PRE 14C 1 dp124365_pre14c.htm FORM PRE 14C

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

 

SCHEDULE 14C INFORMATION
Information Statement Pursuant to Section 14(c)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Check the appropriate box:

 

Preliminary Information Statement
☐ Confidential, for use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14c-5(d)(2))
☐ Definitive Information Statement

 

REV GROUP, INC.

(Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

 

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NOTICE OF STOCKHOLDER ACTION BY WRITTEN CONSENT

 

REV GROUP, INC.
111 E. Kilbourn Avenue, Suite 2600

 

Milwaukee, WI 53202

 

DATE FIRST MAILED TO STOCKHOLDERS: ____, 2020

 

To the Stockholders of REV Group, Inc.:

 

This Notice and the accompanying Information Statement are being furnished to the stockholders of REV Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with action taken by the holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the Company, by written consent dated March 17, 2020, removing Timothy Sullivan from his position as director of the Company without cause and appointing Rodney Rushing to fill the vacancy on the board of directors.

 

WE ARE NOT ASKING YOU FOR A PROXY AND YOU ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SEND US A PROXY.

 

Your vote or consent is not requested or required to approve these matters. The accompanying Information Statement is provided solely for your information.

 

  Sincerely,
   
  /s/ Stephen W. Boettinger
 

Stephen W. Boettinger
General Counsel and Secretary 

REV Group, Inc. 

 

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Information Statement Materials in connection with this Notice of Stockholder Action by Written Consent:

 

The Information Statement is available at: www.revgroup.com

 

 

REV GROUP, INC.
111 East Kilbourn Avenue, Suite 2600

Milwaukee, WI

 

INFORMATION STATEMENT

 

General

 

REV Group, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), is sending you this Information Statement solely for the purpose of informing our stockholders of record as of March 20, 2020 (the “Record Date”), in the manner required by Regulation 14C under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), of the actions taken by our stockholders by written consent in lieu of a special meeting. No action is requested or required on your part.

 

WE ARE NOT ASKING YOU FOR A PROXY AND YOU
ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SEND US A PROXY.

 

Summary of Stockholder Actions

 

On March 17, 2020, stockholders holding a majority of the Company’s common stock executed a written consent (1) removing Timothy Sullivan from his position as director of the Company without cause and (2) appointing Rodney Rushing to fill the vacancy created by the removal of Mr. Sullivan (collectively, the “Director Changes”).

 

This Information Statement is being mailed on or about _____, 2020 to the Company’s stockholders of record as of the Record Date.

 

The Company’s principal executive offices are located at 111 East Kilbourn Avenue, Suite 2600 Milwaukee, WI, and the Company’s telephone number is (414) 290-0190.

 

Voting and Vote Required

 

The Company is not seeking consent, authorizations or proxies from you. Under the DGCL and the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, the removal of a director and the filling of vacancies may be effected by the written consent of stockholders holding a majority of the shares entitled to vote on the election of directors.

 

On March 17, 2020, we received a written consent of stockholders, executed by American Industrial Partners Capital Fund IV, LP., American Industrial Partners Capital Fund IV (Parallel), LP, and AIP/CHC Holdings, LLC (collectively, the “AIP Funds”), and dated March 17, 2020, approving the Director Changes.

 

As of March 17, 2020 and as of the Record Date, the Company had 63,258,385 shares of Common Stock outstanding and entitled to vote. Each share of Common Stock is entitled to one vote. As of March 17, 2020 and as of the Record Date, AIP owned 33,774,310 shares of Common Stock, or approximately 53.4% of the Company’s voting power. Accordingly, the written consent executed by AIP is sufficient to approve the actions contemplated herein and no further stockholder action is required.

 

Notice Pursuant to the Company’s Bylaws and Delaware General Corporation Law

 

Pursuant to Section 228(e) of the DGCL, the Company is required to provide prompt notice of the taking of a corporate action by written consent to the Company’s stockholders who have not consented in writing to such action. This Information Statement serves as the notice required by Section 228(e) of the DGCL.

 

Appraisal Rights

 

Stockholders of the Company are not entitled to appraisal rights under the DGCL in connection with the Director Changes.

 

 

REMOVAL OF DIRECTOR

 

On March 17, 2020, the AIP Funds, being holders of a majority of our Common Stock, executed and delivered to us a written consent adopting resolutions providing for the removal of Timothy Sullivan from his position as a director of the Company without cause.

 

ELECTION OF DIRECTOR

 

On March 17, 2020, the AIP Funds, being holders of a majority of our Common Stock, executed and delivered to us a written consent adopting resolutions providing for the election of Rodney Rushing to fill the vacancy created by the removal of Mr. Sullivan as set forth above, to serve as a Class II director and to hold such office until the 2022 annual meeting of the stockholders and until his successor shall have been duly elected and qualified or until his earlier death, resignation or removal.

 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

Set forth below are the names, ages and certain biographical information as of March 23, 2020 for our board of directors:

 

Name 

Age 

Position 

Rodney Rushing 53 Chief Executive Officer and Director
Paul Bamatter(2)(3) 63 Director, Chairman
Jean Marie “John” Canan(1) 63 Director
Dino Cusumano(2) 45 Director
Charles Dutil(1) 53 Director
Justin Fish(3) 37 Director
Joel Rotroff(3) 37 Director
Randall Swift 53 Director
Donn Viola(1)(2) 74 Director

 

(1)Member of the audit committee

 

(2)Member of the compensation committee

 

(3)Member of the nominating and corporate governance committee

 

Rodney Rushing

 

Mr. Rushing has served as a member of our Board of Directors and as our President and Chief Executive Officer since March 2020. Mr. Rushing served as Vice President & President – North America, Building Technologies and Solutions, of Johnson Controls International plc., or Johnson Controls, from November 2016 to March 2020. From 2015 to November 2016 he served as Global Vice President and General Manager, Global Products - Direct Expansion of Johnson Controls. Mr. Rushing joined Johnson Controls, Inc. in 1990. Because of his operational and industrial expertise, and his role as the Company’s chief executive officer, Mr. Rushing is well-qualified to serve on our Board.

 

Paul Bamatter, Chairman

 

Mr. Bamatter has served as a member of our Board of Directors since 2016. Mr. Bamatter served as a Vice President and Secretary of REV and many of REV subsidiaries from 2008 until 2016. He is also a Partner at American Industrial Partners, or AIP, an organization he joined in 2005. Previously, he served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Consoltex Holdings, Inc. Mr. Bamatter also served as a Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he managed the worldwide audits for several banking and manufacturing multinational businesses. Mr. Bamatter graduated from Bishop’s University with bachelor of business administration degree in accounting and finance. Mr. Bamatter earned his Chartered Accountancy designation in Canada in 1981. Because of his significant academic training, current and previous financial experience and his deep knowledge of REV’s operating history, we believe Mr. Bamatter is well-qualified to serve on our Board.

 

 

Jean Marie “John” Canan

 

Mr. Canan has served on our board of directors since 2016. He brings over 35 years of strategic, business development and financial leadership experience to REV. Mr. Canan retired in 2014 from Merck & Co., Inc., where he held a number of positions, including Senior Vice President, Global Controller and Chief Accounting Officer. Mr. Canan is also a member of the Board of Directors of Acasti Pharma, where he chairs the Audit Committee. Mr. Canan serves on the Board of Trustees and is Chairman of the Audit & Risk Committee of the Angkor Hospital for Children based in Cambodia. Mr. Canan graduated from McGill University with a bachelor of commerce degree and is a Canadian Chartered Accountant. Because of his over 35 years of strategic, business development and financial expertise, we believe Mr. Canan is well-qualified to serve on our Board.

 

Dino Cusumano

 

Mr. Cusumano has served as a director of the company since 2008, and has served as a director of various REV subsidiaries since 2008. He is also a partner at AIP, an organization he joined in 2000. Previously, he served in the Investment Banking Department of J.P. Morgan & Co. Inc., where he worked on merger and acquisition and capital raising transactions, primarily in the industrial sector. Mr. Cusumano graduated from the University of Notre Dame, where he received a bachelor of business of administration degree in finance. He is a CFA charter holder. Because of his extensive financial and investing background and his deep knowledge of REV’s history and organization, we believe Mr. Cusumano is well-qualified to serve on our Board.

 

Charles Dutil

 

Mr. Dutil has served on our board since 2016. He brings close to 30 years of experience in commercial vehicle manufacturing to REV. Since 2002, he has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Manac Inc. Before that, Mr. Dutil served in various senior positions at Manac Inc., including Executive Vice President and Vice President of Marketing. He also sits on the Boards of Directors of Fondation Nordiques and Béton Bolduc Inc. Previously, he was a Director of the Groupe Environnemental Labrie Inc., the Truck Trailer Manufacturers’ Association, FIER Entrepreneur, Fondation du Centre de Réadaptation Physique Chaudière-Appalaches and Groupe Harnois. Mr. Dutil is a graduate of HEC Montréal, Western Business School and the OPM program at Harvard Business School. Because of his extensive business experience, we believe Mr. Dutil is well-qualified to serve on our Board.

 

Justin Fish

 

Mr. Fish has served as a member of our Board since 2016. Mr. Fish is a partner at AIP, an organization he joined in 2012. Previously, he served as an investment associate for Chilton Investment Company. In addition, Mr. Fish has held a variety of financial, supply chain and operational roles with Lear Corporation. Mr. Fish graduated from Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business with a bachelor of arts degree in finance. He holds a master of business administration degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Because of his financial, supply chain and operational expertise, we believe Mr. Fish is well-qualified to serve on our Board.

 

Joel Rotroff

 

Mr. Rotroff has served as a member of our Board since 2016. Mr. Rotroff joined AIP in 2012. Mr. Rotroff previously served as an analyst and associate at Baird Private Equity from 2006 to 2010. Prior to his employment with Baird Private Equity, Mr. Rotroff worked in the Healthcare group in the Investment Banking Division of Piper Jaffray & Co. Prior to Piper Jaffray & Co., Mr. Rotroff worked as a member of the Business Planning team at Boston Scientific. Mr. Rotroff holds a bachelor of science degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Wisconsin, with honors and distinction, a master of engineering degree from Duke University and a master of business administration degree from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Because of his extensive financial experience, we believe Mr. Rotroff is well-qualified to serve on our Board.

