UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE
14A
Proxy
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment
No. )
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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o
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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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INTERLEUKIN
GENETICS, 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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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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(2)
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Form,
Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
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(3)
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(4)
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INTERLEUKIN
GENETICS, INC.
135
BEAVER STREET
WALTHAM,
MA 02452
PROXY
STATEMENT
APRIL
29, 2010
Dear
Stockholder,
We
cordially invite you to attend our 2010 annual meeting of stockholders to be
held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 17, 2010 at the offices of Mintz,
Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., our legal counsel, located at One
Financial Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02111. The attached notice of annual
meeting and proxy statement describe the business we will conduct at the meeting
and provide information about Interleukin Genetics, Inc. that you should
consider when you vote your shares.
When you
have finished reading the proxy statement, please promptly vote your shares by
marking, signing, dating and returning the proxy card in the enclosed envelope.
We encourage you to vote by proxy so that your shares will be represented and
voted at the meeting, whether or not you can attend.
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Sincerely,
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/s/
James M. Weaver
JAMES
M. WEAVER
CHAIRMAN
OF THE BOARD
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INTERLEUKIN
GENETICS, INC.
135
BEAVER STREET
WALTHAM,
MA 02452
NOTICE
OF 2010 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TIME:
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10:00 a.m.
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DATE:
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June 17,
2010
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PLACE:
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Mintz,
Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
One
Financial Center, Boston, Massachusetts
02111
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PURPOSES:
1.
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To
elect William C. Mills III as a Class I director for a three-year term
expiring at our 2013 annual
meeting.
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2.
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To
ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent public
accountant for the fiscal year ending December 31,
2010.
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3.
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To
consider any other business that is properly presented at the
meeting.
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WHO
MAY VOTE:
You may
vote if you were the record owner of Interleukin Genetics, Inc. stock at
the close of business on April 23, 2010. A list of stockholders of record
will be available at the meeting and during the 10 days prior to the
meeting, at the office of the Secretary, Interleukin Genetics, Inc., 135
Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02452.
All
stockholders are cordially invited to attend the annual meeting. Whether you
plan to attend the annual meeting or not, you are requested to complete, sign,
date and return the enclosed proxy card as soon as possible in accordance with
the instructions on the proxy card.
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BY
ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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/s/
Kenneth S. Kornman
KENNETH
S. KORNMAN
SECRETARY
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TABLE
OF CONTENTS
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General
Information About the Annual Meeting
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1
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Security
Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management
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5
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Management
and Corporate Governance
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7
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Executive
Compensation
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13
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Equity
Compensation Plan Information
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17
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Audit
Committee Report
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17
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Compliance
with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934
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18
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Code
of Conduct and Ethics
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18
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Certain
Relationships and Related Transactions
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18
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Proposal
1: To Elect William C. Mills III as a Class I Director
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19
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Proposal
2: Ratification of Appointment of Independent Public
Accountant
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20
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Other
Matters
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21
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Stockholder
Proposals and Nominations for Director
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21
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INTERLEUKIN
GENETICS, INC.
135
BEAVER STREET
WALTHAM,
MA 02452
(781) 398-0700
PROXY
STATEMENT FOR THE INTERLEUKIN GENETICS, INC.
2010
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
GENERAL
INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING
Why
Did You Send Me this Proxy Statement?
We sent
you this proxy statement and the enclosed proxy card because our Board of
Directors is soliciting your proxy to vote at the 2010 annual meeting of
stockholders and any adjournments of the meeting. This proxy statement
summarizes the information you need to know to vote at the annual
meeting.
On or
about May 11, 2010 we are mailing this proxy statement, the attached notice
of annual meeting and the enclosed proxy card to all stockholders entitled to
vote at the meeting. Although not part of this proxy statement, we are also
sending, along with this proxy statement, our 2009 Annual Report, which includes
our financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2009.
Important
Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Shareholder Meeting
to Be Held on June 17, 2010. The proxy statement for our 2010 annual
meeting and our 2009 annual report to security holders are available at
www.proxyvote.com.
Who
Can Vote?
Only
stockholders who owned our common stock or Series A Preferred Stock at the
close of business on April 23, 2010 are entitled to vote at the annual
meeting. On this record date, there were 36,510,627 shares of our common stock
and 5,000,000 shares of our Series A Preferred Stock
outstanding.
You do
not need to attend the annual meeting to vote your shares. Shares represented by
valid proxies, received in time for the meeting and not revoked prior to the
meeting, will be voted at the meeting. A stockholder may revoke a proxy before
the proxy is voted by delivering to our Secretary a signed statement of
revocation or a duly executed proxy card bearing a later date. Any stockholder
who has executed a proxy card but attends the meeting in person may revoke the
proxy and vote at the meeting.
How
Many Votes Do I Have?
Each
share of our common stock that you own entitles you to one vote. On the record
date, there were a total of 36,510,627 shares of common stock outstanding. Each
share of our Series A Preferred Stock is convertible into approximately
5.63 shares of our common stock and is entitled to one vote for each share of
common stock into which it is convertible. On the record date there were
5,000,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock outstanding, entitling the
holder of those shares to an aggregate of 28,160,200 votes.
How
Do I Vote?
Whether
you plan to attend the annual meeting or not, we urge you to vote by proxy.
Voting by proxy will not affect your right to attend the annual meeting. If your
shares are registered directly in your name through our stock transfer agent,
Computershare Limited, or you have stock certificates, you may
vote:
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·
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By Internet or by
telephone.
Follow the instructions on the proxy card to
vote by Internet or telephone.
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·
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By
mail.
Complete and mail the enclosed proxy card in the
enclosed postage prepaid envelope. Your proxy will be voted in accordance
with your instructions. If you sign the proxy card but do not specify how
you want your shares voted, they will be voted as recommended by our Board
of Directors.
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·
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In person at the
meeting.
If you attend the meeting, you may deliver your
completed proxy card in person or you may vote by completing a ballot,
which will be available at the
meeting.
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If your
shares are held in “street name” (held in the name of a bank, broker or other
nominee), you must provide the bank, broker or other nominee with instructions
on how to vote your shares and can do so as follows:
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·
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By Internet or by
telephone.
Follow the instructions you receive from your
broker to vote by Internet or
telephone.
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·
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By mail.
You
will receive instructions from your broker or other nominee explaining how
to vote your shares.
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·
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In person at the
meeting.
Contact the broker or other nominee who holds
your shares to obtain a broker’s proxy card and bring it with you to the
meeting. You will not be able to vote at the meeting unless you have a
proxy card from your broker.
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How
Does the Board of Directors Recommend That I Vote on the Proposals?
The Board
of Directors recommends that you vote as follows:
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·
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“
FOR
” the election of
William C. Mills III as a Class I director;
and
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·
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“
FOR
” the ratification of
the appointment of our independent public accountant for our fiscal year
ending December 31, 2010.
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If any
other matter is presented at the annual meeting, the proxy card provides that
your shares will be voted by the proxy holder listed on the proxy card in
accordance with his or her best judgment. At the time this proxy statement was
printed, we knew of no matters being presented at the annual meeting, other than
those discussed in this proxy statement.
May
I Change or Revoke My Proxy?
If you
give us your proxy, you may change or revoke it at any time before it is
exercised. You may change or revoke your proxy in any one of the following
ways:
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·
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by
signing a new proxy card with a later date and submitting it as instructed
above;
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·
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by
re-voting by Internet or by telephone as instructed above (only your
latest Internet or telephone vote will be
counted);
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·
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by
notifying our Secretary in writing before the annual meeting that you have
revoked your proxy; or
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·
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by
attending the meeting in person and voting in
person.
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Attending
the meeting in person will not in and of itself revoke a previously submitted
proxy unless you specifically request it.
What
if I Receive More Than One Proxy Card?
You may
receive more than one proxy card or voting instruction form if you hold shares
of our common stock in more than one account, which may be in registered form or
held in street name. Please vote in the manner described under “How Do I Vote?”
for each account to ensure that all of your shares are voted.
Will
My Shares be Voted if I Do Not Return My Proxy Card?
If your
shares are registered in your name, they will not be voted if you do not return
your proxy card by mail or vote at the meeting as described above under “How Do
I Vote?” If your shares are held in street name and you do not provide voting
instructions to the bank, broker or other holder of record that holds your
shares as described above under “How Do I Vote?,” the bank, broker or other
holder of record has the authority to vote your unvoted shares on Proposal 2
even if it does not receive instructions from you, but does not have such
discretionary authority on Proposal 1. We encourage you to provide voting
instructions. This ensures your shares will be voted at the meeting in the
manner you desire. If your broker cannot vote your shares on a particular matter
because it has not received instructions from you and does not have
discretionary voting authority on that matter or because your broker chooses not
to vote on a matter for which it does have discretionary voting authority, this
is referred to as a “broker non-vote.”
What
Vote is Required to Approve the Proposals and How are Votes
Counted?
Proposal
1: Elect William C. Mills III as a Class I Director
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The
nominee for director who receives the most votes (also known as a
“plurality” of the votes) will be elected. You may vote either FOR Mr.
Mills or WITHHOLD your vote. Votes that are withheld will not be included
in the vote tally. Banks and brokerage firms do not have authority to vote
customers’ unvoted shares held by the firms in street name for the
election of directors. As a result, any shares not voted by a customer
will be treated as a broker non-vote. Such broker non-votes will have no
effect on the results of this vote.
