PRER14A 1 ea164493-prer14a_breezehold.htm REVISED PRELIMINARY PROXY STATEMENT

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

SCHEDULE 14A

 

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. 1)

 

Filed by the Registrant

Filed by a Party other than the Registrant

 

Check the appropriate box:

 

Preliminary Proxy Statement
   
Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
   
Definitive Proxy Statement
   
Definitive Additional Materials
   
Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12

 

Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
 
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

 

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

 

No fee required.

 

Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.

 

Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11

 

 

 

 

 

BREEZE HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.

955 W. John Carpenter Freeway, Suite 100-929

Irving, TX 75039

 

To the Stockholders of Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp.:

 

You are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp. on September 13, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The Annual Meeting will be a completely virtual meeting of stockholders, which will be conducted via live webcast. You will be able to attend the Annual Meeting online, vote and submit your questions during the Annual Meeting by visiting https://www.cstproxy.com/breezeholdingsacquisition/2022. If you plan to attend the virtual online Annual Meeting, you will need the control number found on your proxy card, voting instruction form or notice.

 

Information regarding each of the matters to be voted on at the Annual Meeting is contained in the attached Proxy Statement and Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders. We urge you to read the proxy statement carefully. The proxy statement and proxy card are being mailed to all stockholders of record as of July 22, 2022.

 

Your vote is very important, regardless of the number of shares of our voting securities that you own. Whether or not you expect to attend the virtual Annual Meeting, please vote as promptly as possible to ensure your representation and the presence of a quorum at the Annual Meeting. Only stockholders who held shares at the close of business on the record date, July 22. 2022, may vote at the Annual Meeting. As an alternative to voting online during the Annual Meeting, you may vote in advance of the Annual Meeting, via the Internet, by telephone, or by signing, dating and returning the proxy card. If your shares are held in the name of a broker, trust, bank or other nominee, and you receive these materials through your broker or through another intermediary, please complete and return the materials in accordance with the instructions provided to you by such broker or other intermediary or contact your broker directly in order to obtain a proxy issued to you by your nominee holder to attend the meeting and vote in person. Failure to do so may result in your shares not being eligible to be voted by proxy at the Annual Meeting.

 

We look forward to seeing you virtually on September 13, 2022.

  

Very truly yours,

 

Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp.  
   
By: /s/ J. Douglas Ramsey, Ph.D.  
  J. Douglas Ramsey, Ph.D.  
  Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer  

 

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials

for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be Held on September 13, 2022:

Electronic Copies of the Proxy Statement and our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K are available at

https://www.cstproxy.com/breezeholdingsacquisition/2022

 

 

 

BREEZE HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.

955 W. John Carpenter Freeway, Suite 100-929

Irving, TX 75039

 

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

 

To Be Held September 13, 2022

 

TO THE STOCKHOLDERS OF BREEZE HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.:

 

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) will be held on September 13, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The Annual Meeting will be a completely virtual meeting of stockholders, which will be conducted via live webcast. You will be able to attend the Annual Meeting online, vote and submit your questions during the Annual Meeting by visiting https://www.cstproxy.com/breezeholdingsacquisition/2022. If you plan to attend the virtual online Annual Meeting, you will need the control number found on your proxy card, voting instruction form or notice.

 

At the Annual Meeting, the items of business to be voted on are:

 

  1. To elect three Board nominees to serve as Class I Directors, each to serve until the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders of the Company or until such person’s successor is qualified and elected.

 

  2. To ratify the appointment of Marcum, LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2022.

 

  3. To approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation to extend the date by which the Company must consummate a business combination or, if it fails to do so, cease its operations and redeem or repurchase 100% of the shares of the Company’s common stock issued in the Company’s initial public offering, from September 26, 2022 for up to six additional months at the election of the Company, ultimately until as late as March 26, 2023.

 

  4. To amend the Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated November 23, 2020, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Company, to authorize the extension subject to proposal 3 above and its implementation by the Company.  

 

  5. To approve the adjournment of the Annual Meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary, to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies in the event that there are insufficient votes for, or otherwise in connection with, the approval of Proposals 3 or 4. This proposal will only be presented at the Annual Meeting if there are not sufficient votes to approve the Proposals 3 or 4.

 

  6. To transact any other business that is properly brought before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

 

Only stockholders of record of the Company at the close of business on July 22, 2022 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. A complete list of these stockholders will be open for the examination of any stockholder of record at the Company’s principal executive offices located at 955 W. John Carpenter Freeway, Suite 100-929, Irving, TX 75039 for a period of ten days prior to the Annual Meeting. The list will also be available for the examination of any stockholder of record present at the Annual Meeting.

 

The Annual Meeting may be adjourned or postponed from time to time without notice other than by announcement at the meeting. This Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and proxy statement, along with a proxy card, was first mailed on or about August 19, 2022 to our stockholders of record as of the Record Date. These materials and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 are also available electronically at https://www.cstproxy.com/breezeholdingsacquisition/2022.

 

WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE MEETING, PLEASE SIGN AND DATE THE ENCLOSED PROXY AND RETURN IT IN THE ENVELOPE PROVIDED.

 

  By Order of the Board of Directors,
  Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp.
   
  /s/ J. Douglas Ramsey, Ph.D.
Irving, Texas J. Douglas Ramsey, Ph.D.
[__], 2022 Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

  Page
   
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING AND VOTING 1
WHY DID YOU SEND ME THIS PROXY STATEMENT? 1
WHAT PROPOSALS WILL BE ADDRESSED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING? 1
WHO MAY VOTE ON THESE PROPOSALS? 1
HOW MANY VOTES DO I HAVE? 2
WHY WOULD THE ANNUAL MEETING BE POSTPONED? 2
HOW DO I VOTE BY PROXY? 2
HOW DO I VOTE IN PERSON?  
MAY I REVOKE MY PROXY? 2
WHAT VOTE IS REQUIRED TO APPROVE EACH PROPOSAL? 3
ARE THERE ANY RIGHTS OF APPRAISAL? 3
WHO BEARS THE COST OF SOLICITING PROXIES? 3
WHERE ARE THE COMPANY’S PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES? 4
HOW CAN I OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY? 4
STOCK OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT 4
INFORMATION ABOUT DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS 6
GOVERNANCE OF THE COMPANY 8
COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS 11
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS 12
PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS 14
PROPOSAL 2: TO RATIFY THE APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM 15
PROPOSAL 3: TO APPROVE THE EXTENSION PROPOSAL 17
PROPOSAL 4: TO APPROVE THE TRUST AMENDMENT PROPOSAL 23
PROPOSAL 5: TO APPROVE THE ADJOURNMENT PROPOSAL 24
AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT 16
AVAILABILITY OF ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K 24
OTHER PROPOSED ACTION 24
HOUSEHOLDING OF PROXY MATERIALS 24
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS AND SUBMISSIONS 25
   
Appendix A – Audit Committee Charter A-1
Appendix B – Compensation Committee Charter B-1
Appendix C – Nominating Committee Charter C-1
   
Annex A - Proposed Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp.  
Annex B - Proposed Amendment to the Investment Management Trust Agreement  

 

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BREEZE HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.

PROXY STATEMENT

FOR

ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To Be Held September 13, 2022

 

INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING AND VOTING

 

Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp. was formed for the purpose of identifying, acquiring and operating a target company through a business combination and not with the purpose of being an investment company. In an effort to mitigate the risk that the Company might be deemed to be an investment company the Company has moved all of its assets in the Trust from government securities to cash, and intends to maintain its assets in cash until it consummates its initial business combination or winds up its existence and liquidates. There can be no assurance that this action will foreclose a judicial or regulatory finding or an allegation, that the Company is an investment company. See “Proposal 3: To Approve The Extension Proposal.”

 

WHY DID YOU SEND ME THIS PROXY STATEMENT?

 

This proxy statement and the enclosed proxy card are furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors of Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation, for use at the Annual Meeting of Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp.'s stockholders to be held on September 13, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, and at any adjournments or postponements of the Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting will be a completely virtual meeting of stockholders, which will be conducted via live webcast. You will be able to attend the Annual Meeting online, vote and submit your questions during the Annual Meeting by visiting https://www.cstproxy.com/breezeholdingsacquisition/2022. If you plan to attend the virtual online Annual Meeting, you will need the control number found on your proxy card, voting instruction form or notice.

 

This proxy statement summarizes the information you need to make an informed vote on the proposals to be considered at the Annual Meeting. However, you do not need to attend the Annual Meeting to vote your shares. Instead, you may simply complete, sign and return the enclosed proxy card using the envelope provided. The terms “Breeze,” “Company,” “we,” or “our” refer to Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp.

 

WHAT PROPOSALS WILL BE ADDRESSED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING?

 

We will address the following proposals at the Annual Meeting:

 

1.To elect three Board nominees to serve as Class I Directors, each to serve until the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders of the Company or until such person’s successor is qualified and elected.

 

2.To ratify the appointment of Marcum, LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2022.

 

  3. To approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation to extend the date by which the Company must consummate a business combination or, if it fails to do so, cease its operations and redeem or repurchase 100% of the shares of the Company’s common stock issued in the Company’s initial public offering, from September 26, 2022 for up to six additional months at the election of the Company, ultimately until as late as March 26, 2023 (the “Extension”, and such applicable extension date the “Extended Date”). A copy of the proposed amendment, which we refer to as the “Extension Amendment”, is set forth in Annex A to the accompanying Proxy Statement.

 

4.To amend the Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated November 23, 2020, (the “Trust Agreement”), by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Company (the “Trustee”), pursuant to an amendment to the Trust Agreement in the form set forth in Annex B of the accompanying proxy statement, to authorize the Extension and its implementation by the Company.

 

5.To approve the adjournment of the Annual Meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary, to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies in the event that there are insufficient votes for, or otherwise in connection with, the approval of Proposals 3 or 4. This proposal will only be presented at the Annual Meeting if there are not sufficient votes to approve the Proposals 3 or 4.

 

6.To transact any other business that is properly brought before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

 

WHO MAY VOTE ON THESE PROPOSALS?

 

We will send this proxy statement, the attached Notice of Annual Meeting and the enclosed proxy card on or about August 19, 2022 to all stockholders as of July 22, 2022 (the “Record Date”). Stockholders who owned shares of our common stock at the close of business on the Record Date are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting on all matters properly brought before the Annual Meeting.

 

On the Record Date, we had 7,907,013 shares of issued and outstanding common stock entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.

 

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HOW MANY VOTES DO I HAVE?

 

Each share of common stock is entitled to one vote on each matter presented at the Annual Meeting. Cumulative voting is not permitted.

 

WHY WOULD THE ANNUAL MEETING BE POSTPONED?

 

The Annual Meeting will be postponed if a quorum is not present on September 13, 2022. The presence in person or by proxy of at least a majority of our common stock outstanding as of the Record Date will constitute a quorum and is required to transact business at the Annual Meeting. If a quorum is not present, the Annual Meeting may be adjourned until a quorum is obtained.

 

Abstentions and broker non-votes are treated as shares present or represented at the meeting, but are not counted as votes cast. Shares held by brokers who do not have discretionary authority to vote on a particular matter and who have not received voting instructions from their customers (broker non-votes) are not considered to be "entitled to vote" on that matter and are not counted or deemed to be present or represented for the purpose of determining whether stockholders have approved that matter, but they are counted as present for the purposes of determining the existence of a quorum at the Annual Meeting.

 

HOW DO I VOTE BY PROXY?

 

Whether you plan to attend the Annual Meeting or not, we urge you to complete, sign and date the enclosed proxy card and return it promptly in the envelope provided. Returning the proxy card will not affect your right to attend the Annual Meeting and vote at the meeting.

 

If you properly fill in your proxy card and send it to us in time to vote, your proxy (one of the individuals named on your proxy card) will vote your shares as you have directed. If you sign the proxy card but do not make specific choices, your proxy will vote your shares as recommended by the Board of Directors (the "Board") as follows:

 

  1. FOR the election of the Board’s three nominees to serve as Class I Directors, each to serve until the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders of the Company or until such person’s successor is qualified and elected.

 

  2. FOR ratification of the appointment of Marcum, LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2022.

 

  3. FOR approval of an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation to extend the date by which the Company must consummate a business combination or, if it fails to do so, cease its operations and redeem or repurchase 100% of the shares of the Company’s common stock issued in the Company’s initial public offering, from September 26, 2022 for up to six additional months at the election of the Company, ultimately until as late as March 26, 2023 (the “Extension”, and such applicable extension date the “Extended Date”).

 

  4. FOR approval to amend the Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated November 23, 2020, (the “Trust Agreement”), by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Company (the “Trustee”), to authorize the Extension and its implementation by the Company.

 

  5. FOR approval for the adjournment of the Annual Meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary, to permit further solicitation and vote of proxies in the event that there are insufficient votes for, or otherwise in connection with, the approval of Proposals 3 or 4. This proposal will only be presented at the Annual Meeting if there are not sufficient votes to approve the Proposals 3 or 4.

 

  6. In their discretion, upon such other matters as may property come before the meeting.

 

If any other matters are presented, your proxy will vote in accordance with his or her best judgment. At the time this proxy statement was printed, we knew of no matters that needed to be acted on at the Annual Meeting other than those discussed in this proxy statement.

 

MAY I REVOKE MY PROXY? 

 

If you give a proxy, you may revoke it at any time before it is exercised. You may revoke your proxy in three ways:

 

  1. You may send in another proxy with a later date.
     
  2. You may notify us in writing (or if the stockholder is a corporation, under its corporate seal, by an officer or attorney of the corporation) at our principal executive offices before the Annual Meeting that you are revoking your proxy.
     
  3. You may vote at the Annual Meeting.

 

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WHAT VOTE IS REQUIRED TO APPROVE EACH PROPOSAL?

 

Proposal 1: Election of Directors.

 

A plurality of the eligible votes cast is required to elect director nominees, and as such, the three nominees who receive the greatest number of “FOR” votes cast by stockholders, entitled to vote at the meeting, will be elected as Class I Directors. A nominee who receives a plurality means he or she has received more “FOR” votes than any other nominee for the same director’s seat. Broker non-votes will have no effect on this proposal.

 

Proposal 2: Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.

 

The approval of Proposal 2 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote on the matter. Broker non-votes will not be taken into account in determining the outcome of the proposal, and abstentions will be counted as votes against the proposal. We believe this proposal will be considered to be a “routine” matter and, accordingly, if you hold your shares in street name and do not provide voting instructions to your broker, bank or other agent that holds your shares, your broker, bank or other agent has discretionary authority to vote on this proposal.

 

Proposal 3: To Approve The Extension Proposal.

 

The approval of Proposal 3 requires the affirmative vote of 65% of the outstanding shares present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote on the matter. Broker non-votes and abstentions will be counted as votes against the proposal.

 

Proposal 4: To Approve The Trust Amendment Proposal.

 

The approval of Proposal 4 requires the affirmative vote of 65% of the outstanding shares present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote on the matter. Broker non-votes and abstentions will be counted as votes against the proposal.

 

Proposal 5: Adjournment Proposal.

 

The approval of Proposal 5 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote on the matter. Broker non-votes will not be taken into account in determining the outcome of the proposal, and abstentions will be counted as votes against the proposal.

 

Other Business That Is Properly Brought Before the Annual Meeting

 

If you do not give instructions to your bank or brokerage firm, it will nevertheless be entitled to vote your shares in its discretion on routine matters. However, absent your instructions, the record holder will not be permitted to vote your shares on a non-routine matter, which are referred to as "broker non-votes", properly brought before the meeting. Broker non-votes (shares held by brokers that do not have discretionary authority to vote on the matter and have not received voting instructions from their clients) are not counted or deemed to be present or represented for the purpose of determining whether stockholders have approved that proposal, but will be counted in determining whether there is a quorum present.

 

ARE THERE ANY RIGHTS OF APPRAISAL?

 

The Board of Directors is not proposing any action for which the laws of the State of Delaware, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws provide a right of a stockholder to obtain appraisal of or payment for such stockholder’s shares.

 

WHO BEARS THE COST OF SOLICITING PROXIES?

 

We will bear the cost of soliciting proxies in the accompanying form and will reimburse brokerage firms and others for expenses involved in forwarding proxy materials to beneficial owners or soliciting their execution.

 

We have engaged D.F. King & Co. (“D.F. King”) to assist in the solicitation of proxies for the Annual Meeting. We have agreed to pay D.F. King a fee of $5,000 plus a discretionary success fee. We will also reimburse D.F. King for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses and will indemnify D.F. King and its affiliates against certain claims, liabilities, losses, damages and expenses. In addition to these mailed proxy materials, our directors and officers may also solicit proxies in person, by telephone or by other means of communication. These parties will not be paid any additional compensation for soliciting proxies. We may also reimburse brokerage firms, banks and other agents for the cost of forwarding proxy materials to beneficial owners. While the payment of these expenses will reduce the cash available to us to consummate an initial business combination, we do not expect such payments to have a material effect on our ability to consummate an initial business combination.

 

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WHERE ARE THE COMPANYS PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES?

 

The principal executive offices of the Company are located at 955 W. John Carpenter Freeway, Suite 100-929, Irving, TX 75039 and our telephone number is (619) 500-7747.

 

HOW CAN I OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY?

 

We are subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which requires that we file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding companies, including Breeze, that file electronically with the SEC. The SEC’s website address is www.sec.gov. In addition, our filings may be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities of the SEC located at 100 F Street, N.E. Washington, DC 20549.

 

STOCK OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

 

The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of the Company’s common stock as of the record date based on information obtained from the persons named below, with respect to the beneficial ownership of shares of the Company’s common stock, by:

 

each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock;

 

each of our executive officers and directors that beneficially owns shares of common stock; and

 

all our officers and directors as a group.

 

As of the record date, there were 7,907,013 shares of common stock issued and outstanding. Unless otherwise indicated, all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them.

 

    Common Stock  
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner (1)   Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned
    Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Common Stock  
Breeze Sponsor, LLC     2,475,000       31.3  
J. Douglas Ramsey, Ph.D. (2)     2,475,000       31.3  
Russell D. Griffin (3)     0       *  
Charles C. Ross (3)     0       *  
Albert McLelland     25,000       *  
Daniel L. Hunt (4)     25,000       *  
Robert Lee Thomas     25,000       *  
Bill Stark     25,000       *  
All directors and executive officers as a group (7 individuals)     2,575,000       32.6  
                 
Meteora Capital, LLC (5)     2,421,494       30.6  
Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. (6)     1,011,247       12.8  
Hudson Bay Capital Management LP (7)     861,240       10.9  
ATW SPAC Management LLC (8)     800,000       10.1  
Boothbay Fund Management LLC (9)     800,000       10.1  
Cubist Systematic Strategies, LLC (10)     563,500       7.1  

Harraden Circle Investors, LP (11)

   

534,698

     

6.7

 

Feis Equities LLC (12)

   

533,108

     

6.7

 

 

 

* Less than one percent

 

(1) Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp., 955 W. John Carpenter Fwy., Suite 100-929, Irving, TX 75039.

 

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(2)

Represents shares of common stock owned by our sponsor, Breeze Sponsor, LLC (our “Sponsor”). Dr. Ramsey is the manager of our Sponsor and has voting and dispositive control over all such shares. Dr. Ramsey disclaims beneficial ownership of the reported securities, except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. Our Sponsor has agreed to transfer 15,000 shares of its common stock to each independent director upon the closing of an initial business combination by the Company, with such shares currently beneficially owned by Sponsor.

 

(3) Does not include any securities held by our Sponsor, Breeze Sponsor, LLC, of which each person is a direct or indirect member.
   
(4)

Mr. Hunt, who was a Class I director, resigned on August 10, 2022. On August 12, 2022, James L. Williams was appointed to fill the vacancy created by Mr. Hunt’s resignation, and Mr. Williams will be up for election as a Class I director at the Annual Meeting.

 

(5) Based solely on the Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on May 6, 2022 by Meteora Capital, LLC, (“Meteora Capital”) with respect to the common stock held by certain funds and managed accounts to which Meteora Capital serves as investment manager (collectively, the “Meteora Funds”); and (ii) Vik Mittal, who serves as the Managing Member of Meteora Capital, with respect to the common stock held by the Meteora Funds. The business address of reporting persons is 840 Park Drive East, Boca Raton, FL 33444.

 

(6) Based solely on the amendment to Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 7, 2022 by Polar Asset Management Partners Inc., which serves as the investment advisor to Polar Multi-Strategy Master Fund, (“PMSMF”) with respect to the common stock directly held by PMSMF. The address of the reporting person is 16 York Street, Suite 2900, Toronto, ON M5J 0E6, Canada.

 

(7) Based solely on the amendment to Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 4, 2022 by Hudson Bay Capital Management LP (“Hudson Bay”) and Mr. Sander Gerber, with respect to the shares of common stock held by HB Strategies LLC and Hudson Bay Master Fund Ltd., to which Hudson Bay serves as investment manager. Mr. Gerber serves as the managing member of Hudson Bay Capital GP LLC, which is the general partner of Hudson Bay. The reporting persons share voting and dispositive power with respect to all such shares. Mr. Gerber disclaims beneficial ownership of these securities. The business address of reporting persons is 28 Havemeyer Place, 2nd Floor, Greenwich, CT 06830.

 

(8) Based solely on the Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 14, 2022 by ATW SPAC Management LLC (the “Adviser”) and Antonio Ruiz-Gimenez with respect to shares held by separately managed accounts managed by the Adviser, of which Mr. Ruiz-Gimenez is the Managing Member. The reporting persons share voting and dispositive power with respect to all such shares. Each of the reporting persons disclaims beneficial ownership of the reported shares except to the extent of the reporting person’s pecuniary interest therein. The business address of the reporting persons is 7969 NW 2nd Street, #401, Miami, FL 33126.

 

(9) Based solely on the Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 10, 2022 by Boothbay Absolute Return Strategies, LP (the “Fund”), Boothbay Fund Management, LLC (the “Adviser”) and Mr. Ari Glass with respect to the shares of common stock held by the Fund, to which the Adviser serves as investment manager. Mr. Glass is the Managing Member of the Adviser. The Fund has shared voting and shared dispositive power with respect to 535,993 shares and the Adviser and Mr. Glass have shared voting and shared dispositive power with respect to all reported shares. Each of the reporting persons disclaims beneficial ownership of the reported shares except to the extent of the reporting person’s pecuniary interest therein. The business address of the reporting persons is 140 East 45th Street, New York, NY 10017.

 

(10)

Based solely on the Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on July 12, 2022 by Cubist Systematic Strategies, LLC (“Cubist Systematic Strategies”) with respect to shares of common stock held by certain investment funds it manages; and (ii) Steven A. Cohen (“Mr. Cohen”) with respect to shares of common stock beneficially owned by Cubist Systematic Strategies. The business address of (i) Mr. Cohen is 72 Cummings Point Road, Stamford, CT 06902; and (ii) Cubist Systematic Strategies is 55 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001.

   
(11)

Based solely on the Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on May 6, 2022 by Harraden Circle Investors, LP (“Harraden Circle Investors”) with respect to shares of common stock held by Harraden Circle Investors. Harraden GP is the general partner to Harraden Circle Investors, and Harraden LLC is the general partner of Harraden GP. Harraden Adviser serves as investment manager to Harraden Circle Investors. Mr. Fortmiller is the managing member of each of Harraden LLC and Harraden Adviser. In such capacities, each of Harraden GP, Harraden LLC, Harraden Adviser and Mr. Fortmiller may be deemed to indirectly beneficially own the Shares reported herein directly beneficially owned by Harraden Circle Investors. The business address of the reporting persons is 299 Park Avenue. 21st Floor, New York, NY 10171.

   
(12)

Based solely on the amendment to Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on May 3, 2022 by Feis Equities LLC (“Feis Equities”) and Lawrence M. Feis (Mr. Feis”) with respect to shares of common stock held by Feis Equities and Mr. Feis. Mr. Feis is the Managing Member of Feis Equities. The business address of the reporting persons is 20 North Wacker Drive, Suite 2115, Chicago, IL 60606.

 

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INFORMATION ABOUT DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

 

Directors and Executive Officers

 

The following table sets forth the names and ages of all of our directors and executive officers as of August 15, 2022, except as specifically stated below. Our officers are appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the Board of Directors.  

 

Name   Age   Position
J. Douglas Ramsey, Ph.D.   62   Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
Russell D. Griffin   58   President and Director
Charles C. Ross, P.E.   65   Chief Operating Officer

James L. Williams (1)

  69   Independent Director
Albert McLelland   64   Independent Director
Robert Lee Thomas   62   Independent Director
Bill Stark   66   Independent Director

  

(1) Dan Hunt, who was a Class I director, resigned on August 10, 2022. On August 12, 2022, James L. Williams was appointed to fill the vacancy created by Mr. Hunt’s resignation, and Mr. Williams will be up for election as a Class I director at the Annual Meeting.

 

Set forth below is biographical information about each of the individuals named in the tables above:

 

J. Douglas Ramsey, Ph.D. has served as our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer since June 2020. Dr. Ramsey was the President and Chief Financial Officer of Saddle Operating and served in that role from May 2014 until February 2019. Prior to joining Saddle Operating, Dr. Ramsey served as the Director of Strategic Planning and Special Projects of EXCO from June 2013 until April 2014, Vice President – Finance and Special Assistant to the Chairman of EXCO Resources from August 2009 until May 2013 and as Treasurer of EXCO Resources from December 1997 until May 2013. From December 1997 until July 2009, Dr. Ramsey served as EXCO Resources’ Chief Financial Officer during which time EXCO Resources completed over 160 transactions and its assets grew from $3 million to over $6 billion with over 15,000 wells and more than 1,400 employees and contractors. Dr. Ramsey also played a key role in EXCO Resources’ $698 million IPO in February 2006 after EXCO Resources had gone private in July 2003. Other key financing transactions in which Dr. Ramsey was involved included a $2 billion mandatory convertible preferred stock offering, a $2.4 billion line of credit with 34 banks in the syndicate, and two bond offerings totaling $750 million. Dr. Ramsey also served as a director of EXCO Resources from March 1998 until July 2003. From March 1992 until December 1997, Dr. Ramsey worked for Coda Energy as the Financial Analyst and Assistant to the President and then as the Financial Planning Manager. Dr. Ramsey also taught finance at various universities including Southern Methodist University in its undergraduate and professional MBA programs and Baylor University in its Executive MBA program. Dr. Ramsey was named the 1996 Distinguished Alumnus of the College of Business Administration at Cal Poly Pomona. Dr. Ramsey earned his BS in Finance from Cal Poly Pomona, an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and an MA and Ph.D. in Business and Financial Economics from the Claremont Graduate University. Dr. Ramsey is National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Directorship Certified. Dr. Ramsey is well qualified to serve as a director because of his strong financial background, including his 29 years of experience as a financial executive.

 

Russell D. Griffin has served as our President and as a director since June 2020. Mr. Griffin was the Chief Operating Officer of Saddle Operating and served in that role from November 2015 until June 2019. Prior to joining Saddle Operating, Mr. Griffin served as the Vice President of Environmental, Health and Safety of EXCO Resources from June 2010 until November 2015, and as the Vice President of Environmental, Health and Safety of TGGT Holdings, an independent midstream oil and gas company, from 2012 until 2013. Prior to joining EXCO Resources, Mr. Griffin was the Senior Regulatory Representative for Hunt Oil Company, an independent international oil and natural gas company, from August 2005 until January 2008 and held positions in exploration and production operations from August 1984 until August 2005. His areas of expertise include onshore U.S conventional and non-conventional, offshore Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) as well as State waters of both Louisiana and Texas. Mr. Griffin has also led or participated in multiple acquisitions and divestitures, both domestic and international. He is a member of the American Association of Drilling Engineers, Society of Petroleum Engineers and American Association of Safety Professionals. Mr. Griffin received his BS degree in Petroleum Engineering Technology and an AS degree in Safety Management from Nicholls State University. Mr. Griffin is National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Directorship Certified. Mr. Griffin is well qualified to serve as a director because of his more than 35 years of diverse experience in management, operations, drilling, regulatory compliance and EHS in the oil and gas industry with an in-depth knowledge of federal, state and local compliance requirements with governmental regulations and standards.

