DEF 14A: Definitive proxy statements
Published on March 22, 2007
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. )
Filed
by the Registrant x
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Filed
by a Party other than the Registrant o
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Check
the appropriate box:
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o
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Preliminary
Proxy Statement
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Confidential,
for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by
Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
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x
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Definitive
Proxy Statement
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o
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Definitive
Additional Materials
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o
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Soliciting
Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12
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Harris
& Harris Group, Inc.
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(Name
of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
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(Name
of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the
Registrant)
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Payment
of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
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x
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No
fee required.
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o
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Fee
computed on table below per Exchange Act
Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
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(1)
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Title
of each class of securities to which transaction
applies:
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(2)
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Aggregate
number of securities to which transaction applies:
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(3)
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Per
unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant
to
Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee
is calculated and state how it was determined):
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(4)
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Proposed
maximum aggregate value of transaction:
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(5)
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Total
fee paid:
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o
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Fee
paid previously with preliminary materials.
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o
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Check
box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act
Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting
fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration
statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its
filing.
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(1)
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Amount
Previously Paid:
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(2)
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Form,
Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
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(3)
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Filing
Party:
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(4)
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Date
Filed:
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HARRIS
& HARRIS GROUP, INC.
NOTICE
OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
TO
BE HELD MAY 3, 2007
To
the
Shareholders of Harris & Harris Group, Inc.:
NOTICE
IS
HEREBY GIVEN that the 2007 Annual Meeting of the Shareholders of Harris &
Harris Group, Inc. (the "Company") will be held on May 3, 2007, at 3:00 p.m.,
local time, at The Princeton Club of New York, 15 West 43rd Street (between
5th
and 6th Avenues), New York, New York 10036. This meeting has been called by
the
Board of Directors of the Company, and this notice is being issued at its
direction. It has called this meeting for the following purposes:
1.
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To
elect 12 directors of the Company to hold office until the next annual
meeting of shareholders or until their respective successors have
been
duly elected and qualified;
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2.
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To
ratify, confirm and approve the Audit Committee’s selection of
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the independent registered public accountant
for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2007;
and
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3.
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To
transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting
or
any postponement or adjournments
thereof.
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We
encourage you to contact us at 877-TINY–TECH, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST,
if you have any questions.
Holders
of record of the Company's common stock as of the close of business on March
13,
2007, will be entitled to vote at the meeting.
Whether
or not you expect to be present in person at the meeting, please sign and date
the accompanying proxy and return it promptly in the enclosed business reply
envelope, which requires no postage if mailed in the United States, so you
will
be represented at the Annual Meeting. Even if you vote your shares prior to
the
meeting, you still may attend the meeting and vote your shares in
person.
By
Order of the Board of Directors
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April 2, 2007 | /s/ Susan T. Harris | |
New York, New York |
Susan T. Harris |
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Secretary
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IMPORTANT:
PLEASE MAIL YOUR PROXY PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. THE MEETING DATE
IS
MAY 3, 2007.
Harris
& Harris Group, Inc.
111
West
57th
Street
New
York,
New York 10019
(212)
582-0900
PROXY
STATEMENT
FOR
ANNUAL
MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
TO
BE HELD ON MAY 3, 2007
General
Information
This
Proxy Statement is being furnished in connection with the solicitation of
proxies by the Board of Directors of Harris & Harris Group, Inc. (the
"Company," "us," "our," and "we"), for use at the 2007 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders (the "Annual Meeting"), to be held on May 3, 2007, and at any
postponements or adjournments thereof.
The
Annual Meeting will be held on Thursday, May 3, 2007, at 3:00 p.m., local time,
at The Princeton Club of New York, 15 West 43rd Street (between 5th and 6th
Avenues), New York, New York. At the Annual Meeting, our shareholders will
be
asked to elect 12 directors to serve on the Board of Directors of the Company
until the next annual meeting; or until their successors have been duly elected
and qualified, and to vote on the other matters stated in the accompanying
Notice and described in more detail in this Proxy Statement. If
any other matters properly come before the Annual Meeting, the persons named
on
the proxies will vote upon such matters at their
discretion.
The
enclosed proxy card, this Proxy Statement and the Company's Annual Report on
Form 10-K are being first transmitted on or about April 2, 2007, to our
shareholders.
The
Board
of Directors has fixed the close of business on March 13, 2007, as the record
date for the determination of our shareholders entitled to receive notice of,
and to vote at, the Annual Meeting. At the close of business on the record
date,
an aggregate of 21,341,029 shares of common stock were issued and outstanding.
Each such share will be entitled to one vote on each matter to be voted upon
at
the Annual Meeting. The presence, in person or by proxy, of the holders of
a
majority of such outstanding shares is necessary to constitute a quorum for
the
transaction of business at the Annual Meeting.
Purpose
1.
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To
elect 12 directors of the Company to hold office until the next annual
meeting of shareholders or until their respective successors have
been
duly elected and qualified ("Election of Directors
Proposal");
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2.
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To
ratify, confirm and approve the Audit Committee’s selection of
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the independent registered public accountant
for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2007 ("Ratification of Auditor
Proposal"); and
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3.
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To
transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting
or
any postponement or adjournments
thereof.
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1
Solicitation
and Revocation; Quorum Required; Vote Required
All
properly executed proxies received prior to the Annual Meeting will be voted
at
the meeting in accordance with the instructions marked thereon or otherwise
as
provided therein. Unless
instructions to the contrary are marked, including if no instructions are
provided, shares represented by the proxies will be voted "FOR" all the
proposals.
Any
proxy
given pursuant to this solicitation may be revoked by a shareholder at any
time,
before it is exercised, by written notification delivered to our Secretary,
by
voting in person at the Annual Meeting, or by executing another proxy bearing
a
later date. If your shares are held for your account by a broker, bank or other
institution or nominee, you may vote such shares at the Annual Meeting only
if
you obtain proper written authority, from your institution or nominee, that
you
present at the Annual Meeting.
Approval
of any of the matters submitted for stockholder approval requires that a quorum
be present. The presence, in person or by proxy, of at least a majority of
the
total number of outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote, is
necessary to constitute a quorum. Abstentions and broker non-votes will be
counted as shares present at the Annual Meeting for purposes of determining
the
existence of a quorum. Broker non-votes are proxies received by us from brokers
or nominees when the broker or nominee neither has received instructions from
the beneficial owner or other persons entitled to vote, nor has discretionary
power to vote on the particular matter.
If
a
quorum is present (in person or by proxy): (i) for the Election of Directors
Proposal, the Directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast (that
is, the 12 nominees who receive more affirmative votes than any other nominees
will be elected); and (ii) for the Ratification of Auditor Proposal, the
proposal will be approved if a majority of the votes cast are cast in favor.
All
other matters being submitted to shareholder vote pursuant to the Notice of
Annual Meeting will be approved if a quorum is present in person or by proxy
and
a majority of the votes cast on a particular matter are cast in favor of that
matter.
For
purposes of the Election of Directors Proposal, the Ratification of Auditor
Proposal and unspecified matters that come before the meeting, votes withheld
or
abstentions will not be counted as votes cast on the matter and will have no
affect on the result of the vote. A broker "non-vote" occurs when a broker
holding shares for a beneficial owner does not vote on a particular proposal
because the broker does not have discretionary voting power for that particular
item and has not received instructions from the beneficial owner. If your broker
holds your shares in its "street" name, the broker may vote your shares on
the
Election of Directors Proposal, the Ratification of Auditor Proposal and
unspecified matters that come before the meeting even if it does not receive
instructions from you.
2
Information
Regarding This Solicitation
Proxies
are being solicited by Innisfree M&A Incorporated, pursuant to its standard
contract as proxy solicitor, the cost of which will be borne by us and is
estimated to be approximately $7,500 plus out-of-pocket expenses. Proxies will
be solicited by telephone or by mail. All expenses of preparing, printing,
mailing and delivering proxies, and all materials used in the solicitation
of
proxies, will be borne by us. Proxies may also be solicited by officers and
regular employees of the Company personally, by telephone or otherwise, but
these persons will not be specifically compensated for such services. Banks,
brokers, nominees and other custodians and fiduciaries will be reimbursed for
their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in forwarding solicitation material
to
their principals, the beneficial owners of our common stock. It is estimated
that those costs will be nominal.
Principal
Shareholders and Ownership by Directors and Executive
Officers
Set
forth
below is information, as of March 13, 2007, with respect to the beneficial
ownership of our common stock by (i) each person who is known by us to be the
beneficial owner of more than five percent of the outstanding shares of the
common stock, (ii) each of our directors and (iii) all of our directors and
executive officers as a group. Except as otherwise indicated, to our knowledge,
all shares are beneficially owned and investment and voting power is held by
the
persons named as owners. None of the shares owned by directors or officers
have
been pledged. The information in the table below is from publicly available
information that may be as of dates earlier than March 13, 2007. At this time,
we are unaware of any shareholder owning five percent or more of the outstanding
shares of common stock other than Charles E. and Susan T. Harris. Unless
otherwise provided, the address of each holder is c/o Harris & Harris Group,
Inc., 111 West 57th
Street,
Suite 1100, New York, New York 10019.
3
Name
and Address of Beneficial Owner
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Amount
and Nature of Beneficial Ownership
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Percentage
of Outstanding Common Shares Owned
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Independent
Directors:
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W.
Dillaway Ayres, Jr.
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0
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*
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Dr.
C. Wayne Bardin
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26,112(1)
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*
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Dr.
Phillip A. Bauman
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26,153(2)
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*
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G.
Morgan Browne
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32,902
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*
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Dugald
A. Fletcher
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18,824
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*
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Mark
A. Parsells
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3,909(3)(4)
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*
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Charles
E. Ramsey
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31,018
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*
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James
E. Roberts
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20,426
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*
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Richard
P. Shanley
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0
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*
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Interested
Directors:
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Charles
E. and Susan T. Harris
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1,069,254(5)
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5.0
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Kelly
S. Kirkpatrick
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6,035
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*
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Lori
D. Pressman
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6,532
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*
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Executive
Officers:
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Alexei
A. Andreev
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2,556(6)
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*
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Mary
P. Brady
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0(7)
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*
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Patricia
N. Egan
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0(8)
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*
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Sandra
M. Forman
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1,849(9)
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*
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Douglas
W. Jamison
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10,511(10)
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*
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Daniel
V. Leff
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3,326(11)
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*
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Daniel
B. Wolfe
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1,219(12)
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*
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All
directors and executive officers as a
group (19 persons)
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1,260,626
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6.0
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*
Less
than 1%.
(1) |
Includes
5,441 shares owned by Bardin LLC for the Bardin LLC Profit-Sharing
Keogh.
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(2) |
Includes
5,637 shares owned by Ms. Milbry C. Polk, Dr. Bauman’s wife; 100 shares
owned by Adelaide Polk-Bauman, Dr. Bauman’s daughter; 100 shares owned by
Milbry Polk-Bauman, Dr. Bauman’s daughter; and 100 shares owned by Mary
Polk-Bauman, Dr. Bauman’s daughter. Ms. Milbry C. Polk is the custodian
for the accounts of the three
children.
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(3) |
All
shares are owned jointly with Mr. Parsells'
wife.
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(4) |
Mr.
Parsells will not stand for
re-election.
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(5) |
Includes
1,039,559 shares owned by Mrs. Harris, our Corporate Secretary, and
29,695
shares owned by Mr. Harris. Mr. Harris also has the right to exercise
221,330 fully vested options to purchase
shares.
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(6) |
Mr.
Andreev also has the right to exercise 130,316 fully vested options
to
purchase shares.
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(7) |
Ms.
Brady has the right to exercise 14,695 fully vested options to purchase
shares.
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(8) |
Ms.
Egan has the right to exercise 20,872 fully vested options to purchase
shares.
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(9) |
Includes
250 shares owned by Edward Forman, Ms. Forman’s husband, and 270 shares
owned jointly with Edward Forman. Ms. Forman also has the right to
exercise 69,543 fully vested options to purchase
shares.
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(10) |
Mr.
Jamison also has the right to exercise 86,006 fully vested options
to
purchase shares.
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(11) |
Includes
300 shares owned jointly with Elaine Leff, Mr. Leff’s wife. Mr. Leff also
has the right to exercise 127,846 fully vested options to purchase
shares.
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(12) |
Mr.
Wolfe also has the right to exercise 54,653 fully vested options
to
purchase shares.
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4
Set
forth
below is the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each
director and nominee as of March 13, 2007.
Name
of Director or Nominee
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Dollar
Range of Equity Securities
Beneficially
Owned (1)(2)(3)
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Independent
Directors
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W.
Dillaway Ayres, Jr.
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None
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Dr.
C. Wayne Bardin
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Over
$100,000
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Dr.
Phillip A Bauman
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Over
$100,000
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G.
Morgan Browne
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Over
$100,000
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Dugald
A. Fletcher
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Over
$100,000
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Mark
A. Parsells
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$10,001-$50,000
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Charles
E. Ramsey
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Over
$100,000
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James
E. Roberts
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Over
$100,000
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Richard
P. Shanley
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None
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Interested
Directors
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Charles
E. Harris (4)
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Over
$100,000
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Douglas
W. Jamison(4)
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Over
$100,000
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Kelly
S. Kirkpatrick (5)
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$50,001
- $100,000
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Lori
D. Pressman (5)
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$50,001
- $100,000
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(1) |
Beneficial
ownership has been determined in accordance with Rule 16a-1(a)(2)
of the
1934 Act.
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(2) |
The
dollar ranges are: none, $1-$10,000, $10,001-$50,000, $50,001-$100,000
and
over $100,000.
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(3) |
The
dollar ranges are based on the price of the equity securities as
of March
13, 2007.
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(4) |
Denotes
an individual who is an "interested person" as defined in the 1940
Act.
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(5) |
Denotes
an individual who may be considered an "interested person" because
of
consulting work performed for us.
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5
ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
(Proposal
No. 1)
The
12
nominees listed below have been nominated to serve as our directors until the
next annual meeting or until their respective successors are duly elected and
qualified. Other than Mr. Jamison, all nominees currently serve as directors.
Although it is not anticipated that any of the nominees will be unable or
unwilling to serve, in the unexpected event that any such nominees should become
unable or decline to serve, it is intended that votes will be cast for
substitute nominees designated by our present Board of Directors.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "FOR" ALL THE
NOMINEES.
Nominees
Certain
information, as of March 13, 2007, with respect to each of the 12 nominees
for
election at the Annual Meeting is set forth below, including their names, ages
and a brief description of their recent business experience, including present
occupations and employment, certain directorships held by each and the year
in
which each became a director of the Company. All the nominees have agreed to
serve if elected and consent to being referred to in this Proxy Statement.
The
nominees for election as directors of the Company have been divided into two
groups -- interested directors and independent directors. Interested directors
are "interested persons" as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the
"1940 Act") or persons who may be considered "interested persons" because of
consulting work done for us. Eleven
of
the 12 nominees are currently directors of the Company. We
do not
have an advisory board.
Interested
Directors
Charles
E. Harris.
Mr.
Harris, age 64, currently serves as our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and
as
a Managing Director. He has served as our Chief Executive Officer since July
1984 and as a Managing Director since January 2004. He has been a member of
our
Board of Directors and served as Chairman of the Board since April 1984. He
also
served as our Chief Compliance Officer from February 1997 to February 2001.
He
is Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of
Harris & Harris Enterprises, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.
His wife serves as our Corporate Secretary. He is a director of Mersana
Therapeutics, Inc., and of SiOnyx, Inc., privately held nanotechnology-enabled
companies in which we have investments. He was a member of the Advisory Panel
for the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment. Prior to joining us,
he
was Chairman of Wood, Struthers and Winthrop Management Corporation, the
investment advisory subsidiary of Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette. He is
currently a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts. He was, until
2004, a Trustee and head of the Audit Committee of Cold Spring Harbor
Laboratory, a not-for-profit institution that conducts research and education
programs in the biological sciences, and he is currently a member of its
President’s Council. He also serves as a Trustee and head of the Audit Committee
of the Nidus Center, a not-for-profit, life sciences, business incubator in
St.
Louis, Missouri. He is a life-sustaining fellow of MIT and a shareholder of
its
Entrepreneurship Center. He is an "interested person" as defined in
Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act, as a beneficial owner of more than five
percent of our common stock, as a control person and as one of our officers.
He
was graduated from Princeton University (A.B.) and from the Columbia University
Graduate School of Business (M.B.A.).
6
Douglas
W. Jamison.
Mr.
Jamison, age 37, has served as President, Chief Financial Officer and as Chief
Operating Officer since January 1, 2005, as Treasurer since March 2005, as
a Managing Director since January 2004 and as Vice President from September
2002
through December 2004. Since January 2005, he has been President and a Director
of Harris & Harris Enterprises, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of
Harris & Harris Group, Inc. Upon Mr. Harris's mandatory retirement,
scheduled for December 31, 2008, the Board of Directors has named Mr. Jamison
to
succeed Mr. Harris in Mr. Harris's positions as Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer. He was recommended to join our Board by Charles E. Harris. Mr. Jamison
is a director of Chlorogen, Inc., of Evolved Nanomaterial Sciences, Inc., of
NanoOpto Corporation and of Nextreme Thermal Solutions, Inc., privately held
nanotechnology-enabled companies in which we have an investment. He is
Co-Editor-in-Chief of "Nanotechnology Law & Business." He is Co-Chair
of the Advisory Board, Converging Technology Bar Association, a member of the
University of Pennsylvania Nano-Bio Interface Ethics Advisory Board, and a
member of the Advisory Board, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative
Nanotechnology Venture Forum. His professional societies include the Association
of University Technology Managers. From 1997 to 2002, he worked as a senior
technology manager at the University of Utah Technology Transfer Office, where
he managed intellectual property in physics, chemistry and the engineering
sciences. He was graduated from Dartmouth College (B.A.) and the University
of
Utah (M.S.).
Kelly
S. Kirkpatrick.
Dr.
Kirkpatrick, age 40, has served as a member of our Board of Directors since
March 2002. She has served as a consultant to us on nanotechnology and in our
due diligence work on certain prospective investments. She is an independent
business consultant. From 2000 to 2002, she served in the Office of the
Executive Vice Provost of Columbia University, as Director of the Columbia
University Nanotechnology Initiative and as Director for Research and Technology
Initiatives. From 1998 to 2000, she served in the White House Office of Science
and Technology Policy, as a Senior Policy Analyst involved in the National
Nanotechnology Initiative. From 1997 to 1998, she was a Science Policy
Coordinator for Sandia National Laboratories. From 1995 to 1996, she served
in
the office of Senator Joseph Lieberman as Legislative Assistant, Congressional
Science and Engineering Fellow. She was graduated from University of Richmond
(B.S., Chemistry with a business option) and Northwestern University (Ph.D.,
Materials Science and Engineering). She may be considered to be an "interested
person" of the Company because of the consulting work she does for
us.
Lori
D. Pressman.
Ms.
Pressman, age 49, has served as a member of our Board of Directors since March
2002. She has served as a consultant to us on tiny technology, intellectual
property and in our due diligence work on certain prospective investments.
She
also acts as an observer for us at Board meetings of certain portfolio companies
in the Boston area. She is a business consultant providing advisory services
to
start-ups and venture capital companies. She consults internationally on
technology transfer practices and metrics for non-profit and government
organizations. From 1999 to 2001, she was Chair of the Survey Statistics and
Metrics Committee of the Association of University Technology Managers. From
September 1989 to July 2000, she was employed by MIT in its Technology Licensing
Office; she served as a Technology Licensing Officer from 1989 to 1995 and
as
Assistant Director of the Technology Licensing Office from 1996 to 2000. She
was
graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (S.B., Physics) and
the
Columbia School of Engineering (MSEE). She may be considered to be an
"interested person" of the Company because of the consulting work she does
for
us.
7
Independent
Directors
W.
Dillaway Ayres, Jr. Mr.
Ayres, age 56, has served as a member of our Board of Directors since November
2006. He was recommended to join our Board by Mr. G. Morgan Browne, a Director.
He has served as the Chief Operating Officer of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory,
a
research and educational institution in the biological sciences, since November
of 2000. Prior to joining Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in 1998, Mr. Ayres
had a
20-year business career during which he worked as corporate executive,
investment banker and entrepreneur. In 1996, he co-founded Business & Trade
Network, Inc., a business-to-business, venture capital-backed Internet company.
Prior to that he worked for five years as a Managing Director of Veronis, Suhler
& Associates, a boutique investment banking firm in New York specializing in
the media/communications industry. At Veronis, Suhler, he focused on investing
the firm’s private equity fund. He was graduated from Princeton University
(A.B., English) and from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business
(M.B.A., Finance).
Dr.
C. Wayne Bardin.
Dr.
Bardin, age 72, has served as a member of our Board of Directors since December
1994. Since 1996, he has served as the President of Bardin LLC, a consulting
firm to pharmaceutical companies. From 1998 to 2003, he served as President
of
Thyreos Corp., a privately held, start-up pharmaceutical company. From 1978
through 1996, he was Vice President of The Population Council. His professional
appointments have included: Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Division of
Endocrinology, The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center of Pennsylvania State
University, and Senior Investigator, Endocrinology Branch, National Cancer
Institute. He has also served as a consultant to several pharmaceutical
companies. He has been appointed to the editorial boards of 15 journals. He
has
also served on national and international committees and boards for the National
Institutes of Health, World Health Organization, The Ford Foundation and
numerous scientific societies. He was graduated from Rice University (B.A.),
Baylor University (M.S., M.D.) and he received a Doctor Honoris Causa from
the
University of Caen, from the University of Paris and from the University of
Helsinki.
Dr.
Phillip A. Bauman.
Dr.
Bauman, age 51, has served as a member of our Board of Directors since February
1998. Since 1999, he has been Senior Attending of Orthopedic Surgery at St.
Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital Center in Manhattan and since 2000, he has served as
an elected member of the Executive Committee of the Medical Board of St.
Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital. Since 2005, he has been on the Board of Managers
for
the Hudson Crossing Surgery Center. Since 1997, he has been Assistant Professor
of Orthopedic Surgery at Columbia University. Since 1994, he has been a Vice
President of Orthopedic Associates of New York. He is an active member of the
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Orthopaedic Society
for
Sports Medicine, the New York State Society of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the
American Medical Association. He was graduated from Harvard College (A.B.),
Harvard University (A.M., Biology) and the College of Physicians and Surgeons
at
Columbia University (M.D).
8
G.
Morgan Browne.
Mr.
Browne, age 72, has served as a member of our Board of Directors since June
1992. Since 2004, he has been President and since 2000, a Trustee of Planting
Fields Foundation, an historic estate arboretum. From 2001 to 2003, he served
as
Chief Financial Officer of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a not-for-profit
institution that conducts research and education programs in the biological
sciences. From 1985 to 2000, he was the Administrative Director of Cold Spring
Harbor Laboratory. In prior years, he was active in the management of numerous
scientifically based companies as an officer, as an individual consultant and
as
an associate of Laurent Oppenheim Associates, Industrial Management Consultants.
He is a Director of OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly held company
principally engaged in drug discovery based on gene transcription. He was a
founding director of the New York Biotechnology Association. He was graduated
from Yale University (B.A.).
Dugald
A. Fletcher.
Mr.
Fletcher, age 77, was appointed Lead Independent Director on November 2, 2006.
Since 1996, he has served as a member of our Board of Directors. Since 1984,
he
has served as President of Fletcher & Company, Inc., a management
consulting firm. Until the end of 1997, he was Chairman of Binnings Building
Products Company, Inc. His previous business appointments include: adviser
to
Gabelli/Rosenthal LP, a leveraged buyout fund; Chairman of Keller Industries,
building and consumer products; Senior Vice President of Booz-Allen &
Hamilton; President of Booz-Allen Acquisition Services; Executive Vice President
of Paine Webber Jackson & Curtis and a Director of Paine Webber, Inc.; and
President of Baker Weeks and Co., Inc., a New York Stock Exchange member firm.
He is currently a Trustee of the Gabelli Growth Fund and a Director of the
Gabelli Convertible and Income Securities Fund, Inc. He was graduated from
Harvard College (A.B.) and Harvard Business School (M.B.A.).
Charles
E. Ramsey.
Mr.
Ramsey, age 64, has served as a member of our Board of Directors since October
2002. Since 1997, he has been a consultant. He is a retired founder and
principal of Ramsey/Beirne Associates, Inc., an executive search firm that
specialized in recruiting top officers for high technology companies, many
of
which were backed by venture capital. He is Chairman of Bridges to Community,
a
non-governmental organization dedicated to construction projects in Nicaragua.
He was graduated from Wittenberg University (B.A.).
James
E. Roberts.
Mr.
Roberts, age 61, has served as a member of our Board of Directors since June
1995. Since January 2006, he has been President of AequiCap Insurance Company.
Mr. Roberts is also a senior officer of various other AequiCap affiliated
entities. From November 2002 to October 2005, he was Executive Vice President
and Chief Underwriting Officer of the Reinsurance Division of Alea North America
Company and Senior Vice President of Alea North America Insurance Company.
From
October 1999 to November 2002, he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
of
the Insurance Corporation of New York, Dakota Specialty Insurance Company,
and
Recor Insurance Company Inc., all members of the Trenwick Group, Ltd. From
October 1999 to March 2000, he served as Vice Chairman of Chartwell Reinsurance
Company and from March 2000 to November 2002, he was the company's Chairman
and
CEO. He was graduated from Cornell University (A.B.).