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Proposal
2: Ratification of Appointment of Our Independent Public
Accountant
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The
affirmative vote of a majority of the votes present or represented by
proxy and entitled to vote at the annual meeting is required to ratify the
appointment of our independent public accountants. Abstentions will be
treated as votes against this proposal. Brokerage firms have authority to
vote customers’ unvoted shares held by the firms in street name on this
proposal. If a broker does not exercise this authority, such broker
non-votes will have no effect on the results of this vote. We are not
required to obtain the approval of our stockholders to select our
independent accountants. However, if our stockholders do not ratify the
appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent accountants for 2010,
our Audit Committee of the Board of Directors will reconsider its
selection.
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What
is the Effect of Not Casting Your Vote?
If you
hold your shares in street name it is critical that you cast your vote if you
want your vote to be counted for Proposal 1 (the election of Mr. Mills as a
Class I director). In the past, if you held your shares in street name and you
did not indicate how you wanted your shares voted in the election of directors,
your bank, broker or other holder of record was allowed to vote those shares on
your behalf in the election of directors as it felt appropriate. Recent changes
in regulations were made to take away the ability of your bank, broker or other
record holder to vote your uninstructed shares in the election of directors on a
discretionary basis. Thus, if you hold your shares in street name and you do not
instruct your bank, broker or other holder of record how to vote on Proposal 1,
no votes will be cast on this proposal on your behalf. Your bank, broker or
other holder of record will, however, continue to have discretion to vote any
uninstructed shares on Proposal 2 (the ratification of the appointment of our
independent public accountant). If you are a shareholder of record and you do
not cast your vote, no votes will be cast on your behalf on any of the items of
business at the annual meeting.
Is
Voting Confidential?
We will
keep all the proxies, ballots and voting tabulations private. We will only let
our Inspector of Elections, Computershare Limited, examine these documents. We
will not disclose your vote to management unless it is necessary to meet legal
requirements. We will, however, forward to management any written comments you
make, on the proxy card or elsewhere.
What
Are the Costs of Soliciting these Proxies?
We will
pay all of the costs of soliciting these proxies. We plan to retain Broadridge
Financial Services, Inc. to assist in the distribution of proxies and
accompanying materials to brokerage houses and institutions for an estimated fee
of $10,000 plus expenses. In addition, our directors and employees may solicit
proxies in person or by telephone, fax or email. We will pay these employees and
directors no additional compensation for these services. We will ask banks,
brokers and other institutions, nominees and fiduciaries to forward these proxy
materials to their principals and to obtain authority to execute proxies. We
will then reimburse them for their expenses.
What
Constitutes a Quorum for the Meeting?
The
presence, in person or by proxy, of the holders of a majority of the outstanding
shares of our stock having voting power constitutes a quorum for this meeting.
Votes of stockholders of record who are present at the meeting in person or by
proxy, abstentions, and broker non-votes are counted for purposes of determining
whether a quorum exists.
Attending
the Annual Meeting
The
annual meeting will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 17, 2010
at the offices of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., our legal
counsel, located at One Financial Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02111. When you
arrive at the meeting, signs will direct you to the appropriate meeting rooms.
You need not attend the annual meeting in order to vote. Instead, you may vote
your shares by marking, signing, dating and returning the enclosed proxy
card.
Householding
of Annual Disclosure Documents
In
December 2000, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted a rule concerning
the delivery of annual disclosure documents. The rule allows us or your broker
to send a single set of our annual report and proxy statement to any household
at which two or more of our stockholders reside, if we or your broker believe
that the stockholders are members of the same family. The rule applies to our
annual reports, proxy statements and information statements. We do not engage in
this practice, referred to as “householding”, however your broker or other
nominee may. Once you receive notice from your broker that communications to
your address will be “householded”, the practice will continue until you are
otherwise notified or until you revoke your consent to the practice. Each
stockholder will continue to receive a separate proxy card or voting instruction
card.
If your
household received a single set of disclosure documents this year, but you would
prefer to receive your own copy, please contact our transfer agent,
Computershare Trust Company, N.A., by calling them at
1-800-962-4284.
If you do
not wish to participate in “householding” and would like to receive your own set
of our annual disclosure documents in future years, follow the instructions
described below. Conversely, if you share an address with another one of our
shareholders and together both of you would like to receive only a single set of
our annual disclosure documents, follow these instructions:
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·
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If
your shares of our common stock are registered in your own name, please
contact our transfer agent, and inform them of your request by calling
them at 1-800-962-4284 or writing them at 250 Royall Street, Canton, MA.
02021.
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·
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If
a broker or other nominee holds your shares, please contact the broker or
other nominee directly and inform them of your request. Be sure to include
your name, the name of your brokerage firm and your account
number.