 

Randall Swift

 

Mr. Swift has served as a member of our Board since 2020. He is an Operating Partner at AIP, an organization he joined in 2015. Prior to joining AIP, he served as the President and CEO of a number of diverse industrial businesses including Heil Trailer International as well as several of the predecessor companies to REV Group, Inc. (Capacity of Texas, Collins Industries and Allied Specialty Vehicles Inc.). Prior to his affiliation with AIP, Mr. Swift held various management positions within the Cummins distributor organization. Mr. Swift is an engineer by education with a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from Minnesota State University. Mr. Swift is currently a board member of Canam Group Inc., Current Lighting HoldCo Parent, Inc., EnTrans International, LLC, The Brock Group Inc. and Vertex Aerospace Services Holding Corp. Because of his operational and industrial expertise, we believe Mr. Swift is well-qualified to serve on our Board.

 

 

Donn Viola

 

Mr. Viola has been a director of REV since 2016. Mr. Viola was the Chief Operating Officer of Donnelly Corporation from 1996 until his retirement in 2002. Prior to this, he served as Chief Operating Officer and as a director of Mack Trucks Inc. Mr. Viola is currently on the Board of Directors of Defiance Metal Products, Inc. He previously served on the Boards of Directors of Defiance Metal Products, Inc., Manac Inc. and Williams Controls, Inc. Mr. Viola holds a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Lehigh University. Because of his extensive management background, we believe Mr. Viola is well-qualified to serve on our Board.

 

BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS

 

Corporate Governance

 

Board Composition

 

Our business and affairs are managed under the direction of our Board. Our Board is currently composed of nine directors. The number of directors is fixed by our Board, subject to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws provide for a classified Board consisting of three classes of directors, each serving staggered three-year terms as follows:

 

(1) Our Class I directors are Messrs. Canan, Dutil and Viola, and their terms will expire at the annual meeting of stockholders in 2021.

 

(2) Our Class II directors are Messrs. Fish, Rotroff and Rushing, and their terms will expire at the annual meeting of stockholders in 2022.

 

(3) Our Class III directors are Messrs. Bamatter, Cusumano and Swift, and their terms will expire at the annual meeting of stockholders in 2023.

 

At each annual meeting of stockholders, upon the expiration of the term of a class of directors, the successor to each such director in the class will be elected to serve from the time of election and qualification until the third annual meeting following his or her election and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified. Any additional directorships resulting from an increase in the number of directors will be distributed among the three classes so that, as nearly as possible, each class will consist of one-third of our directors.

 

Controlled Company Exemption

 

The AIP Funds control more than a majority of the voting power of our common stock eligible to vote in the election of directors. As a result, we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of the NYSE and have elected not to comply with certain corporate governance standards, including the requirements that the board be composed of a majority of independent directors and that the compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee are composed entirely of independent directors.

 

The Board has affirmatively determined that Messrs. Canan, Dutil and Viola meet the definition of “independent director” under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the applicable listing standards of the NYSE. As such, our audit committee is composed of independent directors.

 

Committees of the Board of Directors

 

Our Board has three standing committees: the audit committee, the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee. The charter of each committee is available on our website at www.revgroup.com.

 

 

Audit Committee

 

Our audit committee is composed of Messrs. Canan, Dutil and Viola, with Mr. Canan serving as chairman of the committee. Our Board has determined that each member of the audit committee meets the independence requirements under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the applicable listing standards of the NYSE and all members of the audit committee meet the financial literacy requirements under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the applicable listing standards of the NYSE. Our Board has determined that all members qualify as “audit committee financial experts” as defined under SEC rules.

 

The audit committee’s responsibilities include, among other things:

 

  appointing, approving the compensation of, and assessing the qualifications, performance and independence of our independent registered public accounting firm;
  pre-approving audit and permissible non-audit services, and the terms of such services, to be provided by our independent registered public accounting firm;
  reviewing the internal audit plan with the independent registered public accounting firm and members of management responsible for preparing our consolidated financial statements;
  reviewing and discussing with management and the independent registered public accounting firm our annual and quarterly consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, as well as critical accounting policies and practices used by us;
  reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting;
  establishing policies and procedures for the receipt and retention of accounting-related complaints and concerns;
  monitoring the effectiveness of our compliance policies and our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements particularly as they relate to our consolidated financial statements and accounting matters;
  reviewing our policies on risk assessment and risk management;
  preparing the audit committee report required by the rules of the SEC to be included in our annual proxy statement;
  periodically reviewing matters relating to our finance, treasury and tax activities; and
  reviewing all related person transactions for potential conflict of interest situations and approving any such transactions.

 

Compensation Committee

 

Our compensation committee is composed of Messrs. Bamatter, Cusumano and Viola, with Mr. Cusumano serving as chairman of the committee. Our Board has determined that Mr. Viola meets the independence requirements under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the applicable listing standards of the NYSE. The compensation committee’s responsibilities include, among other things:

 

  annually reviewing and approving corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of our chief executive officer;
  evaluating the performance of our chief executive officer in light of such corporate goals and objectives and determining and approving the compensation of our chief executive officer;
  reviewing and making recommendations to the Board with respect to the compensation of our other executive officers;
  appointing, compensating and overseeing the work of any compensation consultant, legal counsel or other advisor retained by the compensation committee;

 

  assessing the independence or the existence of any conflict of interest with respect to any compensation consultant, legal counsel or other advisor retained by the compensation committee in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the applicable listing standards of the NYSE;
  reviewing and establishing our overall management compensation philosophy and reviewing our executive compensation programs, including our retirement benefits, to determine that they are aligned with our philosophy;
  overseeing and administering our equity compensation arrangements and similar plans;
  reviewing and approving our policies and procedures for the grant of equity-based awards;
  reviewing and making recommendations to the Board with respect to director compensation; and
  reviewing and discussing with management the compensation discussion and analysis, and preparing the compensation committee report, to be included in our annual proxy statement or Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

 

Our nominating and corporate governance committee is composed of Messrs. Bamatter, Fish and Rotroff, with Mr. Bamatter serving as chairman of the committee. The nominating and corporate governance committee’s responsibilities include:

 

  identifying and evaluating Board of Director candidates, including nominees recommended by stockholders, taking into account each candidate’s ability, judgment and experience and the overall diversity and composition of the Board;
  identifying individuals qualified to become members of the Board;
  recommending to the Board the persons to be nominated for election as directors and to each of the Board’s committees;
  developing, recommending approval of, and periodically reviewing a set of corporate governance principles that comply with the applicable listing standards of the NYSE;
  articulating to each director what is expected, including reference to the corporate governance principles and directors’ duties and responsibilities;
  establishing policies and procedures for the receipt and retention of non-accounting-related complaints and concerns;
  reviewing and recommending to the Board practices and policies with respect to the evaluation of directors and the Chief Executive Officer, and overseeing the evaluation process;
  considering and reporting to the Board any questions of possible conflicts of interest of board of directors members;
  providing for new director orientation and continuing education for existing directors on a periodic basis; and
  overseeing management’s practices, procedures and plans relating to succession planning for the Chief Executive Officer and direct reports.

 

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

 

None of our executive officers currently serves, or in the past fiscal year has served, as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our Board or compensation committee.

 

 

Board Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight

 

Our Board is currently responsible for overseeing our risk management process. The Board focuses on our general risk management strategy and the most significant risks facing us and ensures that appropriate risk mitigation strategies are implemented by management. The Board is also apprised of particular risk management matters in connection with its general oversight and approval of corporate matters and significant transactions.

 

In particular, our Board is responsible for monitoring and assessing strategic risk exposure, our Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing our major financial risk exposures and the steps our management has taken to monitor and control these exposures and our compensation committee has taken to assess and monitor whether any of our compensation policies and programs has the potential to encourage unnecessary risk-taking. In addition, our Audit Committee oversees any related person transactions.

 

We currently separate the positions of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. The Board believes that such structure is in the best interest of the Company at this time, as it allows for a more effective monitoring and objective evaluation of the performance of management. The Chairman of the Board also acts as the presiding director during executive sessions.

 

Corporate Governance Guidelines and Code of Conduct

 

We have adopted corporate governance guidelines and a code of conduct that applies to all of our employees, officers and directors, including those officers responsible for financial reporting. Our corporate governance guidelines and code of conduct are available on our website. We intend to disclose any amendments to such documents, or any waivers of their requirements, on our website.

 

Hedging and Pledging Policy

 

Without the consent of our Board, we prohibit all our directors, our executive officers and our employees from engaging in short sales of our securities; transactions in publicly traded options, such as puts and calls, and other derivative securities with respect to our securities; and hedging or monetization transactions, including through the use of financial instruments such as prepaid variable forwards, equity swaps, collars and exchange funds, designed to decrease the risks of ownership of our securities. However, holding and exercising employee stock options, RSUs, PSUs or other equity-based awards granted under our equity compensation plans is not prohibited.

 

Our executive officers and directors are also prohibited from pledging any of our securities that they hold directly or have received as equity compensation.

 

Meetings of the Board, Board and Committee Member Attendance and Annual Meeting Attendance

 

Our Board met five times during fiscal year 2019. The audit committee met four times, the compensation committee met five times and the nominating and corporate governance committee met four times. During fiscal year 2019 each Board member attended at least 75% of the meetings of the Board and of the committees of the Board on which he served. We encourage all of our directors and nominees for director to attend our annual meeting of stockholders; however, attendance is not mandatory.

 

Stockholder Communications with the Board

 

Should stockholders or other interested parties wish to communicate with the Board, non-management directors as a group or any specified individual directors, including with respect to recommendations for director nominees, such correspondence should be sent to the attention of Stephen W. Boettinger, Secretary of the Board at 111 E. Kilbourn Avenue, Suite 2600, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202. The Secretary of the Board will forward correspondence relating to a director’s duties or responsibilities to the specified recipient. Correspondence that is unrelated to a director’s duties and responsibilities may be discarded or otherwise addressed by the Secretary.

 

Director Nomination Considerations

 

In making recommendations to the Company’s Board of nominees to serve as Directors, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will examine each Director nominee on a case-by-case basis regardless of who recommended the nominee and take into account all factors it considers appropriate, which may include strength of character, mature judgment, career specialization, relevant technical skills or financial acumen, and industry knowledge.

