Barfresh Food Group Inc PRE 14A, filed Jun 22, 2022
Barfresh Food Group Inc. (BRFH)
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
(RULE 14a-101)
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
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| ☒ | Preliminary Proxy Statement | |
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| ☐ | Definitive Proxy Statement | |
| ☐ | Definitive Additional Materials | |
| ☐ | Soliciting Material Pursuant to Section 240.14a-12 |
BARFRESH FOOD GROUP INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
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3600 Wilshire Boulevard Suite 1720, Los Angeles, CA 90010
NOTICE
OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE
HELD ON AUGUST 1, 2022
Dear Stockholder:
Notice is hereby given that the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Barfresh Food Group Inc. (“we”, “us”, “Barfresh” or the “Company”), will be held at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, on Monday, August 1, 2022 at our principal executive office, 3600 Wilshire Boulevard Suite 1720, Los Angeles, CA 90010, to conduct the following items of business:
| 1. | To elect Riccardo Delle Coste, Steven Lang, Arnold Tinter, Joseph M. Cugine, Alexander H. Ware, Isabelle Ortiz-Cochet and Justin Borus to serve a one-year term until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified or until their death, resignation, removal or disqualification; | |
| 2. | To ratify the appointment of Eide Bailly LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022; | |
| 3. | To approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of our Named Executive Officers (as defined in the 2022 proxy statement); | |
| 4. | To approve and adopt the amendment of the Certificate of Information of the Company to reduce the number of authorized shares of Common Stock from 295,000,000 to 23,000,000 and the number of shares of Preferred Stock from 5,000,000 to 400,000; and | |
| 5. | To transact such other business as may properly come before the annual meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. |
All of the above matters are more fully described in the accompanying proxy statement.
All holders of record of our common stock as of the close of business on July 1, 2022, the record date, are entitled to notice of and to vote at this meeting and any adjournments or postponement thereof. A list of stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be available for inspection during the ten days prior to the Annual Meeting, during ordinary business hours, at Barfresh’s principal executive office as well as at the Annual Meeting.
All stockholders are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting in person. Any stockholder attending the Annual Meeting may vote in person even if he or she has returned a proxy card.
Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, please cast your vote as instructed under “Voting Procedures” in the Proxy Statement as promptly as possible. You may vote over the Internet or by telephone as instructed on the Notice or by mailing in your paper proxy card if you received one. If you did not receive a paper proxy card, you may request a paper proxy card to submit your vote by mail, if you prefer.
| By Order of the Board of Directors, | |
| /s/ Riccardo Delle Coste | |
| Riccardo Delle Coste | |
| Chairman and Chief Executive Officer |
| Los Angeles, California | July [*], 2022 |
Whether or not you intend to be present at the meeting, please sign and date the enclosed proxy and return it in the enclosed envelope, or vote by telephone or online following the instructions on the proxy.
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on August 1, 2022 The proxy statement and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 are available on the Internet at http://www.iproxydirect.com/BRFH |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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The enclosed proxy is solicited by the board of directors of Barfresh Food Group Inc., a Delaware corporation, for use at the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Barfresh Food Group Inc. and all postponements, continuations or adjournments thereof. These proxy materials and the enclosed Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Annual Report”) for fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 (“2021 Fiscal Year”) are being mailed to our stockholders on or about July 7, 2022. In this Proxy Statement, we use the terms the “Company,” “Barfresh” “we”, “our”, and “us” to refer to Barfresh Food Group Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries.
Where and when is the Annual Meeting? Our Annual Meeting will be held at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, on Monday, August 1, 2022 at our principal executive office, 3600 Wilshire Boulevard Suite 1720, Los Angeles, CA 90010
Why did I receive these materials? You received this Proxy Statement because you held shares of our common stock on July 1, 2022, the record date fixed by our board of directors, and you are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. This Proxy Statement and a copy of our Annual Report will be mailed on or about July 7, 2022. Although the Proxy Statement and Annual Report are being mailed together, the Annual Report is not incorporated into, and should not be deemed part of, this Proxy Statement.
Who can attend the Annual Meeting? Only stockholders as of the record date, their authorized representatives, and invited guests will be able to attend the Annual Meeting.
Who is entitled to vote? Only holders of record of our common stock at the close of business on July 1, 2022, the record date, are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. Each share is entitled to vote on each matter properly brought before the meeting. As of the record date, there were [*] shares of our common stock outstanding.
Who are the proxies? The board of directors of the Company has appointed Riccardo Delle Coste, our Chairman of the board of directors and Chief Executive Officer, and Lisa Roger, our Chief Financial Officer, to serve as proxies at the Annual Meeting. When you fill out your proxy card and return it, or if you vote electronically, you will be giving the proxies your instruction on how to vote your shares at the Annual Meeting.
How do I vote if I am a registered stockholder? You may vote in person, electronically via the Internet, or by proxy. Proxies are solicited to give all stockholders who are entitled to vote on the matters that come before the meeting the opportunity to do so whether or not they attend the meeting in person. If you are a registered holder, you can vote your proxy card by mail, electronically via the Internet, or in person at the Annual Meeting. If you choose to vote by mail, mark your proxy card enclosed with this Proxy Statement, date and sign it, and mail it in the postage-paid envelope. If you wish to vote in person, you can vote the proxy card in person at the Annual Meeting. Signing and returning a proxy will not prevent you from voting in person at the meeting.
How do I vote electronically? If you are a registered stockholder, you may vote electronically via the Internet. Please review the voting instructions on the proxy card.
How do I specify how I want my shares voted? If you are a registered stockholder, you can specify how you want your shares voted on each proposal by marking the appropriate boxes on the proxy card. Please review the voting instructions on the proxy card and read the entire text of the proposals and the positions of the board of directors in the Proxy Statement prior to marking your vote. If your proxy card is signed and returned without specifying a vote, it will be voted according to the recommendation of the board of directors on that proposal.
How do I vote if I am a beneficial stockholder? If you are a beneficial stockholder, you have the right to direct your broker or nominee on how to vote your shares. You should complete a voting instruction card which your broker or nominee is obligated to provide to you. If you wish to vote in person at the meeting, you must first obtain from the record holder a proxy card issued in your name.
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What items will be voted upon at the Annual Meeting? The following items will be voted upon at the Annual Meeting:
1. the election of Riccardo Delle Coste, Steven Lang, Arnold Tinter, Joseph M. Cugine, Alexander H. Ware, Isabelle Ortiz-Cochet, and Justin Borus to serve a one-year term until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified or until their death, resignation, removal or disqualification;
2. the ratification of the appointment of Eide Bailly LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022;
3. the approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation of our Named Executive Officers;
4. the amendment of the Certificate of Information of the Company to reduce the number of authorized shares of Common Stock from 295,000,000 to 23,000,000 and the number of shares of Preferred Stock from 5,000,000 to 400,000; and
5. such other business as may properly come before the annual meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.
The board of directors does not currently know of any other matters that may be brought before the meeting for a vote. However, if any other matters are properly presented for action, it is the intention of the persons named on the proxy card to vote on them according to their best judgment.
What is the board of directors’ voting recommendation? For the reasons set forth in more detail later in the Proxy Statement, the board of directors unanimously recommends a vote FOR the election of all nominees for director proposed by our Board (Proposal 1), FOR Proposal No. 3, the say-on-pay proposal, and FOR Proposal No. 4, the amendment of the certificate of incorporation proposal. The board of directors has ratified the selection of Eide Bailly LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm to audit the financial statements of the Company for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 (Proposal 2) which selection was made by the Company’s audit committee. The board of directors recommends a vote FOR the ratification of the auditors (Proposal 2).
How can I provide my comments to the Company? We urge you to let us know your comments about the Company or to bring a particular matter to our attention by writing directly to us at Barfresh Food Group Inc., 3600 Wilshire Boulevard Suite 1720, Los Angeles, CA 90010, attention: Arnold Tinter, Secretary.
How many votes are needed to have the proposals pass? The affirmative vote of the majority of the votes present and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting is required to elect the directors, amend the certificate of incorporation, and ratify the selection of the auditors. Because the say-on-pay proposal asks for a non-binding, advisory vote, there is no required vote that would constitute approval.
How are the votes counted? You will have one vote for each share of our common stock that you owned on the record date. If the proxy card is properly executed and returned prior to the Annual Meeting, the shares of common stock it represents will be voted as you instruct on the proxy card. If a proxy card is unmarked, or if you indicate no vote, the shares of common stock it represents will be voted FOR Proposal No. 1, the election of directors recommended by the board of directors, FOR Proposal No. 2 the ratification of the auditors for this year, FOR Proposal No. 3, the say-on-pay proposal, to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation paid to our Named Executive Officers, and FOR Proposal No. 4, the amendment of our certificate of incorporation.
No Cumulative Voting. Holders of common stock shall not be entitled to cumulate their votes for the election of directors or any other matters.
Abstentions. Abstentions will be treated as present and entitled to vote for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum. Abstentions will not constitute a vote FOR or AGAINST any matter, and thus will be disregarded in the calculation of shares voting or votes cast on any matter submitted to the stockholders for a vote.
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Broker Non-Votes. A broker non-vote occurs when shares held by a broker are not voted with respect to a particular proposal because the broker does not have discretionary authority to vote on the matter and has not received voting instructions from its clients. If your broker holds your shares in its name and you do not instruct your broker how to vote, your broker will only have discretion to vote your shares on “routine” matters. Where a proposal is not “routine”, a broker who has received no instructions from its clients does not have discretion to vote its clients’ uninstructed shares on that proposal. At our Annual Meeting, only Proposal No. 2. (ratifying the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm) is considered a routine matter. Your broker will therefore not have discretion to vote on the following “non-routine” matters absent direction from you: the election of directors, say-on-pay and amendment of our certificate of incorporation.
Broker non-votes and abstentions by stockholders from voting (including brokers holding their clients’ shares of record who cause abstentions to be recorded) will be counted towards determining whether or not a quorum is present. However, because broker non-votes and abstentions are not voted FOR or AGAINST, they will have no effect on the approval of any of the proposals, except where brokers may exercise their discretion on routine matters.
Quorum. A majority of the shares of common stock outstanding on the record date, represented in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum at the Annual Meeting. As of July 1, 2022 we had [*] shares of common stock outstanding. The number of shares required to be represented in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting to constitute a quorum is [*].
How can I revoke my proxy? You may revoke your proxy at any time before it is voted at the meeting by taking one of the following three actions:
(1) giving timely written notice of the revocation to our Secretary,
(2) executing and delivering a proxy card with a later date, or
(3) voting in person at the meeting.
How would my proxy be voted on other matters? The persons named on the proxy card will have discretionary authority to vote on business other than Proposal 1 (the election of directors), Proposal 2 (ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm), Proposal 3 (say-on-pay) and Proposal 4 (amendment of our articles of incorporation) as may properly come before the Annual Meeting.
Who will pay for the costs involved in the solicitation of proxies? This Proxy Statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the board of directors of Barfresh Food Group Inc. Barfresh will pay all costs of preparing, assembling, printing and distributing the proxy materials. Copies of proxy materials will be furnished to brokerage houses, nominees, fiduciaries and custodians to forward to beneficial owners of common stock held in their names. Our employees, officers and directors may, for no additional compensation, solicit proxies on behalf of the board of directors through the mail, in person and by telecommunications. Upon request, we will reimburse brokerage firms and other record holders for their reasonable expenses incurred for forwarding solicitation material to beneficial owners of stock.
Do stockholders have any dissenters’ right with regards to the matters proposed to be acted upon? There are no rights of appraisal or other similar rights of dissenters under the laws of the State of Delaware with respect to any of the matters proposed to be acted upon herein.
Where can I find the voting results of the Annual Meeting? The final voting results will be reported in a Current Report on Form 8-K that we expect to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission within four business days of the Annual Meeting, and that Form 8-K will be available on our website at http://www.barfresh.com/investors/corporate/sec-filings/. We also expect to announce preliminary results at the Annual Meeting.
How can I communicate with the board of directors? If you wish to communicate with the board of directors, you may send your communication in writing to: Barfresh Food Group Inc., 3600 Wilshire Boulevard Suite 1720, Los Angeles, CA 90010, attention: Arnold Tinter, Secretary. who will forward all material communications from stockholders to the appropriate director or directors or committee of the board of directors based on the subject matter. You must include your name and address in the written communication and indicate whether you are a stockholder of the Company.
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IMPORTANT
Please promptly vote and submit your proxy by signing, dating and returning the enclosed proxy card in the postage-prepaid return envelope so that your shares can be voted. This will not limit your rights to attend or vote at the 2022 Annual Meeting.
PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF Riccardo Delle Coste, Steven Lang, Arnold Tinter, Joseph M. Cugine, Alexander H. Ware, ISABELLE ORTIZ-COCHET, and JUSTIN BORUS to serve a one-year term as Directors until their respective successors are duly elected and qualified or until their death, resignation, removal or disqualification
Under our bylaws, the board of directors consists of no fewer than three members and no greater than nine members, as determined by the board of directors or the stockholders from time to time. The board of directors is empowered to fix the number of directors from time to time and is currently set at seven. Riccardo Delle Coste, Steven Lang, Arnold Tinter, Joseph Cugine, Alexander H. Ware, Isabelle Ortiz-Cochet and Justin Borus are to be elected to our board of directors at the Annual Meeting. Proxies cannot be voted for a greater number of persons than the number of nominees named.
The board of directors has nominated and approved the nominations of seven persons to serve as directors until the 2023 annual meeting, or until each director’s successor is elected and qualified. All of the nominees currently serve on our board of directors. Each of the nominees has agreed to continue to serve if elected. Management expects that each of the nominees will be available for election, but if any of them is not a candidate at the time the election occurs, it is intended that the proxies will be voted for the election of another nominee to be designated by the board of directors to fill any vacancy. Additionally, the board of directors may elect additional members of the board of directors to fill any additional vacancies. Except as set forth below Isabelle Ortiz-Cochet’s biography, below, there are no arrangements or understandings pursuant to which a nominee has been or will be elected as a director.
The nominees are as follows:
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| Riccardo Delle Coste | 43 | President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman | ||
| Steven Lang | 69 | Director | ||
| Arnold Tinter | 77 | Secretary and Director | ||
| Joseph M. Cugine | 61 | Director | ||
| Alexander H. Ware | 59 | Director | ||
| Isabelle Ortiz-Cochet | 61 | Director | ||
| Justin Borus | 46 | Director |
Riccardo Delle Coste has been the Chairman of our board of directors, President and Chief Executive Officer since January 10, 2012. He has also been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Barfresh Inc., a Nevada corporation and our wholly owned subsidiary (“Barfresh NV”), since its inception. Mr. Delle Coste is the inventor of the patented technology and the creator of Barfresh. Mr. Delle Coste developed a unique system using controlled pre-packaged portions to deliver a freshly made smoothie that is quick, cost efficient, healthy and with no waste. In building the business, he is responsible for securing new business and maintaining key client relationships. He is also responsible for the development of new product from testing to full-scale production, establishment of the manufacturing facilities that have all necessary accreditations, technology development, product improvement and research and development with new product launches. Mr. Delle Coste also has over five years of investment banking experience. Mr. Delle Coste attended Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia while studying for a Bachelor of Commerce for 3.5 years but left to pursue business interests before receiving a degree.
Qualifications: Mr. Delle Coste has 18 years of experience within retail, hospitality and dairy manufacturing.
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Steven Lang was appointed as Director of the Company on January 10, 2012. He has also served as Secretary of Barfresh NV since its inception. Prior to joining Barfresh NV, from 2003 to 2007, Mr. Lang was a director of Vericap Finance Limited, a company that specializes in providing advice to and investing in Australian companies with international growth potential. From 1990 to 1999, he served as a director of Babcock & Brown’s Australian operations where he was responsible for international structured finance transactions. Mr. Lang received a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales in 1976 and a Master of Laws from the University of Sydney in 1984. He has been a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and was licensed to practice foreign law in New York.
Qualifications: Mr. Lang has over 40 years of experience in business, accounting, law and finance and served as Chairman of an Australian public company.
Arnold Tinter was appointed as Director, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of the Company on January 10, 2012. Mr. Tinter resigned his position as Chief Financial Officer on May 18, 2015 and served temporarily as Principal Accounting Officer. Mr. Tinter founded Corporate Finance Group, Inc., a consulting firm located in Denver, Colorado, in 1992, and is its President. Corporate Finance Group, Inc., is involved in financial consulting in the areas of strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions and capital formation. He has been the chief financial officer and a director of other public companies In all of the companies his responsibilities included oversight of all accounting functions, including SEC reporting, strategic planning and capital formation. Since May 2015, he has served as chief financial officer of Bambu Franchising LLC, LLC, a privately held company that is a franchisor of Vietnamese-themed shoppes that serve drinks and desserts. Prior to 1990, Mr. Tinter was chief executive officer of Source Venture Capital, a holding company with investments in the gaming, printing and retail industries. Mr. Tinter received a B.S. degree in accounting in 1967 from C.W. Post College, Long Island University, and is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in Colorado.
Qualifications: Mr. Tinter has over 45 years of experience as a Certified Public Accountant and a financial consultant. During his career he served as a director of numerous public companies.
Joseph M. Cugine was appointed as Director of the Company on July 29, 2014, and served as president of our wholly owned subsidiary, Barfresh Corporation, Inc., from April 27, 2015, to July 13, 2021. Mr. Cugine is the owner and president of Cugine Foods and JC Restaurants, a franchisee of Taco Bell and Pizza Hut in New York. He is also president and owner of Restaurant Consulting Group LLC. Prior to owning and operating his own firms, Mr. Cugine held a series of leadership roles with PepsiCo, lastly as chief customer officer and senior vice president of PepsiCo’s Foodservice division. Mr. Cugine also serves on the board of directors of The Chef’s Warehouse, Inc., a publicly traded specialty food products distributor in the U.S., as well as Ridgefield Playhouse and R4 Technology. He received his B.S. degree from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.
Qualifications: Mr. Cugine’s career in sales, marketing, operations and supply chain spans more than 25 years. He has extensive industry contacts and proven experience leading and advising numerous successful food distribution companies.
Alexander H. Ware was appointed as director of the company on July 13, 2016. Currently, Mr. Ware serves as advisor to Foodsby, Inc. From September 2018 to December 2021, Mr. Ware served as President of Foodsby, Inc., a fast-growing meal ordering platform for office buildings. Previously, he served as Interim President, and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Buffalo Wild Wings from October 2016 to 2018. From 2012 through 2016, Mr. Ware was Executive Chairman of MStar Holding Corporation (MicroStar) and had served as Interim Chief Executive Officer in 2013. Prior to MicroStar, he served as a Senior Advisor and previously as Executive Vice President of Strategic Development of Pohlad Companies, a family office, from 2010 to 2015. Starting in 1994, he served in increasing capacities at PepsiCo, then PepsiAmericas, Inc. culminating as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2005 to 2010. Previously, he was a Senior Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. from 1990 to 1994. Mr. Ware received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Hampden-Sydney College and his Master of Business Administration from the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia. In addition to Barfresh, Mr. Ware currently serves on the board of MStar Holding Corporation and on the advisory board of Stonearch Capital.
Qualifications: Mr. Ware has specific and relevant industry experience in the production and marketing of beverages as well as the operations and management of restaurants. In addition, Mr. Ware has knowledge in the areas of strategic and financial planning, corporate development, personnel management, resource allocation and distribution.
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Isabelle Ortiz-Cochet was appointed as director of the Company on December 16, 2016. She is the Chief Investment Officer for Unibel, parent company of Bel Group. Bel is an international France-based group, a world leader in branded cheese business and fruit pouches, with brands such as Laughing Cow, Mini-Babybel, Boursin or GoGo Squeez. In that position since January 2016, Ms. Ortiz-Cochet drives Unibel diversification strategy, and leads the investment portfolio development. She was previously VP Strategic Development at Bel Group Form September 2013 to December 2015. From 2007 to 2013, based out of Bel’s New York office, Ms. Ortiz-Cochet led the development of long-term strategies in North and South America, as well as Marketing strategy in the region. Prior to that position, she held a number of leadership positions in marketing and global strategy at Bel out of the Paris office, at French, European and corporate levels. Isabelle began her career with Kimberly Clark in France. Isabelle earned a master’s degree from ESSEC Business School in France, and an executive MBA from HEC Business School, France.
Pursuant to the investor rights agreement between Barfresh and Unibel dated November 23, 2016, Unibel is entitled to appoint one director to the board of directors of Barfresh, which director is entitled to sit on each committee of the board of directors selected by the Unibel, unless Unibel has beneficial ownership of less than: (i) 75.0% of its Shares; and (ii) 5.0% of the company’s issued and outstanding common stock. Unibel has designated Isabelle Ortiz-Cochet as its board designee. Barfresh has agreed to call shareholder meetings whenever necessary to ensure Unibel’s designee is elected as a director. At any time that Unibel’s designee is not a director, Unibel’s designee will be entitled to be a board observer. Riccardo Delle Coste, Steven Lang and their respective affiliates have agreed to vote their shares in favor of Unibel’s designee.
Justin Borus was appointed as a Director of the Company on April 29, 2020. Mr. Borus has approximately 20 years of capital markets expertise. He has been the Chief Investment Officer of Ibex Investors, LLC, a firm focused on niche, differentiated strategies including microcap companies for over 10 years. Prior to joining Ibex, he worked in both the private equity and investment banking groups at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. in New York and London. Mr. Borus has served on the Board of Directors of several non-profits including the Anti-Defamation League and Colorado Public Radio.
Qualifications: Mr. Borus brings over 20 years of capital markets expertise.
Vote Required
In accordance with applicable law and our bylaws, the election of directors shall be by the affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast. For the purposes of election of directors, although abstentions will count toward the presence of a quorum, they will not be counted as votes cast and will have no effect on the result of the vote. Brokers who hold shares in street name may not vote on behalf of beneficial owners with respect to Proposal 1 if they do not receive voting instructions from the beneficial owners. Unless a stockholder indicates otherwise, each signed proxy will be voted FOR the election of these nominees.
The board of directors unanimously recommends a vote “FOR” the election of Riccardo Delle Coste, Steven Lang, Arnold Tinter, Joseph M. Cugine, Alexander H. Ware, Isabelle Ortiz-Cochet and Justin Borus as directors.
Leadership Structure
The positions of our chairman of the board of directors and principal executive officer are served by Riccardo Delle Coste. Our board of directors has no formal policy on whether the role of the chairman of the board of directors and principal executive officer should be held by separate persons. We believe it is important to maintain flexibility to have either combined offices or a separate chairman and principal executive officer structure as circumstances dictate and to make that determination based on the strategic and operational position and direction of the Company and the character of the membership of our board of directors.
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Our board of directors believes that our current management structure, in which Mr. Delle Coste serves in a combined chairman and principal executive officer role, is appropriate for us at this time. Mr. Delle Coste possesses an understanding of the operational issues, opportunities, risks and challenges facing the Company and its business on a day-to-day and long-term basis. Given Mr. Delle Coste’s particular skills and knowledge, as well as our size and stage of development, we believe Mr. Delle Coste is best positioned to identify key risks and developments facing the Company to be brought to our board’s attention and to lead discussion and execution of strategy. We have not designated an independent lead director and do not intend to do so at this time.
Risk Oversight
Both the full board of directors and its committees oversee the various risks faced by the Company. Management is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Company’s risks and provides periodic reports to the board of directors and its committees relating to those risks and risk-mitigation efforts. Our board of directors’ oversight of risk is conducted primarily through the standing committees of the board of directors, with the audit committee taking a lead role on oversight of financial risks and in interfacing with management on significant risks or exposures and assessing the steps management has taken to minimize such risks. The audit committee also is charged with, among other tasks, oversight of management on the Company’s guidelines and policies to govern the process by which the Company’s exposure to risk is handled. Members of the Company’s management, including our principal financial officer, periodically report to the audit committee regarding risks overseen by the audit committee, including quarterly with respect to the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. The compensation committee, in consultation with management, has reviewed the design and operation of the Company’s compensation arrangements and evaluated the relationship between the Company’s risk management policies and practices and these arrangements. As a result of this review, the compensation committee has determined that the Company’s compensation policies and practices are not reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company. Our board of directors does not believe that its role in the oversight of our risks affects the board’s leadership structure.
Board of Directors and Committee Meetings
During the 2021, the board of directors met four times. Each of our directors attended at least 75% of the meetings. Each member of a committee of our board of directors attended at least 75% of meetings of all committees to which he belongs.
Attendance of Board Members at Annual Stockholder’s Meeting
The Company does not have a policy for Board meeting or committee meeting attendance because, pursuant to our bylaws, members constituting a majority of directors constitute a quorum for meetings of the board of directors and all our directors regularly attend all meetings.
Board Structure and Committees
We currently have an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and governance committee. The members of the audit committee are Arnold Tinter, Steven Lang and Alexander Ware. The audit committee is primarily responsible for reviewing the services performed by our independent auditors and evaluating our accounting policies and our system of internal controls. Steven Lang, Arnold Tinter, and Alexander Ware are independent members of the audit committee, as defined below. The members of the compensation committee are Arnold Tinter and Justin Borus. The compensation committee is primarily responsible for reviewing and approving our salary and benefits policies (including stock options) and other compensation of our executive officers. The members of the nominating committee are Arnold Tinter, Steven Lang, and Isabelle Ortiz-Cochet. The nominating and governance committee is primarily responsible for overseeing corporate governance and for identifying, evaluating and recommending individuals to serve as directors of the Company.
Board Determination of Independence
We use the definition of “independence” standards as defined in the NASDAQ Stock Market Rule 5605(a)(2) provides that an “independent director” is a person other than an officer or employee of the Company or any other individual having a relationship, which, in the opinion of the Company’s board of directors, would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. We have determined that five of our seven directors are independent, which constitutes a majority.
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Nomination of Directors
Our nominating and governance committee determines the required selection criteria and qualifications of director nominees based upon our needs at the time nominees are considered. In general, directors should possess the highest personal and professional ethics, integrity and values, and be committed to representing the long-term interests of our stockholders. In addition to the above considerations, the nominating and governance committee will consider criteria such as strength of character and leadership skills; general business acumen and experience; broad knowledge of the industry; number of other board seats; and willingness to commit the necessary time to ensure an active board whose members work well together and possess the collective knowledge and expertise required by the board of directors. The nominating and governance committee will consider these same criteria for candidates regardless of whether the candidate was identified by the committee, by stockholders, or any other source.
The nominating and governance committee will consider qualified candidates for possible nomination that are submitted by our stockholders. Stockholders wishing to make such a submission may do so by sending the requisite information to the board of directors at the address indicated herein under the heading “Stockholder Proposals for 2023 Annual Meeting.” Any recommendations submitted by a stockholder should be in writing and should include whatever supporting material the stockholder considers appropriate in support of that recommendation, but must include the information prescribed by our bylaws and any other information that would be required under the rules of the SEC in a proxy statement soliciting proxies for the election of such candidate and a signed consent of the candidate to serve as a director of Barfresh, if elected.
The nominating and governance committee conducts a process of making a preliminary assessment of each proposed nominee based upon the resume and biographical information provided, an indication of the candidate’s willingness to serve and other background information, business experience, and leadership skills, all to the extent available and deemed relevant by the nominating and governance committee. This information is evaluated against the criteria set forth above and our specific needs at that time. Based upon a preliminary assessment of the candidate(s), those who appear best suited to meet our needs may be invited to participate in a series of interviews, which are used as a further means of evaluating potential candidates. On the basis of information learned during this process, the nominating and governance committee determines which candidate(s) to recommend to the board to submit for election at the next stockholder meeting. The nominating and governance committee uses the same process for evaluating all candidates, regardless of the original source of the nomination.
Our goal is to seek to achieve a balance of knowledge and experience on our board. To this end, we seek nominees with the highest professional and personal ethics and values, an understanding of our business and industry, diversity of business experience and expertise, a high level of education, broad-based business acumen and the ability to think strategically. Although we use the criteria listed above as well as other criteria to evaluate potential nominees, we do not have a stated minimum criteria for nominees. The board does not use different standards to evaluate nominees depending on whether they are proposed by our directors and management or by our stockholders. To date, we have not paid any third parties to assist us in finding director nominees.
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Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in any of the Company’s filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that might incorporate future filings, including this Proxy Statement, in whole or in part, the following audit committee report shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material,” is not deemed “filed” with the SEC and shall not be incorporated by reference into any filings under the Securities Act or Exchange Act whether made before or after the date hereof and irrespective of any general incorporation language in such filing except to the extent that the Company specifically requests that the information be treated as soliciting material or specifically incorporates it by reference into a document filed under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.
The primary purpose of the audit committee is to assist the board of directors in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities with respect to matters involving the accounting, financial reporting and internal control functions of the Company. The audit committee has sole authority to select the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm.
The audit committee’s policy is to pre-approve all audit and non-audit services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm and other financial professional services providers. These services may include audit services, audit-related services, tax services and other services. Pre-approval generally is provided for up to one year and any pre-approval is detailed as to the particular service or category of services and generally is subject to a specific budget. The Company’s independent registered public accounting firm and management report annually to the audit committee regarding the extent of services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm in accordance with this pre-approval, and the fees for the services performed.
Management is responsible for preparing the Company’s financial statements so that they comply with generally accepted accounting principles and fairly presents the Company’s financial condition, results of operations and cash flows; issuing financial reports that comply with the requirements of the SEC; and establishing and maintaining adequate internal control structures and procedures for financial reporting. The audit committee’s responsibility is to monitor and oversee these processes.
In furtherance of its role, the audit committee has an annual agenda, which includes periodic reviews of the Company’s internal controls and of areas of potential exposure for the Company such as litigation matters. The Committee meets at least quarterly and reviews the Company’s interim financial results and earnings releases prior to their publication.
In this context, the audit committee has reviewed and discussed with management (i) the audited financial statements of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, (ii) the Company’s evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021 and (iii) the related opinion of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm. The audit committee also has discussed with Eide Bailly LLP the matters required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61 (Communication with audit committees), as currently in effect. The audit committee also has received written disclosures and a letter from Eide Bailly LLP regarding its independence from the Company as required by Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1 (Independence Discussions with audit committees) and has discussed with Eide Bailly LLP the independence of that firm. Based upon these materials and discussions, the audit committee has recommended to the board of directors that the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors
Arnold Tinter, Chairman
Steven Lang
Alexander Ware
Riccardo Delle Coste
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Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
The Company’s policy with regard to related party transactions requires any related party loans that are (i) non-interest bearing and in excess of $100,000 or (ii) interest bearing, irrespective of amount, must be approved by the Company’s board of directors. All issuances of securities by the Company must be approved by the board of directors, irrespective of whether the recipient is a related party.
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
The following section sets forth the names, ages, and current positions with the Company held by the executive officers, directors and significant employees together with the year such positions were assumed. There is no immediate family relationship between or among any of the executive officers or significant employees, and the Company is not aware of any arrangement or understanding between any executive officer and any other person pursuant to which he was elected to his or her current position, except in the case of Isabelle Ortiz-Cochet.
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| Riccardo Delle Coste | 43 | President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman | ||
| Lisa Roger | 56 | Chief Financial Officer | ||
| Steven Lang | 69 | Director | ||
| Arnold Tinter | 76 | Secretary and Director | ||
| Joseph M. Cugine | 61 | Director | ||
| Alexander H. Ware | 59 | Director | ||
| Isabelle Ortiz-Cochet | 60 | Director | ||
| Justin Borus | 45 | Director |
Riccardo Delle Coste has been the Chairman of our board of directors, President and Chief Executive Officer since January 10, 2012. He has also been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Barfresh Inc., a Nevada corporation and our wholly owned subsidiary (“Barfresh NV”), since its inception. Mr. Delle Coste is the inventor of the patented technology and the creator of Barfresh. Mr. Delle Coste developed a unique system using controlled pre-packaged portions to deliver a freshly made smoothie that is quick, cost efficient, healthy and with no waste. In building the business, he is responsible for securing new business and maintaining key client relationships. He is also responsible for the development of new product from testing to full-scale production, establishment of the manufacturing facilities that have all necessary accreditations, technology development, product improvement and research and development with new product launches. Mr. Delle Coste also has over five years of investment banking experience. Mr. Delle Coste attended Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia while studying for a Bachelor of Commerce for 3.5 years but left to pursue business interests before receiving a degree.
Lisa Roger was appointed on January 4, 2022 to serve as our Chief Financial Officer effective January 17, 2022. Ms. Roger previously served as the EVP Corporate Controller at FreshRealm, a fresh meals solution provider that partners with retailers, from May 2021 to December 2021. From March 2014 to May 2021, she held various positions with Fox Factory Inc., most recently as the Vice President, Accounting and Tax. Fox Factory Inc. is a designer, manufacturer and marketer of products and systems used primarily on bikes, side-by-sides, off-road vehicles and trucks, ATVs, snowmobiles, specialty vehicles and applications, motorcycles, and commercial trucks. Ms. Roger holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Business from University of California, Los Angeles and a Master of Business Administration degree from University of California, Los Angeles Anderson Graduate School of Management, and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of California (inactive status).
Steven Lang was appointed as Director of the Company on January 10, 2012. He has also served as Secretary of Barfresh NV since its inception. Prior to joining Barfresh NV, from 2003 to 2007, Mr. Lang was a director of Vericap Finance Limited, a company that specializes in providing advice to and investing in Australian companies with international growth potential. From 1990 to 1999, he served as a director of Babcock & Brown’s Australian operations where he was responsible for international structured finance transactions. Mr. Lang received a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales in 1976 and a Master of Laws from the University of Sydney in 1984. He has been a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and was licensed to practice foreign law in New York.
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Arnold Tinter was appointed as Director, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of the Company on January 10, 2012. Mr. Tinter resigned his position as Chief Financial Officer on May 18, 2015, and served temporarily as Principal Accounting Officer. Mr. Tinter founded Corporate Finance Group, Inc., a consulting firm located in Denver, Colorado, in 1992, and is its President. Corporate Finance Group, Inc., is involved in financial consulting in the areas of strategic planning, mergers and acquisitions and capital formation. He has been the chief financial officer and a director of other public companies In all of the companies his responsibilities included oversight of all accounting functions, including SEC reporting, strategic planning and capital formation. Since May 2015, he has served as chief financial officer of Bambu Franchising LLC, LLC, a privately held company that is a franchisor of Vietnamese-themed shoppes that serve drinks and desserts. Prior to 1990, Mr. Tinter was chief executive officer of Source Venture Capital, a holding company with investments in the gaming, printing and retail industries. Mr. Tinter received a B.S. degree in Accounting in 1967 from C.W. Post College, Long Island University, and is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in Colorado.
Joseph M. Cugine was appointed as Director of the Company on July 29, 2014, and served as president of our wholly owned subsidiary, Barfresh Corporation, Inc., from April 27, 2015, to July 13, 2021. Mr. Cugine is the owner and president of Cugine Foods and JC Restaurants, a franchisee of Taco Bell and Pizza Hut in New York. He is also president and owner of Restaurant Consulting Group LLC. Prior to owning and operating his own firms, Mr. Cugine held a series of leadership roles with PepsiCo, lastly as chief customer officer and senior vice president of PepsiCo’s Foodservice division. Mr. Cugine also serves on the board of directors of The Chef’s Warehouse, Inc., a publicly traded specialty food products distributor in the U.S., as well as Ridgefield Playhouse and R4 Technology. He received his B.S. degree from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.
Isabelle Ortiz-Cochet was appointed as director of the Company on December 16, 2016. She is the Chief Investment Officer for Unibel, parent company of Bel Group. Bel is an international France-based group, a world leader in branded cheese business and fruit pouches, with brands such as Laughing Cow, Mini-Babybel, Boursin or GoGo Squeez. In that position since January 2016, Ms. Ortiz-Cochet drives Unibel diversification strategy, and leads the investment portfolio development. She was previously VP Strategic Development at Bel Group Form September 2013 to December 2015. From 2007 to 2013, based out of Bel’s New York office, Ms. Ortiz-Cochet led the development of long term strategies in North and South America, as well as Marketing strategy in the region. Prior to that position, she held a number of leadership positions in marketing and global strategy at Bel out of the Paris office, at French, European and corporate levels. Isabelle began her career with Kimberly Clark in France. Isabelle earned a master’s degree from ESSEC Business School in France, and an executive MBA from HEC Business School, France.
Pursuant to the investor rights agreement between Barfresh and Unibel dated November 23, 2016, Unibel is entitled to appoint one director to the board of directors of Barfresh, which director is entitled to sit on each committee of the board of directors selected by Unibel, unless Unibel has beneficial ownership of less than: (i) 75.0% of its Shares; and (ii) 5.0% of the company’s issued and outstanding common stock. Unibel has designated Isabelle Ortiz-Cochet as its board designee. Barfresh has agreed to call shareholder meetings whenever necessary to ensure Unibel’s designee is elected as a director. At any time that Unibel’s designee is not a director, Unibel’s designee will be entitled to be a board observer. Riccardo Delle Coste, Steven Lang and their respective affiliates have agreed to vote their shares in favor of Unibel’s designee.
Alexander H. Ware was appointed as director of the company on July 13, 2016. Currently, Mr. Ware serves as advisor to Foodsby, Inc. from September 2018 to December 2021, Mr. Ware has served as President of Foodsby, Inc., a fast-growing meal ordering platform for office buildings. Previously, he served as Interim President, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Buffalo Wild Wings from October 2016 to 2018. From 2012 through 2016, Mr. Ware was Executive Chairman of MStar Holding Corporation (MicroStar), and had served as Interim Chief Executive Officer in 2013. Prior to MicroStar, he served as a Senior Advisor and previously as Executive Vice President of Strategic Development of Pohlad Companies, a family office, from 2010 to 2015. Starting in 1994, he served in increasing capacities at PepsiCo, then PepsiAmericas, Inc. culminating as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2005 to 2010. Previously, he was a Senior Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. from 1990 to 1994. Mr. Ware received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Hampden-Sydney College and his Master of Business Administration from the Darden Graduate School of Business at University of Virginia. In addition to Barfresh, Mr. Ware currently serves on the board of MStar Holding Corporation and on the advisory board of Stonearch Capital.
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Justin Borus was appointed as a Director of the Company on April 29, 2020. Mr. Borus has approximately 20 years of capital markets expertise. He has been the Chief Investment Officer of Ibex Investors, LLC, a firm focused on niche, differentiated strategies including microcap companies for over 10 years. Prior to joining Ibex, he worked in both the private equity and investment banking groups at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. in New York and London. Mr. Borus has served on the Board of Directors of several non-profits including the Anti-Defamation League and Colorado Public Radio.
Employment Agreements
On April 27, 2015, Smoothie, Inc. entered into an executive employment agreement with Riccardo Delle Coste, its Chief Executive Officer and director. Mr. Delle Coste is also the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Company. Pursuant to the employment agreement, he will receive a base salary of $350,000 and performance bonuses of 75% of his base salary based on mutually agreed upon performance targets. In addition, Mr. Delle Coste will receive up to an additional 19,231 options, on an annual basis. All options granted under the employment agreement are subject to the Company’s 2015 Equity Incentive Plan.
The Company entered into an executive employment agreement with Raffi Loussararian on July 29, 2019, to which he agreed to serve as Vice President, Finance. Pursuant to the employment agreement, Mr. Loussararian received a base salary of $175,000 and performance bonuses of 25% of his base salary, based upon performance targets determined by the Board of Directors. In addition, Mr. Loussararian was granted 3-year options to purchase up to 11,539 shares of common stock of Barfresh. The option grant was to vest ratably on each anniversary of the date of commencement of Mr. Loussararian’s employment. All options granted under the employment agreement are subject to the Company’s 2015 Equity Incentive Plan. Mr. Loussararian left the Company in January 2021, thereby terminating his options.
Code of Ethics
Our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer are bound by a Code of Ethics that complies with Item 406 of Regulation S-K of the Exchange Act.
Overview
The compensation committee sets the compensation of our executive officers. Our objectives with respect to compensation of our executive officers are to: (1) link executive compensation to our business strategy execution and performance; (2) offer compensation designed to attract, retain and reward key executive officers; and (3) offer salary, cash bonus and incentive compensation pay opportunities that are competitive in the marketplace, recognize achievement of our business strategy objectives, and align the long-term interests of executive officers with those of our stockholders. The primary objectives that we consider are market penetration of product, revenue growth, and analysis of our financial performance as compared to our internal plans and projected forecasts.
The material elements of our compensation program for our Named Executive Officers are annual cash compensation, annual incentive compensation and long-term incentive compensation. Our Named Executive Officers are eligible to participate in our health and welfare benefit plans generally available to our other employees.