9
Richard
P. Shanley.
Mr.
Shanley, age 60, joined our Board on March 12, 2007. He was recommended to
join
our Board by Charles E. Harris. From February 2001 to December 31, 2006, he
was
a partner of Deloitte & Touche LLP. From March 1976 to January 2001, he was
employed by Eisner LLP and was a partner from 1982 until 2001. During his over
30 years of public accounting experience, he served as lead audit partner on
numerous audit engagements for public and private companies and companies making
public stock offerings, including those requiring application of Sarbanes-Oxley
Section 404. He served as lead audit partner primarily for biotech,
pharmaceutical and high-tech companies, including companies enabled by
nanotechnology. He has been actively involved on the Biotech Council of New
Jersey, the New Jersey Technology Council, the New York Biotechnology
Association, the Connecticut Venture Group, the Biotechnology Industry
Organization and the NanoBusiness Alliance. He is an active member of the New
York State Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute
of
Certified Public Accountants. He is currently serving his third term on the
New
York State Society of CPA's Professional Ethics Committee. He is a licensed
Certified Public Accountant in New Jersey and New York. He was graduated from
Fordham University (B.S.) and Long Island University (M.B.A. in
Accounting).
Board
of Directors and Committees
In
2006,
there were five meetings of the Board of Directors of the Company, and the
full
Board acted five times by unanimous written consent. During 2006, no director
attended fewer than 75 percent of the total Board of Directors' meetings and
applicable committee meetings on which each director served.
Our
policy is that at least a portion of our directors are encouraged to attend
annual meetings of shareholders. In 2006, all of the directors attended the
annual meeting.
Shareholders
and other interested parties may contact the Board, Dugald A. Fletcher, our
Lead
Independent Director, or any member of the Board by mail. To communicate with
the Board, the Lead Independent Director or any member of the Board,
correspondence should be addressed to the Board or the Board members with whom
you wish to communicate, by either name or title. All such correspondence should
be sent c/o Harris & Harris Group, Inc., 111 West 57th Street, Suite 1100,
New York, New York 10019. Such correspondence will be forwarded to the
appropriate board member or members after screening to eliminate marketing
and
junk mail.
The
Company's Board of Directors currently has six committees comprised of the
following members, all
of whom except Mr. Harris are independent under the rules of the Nasdaq Global
Market and "not interested" directors for the purposes of the 1940
Act:
10
Board
Committees
Executive
|
Audit
|
Compensation
|
||
Charles
E. Harris (1)
|
Dugald
A. Fletcher (1)
|
James
E. Roberts (1)
|
||
Dr.
C. Wayne Bardin
|
W.
Dillaway Ayres
|
Dr.
Phillip A. Bauman
|
||
G.
Morgan Browne
|
G.
Morgan Browne
|
Dugald
A. Fletcher
|
||
Charles
E. Ramsey
|
James
E. Roberts
|
Charles
E. Ramsey
|
||
Richard
P. Shanley
|
Nominating
|
Valuation
|
Independent
Directors
|
||
Dr.
C. Wayne Bardin (1)
|
G.
Morgan Browne (1)
|
Dugald
A. Fletcher
(1)
|
||
W.
Dillaway Ayres
|
W.
Dillaway Ayres
|
W.
Dillaway Ayres
|
||
Dr.
Phillip A. Bauman
|
Dr.
C. Wayne Bardin
|
Dr.
C. Wayne Bardin
|
||
Richard
P. Shanley
|
Dr.
Phillip A. Bauman
|
Dr.
Phillip A. Bauman
|
||
Dugald
A. Fletcher
|
G.
Morgan Browne
|
|||
Charles
E. Ramsey
|
Charles
E. Ramsey
|
|||
James
E. Roberts
|
James
E. Roberts
|
|||
Richard
P. Shanley
|
Richard
P. Shanley
|
(1) |
Denotes
the Chairman of the Committee.
|
Executive
Committee
The
Executive Committee may meet from time to time between regular meetings of
the
Board of Directors and may exercise the authority of the Board to the extent
provided by law. The Executive Committee did not meet as a separate committee
and did not act by unanimous written consent in 2006.
Audit
Committee
The
Audit
Committee (i) oversees all material aspects of our accounting and financial
reporting processes, internal control and audit functions, (ii) monitors the
independence and performance of our independent registered public accountants,
(iii) provides a means for open communication among our independent registered
public accountants, financial and senior management and the Board and (iv)
oversees compliance by us with legal and regulatory requirements.
The
Audit
Committee operates pursuant to a written charter approved by our Board of
Directors. A current copy of the Audit Committee Charter of the Company is
available on our website (http://www.tinytechvc.com/newsite/PDFs/Audit.pdf).
The
Audit Committee Charter sets out the responsibilities, authority and duties
of
the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee met five times and did not act by
unanimous written consent in 2006.
Compensation
Committee
The
Compensation Committee of the Board (the "Committee") annually reviews and
approves corporate goals and objectives relevant to total compensation -- that
is, changes in base salary and equity incentive plan compensation—of the Chief
Executive Officer and other executive officers, evaluates their performance
against these goals and objectives, and, based on its evaluation, sets their
total compensation. The Committee is composed entirely of Independent Directors,
as defined in the 1940 Act and under the NASDAQ listing standards. The members
of the Committee at the end of the 2006 fiscal year were James E. Roberts
(Chairman), Dugald A. Fletcher, Charles E. Ramsey and Dr. Phillip A. Bauman.
The
Compensation Committee also authorizes grants under the Company's Equity
Incentive Plan within the framework established by the Board and annually
reviews benefits for all employees. The details of the processes and procedures
involved in the establishment of executive compensation and benefits are
described in the Compensation Discussion & Analysis ("CD&A") beginning
on page 19. The Compensation Committee met seven times and did not act by
unanimous written consent in 2006.
11
The
Company’s full Board ultimately makes the final decisions regarding the Chief
Compliance Officer’s compensation as required by Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act
and also approves grants under the Equity Incentive Plan made by the
Compensation Committee.
The
Compensation Committee Charter is available on the Company’s website
(http://www.tinytechvc.com/newsite/PDFs/Compensation.pdf).
Role
of Compensation Consultants.
In
2006, the Compensation Committee engaged Johnson Associates to advise it on
relevant executive pay and related issues. Mr. Roberts, the Chairman of our
Compensation Committee, Ms. Forman, in her role as Director of Human Resources,
and Mr. Harris, our Chief Executive Officer, provided information to Johnson
Associates regarding the role of each employee, our perceived competition and
our Compensation Committee’s goals with respect to compensation in general, and
specifically the granting of long-term and short-term equity incentives. During
2006, Johnson Associates assisted by:
· |
Reviewing
provisions of the Harris & Harris Group, Inc. Equity Incentive Plan,
which was presented to shareholders for approval in 2006;
|
· |
Reviewing
the Company’s competitive market data with respect to private venture
capital firms, public companies with similar market capitalizations
and
compliance professionals;
|
· |
Providing
recommendations for the option awards granted to employees in 2006;
and
|
· |
Reviewing
the CD&A.
|
There
were no Compensation Committee interlocks or insider participation on the
Committee in 2006.
12
COMPENSATION
COMMITTEE REPORT ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Our
Compensation Committee presents the following report:
The
Committee has reviewed and discussed the CD&A with management and has
recommended that the CD&A be included in this Proxy Statement.
Respectfully,
Members
of the Compensation Committee
James
E.
Roberts (Chairman)
Dugald
A.
Fletcher
Charles
E. Ramsey
Phillip
A. Bauman
Nominating
Committee
The
Nominating Committee acts as an advisory committee to the Board by identifying
individuals qualified to serve on the Board as directors and on committees
of
the Board, and to recommend that the Board select the Board nominees for the
next annual meeting of shareholders. The Nominating Committee met three times
and acted once by unanimous written consent in 2006.
The
Nominating Committee will consider director candidates recommended by
shareholders. In considering candidates submitted by shareholders, the
Nominating Committee will take into consideration the needs of the Board and
the
qualifications of the candidate. The Nominating Committee may also take into
consideration the number of shares held by the recommending shareholder and
the
length of time that such shares have been held. To have a candidate considered
by the Nominating Committee, a shareholder must submit the recommendation in
writing and must include:
· |
The
name of the shareholder and evidence of the person's ownership of
shares
of the Company, including the number of shares owned and the length
of
time of ownership;
|
· |
The
name of the candidate, the candidate's resume or a listing of his
or her
qualifications to be a director of the Company and the person's consent
to
be named as a director if selected by the Nominating Committee and
nominated by the Board; and
|
· |
If
requested by the Nominating committee, a completed and signed director's
questionnaire.
|
13
The
shareholder recommendation and information described above must be sent to
the
Company's Corporate Secretary, c/o Harris & Harris Group, Inc., 111 West
57th Street, Suite 1100, New York, New York 10019, and must be received by
the
Corporate Secretary not less than 120 days prior to the anniversary date of
the
Company's most recent annual meeting of shareholders or, if the meeting has
moved by more than 30 days, a reasonable amount of time before the meeting.
The
Nominating Committee believes that the minimum qualifications for serving as
a
director of the Company are that a nominee demonstrate, by significant
accomplishment in his or her field, an ability to make a meaningful contribution
to the Board's oversight of the business and affairs of the Company and have
a
reputation for honest and ethical conduct. In addition, the Nominating Committee
examines a candidate's specific experience and skills, time availability in
light of other commitments, potential conflicts of interest and independence
from management and the Company. The Nominating Committee also seeks to have
the
Board represent a diversity of experience. We do not pay any third party a
fee
to assist in the process of identifying and evaluating candidates. The
Nominating Committee evaluates all candidates for the Board based on the above
qualifications, regardless of whether the candidate was nominated by an officer,
Board member or shareholder.
The
Nominating Committee operates pursuant to a written charter approved by our
Board of Directors. The Nominating Committee Charter sets out the
responsibilities, authority and duties of the Nominating Committee. The
Nominating Committee Charter is available on our website
(http://www.tinytechvc.com/newsite/PDFs/Nominating.pdf).
Valuation
Committee
The
Valuation Committee has the full power and authority of the Board in reviewing
and approving the valuation of our securities for reporting purposes, pursuant
to our Valuation Procedures that were established and approved by the Board
of
Directors. The Valuation Committee met four times and did not act by unanimous
written consent in 2006.
Independent
Directors Committee
The
Independent Directors Committee has the responsibility of proposing corporate
governance and long-term planning matters to the Board of Directors, overseeing
compliance and making the required determinations pursuant to the 1940 Act.
All
of the Independent Directors are members of the Committee. The Independent
Directors Committee met four times and did not act by unanimous written consent
in 2006.
14
Audit
Committee Report
Our
Audit
Committee presents the following report:
The
Audit
Committee of the Company has performed the following functions: (i) the Audit
Committee reviewed and discussed the audited financial statements of the Company
with management, (ii) the Audit Committee discussed with the independent
auditors the matters required to be discussed by the Statements on Auditing
Standards No. 61, as amended, as adopted by the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board in Rule 3200T, (iii) the Audit Committee received the written
disclosures and the letter from the independent auditors required by ISB
Standard No. 1, as amended, as adopted by the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board in Rule 3600T and has discussed with the auditors the auditors'
independence, and (iv) the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors
of the Company that the audited financial statements be included in the
Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the past fiscal year.
Respectfully,
Members
of the Audit Committee
Dugald
A.
Fletcher (Chairman)
W.
Dillaway Ayres
G.
Morgan
Browne
James
E.
Roberts
Independent
Registered Public Accounting Firm
PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP ("PwC") has been selected as our independent registered public accounting
firm by our Audit Committee and ratified by a majority of our Board, including
a
majority of the Independent Directors by vote cast in person, to audit the
accounts of the Company for and during the Company's fiscal year ending December
31, 2007, subject to shareholder ratification. We do not know of any direct
or
indirect financial interest of PwC in the Company.
Representatives
of PwC will not attend the Annual Meeting in person but will be available to
respond to appropriate questions by telephone.
Audit
Committee's Pre-Approval Policies
Since
March 2003, the Audit Committee of the Company has pre-approved all audit and
non-audit services provided by PwC to us. The Audit Committee's Pre-Approval
Policies and Procedures provide that the Audit Committee (or the Chairman
pursuant to delegated authority) must pre-approve all auditing services and
permitted non-audit services and that all such requests to provide services
must
be submitted to the Audit Committee or the Chairman, as the case may be, by
both
the independent auditor and the Chief Financial Officer.
15
Audit
Fees
The
aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by PwC, in connection
with its annual audit of the Company's consolidated financial statements, and
reviews of the consolidated financial statements included in the Company's
quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006,
were approximately $334,000; and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005,
including $45,324 for the review of documents and matters associated with our
2005 public offering, were approximately $227,867.