 

 

In evaluating Director nominees, the Board with assistance of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, shall consider diversity of viewpoint, backgrounds, technical skills, industry knowledge and experience and local or community ties. The Board believes the following minimum qualifications must be met by a Director nominee to be recommended by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee:

 

  Each Director must display, and have a reputation for, high personal and professional ethics, integrity and values.
  Each Director must have demonstrated sound business judgment.
  Each Director must be accomplished in his or her respective field as an active or former executive officer of a public or private organization, with broad experience at the administrative and/or policy making level in business, government, education, technology or public interest.
  Each Director must have relevant expertise and experience, and be able to offer advice and guidance based on that expertise and experience.
  Each Director must be independent of any particular constituency, be able to represent all shareholders of the Company and be committed to enhancing long-term shareholder value.
  Each Director must have sufficient time available to devote to activities of the Board of Directors and to developing a complete understanding of the Company’s business and markets.

 

The Board also believes Directors should be selected so the Board is balanced with each Director contributing talents, skills, and experiences that the Board needs as a team, supplementing existing resources and providing talent for future needs so that the Board is a diverse body. When considering such talents, skills and experiences, the Board values diversity, including age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical ability, ethnicity, and perspective.

 

Lead Independent Director

 

A Lead Independent Director will be elected by a majority vote of the independent directors when the Chair is not independent. The Lead Independent Director will serve for a one year term. The term of the Lead Independent Director will automatically expire upon the appointment by the Board of a Chair who is an independent director, or anytime upon a determination by the Board that the sitting Chair is independent. The primary roles of the Lead Independent Director are to assist the Chair in managing the governance of the Board and to serve as a liaison between the Chair and other directors. The Lead Independent Director will assume the following responsibilities (in addition to any other responsibilities assigned by the Board): (i) preside at all meetings of the Board at which the Chair is not present, including all executive sessions of the independent directors; (ii) have the authority to call meetings of the independent directors; (iii) serve as a contact for interested parties who wish to communicate with independent directors; (iv) provide the Chair with feedback and counsel concerning the Chair’s interaction with the Board and management; (v) work with the Chair to develop Board meeting agendas and meeting schedules; and (vi) periodically meet individually with independent directors and/or the Chief Executive Officer to discuss Board and Committee performance, effectiveness and composition; and (vii) provide leadership to the Board if circumstances arise in which the role of the Chair may be, or may be perceived to be, in conflict. If the Company does not have a Lead Independent Director, but instead has a Chair who is an independent director, the responsibilities of the Lead Independent Director set forth above will be performed by the independent Chair. At the December 2019 Board of Directors meeting, the independent directors elected Jean Marie Canan as the Lead Independent Director.

 

Report of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors

 

The material in this report is not “soliciting material,” is not deemed “filed” with the SEC, and is not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of REV under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

The primary purpose of the audit committee is to oversee our financial reporting processes on behalf of our Board. The audit committee’s functions are more fully described in its charter, which is available on our website at www.revgroup.com. Management has the primary responsibility for our financial statements and reporting processes, including our systems of internal controls. In fulfilling its oversight responsibilities, the audit committee reviewed and discussed with management REV’s audited financial statements as of and for fiscal year 2019.

 

 

The audit committee has discussed with RSM, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, the matters required to be discussed by the applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) and the SEC. In addition, the Audit Committee has discussed with RSM their independence, and has received from RSM the written disclosures and the letter required by the applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding RSM’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence. Finally, the audit committee discussed with RSM, with and without management present, the scope and results of RSM’s audit of REV’s audited financial statements as of and for fiscal year 2019.

 

Based on these reviews and discussions, the audit committee has recommended to our Board that such audited financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2019 for filing with the SEC. The audit committee also has engaged RSM as our independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2020 and is seeking ratification of such selection by the stockholders.

 

Audit Committee

 

Jean Marie “John” Canan, Chair

 

Charles Dutil

 

Donn Viola

 

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

 

The following table sets forth information relating to the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of March 3, 2020, by:

 

  each person, or group of affiliated persons, known by us to beneficially own more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock;
  each of our directors and named executive officers; and
  all directors and named executive officers as a group.

 

A person is a “beneficial owner” of a security if that person has or shares voting or investment power over the security or if that person has the right to acquire sole or shared voting or investment power over the security within 60 days. Unless otherwise noted, these persons, to our knowledge, have sole voting and investment power over the shares listed. In computing the number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, we deemed outstanding shares of common stock subject to options held by that person that are currently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of March 3, 2020. We did not deem these shares outstanding, however, for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person.

 

The percentage of shares beneficially owned is computed on the basis of 63,258,385 shares of our common stock outstanding as of March 3, 2020. Unless otherwise indicated below, the address for each beneficial owner listed is c/o REV Group, Inc., 111 E. Kilbourn Avenue, Suite 2600, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202.

 

 

Shares of Common Stock Beneficially Owned 

Name of beneficial owner 

Common Stock 

Number of Securities Beneficially Owned 

Percentage 

5% Stockholder      
Funds associated with American Industrial Partners(1) 33,774,310 33,774,310 53.4%
Van Berkom & Associates Inc.(2) 5,163,339 5,163,339 8.2%
Pzena Investment Management LLC(3) 3,779,723 3,779,723 6.0%

 

Directors and Executive Officers      
Tim Sullivan(4) 1,490,704 1,490,704 2.4%
Dean Nolden(5) 141,100 312,100 *
Ian Walsh 28,773 28,773 *
Stephen W. Boettinger 16,620 16,620 *
Christopher M. Daniels 6,908 6,908 *
Barbara Stephens(6) 4,018 53,018 *
Paul Bamatter(7)
Jean Marie “John” Canan(8) 20,304 20,304 *
Dino Cusumano(9) 144,631 144,631 *
Charles Dutil(10) 14,758 14,758 *
Justin Fish(11) 3,077 3,077 *
Joel Rotroff(12) 3,077 3,077 *
Randall Swift(13)
Donn Viola(14) 56,115 56,115 *
All directors and executive officers as a group (14 persons) 1,930,085 2,159,085 3.4%

*Represents beneficial ownership of less than one percent of our outstanding common stock. 

  (1) Represents 33,774,310 shares of common stock held directly or indirectly by American Industrial Partners Capital Fund IV, LP. (“Fund IV”), American Industrial Partners Capital Fund IV (Parallel), LP (“Parallel Fund”) and AIP/CHC Holdings, LLC (“AIP Holdings” and, together with Fund IV and Parallel Fund, the “AIP Funds”). AIP CF IV, LLC (“AIP GP”) is the general partner of Fund IV and the Parallel Fund. Mr. Cusumano is a senior managing member of AIP GP. He is also a managing member of AIP/CHC Investors, LLC, which is the managing member of AIP Holdings. As a result of the above, Mr. Cusumano may be deemed to share voting and dispositive power with respect to the shares held by the AIP Funds. Mr. Cusumano currently serves as a member of the Board of REV. Mr. Cusumano disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares of common stock held by the AIP Funds except to the extent of any pecuniary interest therein. The AIP Funds may be deemed to be a “group” within the meaning of Rule 13d-5 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The address of the AIP Funds is c/o AIP, 450 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10017.
  (2) According to a Form 13F filed with the SEC on November 13, 2019, for the quarterly reporting period ended September 30, 2019, Van Berkom & Associates Inc. reported beneficial ownership of an aggregate 5,163,339 shares, including sole voting and dispositive power over all shares beneficially owned. Van Berkom & Associates Inc. lists its address as 1130 Sherbrooke Street West, Suite 1005, Montreal, Quebec H3A 2M8 in such filing. The Form 13F may not reflect current holdings of our common stock.
  (3) Based on information filed with the SEC in a Schedule 13G on January 27, 2020. Pzena Investment Management LLC has sole voting power with respect to 2,898,761 shares and sole dispositive power with respect to 3,779,723 shares. Pzena Investment Management’s address is 320 Park Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10022.
  (4) Reflects 1,490,704 shares of common stock, and does not include 248,600 shares held in the Scott R. Sullivan Trust or 248,600 shares held in the Tamara D. Hansen Trust. Mr. Sullivan ceased to be a director on March 17, 2020 and an executive officer on March 22, 2020.
  (5) Reflects (a) 141,100 shares of common stock, and (b) 180,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options exercisable within 60 days after March 3, 2020.
  (6) For Ms. Stephens, based on the best information that the Company has as of the date of this Information Statement, the table sets forth the amount of shares of common stock directly held by Ms. Stephens as of March 31, 2019, which is the date on which her employment with the Company ended, and 49,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options exercisable within 60 days after March 3, 2020.
  (7) The address of this person is c/o AIP, 450 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10017.
  (8) The address of this person is c/o REV Group, Inc., 111 East Kilbourn Ave, Ste 2600, Milwaukee, WI, 53202.
  (9) The address of this person is c/o AIP, 450 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10017.
  (10) The address of this person is c/o REV Group, Inc., 111 East Kilbourn Ave, Ste 2600, Milwaukee, WI, 53202.
  (11) The address of this person is c/o AIP, 450 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10017.
  (12) The address of this person is c/o AIP, 450 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10017.
  (13) The address of this person is c/o AIP, 450 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10017.
  (14) The address of this person is c/o REV Group, Inc., 111 East Kilbourn Ave, Ste 2600, Milwaukee, WI, 53202.

 

Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports

 

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires the Company’s directors and executive officers, and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of the Company’s equity securities, to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of common stock and other equity securities of the Company. Such officers, directors and greater than 10% stockholders are required by SEC regulations to furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file.

 

 

To the Company’s knowledge, based solely on a review of the copies of such reports filed electronically with the SEC during the Company’s most recent fiscal year, all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to our officers, directors and greater than 10% beneficial owners were complied with during fiscal year 2019 and fiscal year 2018, except for one Form 4 that was filed late by each of Messrs. Canan, Dutil and Viola, in each case to report one transaction in fiscal year 2018.

 

Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions

 

We describe below transactions and series of similar transactions, during our last fiscal year, to which we were a party or will be a party, in which:

 

  the amounts involved exceeded or will exceed $120,000; and
  any of our directors, executive officers or holders of more than 5% of our common stock, or an affiliate or immediate family member thereof, had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.

