’s annual discretionary bonus in consultation with our
Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Matyczynski. The criteria are based on
specific business objectives of our company for the ensuing year. The
Compensation Committee also assigns a target value
to each
of those criteria, which together add up to the maximum possible bonus amount,
or more than the maximum possible bonus amount. The specific bonus
criteria for 2008 and the Compensation Committee’s determinations are described
above under “Discretionary Cash Bonuses.”
During 2008, Mr. Cotter was granted
$500,000 of restricted shares of our Class A Stock. The shares
were valued as of the closing price of our Class A Stock on August 31,
2008. The details of this grant and its restrictions are described
above under “Stock-Based Awards.”
Severance
and Change-of-Control Arrangements
We have severance arrangements with
several
our named
executive officers other than Mr. Cotter. The main purpose of these
agreements is to protect the company from business risks such as competition for
the executives’ service, loss of confidentiality or trade secrets, and
solicitation of our other employees, and to define our right to terminate the
employment relationship. The employment agreements also protect the
executive from termination without “cause.” Each arrangement was
individually negotiated, so there are some variations in the terms among
executive officers. Generally speaking, however, the arrangements
provide for termination and severance benefits that the Compensation Committee
believes are consistent with industry practices for similarly situated
executives. The Compensation Committee believes that the termination
and severance benefits help the company retain the named executive officers by
providing them with a competitive employment arrangement and protection against
unknowns such as termination without “cause” that go along with the
position. We currently have no agreements that provide for payments
to our named executive officers upon a change in control.
Information regarding applicable
severance payments under agreements for the named executive officers is provided
under the heading “Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control,”
below.
Retirement
and Other Benefits
Reading International, Inc. 401(k)
Plan.
We provide all of our employees, including Mr. Cotter
and our other named executive officers a retirement savings plan qualified under
Internal Revenue Code section 401(k). To be eligible to participate,
employees must have completed four months of employment, and must be over 21
years of age. Employees choosing to participate can make
contributions to their plan account on a pre-tax basis up to the maximum annual
amount permitted by IRS rulings. The Company usually matches employee
contributions dollar-for-dollar up to 3% of employee wages, then 50 cents per
dollar between 3% and 5% of employee wages.
Supplemental Executive Retirement
Plan
. In March 2007, our Board of Directors approved a
Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (“SERP”) pursuant to which we agreed to
provide Mr. Cotter supplemental retirement benefits to reward him for his more
than 15 years of service to our company and its predecessors. Under
the SERP, following his separation from our company, Mr. Cotter will be entitled
to receive from our company for the remainder of his life (with a guaranteed
minimum of 180 monthly payments) a monthly payment of the greater of (i) 40% of
his average monthly cash earnings over the highest consecutive 36-month period
of earnings prior to Mr. Cotter’s separation from service with us or (ii)
$25,000. The beneficiaries under the SERP may be designated by Mr.
Cotter or by his beneficiary following his or his beneficiary’s
death. The benefits under SERP were fully vested as of March 1,
2007.
The SERP currently is unfunded and, as
such, the SERP benefits are unsecured, general obligations of our
company. We may choose in the future to establish one or more grantor
trusts from which to pay the SERP benefits. The SERP is administered
by the Compensation Committee.
Other Retirement
Plans
. Mr. Hunter has an unfunded pension benefit that vests
as follows on the following anniversaries of the commencement of his employment,
which was February 12, 2007:
Anniversary
|
|
Amount
|
|
Fourth
|
|
$
|
400,000
|
|
Eighth
|
|
|
800,000
|
|
Tenth
|
|
|
1,000,000
|
|
Thirteenth
|
|
|
2,000,000
|
|
The
greatest vested amount above is to be paid to Mr. Hunter in a lump sum on the
date he ceases employment with the company. We currently maintain no
other retirement plan for our named executive officers or other
employees.
Perquisites
and Other Personal Benefits
We offer a number of other benefits to
the named executive officers pursuant to benefits programs that provide for
broad-based employee participation. The named executive officers are
eligible to participate on the same basis as other U.S. employees in these
benefits programs, which include:
|
·
|
medical,
dental and vision insurance;
|
|
·
|
long-term
and short-term disability
insurance;
|
|
·
|
life
and accidental death and dismemberment
insurance;
|
|
·
|
health
and dependent care flexible spending accounts;
and
|
|
·
|
certain
other benefits.
|
In addition, we provide Mr. Cotter with
perquisites and other personal benefits, including a company car and personal
use of a condominium owned by the company. Our other named executive
officers also receive allowances for automobiles. We periodically
review the levels of perquisites and other personal benefits provided to our
named executive officers. Any perquisites and other personal benefits
to Mr. Cotter not shared by our other named executive officers are reviewed and
approved by our Audit and Conflicts Committee as related-person
transactions.
The aggregate incremental cost to the
company of the personal benefits described above for the named executive
officers for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 are included in the column
“All Other Compensation” of the “Summary Compensation Table,”
below.
Tax
and Accounting Considerations
Deductibility
of Executive Compensation
Subject to an exception for
“performance-based compensation,” Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue
Code generally prohibits corporations from deducting for federal income tax
purposes annual compensation paid to any senior executive officer to the extent
that such annual compensation exceeds $1 million. The Compensation
Committee and our Board of Directors consider the limits on deductibility under
Section 162(m) in establishing executive compensation, but retain the
discretion to authorize the payment of compensation that exceeds the limit on
deductibility under this Section.
Nonqualified
Deferred Compensation
On October 22, 2004, the American Jobs
Creation Act of 2004 was signed into law, changing the tax rules applicable to
nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements. While the final
regulations have not become effective yet, we believe we are operating in
good-faith compliance with the statutory provisions, which were effective
January 1, 2005.
Accounting
for Stock-Based Compensation
Beginning on January 1, 2006, we began
accounting for stock-based payments in accordance with the requirements of
Statement of Accounting Standards No. 123(R). Our decisions to award
restricted stock to Messrs. Cotter, Hunter, and Matyczynski were based in part
upon the change in accounting treatment for stock options. Accounting
treatment otherwise
has had no significant
effect on our compensation decisions.
Compensation
Committee Report
The
Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed with management the
“Compensation Discussion and Analysis” required by Item 401(b) of Regulation S-K
and, based on such review and discussions, has recommended to our board of
directors that the foregoing “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” be included
in this Proxy Statement.
Alfred
Villaseñor, Chairman
William
D. Gould
Gerard P.
Laheney
SUMMARY
COMPENSATION TABLE
The following table presents summary
information concerning all compensation payable to our named executive officers
for services rendered in all capacities during the past three completed fiscal
years:
|
Year
|
Salary ($)
|
Bonus ($)
|
Stock Awards ($)
|
Option Awards ($)
|
Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred
Compensation Earnings ($)
|
All Other
Compensation
|
Total ($)
|
James
J. Cotter (1)
|
2008
|
$400,000
|
$400,000
|
$800,000
|
$265,000
|
$ 122,000
|
$35,000
|
$2,022,000
|
Chairman of the Board
and
|
2007
|
500,000
|
1,610,000
|
250,000
|
176,000
|
2,458,000
|
35,000
|
5,029,000
|
Chief Executive
Officer
|
2006
|
500,000
|
230,000
|
125,000
|
--
|
--
|
34,000
|
889,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Andrzej
Matyczynski (2)(3)
|
2008
|
264,000
|
77,000
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
21,000
|
362,000
|
Chief Financial
Officer
|
2007
|
264,000
|
62,000
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
21,000
|
347,000
|
and Treasurer
|
2006
|
240,000
|
12,000
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
21,000
|
273,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
John
Hunter (2)(3)
|
2008
|
350,000
|
90,000
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
9,000
|
449,000
|
Chief Operating
Officer
|
2007
|
312,000
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
312,000
|
|
2006
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Robert
F. Smerling (2)
|
2008
|
350,000
|
30,000
|
--
|
116,000
|
--
|
18,000
|
514,000
|
President –
Domestic
|
2007
|
350,000
|
--
|
--
|
77,000
|
--
|
18,000
|
445,000
|
Cinema
Operations
|
2006
|
350,000
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
18,000
|
368,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ellen
M. Cotter (2)
|
2008
|
267,000
|
50,000
|
--
|
132,000
|
--
|
23,000
|
472,000
|
Chief Operating Officer
–
|
2007
|
225,000
|
30,000
|
--
|
88,000
|
--
|
23,000
|
366,000
|
Domestic
Cinemas
|
2006
|
200,000
|
30,000
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
23,000
|
253,000
|
(1)
|
We
own a condominium in a high-rise building located in West Hollywood,
California, which is used as an executive office. Included in
other compensation are the employer’s match of our 401(k) plan and the
value to Mr. Cotter of his personal use of the condominium and a company
automobile.