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The following table summarizes all compensation for the fiscal years ending December 31, 2021 (“2021”) and December 31, 2020 (“2020”) received by our “Named Executive Officers”:
SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE
| Name and Principal Position | Year | Salary ($) | Option awards ($) | All other compensation ($) | Total ($) | |||||||||||||||
| Riccardo Delle Coste, | 2021 | 397,031 | (1) | 75,960 | (2) | 10,800 | (4) | 483,791 | ||||||||||||
| Chief Executive Officer | 2020 | 350,000 | (1) | 67,500 | (3) | 10,800 | (4) | 428,300 | ||||||||||||
| Raffi Loussararian, | 2020 | 175,000 | 24,000 | (6) | -0- | 199,000 | ||||||||||||||
| Vice President Finance(5) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| (1) | Of the salary earned in 2021, $397,031 was paid and none was deferred. In 2020, $213,648 was paid and $136,352 was deferred. |
| (2) | Represents a stock option grant of 19,233 option shares issued 4/27/21 with an exercise price of $5.72, which vests in equal increments on each of the first, second and third anniversaries of the grant date. |
| (3) | Represents a stock option grant of 19,231 option shares issued 4/27/2020 with an exercise price of $4.94, which vests in equal increments on each of the first, second and third anniversaries of the date of grant.
|
| (4) | Represents the car allowance paid to Mr. Delle Coste. |
| (5) | Mr. Loussararian served as Vice President Finance from July 29, 2019 to January 6, 2021. |
| (6) | Represents a stock option grant of 11,539 shares issued 1/06/2020 with an exercise price of $4.81, which vests 3 years after the date of grant (cliff vesting). |
OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR-END
| Option Awards | ||||||||||||||
| Name | Number of securities underlying unexercised options (#) exercisable | Number of securities underlying unexercised options (#) unexercisable | Option exercise price ($) | Option expiration date | ||||||||||
| Riccardo Delle Coste | 19,231 | (1) | 8.97 | 4/27/23 | ||||||||||
| 19,231 | (1) | 7.93 | 5/27/24 | |||||||||||
| 9,616 | (1) | 9.36 | 11/25/24 | |||||||||||
| 19,231 | (1) | 9.36 | 4/27/25 | |||||||||||
| 19,231 | (1) | 7.15 | 9/15/25 | |||||||||||
| 19,231 | (1) | 6.76 | 7/26/26 | |||||||||||
| 12,821 | (2) | 6,410 | (2) | 5.85 | 5/20/27 | |||||||||
| 6,410 | (2) | 12,821 | (2) | 4.94 | 4/25/28 | |||||||||
| - | 19,231 | (2) | 5.72 | 4/27/29 | ||||||||||
| (1) | Fully vested. |
| (2) | Vest ratably in equal increments on the first, second and third anniversary of the date of grant of the option. |
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The following table summarizes the compensation paid to our directors that were not employees for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. A director who is a Company employee does not receive any compensation for service as a director. The compensation received by directors that are employees of the Company is shown above in the summary compensation table. We reimburse all directors for expenses incurred in their capacity as directors.
| Name | Fees earned or paid in cash ($) | Stock awards ($) | Option awards ($) | Total ($) | ||||||||||||
| Arnold Tinter | 50,000 | -0- | -0- | 50,000 | ||||||||||||
| Steven Lang | 50,000 | -0- | -0- | 50,000 | ||||||||||||
| Isabelle Ortiz-Cochet | -0- | -0- | 50,000 | 50,000 | ||||||||||||
| Alex Ware | -0- | 50,000 | -0- | 50,000 | ||||||||||||
| Justin Borus | -0- | -0- | -0- | -0- | ||||||||||||
| Joseph Cugine | -0- | 25,000 | 25,000 | 50,000 | ||||||||||||
EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION
The following table provides information, as of December 31, 2021, with respect to equity securities authorized for issuance under our equity compensation plans:
| Plan Category | Number of Securities to be Issued Upon Exercise of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights | Weighted-Average Exercise Price of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights | Number of Securities Remaining Available for Future Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans (excluding securities reflected in Column | |||||||||
| Equity compensation plans approved by security holders | 602,151 | $ | 7.48 | 435,750 | ||||||||
| Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | - | $ | - | - | ||||||||
| TOTAL | 602,151 | $ | 7.48 | 435,750 | ||||||||
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The following table sets forth certain information regarding our shares of common stock beneficially owned as of July 1, 2022 for (i) each shareholder known to be the beneficial owner of 5% or more of our outstanding shares of common stock, (ii) each named executive officer and director, and (iii) all executive officers and directors as a group. A person is considered to beneficially own any shares: (i) over which such person, directly or indirectly, exercises sole or shared voting or investment power, or (ii) of which such person has the right to acquire beneficial ownership at any time within 60 days through an exercise of stock options or warrants or otherwise. Unless otherwise indicated, voting and investment power relating to the shares shown in the table for our directors and executive officers is exercised solely by the beneficial owner or shared by the owner and the owner’s spouse or children.
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For purposes of this table, a person or group of persons is deemed to have “beneficial ownership” of any shares of common stock that such person has the right to acquire within 60 days of July 1, 2022. As of July 1, 2022, the Company had [12,919,899] shares of common stock outstanding. For purposes of computing the percentage of outstanding shares of our common stock held by each person or group of persons named above, any shares that such person or persons has the right to acquire within 60 days of July 1, 2022 is deemed to be outstanding, but is not deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. The inclusion herein of any shares listed as beneficially owned does not constitute an admission of beneficial ownership.
| Common Stock | ||||||||
| Name and address of beneficial owner (1) | Amount and nature of beneficial ownership | Percent of class o/s | ||||||
| Riccardo Delle Coste (2) (3) (4) (5) | 1,755,710 | 13.4 | % | |||||
| Justin Borus (6) (7) (8) | 1,744,183 | 13.2 | % | |||||
| Steven Lang (9) (10) (11) (12) | 1,613,651 | 12.4 | % | |||||
| Joe Cugine (13) (14) (15) | 309,735 | 2.4 | % | |||||
| Arnold Tinter (16) | 61,540 | 0.5 | % | |||||
| Alexander Ware (17) (18) | 59,459 | 0.5 | % | |||||
| Isabelle Ortiz-Cochet 2 Allee De Longchamp Suresnes, France (19) (20) | 53,360 | 0.4 | % | |||||
| Lisa Roger (21) | — | — | ||||||
| All directors and officers as a group (8 persons) | 5,597,638 | 40.9 | % | |||||
| Unibel, 2 Allee De Longchamp Suresnes, France 92150 (22) | 1,630,148 | 12.5 | % | |||||
IBEX Investors LLC 260 N Josephine Street, Suite 300, Denver, CO 80206 (23) | 1,249,444 | 9.6 | % | |||||
Bleichroeder LP 1345 Avenue of the Americas, 47th Floor, New York, NY 10105 (24) | 725,287 | 5.6 | % | |||||
| Brian L Pessin; Sandra F Pessin 370 Lexington Ave, Suite 704, New York, NY 10017 | 711,235 | 5.5 | % | |||||
| 1 | The address of those listed, except as noted is c/o Barfresh Food Group Inc., 3600 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1720 Los Angeles CA 90010.
|
| 2 | Mr. Delle Coste is the Chief Executive Officer, President and a Director of the Company. |
| 3 | Includes 1,501,880 shares owned by R.D. Capital Holdings PTY Ltd. and of which Riccardo Delle Coste is deemed to be a beneficial owner. |
| 4 | Includes 144,426 shares issuable under exercisable options granted. |
| 5 | Includes 6,223 shares underlying warrants issued in connection with promissory notes the holder of which is Riccardo Delle Coste or R.D. Capital Holdings PTY Ltd. and of which Riccardo Delle Coste is deemed to be a beneficial owner and 56,280 shares underlying warrants issued in connection with deferred compensation. |
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| 6 | Mr. Borus is a Director of the Company. |
| 7 | Includes 1,110,982 shares owned by Ibex Microcap Fund LLLP, of which Justin Borus is the manager of the investment manager and general partner, respectively, and deemed to be a beneficial owner. |
| 8 | Includes 138,462 shares underlying warrants issued to Ibex Microcap Fund LLLP in connection with the purchase of common stock. |
| 9 | Mr. Lang is a Director of the Company. |
| 10 | Includes 1,471,323 shares owned by Sidra Pty Limited and 43,852 shares by Hodumo Pty Ltd of which Steven Lang is deemed to be a beneficial owner. |
| 11 | Includes 35,098 shares underlying options granted. |
| 12 | Includes 37,331 shares underlying warrants issued in connection with promissory notes the holder of which is Hodumo Pty Limited, of which Steven Lang is deemed to be a beneficial owner. |
| 13 | Mr. Cugine is a Director of the Company. |
| 14 | Includes 116,017 shares issuable under exercisable options granted. |
| 15 | Includes 27,944 shares underlying warrants issued in connection with purchase of common shares. |
| 16 | Mr. Tinter is the Secretary and a Director of the Company. |
| 17 | Mr. Ware is a Director of the Company. |
| 18 | Includes 57,959 shares owned by The Alexander Ware Revocable Trust of which Mr. Ware is deemed to be a beneficial owner. |
| 19 | Ms. Ortiz-Cochet is a Director of the Company |
| 20 | Includes 53,360 shares underlying options granted. |
| 21 | Ms. Roger is the Chief Financial Officer of the Company. |
| 22 | Includes 137,613 shares underlying warrants issued in connection with the conversion of a promissory note. |
| 23 | Includes 138,462 shares underlying warrants issued in connection with the purchase of common stock |
| 24 | Bleichroeder LP is deemed to be the beneficial owner of these shares as a result of acting as investment adviser to various clients. Clients of Bleichroeder have the right to receive and the ultimate power to direct the receipt of dividends from, or the proceeds of the sale of, such securities. |
SECTION 16(A) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) requires our directors and executive officers and beneficial holders of more than 10% of our common stock to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of our equity securities.