 

Other than as described below, there have not been, nor are there any currently proposed, transactions or series of similar transactions meeting this criteria to which we have been or will be a party other than compensation arrangements, which are described where required under “Executive Compensation” and “Director Compensation.”

 

Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement

 

We are party to an amended and restated shareholders agreement with the AIP Funds, entities affiliated with J.P. Morgan Securities LLC (the “JPM Holders”) and certain of our existing stockholders (the “Shareholders Agreement”) that we entered into in connection with our IPO. Pursuant to the Shareholders Agreement, the AIP Funds have the following rights so long as the AIP Funds beneficially own in the aggregate at least 15% of the then outstanding shares of our common stock:

 

  to nominate the greater of five members of the Board or a majority of directors;
  to designate the Chairman of our Board and one member to each of the audit committee, the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee;
  to approve the commencement of any proceeding for the voluntary dissolution, winding up or bankruptcy of the Company or any material subsidiary;
  to approve any non-pro rata reduction to the share capital of the Company or any material subsidiary, except as required by law;
  to approve amendments to the amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws that would change the name of the Company, its jurisdiction of incorporation, the location of its principal executive offices, the purpose or purposes for which the Company is incorporated or the approval requirements as provided in the Shareholders Agreement;
  to approve special dividends greater than $10 million;
  to approve any merger, amalgamation or consolidation of the Company or the spin-off of a business of the Company with assets in excess of 15% of the consolidated assets or revenues of the Company and its subsidiaries;
  the sale, conveyance, transfer or other disposition of all or more than 15% of the consolidated assets or revenues of the Company and its subsidiaries; and
  any designation to the Board contrary to the Shareholders Agreement or the amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws.

 

In addition, for so long as the AIP Funds beneficially own in the aggregate at least 15% of the then outstanding shares of our common stock, the AIP Funds are entitled to certain information rights, including the right to consult with and advise senior management, to receive quarterly and annual financial statements and to review our books and records. We are also required to cooperate with the AIP Funds in connection with certain pledges of our shares or grants of security interests in respect thereof, including in connection with margin loans.

 

The Shareholders Agreement also provides for the reimbursement of certain expenses that the AIP Funds incur in connection with providing management services to us. During fiscal year 2019, reimbursements of expenses to the AIP Funds for management services totaled $1.4 million.

 

The Shareholders Agreement will automatically terminate when the AIP Funds cease to beneficially own in the aggregate, directly or indirectly, at least 15% of the then outstanding shares of our common stock.

 

Registration Rights Agreement

 

We are party to a registration rights agreement with the AIP Funds, the JPM Funds and certain other existing stockholders (each, a “Stockholder” and together, the “Stockholders”), each of which is entitled to certain demand and piggyback registration rights. As of January 13, 2020, the Stockholders held an aggregate of approximately 33.8 million shares of our common stock, or approximately 53.9% of the voting power of our common stock outstanding. The registration rights described below will expire on the date on which the securities subject to the registration rights agreement may be sold by the holder in a single transaction pursuant to Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act.

 

Demand Registration Rights. Subject to certain requirements and other limitations in the registration rights agreement, the AIP Funds and any other Stockholder or group of Stockholders holding at least 50% of the outstanding shares of our common stock may request that we register all or a portion of their shares. Any such request must cover a quantity of shares with an anticipated aggregate offering price of at least $50.0 million. To the extent we are a well-known seasoned issuer, the Stockholders making a demand registration may also request that we file an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 that covers the registrable securities requested to be registered. Depending on certain conditions, we may defer a demand registration for up to 90 days in any twelve-month period.

 

Piggyback Registration Rights. In the event that we propose to register any of our securities under the Securities Act, either for our account or for the account of our other security holders, the Stockholders will be entitled to certain piggyback registration rights allowing each to include its shares in the registration, subject to certain marketing and other limitations. As a result, whenever we propose to file a registration statement under the Securities Act, the holders of these shares are entitled to notice of the registration.

 

Transfer Restrictions. The registration rights agreement will contain certain transfer restrictions applicable to the parties thereto. Without the consent of the AIP Funds, and subject to certain exceptions, no party to the registration rights agreement will be permitted to transfer their shares of our common stock except in a registered offering being conducted pursuant to, and in accordance with the terms of, the registration rights agreement.

 

Expenses; Indemnification. The registration rights agreement provides that we must pay all registration expenses (other than the underwriting discounts and commissions) in connection with effecting any demand registration or shelf registration. The registration rights agreement contains customary indemnification and contribution provisions.

 

Indemnification Agreements

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws provide that we will indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law. In addition, we have entered into customary indemnification agreements with certain of our directors and executive officers who were employed at the time of the Company’s initial public offering, and with Mr. Thomas Phillips who served as our Chief Operating Officer until October 31, 2017 and who now serves as an independent contractor. These agreements require us to indemnify these individuals and, in certain cases, affiliates of such individuals, to the fullest extent permissible under Delaware law against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to us or at our direction, and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.

 

As described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, there is a consolidated federal putative securities class action and a consolidated state putative securities class action pending presently pending against the Company and certain of its officers and directors. Two purported derivative actions, which have since been consolidated, were also filed in federal court in Delaware in 2019 against the Company’s directors (with the Company as a nominal defendant), premised on allegations

 

 

similar to those asserted in the consolidated federal securities litigation. Each of the Company’s officers named as defendants in the lawsuits (Timothy Sullivan, Dean Nolden and former Chief Operating Officer Tom Phillips) and each of the Company’s directors are receiving defense and indemnification from the Company consistent with the foregoing indemnity agreements, and with indemnity obligations described in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws.

 

Related Person Transactions Policy

 

We have a formal, written policy with respect to the review, approval, ratification and disclosure of related person transactions. The policy requires that a “related person” (as defined in Item 404 of the SEC’s Regulation S-K) or the business leader responsible for entering into the “related person transaction” (as defined in Item 404 of the SEC’s regulation S-K) on our behalf, must, prior to entering into the related person transaction, notify our General Counsel and the chairman of our audit committee of the facts and circumstances of the proposed transaction. Under the policy, our audit committee, and, in limited circumstances, the chairman of our audit committee, is responsible for reviewing the facts and circumstances and determining whether to approve the related person transaction. In particular, our policy requires our audit committee to consider, among other factors it deems appropriate:

 

  the related person’s relationship to us and interest in the transaction;
  the material facts of the proposed transaction, including the proposed aggregate value of the transaction;
  the impact on a director’s independence in the event the related person is a director or an immediate family member of the director;
  the benefits to us of the proposed transaction;
  if applicable, the availability of other sources of comparable products or services; and
  an assessment of whether the proposed transaction is on terms that are comparable to the terms available to an unrelated third party or to employees generally.

 

The audit committee (or audit committee chairman) may only approve those transactions that it determines, in good faith, are in, or are not inconsistent with, our best interests and those of our stockholders.

 

Other

 

Since December 1, 2017, we have employed Vice President REV Parts Andrew Hansen, who is the son-in-law of Mr. Sullivan, our former Chief Executive Officer and a former Director on our Board. Mr. Hansen reports to Ian Walsh (our Chief Operating Officer), and his compensation for fiscal year 2019 included $285,164 in base salary, $30,161 in Management Incentive Plan (MIP) payout and a 401(k) employer match of $11,406. In addition, Mr. Hansen received a grant of RSUs on January 8, 2019 with an aggregate grant date fair value of $89,451.

 

Executive Officers

 

The following table sets forth the name, age as of March 23, 2020 and position of the individuals who currently serve as the executive officers of the Company. The following also includes certain information regarding our officers’ individual experience, qualifications, attributes and skills (information for Mr. Rushing is set forth above under “Directors”).

 

Name   Age   Position
Rodney Rushing   53   President and Chief Executive Officer, Director
Dean Nolden   51   Chief Financial Officer
Ian Walsh   53   Chief Operating Officer
Stephen W. Boettinger   51   General Counsel and Secretary
Christopher M. Daniels   46   Chief Human Resources Officer

 

Dean Nolden, Chief Financial Officer

 

Mr. Nolden currently serves as Chief Financial Officer of REV, a position he has held since January 2016. Prior to joining REV, Mr. Nolden worked at The Manitowoc Company, Inc. since 1998, where he held numerous positions within the finance department, including Vice President of Finance and Treasurer. Prior to his tenure at Manitowoc, Mr. Nolden spent eight years in public accounting in the audit practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Mr. Nolden is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he earned a bachelor of business administration degree in accounting. Additionally, Mr. Nolden holds a master of business administration degree from Marquette University.

 

Ian Walsh, Chief Operating Officer

 

Mr. Walsh serves as Chief Operating Officer for REV, a position he has held since May 2018. Starting in 1999, Mr. Walsh worked for various businesses at Textron Company. From September 2015, Mr. Walsh was the President and Chief Executive Officer of TRU Simulation + Training Inc., which offers flight simulation and aircraft training products to the global commercial, civil and military aviation training markets, and served on the Textron Company executive team. Starting in November 2012, Mr. Walsh was senior vice president and general manager of Textron System’ Weapon & Sensor Systems. Prior to Textron, Mr. Walsh served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1989 to 1996. Mr. Walsh earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Hamilton College, a master of public administration degree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a master of business administration degree from the Harvard Business School.

 

Stephen W. Boettinger, General Counsel and Secretary

 

Mr. Boettinger serves as General Counsel and Secretary of REV, a position he has held since June 2018. Prior to joining REV, Mr. Boettinger worked in the legal department at Harley-Davidson, Inc. for over 14 years. Before joining Harley-Davidson, Mr. Boettinger was an associate at the law firm of Foley & Lardner for four years. Prior to law school, Mr. Boettinger worked for Bethlehem Steel for six years, where he held various positions in operations and engineering, and was also an officer in several Army National Guard and Army Reserve units. Mr. Boettinger holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, an MBA from the University of Indiana, Northwest, and a JD from Notre Dame Law School.

