The annual meeting will be held at the Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West Hotel on Tuesday, May 12, 2020, at 9:30 a.m., local time. At the annual meeting, you will be asked to consider and vote upon the following proposals:
• | Proposal One – Election of nine directors; |
• | Proposal Two – Ratification of our independent auditors for fiscal year 2020; and |
• | Proposal Three – Approval of an advisory resolution on our executive compensation. |
At the 2017 annual meeting, our shareholders voted, on an advisory basis, in favor of holding future shareholder voting on executive compensation on an annual basis. Our Board of Directors decided to follow our shareholders’ recommendation.
Only shareholders of record on March 20, 2020, are entitled to vote at the annual meeting. On March 20, 2020, we had 39,751,343 shares of common stock issued and outstanding. Each shareholder will be entitled to one vote, in person or by proxy, for each share of common stock held in his or her name. A majority of our shares of common stock must be present, either in person or by proxy, to constitute a quorum for action at the annual meeting.
If your shares are held in “street name” (the name of a broker, bank, or other nominee), you have the right to direct your broker, bank, or nominee how to vote. If you do not provide voting instructions, under New York Stock Exchange rules, your broker, bank, or nominee may only vote your shares on “discretionary” items. Proposal Two (ratification of independent auditors) is considered a discretionary item and may be voted in the absence of instructions. Proposals One (election of directors) and Three (advisory vote on executive compensation) are “non-discretionary” items. Your broker, bank, or nominee may not vote your shares on these items in the absence of voting instructions, which will result in “broker non-votes” with respect to your shares.
Abstentions and broker non-votes are counted for purposes of determining a quorum. Abstentions are counted in tabulating the votes cast on any proposal but are not counted as votes either for or against a proposal. Broker non-votes are not counted as votes cast for purposes of determining whether a proposal has been approved.
This proxy statement and accompanying form of proxy are first being sent to shareholders on or about April 8, 2020.
We intend to hold our annual meeting in person. However, we are monitoring the situation regarding COVID-19 (coronavirus), taking into account guidance from public health officials. The health and well-being of our employees and shareholders is our top priority. Accordingly, we are planning for the possibility that the annual meeting may be held in a different location or solely by means of remote communication (i.e., a virtual-only meeting). We will announce any such updates as promptly as practicable, including details on how to participate, by press release, through a filing with the SEC and on our website. We encourage you to check our website prior to the meeting if you plan to attend. As always, we encourage you to vote your shares prior to the annual meeting.
Proxy Solicitation, Revocation, and Expense
The accompanying proxy is being solicited on behalf of the Board of Directors. Your shares will be voted at the annual meeting as you direct in the enclosed proxy or through the Internet, provided that the proxy is completed, signed, and returned to us prior to the annual meeting. No proxy can vote for more than nine nominees for director. If you return a proxy but fail to indicate how you wish your shares to be voted, then your shares will be voted in favor of each of the nominees for director.
After you sign and return your proxy, you may revoke it prior to the meeting either by (i) filing a written notice of revocation at our corporate headquarters, (ii) attending the annual meeting and voting your shares in person, or (iii) delivering to us another duly executed proxy that is dated after the initial proxy.
We will bear the expense of preparing, printing, and mailing the proxy solicitation material and the proxy. In addition to use of the mail, we may solicit proxies by personal interview or telephone by our directors, officers, and employees. We have retained Okapi Partners LLC to assist us in the solicitation and distribution of proxies for the Annual Meeting. The estimated cost of such services is $10,000, plus out-of-pocket expenses. Arrangements may also be made with brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees, and fiduciaries for the forwarding of solicitation material to record shareholders, and we may reimburse them for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses.