was, a partner or employee of the Company’s outside auditor who worked on the Company’s audit at any time during any of the past three years would not be independent; (iv) a director who is, or whose immediate family member is, employed as an executive officer of another entity where at any time during the past three years any of the Company’s executive officers served on the compensation committee would not be independent; and (v) a director who is, or who has an immediate family member who is, a partner in, or a controlling shareholder or an executive officer of any organization that, in the current or any of the past three fiscal years, has made payments to, or received payments from, the Company for property or services in an amount that, in any single fiscal year, exceeds the greater of $200,000, or 5% of such recipient’s consolidated gross revenues, except for permitted payments, would not be independent.
The Board, in applying the above referenced standards, has affirmatively determined that each of the following directors and director nominees is “independent” as defined by Rule 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq listing standards: Mark R. Belgya, Pamela B. Corrie, Susie Coulter, Eugene I. Davis, Pamela J. Edwards, Kevin Mansell, Marc Rey, Wendy L. Schoppert and Gail B. Tifford. As part of the Board’s process in making such determination, each such director provided written assurances that all of the above cited objective criteria for independence are satisfied and such director has no other “material relationship” with the Company that could interfere with such director’s and director nominee’s ability to exercise independent judgment.
BOARD LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE
The Board is committed to promoting effective, independent governance of the Company. The Board strongly believes it is in the best interests of the stockholders and the Company for the Board to have the flexibility to select the best director to serve as Chairman at any given time, regardless of whether that director is an independent director or the CEO. Consequently, our Corporate Governance Guidelines allow the Board to determine whether to separate or combine the roles of the Chairman and CEO.
To help ensure the independence of the Board, our Corporate Governance Guidelines require that, when the Chairman is a member of management, the Lead Independent Director shall assume certain responsibilities pertaining to the operation of the Board. The Lead Independent Director presides over all executive sessions of the non-management directors and other meetings of the Board in the absence of the Chairman of the Board, serves as the principal liaison to the non-management directors and consults with the CEO regarding information to be sent to the Board, meeting agendas and establishing meeting schedules. In order to give a significant voice to our non-management directors, our Corporate Governance Guidelines also provide that the non-management directors of the Company meet regularly in executive session. The Company’s independent directors held 15 formal meetings without management during fiscal year 2024.
Currently, the Board has determined that it is in the best interests of the stockholders and the Company for Mr. Mansell to serve as our Chairman. Mr. Mansell is not and has not been a member of management.
COOPERATION AGREEMENT
On March 24, 2024, we entered into a Cooperation Agreement (the “Cooperation Agreement”) with Buxton Helmsley Active Value Fund, L.P. and Buxton Helmsley Capital Partners LLC (collectively, “Buxton”). Pursuant to the Cooperation Agreement, the Company agreed, among other things, to appoint Pamela B. Corrie (the “Investor Director”) to the Board and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and to nominate her for election at the Annual Meeting. The Cooperation Agreement will terminate at the earlier of (i) the date of the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company and (ii) a change of control of the Company (the “Termination Date”), Until the Termination Date, the size of the Board will not exceed ten (10) directors, which will include not more than nine (9) independent directors.
Pursuant to the Cooperation Agreement, Buxton agreed to abide by certain standstill restrictions and voting commitments. The Cooperation Agreement also included procedures regarding the replacement of the Investor Director upon certain events which provisions expired on September 4, 2024, when Buxton informed the Company that it no longer met the ownership requirements under the Cooperation Agreement.