|
(2)
|
Other
compensation is comprised of the employer’s match of our 401(k) plan and
car allowances to the executives.
|
(3)
|
In
August 2008, we granted Mr. Hunter and Mr. Matyczynski the option to
receive either $40,000 of cash or $80,000 of Class A shares valued at
$9.45 per share bonus compensation relating to our completion of the
acquisition of cinemas in California and Hawaii. The value of
these shares is based on the market price on March 24, 2008, which was 30
days after the closing date of the transaction. Additionally,
we granted Mr. Matyczynski the option to receive either $25,000 of cash or
$50,000 of Class A shares valued at $8.34 per share as a bonus for
completing our trust preferred securities transaction. The
value of these shares is based on the market price on March 7, 2007, which
was 30 days after the closing date of the transaction. In each
case, they chose to receive the Class A shares in lieu of the
cash. As such, these cash awards are included in their 2008
cash bonus amounts.
|
GRANTS
OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS
The following table contains
information concerning the stock grants made to each named executive officer for
the year ended December 31, 2008:
Name
|
Estimated
Future Payouts Under Equity Incentive Plan Awards
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grant Date
|
|
Threshold Number of
Shares
|
|
|
Target Number of Shares
|
|
|
Maximum Number of
Shares
|
|
|
All Other Stock Awards: Number of Shares of Stock
or Units
|
|
|
All Other Option Awards: Number of Securities
Underlying Options
|
|
|
Exercise or Base Price of Option
Awards
|
|
|
Grant Date Fair Value of Stock and Option
Awards
|
|
James
J. Cotter
|
12/31/2007
|
|
|
17,518
|
|
|
|
17,518
|
|
|
|
17,518
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
135,000
|
|
|
5/9/2007
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
100,000
|
|
|
$
|
10.24
|
|
|
|
528,900
|
|
|
12/31/2008
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
66,050
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
500,000
|
|
Andrzej
Matyczynski
|
8/21/2008
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
8,466
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
80,000
|
|
|
8/21/2008
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
5,995
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
50,000
|
|
John
Hunter
|
2/12/2007
|
|
|
5,794
|
|
|
|
5,794
|
|
|
|
5,794
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
50,000
|
|
|
2/12/2008
|
|
|
10,309
|
|
|
|
10,309
|
|
|
|
10,309
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
100,000
|
|
|
8/21/2008
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
8,466
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
80,000
|
|
Robert
F. Smerling
|
5/9/2007
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
43,750
|
|
|
$
|
10.24
|
|
|
|
231,394
|
|
Ellen
M. Cotter
|
5/9/2007
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
50,000
|
|
|
$
|
10.24
|
|
|
|
264,450
|
|
OUTSTANDING
EQUITY AWARDS
The following table contains
information concerning the outstanding option and stock awards of each named
executive officer as of December 31, 2008:
|
|
Option Awards
|
|
|
Stock Awards
|
|
|
|
Number of Shares Underlying Unexercised Options
Exercisable
|
|
|
Number of Shares Underlying Unexercised Options
Unexercisable
|
|
|
Option Exercise Price ($)
|
|
|
Option Expiration Date
|
|
|
Number of Shares or Units of Stock that Have Not
Vested
|
|
|
Market Value of Shares or Units that Have Not
Vested ($)
|
|
James
J. Cotter
|
|
|
50,000
|
|
|
|
50,000
|
|
|
$
|
10.24
|
|
|
5/9/2017
|
|
|
|
17,518
|
|
|
$
|
133,000
|
|
Andrzej
Matyczynski
|
|
|
35,100
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
5.13
|
|
|
11/18/2009
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
|
30,000
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
2.76
|
|
|
4/13/2010
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
|
35,000
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
3.80
|
|
|
7/2/2012
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
John
Hunter
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
5,794
|
|
|
$
|
44,000
|
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
10,309
|
|
|
$
|
78,000
|
|
Robert
F. Smerling
|
|
|
21,875
|
|
|
|
21,875
|
|
|
$
|
10.24
|
|
|
5/9/2017
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
Ellen
M. Cotter
|
|
|
25,000
|
|
|
|
25,000
|
|
|
$
|
10.24
|
|
|
5/9/2017
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
OPTION
EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED
The following table contains
information concerning the option awards that were exercised and stock awards
that vested during the year ended December 31, 2008 to each of the named
executive officers.
