8-K 1 v111701_8-k.htm Unassociated Document


 
UNITED STATES
 
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
 
Washington, D.C. 20549
 
FORM 8-K
 
CURRENT REPORT
 
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
 
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) April 21, 2008
 
BRE Properties, Inc.
 
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
 

Maryland
1-14306
94-1722214
     
(State or other jurisdiction
(Commission File
(IRS Employer
of incorporation)
Number)
Identification No.)

525 Market Street, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA
94105-2712
 
 
(Address of principal executive offices)
(Zip Code)
 
Registrant's telephone number, including area code (415) 445-6530
 
(Former name or former address if changed since last report)

 
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
 
o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
 
o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
 
o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
 
o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
 
 
 

 
 
Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers
 
On April 22, 2008, we announced the appointment of Henry L. Hirvela to executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective May 7, 2008. Mr. Hirvela succeeds Edward F. Lange, Jr., who was promoted to chief operating officer in 2007. A copy of the press release is filed as Exhibit 99.1 to this Form 8-K.

Mr. Hirvela, 56, will be responsible for all corporate-related accounting, treasury and finance activities; investor relations; capital formation; internal audit and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance; and information technology services.

Mr. Hirvela has more than 30 years of experience in corporate finance and operations in the health care, waste management, energy and banking industries. Prior to BRE, he served as vice president, chief financial officer of VistaCare, Inc., a health care services company, since 2006. From 2000 to 2006, he was principal of Phoenix Management Partners LLC, a consulting and private equity investment company. From 1996 to 2000, Mr. Hirvela served as vice president, chief financial officer for Allied Waste Industries, Inc., a waste services company. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the United States International University in San Diego, and earned an M.B.A. from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University.

Mr. Hirvela has an employment agreement entered into on April 21, 2008 and effective as of May 7, 2008. The agreement provides for at-will employment commencing on May 7, 2008 and continuing thereafter until terminated. Certain material terms of the agreements are as follows:

Base Salary. Mr. Hirvela has an annual base salary of $325,000. The Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors reserves the right to review base salaries on an annual basis and may adjust Mr. Hirvela’s base salary based on relevant circumstances.

Annual Incentive Bonus. Mr. Hirvela has the right to receive an annual incentive bonus that is performance based with a specific target bonus level of $245,000. The amount of the annual bonus will be based on the achievement of management by objective criteria established by our Board of Directors with a minimum threshold of 0% of base salary and a maximum range of 200% of the target levels set forth above.

Long-Term Incentive Awards. Under his employment agreement, Mr. Hirvela is eligible to receive long-term incentive awards at the discretion of our Board of Directors. It is contemplated that such awards will take into account financial, operating and other results achieved as well as future long-term performance goals. Such awards may be in the form of options, restricted shares which vest over time or upon satisfaction of performance metrics, SARs, stock grants, or any other form of long-term compensation as determined by our Board of Directors in its sole discretion.

Benefits. During the term of his employment agreement, BRE has agreed to pay the premiums on term life insurance policies covering and for the benefit of Mr. Hirvela with face amounts equal to 100% of base salary. Mr. Hirvela is also entitled to participate in other benefit plans as are generally provided by us to our other officers.
 
 
 

 
 
Severance Benefits. If at any time during the term of his employment agreement, the employment of Mr. Hirvela is terminated, he shall be entitled to certain severance benefits based on the nature of his termination. Depending on the cause of the termination, Mr. Hirvela may receive a lump sum payment in an amount up to two years’ base salary and bonus, and income that reflects vesting of any equity award agreements entered into during the term of his employment agreement.
 
In the event that the benefits provided for in his employment agreement, when aggregated with any other payments or benefits received by Mr. Hirvela, would constitute a “parachute payment,” and would be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code, the aggregate benefits will either be delivered in full or delivered in a lesser amount that would result in no portion of the aggregate benefits being subject to the excise tax, whichever results in the receipt by the officer of the greatest amount of aggregate benefits on an after-tax basis.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for the historical information contained herein, this report contains forward-looking statements regarding the employment arrangements of Mr. Hirvela, and is based on our current expectations and judgment. You should not rely on these statements as predictions of future events because there is no assurance that the events or circumstances reflected in the statements can be achieved or will occur. Forward-looking statements are identified by words such as "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "should," "seeks," "approximately," "intends," "plans," "pro forma," "estimates," or "anticipates" or their negative form or other variations, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. The following factors, among others, could affect actual results and future events: defaults or nonrenewal of leases, increased interest rates and operating costs, failure to obtain necessary outside financing, difficulties in identifying properties to acquire and in effecting acquisitions, failure to successfully integrate acquired properties and operations, inability to dispose of assets that no longer meet our investment criteria under acceptable terms and conditions, risks and uncertainties affecting property development and construction (including construction delays, cost overruns, liability to obtain necessary permits and public opposition to such activities), failure to qualify as a real estate investment trust under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and increases in real property tax rates. Our success also depends on general economic trends, including interest rates, tax laws, governmental regulation, legislation, population changes and other factors, including those risk factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K as they may be updated from time to time by our subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. Do not rely solely on forward-looking statements, which only reflect management's analysis. We assume no obligation to update this information. For more details, please refer to our SEC filings, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

 
 

 
 

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d)    Exhibit Number          
 
99.1
Press Release dated April 22, 2008
99.2
Employment Agreement dated April 21, 2008

 
 

 
 
SIGNATURES
 
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
     
 
(Registrant)
   
 
Date: April 24, 2008                
By:  
/s/ Edward F. Lange, Jr.
  Edward F. Lange, Jr.
   

 
 

 
 
EXHIBIT INDEX
 
Exhibit Number          
 
99.1
Press Release dated April 22, 2008
99.2
Employment Agreement dated April 21, 2008