Audit
Related Fees
There
were no fees billed for audit-related fees for the fiscal year ended December
31, 2006, or December 31, 2005.
Tax
Fees
The
aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by PwC for tax services
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, were approximately $32,500; and
for
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2005, they were approximately $18,000. The
nature of the services was tax return preparation.
All
Other Fees
There
were no fees for professional services rendered by PwC, other than the fees
described above, during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2005 and December
31, 2006, except that in 2006, the Company licensed from PwC, an accounting
research tool for $1,626.
The
Audit
Committee has determined that the provision of non-audit services that were
provided during 2006 is compatible with maintaining PwC's independence in
performing audit services for the Company.
Executive
Officers
Our
executive officers who are not nominees for directors are set forth below.
Information relating to our executive officers who are nominees for directors
is
set forth under "Election of Directors - Nominees." Our executive officers
are
elected to serve until they resign or are removed, or are otherwise disqualified
to serve, or until their successors are elected and qualified.
Daniel
V. Leff.
Mr.
Leff, age 38, has served as an Executive Vice President and a Managing Director
since January 2004. From 2001 to 2003, he was a Senior Associate with Sevin
Rosen Funds at the firm’s Dallas, Texas, office, where he focused on early-stage
investment opportunities in semiconductors, optical components and various
emerging technology areas. From 2000 to 2001, he worked for Redpoint Ventures
in
the firm’s Los Angeles office. In addition, from 1997 to 2000, he held
engineering, marketing and strategic investment positions with Intel
Corporation. He is a director of Nanomix, Inc., of CSwitch, Inc., of
Innovalight, Inc., and of Adesto Technologies, Inc., privately held
nanotechnology-enabled companies in which we have an investment. He received
his
Ph.D. degree in Physical Chemistry from UCLA’s Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, where his thesis advisor was Professor James R. Heath, recipient
of the 2000 Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology. He also received a B.S. in
Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.B.A. from The
Anderson School at UCLA, where he was an Anderson Venture Fellow. He has
published several articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has been
awarded two patents in the field of Nanotechnology.
16
Alexei
A. Andreev.
Mr.
Andreev, age 34, has served as an Executive Vice President and as a Managing
Director since March 2005. From 2002 to March 2005, he was an Associate with
Draper Fisher Jurvetson, a venture capital firm. In 2001, he was a Summer
Associate with TLcom Capital Partners, a London-based venture capital fund
backed by Morgan Stanley. From 1997 to 2000, he was an Associate at Renaissance
Capital Group/Sputnik Funds, a venture capital fund in Moscow, Russia.
Previously, he was a researcher at the Centre of Nanotechnology, Isan, in
Troitsk, Russia. He is a director of D-Wave Systems, Inc., and of Xradia, Inc.,
privately-held nanotechnology-enabled companies in which we have an investment.
He is a director of the American Business Association of Russian Expatriates.
He
was graduated with a B.S. with honors in Engineering/Material Sciences, with
a
Ph.D. in Solid State Physics from Moscow Steel and Alloys Institute and with
an
M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Sandra
Matrick Forman, Esq.
Ms.
Forman, age 41, has served as General Counsel, as Chief Compliance Officer
and
as Director of Human Resources since August 2004. From 2001 to 2004, she was
an
Associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, in the
Investment Management Group. From May to August 2000, she was a summer associate
with Latham & Watkins LLP in its London office. From August to December
2000, she served as an intern in the office of the General Counsel, United
States Department of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense. From June
to
August 1999, she served as an intern for the Honorable Ronald S. Lew, United
States Federal District Court, Central District of California. She was graduated
from New York University (B.A.), where her honors included National Journalism
Honor Society, and from the University of California Los Angeles (J.D.), where
her honors included Order of the Coif and membership on the Law Review. She
is
currently a member of the working group for the National Venture Capital
Association model documents.
Daniel
B. Wolfe.
Mr.
Wolfe, age 30, has served as a Vice President since July 2004. Since January
2007, he has served as Principal. From January 2006 to January 2007, he was
a
Senior Associate. He is a director of Evolved Nanomaterial Sciences, Inc.,
a
privately held nanotechnology-enabled company in which we have an investment.
Prior to joining us, he served as a consultant to Nanosys, Inc. (from 2002
to
2004), to CW Group (from 2001 to 2004) and to Bioscale, Inc. (from January
2004
to June 2004). From February 2000 to January 2002, he was the Co-founder and
President of Scientific Venture Assessments, Inc., a provider of scientific
analysis of prospective investments for venture capital placements and of
scientific expertise to high-technology companies. He was graduated from Rice
University (B.A., Chemistry),
where his honors included the Zevi and Bertha Salsburg Memorial Award in
Chemistry and the Presidential Honor Roll, and from Harvard University (A.M.,
Ph.D., Chemistry), where he was an NSF Predoctoral Fellow.
17
Patricia
N. Egan.
Ms.
Egan, age 32, has served as Chief Accounting Officer, as Vice President and
as
Senior Controller since June 2005. From June 2005 to December 2005 and since
August 2006, she served as Assistant Secretary. She also serves as Chief
Accounting Officer, as Treasurer and as Secretary of Harris & Harris
Enterprises, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. From 1996 to 2005,
she served as a Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in its financial services
group. She was graduated from Georgetown University (B.S., Accounting), where
her honors included the Othmar F. Winkler Award for Excellence in Community
Service. She is a Certified Public Accountant.
Mary
P. Brady. Ms.
Brady, age 45, has served as Vice President, as Controller and as Assistant
Secretary since November 2005. From 2003 through 2005, she served as a senior
accountant at Clarendon Insurance Company in its program accounting group.
She
served from 2000 to 2003 as a senior associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
in
its financial services group. She was graduated Summa Cum Laude from Lehman
College (B.S., Accounting). She is a Certified Public Accountant.
Susan
T. Harris. Ms.
Harris, age 62, has served as our Secretary since July 2001. From July 1999
to
July 2003, she was employed by Harris & Harris Enterprises, Inc., our
wholly owned subsidiary, working primarily in financial public relations. From
July 2001 to July 2003, she served as Secretary and Treasurer of Harris &
Harris Enterprises, Inc. Since 1972, she has been an investor relations
consultant, operating as a sole proprietor prior to 1999, and again from July
2003 to the present. She was graduated from Wellesley College (B.A., Economics).
Ms. Harris’s husband serves as the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and as
a Managing Director of the Company.
18
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
COMPENSATION
DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS
Overview
This
Compensation Discussion & Analysis ("CD&A") describes the material
elements of compensation awarded to, earned by, or paid to our principal
executive officer, principal financial officer and the three most highly paid
executive officers (other than the principal executive officer and the principal
financial officer) serving as such at the end of 2006 (the "named executive
officers"). This compensation discussion focuses on the information contained
in
the following tables and related footnotes and the narrative for primarily
the
last completed fiscal year, but we also describe compensation actions taken
before or after the last completed fiscal year to the extent it enhances the
understanding of our executive compensation disclosure. Pursuant to our
Compensation Committee's written charter, our Compensation Committee (the
"Committee") oversees the design and administration of our executive
compensation program.
Compensation
Program Objectives and Philosophy
In
General. The
objectives of the Company's compensation program are to:
· |
attract,
motivate and retain employees by providing market-competitive compensation
while preserving company resources;
|
· |
maintain
our leadership position as a venture capital firm specializing in
tiny
technology; and
|
· |
align
management's interests with shareholders' interests.
|
To
achieve the above objectives, the Committee has designed a total compensation
program for our executive officers and all 10 of our full-time employees that
is
composed of a base salary and equity awards in the form of stock options. The
Committee believes that the equity component of compensation is a crucial
component of our compensation package. Stock options are utilized for both
short-term and long-term incentive. Both short-term (one to three years) and
long-term (greater than three years) vesting stock options are utilized to
make
the Company's compensation program more competitive, particularly with
compensation programs of private partnerships that, unlike the Company, are
able
to award carried interests taxable as long-term gains and to permit
co-investments in deals. Such private partnerships also are more able to pay
cash bonuses because they do not have the expenses associated with being
publicly traded. Options with short-term vesting are utilized so that each
executive officer can potentially increase their ownership in Company stock
before the scheduled retirement of our Chief Executive Officer, Charles E.
Harris, in December 2008. Short-term vesting periods also have the potential
of
generating cash for the company, through the exercise of options that can be
used for making venture capital investments and for working capital. In order
to
conserve cash, we generally do not pay cash bonuses. Because we are regulated
by
the 1940 Act, we are not permitted to offer awards of restricted stock without
an exemptive order from the
Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), for which we have applied as
described in the subsection, "Regulatory Considerations." If we obtain such
exemptive order, the Committee plans to award shares of restricted stock, to
add
competitiveness to our compensation program.
19
Competitive
Market.
For our
investment team members, the competition for retention and recruitment is
primarily private venture capital firms, hedge funds and, to a lesser extent,
investment banking firms. For our legal and accounting professionals, in
addition to the foregoing, the competition is other public companies without
regard to industry, asset management companies and law and accounting firms.
The
Company does not have a readily identifiable peer group, because most business
development companies are not traditional early-stage venture capital companies,
and most other early-stage venture capital companies are not publicly traded.
Thus, we do not emphasize the use of peer comparison groups in the design of
our
compensation program. We do utilize compensation comparables, on an individual
basis, to the extent that they seem appropriately analogous, as provided to
us
by an independent compensation consultant, as one factor in determining
compensation.
Compensation
Process. On
an
annual basis, the Committee reviews and approves each element of compensation
for each of our executive officers, taking into consideration the recommendation
of our Chief Executive Officer (for compensation other than his own, which
is
subject to his employment agreement as discussed below) in the context of the
Committee's compensation philosophy, to ensure that the total compensation
program and the weight of each of its elements meets the overall objectives
discussed above. For the Chief Compliance Officer, the Committee recommends
her
compensation to the full Board, for approval by at least a majority of the
non-interested directors (as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act).
In
2006,
an independent compensation consultant, Johnson & Associates, supplied the
Committee market data on key leadership positions. The information provided
for
2006-2007 was for private equity firms with a comparable asset size to the
Company's and for public companies with comparable market capitalizations.
Data
was also provided for 1940 Act compliance personnel. The Committee considers
recommendations from the Chief Executive Officer regarding salaries, along
with
factors such as individual performance, current and potential impact on Company
performance, reputation, skills and experience. When determining compensation,
the Committee considers the importance of retaining certain key officers whose
replacement would be challenging owing to the Company's status as a 1940 Act
company and owing to its tiny technology specialty. The Committee also considers
individual performance and the highly specialized nature of certain positions
in
determining overall compensation.
When
addressing executive compensation matters, the Committee generally meets outside
the presence of all executive officers except our Chief Executive Officer and
our General Counsel, both of whom leave the meeting when his/her compensation
is
reviewed. In 2006, the Committee met with our Chief Executive Officer and other
management in connection with the implementation of the Harris & Harris
Group, Inc. 2006 Equity Incentive Plan (the "Stock Plan"). It also met in
executive session with its consultant, but without management, to evaluate
management's input.
20
Regulatory
Considerations.
The 1940
Act permits business development companies to either pay out up to 20 percent
of
net income after taxes through the implementation of a profit sharing plan
or
issue up to 20 percent of shares issued and outstanding through implementation
of a stock option plan. The exercise price of stock options may not be less
than
the current market value at the date of issuance of the options.
We
have
applied for exemptive relief from the SEC permitting us to issue restricted
stock pursuant to the Stock Plan, to permit the exercise price of the options
to
be adjusted to reflect any taxes paid by us on behalf of shareholders when
we
designate deemed dividends of our long-term gains, to permit non-employee
directors to participate in the Stock Plan and to be able to include certain
former employees in the Stock Plan who were grandfathered participants in our
profit-sharing plan before it was terminated, or alternatively to be able to
pay
the former employees amounts, if any, that would have been owed if the profit
sharing plan had not been terminated. Until such time as we receive such
exemptive relief, we will not issue any shares of restricted stock, the exercise
price on options will not be adjusted to reflect any taxes paid on behalf of
shareholders, and former employees and our non-employee directors will not
participate in the Stock Plan.
The
Company has been informed that the SEC has commenced its review of the exemptive
application, but as of the date hereof, we have not received any formal written
comments and accordingly cannot evaluate whether or when an order regarding
our
application or an amended application modifying the relief requested may be
granted.
We
have
also designed our Stock Plan with the intention that awards made thereunder
generally will qualify as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m)
of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, but we reserve the right to pay amounts
thereunder that do not qualify as such performance-based compensation if we
determine such payments to be appropriate in light of our compensation
objectives from time to time.
COMPENSATION
COMPONENTS
The
principal elements of our executive compensation program are base salary, equity
and other benefits and perquisites. The Committee believes that each element
is
essential to achieve the Company's objectives as set forth above. The Committee
is mindful of keeping cash compensation expenses at as low a level of total
operating expenses as is consistent with maintaining the Company's
competitiveness. Therefore, the equity component of compensation is key to
keeping overall compensation competitive while making prudent use of the
Company's resources.