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SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The
following table sets forth certain information with respect to the beneficial
ownership of our common stock and Series A Preferred Stock as of April 13, 2010
for (a) the executive officers named in the Summary Compensation Table of
this proxy statement, (b) each of our directors and director nominees,
(c) all of our current directors and executive officers as a group, and
(d) each stockholder known to us to beneficially own more than five percent
of our common stock or Series A Preferred Stock. Beneficial ownership is
determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and includes voting or
investment power with respect to the securities. We deem shares that may be
acquired by an individual or group within 60 days following April 13, 2010
pursuant to the exercise of options or warrants to be outstanding for the
purpose of computing the percentage ownership of such individual or group, but
are not deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage
ownership of any other person shown in the table. Except as otherwise indicated,
we believe that the stockholders named in the table have sole voting and
investment power with respect to all shares shown to be beneficially owned by
them based on information provided to us by these stockholders. Percentage
ownership is based on a total of 36,510,627 shares of our common stock issued
and outstanding on April 13, 2010 and 5,000,000 shares of Series A Preferred
Stock outstanding on April 13, 2010.
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Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)
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Amount and
Nature
of Beneficial
Ownership
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Common
Stock
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Pyxis
Innovations Inc.
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36,632,735
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(2)
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55.29
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%
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7575
Fulton Street, East
Ada,
MI 49355
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Stephen
Garofalo
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3,233,467
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(3)
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8.86
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%
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Six
Teal Court
New
City, NY 10956
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Jeffrey
K. Peterson
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2,374,237
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(4)
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6.50
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%
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1707
Waldenmere Street
Sarasota,
FL 34239
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Lewis
H. Bender
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549,261
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(5)
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1.49
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%
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Kenneth
S. Kornman, DDS, Ph.D.
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1,507,473
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(6)
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4.08
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%
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Eliot
M. Lurier
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42,156
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(7)
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*
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James
M. Weaver
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—
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(8)
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*
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Glenn
S. Armstrong, Ph.D.
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—
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(9)
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*
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George
D. Calvert
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—
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(10)
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*
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Mary
E. Chowning
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37,500
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(11)
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*
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Thomas
R. Curran, Jr.
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—
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(12)
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*
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William
C. Mills III
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—
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(13)
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*
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All
current executive officers and directors as a
Group
(9 persons)
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2,136,390
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(14)
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5.73
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%
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Series
A
Preferred
Stock
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Pyxis
Innovations Inc.
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5,000,000
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100
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%
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*
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Represents
less than 1% of the issued and outstanding
shares.
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(1)
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Unless
otherwise indicated, the address for each person is our address at 135
Beaver Street, Waltham, MA 02452.
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(2)
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Based
solely on a Schedule 13D/A filed on February 3, 2010 with the SEC by
Pyxis Innovations Inc. and affiliated entities. Consists of (i)
6,884,056 shares of common stock, (ii) 28,160,200 shares of common stock
issuable upon conversion of 5,000,000 shares of our Series A Preferred
Stock and (iii) 1,588,479 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion
of outstanding convertible notes.
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(3)
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Based
solely on a Schedule 13G/A filed on January 17, 2007 with the
SEC by Mr. Garofalo, which reported ownership as of December 31,
2006. Consists of (i) 2,368,500 of shares owned directly by
Mr. Garofalo; (ii) 50,000 shares owned by Mr. Garofalo’s
spouse; and (iii) 814,967 shares owned by First Global Technology
Corp. (“First Global”). Mr. Garofalo is the controlling stockholder
of First Global. Mr. Garofalo has sole voting and investment power with
respect to the shares owned directly by him and shared voting and
investment power with respect to the shares owned by his spouse and First
Global.
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(4)
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Based
solely on a Schedule 13G/A Amendment filed on January 16, 2008
with the SEC by Mr. Peterson, which reported ownership as of
December 31, 2007.
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(5)
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Includes
300,000 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of options held by
Mr. Bender within 60 days following April 13,
2010.
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(6)
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Includes
898,723 shares of common stock held by a limited partnership of which
Dr. Kornman is a general partner. As such, Dr. Kornman may be
deemed the beneficial owner of these shares. Dr. Kornman disclaims
beneficial ownership of these shares. Includes 475,000 shares of common
stock issuable upon exercise of options held by Dr. Kornman within
60 days following April 13,
2010.
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(7)
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Includes
14,000 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of options held by
Mr. Lurier within 60 days following April 13,
2010.
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(8)
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Although
appointed as a Series A director by Pyxis Innovations Inc., we
have been advised that Mr. Weaver does not, directly or indirectly,
have voting or investment power over the shares of stock held by
Pyxis.
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(9)
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Although
appointed as a Series A director by Pyxis Innovations Inc., we
have been advised that Dr. Armstrong does not, directly or
indirectly, have voting or investment power over the shares of stock held
by Pyxis.
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(10)
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Although
appointed as a Series A director by Pyxis Innovations Inc., we
have been advised that Dr. Calvert does not, directly or indirectly,
have voting or investment power over the shares of stock held by
Pyxis.