|
|
Option Awards
|
|
|
Stock Awards
|
|
Name
|
|
Number
of Shares Acquired on
Exercise
|
|
|
Value
Realized
on
Exercise ($)
|
|
|
Number
of Shares Acquired on
Vesting
|
|
|
Value
Realized
on
Vesting ($)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
James J. Cotter
(1)
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
|
|
98,701
|
|
|
$
|
747,000
|
|
Andrzej
Matyczynski
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
|
|
14,461
|
|
|
$
|
130,000
|
|
John Hunter
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
|
|
14,259
|
|
|
$
|
130,000
|
|
Robert F. Smerling
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
Ellen M. Cotter
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
|
(1)
|
As
part of Mr. James J. Cotter’s compensation, he was granted a $350,000
restricted stock award for 2007 based on the market price on December 31,
2007 and $250,000 restricted stock awards for 2006 and 2005 based on the
market price on December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively. Each
annual award of restricted stock is to vest in two annual installments of
50% each on the first and second anniversaries of the award date and will
be subject to forfeiture by Mr. Cotter unless he remains employed as Chief
Executive Officer of the Company through such dates. These
shares represent the vesting of the 50% portion of the 2006 and 2005
awards that vested on December 31,
2007.
|
PENSION
BENEFITS
The following table contains
information concerning pension plans for each of the named executive officers
for the year ended December 31, 2008:
Name
|
|
Plan Name
|
|
|
Number
of Years of
Credited
Service
|
|
|
Present
Value of Accumulated
Benefit
($)
|
|
|
Payments
During Last
Fiscal Year
($)
|
|
James
J. Cotter
|
|
SERP
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
$
|
2,580,000
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
John
Hunter
|
|
COO
Pension Plan
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
$
|
192,000
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
Andrzej
Matyczynski
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
Robert
F. Smerling
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
Ellen
M. Cotter
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
|
$
|
--
|
|
PAYMENTS
UPON TERMINATION OR CHANGE IN CONTROL
We have entered into the following
termination arrangements with only the following named executive
officers:
Andrzej
Matyczynski
. Pursuant to his employment agreement, Mr.
Matyczynski is entitled to a severance payment equal to six months’ salary in
the event his employment is involuntarily terminated.
John Hunter
. Under
the terms of his employment, Mr. Hunter is entitled to a severance payment equal
to his annual base salary if the company terminates his employment for any
reason before February 12, 2011. If the company terminates his
employment for any reason on February 12, 2011 or later, Mr. Hunter is entitled
to a severance payment of 50% of his annual base salary.
None of
our employment agreements with our named executive officers have provisions
relating to change in control.
COMPENSATION
COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION
The current members of our Compensation
Committee are Alfred Villaseñor, Chairman, William D. Gould, and Gerard P.
Laheney. There are no “interlocks,” as defined by the SEC, with
respect to any member of our Compensation Committee.
CERTAIN
TRANSACTIONS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
The members of our Conflicts Committee
are Eric Barr, Chairman, Edward L. Kane, and Gerard P.
Laheney. Management presents all potential related party transactions
to the Conflicts Committee for review. Our Conflicts Committee
reviews whether a given related party transaction is beneficial to our Company,
and approves or bars the transaction after a thorough analysis. Only
Committee members disinterested in the transaction in question participate in
the determination of whether the transaction may proceed.
Sutton
Hill Capital
In 2001,
we entered into a transaction with Sutton Hill Capital, LLC (“SHC”) regarding
the leasing with an option to purchase of certain cinemas located in
Manhattan. In connection with that transaction, we also agreed to
lend certain amounts to SHC, to provide liquidity in its investment, pending our
determination whether or not to exercise our option to purchase and to manage
the 86th Street Cinema on a fee basis. SHC is a limited liability
company owned in equal shares by James J. Cotter and Michael Forman and of which
Mr. Cotter is the managing member. During 2008 and 2007, we paid rent
to SHC in the amount of $487,000 and $491,000, respectively, and we owed SHC
$5.0 million (due December 31, 2010) with respect to the borrowing used
principally to finance the acquisition of our interest in the limited liability
company currently developing the Sutton Cinema site and $9.0 million on the
Purchase Money Promissory Note (due December 31, 2010), for an aggregate
liability of $14.0 million. These two notes had annual interest rates
at December 31, 2008 and 2007 of 10.34% and 8.25%, respectively.