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To our knowledge, based solely upon a review of Forms 3 and 4 and amendments thereto furnished to Barfresh under 17 CFR 240.16a-3(e) during our most recent fiscal year and Forms 5 and amendments thereto furnished to Barfresh with respect to our most recent fiscal year or written representations from the reporting persons, we believe that during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 our directors, executive officers and persons who own more than 10% of our common stock complied with all Section 16(a) filing requirements with the exception of the following:
| ● | Riccardo Delle Coste, late filing of Form 4 | |
| ● | Joseph Cugine, late filing of Form 4 | |
| ● | Isabelle Ortiz-Cochet, late filing of Form 4 | |
| ● | Alexander H. Ware, late filing of Form 4 | |
| ● | Steve Lang, late filing of Form 4 | |
| ● | Unibel, late filing of Form 4 |
Each late filing reported one transaction unless otherwise indicated. None of our officers or directors submitted Form 5 filings.
PROPOSAL 2: RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF EIDE BAILLY LLP AS INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The audit committee has reappointed Eide Bailly LLP to audit our consolidated financial statements for fiscal 2022. Eide Bailly LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, has served as our independent auditor continuously since March 7, 2012. A representative from Eide Bailly LLP is not expected to be present at the annual meeting.
Although stockholder ratification of the appointment is not required by law, we desire to solicit such ratification as a matter of good corporate governance. If the appointment of Eide Bailly LLP is not approved by a majority of the shares cast at the annual meeting, the audit committee will consider the appointment of another independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal 2022.
Vote Required
Ratification of the independent registered public accounting firm requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast. For purposes of the vote on Proposal 2, abstentions and broker non-votes will not be counted as votes cast and thus will have no effect on the result of the vote although they will count towards the presence of a quorum for Proposal 2. Unless a stockholder indicates otherwise, each signed proxy will be voted FOR the ratification of the selection of Eide Bailly as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” RATIFICATION OF THE
APPOINTMENT OF EIDE BAILLY LLP AS OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC
ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2022.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Fee Information
Aggregate fees for professional services rendered to the Company by Eide Bailly LLP for the years ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 were as follows.
| 2021 | 2020 | |||||||
| Audit fees | $ | 81,000 | $ | 73,032 | ||||
| Audit related fees | - | - | ||||||
| Tax fees | 8,100 | 6,300 | ||||||
| All other fees | - | - | ||||||
| Total | $ | 89,100 | $ | 79,332 | ||||
As defined by the SEC, (i) “audit fees” are fees for professional services rendered by our principal accountant for the audit of our annual financial statements and review of financial statements included in our Form 10-K, or for services that are normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for those fiscal years; (ii) “audit-related fees” are fees for assurance and related services by our principal accountant that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under “audit fees;” (iii) “tax fees” are fees for professional services rendered by our principal accountant for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning; and (iv) “all other fees” are fees for products and services provided by our principal accountant, other than the services reported under “audit fees,” “audit-related fees,” and “tax fees.”
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Audit Fees. The aggregate fees billed for the years end December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 were for the audits of our financial statements and reviews of our interim financial statements included in our annual and quarterly reports.
Audit Related Fees. Eide Bailly LLP did not provide us with audit related services for the years ended December 31, 2021 or December 31, 2020, that are not reported under Audit Fees.
Tax Fees. The aggregate tax fees billed for the years end December 31, 2021 and 2020 related to the preparation of corporate income tax returns.
All Other Fees. Eide Bailly LLP did not provide us with professional services related to “Other Fees” for the years ended December 31, 2021 or December 31, 2020.
Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
Under the SEC’s rules, an audit committee is required to pre-approve the audit and non-audit services performed by the independent registered public accounting firm in order to ensure that they do not impair the auditors’ independence. The SEC’s rules specify the types of non-audit services that an independent auditor may not provide to its audit client and establish the audit committee’s responsibility for administration of the engagement of the independent registered public accounting firm. The Company has established an Audit Committee. Accordingly, audit services and non-audit services described hereinabove were pre-approved by an Audit Committee.
There were no hours expended on the principal accountant’s engagement to audit the registrant’s financial statements for the most recent fiscal year that were attributed to work performed by persons other than the principal accountant’s full-time, permanent employees.
PROPOSAL 3: SAY-ON-PAY: APPROVAL (ON AN ADVISORY BASIS)
OF THE COMPENSATION OF OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Under Section 14A of the Exchange Act, our stockholders are allowed to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of our Named Executive Officers in accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The proposal, commonly known as a “say on pay” proposal, gives our stockholders the opportunity to express their views on the company’s executive compensation. Because this is an advisory vote, this proposal is not binding upon the company or the compensation committee or the board of directors; however, the board of directors, which is responsible for designing and administering the company’s executive compensation program, values the opinions expressed by stockholders in their vote on this proposal. To the extent there is any significant vote against the compensation of our Named Executive Officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement, we will consider our stockholders’ concerns and the compensation committee and the board of directors will evaluate whether any actions are necessary to address these concerns.
In summary, our policies and programs for compensating our Named Executive Officers are designed to attract, retain, motivate and reward top quality personnel capable of driving our success. Pay that reflects performance and alignment of that pay with the interests of long-term stockholders are key principles that underlie the design of our compensation programs for our Named Executive Officers.
We are asking our stockholders to indicate their support for our Named Executive Officer compensation program as described in this Proxy Statement in accordance with the compensation disclosure rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission. This vote is not intended to address any specific item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of our Named Executive Officers and the philosophy, policies and practices described in this Proxy Statement. Accordingly, we ask our stockholders to vote “FOR” the following resolution at the Annual Meeting:
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“RESOLVED, that the compensation paid to the named executive officers, as disclosed pursuant to the compensation disclosure rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Executive Compensation, the compensation tables and the accompanying narrative discussion, is hereby APPROVED.”
Effects of the Advisory Vote
This vote is advisory and not binding on the company, the compensation committee or our board of directors in any way. The Compensation Committee and the board of directors will take into account the outcome of the vote, however, when making future executive compensation decisions
Vote Required
This is a non-binding advisory vote.
PROPOSAL 4: AMENDMENT OF THE CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED SHARES OF COMMON STOCK FROM 295,000,000 TO 23,000,000 AND THE NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED SHARES OF PREFERRED STOCK FROM 5,000,000 TO 400,000
The Board of Directors has approved and is requesting stockholder approval to amend the Certificate of Incorporation to decrease the number of authorized shares of Common Stock from 295,000,000 to 23,000,000 and the number of authorized shares of Preferred Stock from 5,000,000 to 400,000 (the “Authorized Share Decrease”). A copy of the proposed amendment is attached to this Proxy Statement as Exhibit A.
Reason for the Authorized Share Decrease
In December 2021, we implemented a 1-for 13 reverse stock split of our issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock (the “Reverse Stock Split”). As a matter of Delaware law, implementation of the Reverse Stock Split did not require a change in the total number of shares of Common Stock authorized under the Certificate of Incorporation. Because of the implementation of the Reverse Stock Split, the Board of Directors believes, based on current information, that we will need fewer authorized shares of Common Stock and Preferred Stock to meet our projected capital stock needs for capital-raising transactions, issuance of equity-based compensation and, to the extent opportunities may arise in the future, strategic transactions that may involve our issuance of stock-based consideration.
The proposed Authorized Share Decrease is also intended to conform to the requirements of certain entities that make recommendations to stockholders regarding proposals submitted by Barfresh and to ensure that Barfresh does not have, due to the implementation of the Reverse Stock Split, what some stockholders might view as an unreasonably high number of authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock and Preferred Stock. In the event that we need to increase our authorized shares of Common Stock and/or Preferred Stock in the future, we may, subject to stockholder approval, seek to amend the Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of Common Stock and/or Preferred Stock. In addition, the Board of Directors believes that the reduction in the number of authorized shares of Common Stock and Preferred Stock may also reduce certain of our costs, such as annual franchise taxes paid to the State of Delaware.