Base
Salaries. We
recognize the need to pay our named executive officers, and other employees,
a
competitive annual base salary. We
review
base salaries for our named executive officers annually. In 2006, the Committee
compared salary ranges for all executive officers against survey data for
private equity firms, asset managers and other public companies, as provided
by
its independent compensation consultant. Base salaries are generally adjusted
annually for inflation and also based on changes in the marketplace and an
executive’s individual performance, salary position among peers and career
growth potential. The salary of our Chief Executive Officer is set by our
Committee, but in accordance with his employment agreement as described
below.
21
Effective
January 1, 2006, the base salary of Mr. Harris, our Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer, was increased from $246,651, the amount due to him for 2006 pursuant
to
his employment agreement, to $300,000 (thereby also increasing his SERP
benefit), in part in recognition of a 74 percent decrease in Mr. Harris’s profit
sharing allocation in recent years in order to provide additional profit sharing
to other employees. This salary increase for Mr. Harris was the first, other
than cost of living adjustments, since 1994. Mr. Harris's base salary for 2007
was increased to $306,187 based on a cost of living adjustment.
Effective
January 1, 2006, the base salary of Sandra M. Forman, our General Counsel,
Chief
Compliance Officer and Director of Human Resources, was increased from $175,000
in 2005 to $215,000 in 2006, based on recognition of her performance and on
an
increase in responsibilities. Effective January 1, 2007, Ms. Forman's base
salary was increased to $267,403 to remain market competitive for her services
and to put her base salary on parity with our Managing Directors.
All
other
named executive officers received cost of living adjustments in 2006 and
2007.
Equity
Incentive Awards.
In
General.
Commencing in 2006, we provide the opportunity for our named executive officers
and other employees to earn long-term and short-term equity incentive awards.
Equity incentive awards in the form of options potentially generate cash for
the
Company that can be used for portfolio company investments and for working
capital. The long-term equity incentive awards provide employees with the
incentive to stay with us for longer periods of time, which in turn provides
us
with greater stability. Short-term equity incentive awards help to motivate
employees in the short term, as we generally do not pay annual cash bonuses.
Short-term equity incentive awards also permit each executive officer to
increase his/her ownership in Company stock, pursuant to minimum share ownership
guidelines established by our Board, effective in advance of the scheduled
retirement of our Chief Executive Officer, Charles E. Harris, in December 2008.
The
Committee believes that strategically timed awards of restricted stock are
also
important to ensuring the retention, stability and desired succession of
executive talent, but the Company is not permitted to grant awards of restricted
stock unless the Company receives an exemptive order from the SEC to do
so.
On July
11, 2006, we filed an application with the SEC to obtain such exemptive relief
(as described above).
Change
from Profit Sharing to Equity Incentive Awards in 2006. Prior
to
the adoption of the Stock Plan, we operated the Amended and Restated Harris
& Harris Group, Inc. Employee Profit-Sharing Plan (the "2002 Plan"), which
provided for profit sharing by its officers and employees up to a maximum of
20
percent of the Company's net income after taxes. Effective May 4, 2006, the
2002
Plan was terminated.
22
Under
the
2002 Plan, awards previously granted to four individuals who were participants
at that time (Charles Harris, Mel Melsheimer, Helene Shavin and Jacqueline
Matthews, herein referred to as the "grandfathered participants") were reduced
by 10 percent with respect to "Non-Tiny Technology Investments" (as defined
in
the 2002 Plan) and by 25 percent with respect to "Tiny Technology Investments"
(as defined in the 2002 Plan), and these reduced awards became permanent. We
refer to these reduced awards as "grandfathered participations." Grandfathered
participations covered only investments made prior to the time the 2002 Plan
was
adopted and did not affect awards related to any investments made after that
date. The amount by which the awards of the grandfathered participants were
reduced were allocable and reallocable each year by the Compensation Committee
among current and new participants as awards under the 2002 Plan. The
grandfathered participations were to be honored by us whether or not the
grandfathered participant was still employed by us or was still alive (in the
event of death, the grandfathered participations were to be paid to the
grandfathered participant’s estate), unless the grandfathered participant was
dismissed for cause, in which case all future awards, including the
grandfathered participations, would have been immediately cancelled and
forfeited.
With
regard to new investments and follow-on investments made after January 1, 2003,
both current and new participants were required to be employed by us at the
end
of a plan year in order to participate in profit-sharing on our investments
with
respect to that year.
Subject
to receiving exemptive relief from the SEC, the Company may permit certain
former officers of the Company to be participants in the Stock Plan.
Alternatively, the SEC may provide relief which would permit us to pay out
the
remainder, if any, of the former officers' grandfathered participations under
the terminated 2002 Plan.
When
the
Company chooses to retain its net realized long-term capital gains for
reinvestment for growth and declares a deemed dividend, rather than distribute
such gains as a cash dividend, the taxes paid by the Company on behalf of
shareholders (who receive a tax credit for such taxes) reduce the amount of
profit against which the profit sharing payable to employees is calculated.
The
practical effect of deducting the taxes paid on behalf of shareholders in
conjunction with deemed dividends from "net income after taxes" in any fiscal
year is to reduce the maximum payment under profit-sharing plans governed by
Section 57(n)(1)(B) of the 1940 Act to less than 13 percent (20 percent of
65 percent before adjustment for state and local taxes) of our net income
before these taxes. Moreover, profit-sharing payments in the form of cash reduce
the Company's reinvestment rate, and therefore its potential rate of growth,
whereas the exercise of stock options would increase the Company's cash and
therefore its potential rate of growth. For example, in 2005, we accrued
$2,107,858 for profit-sharing expense, and in 2006, after implementing our
present Stock Plan, the Company received $2,615,190 in cash from the exercise
of
employee stock options. Based on all the foregoing reasons, the Committee
determined, effective 2006, to replace the historical profit-sharing plan and
to
implement the Stock Plan in its place.
Awards
Under the Stock Plan.
Our
employees have been selected and trained to support our focus on investment
in
tiny technology companies and our specialized regulation and administration
as a
business development company. Our tiny technology focus requires highly
specialized scientific knowledge. There are relatively few individuals who
have
both such scientific knowledge and venture capital experience. Additionally,
our
business development company structure requires specialized management,
administrative, legal and financial knowledge of our specific regulatory regime.
Because there are very few business development companies, it would be difficult
to find replacements for certain executive, legal and financial positions.
23
In
accordance with the Stock Plan, which was approved by shareholders at the 2006
Annual Meeting of Shareholders, the Committee can issue options from time to
time for up to 20 percent of the total shares of stock issued and outstanding.
Thus, the number of shares of stock able to be reserved for the grant of awards
under the Stock Plan will automatically increase (or decrease) with each
increase (or decrease) in the number of shares of stock issued and outstanding.
The Board intends to increase the number of shares reserved for stock option
grants (currently 4,151,269) from time to time as the number of outstanding
shares increases. The Committee intends to grant awards under the Stock Plan
to
the full extent permitted at the time of each grant (subject to retaining an
amount for future hires) in order to compete with private equity firms by
retaining the specially qualified and trained personnel that have been carefully
recruited and developed for the Company’s specialized business. Because our
primary competitors are organized as private partnerships, they do not have
the
overhead of a publicly traded company. As a consequence, unlike the Company,
they can afford for cash compensation to be a larger percentage of their total
expenses. Unlike us, they are not prohibited from paying out at least 20 percent
of their profits to key employees, primarily in the form of long-term capital
gains. They also, unlike us, are permitted to grant their employees
co-investment rights.
Under
the
Stock Plan, no more than 25 percent of the shares of stock reserved for the
grant of the awards under the Stock Plan may be restricted stock awards at
any
time during the term of the Stock Plan. If any shares of restricted stock are
awarded, such awards will reduce on a percentage basis the total number of
shares of stock for which options may be awarded. If we do not receive exemptive
relief from the SEC to issue restricted stock, all shares granted under the
Stock Plan may be subject to stock options. If we do receive such exemptive
relief and issue 25 percent of the shares of stock reserved for grant under
the
Stock Plan as restricted stock, no more than 75 percent of the shares granted
under the Stock Plan may be subject to stock options. No more than 1,000,000
shares of our common stock may be made subject to awards under the Stock Plan
to
any individual in any year.
On
June
26, 2006, the Committee approved individual stock option awards for certain
officers and employees of the Company. Both non-qualified stock options
("NQSOs") and incentive stock options ("ISOs"), subject to the limitations
of
Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code, were awarded under the Stock Plan.
The
terms and conditions of the stock options granted were determined by the
Compensation Committee and set forth in award agreements between the Company
and
each award recipient. A total of 3,958,283 stock options were granted with
vesting dates ranging from December 2006 to June 2014 with an exercise price
of
$10.11. Upon exercise, the shares will be issued from our previously authorized
shares. The full Board of Directors ratified and approved the grants on August
3, 2006, on which date the Company's common stock price fluctuated between
$9.76
and $10.00.
24
The
number of options per employee and the vesting and expiration dates were
originally proposed by the independent consultant after conversations with
management and the Chairman of the Committee. The numbers were further revised
based on input from the Chief Executive Officer (with respect to options other
than his own) and were further revised based on discussions between the
Committee and the independent consultant. All awards granted to executive
officers vest subject to continued employment with the Company through each
applicable vesting date. All stock option awards to officers will be subject
to
stock retention guidelines.
New
grants will be planned in advance of, and in anticipation of, the expiration
of
prior grants. However, the Committee may consider equity-based compensation
at a
time other than such expirations if circumstances warrant. Overall compensation
and salaries are considered annually at the last Board meeting of each calendar
year, typically in November. The Committee may also make occasional grants
during the year associated with promotions and hiring. Pursuant to the 1940
Act,
the exercise price per share of stock purchasable under an option may not be
less than the market price per share of our stock on the Nasdaq Global Market
on
the date of any option grant. We do not time stock option grants to executives
in coordination with the release of material non-public information.
Option
grants in 2006 were not subject to performance goals. Other than stock options
being tied to stock price, no other items of corporate performance were taken
into account at the time of grant, because of the difficulty of determining
annual performance metrics. We do not report earnings per share; moreover,
write-downs and write-offs of investments are an expected part of our
risk-seeking strategy, and it is not uncommon for even our most successful
investments to take years to come to fruition. The Committee may create
performance goals for the vesting of restricted stock (subject to receipt of
an
exemptive order). If performance goals are used in the future, the Board will
have the authority to make equitable adjustments to the performance goals in
recognition of unusual or non-recurring events affecting the Company or the
financial statements of the Company, in response to changes in applicable laws
or regulations or to account for items of gain, loss or expense determined
to be
extraordinary or unusual in nature or infrequent in occurrence or related to
the
disposal of a segment of a business or related to a change in accounting
principles.
Generally,
the Committee is made aware of the tax and accounting treatment of various
compensation alternatives. SFAS 123(R) requires us to record the fair value
of
equity awards on the date of grant as a component of equity. Compensation
expense related to the grant of options will increase our total operating
expenses and net operating loss, and this increase to expenses is expected
to be
offset by the increase to our additional paid-in capital. Thus, the granting
of
options is expected to have no net impact on our net asset value. If and when
the options are exercised, the net asset value per share will be decreased
if
the net asset value per share at the time of exercise is higher than the
exercise price, and increased if the net asset value per share at the time
of
exercise is lower than the exercise price. As a result, although we consider
the
accounting treatment of granting options, we do not consider the accounting
treatment to be the dominant factor in the form and/or design of awards. We
account for the Stock Plan in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 123(R),
"Share-Based Payment," which requires that we determine the fair value of all
share-based payments to employees, including the fair value of grants of
employee stock options, and record these amounts as an expense in the Statement
of Operations over the vesting period with a corresponding increase to our
additional paid-in capital. The increase to our operating expenses is offset
by
the increase to our additional paid-in capital, resulting in no net impact
to
our net asset value.
25
Additionally,
we do not record the tax benefits associated with the expensing of stock
options, because we intend to qualify as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code
and, as such, we cannot use all of our existing operating expenses for tax
purposes.
We
have
established a policy of permitting our officers and directors to enter into
trading plans to sell shares of our common stock in accordance with Rule 10b5-1
of the Securities Act of 1934. The policy allows our participating officers
and
directors to adopt a pre-arranged stock trading plan to buy or sell
pre-determined amounts of our common stock over a period of time. This policy
was established in recognition of the liquidity and diversification objectives
of our officers and directors, including the desire of certain of our officers
and directors to sell certain shares of our common stock (such as shares of
our
common stock they acquire upon exercise of stock options, to pay for the
exercise of options, to provide for taxes triggered by the exercise of options
and in some cases, to generate cash for the exercise of options).