In 2005,
we acquired from a third party the fee interest and from SHC its interest in the
ground lease estate underlying the Cinemas 1, 2 & 3 in
Manhattan. In connection with that transaction, we agreed to grant to
SHC an option to acquire a 25% interest in the special purpose entity formed to
acquire
these
interests at cost. On June 28, 2007, SHC exercised this option,
paying the option exercise price through the application of their $3.0 million
deposit plus the assumption of its proportionate share of SHP’s liabilities
giving it a 25% non-managing membership interest in SHP.
OBI
Management Agreement
Pursuant to a Theater Management
Agreement (the “Management Agreement”), our live theater operations are managed
by OBI LLC (“OBI Management”), which is wholly owned by Ms. Margaret Cotter who
is the daughter of James J. Cotter and a member of our Board of
Directors.
The
Management Agreement generally provides that we will pay OBI Management a
combination of fixed and incentive fees, which historically have equated to
approximately 20% of the net cash flow received by us from our live theaters in
New York. Since the fixed fees are applicable only during such
periods as the New York theaters are booked, OBI Management receives no
compensation with respect to a theater at any time when it is not generating
revenues for us. This arrangement provides an incentive to OBI
Management to keep the theaters booked with the best available shows, and
mitigates the negative cash flow that would result from having an empty
theater. In addition, OBI Management manages our Royal George live
theater complex in Chicago on a fee basis based on theater cash
flow.
In 2008,
OBI Management earned $428,000, which was 23.8% of net cash flows for the
year. In 2007, OBI Management earned $377,000, which was 19.9% of net
cash flows for the year. In 2006, OBI Management earned $471,000,
which was 23.6% of net cash flows for the year. In each year, we
reimbursed travel related expenses for OBI Management personnel with respect to
travel between New York City and Chicago in connection with the management of
the Royal George complex.
OBI
Management conducts its operations from our office facilities on a rent-free
basis, and we share the cost of one administrative employee of OBI
Management.
Other than these expenses
and travel-related expenses for OBI Managem
ent
personnel
to travel to
Chicago
as referred to above, OBI Management is responsible for
all of its costs and expenses related to the performance of its management
functions. The Management Agreement renews automatically each year
unless either party gi
ves at least six
months
’
prior notice of its determination to allow the
Management Agreement to expire. In addition, we may terminate the
Management Agreement
at any time for cause.
Live
Theater Play Investment
From time to time, our officers and
directors may invest in plays that lease our live theaters. During
2004, an affiliate of Mr. James J. Cotter and Michael Forman have a 25%
investment in the play,
I Love
You, You’re Perfect, Now Change
, playing in one of our auditoriums at our
Royal George Theatre. We similarly had a 25% investment in the
play. The play has earned for us $2,000, $27,000, $25,000 during the
years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively. This
investment received board approval from our Conflicts Committee on August 12,
2002.
The play
STOMP has been playing in our Orpheum Theatre since prior to the time we
acquired the theater in 2001. Messrs. James J. Cotter and Michael
Forman own an approximately 5% interest in that play, an interest that they have
held since prior to our acquisition of the theater.
Certain
Family Relationships
Mr. Cotter, our controlling
stockholder, has advised the Board of Directors that he considers his holdings
in our company to be long-term investments to be passed onto his
heirs. The Directors believe that it is in the best interests of our
company and our stockholders, for his heirs to become experienced in our
operations and affairs. Accordingly, all of Mr. Cotter’s children are
currently involved with our company.
Certain
Miscellaneous Transactions
We have
loaned Mr. Smerling $70,000 pursuant to a demand loan. This loan
antedates the effective date of the Sarbanes-Oxley prohibition on loans to
directors and officers.
INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
Our independent public accountants,
Deloitte & Touche, LLP, have audited our financial statements for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2008, and are expected to have a representative present
at the Annual Meeting who will have the opportunity to make a statement if he or
she desires to do so and is expected to be available to respond to appropriate
questions.
Audit Fees
The aggregate fees for professional services rendered
by Deloitte & Touche, LLP
for the audit of
our
financial
statements
, audit of internal controls
related to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act,
and the
reviews of the financial statemen
ts
included in
our
Form
s
10-Q for
2008
were
approximately
$
1.1
million
and
$
896,000
for the
years ending December 31,
2008
and
2007
,
respectively.