The Board of Directors believes that the Authorized Share Decrease will appropriately balance the needs for available shares for capital raising, strategic transactions, and equity incentive awards with the desire to avoid having an unreasonably high number of authorized shares. The Board of Directors believes that the size of the increase in available shares is appropriate to provide for our long-term needs and is in line with most similarly situated companies.
Effects of the Amendment
The Authorized Share Decrease (if it is approved by our stockholders at the Special Meeting) will not change any rights of any holder of Common Stock. Voting rights of the holders of the issued shares of Common Stock will remain the same.
The proposed amendment of the Certificate of Incorporation would decrease the total number of authorized shares of the Common Stock from 295,000,000 authorized shares of Common Stock to 23,000,000 authorized shares of Common Stock and the total number of authorized shares of the Preferred Stock from 5,000,000 authorized shares of Preferred Stock to 400,000 authorized shares of Preferred Stock.
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In implementing the Authorized Share Decrease, the Board of Directors intends to provide for an appropriate number of authorized shares of Common Stock and Preferred Stock available for future issuance. However, the proposed Authorized Share Decrease could have adverse effects. We will have less flexibility to issue shares of Common Stock and/or Preferred Stock, including in connection with a potential merger or acquisition, other strategic transaction or follow-on offering if the number of authorized shares of the Common Stock and Preferred Stock is reduced. In the event that our Board of Directors determines that it would be in the best interests of Barfresh and its stockholders to issue a number of shares of Common Stock and/or Preferred Stock in excess of the number of then authorized but unissued and unreserved shares, we would be required to seek the approval of our stockholders to increase the number of shares of authorized Common Stock and/or Preferred Stock. If we are not able to obtain the approval of our stockholders for such an increase in a timely fashion, we may be unable to take advantage of opportunities that might otherwise be advantageous to us and our stockholders with respect to capital raising, hiring of key executive officers, strategic transactions or other matters.
Interests of Directors and Executive Officers
Our directors and executive officers have no substantial interests, directly or indirectly, in the matters set forth in this proposal except to the extent of their ownership of shares of our Common Stock.
Vote Required
The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock entitled to vote on the matter either in person or by proxy is required to approve the Certificate of Amendment to effectuate the Authorized Share Decrease. Abstentions and broker non-votes (although no broker non-votes are expected to exist in connection with this Proposal since this is a routine matter for which brokers that vote at the Special Meeting may vote in their discretion if beneficial owners of our stock do not provide voting instructions to the brokers) will count as votes against the Authorized Share Decrease.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT STOCKHOLDERS VOTE “FOR” THE APPROVAL OF THE AUTHORIZED SHARE DECREASE PROPOSAL, AND PROXIES SOLICITED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS WILL BE VOTED IN FAVOR OF THE AMENDMENT UNLESS A STOCKHOLDER INDICATES OTHERWISE.
The SEC has adopted rules that permit companies and intermediaries (such as banks and brokers) to satisfy the delivery requirements for proxy statements and annual reports with respect to two or more stockholders sharing the same address by delivering a single proxy statement or Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials addressed to those stockholders. This practice, known as “householding”, is designed to reduce the volume of duplicate information and reduce printing and postage costs.
If you and others who share your mailing address own our common stock in street name, meaning through bank or brokerage accounts, you may have received a notice that your household will receive only one annual report and proxy statement or Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials from each company whose stock is held in such accounts. Unless you responded that you did not want to participate in householding, you were deemed to have consented to it and a single copy of our proxy statement and annual report or Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials has been sent to your address.
We will promptly deliver separate copies of our proxy statement and annual report at the request of any stockholder who is in a household that participates in the householding of our proxy materials. You may send your request by mail to Barfresh Food Group Inc., 3600 Wilshire Boulevard Suite 1720, Los Angeles, CA 90010, attention: Arnold Tinter, Secretary or by telephone at (310) 598-7113.
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STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS FOR 2023 ANNUAL MEETING
Stockholder proposals for inclusion in our proxy statement: If a stockholder wishes to present a proposal to be included in our proxy statement and form of proxy for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, the proponent and the proposal must comply with the proxy proposal submission rules of the SEC and namely, Securities Exchange Act Rule 14a-8. One of the requirements is that the proposal be received by our Secretary no later than March 8, 2023, which is 120 calendar days before July 6, 2023 - the anniversary date of this Proxy Statement was released to stockholders in connection with the 2022 Annual Meeting. If the date of next year’s annual meeting is changed by more than 30 days from the anniversary date of this year’s Annual Meeting on August 1, 2022, then the deadline is a reasonable time before we begin to print and mail proxy materials. Proposals we receive after that date will not be included in the proxy statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
Other stockholder proposals: A stockholder proposal not included in our proxy statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders will not be eligible for presentation at the meeting unless the stockholder gives timely notice of the proposal in writing to our Secretary at our principal executive offices and otherwise complies with the provisions of our bylaws. The bylaws provide that we must have received the stockholder’s notice no more than 120 days in advance of the one-year anniversary of the date of the previous year’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders. To be timely, a stockholder proposal not included in our proxy statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders must be received by our Secretary no later than April 3, 2023, provided, however, that if the date of the annual meeting is more than thirty (30) days before or sixty (60) days after such anniversary date, such notice will be timely only if so delivered or mailed and received no later than the later of one hundred twenty (120) days prior to the date of the meeting or ten (10) days after the first public announcement of the date of the annual meeting. Except to the extent otherwise required by law, the adjournment of a meeting of stockholders shall not commence a new time period for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as describe above. The presiding officer of the meeting may refuse to acknowledge any matter not made in compliance with the foregoing procedure and provisions of our bylaws.
We urge stockholders to submit all proposals by Certified Mail - Return Receipt Requested. Stockholder proposals should be sent to 3600 Wilshire Boulevard Suite 1720, Los Angeles, CA 90010, attention: Arnold Tinter, Secretary.
The current frequency of stockholder advisory vote on the compensation paid to our Named Executive Officers is every three years. The next stockholder advisory vote on the compensation paid to our Named Executive Officers and on how frequently we should seek approval from our stockholders, on an advisory basis, of the compensation paid to our Named Executive Officers will occur at the Company’s 2025 annual meeting.
OTHER MATTERS WHICH MAY BE PRESENTED FOR ACTION AT THE MEETING
The Board does not intend to present for action at this annual meeting any matter other than those specifically set forth in the Notice of Annual Meeting. If any other matter is properly presented for action at the annual meeting, it is the intention of persons named in the proxy to vote thereon in accordance with their judgment pursuant to the discretionary authority conferred by the proxy.
| By Order of the Board of Directors, | |
| /s/ Riccardo Delle Coste | |
| Riccardo Delle Coste | |
| Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | |
| July __, 2022 |
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Exhibit A
CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT
OF
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF
BARFRESH FOOD GROUP INC.
BARFRESH FOOD GROUP INC. (the “Corporation”), a corporation organized and existing under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, hereby certifies as follows:
FIRST: The Board of Directors of Barfresh Food Group Inc. duly adopted resolutions setting forth a proposed amendment of the Certificate of Incorporation of said corporation, declaring said amendment to be advisable and that the amendment be presented to the stockholders for consideration and approval. The resolution setting forth the proposed amendment is as follows:
RESOLVED, that the Certificate of Incorporation of this Corporation be amended by changing the Article thereof numbered “FOURTH” so that, as amended, said Article shall be and read as follows:
The total number of shares of stock that the Corporation shall have authority to issue is 23,400,000, consisting of 23,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.000001 per share (“Common Stock”) and 400,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.000001 per share (“Preferred Stock”).
The Preferred Stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series. The Board of Directors of the Corporation (the “Board of Directors”) is expressly authorized to provide for the issue of all or any of the remaining shares of the Preferred Stock in one or more series, and to fix the number of shares and to determine or alter, for each such series, such powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other rights and such qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, as shall be stated and expressed in the resolution or resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors providing for the issue of such series and as may be permitted by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware. The Board of Directors is also expressly authorized to increase or decrease (but not below the number of shares of such series then outstanding) the number of shares of any series subsequent to the issue of shares of that series. In case the number of shares of any such series shall be so decreased, the shares constituting such decrease shall resume the status which they had prior to the adoption of the resolution originally fixing the number of shares of such series.
SECOND: This amendment was duly adopted in accordance with the provisions of Section 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
THIRD: All other provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation shall remain in full force and effect.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this Certificate of Amendment to be signed by Arnold Tinter, its Corporate Secretary, this 1st day of August, 2022.
| Arnold Tinter, Corporate Secretary |