In
making
compensation decisions, the Committee understands the potential deductibility
of
proposed compensation arrangements for the Company’s executive officers. The
Committee may elect to approve non-deductible compensation arrangements if
it
believes that such arrangements are in the best interests of the Company and
its
stockholders. Our status as a regulated investment company under Subchapter
M of
the Code makes the deductibility of our compensation arrangements a less
important factor for the Committee to consider as compared with operating
companies. Under Subchapter M, the Company cannot deduct operating expenses
from
its long-term capital gains, which are its most significant form of income.
The
Company presently already has more operating expenses than it can deduct for
tax
purposes, even before equity compensation.
Benefits
and Perquisites. We
provide the opportunity for our named executive officers and other full-time
employees to receive certain perquisites and general health and welfare
benefits, which consist of life and health insurance benefits, reimbursement
for
certain medical expenses and gym membership fees. We also offer participation
in
our defined contribution 401(k) plan. For the year ended December 31, 2006,
the
Committee approved 401(k) plan match of 100 percent of employee contributions.
Except as provided in our employment agreement with Mr. Harris, our executive
officers generally receive the same benefits and perquisites as our full-time
administrative employees.
26
COMPENSATION
OF OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
The
Committee reviews all elements of the compensation of Charles E. Harris, our
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, on an annual basis and then makes a
determination about his compensation in executive session, subject to his
employment agreement.
Pursuant
to that agreement, as most recently amended as of October 14, 2004 (the
"Employment Agreement"), during the period of employment, Mr. Harris is to
receive compensation in the form of base salary, with automatic yearly
adjustments to reflect inflation, which amounted to $246,651 for 2006. In
addition, the Board may increase such salary, and subsequently decrease it,
but
not below the level provided for by the automatic adjustments described above.
Mr. Harris's base salary for 2006 was increased to $300,000 (thereby also
increasing his SERP benefit as described below) in part in recognition of a
74
percent decrease in Mr. Harris's profit sharing allocation in recent years
in
order to provide additional profit sharing to other employees. This was the
first salary increase for Mr. Harris, other than cost of living adjustments,
since 1994. Mr. Harris's base salary for 2007 was increased to $306,187, based
on a cost of living adjustment.
In
2006,
the Committee granted to Mr. Harris the following stock options:
Year
of Vesting
|
||||||||
Expiration
Date of Options
|
2006
|
2007
|
2008
|
|||||
10
Yr NQSO (vest 33% on 12/26/06, 33% vest on 6/26/07, and 33% on 6/26/08)
|
6/26/2016
|
230,000
|
230,000
|
230,000
|
||||
10
Yr ISO (vest 33% on 12/26/06, 33% vest on 6/26/07, and 33% on 6/26/08)
|
6/26/2016
|
9,891
|
9,891
|
9,891
|
||||
|
||||||||
NQSO-
1 Yr
|
||||||||
100%
vested on 12/26/06
|
6/26/2007
|
200,327
|
||||||
|
|
|||||||
NQSO
2 Yr
|
|
|||||||
50%
vest on 6/26/07
|
6/26/2008
|
20,000
|
|
|||||
50%
vest on 12/26/07
|
6/26/2008
|
20,000
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
||||||
NQSO
- 3 Yr
|
|
|||||||
33%
vest on 6/26/07
|
6/26/2009
|
13,334
|
|
|||||
33%
vest on 6/26/08
|
6/26/2009
|
13,333
|
||||||
33%
vest on 12/26/08
|
6/26/2009
|
13,333
|
27
The
amount of options granted to Mr. Harris was based, in part, in reference to
his
previous profit-sharing plan distribution relative to other employees. He was
granted fewer short-term vesting options than other executive officers, because
of his scheduled retirement in December 2008. His longer-term vesting options
were based on creating long-term incentives for Mr. Harris with respect to
investment decisions despite his scheduled retirement.
Mr.
Harris is entitled to participate in all compensation or employee benefit plans
or programs, and to receive all benefits, perquisites, and emoluments for which
salaried employees are eligible. Under the Employment Agreement, we furnish
Mr.
Harris with certain perquisites, which include a company car, membership in
certain clubs and up to a $5,000 annual reimbursement for personal financial
or
tax advice.
The
Employment Agreement also provides Mr. Harris with life insurance for the
benefit of his designated beneficiaries in the amount of $2,000,000; provides
reimbursement for uninsured medical expenses, not to exceed $10,000 per annum,
adjusted for inflation, over the period of the agreement; provides Mr. Harris
and his spouse with long-term care insurance; and provides Mr. Harris with
disability insurance in an annual amount of 100 percent of his base salary
at
the time of disability. These benefits are for the term of the Employment
Agreement. The Employment Agreement provides that the term of Mr. Harris's
employment may not be extended beyond December 31, 2008, unless a committee
of
the Board consisting of non-interested Directors extends the date by one year
pursuant to the Executive Mandatory Retirement Benefit Plan, and Mr. Harris
agrees to serve beyond December 31, 2008.
Mr.
Harris's Employment Agreement also provides for a supplemental executive
retirement plan (the "SERP") for his benefit. See more information about the
SERP under the section "2006 Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation"
below.
The
Committee determined that the Employment Agreement, the severance compensation
agreement and the awards made to Mr. Harris in 2006 pursuant to the Stock Plan
are appropriate based on the unique qualifications and skills required for
the
Chief Executive Officer position in our Company. Our Chief Executive Officer
must have expertise in managing a public company, managing a business
development company and managing a venture capital company. He must also have
knowledge of tiny technology, particularly nanotechnology, have stature within
both the nanotechnology community and the venture capital community and have
contacts within the investment banking community.
SHARE
OWNERSHIP GUIDELINES
In
2006,
our Board of Directors established a retained stock ownership policy for our
officers and directors. Pursuant to the policy, each executive officer is
expected to own at least 25 percent of the net shares (after sales of stock
to
cover the purchase price and taxes triggered by the exercise of options) that
he
or she purchases in a calendar year through the exercise of options covering
up
to $75,000 of underlying stock based on current market value on the day of
each
transaction. Each executive officer must then retain at least 50 percent of
the
net shares (after sales of stock to cover the purchase price and taxes triggered
by the exercise of options) above $75,000 until his or her purchases reach
the
following share ownership levels:
Ownership
Level
|
||||
CEO
|
$
|
6,000,000
|
||
Managing
Directors
|
$
|
1,500,000
|
||
Other
Deal Team Members (including General Counsel)
|
$
|
1,000,000
|
||
Other
Officers
|
1
X Base Salary
|
28
After
reaching the above ownership levels, each executive officer is expected to
retain 25 percent of the net shares (after sales of stock to cover the purchase
price and taxes triggered by the exercise of options) that he or she purchases
in any calendar year through the exercise of options. The policy aligns the
interests of our officers and directors with the interests of shareholders.
Our
Chief Executive Officer currently exceeds the guidelines. Other executive
officers are working toward the ownership levels as stock options are
exercised.
RELATED
PARTY TRANSACTIONS
In
the
ordinary course of business, the Company enters into transactions with portfolio
companies that may be considered related party transactions. Other than these
transactions, for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, there were no
transactions, or proposed transactions, in which the registrant was or is a
participant in which any related person had or will have a direct or indirect
material interest.
In
order
to ensure that the Company does not engage in any prohibited transactions with
any persons affiliated with the Company, the Company has implemented procedures,
which are set forth in the Company’s Rule 38a-1 Compliance Manual. Our Audit
Committee must review in advance any "related party" transaction, or series
of
similar transactions, to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries was or
is
to be a party, in which the amount involved exceeds $120,000 and in which such
related party had, or will have, a direct or indirect material interest. The
Board of Directors reviews these procedures on an annual basis.
In
addition, the Company’s Code of Conduct for Directors and Employees ("Code of
Conduct"), which is signed by all employees and directors on an annual basis,
requires that all employees and directors avoid any conflict, or the appearance
of a conflict, between an individual’s personal interests and the interests of
the Company. Pursuant to the Code of Conduct, each employee and director must
disclose any conflicts of interest, or actions or relationships that might
give
rise to a conflict, to the Chief Compliance Officer. The Independent Directors
Committee is charged with monitoring and making recommendations to the Board
of
Directors regarding policies and practices relating to corporate governance.
If
there were any actions or relationships that might give rise to a conflict
of
interest, such actions or relationships would be reviewed and approved by the
Board of Directors.
29
Remuneration
of Chief Executive Officer and Other Executive
Officers
The
following table sets forth a summary for the year ended December 31, 2006,
of
the cash and non-cash compensation paid to our principal executive officer,
principal financial officer and the three most highly compensated executive
officers (other than the principal executive officer and the principal financial
officer) serving as such at year end.
2006
Summary Compensation Table
Name
and Principal Position
|
Year
|
Salary
($)
|
Option
Awards(1)
($)
|
Non-Equity
Incentive Plan Compensation (2)
($)
|
Change
in Pension Value and Nonqualified Compensation Earnings(3)
($)
|
All
Other Compensation
($)(4)(
(6)
|
Total
($)
|
|||||||||||||||
Charles
E. Harris
Chairman
of the Board,
Chief
Executive Officer, Managing Director(5)
|
2006
|
300,000
|
2,034,482
|
29,067
|
168,677
|
405,628
|
2,937,854
|
|||||||||||||||
Douglas
W. Jamison
President,
Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Managing Director,
Former Vice President
|
2006
|
262,000
|
668,677
|
3,957
|
—
|
15,000
|
949,634
|
|||||||||||||||
Daniel
V. Leff
Managing
Director, Executive Vice President
|
2006
|
262,000
|
668,677
|
3,674
|
—
|
15,000
|
949,351
|
|||||||||||||||
Alexei
A. Andreev
Managing
Director, Executive Vice President
|
2006
|
262,000
|
668,677
|
0
|
—
|
15,000
|
945,677
|
|||||||||||||||
Sandra
M. Forman, Esq.
General
Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, Director of Human
Resources
|
2006
|
215,000
|
381,595
|
1,580
|
—
|
15,000
|
613,175
|
(1) |
The
figures in this column do not represent amounts actually paid to
the named
executive officers, but represent the aggregate dollar amount of
compensation cost over the requisite service period under FAS 123(R).
We
use the Black-Scholes model to calculate compensation cost under
FAS
123(R). You may find more information about the assumptions we use
in the
Black-Scholes model under "Incentive Compensation Plans - Equity
Incentive
Plan."
|
(2) |
These
amounts represent the actual amounts earned as a result of realized
gains
during the year ended December 31, 2005, and paid out in 2007, under
the
Harris & Harris Group Employee Profit-Sharing Plan. You may find more
information on our Employee Profit-Sharing Plan under "Incentive
Compensation Plans." These amounts are in addition to the $1,107,088
for
Mr. Harris, $165,308 for Mr. Jamison, $153,514 for Mr. Leff and $62,685
for Ms. Forman reported in the 2005 proxy and were determined in
2006
based on the finalization of our 2005 tax
returns.
|
30
(3) |
Change
in Pension Value and Non-Qualified Compensation earnings for Mr.
Harris
includes earnings on his SERP and an actuarial increase in his pension
obligation of $54,692.
|
(4) |
The
amounts reported for Mr. Harris represent actual amounts of benefits
paid
or payable including personal use of an automobile totaling $10,252,
membership in a private club totaling $10,951, membership in a health
club
and use of a trainer totaling $13,717, medical care reimbursement,
consultation with a financial planner totaling $25,463, long-term
disability insurance, group term-life insurance, long-term care insurance
for him and his wife and $20,000 in employer contributions to the
Harris
& Harris Group, Inc. 401(k) Plan. It also includes the employer
contribution to his SERP totaling
$300,000.
|
(5)
|
In
2006, Mr. Harris's wife received compensation of $21,000 for serving
as
our Secretary.
|
(6) |
Except
for Mr. Harris (see footnote 4 above), amounts reported represent
our
contributions on behalf of the named executive to the Harris & Harris
Group, Inc. 401(k) Plan. The named executive did not earn any other
compensation reportable in this column that met the threshold reporting
requirements
|
We
account for the Stock Plan in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 123(R),
"Share-Based Payment," which requires that we determine the fair value of all
share-based payments to employees, including the fair value of grants of
employee stock options, and record these amounts as an expense in the Statement
of Operations over the vesting period with a corresponding increase to our
additional paid-in capital. The increase to our operating expenses is offset
by
the increase to our additional paid-in capital, resulting in no net impact to
our net asset value. Additionally, we do not record the tax benefits associated
with the expensing of stock options, because we intend to qualify as a RIC
under
Subchapter M of the Code and as such, we cannot use all of our existing
operating expenses for tax purposes.