Audit Related Fees
The
aggregate fees in each of
2008
and
2007
for assurance and related services
provided
by Deloitte & Touche, LLP
that ar
e
reas
on
a
bly related to the
per
formance of the audit or re
view of our financial statements
and that are not reported
above
under the
caption “
Audit
Fees
”
immediately
above were
approximately
$
20,000
and
$
9,000,
respectivel
y.
Tax Fees
The
aggregate fees
in each of
2008
and
2007
for products
and services
for t
a
x compliance, tax
advice, and tax planning
provided by
Deloitte & Touche, LLP
were
$
145,000
and
$
189,000
,
respectively.
All Other Fees
The aggregate fees for
2008
and
2007
for services
provided by Deloitte & Touche, LLP
other than as set forth above we
re
$
30,000
and
$
87,000
,
respectively.
This category
generally includes advice on accounting matters that arose during the fiscal
year.
Pre-Approval Policies and Pro
cedures
It is the
policy of our Audit Committee that all services to be provided by our
independent registered public accounting firm, including audit services and
permitted audit-related and non-audit services, must be pre-approved by our
Audit Committe
e. Our Audit
Committee pre-approved all services, audit and non-audit, provided or to be
provided to us by Deloitte & Touche, LLP for
2009
and
2008.
STOCKHOLDER
COMMUNICATION
Annual
Report
A copy of our Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 is being provided with this
Proxy Statement.
Stockholder
Communications with Directors
It is the policy of our Board of
Directors that any communications sent to the attention of any one or more of
our directors care of our executive offices will be promptly forwarded to such
directors. Such communications will not be opened or reviewed by any
of our officers or employees, or by any other director, unless they are
requested to do so by the addressee of any such
communication. Likewise, the content of any telephone messages left
for any one or more of our directors (including call-back number, if any) will
be promptly forwarded to that director.
Stockholder
Proposals and Director Nominations
Any stockholder who, in accordance with
and subject to the provisions of the proxy rules of the SEC, wishes to submit a
proposal for inclusion in our Proxy Statement for our 2010 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders, must deliver such proposal in writing to the Secretary of the
Company at the address of our company's principal executive offices at 500
Citadel Drive, Suite 300, Commerce, California 90040. Unless we
change the date of our annual meeting by more than 30 days, then such written
proposal must be delivered to us no later than December 31, 2009 to be
considered timely. If our 2010 Annual Meeting is not within 30 days
of the anniversary of our 2009 Annual Meeting, to be considered timely,
stockholder proposals must be received no later than ten days after the earlier
of (a) the date on which notice of the 2010 Annual Meeting is mailed, or (b) the
date on which the Company publicly discloses the date of the 2010 Annual
Meeting, including disclosure in an SEC filing or through a press
release. If we do not receive timely notice of a stockholder
proposal, the proxies that we hold may confer discretionary authority to vote
against such stockholder proposal, even though such proposal is not discussed in
our Proxy Statement for that meeting.
Our Board of Directors will consider
written nominations for directors from stockholders. Nominations for
the election of directors made by our stockholders must be made by written
notice delivered to our Secretary at our principal executive offices not less
than 120 days prior to the first anniversary of the immediately preceding annual
meeting of our stockholders at which directors are elected. Such
written notice must set forth the name, age, address and principal occupation or
employment of such nominee, the number of shares of our company’s Common Stock
beneficially owned by such nominee and such other information as is required by
the proxy rules of the SEC with respect to a nominee of the Board of
Directors.
Under our
governing documents and applicable Nevada law, our stockholders may also
directly nominate candidate from the floor at any meeting of our stockholders
held at which directors are to be elected.
Other
Matters
We do not know of any other matters to
be presented for consideration other than the election of directors, but if any
matters are properly presented, it is the intention of the persons named in the
accompany proxy to vote on such matters in accordance with their
judgment.
DELIVERY OF PROXY MATERIALS TO
HOUSEHOLDS
As
permitted by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, on
ly one copy of the proxy materials are being delivered
to our stockholders residing at the same address, unless such stockholders have
notified us of their desire to receive multiple copies of the proxy
materials.
We will
promptly deliver without charge,
upon oral
or written request, a separate copy of the proxy materials to any stockholder
residing at an address to which only one copy was mailed. Requests
for additional copies should be directed to our Corporate Secretary by telephone
at (213) 235-22
40
or by mail to
Corporate
Secretary, Reading International, Inc.,
500 Citadel Drive, Suite 300
,
Commerce
,
California
90040
.