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(11)
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Includes
7,500 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of options held by Ms.
Chowning within 60 days following April 13, 2010. Includes 10,000
shares of restricted common stock granted to Ms. Chowning on March 17,
2010, which vests in four equal annual installments beginning on March 17,
2011.
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(12)
|
Although
appointed as a Series A director by Pyxis Innovations Inc., we
have been advised that Mr. Curran does not, directly or indirectly,
have voting or investment power over the shares of stock held by
Pyxis.
|
(13)
|
Mr.
Mills was elected to our Board of Directors on April 29,
2010. Upon his election, Mr. Mills was granted an option to
purchase 15,000 shares of our common stock, which option vests in four
equal annual installments on each of the first four anniversaries of
the date of grant.
|
(14)
|
See
footnotes 5 through 13 above.
|
MANAGEMENT
AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The
Board of Directors and Management
We are
managed under the direction of our Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors
currently consists of seven directors. Pursuant to our charter, the holders of
shares of our Series A Preferred Stock are entitled to elect up to four
directors to our Board of Directors (the “Series A Directors”), who are not
apportioned among classes. Each of the Series A Directors is nominated and
elected by Pyxis Innovations Inc., as the sole holder of shares of our
Series A Preferred Stock. James M. Weaver, Glenn S. Armstrong, George D.
Calvert, and Thomas R. Curran are our current Series A Directors. Our Board
of Directors currently includes three directors who are not Series A
Directors and who are classified into three classes as follows: (1) William C.
Mills III, serves as a Class I director with a term ending at this annual
meeting, (2) Lewis H. Bender serves as a Class II director with a term
ending at the 2011 annual meeting, and (3) Mary E. Chowning serves as a
Class III director with a term ending at the 2012 annual
meeting.
On
April
29
, 2010,
immediately following the resignation of Kenneth S. Kornman, DDS, Ph.D. from the
Board, our Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the Nominating
Committee, elected William C. Mills III as a Class I director to fill the
vacancy created by Dr. Kornman’s resignation. Mr. Mills was also
appointed by the Board to our Audit Committee and as the Chair of our
Compensation Committee. Dr. Kornman continues to serve as our
President and Chief Scientific Officer. On April
29
, 2010, our Board of
Directors, upon the recommendation of the Nominating Committee, also voted to
nominate Mr. Mills for election at the annual meeting for a term of three years
to serve until the 2013 annual meeting of stockholders, and until his successor
has been elected and qualified.
Set forth
below are the names of our director nominee as well as our directors whose terms
do not expire this year and our executive officers, their ages, their position
in the company, their principal occupations or employment for at least the past
five years, the length of their tenure as directors and, for our directors, the
names of other public companies in which they hold or heave held directorships
during the past five years.
|
|
|
|
Position with the Company
|
Lewis
H. Bender
|
|
51
|
|
Director,
Chief Executive Officer
|
Kenneth
S. Kornman, DDS, Ph.D.
|
|
62
|
|
President,
Chief Scientific Officer
|
Eliot
M. Lurier
|
|
52
|
|
Chief
Financial Officer & Treasurer
|
James
M. Weaver
|
|
46
|
|
Director
and Chairman of the Board
|
Glenn
S. Armstrong, Ph.D.(2)(3)
|
|
59
|
|
Director
|
George
D. Calvert, Ph.D.(2)
|
|
46
|
|
Director
|
Mary
E. Chowning(1)(2)
|
|
48
|
|
Director
|
Thomas
R. Curran Jr.(1)(3)
|
|
51
|
|
Director
|
William
C Mills III(1)(3)
|
|
54
|
|
Director
|
(1) Member
of our Audit Committee
(2) Member
of our Nominating Committee
(3) Member
of our Compensation Committee
LEWIS H. BENDER has been our Chief
Executive Officer since January 2008, and became a Director in
July 2008. Prior to joining us and since 1993, he worked in various
capacities at Emisphere Technologies, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company
that develops oral forms of injectable drugs. Those positions included Chief
Technology Officer from May 2007 to January 2008, President and Interim Chief
Executive Officer from January 2007 to May 2007, Member of the Office of the
President from 2002 to January 2008, Senior Vice President of Business
Development from 1997 to 2007, Vice President of Business Development from 1995
to 1997 and Director of Business Development from 1993 to 1995. Prior to joining
Emisphere Technologies, Inc., he worked as a Production Planning Specialist
at F. Hoffmann La-Roche AG, a Product Manager at Métaux Précieux SA Metalor
and in various managerial capacities at Handy and Harman. Mr. Bender earned
an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, an MA
in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts
and Sciences and an MS and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. Our board of directors has concluded that Mr. Bender
should serve as a director as of the date of this proxy statement because of his
prior executive management experience and his knowledge of business development
within the biotechnology industry. Mr. Bender has not served on any other public
company boards in the past 5 years.
KENNETH S. KORNMAN, DDS, Ph.D. is our
co-founder, President and Chief Scientific Officer. He was a member of our Board
of Directors from August 2006 through April 2010. Prior to founding the
Company in 1986, Dr. Kornman was a Department Chairman and Professor at The
University of Texas Health Center at San Antonio. He has also been a consultant
and scientific researcher for many major oral care and pharmaceutical companies.
Dr. Kornman currently holds an academic appointment at Harvard University.
He holds multiple patents in the pharmaceutical area, has published three books
and more than 100 scientific papers and has lectured and consulted worldwide on
the transfer of technology to clinical practice. Dr. Kornman also holds an
MS (Periodontics) and Ph.D. (Microbiology-Immunology) from the University of
Michigan.
ELIOT M. LURIER has been our Chief
Financial Officer since April 2008. He became Treasurer in July 2008.
Prior to joining the Company and since April 2005, Mr. Lurier was Vice
President, Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer of Nucryst
Pharmaceuticals, where he assisted in its initial public offering and was
responsible for the company’s reporting to the Securities and Exchange
Commission and the implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley requirements. From April
2004 to March 2005, Mr. Lurier served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief
Operating Officer for Bridge Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he established
financial policies for managing business operations. From 1983 to 2004,
Mr. Lurier held a number of senior-level financial positions, including
Chief Financial Officer of Admetric Biochem, Inc., and Chief Financial
Officer, Treasurer and Vice President of Finance of Ascent Pediatrics, Inc.
From 1981 to 1983, Mr. Lurier was an auditor at Coopers and Lybrand in
Boston, MA. He earned a B.S. in Accounting from Syracuse University in 1980 and
is a Certified Public Accounting in Massachusetts.
JAMES M. WEAVER joined the Board of
Directors in July 2007 and was appointed Chairman of the Board in September
2007. He is Vice President of Alticor Corporate Enterprises, a member of the
Alticor Inc. family of companies, which is engaged in the principal
business of offering products, business opportunities, and manufacturing and
logistics services in more than 80 countries and territories worldwide. In this
role, Mr. Weaver is responsible for managing the current portfolio of
Alticor’s companies and directs its acquisition and growth. Prior to joining
Alticor, Mr. Weaver worked for X-Rite Inc. where he held various
leadership positions, including Senior Vice President and General Manager, Vice
President of marketing and software development, Vice President of marketing and
product development, as well as lead executive on several acquisitions.
Mr. Weaver also founded and held the position of President and Chief
Executive Officer of Bold Furniture Inc, and has held various leadership
positions at Steelcase Inc. and Bissell Inc. Mr. Weaver received
a Bachelor’s degree in general studies from the University of Michigan in Ann
Arbor and serves on several non-profit and private company boards. Our board of
directors has concluded that Mr. Weaver should serve as a director as of the
date of this proxy statement because of his prior senior management experience
and judgment and his extensive sales and marketing experience in the consumer
product industry. Mr. Weaver has not served on any other public company boards
in the past 5 years.
GLENN S. ARMSTRONG, Ph.D. joined the
Board of Directors in July 2008. Dr. Armstrong is Vice President of
Corporate/Business Innovations for Alticor Inc. and leads Alticor’s Growth
Through Innovation initiative. He joined Alticor in July 2007 from the Wm.
Wrigley Jr. Company, where he was senior director and lead scientist of the
company’s New Ventures Group & Mergers and Acquisitions.
Dr. Armstrong is the former founder and president of Armstrong Sargent
Group, Inc., a marketing, research and development, and technology
assessment consulting firm. He also held marketing, innovation and product
development, and science research positions with Whirlpool Corp., Quaker Oats
Company, and General Mills, Inc. Dr. Armstrong earned a Bachelor of
Science degree in botany from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill. He
received a Master of Science degree in food science, and a Ph.D. in food science
from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. He also studied with a research
team as a research chemist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Our board
of directors has concluded that Dr. Armstrong should serve as a director as of
the date of this proxy statement because of his prior executive marketing,
technology and research development experience and his knowledge of business
development within various technical industries. Dr. Armstrong has not served on
any other public company boards in the past 5 years.
GEORGE D. CALVERT, Ph.D. joined the
Board of Directors as a Series A Director in connection with our
transactions with Pyxis Innovations Inc. in March 2003. In March 2009,
Dr. Calvert, was appointed Vice President, Supply Chain and
Research & Development for Amway. In his current role, Dr. Calvert
is responsible for global manufacturing, sourcing, logistics, facilities and all
technical functions for Amway. Previously, he held the positions of Vice
President, Research & Development/Quality Assurance, Director of
Quality Assurance/Analytical Services and Senior Manager Home Tech
Research & Development at Amway. Dr. Calvert earned a Ph.D. in
Analytical Chemistry from the University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of
Science degree in Chemistry from the College of William and Mary. Our board of
directors has concluded that Dr. Calvert should serve as a director as of the
date of this proxy statement because of his prior management experience and his
knowledge of manufacturing and research and development within various global
industries. Dr. Calvert has not served on any other public company boards in the
past 5 years.