 

Charles C. Ross, P.E. has served as our Chief Operating Officer since June 2020. Mr. Ross was the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and EHS of Saddle Operating and served in that role from December 2015 until June 2019. In January 2010 until December 2013, Mr. Ross was the Director of Regulatory Affairs of TGGT Midstream. In August 2012, Mr. Ross was named Director of Regulatory Affairs for EXCO Resources, as well, until November 2015. Mr. Ross began his career in 1982 working for the Railroad Commission of Texas Oil and Gas Division as a New Field Discovery Examiner. Mr. Ross continued working for the RRC for 27 more years in various positions including Engineering Supervisor of the Underground Injection Control Section, District Engineer, Assistant District Director, and Director of Field Operations. As Director of Field Operations, Mr. Ross oversaw nine district offices and 247 employees. Mr. Ross is an expert witness at Railroad Commission hearings, civil trials, legislative committee meetings, and legislative hearings on various issues related to oil and gas regulatory and technical matters. Mr. Ross has been a registered Professional Engineer (Petroleum) since 1988, and currently serves as the Chair of the TIPRO (Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Association) Regulatory Committee. Mr. Ross received his BS in Architectural Engineering and a BS in Petroleum Engineering both from the University of Texas at Austin.

 

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James L. Williams began serving as a director in August 2022. General Williams served in the United States Marine Corps for over 35 years, most recently as a Major General, 4th Marine Division, where he commanded Marines at every level in combat operations and readiness until he retired from military service in 2010. During the Global War on Terrorism, General Williams held positions as Assistant Division Commander, 2nd Marine Division, in combat operations at Camp Blue Diamond, Al-Ramadi, Iraq and as Deputy Commanding General, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Fallujah, Iraq. General Williams also served on the Secretary of Defense’s Reserve Force Policy Board, and included in his military decorations are the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and the National Defense Medal, to name a few. General Williams currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Zenneck Power LLC. General Williams received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Slippery Rock University, PA and reported to Officer Candidate School, receiving his commission in 1976. His education includes Master’s Degrees from Georgetown University in Government and National Affairs, and Yale University in Hospital Management and Public Health. He has completed program studies at Harvard’s JFK School of Government in the National and International Studies Program. General Williams has completed the LOGTECH Program, Center of Excellence in Logistics and Technology, University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School, Chapel Hill, North Carolina and a Master of Science in Strategic Studies, U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. General Williams has served on boards of directors and/or boards of advisors of for-profit companies, including Zenneck Power, LLC, Rewards.com/RewardToken.IO, PayForAll, LLC, Mobile Equity Corporation (d.b.a. Qruz), and DCG International. In the non-profit sector, General Williams served with the Board of International Learning of Texas Public Charter School District, the Tower Center at Southern Methodist University, Cybercrime Committee of the North Texas Crime Commission, the Tarleton State Criminal Justice Program, the Admiral Nimitz Foundation and National Museum of the Pacific War, the American Board of Physician Specialties and Disaster Medicine Committee, the Veterans Coalition of North Central Texas, the VA Medical Center of North Texas, the World Craniofacial Foundation, and the Bridge-Homeless Program. General Williams also spends time helping Veterans and surviving spouses fight for the benefits and services they so rightfully deserve. General Williams is well qualified to serve as a director based on his demonstrated leadership during his outstanding military career, and as a result of his experience with both for-profit and non-profit organizations.

 

Albert McLelland has served as a director since November 2020. Mr. McLelland is a director of Spout Analytics, Inc., a digital transformation company, since 2020. From 2014 until 2019, Mr. McLelland served as the Managing Director Asia and Chief Executive Officer of Hover Energy LLC and its related companies. From 1998 until 2002, Mr. McLelland was the Director of the Chairman’s Asian Cross-Border Transactions Initiative for PricewaterhouseCoopers. Prior to PricewaterhouseCoopers, between 1993 and 1998, Mr. McLelland founded and sold Pearl Delta Capital Corp. in Taiwan. From 1991 until 1993, Mr. McLelland was Senior Manager for Corporate Finance at CEF Taiwan Limited. In 1990, Mr. McLelland assisted in the formation of Riddell*Tseng where he worked until 1993. Mr. McLelland started his career at Shearson Lehman as an Associate in Public Finance in 1987 until 1990. Mr. McLelland has served as a Director, Audit Committee Chairman and Special Committee Chairman for a number of public and private companies. Mr. McLelland has also been an Adjunct Professor at Southern Methodist University’s Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship in the Cox School of Business. Mr. McLelland received his BA in Political Science and History from the University of South Florida, an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and an MA in International Affairs from Columbia University. Mr. McLelland is National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Directorship Certified. Mr. McLelland is well qualified to serve as a director because of his extensive operating, capital markets and corporate governance experience including multiple director roles on behalf of Carlyle Group and other prominent financial services firms.

 

Robert Lee Thomas has served as a director since November 2020. Mr. Thomas was Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Kosmos Energy from 2015 until May 2020. In this role, Mr. Thomas had corporate information systems oversight, as well as geotechnical systems strategy responsibility. Prior to Kosmos, Mr. Thomas was a corporate officer and Chief Information Officer at EXCO Resources from 2008 until 2015. In addition to corporate information systems oversight, Mr. Thomas had responsibility for the geoscience personnel and technology. From 1994 until 2006, Mr. Thomas held a series of roles, from geotechnical systems leadership to international business management to Chief Information Officer at Burlington Resources Canada with Burlington Resources Oil and Gas. Following the acquisition of Burlington Resources by ConocoPhillips in 2006, Mr. Thomas co-led the integration of systems into ConocoPhillips, earning a President’s Award, and was Director of IT Strategy and Architecture at ConocoPhillips until 2008. From 1981 until 1994, Mr. Thomas held a series of roles from geophysical seismic acquisition and processing to exploration system development in the exploration technology groups with Sun Oil Company and the Oryx Energy spinoff. Mr. Thomas earned his BS in Economics and Finance from The University of Texas at Dallas. Mr. Thomas was elected and served on the City Council in Murphy, Texas, currently sits on the Advisory Board at the University of North Texas school of Information Technology Decision Sciences and has been an active member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists for over 25 years. Mr. Thomas is National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Directorship Certified. Mr. Thomas is well qualified to serve as director, having been involved with many aspects of international oil and gas company management, including many multibillion-dollar corporate acquisitions and integrations.

 

Bill Stark has served as a director since November 2020. Mr. Stark currently serves as Senior Vice President of the Americas, and previous served as the Vice President—Western U.S. Operations of Ulterra from August 2017 to March 2021. Mr. Stark has operated in different executive positions over the Permian since joining Ulterra. In December 2009, Mr. Stark became the District Manager over the Permian. In January 2012, Mr. Stark was promoted to Area Manager for Ulterra—Permian. Prior to this, he was an agent for Halliburton—Security DBS, as well as President/Owner of Permian Bit Service Inc. and Permian Equipment Rentals Inc. Mr. Stark was one of the first to successfully introduce and continually market PDC bits in the Spraberry Trend. He has over 40 years of experience in the oil industry, all of which were with Halliburton before joining Ulterra. Mr. Stark led a team in the Permian that became one of the largest revenue districts in the U.S. for Halliburton-Security DBS. From 2012 to 2017, Mr. Stark operated as the Director of National Sales which grew Ulterra into becoming number one in market share in the U.S. In addition to his success with Ulterra, in 2012, Mr. Stark also became President and CEO of Cactus Fuel, LLC while continuously maintaining his role at Ulterra. Mr. Stark lives in Midland, Texas. Mr. Stark is well qualified to serve as a director because of his extensive energy services experience, ability to grow profitable companies, vast network with oil and gas producers and leadership skills.

 

No director is related to any other director or executive officer of our company or our subsidiaries, and, there are no arrangements or understandings between a director and any other person pursuant to which such person was elected as director.

 

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GOVERNANCE OF THE COMPANY

 

Our Board of Directors 

 

Our Board of Directors is divided into two classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of stockholders) serving a two-year term. The Class I directors consist of Messrs. Griffin, Stark, and Williams1, and their term will expire at this annual meeting of stockholders. The Class II directors consist of Messrs. Ramsey, McLelland and Thomas, and their term will expire at the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders.

 

Our Board of Directors oversees the business affairs of our company and monitors the performance of management. Members of the Board of Directors discussed various business matters informally on numerous occasions throughout the year 2021. The Board held 2 meetings and the Audit Committee held 3 meetings during 2021. In addition to meetings of the full Board of Directors, our Board has established an Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. With the exception of Mr. Stark, each incumbent director attended at least 75% of the total number of meetings of the Board of Directors and committee meetings of which such director was a member (held during the period for which such director was in office), and Mr. Stark was involved in providing input on matters discussed in meetings where he was absent.

 

Director Independence

 

NASDAQ listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship which in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our board of directors has determined that each of Mr. Williams, Mr. McLelland, Mr. Thomas and Mr. Stark are “independent directors” as defined in NASDAQ listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our independent directors have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

 

Board Committees 

 

Our board of directors has three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee, and a nominating and corporate governance committee. Each committee operates under a charter that has been approved by our board and has the composition and responsibilities described below. Copies of the audit committee charter, the compensation committee charter and the nominating and corporate governance committee charter are attached as Appendix A, B and C, respectively. Our audit committee, compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee are composed solely of independent directors.

 

Audit Committee

 

Messrs. McLelland, Thomas and Williams serve as members of our audit committee, and Mr. McLelland serves as its chairman. Under the NASDAQ listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members on the audit committee. The rules of NASDAQ and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Messrs. McLelland, Thomas and Williams qualify as independent directors under applicable rules. Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Mr. McLelland qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.

 

We adopted an audit committee charter, which details the principal functions of the audit committee, including:

 

  the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent registered accounting firm and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us;

 

  pre-approving all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered accounting firm or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures;

 

  reviewing and discussing with the independent registered accounting firm all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence;

 

  setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered accounting firm;

 

  setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; (i) obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent registered accounting firm describing (ii) the independent registered accounting firm’s internal quality-control procedures and (ii) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities, within, the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues;

 

  reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and

 

  reviewing with management, the independent registered accounting firm, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities.

 

 

1 Dan Hunt, who was a Class I director, resigned on August 10, 2022. On August 12, 2022, James L. Williams was appointed to fill the vacancy created by Mr. Hunt’s resignation, and Mr. Williams will be up for election as a Class I director at the Annual Meeting.

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Compensation Committee

 

Messrs. McLelland, Thomas and Stark serve as members of our compensation committee, and Mr. Thomas serves as its chairman. Under the NASDAQ listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least two members on the compensation committee, all of whom must be independent.

 

We adopted a compensation committee charter, which details the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:

 

reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer’s based on such evaluation;

 

reviewing and approving the compensation of all of our other executive officers;

 

reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;

 

implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;

 

assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;

 

approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our executive officers and employees;

 

producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and

 

reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.

 

The charter also provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by NASDAQ and the SEC.

 

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

 

Messrs. Williams, Thomas and Stark serve as members of our nominating and corporate governance committee, and Mr. Williams serves as its chairman.

 

The primary purposes of our nominating and corporate governance committee is to assist the board in:

 

identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors and recommending to the board of directors candidates for nomination for election at the annual meeting of stockholders or to fill vacancies on the board of directors;

 

developing, recommending to the board of directors and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines;

 

coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of the board of directors, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of the company; and

 

reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary.

 

The nominating and corporate governance committee is governed by a charter that complies with the rules of the NASDAQ.

 

Board Member Attendance at Annual Meetings

 

We do not have a formal policy regarding Board attendance at our annual meetings, however, all of our directors are invited to the annual meeting. This will be our first annual meeting since our initial public offering.

 

Board Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight

 

Dr. Ramsey serves as both our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Our Board of Directors has no policy with regard to the separation of the offices of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, and believes, given the size and activities of our company, it is appropriate for Dr. Ramsey to serve in both roles.

  

Our management is responsible for managing risks in our business, including developing processes to manage and monitor risks. The Board views its role as one of oversight. The Board focuses on understanding management’s risk management systems, the effectiveness of those systems, and the way in which management proactively manages risks. In addition, the Board utilizes the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee to manage risks that arise under each committee’s area of focus.

 

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Nomination of Director Candidates

 

We may receive suggestions for potential director nominees from many sources, including members of the Board, advisors, and stockholders. Any such nominations, together with appropriate biographical information, should be submitted to the Chairperson of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee in the manner discussed below. Any candidates submitted by a stockholder or stockholder group are reviewed and considered in the same manner as all other candidates.

 

Qualifications for consideration as a Board nominee may vary according to the particular areas of expertise being sought as a complement to the existing board composition. However, minimum qualifications include high level leadership experience in business activities, breadth of knowledge about issues affecting the Company, experience on other boards of directors, preferably public company boards, and time available for meetings and consultation on Company matters. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee does not have a formal policy with regard to the consideration of diversity in identifying director candidates, but seeks a diverse group of candidates who possess the background, skills and expertise to make a significant contribution to the Board, to the Company and our stockholders. Candidates whose evaluations are favorable are recommended by our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee to the full Board for consideration. The full Board selects and recommends candidates for nomination as directors for stockholders to consider and vote upon at the annual meeting.

 

A stockholder wishing to nominate a candidate for election to our Board of Directors at any annual meeting at which the Board of Directors has determined that one or more directors will be elected must submit a written notice of his or her nomination of a candidate to the Chairperson of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (c/o the Corporate Secretary), providing the candidates name, biographical data and other relevant information together with a consent from the nominee. Pursuant to our Bylaws, the submission must be received at our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day before the anniversary date of our immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders; provided, however, that in the event that the annual meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so received not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day before the meeting and not later than the later of (x) the close of business on the 90th day before the meeting or (y) the close of business on the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the annual meeting was first made by us. We have not employed an executive search firm, or paid a fee to any other third party, to locate qualified candidates for director positions.