 

Christopher M. Daniels, Chief Human Resources Officer

 

Mr. Daniels has served as Chief Human Resources Officer of REV since February 2019. He has 10 years of human resources experience, with an additional 15-years of finance and general management experience. Before joining REV, Mr. Daniels served as Vice President, Human Resources at Rockwell Automation, Inc. from 2016 to 2019. Prior to 2016, he was the Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer for Sensient Technologies Corporation, a global manufacturer of colors, flavors, and fragrances. Mr. Daniels earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater and a master of business administration degree from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

 

Executive Compensation

 

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

 

Compensation of our named executive officers is determined under our compensation program for senior executives. This program is overseen by the Board and its compensation committee (referred to as the “Compensation Committee”). The Board determines the compensation of our executive officers in consultation with the recommendations of the Compensation Committee.

 

This compensation discussion and analysis focuses on our named executive officers listed in the Summary Compensation Table and the other compensation tables below (referred to as our “named executive officers”). Our named executive officers are executive officers who served in the roles of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer during fiscal year 2019, as well as our three next most highly compensated executive officers during fiscal year 2019, and one additional individual, Ms. Stephens, who served as an executive officer during part of fiscal year 2019. Our named executive officers for fiscal year 2019 were:

 

  Timothy W. Sullivan, former Chief Executive Officer;
  Dean J. Nolden, Chief Financial Officer;

 

  Ian Walsh, Chief Operating Officer;
  Stephen W. Boettinger, General Counsel;
  Christopher M. Daniels, Chief Human Resources Officer; and
  Barbara Stephens, former Chief Human Resources Officer.

 

Information regarding the compensation of Ms. Stephens can be found at the end of “Executive Compensation—Compensation Discussion and Analysis.”

 

In connection with the removal of Mr. Sullivan as our Chief executive Officer and the hiring of Mr. Rushing to serve as Chief Executive Officer, we entered into a Separation Agreement with Mr. Sullivan (the “Separation Agreement”) and an offer letter with Mr. Rushing (the “Offer Letter”).

 

Under the Separation Agreement, Mr. Sullivan will receive separation benefits consisting of (i) thirty-six months of salary continuation, (ii) continued eligibility for vesting of all unvested restricted stock units granted pursuant to the Restricted Stock Unit Awards between Mr. Sullivan and the Company dated as of December 19, 2017 and January 8, 2019 (the “RSUs”), and (iii) immediate vesting of the RSUs upon a Change in Control (as defined in the Rev Group, Inc. 2016 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “Plan”)). The Separation Agreement also provides that Mr. Sullivan will enter into a post-termination consulting engagement with the Company through January 8, 2023 (the “End Date”), pursuant to which Mr. Sullivan will provide such services as may reasonably be requested by the Board from time to time. The Company may terminate this engagement at any time for Cause (as defined in the Plan). If Mr. Sullivan’s consulting engagement is terminated for Cause, his continued entitlement to any severance benefits will end.

 

On March 5, 2020, the Company entered into the Offer Letter setting forth certain terms of his employment with the Company commencing March 23, 2020. The Offer Letter and Mr. Rushing’s employment thereunder may be terminated with or without cause or notice, by the Company or by Mr. Rushing, subject to the rights and obligations contained therein.

 

Under the terms of the Offer Letter, Mr. Rushing will receive an initial annual base salary of $880,000. In addition, Mr. Rushing will be eligible to participate in the REV Management Incentive Plan (“MIP”) for fiscal year 2020 at a target level of 120% of base salary, with a maximum payout of 240% of base salary and a minimum payout of $880,000. Mr. Rushing will also be eligible to participate in the Rev Group, Inc. 2016 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) and on March 23, 2020 the Company’s board of directors granted an initial restricted stock award to Mr. Rushing under the Plan equivalent to 300% of his base salary, vesting in equal installments on December 31st of each of 2020, 2021, and 2022, and granted a one-time performance stock unit award under the Plan in the amount of $3,000,000 with a performance period ending January 31, 2023 and vesting in four equal installments upon the achievement of specified consolidated adjusted EBITDA targets, subject to 50% of the award vesting on January 31, 2023 in the event that such portion of the award has not otherwise vested. The share amounts for each of these awards was determined based on the Company’s average share price for the prior 30 days at the time of grant. The Offer Letter also provides that the Company will grant Mr. Rushing an additional one-time restricted stock award under the Plan equal to $1,000,000 on March 23, 2021, with a three-year vesting schedule. Additional annual awards under the Plan are expected to be reviewed by the board of directors in December of each year.

 

Mr. Rushing will be eligible to participate in all employee benefits plans offered to the Company’s employees generally. During the 60-day period before Mr. Rushing becomes eligible to participate in the Company’s employee benefits plans, the Company will reimburse Mr. Rushing for the cost of his continued participation in the medical benefits plans of his former employer pursuant to the federal law known as COBRA.

 

Upon a termination of employment without cause, Mr. Rushing is entitled under the Offer Letter to severance benefits consisting of 12 months of base salary. If Mr. Rushing is terminated without cause on or prior to December 31, 2020, he will be entitled to an additional severance payment in the amount of $3,000,000 and if he is terminated without cause in the one-year period ending December 31, 2021, he will be entitled to an additional severance payment in the amount of $1,500,000. In addition, if Mr. Rushing is terminated upon a change in control of the Company, he is entitled under the Offer Letter to an amount equal to three times his base salary plus his target MIP bonus for the fiscal year in which his employment terminated or in which the change in control occurred, whichever is greater.

 

 

Principal Objectives of Our Compensation Program for Named Executive Officers

 

Our executive team is critical to our success and to building value for our stockholders. The principal objectives of our executive compensation program are to:

 

  attract, retain and motivate high-caliber executive officers by providing a total compensation program that takes into consideration competitive market requirements and strategic business needs;
  clearly align the financial interests of executive officers with those of our stockholders;
  encourage behavior consistent with our values and reinforce ethical business practices; and
  appropriately reward executive officers for creating long-term stockholder value.

 

Compensation Setting Process

 

Our Chief Executive Officer has discretion to recommend both the contractual and discretionary compensation of the named executive officers, other than himself, in consultation with our Board. Our Board has historically had overall responsibility for overseeing our executive compensation policies and compensation plans and programs. In consultation with our Chief Executive Officer, our Board reviews our achievements as a company and those of our executive officers when determining the specific type and level of compensation of our named executive officers.

 

We believe the levels of compensation we provide should be competitive, reasonable and appropriate to attract and retain talent to meet our business needs. In addition to certain information provided by Willis Towers Watson, PLC (“Willis Towers Watson”), with respect to executive officer and director compensation matters as discussed below, we have informally considered the competitive market for corresponding positions within comparable geographic areas and companies of similar size, industry and stage of development.

 

Compensation was determined with the application of subjective discretion rather than by applying a specific formula or matrix to set total compensation in relation to compensation paid by other companies. Our historical approach has been to consider competitive compensation practices and other factors, such as how much compensation was necessary to recruit and retain an executive officer, as well as individual performance.

 

For the named executive officers (other than our Chief Executive Officer), our Chief Executive Officer has considered such named executive officer’s responsibilities and prior experience. Our Chief Executive Officer then consults with the Board on his recommendations to the Board regarding base salary increases, formula based and discretionary bonus and incentive amounts and equity award amounts, and advises the Board regarding the compensation program’s ability to attract, retain and motivate executive talent. These recommendations reflect compensation levels that our Chief Executive Officer believes are commensurate with such named executive officer’s individual qualifications, experience, responsibility level, functional role, knowledge, skills and individual performance, as well as our Company’s performance and competitive offerings.

 

In determining our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, the Board takes into consideration our performance, our Chief Executive Officer’s contribution to that performance and the desire to retain and motivate the Chief Executive Officer.

 

The Compensation Committee administers our executive compensation program in accordance with its charter, including making recommendations to our Board for approval of various matters.

 

Role of Compensation Consultant

 

We retained Willis Towers Watson in June 2016 to provide guidance and advice going forward on compensation-related matters, including changes to our executive and director compensation structure following completion of the IPO. We continue to use a proprietary job grading system, as well as broad-based salary survey data, from Willis Towers Watson. The aggregate cost to the Company of these additional products and services did not exceed $120,000 during fiscal year 2019. In connection with our engagement of Willis Towers Watson, our Board conducted an assessment of potential conflicts of interest of Willis Towers Watson, and no conflicts of interest relating to its services were identified.

 

 

Shareholder Engagement and Say-on-Pay Vote

 

We are committed to open and ongoing communication with our shareholders, including with respect to executive compensation and corporate governance matters.

 

At our 2019 Annual Meeting, our shareholders approved by more than 97% of the votes cast, on an advisory basis, the 2018 compensation of our named executive officers. The Compensation Committee has carefully considered the results of the advisory vote and believe that those results validate our executive compensation program, performance assessment and decision-making process.

 

Elements of Compensation

 

The following is a discussion of the primary elements of the compensation for each of our named executive officers.

 

Annual Base Salary

 

We believe that providing each of our named executive officers a competitive annual base salary is an important component of compensation. A competitive annual base salary provides a degree of financial stability to our named executive officers that enhances their performance on behalf of our stockholders and is critical to recruiting and retaining our named executive officers. We do not have formal written policies or guidelines for setting or adjusting the annual base salary of our named executive officers but instead make a subjective determination based on certain factors that we believe are relevant. Specifically, we will consider the executive’s experience, responsibilities and unique leadership skills as well as any changes in the competitive market environment. For fiscal year 2019, survey and proxy data were considered in recommendations made by the Chief Executive Officer to the Board for changes in the base salaries of the executive officers, if any. Any changes were consistent with market data, the experience and performance of the executive officers.