MARY E. CHOWNING joined the Board of
Directors in July 2008. Ms. Chowning has served as President of the McCue
Corporation since January 2010. From May 2008 to December 2009 Ms. Chowning was
the managing partner of Colonnade Consulting LLC. Ms. Chowning served as Vice
President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of X-Rite Inc., from
July 2003 to July 2006. Ms. Chowning served as an Executive Vice
President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of X-Rite Inc., from
July 2006 to March 2008 and also served as its Principal Accounting
Officer from July 2003 to March 2008. Ms. Chowning retired from
X-Rite Inc. in April 2008. Prior to X-Rite, she co-founded the Wind
River group of companies and served as its Managing Member, as well as its Chief
Financial Officer for four years. Ms. Chowning began her career with Arthur
Andersen LLP and spent 14 years in Public Accounting where she served
in various positions of increasing responsibility with public and private
clients in manufacturing, consumer products, technology and various service
industries. She was made a Partner in the firm in 1996. Ms. Chowning is a
graduate of the University of California where she holds a Bachelor of Arts in
Economics. She is a Certified Public Accountant in California and a member of
the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Our board of directors
has concluded that Ms. Chowning should serve as a director as of the date of
this proxy statement because of her prior executive management experience,
judgment, public company experience and financial expertise. Ms.Chowning has not
served on any other public company boards in the past 5 years.
THOMAS R. CURRAN, JR. joined the Board
of Directors as a Series A Director in connection with our transactions
with Pyxis Innovations Inc. in March 2003. In addition to his role as
director, he served as our Interim Chief Executive Officer from July 2007
through January 2008. Mr. Curran is employed as the Director of
Portfolio Management for Alticor Corporate Enterprises and Vice President of
Business Development for Metagenics Inc. Mr. Curran served as Associate General
Counsel/Corporate Development and Commercial Transactions of Alticor Inc.,
a company engaged in the principal business, through its affiliates, of offering
products, business opportunities, and manufacturing and logistics services in
more than 80 countries and territories worldwide. Concurrently, Mr. Curran also
held the position of Chief Legal Officer for Access Business Group LLC, a
manufacturing and distribution company and wholly owned subsidiary of Alticor
Inc. Prior to joining Alticor, Mr. Curran was a partner in the law firm of
Howard & Howard in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. From 1982 to 1991,
Mr. Curran worked for the Polaroid Corporation in various domestic and
international financial and managerial positions. Mr. Curran holds a
Bachelor of Arts from Providence College, a Master of International Management
from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and a Juris Doctorate from
Suffolk University Law School. Our board of directors has concluded that Mr.
Curran should serve as a director as of the date of this proxy statement because
of his judgment, knowledge of the company’s products and technology and
extensive legal experience. Mr. Curran has not served on any other public
company boards in the past 5 years.
WILLIAM C. MILLS III joined the Board
of Directors in April 2010. He is currently an independent venture capitalist
with over 29 years of experience in venture capital. From 2004 until 2009,
Mr. Mills was a managing member of a management company conceived by EGS
Healthcare Capital Partners to manage EGS Private Healthcare Partnership III.
Earlier, Mr. Mills was a Partner in the Boston office of Advent
International, a private equity and venture capital firm, for five years. At
Advent, he was co-responsible for healthcare venture capital investments and
focused on investments in the medical technology and biopharmaceutical sectors.
Before joining Advent, Mr. Mills spent more than 11 years with the Venture
Capital Fund of New England where he was a General Partner. Prior to that, he
spent seven years at PaineWebber Ventures/Ampersand Ventures as Managing General
Partner. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Managers of Ascension Health
Ventures. Mr. Mills received his A.B. in Chemistry, cum laude, from
Princeton University, his S.M. in Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and his M.S. in Management from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. Our
board of directors has concluded that Mr. Mills has significant experience
serving on the boards of growing companies in the medical technology and
biotechnology fields. This experience, coupled with his scientific and technical
expertise, provides valuable knowledge regarding the Company’s intellectual
property, regulatory, and compliance activities. Mr. Mills currently serves on
the Board of Directors of Stereotaxis, Inc., a publicly traded medical device
company. Mr. Mills has not served on any other public company boards
in the past 5 years.
Director
Independence
Our Board
of Directors has determined that the following members qualify as independent
directors under the definition promulgated by the NYSE Amex: Glenn S. Armstrong,
Ph.D., George D. Calvert, Ph.D., Mary E. Chowning, Thomas R. Curran, Jr.,
William C. Mills III and James M. Weaver.