 

Stockholder Communications with Directors

 

Persons wishing to write to our Board of Directors, or to a specified director or committee of the Board, should send correspondence to the Corporate Secretary at 955 W. John Carpenter Freeway, Suite 100-929, Irving, TX 75039. Electronic submissions of stockholder correspondence will not be accepted.

 

The Corporate Secretary will forward to the directors all communications that, in his or her judgment, are appropriate for consideration by the directors. Examples of communications that would not be appropriate for consideration by the directors include commercial solicitations and matters not relevant to the stockholders, to the functioning of the Board or to the affairs of the Company. Any correspondence received that is addressed generically to the Board of Directors will be forwarded to the Chairman of the Board.

  

Code of Ethics

 

We have adopted a code of ethics that applies to our officers and directors. We have filed a copy of our code of ethics as an exhibit to our registration statement in connection with our initial public offering. You may review these documents by accessing our public filings at the Commission’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the code of ethics will be provided without charge upon request to us.

 

We do not have any policies prohibiting directors, officers and other employees from purchasing financial instruments (including prepaid variable forward contracts, equity swaps, collars, and exchange funds), or otherwise engaging in transactions, that hedge or offset, or are designed to hedge or offset, any decrease in the market value of our equity securities.

 

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COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

 

Officer and Director Compensation 

 

None of our executive officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Since our initial public offering, we have paid Breeze Financial, an affiliate of our Sponsor, a total of $5,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial support and other administrative and consulting services. Our Sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our Sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates.

 

After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed business combination. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining executive officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our executive officers will be determined by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors.

 

We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our executive officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after the initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our executive officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.

 

Equity Awards

 

We have not issued any equity awards to any officers since our initial public offering.

 

Director Compensation

 

Name   Stock awards ($) (1)     Total ($)  
Daniel L. Hunt (2)   $ 100,250     $ 100,250  
Albert McLelland   $ 100,250     $ 100,250  
Robert Lee Thomas   $ 100,250     $ 100,250  
Bill Stark   $ 100,250     $ 100,250  

 

(1)The Company agreed with each of its four independent directors subsequent to incorporation of the Company to provide them the right to each purchase 25,000 founder shares from Breeze Sponsor, LLC. The directors each exercised their right in full on July 6, 2021 and purchased 100,000 shares (25,000 per each director) of the founder shares from Sponsor for a total of $10 in the aggregate. The sale or allocation of the founders shares to the Company’s directors, as described above, is within the scope of FASB ASC Topic 718, “Compensation-Stock Compensation” (“ASC 718”). Under ASC 718, stock-based compensation associated with equity-classified awards is measured at fair value upon the grant date. The fair value of the 100,000 shares purchased by the Company’s directors was $401,000 or $4.01 per share. As of December 31, 2021, the aggregate number of shares outstanding held by our non-employee directors was 25,000 per director.
  

(2)

Daniel L. Hunt resigned as a director on August 10, 2022. On August 12, 2022, James L. Williams was appointed to fill the vacancy created by Mr. Hunt’s resignation, and Mr. Williams will be up for election as a Class I director at the Annual Meeting.

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RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS 

 

On June 11, 2020, our initial stockholders purchased 100 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On July 15, 2020, we effected a 28,750-for-1 forward stock split and, as a result, our initial stockholders, including the Sponsor, our independent directors and I-Bankers Securities, Inc. (“I-Bankers”) held 2,875,000 founder shares as of the date of our initial public offering, which we refer to as “Founder Shares.” The Founder Shares and an additional 265,000 shares owned by I-Bankers, Northland Capital Markets (together with I-Bankers, the “Representatives”), and a consultant to the Company are not subject to redemption pursuant to the Extension Proposal. The number of Founder Shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares upon completion of our initial public offering. The founder shares may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.

 

Our Sponsor and I-Bankers purchased an aggregate of 5,425,000 warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant in a private placement that occurred simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering. Of such amount, 4,325,000 warrants were purchased by our Sponsor, and 1,100,000 warrants were purchased by I-Bankers. The private placement warrants (including the common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.

 

If any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Our executive officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.

 

Commencing on the date our securities were first listed on NASDAQ, we have agreed to pay an affiliate of our Sponsor a total of $5,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.

 

Our Sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, are reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our Sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.

 

Our Sponsor agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of our initial public offering. On November 25, 2020, the outstanding balance under the promissory note in the aggregate amount of $145,617 was repaid.

 

On November 19, 2021, the Sponsor loaned the Company an aggregate of $1,150,000 pursuant to an unsecured promissory note (the “Note”) to extend the date by which the Company has to consummate a business combination from November 25, 2021 to February 25, 2022. The Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) the consummation of an initial Business Combination, or (ii) August 31, 2022.

 

On February 18, 2022, the Sponsor loaned the Company an aggregate of $1,150,000 pursuant to an unsecured promissory note to extend the date by which the Company has to consummate a business combination from February 25, 2022 to May 25, 2022. This unsecured promissory note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) the consummation of an initial Business Combination, or (ii) August 31, 2022.

 

In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our Sponsor, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.

 

After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive officer and director compensation.

 

We entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares, the private placement warrants and warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans (if any).

 

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Policy for Approval of Related Party Transactions

 

Our audit committee must review and approve any related person transaction we propose to enter into. Our audit committee charter details the policies and procedures relating to transactions that may present actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest and may raise questions as to whether such transactions are consistent with the best interest of our company and our stockholders. A summary of such policies and procedures is set forth below.

 

Any potential related party transaction that is brought to the audit committee’s attention will be analyzed by the audit committee, in consultation with outside counsel or members of management, as appropriate, to determine whether the transaction or relationship does, in fact, constitute a related party transaction. At its meetings, the audit committee will be provided with the details of each new, existing or proposed related party transaction, including the terms of the transaction, the business purpose of the transaction and the benefits to us and to the relevant related party.

 

In determining whether to approve a related party transaction, the audit committee must consider, among other factors, the following factors to the extent relevant:

 

whether the terms of the transaction are fair to us and on the same basis as would apply if the transaction did not involve a related party;

 

whether there are business reasons for us to enter into the transaction;

 

whether the transaction would impair the independence of an outside director;

 

whether the transaction would present an improper conflict of interest for any director or executive officer; and

 

any pre-existing contractual obligations.

 

Any member of the audit committee who has an interest in the transaction under discussion must abstain from any voting regarding the transaction, but may, if so requested by the chairman of the audit committee, participate in some or all of the audit committee’s discussions of the transaction. Upon completion of its review of the transaction, the audit committee may determine to permit or to prohibit the transaction.

 

Our Sponsor, officers and directors are deemed to be our “promoter” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.

 

To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our Sponsor, officers or directors unless we, or a committee of independent directors, have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our company and our stockholders from a financial point of view. No finder’s fees, reimbursements, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation will be paid by us to our Sponsor, officers or directors, or any affiliate of our Sponsor or officers, for services rendered to us prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is).

 

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PROPOSAL 1:

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

 

Our Board of Directors is divided into two classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of stockholders) serving a two-year term. The Class I directors consist of Messrs. Griffin, Stark and Williams2, and their term will expire at this annual meeting of stockholders. The Class II directors consist of Messrs. Ramsey, McLelland and Thomas, and their term will expire at the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders.

 

The Nominating and Governance Committee nominated and the Board approved and recommended all of the current Class I members of our Board for re-election. All nominees have consented to being named herein and have indicated their intention to serve as our directors, if elected. The Board has no reason to believe that any nominee would be unable or unwilling to serve if elected. Unless authority to do so is withheld, the persons named as proxies will vote the shares represented by such proxies for the election of the named director nominees. In case any of the nominees becomes unavailable for election to the Board the persons named as proxies will have full discretion and authority to vote or refrain from voting for any other nominees in accordance with their judgment. The Board nominees, if elected, will serve until the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders or until each successor is duly elected and qualified.

 

Biographical information for our directors is provided above in the section entitled “Information About Directors and Executive Officers.”

 

Vote Required and Recommendation of the Board of Directors

 

A plurality of the eligible votes cast is required to elect director nominees, and as such, the three nominees who receive the greatest number of votes cast by stockholders, entitled to vote at the meeting, will be elected. A nominee who receives a plurality means he or she has received more votes than any other nominee for the same director’s seat. Broker non-votes will have no effect on this proposal. The Board recommends that stockholders vote FOR each of the three nominees for election to our Board of Directors.

 

 

2 Dan Hunt, who was a Class I director, resigned on August 10, 2022. On August 12, 2022, James L. Williams was appointed to fill the vacancy created by Mr. Hunt’s resignation, and Mr. Williams will be up for election as a Class I director at the Annual Meeting.

 

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PROPOSAL 2:

TO RATIFY THE APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

Our Audit Committee has selected Marcum LLP, Marcum, as our independent registered public accounting firm to audit our financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. Our stockholders are being asked to ratify this appointment. In the event that ratification of this selection of auditors is not approved by the stockholders, we will reassess our selection of auditors. Representatives of Marcum are expected to be present at the Annual Meeting, will be available to respond to appropriate questions, and will have the opportunity to make a statement at the Annual Meeting.

 

The following is a summary of fees paid or to be paid to Marcum for services rendered.

 

Audit Fees. Audit fees consist of fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our year-end financial statements and services that are normally provided by Marcum in connection with regulatory filings. The aggregate fees billed by Marcum for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements, review of the financial information for the respective periods and other required filings with the SEC for the year ended December 31, 2021, and for the period from June 11, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020 totaled $84,975 and $78,045, respectively. The above amounts include interim procedures and audit fees.

 

Audit-Related Fees. Audit-related services consist of fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” These services include attest services that are not required by statute or regulation and consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. We did not pay Marcum for consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards for the year ended December 31, 2021, and for the period from June 11, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020.

 

Tax Fees. We paid Marcum $8,755 for tax planning and tax advice for the year ended December 31, 2021, and for the period from June 11, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020.

 

All Other Fees. We did not pay Marcum for other services for the year ended December 31, 2021, and for the period from June 11, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020.

 

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Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures

 

Our audit committee was formed upon the consummation of our initial public offering. As a result, the audit committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our audit committee were approved by our board of directors. Since the formation of our audit committee, and on a going-forward basis, the audit committee has and will pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit).

 

Vote Required and Recommendation of the Board of Directors

 

The approval of Proposal 2 requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote on the matter. Broker non-votes will not be taken into account in determining the outcome of the proposal, and abstentions will be counted as votes against the proposal. The Board recommends that stockholders vote FOR the ratification of the appointment of Marcum, LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022.

 

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

 

The Audit Committee assists the Board of Directors with its oversight responsibilities regarding the Company’s financial reporting process. The Company’s management is responsible for the preparation, presentation and integrity of the Company’s financial statements and the reporting process, including the Company’s accounting policies, internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. Marcum LLP, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, is responsible for performing an audit of the Company’s financial statements.

 

We have reviewed and discussed with management and Marcum LLP the Company’s audited financial statements. We discussed with Marcum LLP the overall scope and plans of their audit. We met with Marcum LLP, with and without management present, to discuss the results of its examinations, its evaluation of the Company’s internal controls, and the overall quality of the Company’s financial reporting.

 

With regard to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, the Audit Committee (i) reviewed and discussed with management the Company’s audited financial statements as of December 31, 2021, and for the year then ended; (ii) discussed with Marcum LLP the matters required by Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and the Securities and Exchange Commission; (iii) received the written disclosures and the letter from Marcum LLP required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding Marcum LLP’s communications with the Audit Committee regarding independence; and (iv) discussed with Marcum LLP their independence.

 

Based on the review and discussions described above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Company’s Board of Directors that the Company’s audited financial statements be included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, for filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Albert McLelland (Chairperson)

Robert Lee Thomas

James L. Williams3

 

 

3 Dan Hunt, who was a Class I director, resigned on August 10, 2022. On August 12, 2022, James L. Williams was appointed to fill the vacancy created by Mr. Hunt’s resignation, and Mr. Williams will be up for election as a Class I director at the Annual Meeting.

 

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PROPOSAL 3:

THE EXTENSION PROPOSAL

 

The Company is proposing to amend its charter to extend the date by which the Company has to consummate a business combination for up to six additional months at the election of the Company, ultimately until as late as March 26, 2023 (the “Extended Date”), to allow the Company more time to complete its initial business combination (the “Extension Proposal”).

 

The purpose of this proposal is to allow the Company additional time to complete an initial business combination. The Board believes that, given the Company’s expenditure of time, effort and money on finding a business combination, circumstances warrant providing public stockholders an opportunity to consider a business combination.

 

If the Extension Proposal is approved, commencing September 26, 2022, our Sponsor, or its designees, in their sole discretion, may provide us with loans each month to extend monthly for up to six additional months in the amount equal to $0.035 for each redeemable public share that is not redeemed in connection with this Annual Meeting for each of the six subsequent calendar months commencing on September 26, 2022, that is needed by us to complete an initial business combination. Assuming the Extension Proposal is approved, each monthly contribution will be deposited in the Trust Account on or before the 26th day of such calendar month.

 

The contributions are conditioned upon the implementation of the Extension Proposal. The contributions will not occur if the Extension Proposal is not approved or the Extension is not completed. The amount of the contributions will not bear interest and will be repayable by the Company to our Sponsor or its designees upon consummation of an initial business combination. If our Sponsor or its designees advises the Company that it does not intend to make the contributions, then the Extension Proposal will not be put before the stockholders at the Annual Meeting and, unless the Company can complete a business combination by September 26, 2022, we will dissolve and liquidate in accordance with the amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our Sponsor or its designees will have the sole discretion whether to continue extending for additional calendar months until the Extended Date and if our Sponsor determines not to continue extending for additional calendar months, its obligation to make additional contributions will terminate A copy of the proposed amendment to the charter of the Company is attached to this Proxy Statement as Annex A.