 

Annual Cash Incentive Program

 

An annual cash incentive program is recognized as a competitive element of executive compensation and is critical to recruiting and retaining our named executive officers. Further, it incentivizes our named executive officers to achieve annual results in line with the expectations of our shareholders. For fiscal year 2019, our named executive officers participated in the REV Group Management Incentive Plan, which we refer to as the MIP. The MIP metrics, targets and weighting used to calculate payments for the named executive officers were based on full Company performance, and were the same as those used for calculating MIP payment for all corporate employees. The MIP calculations for employees at a division or business unit level used similar types of metrics as the corporate MIP, but the metrics and targets were based at least partially on division and/or business unit performance, and weighting between metrics differed based on an employee’s division or business unit position. Under the MIP, incentive payments for named executive officers are based on each named executive officer’s incentive target and the achievement of the performance metrics set forth below. The Board, in its discretion, may reduce the size of any payout under the MIP. For fiscal year 2019, the incentive targets for our named executive officers, as a percentage of base salary, were as follows:

 

  Timothy W. Sullivan—120%
  Dean J. Nolden—75%
  Ian Walsh—80%
  Stephen W. Boettinger—60%
  Christopher M. Daniels—60%
  Barbara Stephens—55%

 

Whether named executive officer participants of the 2019 MIP would be eligible to receive incentive payments was determined based on the Company’s pre-acquisition annual Adjusted EBITDA (weighted 60%), annual average net working capital (“Average NWC”) (weighted 20%), and monthly and quarterly results for Adjusted EBITDA and Average NWC (weighted 20%), each as compared to their respective targets. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP metric that represents net income before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, adjusted for other one time and noncash expense items. The annual corporate targets for fiscal year 2019 were established at $185 million of Adjusted EBITDA and Average NWC of $482.1 million. A threshold performance level of 90% of these targets must be met before any annual

 

 

incentive payments are made to our named executive officers. At 90% achievement of annual targets, MIP participants receive 50% of the annual portion of their individual incentive target. At 100% achievement of annual targets, MIP participants receive 100% of the annual portion of their individual incentive targets. Participants can achieve a maximum incentive payment of 200% of individual incentive target if annual pre-acquisition Adjusted EBITDA and Average NWC performance are both 20% better than their respective annual targets. Similar calculations are made for quarterly and monthly time periods, but participants can only achieve an incentive payout of 100% of individual incentive target if the applicable monthly or quarterly pre-acquisition Adjusted EBITDA and Average NWC performance are at least 100% of the respective monthly or quarterly targets. REV Group provided payouts to Messrs. Nolden, Walsh, Boettinger and Daniels under the MIP. A MIP payout factor of 17.7% was achieved, 16.7% attributable to Average NWC achievement and 1.0% attributable to monthly achievement. Prior to being awarded any MIP amount, Mr. Sullivan voluntarily waived his MIP payout.

 

As Ms. Stephens’ employment with the Company ended on March 31, 2019, she is not eligible to receive any payments under the MIP.

 

Long-Term Equity Compensation

 

Prior to our IPO, we granted equity awards in the form of stock options to our named executive officers under the Allied Specialty Vehicles, Inc. 2010 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2010 Long-Term Incentive Plan”). In connection with our IPO, we adopted, and our shareholders approved, a new equity compensation plan in the form of an omnibus incentive plan (the “Omnibus Plan”), which replaced the existing 2010 Long-Term Incentive Plan.

 

We have not granted any equity awards under the 2010 Long-Term Incentive Plan since January 26, 2017, but there are still stock options outstanding under this plan.

 

The Omnibus Plan provides for the grant of incentive and non-qualified stock options, SARs, restricted stock, RSUs, performance awards, deferred awards, other share-based awards and other cash-based awards. The Board, or, to the extent authority is delegated by the Board, the Compensation Committee or other committee (each, an, “Administrator”) will determine the effect of a termination of employment or service on outstanding awards, including whether the awards will vest, become exercisable, settle or be forfeited. Under the Omnibus Plan, in the event of a change in control, except as otherwise provided in the applicable award agreement, the Administrator may provide for: (1) continuation or assumption of outstanding awards under the Omnibus Plan by us (if we are the surviving corporation) or by the surviving corporation or its parent; (2) substitution by the surviving corporation or its parent of awards with substantially the same terms and value as such outstanding awards under the Omnibus Plan; (3) acceleration of the vesting (including the lapse of any restrictions, with any performance criteria or conditions deemed met at target) or the right to exercise outstanding awards immediately prior to the date of the change in control and the expiration of awards not timely exercised by the date determined by the Administrator; or (4) in the case of outstanding stock options and SARs, cancelation in consideration of a payment in cash or other consideration equal to the intrinsic value of the award.

 

For fiscal year 2019, our named executive officers received grants of restricted stock units (“RSUs”), which provide long-term incentives to our named executive officers while aligning their interests with our stockholders. RSUs generally vest in equal, annual installments over a four-year period, but may have a shorter vesting period in the case of new hires who are forfeiting compensation to previous employers. When determining each named executive officer’s award, we considered market compensation data, the executive’s experience, responsibilities and unique leadership skills, as well as the retentive effect of the equity award.

 

We anticipate that we will continue to use equity awards as an integral part of our executive compensation program. Equity awards are an important component of compensation for named executive officers and other executive leadership positions. REV Group provides annual equity awards in alignment with market compensation practices and to align interests with our stockholders. For fiscal year 2020, we plan to grant our equity awards in the form of restricted stock in order to maximize tax deductibility.

 

Employment Arrangements with Named Executive Officers

 

Offer Letters

 

Each of our named executive officers received an offer letter from the Company that follows a common template and sets forth the named executive officer’s annual base salary and cash incentive payment based on a target level of annual base salary. The offer letters for Messrs. Sullivan and Nolden and Ms. Stephens also set forth an initial stock option grant, while the offer letters for Messrs. Walsh, Boettinger and Daniels set forth an initial RSU grant.

 

 

Severance and Change in Control Agreements

 

We maintain a severance policy, and, in addition, each of our named executive officers have signed a Change in Control Severance Agreement (“CIC Agreement”). The purpose of the severance policy and the CIC Agreement is to provide reasonable and consistent severance benefits upon qualifying termination events. The severance policy and CIC Agreement are described in more detail below under “—Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control”.

 

Restrictive Covenant Agreements

 

Each of our named executive officers is a party to the REV Restrictive Covenant Agreement (the “Restrictive Covenant Agreement”), which provides that during the employment period and for one year following a termination of employment, the named executive officer will not, directly or indirectly, solicit our employees or customers. The Restrictive Covenant Agreement also prevents each named executive officer from directly or indirectly competing with the Company during the employment period and for one year following a termination of employment. The Restrictive Covenant Agreement contains a perpetual nondisclosure covenant.

 

Other Benefits

 

Retirement Plan

 

We maintain a qualified defined contribution 401(k) plan for all of our employees. Our named executive officers participate in this plan on the same basis as our employees generally. Under the plan, employees may elect to defer eligible pay up to the annual maximum allowed under the Internal Revenue Code. The Company makes a safe harbor matching contribution equal to 100% of the first 3% of salary contributed by a participating employee, and a 50% matching contribution of the next 2% of salary contributed by a participating employee, for a total employer matching contribution of 4%. Company matching contributions begin after enrollment, and participating employees are 100% vested immediately in such contributions.

 

Deferred Compensation Plan

 

Our named executive officers and all of our highly compensated employees (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code) are eligible to participate in the REV Group, Inc. Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan (the “Deferred Compensation Plan”). Eligibility to participate in the deferred compensation plan is limited to a select group of management or highly compensated employees. Participants are permitted to defer between 1% and 100% of their base salary and annual incentive payment. Participants select the allocation of their accounts among investment indices selected by the Company. The Company does not provide matching contributions to participants of the deferred compensation plan. Our Board may amend the plan at any time, as long as such amendment does not have any retroactive effect to reduce any amounts allocated to a participant’s accounts. None of our named executive officers currently participate in the deferred compensation plan.

 

Health, Welfare and Other Benefit Plans

 

Our named executive officers are entitled to the same health and welfare benefits as our employees generally, including medical, dental and vision insurance, as well as flex and health savings accounts, life insurance, short-term disability insurance (fully paid by the Company), long-term disability insurance, accident insurance and critical illness insurance.

 

We offer relocation benefits to newly hired named executive officers as necessary. Mr. Walsh was eligible for relocation benefits in fiscal year 2019. Our named executive officers did not receive any other perquisites in fiscal year 2019 and we do not provide any named executive officer with any tax gross-ups or other reimbursement for amounts the executive officer might pay pursuant to Section 280G or Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code or otherwise.

 

Named Executive Officers who Separated in Fiscal Year 2019

 

Ms. Stephens’ employment with the Company ended on March 31, 2019. In connection with the end of her employment with the Company, Ms. Stephens will receive, for a period of 12 months following her employment ending, payments in an amount to cover the employer portion of the COBRA benefit premiums. Any unvested stock options or RSU awards which had been awarded to Ms. Stephens, but remain unvested as of March 31, 2019, will continue to vest until March 31, 2020 in accordance with the applicable award agreement as if Ms. Stephens were an active employee. Any unvested equity in the Company which remains at March 31, 2020 will be forfeited.

 

 

Ms. Stephens is subject to restrictive covenants of (i) non-‎competition for 12 months; (ii) non-solicitation of employees or existing or prospective clients of the ‎Company for 12 months; (iii) ‎confidential information non-disclosure in perpetuity; and (iv) non-disparagement of the Company or its affiliates in perpetuity.

 

Compensation Risk Assessment

 

Our Compensation Committee has performed a review of compensation policies and practices for all of our employees and has concluded that our compensation policies and practices are not reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on us.

 

Stock Ownership Guidelines

 

We believe it is important for our named executive officers to be owners in the Company to ensure the alignment of their goals with the interests of our stockholders. In connection with our IPO, we established guidelines of equity ownership for our Chief Executive Officer equivalent to five times his base salary and for our other executive officers equivalent to three times their respective base salaries. Each has a transition period of five years to meet the requirements set forth in the guidelines to the extent they are not currently in compliance with this guideline. As of the date hereof, Mr. Nolden and Mr. Walsh have satisfied the equity ownership guidelines, and our other named executive officers are on track to achieve these guidelines within the required five year period. The Compensation Committee reviews the stock ownership of the executive officers on an annual basis to ensure compliance with the ownership guidelines.

 

Accounting and Tax Considerations

 

Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code (“Section 162(m)”) generally imposes a $1 million cap on federal income tax deduction for compensation paid to our Chief Executive Officer and to certain other highly compensated officers during any fiscal year. Under a special Section 162(m) exception, compensation paid pursuant to a compensation plan in existence before the effective date of our IPO will generally not be subject to the $1 million limitation until the first meeting of stockholders at which directors are elected after the close of the third calendar year following the year in which the IPO occurs. The Board and our Compensation Committee continues to have the flexibility to pay nondeductible compensation if it believes it is in the best interests of the Company, including when it believes such payments are appropriate to attract and retain executive talent.