Stockholders residing at the same address and currently
receiving only one copy of the proxy materials may contact the
Corporate Sec
retary
as described above
to request multiple copies of the proxy materials in
the future.
By Order
of the Board of Directors,
James J.
Cotter, Chairman
Dated: April
30, 2009
READING
INTERNATIONAL, INC.
PROXY
FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO
BE HELD MAY 14, 2009
THIS
PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The
undersigned hereby appoints James J. Cotter and Andrzej Matyczynski, and each of
them, the attorneys, agents, and proxies of the undersigned, with full powers of
substitution to each, to attend and act as proxy or proxies of the undersigned
at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Reading International, Inc. to be held
at the Hotel Bel-Air at 701 Stone Canyon Road, Los Angeles, California, on
Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 11:00 a.m., and at and with respect to any and all
adjournments or postponements thereof, and to vote as specified herein the
number of shares which the undersigned, if personally present, would be entitled
to vote.
The
undersigned hereby ratifies and confirms all that the attorneys and proxies, or
any of them, or their substitutes, shall lawfully do or cause to be done by
virtue hereof, and hereby revokes any and all proxies heretofore given by the
undersigned to vote at the meeting. The undersigned acknowledges
receipt of the Notice of Annual Meeting and the Proxy Statement accompanying
such notice.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF DIRECTORS NOMINATED
BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. THE PROXY, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED, WILL BE
VOTED AS DIRECTED. IF NO DIRECTION IS MADE, IT WILL BE VOTED “FOR”
THE ELECTION OF DIRECTORS NOMINATED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
PLEASE
SIGN AND DATE ON REVERSE SIDE
Electronic
Voting Instructions
You
can vote by Internet or telephone!
Available
24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
Instead
of mailing your proxy, you may choose one of the two voting methods outlined
below to vote your proxy.
VALIDATION
DETAILS ARE LOCATED BELOW IN THE TITLE BAR
Proxies
submitted by the Internet or telephone must be received by 1:00 a.m., Central
Time, on May 14, 2009.
Vote
by Internet
|
·
|
Log
on to the Internet and go to
|
www.investorvote.com/RDI
|
·
|
Follow
the steps outlined on the secured
website.
|
Vote
by telephone
|
·
|
Call
toll free 1-800-652-VOTE (8683) within the United States, Canada &
Puerto Rico any time on a touch tone telephone. There is
NO CHARGE
to you for the
call.
|
|
·
|
Follow
the instructions provided by the recorded
message.
|
Annual Meeting Proxy
Card
IF YOU
HAVE NOT VOTED VIA THE INTERNET
OR
TELEPHONE, FOLD
ALONG THE PERFORATION, DETACH AND RETURN THE BOTTOM PORTION IN THE ENCLOSED
ENVELOPE.
|
A.
|
Election
of Directors – The Board of Directors recommends a vote
FOR
all the
nominees listed.
|
|
For
|
Withhold
|
|
For
|
Withhold
|
|
For
|
Withhold
|
01
- James J. Cotter
|
¨
|
¨
|
02
- Eric Barr
|
¨
|
¨
|
03
- James J. Cotter, Jr.
|
¨
|
¨
|
04
- Margaret Cotter
|
¨
|
¨
|
05
- William D. Gould
|
¨
|
¨
|
06
- Edward L. Kane
|
¨
|
¨
|
07
- Gerard P. Laheney
|
¨
|
¨
|
08
- Alfred Villaseñor
|
¨
|
¨
|
|
|
|
|
2.
|
OTHER
BUSINESS. In their discretion, the proxies are authorized to
vote upon such other business as may properly come before the meeting and
at and with respect to any and all adjournments or postponements
thereof. The Board of Directors at present knows of no other
business to be presented by or on behalf of the Company or the Board of
Directors at the meeting
|
Change
of Address – Please print new address below.
|
Meeting
Attendance
|
|
|
Mark
the box to the right if you plan to attend the Annual
Meeting.
|
¨
|
|
C.
|
Authorized
Signatures – This section must be completed for your vote to be
counted. – Date and Sign
Below
|
Please
date this proxy card and sign above exactly as your name appears on this
card. Joint owners should each sign personally. Corporate
proxies should be signed by an authorized officer. Executors,
administrators, trustees, etc., should give their full titles.
Date
(mm/dd/yyyy) – Please print date below.
|
Signature
1 – Please keep signature within the box.
|
Signature
2 – Please keep signature within the box.
|
|
|
|