 

Whether or not the Extension Proposal is approved, the Company’s public stockholders will have an opportunity to have their public shares redeemed in accordance with the Company’s charter either upon enactment of the Extension Amendment, upon consummation of the initial business combination or in connection with the winding up of the Company. See “Redemption Rights” below.

 

Investment Company Status

 

In Release Nos. 33-11048; 34-94546 (March 30, 2022) at pages 136 and 137, the SEC stated that “[d]epending on the facts and circumstances, SPACs could meet the definition of “investment company” in Section 3(a)(1)(A) [of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Investment Company Act”)]. To assess a SPAC’s status as an investment company under that definition, we generally look to the SPAC’s assets, the sources of its income, its historical development, its public representations of policy, and the activities of its officers and directors (known as the “Tonopah factors”). SPACs are generally formed to identify, acquire and operate a target company through a business combination and not with a stated purpose of being an investment company. We understand that SPACs typically view their public representations, historical development and efforts of officers and directors as consistent with those of issuers that are not investment companies. At the same time, most SPACs ordinarily invest substantially all their assets in securities, often for a period of a year or more, meaning that investors hold interests for an extended period in a pool of securities. Moreover, whatever income a SPAC generates during this period is generally attributable to its securities holdings. The asset composition and sources of income for most SPACs may therefore raise questions about their status as investment companies under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act and, in assessing this status, these factors would need to be weighed together with the other Tonopah factors.” The Company was formed for the purpose of identifying, acquiring and operating a target company through a business combination and not with the purpose of being an investment company. In an effort to mitigate the risk that the Company might be deemed to be an investment company, the Company has moved all of its assets held in the Trust from government securities to cash in order to preclude the generation of any future yield on the assets in the Trust by means of investment in a pool of securities, and the Company intends to maintain its assets in cash until it consummates its initial business combination, or winds up its existence and liquidates. There can be no assurance that this action will foreclose a judicial or regulatory finding, or an allegation, that the Company is an investment company.

 

Reasons for the Extension Proposal

 

The Company’s charter provides that the Company has until September 26, 2022 to complete the purposes of the Company including effecting a business combination under its terms. The purpose of the Extension Amendment is to allow the Company more time to complete its initial business combination.

 

The Board currently believes that there will not be sufficient time before September 26, 2022 to complete an initial business combination. Accordingly, the Board believes that in order to be able to consummate an initial business combination, we will need to obtain the Extension and that, without the Extension, we would be forced to liquidate even if our stockholders are otherwise in favor of consummating an initial business combination.

 

The Company’s charter provides that the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 65% of all outstanding shares of common stock, including the 2,875,000 shares of common stock that were issued prior to our IPO that are held by our Sponsor, our independent directors and I-Bankers Securities, Inc. (the “I-Bankers”) collectively, which shares we refer to as “Founder Shares,” is required to amend the charter to extend our corporate existence, except in connection with, and effective upon, consummation of a business combination. Because we continue to believe that a business combination would be in the best interests of our stockholders, and because we do not expect to be able to conclude a business combination before September 26, 2022, the Board has determined to seek stockholder approval to extend the date by which we have to complete a business combination until the Extended Date. We intend to hold another stockholder meeting prior to the Extended Date in order to seek stockholder approval of an initial business combination.

 

We believe that the foregoing charter provision was included to protect Company stockholders from having to sustain their investments for an unreasonably long period if the Company failed to find a suitable business combination in the timeframe contemplated by the charter. We also believe that, given the Company’s expenditure of time, effort and money on finding a business combination, circumstances warrant providing public stockholders an opportunity to consider an initial Business Combination.

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If the Extension Proposal is Not Approved

 

If the Extension Proposal is not approved, we will not amend our charter to extend the deadline for effecting a business combination. If that deadline is not extended, we will not consummate an initial business combination by September 26, 2022. If we have not consummated an initial business combination by September 26, 2022, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the public shares of common stock in consideration of a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (net of taxes payable, less up to $100,000 of such net interest to pay dissolution expenses), by (B) the total number of then outstanding public shares of common stock, which redemption will completely extinguish rights of public stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining stockholders and the Board in accordance with applicable law, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under the DGCL to provide for claims of creditors and other requirements of applicable law.

 

There will be no distribution from the Trust Account with respect to the Company’s warrants or rights which will expire worthless in the event we wind up. In the event of a liquidation, our Sponsor, officers and directors will not receive any monies held in the Trust Account as a result of their ownership of the Founder Shares and warrants.

 

If the Extension Proposal Is Approved

 

If the Extension Proposal is approved, the Company will file an amendment to the charter with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware in the form set forth in Annex A hereto to extend the time it has to complete a business combination until the Extended Date. The Company will remain a reporting company under the Exchange Act and its common stock, public warrants and rights will remain publicly traded. The Company will then continue to work to consummate an initial business combination by the Extended Date.

 

Notwithstanding stockholder approval of the Extension Proposal, our Board will retain the right to abandon and not implement the Extension at any time without any further action by our stockholders.

 

If the Extension Proposal is approved, and the Extension Amendment is implemented, each public stockholder may seek to redeem its public shares as described under “Redemption Rights,” below, We cannot predict the amount that will remain in the Trust Account following any redemptions, and the amount remaining in the Trust Account may be only a small fraction of the approximately $49.4 million that was in the Trust Account as of the record date. We will not proceed with the Extension Amendment if redemptions or repurchases of our public shares cause us to have less than $5,000,001 of net tangible assets following approval of the Extension Proposal.

 

You are not being asked to vote on a business combination at this time. If the Extension Amendment is implemented and you do not elect to redeem your public shares, provided that you are a stockholder on the record date for a meeting to consider a business combination, you will retain the right to vote on a business combination when it is submitted to stockholders, and you will have the right to redeem your public shares for cash in the event that a business combination is approved and completed or we have not consummated a business combination by the Extended Date.

 

Required Vote

 

The affirmative vote by holders of at least 65% of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock, including the Founder Shares, is required to approve the Extension Proposal. If you do not vote, you abstain from voting or you fail to instruct your broker or other nominee as to the voting of shares you beneficially own (“broker non-votes”), your action will have the same effect as an “AGAINST” vote on the Extension Proposal.

 

If you do not want the Extension Proposal approved, you must abstain, not vote, or vote “AGAINST” the Extension Amendment. You will be entitled to redeem your public shares for cash in connection with the Extension Amendment whether or not you vote on the Extension Proposal, and regardless of how you vote, so long as you exercise your redemption rights as described above under “Redemption Rights.” The Company anticipates that a public stockholder who tenders shares for redemption in connection with the vote to approve the Extension Proposal would receive payment of the redemption price for such shares soon after the implementation of the Extension.

 

Our Sponsor, the Representatives and all of our directors, executive officers and their affiliates are expected to vote any common stock owned by them in favor of the Extension Proposal. On the record date, our Sponsor, the Representatives, directors and officers of the Company and their affiliates beneficially owned and were entitled to vote an aggregate of 3,125,000 shares, including 2,875,000 Founder Shares, representing approximately 21.3% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares of common stock. Our Sponsor and our directors, executive officers and their affiliates do not intend to purchase shares of common stock in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions in connection with the stockholder vote on the Extension Amendment.

 

Recommendation of the Board

 

After careful consideration of all relevant factors, our Board has determined that the Extension Amendment is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. Our Board has approved and declared advisable adoption of the Extension Proposal.

 

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Our Board unanimously recommends that our stockholders vote “FOR” the approval of the Extension Proposal.

 

Interests of our Sponsor, Directors and Officers

 

When you consider the recommendation of our Board, you should keep in mind that our Sponsor, executive officers and members of our Board have interests that may be different from, or in addition to, your interests as a stockholder. These interests include, among other things:

 

 

our Sponsor, which is affiliated with our executive officers and certain directors, owns 2,475,000 Founder Shares and 4,325,000 warrants, and our four independent directors own an aggregate of 100,000 Founder Shares; none of these securities (which represent an aggregate investment of $4,347,391) are subject to redemption, and all will expire worthless if a business combination is not consummated by September 26, 2022, unless the Extension Amendment is implemented; 

 

  in connection with previous extensions of the date by which we have to complete an initial business combination, our Sponsor deposited in the Trust Account an aggregate of $2,300,000, which it lent to us pursuant to interest-free loans and which will not be repaid if a business combination is not consummated by September 26, 2022, unless the Extension Amendment is implemented;

 

  the fact that, if the Trust Account is liquidated, including in the event we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the required time period, the Sponsor has agreed to indemnify us to ensure that the proceeds in the Trust Account are not reduced below $10.35 per public share, or such lesser per public share amount as is in the Trust Account on the liquidation date, by the claims of prospective target businesses with which we have entered into an acquisition agreement or claims of any third party for services rendered or products sold to us, but only if such a third party or target business has not executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account; and

 

  the fact that none of our officers or directors has received any cash compensation for services rendered to the Company, and all of the current members of our Board are expected to continue to serve as directors at least through the date of the special meeting to vote on a proposed business combination and may even continue to serve following any potential business combination and receive compensation thereafter.

 

Redemption Rights

 

If the Extension Proposal is approved and the Extension Amendment is implemented, each public stockholder may seek to redeem its public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. The Founder Shares and an additional 265,000 shares owned by the Representatives and a consultant to the Company are not subject to redemption pursuant to the Extension Proposal. A public stockholder will have this redemption right regardless of how it voted, or whether it voted, with respect to the Extension Proposal. Holders of public shares who do not elect to redeem their public shares in connection with the Extension will retain the right to redeem their public shares in connection with any stockholder vote to approve a proposed business combination, or if the Company has not consummated a business combination by the Extended Date.

 

TO EXERCISE YOUR REDEMPTION RIGHTS, YOU MUST SUBMIT A REQUEST IN WRITING THAT WE REDEEM YOUR PUBLIC SHARES FOR CASH TO CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY AT THE ADDRESS BELOW, AND, AT THE SAME TIME, COMPLY, OR ENSURE YOUR BANK OR BROKER COMPLIES, WITH THE REQUIREMENTS IDENTIFIED ELSEWHERE HEREIN, INCLUDING DELIVERING YOUR SHARES TO THE TRANSFER AGENT PRIOR TO 5:00 P.M. EASTERN TIME ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2022. The redemption rights include the requirement that a stockholder must identify itself in writing as a beneficial holder and provide its legal name, phone number, and address in order to validly redeem its public shares.

 

In connection with tendering your shares for redemption, prior to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on September 9, 2022 (two business days before the Annual Meeting), you must elect either to physically tender your stock certificates to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 1 State Street Plaza, 30th Floor, New York, New York 10004, Attn: Mark Zimkind, mzimkind@continentalstock.com, or to deliver your shares to the transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s (“DTC”) DWAC system, which election would likely be determined based on the manner in which you hold your shares. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on September 9, 2022 (two business days before the Annual Meeting) ensures that a redeeming holder’s election is irrevocable once the Extension Proposal is approved. In furtherance of such irrevocable election, stockholders making the election will not be able to tender their shares after the vote at the Annual Meeting.

 

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Through the DWAC system, this electronic delivery process can be accomplished by the stockholder, whether or not it is a record holder or its shares are held in “street name,” by contacting the transfer agent or its broker and requesting delivery of its shares through the DWAC system. Delivering shares physically may take significantly longer. In order to obtain a physical stock certificate, a stockholder’s broker and/or clearing broker, DTC, and the Company’s transfer agent will need to act together to facilitate this request. There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC system. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $45 and the broker would determine whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. It is the Company’s understanding that stockholders should generally allot at least two weeks to obtain physical certificates from the transfer agent. The Company does not have any control over this process or over the brokers or DTC, and it may take longer than two weeks to obtain a physical stock certificate. Such stockholders will have less time to make their investment decision than those stockholders that deliver their shares through the DWAC system. Stockholders who request physical stock certificates and wish to redeem may be unable to meet the deadline for tendering their shares before exercising their redemption rights and thus will be unable to redeem their shares.

 

Certificates that have not been tendered in accordance with these procedures prior to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on September 9, 2022 (two business days before the Annual Meeting) will not be redeemed for cash held in the Trust Account on the redemption date. In the event that a public stockholder tenders its shares and decides prior to the vote at the Annual Meeting that it does not want to redeem its shares, the stockholder may withdraw the tender. If you delivered your shares for redemption to our transfer agent and decide prior to the vote at the Annual Meeting not to redeem your public shares, you may request that our transfer agent return the shares (physically or electronically). You may make such request by contacting our transfer agent at the address listed above. In the event that a public stockholder tenders shares and the Extension Proposal is not approved or the Extension is otherwise not implemented, these shares will not be redeemed and the physical certificates representing these shares will be returned to the stockholder promptly following the determination that the Extension Proposal will not be approved. The Company anticipates that a public stockholder who tenders shares for redemption in connection with the vote to approve the Extension Proposal would receive payment of the redemption price for such shares soon after implementation of the Extension. The transfer agent will hold the certificates of public stockholders that make the election until such shares are redeemed for cash or returned to such stockholders.

 

If properly demanded, the Company will redeem each public share for a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Based upon the amount in the Trust Account as of the record date, the Company anticipates that the per-share price at which public shares will be redeemed from cash held in the Trust Account will be approximately $10.35 at the time of the Annual Meeting. The closing price of the Company’s common stock on July 22, 2022 was $10.30.

 

If you exercise your redemption rights, you will be exchanging your shares of the Company’s common stock for cash and will no longer own the shares. You will be entitled to receive cash for these shares only if you properly demand redemption and tender your stock certificate(s) to the Company’s transfer agent prior to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on September 9, 2022 (two business days before the Special Meeting).