 

Any equity awards that may be granted to our employees, including our executive officers, pursuant to the Omnibus Plan or any other long-term incentive plans that we may adopt, will be reflected in our consolidated financial statements, based upon the applicable accounting guidance, at fair market value on the grant date in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Codification, Topic 718, “Compensation—Stock Compensation.”

 

Summary Compensation Table

 

The following table sets forth information regarding the compensation awarded to, earned by or paid to each of our named executive officers during fiscal years 2019, 2018 and 2017.

 

Name and Principal Position 

Fiscal Year 

Salary ($)(1) 

Bonus ($)(2) 

Stock Awards ($)(3) 

Non-equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($)(4) 

All Other Compensation ($)(5) 

Total ($) 

Timothy W. Sullivan,

former Chief Executive Officer

2019
2018
2017
880,000
880,000
866,153


3,194,405
3,194,514


1,056,000

11,200
11,000

9,450

4,085,605
4,085,514

1,931,603

Dean J. Nolden,

Chief Financial Officer

 

2019
2018

2017

409,231
400,000

391,346


600,030
600,081

54,442

300,000

12,387
11,934

21,856

1,076,090
1,012,016

713,202

Ian Walsh,

Chief Operating Officer

2019
2018
500,000
209,615

170,958
750,028
1,500,062
70,952
18,595
55,192
1,339,575
1,935,829

Stephen W. Boettinger,

General Counsel

2019
2018
375,000
124,038

375,032
425,045
39,911
11,200
801,143
549,084

Christopher M. Daniels,

Chief Human Resources Officer (1)

2019 245,481 345,034 26,126 13,719 630,360

 

 

Barbara Stephens,

Chief Human Resources Officer (1)

2019
2018

2017

151,558
355,000

349,807


355,030
355,037


195,250

9,423
6,421

7,372

516,011
716,458

552,429

  (1) Mr. Daniels commenced employment with the Company in fiscal year 2019, and Ms. Stephens’ employment ended in fiscal year 2019. As such, their annual base salary amounts reflect partial amounts for fiscal year 2019.
  (2) Represents a payment to Mr. Walsh under the MIP equal to 80% of his base salary prorated for his days of service during fiscal year 2018. This payment was made by the Company in order to make Mr. Walsh whole for amounts he forfeited to his previous employer due to his joining the Company.
  (3) Represents the aggregate grant date fair value of RSU and PSU awards calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic ‎‎718. ‎The assumptions we used in valuing RSU and PSU awards are described in Note 14 to our fiscal year 2019 ‎audited ‎consolidated financial statements.‎ ‎
  (4) The amounts reported in this column represent the amounts earned under the MIP for fiscal year 2017, fiscal year 2018 and fiscal year 2019, paid in fiscal year 2018, fiscal year 2019 and fiscal year 2020, respectively. For fiscal year 2019, amounts paid to Messrs. Nolden, Walsh, Boettinger and Daniels were based on a target level of 75%, 80%, 60% and 60% of their annual base salary, respectively.
  (5) Reflects the following for fiscal year 2019:
  (i) Under her Separation Agreement, Ms. Stephens received $5,409 for COBRA reimbursement. For more details, see “—Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control—Payments Upon Termination of Former Executive Officers.”
  (ii) Mr. Daniels received $6,819 for COBRA reimbursement.
  (iii) Company matching contributions under the 401(k) plan in the amounts of $11,200 to Mr. Sullivan, $12,387 to Mr. Nolden, $16,577 to Mr. Walsh, $11,200 to Mr. Boettinger, $6,900 to Mr. Daniels and $4,014 to Ms. Stephens.
  (iv) Relocation benefits of $2,017 paid to Mr. Walsh.

 

Grants of Plan-Based Awards

 

In the first quarter of fiscal year 2019, Messrs. Sullivan, Nolden, Walsh, Boettinger and Ms. Stephens received an award of RSUs equal to 363%, 150%, 150%, 100% and 100% of their base salary, respectively, for fiscal year 2019. At the time of hire, Mr. Daniels received an award of RSUs equal to 100% of his base salary.

 

   

Potential Future Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards(1) 

Estimated

Future

Payouts Under

Equity

Incentive Plan Awards

All Other Stock

Awards:

Number of

Shares of

Stock 

Grant

Date Fair

Value of

Stock and

Option

   

Threshold 

Target 

Maximum 

Target 

or Units 

Awards 

Name 

Grant Date 

($) 

($) 

($) 

(#) 

(#) 

($) 

Timothy W. Sullivan 1/8/2019 528,000 1,056,000 2,112,000   354,540(2) 3,194,405
Dean J. Nolden 1/8/2019 153,461 306,923 613,846   66,596(2) 600,029
Ian Walsh 1/8/2019 200,000 400,000 800,000   83,244(2) 750,028
Stephen W. Boettinger 1/8/2019 112,500 225,000 450,000   41,624(2) 375,032
Christopher M. Daniels 3/6/2019 73,644 147,288 294,576   40,640(2) 345,033
Barbara Stephens 1/8/2019 41,678 83,356 166,713   39,404(3) 355,030
  (1) Represents potential payouts under awards granted in the 2019 fiscal year under the MIP upon satisfaction of certain performance conditions. Ms. Stephens’ employment with the Company ended on March 31, 2019 and she was not eligible to receive any payments under the MIP.
  (2) RSUs vest in four equal installments on each of December 31, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
  (3) One-quarter of Ms. Stephens’ RSUs vested on December 31, 2019. Pursuant to the Separation Agreement entered into between the Company and Ms. Stephens on March 31, 2019, any RSUs that were unvested as of that date will continue to vest during the twelve months following March 31, 2019 as if Ms. Stephens were an active employee in accordance with the applicable award agreement. Any unvested RSUs which remain at March 31, 2020 will be forfeited.

 

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End

 

The following table sets forth information regarding equity awards held by our named executive officers as of October 31, 2019.

 

 

OPTION AWARDS

 

STOCK AWARDS

 

Name 

Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable
(2) 

Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable
(2) 

Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Unearned Options
(#)(2) 

Option Exercise Price ($) 

Option Expiration
Date 

Number of Shares or Units of Stock that Have Not Vested
(#) 

Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock that Have
Not Vested
($) 

Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights that Have Not Vested
(#) 

Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Market or Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights that Have Not Vested ($) 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

(d) 

(e) 

(f) 

(g) 

(h) 

(i) 

(j) 

Timothy W. Sullivan - - - - - 436,005(3) 5,423,902 - -
Dean Nolden 180,000 - - 8.11 1/11/26 115,500(3) 1,018,824 - -
Ian Walsh - - - - - 81,899(3) 1,436,820 42,397(5) 527,418
Stephen W. Boettinger - - - - -

58,160(3)

2,940(4)

760,084 - -
Christopher M. Daniels - - - - - 40,640(3) 505,562 - -
Barbara Stephens 49,000 7,000(1) - 8.11 6/29/20 12,869(3) 160,090 - -
                   
  (1) Ms. Stephens’ outstanding options fully vested on February 12, 2020.
  (2) Outstanding options granted on or before January 26, 2017 were granted under the 2010 Long-Term Incentive Plan and options that are granted after January 26, 2017, if any, will be granted under the Omnibus Plan.
  (3)

The RSUs vest as follows:
(i) For Mr. Sullivan, his RSUs are scheduled to vest as follows: 115,790 RSUs on December 31, 2019; 115,790 RSUs on December 31, 2020; 115,790 RSUs on December 31, 2021 and 88,635RSUs on December 31, 2022. 

(ii) For Mr. Nolden, his RSUs are scheduled to vest as follows: 21,750 RSUs on December 31, 2019; 21,750 RSUs on December 31, 2020; 21,750 RSUs on December 31, 2021 and 16,649 RSUs on December 31, 2020.

(iii) For Mr. Walsh, his RSUs are scheduled to vest as follows: 31,563 RSUs on December 31, 2019; 31,563 RSUs on December 31, 2020; 31,563 RSUs on December 31, 2021 and 20,811 RSUs on December 31, 2022.

(iv) For Mr. Boettinger, his RSUs are scheduled to vest as follows: 18,858 RSUs on December 31, 2019; 15,198 RSUs on December 31, 2020; 15,198 RSUs on December 31, 2021 and 10,406 RSUs on December 31, 2022.

(v) For Mr. Daniels, his RSUs are scheduled to vest as follows: 10,160 RSUs on December 31, 2019; 10,160 RSUs on December 31, 2020; 10,160 RSUs on December 31, 2021 and 10,160 RSUs on December 31, 2022.

(vi) 12,689 of Ms. Stephens’ RSUs vested on December 31, 2019. The remainder of her unvested RSUs will be forfeited on March 31, 2020 pursuant to her Separation Agreement. See “—Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control” below for a description of Ms. Stephens’ Separation Agreement.

  (4) The RSUs fully vested on December 31, 2019.
  (5) The number reflected in this column represents PSUs that were granted to Mr. Walsh in fiscal year 2018 that were scheduled to fully vest on December 31, 2019 if the applicable performance metric was achieved. The applicable EBITDA performance metric was not achieved, and, as a result, these PSUs were forfeited on December 31, 2019.

 

Option Exercises and Stock Vested

 

No stock options were exercised by our name executive officers during fiscal year 2019. The following table sets forth information regarding shares that were acquired on the vesting of RSUs during fiscal year 2019.

 

 

Name 

Number of Shares Acquired on Vesting (#) 

Value Realized on Vesting ($) 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

Timothy W. Sullivan 27,155 203,934
Dean Nolden 5,101 38,308
Ian Walsh 10,752 80,747
Stephen W. Boettinger 5,512 41,395
Christopher M. Daniels
Barbara Stephens 3,018 22,665

 

Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control

 

Severance Policy. The Severance Policy provides severance payments to participants upon an “involuntary separation from service,” which includes an elimination for lack of work, cost containment, a general reduction in force, or other reasons unrelated to job performance. An “involuntary separation from service” specifically excludes a termination of employment for cause or otherwise due to job performance or other job-related matters. In order to receive severance payments, a participant must have been employed by the Company for a minimum of twelve months. Receipt of severance payments is contingent on a participant’s execution and non-revocation of a release of claims. Pursuant to the Severance Policy, as of October 31, 2019, Messrs. Sullivan, Nolden, Walsh and Boettinger would have been eligible to receive a severance payment equal to one year of his or her annual base salary. Mr. Daniels was not eligible to receive a severance payment because he was not employed for twelve months as of October 31, 2019.