The
fair
value of each stock option award is estimated on the date of grant using the
Black-Scholes option pricing model as permitted by SFAS No. 123(R). The stock
options were awarded in five different grant types, each with different
contractual terms. The assumptions used in the calculation of fair value using
the Black-Scholes model for each contract term were as follows:
Weighted
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Average
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Number
|
Fair
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
of
|
Expected
|
Expected
|
Expected
|
Risk-free
|
Value
|
|||||||||||||||||
Options
|
Term
|
Volatility
|
Dividend
|
Interest
|
Per
Option
|
|||||||||||||||||
Type
of Award
|
Term
|
Granted
|
in
Yrs
|
Factor
|
Yield
|
Rates
|
Share
|
|||||||||||||||
Non-qualified
stock options
|
1
Year
|
1,001,017
|
0.75
|
37.4%
|
|
0%
|
|
5.16%
|
|
$
|
1.48
|
|||||||||||
Non-qualified
stock options
|
2
Years
|
815,000
|
1.625
|
45.2%
|
|
0%
|
|
5.12%
|
|
$
|
2.63
|
|||||||||||
Non-qualified
stock options
|
3
Years
|
659,460
|
2.42
|
55.7%
|
|
0%
|
|
5.09%
|
|
$
|
3.81
|
|||||||||||
Non-qualified
stock options
|
10
Years
|
690,000
|
5.75
|
75.6%
|
|
0%
|
|
5.08%
|
|
$
|
6.94
|
|||||||||||
Incentive
stock options
|
10
Years
|
792,806
|
7.03
|
75.6%
|
|
0%
|
|
5.08%
|
|
$
|
7.46
|
|||||||||||
Total
|
3,958,283
|
$
|
4.25
|
31
An
option's expected term is the estimated period between the grant date and the
exercise date of the option. As the expected term period increases, the fair
value of the option and the compensation cost will also increase. The expected
term assumption is generally calculated using historical stock option exercise
data. The Company does not have historical exercise data to develop such an
assumption. In cases where companies do not have historical data and where
the
options meet certain criteria, SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin 107 ("SAB 107")
provides the use of a simplified expected term calculation. Accordingly, the
Company calculated the expected terms using the SAB 107 simplified
method.
Expected
volatility is the measure of how the stock's price is expected to fluctuate
over
a period of time. An increase in the expected volatility assumption yields
a
higher fair value of the stock option. Expected volatility factors for the
stock
options were based on the historical fluctuations in the Company’s stock price
over the expected term of the option, adjusted for stock splits and
dividends.
The
expected dividend yield assumption is traditionally calculated based on a
company's historical dividend yield. An increase to the expected dividend yield
results in a decrease in the fair value of the option and resulting compensation
cost. Although the Company has declared deemed dividends in previous years,
most
recently in 2005, the amounts and timing of any future dividends cannot be
reasonably estimated. Therefore, for purposes of calculating fair value, the
Company has assumed an expected dividend yield of 0 percent.
The
risk-free interest rate assumptions are based on the annual yield on the
measurement date of a zero-coupon U.S Treasury bond, the maturity of which
equals the option’s expected term. Higher assumed interest rates yield higher
fair values.
2006
Grants of Plan-Based Awards
Name
|
Grant
Date
|
All
Other Stock Awards: Number of Shares of Stock or Units (#)
|
All
Other Option Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Options
(#)
|
Exercise
or Base Price of Option Awards ($/Sh)
|
Grant
Date Fair Value of Stocks and Options Awards
|
|||||||||||
Charles
E. Harris
|
June
26, 2006
|
N/A
|
1,000,000
|
$
|
10.11
|
$
|
5,565,835
|
|||||||||
Douglas
W. Jamison
|
June
26, 2006
|
N/A
|
640,000
|
$
|
10.11
|
$
|
2,068,754
|
|||||||||
Daniel
V. Leff
|
June
26, 2006
|
N/A
|
640,000
|
$
|
10.11
|
$
|
2,068,754
|
|||||||||
Alexei
A. Andreev
|
June
26, 2006
|
N/A
|
640,000
|
$
|
10.11
|
$
|
2,068,754
|
|||||||||
Sandra
M. Forman
|
June
26, 2006
|
N/A
|
375,000
|
$
|
10.11
|
$
|
1,387,384
|
32
2006
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
Option
Awards
|
||||||||||||||||
Name
|
Number
of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Exercisable(1)
(#)
|
Number
of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Unexercisable
(#)
|
Equity
Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised,
Unearned Options (#)
|
Option
Exercise Price ($)
|
Option
Expiration Date
|
|||||||||||
Charles
E. Harris
|
146,614
|
0
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2007
|
||||||||||
2,977
|
19,782
|
(2)
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2016
|
||||||||||
230,000
|
460,000
|
(2)
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2016
|
||||||||||
0
|
40,000
|
(3)
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2008
|
||||||||||
0
|
40,000
|
(4)
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2009
|
||||||||||
Douglas
W. Jamison
|
138,068
|
0
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2007
|
||||||||||
7,936
|
79,128
|
(5)
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2016
|
||||||||||
0
|
190,000
|
(3)
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2008
|
||||||||||
0
|
160,000
|
(4)
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2009
|
||||||||||
Daniel
V. Leff
|
200,981
|
0
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2007
|
||||||||||
9,891
|
79,128
|
(5)
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2016
|
||||||||||
0
|
190,000
|
(3)
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2008
|
||||||||||
0
|
160,000
|
(4)
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2009
|
||||||||||
Alexei
A. Andreev
|
147,268
|
0
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2007
|
||||||||||
7,975
|
79,128
|
(5)
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2016
|
||||||||||
0
|
190,000
|
(3)
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2008
|
||||||||||
0
|
160,000
|
(4)
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2009
|
||||||||||
Sandra
M. Forman
|
60,981
|
0
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2007
|
||||||||||
8,562
|
79,128
|
(5)
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2016
|
||||||||||
0
|
110,000
|
(3)
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2008
|
||||||||||
0
|
75,000
|
(4)
|
0
|
$
|
10.11
|
June
26, 2009
|
(1) |
Options
vested on December 26, 2006.
|
(2) |
Remaining
options vest in two equal installments on June 26, 2007, and June
26,
2008.
|
(3) |
Remaining
options vest in two equal installments on June 26, 2007, and December
26,
2007.
|
(4) |
Remaining
options vest in three equal installments on June 26, 2007, June 26,
2008,
and December 26, 2008.
|
(5) |
Remaining
options vest in eight equal installments on June 26, 2007, June 26,
2008,
June 26, 2009, June 26, 2010, June 26, 2011, June 26, 2012, June
26, 2013,
and June 26, 2014.
|
2006
Option Exercises and Stock Vested
Option
Awards
|
||||
Name
|
Number
of Shares Acquired on Exercise
(#)
|
Value
Realized on Exercise
($)
|
||
Charles
E. Harris
|
60,627
|
132,045
|
||
Douglas
W. Jamison
|
64,868
|
140,090
|
||
Daniel
V. Leff
|
0
|
0
|
||
Alexei
A. Andreev
|
55,629
|
121,250
|
||
Sandra
M. Forman
|
41,329
|
92,132
|
33
2006
Pension Benefits
Name
|
Plan
Name
|
Number
of Years Credited Service
(#)
|
Present
Value of Accumulated Benefits
($)
|
Payments
During Last Fiscal Year
($)
|
||||
Charles
E. Harris
|
Executive
Mandatory Retirement Plan
|
23
|
138,857
|
0
|
||||
Douglas
W. Jamison
|
Executive
Mandatory Retirement Plan
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
Executive
Mandatory Retirement Benefit Plan
On
March
20, 2003, in order to begin planning for eventual management succession, the
Board of Directors voted to establish the Executive Mandatory Retirement Benefit
Plan for individuals who are employed by us in a bona fide executive or high
policy-making position. There are currently three such individuals that qualify
under the plan, Charles E. Harris, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,
Douglas W. Jamison, the President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial
Officer and Mel P. Melsheimer, the former President, Chief Operating Officer
and
Chief Financial Officer. Under this plan, mandatory retirement takes place
effective December 31 of the year in which the eligible individuals attain
the
age of 65. On an annual basis beginning in the year in which the designated
individual attains the age of 65, a committee of the Board consisting of
non-interested directors may determine for our benefit to postpone the mandatory
retirement date for that individual for one additional year.
Under
applicable law prohibiting discrimination in employment on the basis of age,
we
can impose a mandatory retirement age of 65 for our executives or employees
in
high policy-making positions only if each employee subject to the mandatory
retirement age is entitled to an immediate retirement benefit at retirement
age
of at least $44,000 per year. The benefits payable at retirement to Mr. Harris
and Mr. Melsheimer under our existing 401(k) plan do not equal this threshold.
A
plan was established to provide the difference between the benefit required
under the age discrimination laws and that provided under our existing plans.
At
December 31, 2006, and 2005, we had accrued $347,075 and $281,656, respectively,
for benefits under this plan. At December 31, 2006, $241,836 was accrued for
Mr.
Melsheimer and $105,239 was accrued for Mr. Harris. Currently, there is no
accrual for Mr. Jamison. This benefit will be unfunded, and the expense as
it
relates to Mr. Melsheimer and Mr. Harris is being amortized over the fiscal
periods through the years ended December 31, 2004, and 2008, respectively.
In
2006, the Company recorded an unrecognized loss in net assets of $33,618 for
the
Executive Mandatory Retirement Benefit Plan, pursuant to the adoption of SFAS
No. 158. The Company also recorded an additional liability of $33,618. On
December 31, 2004, Mr. Melsheimer retired pursuant to the Executive Mandatory
Retirement Benefit Plan. His annual benefit under the plan is $22,915. Mr.
Harris's projected mandatory benefit is $15,458 upon his
retirement.
34
2006
Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation
Name
|
Executive
Contributions in Last FY
($)
|
Registrant
Contribution in Last FY(2)
($)
|
Aggregate
Earnings in Last FY
($)
|
Aggregate
Withdrawals/
Distributions
($)
|
Aggregate
Balance at Last FYE
($)
|
|||||
Charles
E. Harris(1)
|
0
|
300,000
|
113,985
|
0
|
2,149,785
|
(1) |
The
$300,000 employer contribution and $113,985 of earnings are included
in
the Summary Compensation Table under "All Other Compensation" and
"Non-Qualified Compensation Earnings,"
respectively.
|
SERP
The
Employment Agreement provides that we adopt a supplemental executive retirement
plan (the "SERP") for the benefit of Mr. Harris. Under the SERP, we will cause
an amount equal to one-twelfth of Mr. Harris's current annual salary to be
credited each month (a "Monthly Credit") to a special account maintained for
this purpose on our books for the benefit of Mr. Harris (the "SERP Account").
The amounts credited to the SERP Account are deemed invested or reinvested
in
such investments as determined by Mr. Harris. The SERP Account is credited
and
debited to reflect the deemed investment returns, losses and expenses attributed
to such deemed investments and reinvestments. Mr. Harris's benefit under the
SERP equals the balance in the SERP Account and such benefit will always be
100
percent vested (i.e., not forfeitable). In 2005, Mr. Harris received a $125,000
distribution from the SERP Account. The balance in the SERP Account will be
distributed to Mr. Harris in a lump sum on January 6, 2009; provided, however,
in the event of the termination of his employment, the balance in the SERP
Account will be distributed to Mr. Harris or to his beneficiary, as the case
may
be, in a lump-sum payment within 30 days of such termination. We have
established a rabbi trust for the purpose of accumulating funds to satisfy
the
obligations incurred by us under the SERP, which amounted to $2,149,785 and
$1,730,434 at December 31, 2006, and 2005, respectively, and are included in
accounts payable and accrued liabilities. The restricted funds for the SERP
Account totaled $2,149,785 and $1,730,434 at December 31, 2006, and 2005,
respectively. Mr. Harris's rights to benefits pursuant to this SERP will be
no
greater than those of a general creditor of us.
Potential
Payments upon Termination or Change in Control
Other
than Mr. Harris, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, none of our executive
officers has a change in control agreement. None of our executive officers
is
entitled to any special payments solely upon a change in control.
Mr.
Harris’s Employment Agreement provides severance pay in the event of termination
without cause or by constructive discharge and also provides for certain death
benefits payable to the surviving spouse equal to the executive's base salary
for a period of two years. In addition, Mr. Harris is entitled to receive
severance pay pursuant to the severance compensation agreement that he entered
into with us, effective August 15, 1990. The severance compensation agreement
provides that if, following a change in our control, as defined in the
agreement, his employment is terminated by us without cause or by him within
one
year of such change in control, he shall be entitled to receive compensation
in
a lump sum payment equal to 2.99 times his average annualized compensation
and
payment of other welfare benefits as in effect over the most recent five years
preceding the year in which the change in control occurred. If Mr. Harris's
termination by us is without cause or is a constructive discharge, the amount
payable under the Employment Agreement will be reduced by the amounts paid
pursuant to the severance compensation agreement.