 

UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

 

The following discussion is a summary of certain United States federal income tax considerations for holders of our common stock with respect to the exercise of redemption rights in connection with the approval of the Extension Proposal. This summary is based upon the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, which we refer to as the “Code”, the regulations promulgated by the U.S. Treasury Department, current administrative interpretations and practices of the Internal Revenue Service, which we refer to as the “IRS”, and judicial decisions, all as currently in effect and all of which are subject to differing interpretations or to change, possibly with retroactive effect. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain a position contrary to any of the tax considerations described below. This summary does not discuss all aspects of United States federal income taxation that may be important to particular investors in light of their individual circumstances, such as investors subject to special tax rules (e.g., financial institutions, insurance companies, mutual funds, pension plans, S corporations, broker-dealers, traders in securities that elect mark-to-market treatment, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, trusts and estates, partnerships and their partners, and tax-exempt organizations (including private foundations)) and investors that hold common stock as part of a “straddle,” “hedge,” “conversion,” “synthetic security,” “constructive ownership transaction,” “constructive sale,” or other integrated transaction for United States federal income tax purposes, investors subject to the alternative minimum tax provisions of the Code, U.S. Holders (as defined below) that have a functional currency other than the United States dollar, U.S. expatriates, investors that actually or constructively own five percent or more of the common stock of the Company, and Non-U.S. Holders (as defined below, and except as otherwise discussed below), all of whom may be subject to tax rules that differ materially from those summarized below. In addition, this summary does not discuss any state, local, or non-United States tax considerations, any non-income tax (such as gift or estate tax) considerations, alternative minimum tax or the Medicare tax. In addition, this summary is limited to investors that hold our common stock as “capital assets” (generally, property held for investment) under the Code.

 

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If a partnership (including an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes) holds our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner in such partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner, the activities of the partnership and certain determinations made at the partner level. If you are a partner of a partnership holding our common stock, you are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of a redemption.

 

WE URGE HOLDERS OF OUR COMMON STOCK CONTEMPLATING EXERCISE OF THEIR REDEMPTION RIGHTS TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS CONCERNING THE UNITED STATES FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND FOREIGN INCOME AND OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES THEREOF.

 

U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to U.S. Holders

 

This section is addressed to U.S. Holders of our common stock that elect to have their common stock redeemed for cash. For purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. Holder” is a beneficial owner that so redeems its common stock of the Company and is:

 

  an individual who is a United States citizen or resident of the United States;

 

  a corporation (including an entity treated as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes) created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

 

  an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for United States federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or

 

  a trust (A) the administration of which is subject to the primary supervision of a United States court and which has one or more United States persons (within the meaning of the Code) who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (B) that has in effect a valid election under applicable Treasury regulations to be treated as a United States person.

 

Redemption of Common Stock

 

In the event that a U.S. Holder’s common stock of the Company is redeemed, the treatment of the transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of the common stock under Section 302 of the Code. Whether the redemption qualifies for sale treatment will depend largely on the total number of shares of our stock treated as held by the U.S. Holder (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. Holder as a result of owning warrants or rights) relative to all of our shares both before and after the redemption. The redemption of common stock generally will be treated as a sale of the common stock (rather than as a distribution) if the redemption (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. Holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. Holder’s interest in us or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. Holder. These tests are explained more fully below.

 

In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. Holder takes into account not only stock actually owned by the U.S. Holder, but also shares of our stock that are constructively owned by it. A U.S. Holder may constructively own, in addition to stock owned directly, stock owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. Holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. Holder, as well as any stock the U.S. Holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include common stock which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the warrants and possibly the rights. In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately following the redemption of common stock must, among other requirements, be less than 80% of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately before the redemption. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. Holder’s interest if either (i) all of the shares of our stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed or (ii) all of the shares of our stock actually owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed and the U.S. Holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of stock owned by certain family members and the U.S. Holder does not constructively own any other stock. The redemption of the common stock will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if a U.S. Holder’s conversion results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority stockholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.”

 

If none of the foregoing tests are satisfied, then the redemption will be treated as a distribution and the tax effects will be as described below under “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions.”

 

U.S. Holders of our common stock considering exercising their redemption rights should consult their own tax advisors as to whether the redemption of their common stock of the Company will be treated as a sale or as a distribution under the Code.

 

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Gain or Loss on a Redemption of Common Stock Treated as a Sale

 

If the redemption qualifies as a sale of common stock, a U.S. Holder must treat any gain or loss recognized as capital gain or loss. Any such capital gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the common stock so disposed of exceeds one year. Generally, a U.S. Holder will recognize gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between (i) the amount of cash received in such redemption and (ii) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its common stock so redeemed. A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its common stock generally will equal the U.S. Holder’s acquisition cost (that is, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a share of common stock or the purchase price of a share of common stock purchased in the open market) less any prior distributions treated as a return of capital. Long-term capital gain realized by a non-corporate U.S. Holder generally will be taxable at a reduced rate. The deduction of capital losses is subject to limitations.

 

Taxation of Distributions

 

If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of common stock, the U.S. Holder will be treated as receiving a distribution. In general, any distributions to U.S. Holders generally will constitute dividends for United States federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under United States federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce (but not below zero) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in our common stock. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the common stock and will be treated as described under “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on a Redemption of Common Stock Treated as a Sale”. Dividends we pay to a U.S. Holder that is a taxable corporation generally will qualify for the dividends received deduction if the requisite holding period is satisfied. With certain exceptions, and provided certain holding period requirements are met, dividends we pay to a non-corporate U.S. Holder generally will constitute “qualified dividends” that will be taxable at a reduced rate.

 

U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to Non-U.S. Holders

 

This section is addressed to Non-U.S. Holders of our common stock that elect to have their common stock redeemed for cash. For purposes of this discussion, a “Non-U.S. Holder” is a beneficial owner (other than a partnership) that so redeems its common stock of the Company and is not a U.S. Holder.

 

Redemption of Common Stock

 

The characterization for United States federal income tax purposes of the redemption of a Non-U.S. Holder’s common stock generally will correspond to the United States federal income tax characterization of such a redemption of a U.S. Holder’s common stock, as described under “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to U.S. Holders”.

 

Non-U.S. Holders of our common stock considering exercising their redemption rights should consult their own tax advisors as to whether the redemption of their common stock of the Company will be treated as a sale or as a distribution under the Code.

 

Gain or Loss on a Redemption of Common Stock Treated as a Sale

 

If the redemption qualifies as a sale of common stock, a Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to United States federal income or withholding tax in respect of gain recognized on a sale of its common stock of the Company, unless:

 

  the gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by the Non-U.S. Holder within the United States (and, under certain income tax treaties, is attributable to a United States permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the Non-U.S. Holder), in which case the Non-U.S. Holder will generally be subject to the same treatment as a U.S. Holder with respect to the redemption, and a corporate Non-U.S. Holder may be subject to the branch profits tax at a 30% rate (or lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty);

 

  the Non-U.S. Holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year in which the redemption takes place and certain other conditions are met, in which case the Non-U.S. Holder will be subject to a 30% tax on the individual’s net capital gain for the year; or

 

  we are or have been a “U.S. real property holding corporation” for United States federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition or the period that the Non-U.S. Holder held our common stock, and, in the case where shares of our common stock are regularly traded on an established securities market, the Non-U.S. Holder has owned, directly or constructively, more than 5% of our common stock at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition or such Non-U.S. Holder’s holding period for the shares of our common stock. We do not believe we are or have been a U.S. real property holding corporation.

 

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Taxation of Distributions

 

If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of common stock, the Non-U.S. Holder will be treated as receiving a distribution. In general, any distributions we make to a Non-U.S. Holder of shares of our common stock, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under United States federal income tax principles), will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, provided such dividends are not effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States, we will be required to withhold tax from the gross amount of the dividend at a rate of 30%, unless such Non-U.S. Holder is eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and provides proper certification of its eligibility for such reduced rate. Any distribution not constituting a dividend will be treated first as reducing (but not below zero) the Non-U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares of our common stock and, to the extent such distribution exceeds the Non-U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis, as gain realized from the sale or other disposition of the common stock, which will be treated as described under “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations to Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock”. Dividends we pay to a Non-U.S. Holder that are effectively connected with such Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States generally will not be subject to United States withholding tax, provided such Non-U.S. Holder complies with certain certification and disclosure requirements. Instead, such dividends generally will be subject to United States federal income tax, net of certain deductions, at the same graduated individual or corporate rates applicable to U.S. Holders (subject to an exemption or reduction in such tax as may be provided by an applicable income tax treaty). If the Non-U.S. Holder is a corporation, dividends that are effectively connected income may also be subject to a “branch profits tax” at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty).

 

As previously noted above, the foregoing discussion of certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences is included for general information purposes only and is not intended to be, and should not be construed as, legal or tax advice to any stockholder. We once again urge you to consult with your own tax adviser to determine the particular tax consequences to you (including the application and effect of any U.S. federal, state, local or foreign income or other tax laws) of the receipt of cash in exchange for shares redeemed in connection with the Extension Proposal.

 

PROPOSAL 4:

THE TRUST AMENDMENT PROPOSAL

 

Overview 

 

The Company entered into that certain Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated November 23, 2020 (the “Trust Agreement”), by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Company (the “Trustee”) in connection with the Company’s IPO and a potential business combination.

 

The proposed amendment to the Trust Agreement, in the form set forth in Annex B hereof (the “Trust Amendment”), would amend the Trust Agreement to authorize the Extension as contemplated by the Extension Proposal.

 

Reasons for the Proposal 

 

The purpose of the Trust Amendment Proposal is to authorize the Extension under the Trust Agreement, as the Extension is not contemplated under the Trust Agreement’s current terms.

 

We believe that given the Company’s expenditure of time, effort and money on pursuing an initial business combination, circumstances warrant providing public stockholders an opportunity to consider a business combination. For the Company to implement the Extension, the Trust Agreement must be amended to authorize the Extension.

 

Vote Required for Approval

 

The affirmative vote of holders of 65% of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock, including the Founder Shares, is required to approve the Trust Amendment Proposal. If you do not vote, you abstain from voting or you fail to instruct your broker or other nominee as to the voting of shares you beneficially own, your action will have the same effect as a vote “AGAINST” the Trust Amendment Proposal. If you do not want the Trust Amendment Proposal approved, you must abstain, not vote, or vote “AGAINST” the Trust Amendment.

 

Our Sponsor, the Representatives and all of our directors, executive officers and their affiliates are expected to vote any common stock owned by them in favor of the Trust Amendment Proposal. On the record date, our Sponsor, the Representatives, directors and officers of the Company and their affiliates beneficially owned and were entitled to vote an aggregate of 3,125,000 shares, including 2,875,000 Founder Shares, representing approximately 21.3% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares of common stock. Our Sponsor and our directors, executive officers and their affiliates do not intend to purchase shares of common stock in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions in connection with the stockholder vote on the Trust Amendment.

 

Recommendation of the Board

 

Our Board unanimously recommends that our stockholders vote “FOR” the approval of the Trust Amendment Proposal.

 

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PROPOSAL 5:

THE ADJOURNMENT PROPOSAL

 

Overview

 

The Adjournment Proposal, if adopted, will allow our Board to adjourn the Annual Meeting to a later date or dates to permit further solicitation of proxies. The Adjournment Proposal will only be presented to our stockholders in the event that there are insufficient votes for, or otherwise in connection with, the approval of either Proposal 3 or 4. In no event will our Board adjourn the Annual Meeting beyond September 26, 2022.

 

Consequences if the Adjournment Proposal is Not Approved

 

If the Adjournment Proposal is not approved by our stockholders, our Board may not be able to adjourn the Annual Meeting to a later date in the event that there are insufficient votes for, or otherwise in connection with, the approval of either Proposal 3 or 4.

 

Vote Required for Approval

 

The approval of the Adjournment Proposal requires the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast by stockholders represented in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting. Accordingly, if a valid quorum is otherwise established, a stockholder’s failure to vote and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of any vote on the Adjournment Proposal. Abstentions will be counted as votes against the proposal.

 

Recommendation of the Board

 

Our Board unanimously recommends that our stockholders vote “FOR” the approval of the Adjournment Proposal.

 

  

AVAILABILITY OF ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

 

A copy of our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K has been mailed concurrently with this proxy statement to stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting, provided that we have not included the exhibits to the Form 10-K. We will provide copies of these exhibits without cost upon request by eligible stockholders. Requests for copies of such exhibits should be mailed to Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp., 955 W. John Carpenter Freeway, Suite 100-929, Irving, TX 75039, Attention: Corporate Secretary.

 

OTHER PROPOSED ACTION

 

Our Board of Directors does not intend to bring any other matters before the Annual Meeting, nor does it know of any matters which other persons intend to bring before the Annual Meeting. If, however, other matters not mentioned in this proxy statement properly come before the Annual Meeting, the persons named in the accompanying form of proxy will vote thereon in accordance with the recommendation of the Board of Directors.

 

HOUSEHOLDING OF PROXY MATERIALS

 

The SEC has adopted rules that permit companies and intermediaries (e.g., brokers) to satisfy the delivery requirements for proxy materials with respect to two or more stockholders sharing the same address by delivering a single proxy 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.

 

A number of brokers with account holders who are the Company’s stockholders may be “householding” our proxy materials. A single copy of the proxy materials 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 they will be householding communications to your address, householding will continue until you are notified otherwise or until you revoke your consent. If, at any time, you no longer wish to participate in householding and would prefer to receive a separate copy of the proxy materials, please (1) notify your broker, or (2) direct your written request to Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp., 955 W. John Carpenter Freeway, Suite 100-929, Irving, TX 75039; Attention: Corporate Secretary. Stockholders who currently receive multiple copies of the proxy materials at their address and would like to request householding of their communications should contact their brokers. In addition, upon written request to the address set forth above, we will promptly deliver a separate copy of the proxy materials to any stockholder at a shared address to which a single copy of the documents was delivered.

 

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STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS AND SUBMISSIONS

 

In order to be eligible for inclusion in our proxy statement and form of proxy for our next Annual Meeting, a proposal of a stockholder, including the submission of a stockholder nominee for election to our Board of Directors, must be received at our principal executive offices located in Irving, Texas no later than April 19, 2023. For any proposal that a stockholder wishes to propose for consideration at our next Annual Meeting but does not wish to include in the proxy materials for that meeting, our Bylaws require a notice of the proposal to be delivered not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day before the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders; provided, however, that in the event that the annual meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day before the meeting and not later than the later of (x) the close of business on the 90th day before the meeting or (y) the close of business on the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the annual meeting is first made by the Corporation. The notice of the proposal also must comply with the content requirements for such notices set forth in our Bylaws.