 

The following amounts reflect the severance payments our named executive officers would have been eligible to receive under the Severance Policy upon experiencing an “involuntary separation from service” on October 31, 2019:

 

  Timothy W. Sullivan—$880,000
  Dean J. Nolden—$415,000
  Ian Walsh—$500,000
  Stephen W. Boettinger—$375,000
  Christopher M. Daniels—$0

 

Change in Control Severance Agreements. Our named executive officers have signed Change in Control ‎Severance Agreements (“CIC Agreement”) which provides for double-trigger payments upon a qualifying termination of employment in connection with a change in control of the Company ‎‎(“Change in Control”). The termination payment upon a Change in Control shall be an amount equal to two or three times the sum of (i) the named executive officer’s ‎base salary in effect as of the termination of employment, or if higher, the named executive officer’s base salary ‎that was in effect immediately prior to the Change in Control, plus (ii) the greater of (x) the named executive ‎officer’s target MIP for the Company’s fiscal year that includes the named executive officer’s termination date or ‎‎(y) the executive’s target MIP for the fiscal year during which the Change in Control occurred. The termination ‎payment shall be contingent on the named executive officer executing a general release of claims and the ‎expiration of the revocation period applicable to the release.

 

Except as otherwise provided in the CIC Agreement, ‎the termination payment shall be paid to the executive in a cash lump sum as soon as practical following the ‎named executive officer’s execution of, and expiration of the revocation period provided for, in the release. ‎Pursuant to the release, following the termination of his or her employment with the Company, each named ‎executive officer is generally subject to restrictive covenants of (i) trade secret non-disclosure for perpetuity; (ii) ‎confidential information non-disclosure for two years; (iii) non-solicitation of existing or prospective clients of the ‎Company for 24 months; (iv) non-solicitation of employees of the Company for 12 months; and (v) non-‎competition for 24 months. The named executive officer shall not be required to mitigate the amount of the ‎termination payment by securing other employment or otherwise, nor will such termination payment be reduced by ‎reason of the named executive officer securing other employment or for any other reason. If the named executive ‎officer is entitled to the termination payment under the CIC Agreement, the termination payment shall be in lieu of ‎any payments under any other severance policy or practice of the Company.‎

 

The following amounts reflect the severance payments our named executive officers would have been eligible ‎to receive under a Change in Control Severance Agreement upon experiencing a Change in Control on October 31, 2019:‎

 

  Timothy W. Sullivan—$2,640,000
  Dean J. Nolden—$800,000
  Ian Walsh—$1,000,000
  Stephen W. Boettinger—$750,000
  Christopher M. Daniels—$0

 

Mr. Walsh’s PSU Award Agreement. Mr. Walsh’s PSU Award Agreement provides that if Mr. Walsh’s employment is terminated without cause or he resigns for good reason within 12 months following a change in control, 100% of his target PSUs will become immediately vested.

 

No Single Trigger Accelerated Vesting Upon Change in Control. Our named executive officers do not hold any unvested equity awards, including stock options, that would have vested if a change in control had occurred on October 31, 2019.

 

Payments Upon Termination of Former Executive Officers. Pursuant to the Separation Agreement entered into between the Company and Ms. Stephens on March 31, 2019, Ms. Stephens will receive, for a period of 12 months following her employment ending, payments in an amount to cover the employer portion of the COBRA benefit premiums. Any unvested stock options or RSU awards which had been awarded to Ms. Stephens, but remain unvested as of March 31, 2019, will continue to vest until March 31, 2020 in accordance with the applicable award agreement as if Ms. Stephens were an active employee. Any unvested equity in the Company which remains at March 31, 2020 will be forfeited.

 

OTHER COMPENSATION INFORMATION

 

Equity Compensation Plan Information

 

The following table summarizes our equity compensation plan information as of October 31, 2019:

 

Plan Category 

Number of Securities to Be Issued Upon Exercise of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights (1)

(a)

Weighted-average Exercise Price of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights (2)

(b)

Number of Securities Remaining Available for Future Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) (3)

(c)

Equity Compensation Plans Approved by Security Holders 2,090,739 $7.64 6,964,440
Equity Compensation Plans Not Approved by Security Holders 0 N/A 0
Total 2,090,739   6,964,440
  (1) Includes outstanding stock options granted under the 2010 Long-Term Incentive Plan and unvested restricted and performance stock units granted under the Omnibus Plan.
  (2) Represents the weighted-average exercise price of the outstanding nonqualified stock options. Restricted and performance stock units do not provide for an exercise price.
  (3) Includes 591,886 shares that remain available for issuance under the 2010 Long-Term Incentive Plan and 6,372,554 shares that remain available for issuance under the Omnibus Plan (excluding the securities reflected in column (a)).

 

Pay Ratio

 

As of October 31, 2019 our employee population consisted of approximately 7,605 individuals, of which approximately 7,332 (96.4%) were working in the United States and 273 (3.6%) were working in Brazil. Given the logistical difficulties and significant difference in the composition and total compensation in Brazil, we elected to exclude all of our employees in Brazil from our determination of the median employee. We chose October 31 as the measurement date for 2019, rather than October 24 which we used for 2018 in order to align with our fiscal year and to improve internal tracking and reporting. The same median employee was selected for 2019 as for 2018 from an adjusted employee population of 7,332. The Company believes there has been no change to its employee population or employee compensation arrangements that would result in a significant change to the pay ratio disclosure. For fiscal year 2019, our median employee’s annual total compensation was $44,567, and our Chief Executive Officer’s annual total compensation was $4,085,605. Our median employee, and his/her annual total compensation, were determined using the same methodology we used to determine the annual total compensation of our named executive officers. Our estimate of the ratio of our Chief Executive Officer’s annual total compensation to our median employee’s total compensation for fiscal year 2019 is 92:1.

 

Director Compensation

 

The following table sets forth a summary of the compensation we paid to each non-employee member of our Board for fiscal year 2019. Other than as set forth in the table and described more fully below, we did not pay any compensation to,

 

 

make any equity awards or non-equity awards to, or pay any other compensation to any of the other non-employee members of our Board in fiscal year 2019. Tim Sullivan was a member of our Board who also served as our Chief Executive Officer and therefore did not receive any additional compensation for his service as a director. The directors who are employed by AIP also do not receive any compensation for their service.

 

Name 

Fees earned or paid in cash (1) 

Stock awards (2) 

Total 

Paul Bamatter      
Jean Marie “John” Canan $102,500 $100,000 $202,500
Dino Cusumano      
Charles Dutil 87,500 100,000 187,500
Justin Fish      
Kim Marvin      
Joel Rotroff      
Donn Viola 95,000 100,000 195,000

(1) The amounts reported in this column represent the aggregate dollar amount of all fees earned or paid in cash to each non-employee director in fiscal year 2019 for their service as a director, including any annual retainer fees, committee and/or chair fees.

 

(2) The amounts reported in this column represent the grant date fair value of RSUs granted to certain non-employee members of the Board calculated in accordance with the provisions of ASC Topic 718. The valuation assumptions used in determining such amounts are described in Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2019.

 

Our independent directors receive an annual retainer fee of $80,000 for their board service. Independent directors who serve on a committee of the board will receive an additional $7,500 for their service. The chairperson of the Audit Committee of our board will receive $22,500 for such service, and an independent chairperson of another committee will receive $15,000 for such service. These fees are payable the first month of each fiscal quarter.

 

Independent directors may also receive one or more grants of equity compensation from the Company in respect of his or her service on the Board of the Company.

 

As of October 31, 2019, our non-employee directors as of such date held the following outstanding RSUs (in the aggregate):

 

Name 

RSUs 

Paul Bamatter
Jean Marie “John” Canan 11,099
Dino Cusumano
Charles Dutil 11,099
Justin Fish
Kim Marvin (1)
Joel Rotroff
Donn Viola 11,099

 

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

 

Our global Internet site is www.revgroup.com. We routinely make available important information, including copies of our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after those reports are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC, free of charge on our website at www.investor.revgroup.com. Information contained on our website shall not be deemed incorporated into, or to be part of this information statement, and any website references are not intended to be made through active hyperlinks.

 

Our reports filed with, or furnished to, the SEC are also available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, and for Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, in an XBRL (Extensible Business Reporting Language) format. XBRL is an electronic coding language used to create interactive financial statement data over the Internet. The information on our website is neither part of nor incorporated by reference in this Information Statement.

 

STOCKHOLDERS SHARING AN ADDRESS

 

The SEC has adopted rules that permit companies and intermediaries (e.g., brokers) to satisfy the delivery requirements for information statements with respect to two or more stockholders sharing the same address by delivering a single information statement addressed to those stockholders. This process, which is commonly referred to as “householding,” potentially means extra convenience for stockholders and cost savings for companies.

 

Brokers with account holders who are REV stockholders may be “householding” our information statements. A single information statement may be delivered to multiple stockholders sharing an address unless contrary instructions have been received from the affected stockholders. Once you have received notice from your broker that it will be “householding” communications to your address, “householding” will continue until you are notified otherwise or until you notify your broker or the Company that you no longer wish to participate in “householding.”

 

If, at any time, you no longer wish to participate in “householding”, you may (1) notify your broker or (2) direct your written request to: 111 E. Kilbourn Avenue, Suite 2600, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202. Stockholders who currently receive multiple copies of this Information Statement at their address and would like to request “householding” of their communications should contact their broker. In addition, the Company will promptly deliver, upon written request to the address above or oral request at (786) 279-7021, a separate copy of the information statement to a stockholder at a shared address to which a single copy of the documents was delivered.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this Information Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto authorized.

 

  By order of the Board of Directors
   
  /s/ Stephen W. Boettinger
 

Stephen W. Boettinger
General Counsel and Secretary 

REV Group, Inc. 

 

 

March 23, 2020
Milwaukee, Wisconsin