35
On
June
30, 1994, we adopted a plan to provide medical and dental insurance for
retirees, their spouses and dependents who, at the time of their retirement,
have ten years of service with us and have attained 50 years of age or have
attained 45 years of age and have 15 years of service with us. On February
10,
1997, we amended this plan to include employees who have seven full years of
service and have attained 58 years of age. On November 3, 2005, we amended
this
plan to reverse the 1997 amendment for future retirees and to remove dependents
other than spouses from the plan. The coverage is secondary to any government
or
subsequent employer provided health insurance plans. The annual premium cost
to
us with respect to the entitled retiree shall not exceed $12,000, subject to
an
index for inflation. As of December 31, 2006, and 2005, we had a liability
of
$791,972 and $685,600, respectively, for the plan; there are no plan assets.
On
December 8, 2003, the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization
Act of 2003 (the Act) was signed into law. The Act introduces a prescription
drug benefit under Medicare (Medicare Part D), as well as a federal subsidy
to
sponsors of retiree health care benefit plans that provide a benefit that is
at
least actuarially equivalent to Medicare Part D. The Act, which went into effect
January 1, 2006, provides a 28 percent subsidy for post-65 prescription drug
benefits. Our reserve assumes our plan is actuarially equivalent under the
Act.
The
options of certain retirees will remain exercisable (to the extent exercisable
at the time of the optionee's termination) post retirement, if such retiree
executes a post-termination non-solicitation agreement, in a form reasonably
acceptable to the Company, until the expiration of its term.
Remuneration
of Directors
The
following table sets forth the compensation paid by us to our directors for
the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2006. During 2006, we did not grant any stock
option awards or pay or accrue any pension or retirement benefits for our
directors.
36
Name
of Director
|
Fees
Earned or Paid in Cash ($)
|
All
Other Compensation ($)
|
Total
($)
|
|||||||
Independent
Directors:
|
||||||||||
W.
Dillaway Ayres, Jr.
|
1,450
|
0
|
1,450
|
|||||||
Dr.
C. Wayne Bardin
|
33,000
|
0
|
33,000
|
|||||||
Dr.
Phillip A. Bauman
|
43,500
|
0
|
43,500
|
|||||||
G.
Morgan Browne
|
34,500
|
0
|
34,500
|
|||||||
Dugald
A. Fletcher
|
36,000
|
0
|
36,000
|
|||||||
Mark
A. Parsells
|
43,500
|
0
|
43,500
|
|||||||
Charles
E. Ramsey
|
33,000
|
0
|
33,000
|
|||||||
James
E. Roberts
|
43,500
|
0
|
43,500
|
|||||||
Richard
P. Shanley
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|||||||
Interested
Directors:
|
||||||||||
Charles
E. Harris
|
0
|
0
|
(1)
|
0
|
||||||
Kelly
S. Kirkpatrick
|
19,500
|
3,000
|
(2)
|
22,500
|
||||||
Lori
D. Pressman
|
19,500
|
39,836
|
(3)
|
59,336
|
(1) |
Mr.
Harris does not receive additional compensation as a Director. Refer
to
the "2006 Summary of Compensation Table" for details of Mr. Harris's
compensation.
|
(2) |
Represents $3,000
for consulting services. Ms. Kirkpatrick may be considered an "interested
person" because of consulting work performed for
us.
|
(3) |
Represents $39,836
for consulting services. Ms. Pressman may be considered an "interested
person" because of consulting work performed for
us.
|
There
are
no outstanding option awards to directors.
In
2007,
the directors who are not officers will receive $1,500 for each meeting of
the
Board of Directors and $1,500 for each committee meeting they attend, and a
monthly retainer of $750. Each non-employee committee Chairman will receive
an
additional monthly retainer of $250. The Lead Independent Director will receive
an additional monthly retainer of $500. We also reimburse our directors for
travel, lodging and related expenses they incur in attending Board and committee
meetings. The total compensation and reimbursement for expenses paid or payable
to all directors in 2006 is $362,585.
The
Board
of Directors has adopted a policy that 50 percent of all director fees must
be
used to purchase our common stock. In 2006, the directors collectively bought
10,641 shares in the open market pursuant to this policy.
Section
16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section
16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires our officers and
directors, and persons who own more than 10 percent of our common stock, to
file
reports (including a year-end report) of ownership and changes in ownership
with
the SEC and to furnish the Company with copies of all reports
filed.
Based
solely on a review of the forms furnished to us, or written representations
from
certain reporting persons, we believe that all persons who were subject to
Section 16(a) in 2006 complied with the filing requirements.
37
SELECTION
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT
(Proposal
No. 2)
PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP ("PwC") has been selected as the independent registered public accounting
firm by our Audit Committee and ratified by a majority of our Board, including
a
majority of the independent directors by vote cast in person, to audit the
accounts of the Company for and during the Company's fiscal year ending December
31, 2007. This selection is subject to ratification or rejection by the
stockholders of the Company. The Company knows of no direct or indirect
financial interest of PwC in the Company.
Representatives
of PwC will not attend the Annual Meeting in person but will be available to
respond to appropriate questions by telephone.
Unless
marked to the contrary, the shares represented by the enclosed proxy card will
be voted "FOR" ratification of the appointment of PwC as the independent
registered public accounting firm of the Company.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE "FOR" THIS
PROPOSAL.
38
Other
Business
The
Board
of Directors does not intend to bring any other matters before the Annual
Meeting and, at the date of mailing of this Proxy Statement, has not been
informed of any matter that others may bring before the Annual Meeting. However,
if any other matters properly come before the Annual Meeting, it is the
intention of the persons named in the accompanying proxy to vote such proxy
in
accordance with their judgment on such matters.
Annual
Reports on Form 10-K
Our
Annual Report on Form 10-K, as filed with the SEC, is being delivered with
this
Proxy Statement.
We
undertake to provide, without charge, to each shareholder as of March 13, 2007,
upon the written request of such shareholder, a copy of our Annual Report on
Form 10-K and/or our last Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including the financial
statements and the financial statement schedules, required to be filed with
the
SEC for our most recent fiscal year and/or quarter. Any shareholder who would
like to request a copy of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K or
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q may do so by calling toll-free 1-877-TINY-TECH
or
submitting a written request to the following address, which shall contain
a
representation in good faith that such shareholder was a beneficial owner,
as of
March 13, 2007, of our securities, entitled to vote:
Investor
Relations
Harris
& Harris Group, Inc.
111
West 57th
Street, Suite 1100
New
York, NY 10019
Submission
of Shareholder Proposals
Any
shareholder proposals intended to be presented for inclusion in our proxy
statement and form of proxy for the next Annual Meeting of Shareholders to
be
held in 2008 must be received in writing by the Secretary of the Company at
Harris & Harris Group, Inc., 111 West 57th
Street,
New York, New York 10019, no later than January 3, 2008, in order for such
proposals to be considered for inclusion in the proxy statement and proxy
relating to the 2008 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Submission of a proposal
does not guarantee inclusion in the proxy statement, as the requirements of
certain federal laws and regulations must be met by such proposals.
Under
our
Bylaws, nominations for director may be made only by the Board or by the
Nominating Committee, or by a shareholder entitled to vote who has delivered
written notice to our Secretary (containing certain information specified in
the
Bylaws) not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the anniversary
of
the date of the immediately preceding Annual Meeting of Shareholders; provided,
however, that in the event that the Annual Meeting is called for a date that
is
not within 30 days before or after such anniversary date, notice by the
shareholder in order to be timely must be so received not later than the close
of business on the 10th
day
following the day on which notice of the date of the Annual Meeting was mailed
or such public disclosure of the date of the Annual Meeting was made, whichever
first occurs. The Bylaws also provide that no business may be brought before
an
Annual Meeting of the Shareholders except as specified in the Notice of the
Meeting or as otherwise properly brought before the meeting by or at the
direction of the Board or by a shareholder entitled to vote who has delivered
written notice to our Secretary (containing certain information specified in
the
Bylaws) not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the anniversary
of
the date of the immediately preceding Annual Meeting of Shareholders; provided,
however, that in the event that the Annual Meeting is called for a date that
is
not within 30 days before or after such anniversary date, notice by the
shareholder in order to be timely must be so received not later than the close
of business on the 10th day following the day on which notice of the date of
the
Annual Meeting was mailed or such public disclosure of the date of the Annual
Meeting was made, whichever first occurs.
39
Rule
14a-4 of the SEC's proxy rules allows us to use discretionary voting authority
to vote on matters coming before an Annual Meeting of shareholders, if we do
not
have notice of the matter at least 45 days before the anniversary of the date
on
which we first mailed our proxy materials for the prior year's Annual Meeting
of
shareholders or the date specified by the advance notice provision in our
Bylaws. Our Bylaws contain such an advance notice provision as described above.
For our Annual Meeting of Shareholders expected to be held on May 8, 2008,
shareholders must submit such written notice to our Secretary in accordance
with
our advance notice provision, as described above.
A
copy of
the full text of the Bylaw provisions discussed above may be obtained by writing
to our Secretary.
By
Order of the Board of Directors
|
||
|
|
|
New York, New York | /s/ Susan T. Harris | |
April 2, 2007 |
Susan T. Harris |
|
Secretary
|
40
ANNUAL
MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS OF
HARRIS
& HARRIS GROUP, INC.
May
3, 2007
Please
date, sign and mail
your
proxy card in the
envelope
provided as soon
as
possible.
Please
detach along perforated line and mail in the envelope
provided.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF DIRECTORS AND
“FOR” PROPOSAL 2.
PLEASE
SIGN, DATE AND RETURN PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE.
PLEASE MARK YOUR
VOTE IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS SHOWN HERE. x
|
FOR
o
|
AGAINST
o
|
ABSTAIN
o
|
||||||
1. Election of Directors: |
2.
To ratify, confirm and approve the Audit Committee's selection
of
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the independent registered
public accountant
for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2007.
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
NOMINEES:
|
At
their discretion, the Proxies are authorized to vote upon
such other
business, including
postponements or adjournments, as may properly come before
the
meeting or
any postponements or adjournments thereof.
|
|||||||
o |
FOR
ALL NOMINEES
|
O
|
W.
DILLAWAYAYRES, JR
|
|
||||
O
|
DR.
C. WAYNE BARDIN
|
Sign,
Date and Return the Proxy Card Promptly Using the Enclosed
Envelope.
|
||||||
o |
WITHHOLD
AUTHORITY
|
O
|
DR.
PHILLIP A. BAUMAN
|
|
||||
FOR
ALL NOMINEES
|
O
|
G.
MORGAN BROWNE
|
|
|||||
O
|
DUGALD
A. FLETCHER
|
|||||||
o |
FOR
ALL EXCEPT
|
O
|
DOUGLAS
W. JAMISON
|
|
||||
(See
instructions below)
|
O
|
CHARLES
E. HARRIS
|
||||||
O
|
DR.
KELLY S. KIRKPATRICK
|
|||||||
O
|
LORI
D. PRESSMAN
|
|||||||
O
|
CHARLES
E. RAMSEY
|
|||||||
O
|
JAMES
E. ROBERTS
|
|||||||
O
|
RICHARD
P. SHANLEY
|
|||||||
INSTRUCTION:
To
withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee(s),
mark
“FOR
ALL EXCEPT”and
fill in the circle next to each nominee you wish to withhold,
as shown
here: l
|
||||||||
To
change the address on your account, please check the box
at right and
indicate your new address in the address space above. Please
note that
changes to the registered name(s) on the account may not
be submitted via
this method.
|
o | |||||||
Signature
of Stockholder
|
Date:
|
Signature
of Stockholder
|
Date:
|
Note:
|
Please
sign exactly as your name or names appear on this Proxy.
When shares are
held jointly, each holder should sign. When signing as executor,
administrator, attorney, trustee or guardian, please give
full title
as such. If the signer is a corporation, please sign full
corporate name
by duly authorized officer, giving full title as such. If
signer is a
partnership, please sign in partnership name by authorized
person.
|
|
HARRIS
& HARRIS GROUP, INC.
111
West 57th Street
New
York, NY 10019
THIS
PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The
undersigned hereby appoints CHARLES E. HARRIS, DOUGLAS W. JAMISON and
MARY P.
BRADY and each of them, with full power of substitution, proxies to
vote at the
Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 3, 2007, or at any
postponements or adjournments thereof, to represent and to vote all
the shares
of common stock of Harris & Harris Group, Inc. that the undersigned is
entitled to vote with all powers the undersigned would have if personally
present, on the following matters as designated on the reverse side
and in their
discretion with respect to such other business as may properly come
before the
meeting or any postponements or adjournments thereof.
The
Board of Directors recommends a vote "FOR" all the nominees listed
in Item 1 and
"FOR" Item 2.
When
properly executed, this proxy will be voted as specified and in accordance
with
the accompanying proxy statement. If no instruction is indicated, this
proxy
will be voted "FOR" Items 1 and 2.
(Continued
and to be signed on the reverse side)