 

Whether or not you expect to be present at the Annual Meeting, please sign and return the enclosed proxy promptly. Your vote is important. If you are a stockholder of record and attend the Annual Meeting and wish to vote in person, you may withdraw your proxy at any time prior to the vote.

 

By Order of the Board of Directors

BREEZE HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.

 
   
/s/ J. DOUGLAS RAMSEY  
J. Douglas Ramsey, Ph.D.  
Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer
and Chief Financial Officer
 

 

Irving, Texas

[__], 2022

 

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Appendix A

 

BREEZE HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.

 

CHARTER OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE

 

Membership

 

The Audit Committee (the “Committee”) of the board of directors (the “Board”) of Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) shall consist of three or more directors. Each member of the Committee shall be independent in accordance with the requirements of Rule 10A-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. No member of the Committee can have participated in the preparation of the Company’s or any of its subsidiaries’ financial statements at any time during the past three years.

 

Each member of the Committee must be able to read and understand fundamental financial statements, including the Company’s balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement. At least one member of the Committee must have past employment experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional certification in accounting or other comparable experience or background that leads to financial sophistication. At least one member of the Committee must be an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in Item 407(d) (5) (ii) of Regulation S-K. A person who satisfies this definition of audit committee financial expert will also be presumed to have financial sophistication.

 

The members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Board based on recommendations from the nominating and corporate governance committee of the Board. The members of the Committee shall serve for such term or terms as the Board may determine or until earlier resignation or death. The Board may remove any member from the Committee at any time with or without cause.

 

Purpose

 

The primary purpose of the Committee is to oversee the quality and integrity of the Company’s accounting and financial reporting processes and the audit of the Company’s financial statements. To fulfill this obligation, the Committee relies on:

 

management for the preparation and accuracy of the Company’s financial statements;

 

management for establishing effective internal controls and procedures to ensure the Company’s compliance with accounting standards, financial reporting procedures and applicable laws and regulations;

 

management for establishing an effective anti-fraud program; and

 

The Company’s independent auditors for an unbiased, diligent audit or review, as applicable, of the Company’s financial statements.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

 

The Committee shall have the following authority and responsibilities:

 

  1.To (a) select and retain an independent registered public accounting firm to act as the Company’s independent auditors for the purpose of auditing the Company’s annual financial statements, books, records, and accounts, (b) set the compensation of the Company’s independent auditors, (c) oversee the work done by the Company’s independent auditors, (d) terminate the Company’s independent auditors, if necessary, and (e) perform an annual evaluation of the performance of the independent auditors. The independent auditors shall report directly to the Committee.

 

  2.To select, retain, compensate, oversee and terminate, if necessary, any other registered public accounting firm engaged for the purpose of preparing or issuing a report on the Company’s internal controls, or perform other audit, review or attest services for the Company.

 

  3.To pre-approve all audit and permitted non-audit and tax services that may be provided by the Company’s independent auditors, and to establish such policies and procedures as the Committee deems necessary for the Committee’s pre-approval of permitted services by the Company’s independent auditors.

 

A-1

 

 

  4.At least annually, to obtain and review a formal written statement by the Company’s independent auditors that describes all relationships between the firm and the Company or any of its subsidiaries, consistent with Independence Standards Board Standard 1; and to actively engage in a dialogue with the independent auditors with respect to any disclosed relationships or services that may impact the objectivity and independence of the independent auditors.

 

  5.To assure the required rotation of the lead audit partner at the Company’s independent auditors.

 

  6.To review and discuss with the Company’s independent auditors (a) all critical accounting policies and practices used by the Company; (b) all alternative treatments of financial information within generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) that have been discussed with management, the ramifications of the use of such alternative treatments and the treatment preferred by the independent auditors; and (c) other material written communications between the independent auditors and management.

 

  7.To review and discuss with the Company’s independent auditors any other matters required to be discussed by PCAOB Auditing Standards No. 16, Communications with Audit Committees.

 

  8.To review and discuss with the Company’s independent auditors and management the Company’s annual audited financial statements (including the related notes), the form of audit opinion to be issued by the auditors on the financial statements and the disclosure under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” to be included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K before the Form 10-K is filed.

 

  9.To recommend to the Board that the audited financial statements be included in the Company’s Form 10-K and to produce the audit committee report required to be included in the Company’s proxy statement.

 

  10.To review and discuss with the Company’s independent auditors and management the Company’s quarterly financial statements and the disclosure under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” to be included in the Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q before the Form 10-Q is filed.

 

  11.To review and discuss with management the Company’s earnings press releases, including the type of information to be included and its presentation and the use of any pro forma or adjusted non-GAAP information, before their release to the public.

 

  12.To establish and oversee procedures for: (a) the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the Company regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters, and (b) the confidential, anonymous submission by Company employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters.

 

  13.To review, approve and oversee any transaction between the Company and any related person (as defined in Item 404 of Regulation S-K).

 

  14.To review and assess the Company’s financial risk management process, including the adequacy of the company’s overall financial control environment and controls in selected areas representing significant financial risk.

 

Outside Advisors

 

The Committee shall have the authority, in its sole discretion, to retain and obtain the advice and assistance of independent outside legal counsel and such other advisors as it deems necessary to fulfill its duties and responsibilities under this Charter. The Committee shall set the compensation and oversee the work of any outside legal counsel and other advisors.

 

The Committee shall receive appropriate funding from the Company, as determined by the Committee in its capacity as a committee of the Board, for the payment of compensation to the Company’s independent auditors, any other accounting firm engaged to perform services for the Company, any outside legal counsel and any other advisors to the Committee.

 

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Structure and Operations

 

The Board shall designate a member of the Committee as the chairperson. The Committee shall meet no less than four times annually and more frequently as circumstances require. At least quarterly, the meetings of the Committee shall include an executive session of the Committee, absent members of management, and an executive session with the independent auditors. The Committee shall report regularly to the Board regarding its actions and make recommendations to the Board as appropriate. The Committee is governed by the same rules regarding meetings (including meetings in person or by telephone or other similar communications equipment), action without meetings, notice, waiver of notice, and quorum and voting requirements as are applicable to the Board.

 

The chairperson and others on the Committee shall, to the extent appropriate, have contact throughout the year with senior management, other committee chairpersons, and other key Committee advisors, external and internal auditors, etc., as applicable, to strengthen the Committee’s knowledge of relevant current and prospective business issues.

 

The Committee shall review this Charter at least annually and recommend any proposed changes to the Board for approval.

 

Delegation of Authority

 

The Committee shall have the authority to delegate any of its responsibilities, along with the authority to take action in relation to such responsibilities, to one or more subcommittees as the Committee may deem appropriate in its sole discretion. The Chair may represent the entire Committee, as a subcommittee, with respect to functions of the Committee undertaken between meetings. Any actions of a subcommittee shall be presented to the full Committee at its next scheduled meeting.

 

Performance Evaluation

 

The Committee shall conduct an annual evaluation of the performance of its duties under this Charter and shall present the results of the evaluation to the Board. The Committee shall conduct this evaluation in such manner as it deems appropriate.

 

A-3

 

 

Appendix B

 

BREEZE HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.

 

CHARTER OF THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE

 

Membership

 

The Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) of the board of directors (the “Board”) of Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) shall consist of three or more directors. Each member of the Committee shall be independent in accordance with the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market.

 

Each member of the Committee must qualify as “non-employee directors” for the purposes of Rule 16b-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and as “outside directors” for the purposes of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended.

 

The members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Board based on recommendations from the nominating and corporate governance committee of the Board. The members of the Committee shall serve for such term or terms as the Board may determine or until earlier resignation or death. The Board may remove any member from the Committee at any time with or without cause.

 

Purpose

 

The purpose of the Committee is to carry out the responsibilities delegated by the Board relating to the review and determination of executive compensation.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

 

The Committee shall have the following authority and responsibilities:

 

  1.To annually review and recommend for approval by the Board the corporate goals and objectives applicable to the compensation of the chief executive officer (“CEO”), evaluate at least annually the CEO's performance in light of those goals and objectives, and recommend for approval by the Board, the CEO's compensation level based on this evaluation. In evaluating and determining CEO compensation, the Committee shall consider the results of the most recent stockholder advisory vote on executive compensation (“Say on Pay Vote”) when such vote is required by Section 14A of the Exchange Act. The CEO cannot be present during any voting or deliberations by the Committee on his or her compensation.

 

  2.To review and recommend for approval by the Board the compensation of all other executive officers. In evaluating executive compensation, the Committee shall consider the results of the most recent Say on Pay Vote.

 

  3.To review, approve and, when appropriate, recommend to the Board for approval, incentive compensation plans and equity-based plans, and where appropriate or required, recommend for approval by the stockholders of the Company, which includes the ability to adopt, amend and terminate such plans. The Committee shall also have the authority to administer the Company's incentive compensation plans and equity-based plans, including designation of the employees to whom the awards are to be granted, the amount of the award or equity to be granted and the terms and conditions applicable to each award or grant, subject to the provisions of each plan. In reviewing and making recommendations regarding incentive compensation plans and equity-based plans, including whether to adopt, amend or terminate any such plans, the Committee shall consider the results of the most recent Say on Pay Vote.

 

  4.To the extent such disclosure is required by the Exchange Act, to review and discuss with management the Company's Compensation Discussion and Analysis (“CD&A”) and the related executive compensation information, recommend that the CD&A and related executive compensation information be included in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K and proxy statement and produce the compensation committee report on executive officer compensation required to be included in the Company's proxy statement or annual report on Form 10-K.

 

  5.To review and make recommendations to the Board regarding any employment agreements and any severance arrangements or plans, including any benefits to be provided in connection with a change in control, for the CEO and other executive officers.

 

  6.To review and discuss annually the Company's compensation arrangements to determine whether they encourage excessive risk-taking and to evaluate compensation policies and practices that could mitigate any such risk.

 

  7.To review and recommend to the Board for approval the frequency with which the Company will conduct Say on Pay Votes, taking into account the results of the most recent stockholder advisory vote on frequency of Say on Pay Votes required by Section 14A of the Exchange Act, and review and approve the proposals regarding the Say on Pay Vote and the frequency of the Say on Pay Vote to be included in the Company's proxy statement.

 

B-1

 

 

  8.The Committee shall discuss with the Board, the Committee’s assessment of the Company’s performance of its annual objectives for the purpose of confirming the accuracy of the Company's financial statements, including compensation reserves and accruals.

 

  9.To review director compensation for service on the Board and Board committees at least once a year and to recommend any changes to the Board.

 

Outside Advisors

 

The Committee shall have the authority, in its sole discretion, to select, retain and obtain the advice of a compensation consultant as necessary to assist with the execution of its duties and responsibilities as set forth in this Charter. The Committee shall set the compensation and oversee the work of the compensation consultant. The Committee shall have the authority, in its sole discretion, to retain and obtain the advice and assistance of outside legal counsel and such other advisors as it deems necessary to fulfill its duties and responsibilities under this Charter. The Committee shall set the compensation and oversee the work of its outside legal counsel and other advisors. The Committee shall receive appropriate funding from the Company, as determined by the Committee in its capacity as a committee of the Board, for the payment of compensation to its compensation consultants, outside legal counsel and any other advisors. However, the Committee shall not be required to implement or act consistently with the advice or recommendations of its compensation consultant, outside legal counsel or other advisor to the Committee, and the authority granted in this Charter shall not affect the ability or obligation of the Committee to exercise its own judgment in fulfillment of its duties under this Charter.

 

The Committee may select a compensation consultant, outside legal counsel or other advisors only after taking into consideration all relevant factors, including the following: (i) the provision of other services to the Company by the person that employs the compensation consultant, outside legal counsel or other advisor; (ii) the amount of fees received from the Company by the person that employs the compensation consultant, outside legal counsel or other advisor, as a percentage of the total revenue of the person that employs the compensation consultant, outside legal counsel or other advisor; (iii) the policies and procedures of the person that employs the compensation consultant, outside legal counsel or other advisor that are designed to prevent conflicts of interest; (iv) any business or personal relationship of the compensation consultant, outside legal counsel or other advisor with a member of the compensation committee; (v) any stock of the Company owned by the compensation consultant, outside legal counsel or other advisor; and (vi) any business or personal relationship of the compensation consultant, outside legal counsel, other advisor or the person employing the advisor with an executive officer of the Company. The Committee may retain, or receive advice from, any compensation advisor they prefer, including ones that are not independent, after considering the above factors.

 

The Committee is not required to assess the independence of any compensation consultant or other advisor that acts in a role limited to consulting on any broad-based plan that does not discriminate in scope, terms or operation in favor of executive officers or directors and that is generally available to all salaried employees or providing information that is not customized for a particular company or that is customized based on parameters that are not developed by the consultant or advisor, and about which the consultant or advisor does not provide advice.

 

The Committee shall evaluate whether any compensation consultant retained or to be retained by it has any conflict of interest in accordance with Item 407(e)(3)(iv) of Regulation S-K.

 

Structure and Operations

 

The Board shall designate a member of the Committee as the chairperson. The Committee shall meet as often as it deems necessary to perform its responsibilities. The Committee shall report regularly to the Board regarding its actions and make recommendations to the Board as appropriate. The Committee is governed by the same rules regarding meetings (including meetings in person or by telephone or other similar communications equipment), action without meetings, notice, waiver of notice, and quorum and voting requirements as are applicable to the Board.

 

The Committee may invite such members of management to its meetings as it deems appropriate. However, the Committee shall meet regularly without such members present, and in all cases the CEO and any other such officers shall not be present at meetings at which their compensation or performance is discussed or determined.

 

The Committee shall review this Charter at least annually and recommend any proposed changes to the Board for approval.

 

Delegation of Authority

 

The Committee shall have the authority to delegate any of its responsibilities, along with the authority to take action in relation to such responsibilities, to one or more subcommittees as the Committee may deem appropriate in its sole discretion. The Chair may represent the entire Committee, as a subcommittee, with respect to functions of the Committee undertaken between meetings. Any actions of a subcommittee shall be presented to the full Committee at its next scheduled meeting.

 

Performance Evaluation

 

The Committee shall conduct an annual evaluation of the performance of its duties under this Charter and shall present the results of the evaluation to the Board. The Committee shall conduct this evaluation in such manner as it deems appropriate.

 

B-2

 

 

Appendix C

 

BREEZE HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.

 

CHARTER OF THE NOMINATING AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE

 

Membership

 

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (the “Committee”) of the board of directors (the “Board”) of Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) shall consist of three or more directors. Each member of the Committee shall be independent in accordance with the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market.

 

The members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Board. The members of the Committee shall serve for such term or terms as the Board may determine or until earlier resignation or death. The Board may remove any member from the Committee at any time with or without cause.

 

Purpose

 

The purpose of the Committee is to carry out the responsibilities delegated by the Board relating to the Company's director nominations process and procedures, developing and maintaining the Company's corporate governance policies and any related matters required by the federal securities laws.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

 

The Committee shall have the following authority and responsibilities:

 

  1.To determine the qualifications, qualities, skills, and other expertise required to be a director and to develop, and recommend to the Board for its approval, criteria to be considered in selecting nominees for director (the “Director Criteria”).

 

  2.To identify and screen individuals qualified to become members of the Board, consistent with the Director Criteria. The Committee shall consider any director candidates recommended by the Company's stockholders pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Company's proxy statement. The Committee shall also consider any nominations of director candidates validly made by stockholders in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations and the provisions of the Company's charter documents.

 

  3.To make recommendations to the Board regarding the selection and approval of the nominees for director to be submitted to a stockholder vote at the annual meeting of stockholder.

 

  4.To annually review and assess the adequacy of the Company’s corporate governance policies and procedures and the Company’s Code of Ethics, and it shall recommend any proposed changes to the Board for approval. The Committee also shall consider corporate governance issues that arise from time to time and develop appropriate recommendations and policies for the Board regarding such matters.

 

  5.To review the Board's committee structure and composition and to make recommendations to the Board regarding the appointment of directors to serve as members of each committee and committee chairperson annually.

 

  6.If a vacancy on the Board and/or any Board committee occurs, to identify and make recommendations to the Board regarding the selection and approval of candidates to fill such vacancy either by election by stockholders or appointment by the Board.

 

Outside Advisors

 

The Committee shall have the authority, in its sole discretion, to select, retain and obtain the advice of a director search firm as necessary to assist with the execution of its duties and responsibilities as set forth in this Charter. The Committee shall set the compensation and oversee the work of the director search firm. The Committee shall have the authority, in its sole discretion, to retain and obtain the advice and assistance of outside legal counsel and such other advisors as it deems necessary to fulfill its duties and responsibilities under this Charter. The Committee shall set the compensation and oversee the work of its outside legal counsel and other advisors. The Committee shall receive appropriate funding from the Company, as determined by the Committee in its capacity as a committee of the Board, for the payment of compensation to its compensation consultants, outside legal counsel and any other advisors.

 

C-1

 

 

Structure and Operations

 

The Board shall designate a member of the Committee as the chairperson. The Committee shall meet as often as it deems necessary to perform its responsibilities. The Committee shall report regularly to the Board regarding its actions and make recommendations to the Board as appropriate. The Committee is governed by the same rules regarding meetings (including meetings in person or by telephone or other similar communications equipment), action without meetings, notice, waiver of notice, and quorum and voting requirements as are applicable to the Board.

 

The Committee shall review this Charter at least annually and recommend any proposed changes to the Board for approval.

 

Delegation of Authority

 

The Committee shall have the authority to delegate any of its responsibilities, along with the authority to take action in relation to such responsibilities, to one or more subcommittees as the Committee may deem appropriate in its sole discretion. The Chair may represent the entire Committee, as a subcommittee, with respect to functions of the Committee undertaken between meetings. Any actions of a subcommittee shall be presented to the full Committee at its next scheduled meeting.

 

Performance Evaluation

 

The Committee shall conduct an annual evaluation of the performance of its duties under this Charter and shall present the results of the evaluation to the Board. The Committee shall conduct this evaluation in such manner as it deems appropriate.

 

C-2

 

 

Annex A

 

PROPOSED AMENDMENT

TO THE

AMENDED AND RESTATED

CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

OF

BREEZE HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.

 

Pursuant to Section 242 of the

Delaware General Corporation Law

 

BREEZE HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP. (the “Corporation”), a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, does hereby certify as follows:

 

  1.The name of the Corporation is Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp. The Corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation was filed in the office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on June 11, 2020 (the “Original Certificate”) and was subsequently amended on July 15, 2020. An Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation was filed in the office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on November 20, 2020 (the “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”) and was subsequently amended on May 9, 2022.

 

  2.This Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation amends the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation.

 

  3.This Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation was duly adopted by the affirmative vote of the holders of 65% of the stock entitled to vote at a meeting of stockholders in accordance with the provisions of Section 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”).

 

  4.The text of Section 9.1(b) of Article IX is hereby amended and restated to read in full as follows:

 

(b) Immediately after the Offering, a certain amount of the net offering proceeds received by the Corporation in the Offering (including the proceeds of any exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) and certain other amounts specified in the Corporation’s registration statement on Form S-1, as initially filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on July 16, 2020, as amended (the “Registration Statement”), shall be deposited in a trust account (the “Trust Account”), established for the benefit of the Public Stockholders (as defined below) pursuant to a trust agreement described in the Registration Statement (the “Trust Agreement”). Except for the withdrawal of interest to pay taxes (less up to $100,000 interest to pay dissolution expenses), none of the funds held in the Trust Account (including the interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account) will be released from the Trust Account until the earliest to occur of (i) the completion of the initial Business Combination, (ii) the redemption of 100% of the Offering Shares (as defined below) if the Corporation is unable to complete its initial Business Combination by September 26, 2022 (or, if the Office of the Delaware Division of Corporations shall not be open for business (including filing of corporate documents) on such date the next date upon which the Office of the Delaware Division of Corporations shall be open), which may be extended by the Corporation monthly for up to six additional months (ultimately until as late as March 26, 2023) in the sole discretion of the Corporation by the Corporation causing $0.035 for each Offering Share remaining outstanding, to be contributed into the Trust Account for each of the six subsequent calendar months commencing on September 26, 2022, needed by the Corporation to complete an initial business combination (the “Deadline Date”)) and (iii) the redemption of shares in connection with a vote seeking amend such provisions of this Amended and Restated Certificate as described in Section 9.7. Holders of shares of Common Stock included as part of the units sold in the Offering (the “Offering Shares”) (whether such Offering Shares were purchased in the Offering or in the secondary market following the Offering and whether or not such holders are Breeze Sponsor, LLC (the “Sponsor”), or officers or directors of the Corporation, or affiliates of any of the foregoing) are referred to herein as “Public Stockholders.”

 

  5.The text of Section 9.2(d) of Article IX is hereby amended and restated to read in full as follows:

 

(d)  In the event that the Corporation has not consummated an initial Business Combination by September 26, 2022 (which may be extended by the Corporation monthly for up to six additional months (ultimately until as late as March 26, 2023) in the sole discretion of the Corporation by the Corporation causing $0.035 for each Offering Share remaining outstanding, to be contributed into the Trust Account for each of the six subsequent calendar months commencing on September 26, 2022, needed by the Corporation to complete an initial business combination) the Corporation shall (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the Offering Shares in consideration of a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest not previously released to the Corporation to pay its taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), by (B) the total number of then outstanding Offering Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish rights of the Public Stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining stockholders and the Board in accordance with applicable law, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Corporation’s obligations under the DGCL to provide for claims of creditors and other requirements of applicable law.

 

 

 

  6.The text of Section 9.7 of Article IX is hereby amended and restated to read in full as follows:

 

Additional Redemption Rights. If, in accordance with Section 9.1(a), any amendment is made to this Amended and Restated Certificate (a) to modify the substance or timing of the Corporation’s obligation to redeem 100% of the Offering Shares if the Corporation has not consummated an initial business combination by September 26, 2022 (which may be extended by the Corporation monthly for up to six additional months (ultimately until as late as March 26, 2023) or (b) with respect to any other material provisions of this Amended and Restated Certificate relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, the Public Stockholders shall be provided with the opportunity to redeem their Offering Shares upon the approval of any such amendment, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest not previously released to the Corporation to pay its taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding Offering Shares; provided, however, that any such amendment will be voided, and this Article IX will remain unchanged, if any stockholders who wish to redeem are unable to redeem due to the Redemption Limitation.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp. has caused this Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate to be duly executed in its name and on its behalf by an authorized officer as of this ____ day of _________, 2022.

 

BREEZE HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.  
     
By:    
Name:  J. Douglas Ramsey, Ph.D.  
Title: Chief Executive Officer
and Chief Financial Officer
 

 

 

 

Annex B

 

PROPOSED AMENDMENT
TO THE
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT TRUST AGREEMENT
 

 

This Amendment No. 1 (this “Amendment”), dated as of [             ], 2022, to the Investment Management Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”) is made by and between Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as trustee (“Trustee”). All terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Trust Agreement.

 

WHEREAS, the Company and the Trustee entered into the Trust Agreement on November 23, 2020;

 

WHEREAS, Section 1(i) of the Trust Agreement sets forth the terms that govern the liquidation of the Trust Account under the circumstances described therein;

 

WHEREAS, at a special meeting of the Company held on [             ], 2022, the Company’s stockholders approved (i) a proposal to amend the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “A&R COI”) to authorize the Company to extend the date of September 26, 2022, up to six (6) times for an additional one (1) month each time (ultimately until as late as March 26, 2023) by which the Company must (a) consummate a merger, capital stock exchange, asset, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination, which we refer to as our initial business combination, or (b) cease its operations except for the purpose of winding up if it fails to complete such initial business combination, and redeem all of the shares of common stock of the Company included as part of the units sold in the Company’s initial public offering that was consummated on November 25, 2020, and (ii) a proposal to amend the Trust Agreement to authorize the Extension and its implementation by the Company; and

 

NOW THEREFORE, IT IS AGREED:

 

1. Section 1(i) of the Trust Agreement is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

 

“(i) Commence liquidation of the Trust Account only after and promptly after (x) receipt of, and only in accordance with, the terms of a letter (“Termination Letter”), in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as either Exhibit A or Exhibit B, signed on behalf of the Company by its Chief Executive Officer, President, Secretary or Chairman of the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”) or other authorized officer of the Company, and, in the case of Exhibit A, acknowledged and agreed to by the Representative, and complete the liquidation of the Trust Account and distribute the Property in the Trust Account, including interest not previously released to the Company to pay its taxes, only as directed in the Termination Letter and the other documents referred to therein, or (y) upon the date which is the later of (i) September 26, 2022, or as late as March 26, 2023, if the Company’s Board of Directors extends the time to complete the Business Combination up to six (6) times for an additional one (1) month each time (for a maximum of six one-month extensions), upon the deposit into the Trust Account of $0.035 for each outstanding public share by the Sponsor or its designees on or prior to September 26, 2022 or such other date as may be extended, and (ii) such later date as may be approved by the Company’s stockholders in accordance with the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the latest of the foregoing, the “Last Date”), the Trust Account shall be liquidated in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Termination Letter attached as Exhibit B hereto and distributed to the Public Stockholders as of the Last Date, if a Termination Letter has not been received by the Trustee prior to such date, in which case the Trust Account shall be liquidated in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Termination Letter attached as Exhibit B and the Property in the Trust Account, including interest not previously released to the Company to pay its taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest that may be released to the Company to pay dissolution expenses) shall be distributed to the Public Stockholders of record as of such date. It is acknowledged and agreed that there should be no reduction in the principal amount per share initially deposited in the Trust Account;”

 

 

 

2. Exhibit B of the Trust Agreement is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as follows:

 

[Letterhead of Company] 

 

[Date] 

 

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf and Celeste Gonzalez

 

Re: Trust Account - Termination Letter 

 

Ladies & Gentlemen:

 

Pursuant to paragraph 1(i) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp. (“Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“Trustee”), dated as of November 23, 2020 (the “Trust Agreement”), this is to advise you that the Company has been unable to effect a Business Combination with a Target Company within the time frame specified in the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended. Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.

 

In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to liquidate all of the assets in the Trust Account on                 , 202     and to transfer the total proceeds into a segregated account held by you on behalf of the Beneficiaries to await distribution to the Public Stockholders. The Company has selected [                ](1) as the record date for the purpose of determining when the Public Stockholders will be entitled to receive their share of the liquidation proceeds. You agree to be the Paying Agent of record and, in your separate capacity as Paying Agent, agree to distribute said funds directly to the Company’s Public Stockholders in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement and the amended and restated certificate of incorporation of the Company. Upon the distribution of all the funds, net of any payments necessary for reasonable unreimbursed expenses related to liquidating the Trust Account, your obligations under the Trust Agreement shall be terminated, except to the extent otherwise provided in Section 1(i) of the Trust Agreement.

 

(1) September 26, 2022 (which may be extended by the Corporation monthly for up to six additional months (ultimately until as late as March 26, 2023)).

 

  Very truly yours,
     
  BREEZE HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
     
  By:                 
  Name:  
  Title:  

 

cc: I-Bankers Securities, Inc.

 

3. All other provisions of the Trust Agreement shall remain unaffected by the terms hereof.

 

4. This Amendment may be signed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original and all of which shall be deemed to be one and the same instrument, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. A facsimile signature or electronic signature shall be deemed to be an original signature for purposes of this Amendment.

 

5. This Amendment is intended to be in full compliance with the requirements for an Amendment to the Trust Agreement as required by Section 6(d) of the Trust Agreement, and every defect in fulfilling such requirements for an effective amendment to the Trust Agreement is hereby ratified, intentionally waived and relinquished by all parties hereto.

 

6. This Amendment shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction.

 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have duly executed this Amendment to the Trust Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

  CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER
& TRUST COMPANY, as Trustee
     
  By:    
  [   ]
     
  BREEZE HOLDINGS ACQUISITION CORP.
     
  By:  
  [   ],
    Chief Executive Officer