Committees
of the Board of Directors and Meetings
Committees.
Our
Board of Directors has established three standing committees, Audit,
Compensation and Nominating, each as described below.
Meeting
Attendance.
During the fiscal year ended December 31,
2009, the Board of Directors met eight times. Each of our Directors attended at
least 75% of the aggregate of the meetings of the Board of Directors and
committees of which they are a member. The Board of Directors has adopted a
policy under which each member is encouraged to make every reasonable effort to
attend each annual meeting of our stockholders. Four of the directors attended
our 2009 annual meeting of stockholders.
Audit
Committee and Financial Experts
Prior to
April 29, 2010, the members of our Audit Committee were Mary E. Chowning
(Chair), James M. Weaver, and Thomas R. Curran, Jr. On April 29,
2010, William C. Mills III was appointed to the Audit Committee to replace Mr.
Weaver. Our Audit Committee met four times during the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2009. Our Audit Committee is responsible for retaining
and overseeing our independent accountants, approving the services performed by
them and reviewing our annual financial statements, accounting policies and our
system of internal controls. All members of the Audit Committee satisfy the
current independence standards promulgated by the Securities and Exchange
Commission and the NYSE Amex, as such standards apply specifically to members of
audit committees. The Board of Directors has determined that Ms. Chowning
is an “audit committee financial expert” as the Securities and Exchange
Commission has defined that term in Item 407 of Regulation S-K. A copy
of the Audit Committee’s written charter is publicly available on our website at
www.ilgenetics.com.
Compensation
Committee
Prior to
April 29, 2010, the members of our Compensation Committee were George D. Calvert
(Chair), Glenn S. Armstrong, Ph.D., and Thomas R.
Curran, Jr. On April 29, 2010, William C. Mills III was appointed as Chair
of the Compensation Committee to replace Mr. Calvert. Our
Compensation Committee met three times during the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2009. Our Compensation Committee reviews our compensation
philosophy and programs, exercises authority with respect to the payment of
salaries and incentive compensation to our directors and officers and makes
recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding stock option grants and
stock awards under our stock plans. The Compensation Committee is responsible
for the determination of the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer, and
conducts its decision making process with respect to that issue without the
Chief Executive Officer present. All members of the Compensation Committee
qualify as independent under the definitions promulgated by the NYSE Amex. A
copy of the Compensation Committee’s written charter is publicly available on
our website at www.ilgenetics.com.
Nominating
Committee
Our
Nominating Committee currently consists of Glenn S. Armstrong, Ph.D. (Chair),
George D. Calvert, and Mary E. Chowning. Our Nominating Committee met one time
during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009. All members of the
Nominating Committee qualify as independent under the definition promulgated by
the NYSE Amex. This committee’s role is to make recommendations to the Board of
Directors as to the size and composition of the Board of Directors and to make
recommendations as to the particular nominees. The Nominating Committee may
consider candidates recommended by stockholders, as well as from other sources,
such as other directors, or officers, third party search firms or other
appropriate sources. For all potential candidates, the Nominating Committee may
consider all factors it deems relevant, such as a candidate’s personal integrity
and sound judgment, business and professional skills and experience,
independence, knowledge of the industry in which we operate, possible conflicts
of interest, the extent to which the candidate would fill a present need on the
Board of Directors, and concern for the long-term interests of the stockholders.
The Nominating Committee also considers issues of diversity among its members in
identifying and considering nominees and strives, if appropriate, to achieve a
diverse balance of backgrounds, perspectives and experience. In general, persons
recommended by stockholders will be considered on the same basis as candidates
from other sources. If a stockholder wishes to nominate a candidate to be
considered for election as a director at the 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders
using the procedures set forth in the Company’s By-laws, it must follow the
procedures described in “Stockholder Proposals and Nominations For Director” of
this proxy statement. If a stockholder wishes simply to propose a candidate for
consideration as a nominee by the Nominating Committee, it should submit any
pertinent information regarding the candidate to the Chairman of the Nominating
Committee by mail at Secretary, Interleukin Genetics, Inc., 135 Beaver
Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02452. A copy of the Nominating Committee’s
written charter is publicly available on our website at
www.ilgenetics.com.
Board
Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight
Our Board
of Directors currently consists of seven directors, each of whom, other than Mr.
Bender, is independent under NYSE Amex’s independence standards. Mr. Bender has
served as our CEO since January 2008 and as a member of our Board since July
2008. The Chairman of our Board of Directors is currently Mr. Weaver. The
Board has determined that separating the positions of Chief Executive Officer
and Chairman of the Board, and having an independent director serve as Chairman
of the Board, is in the best interest of shareholders at this time in
recognition of the differences between the two roles. Under this structure, the
Chief Executive Officer is responsible for setting the strategic direction for
the company and for providing the day-to-day leadership over our operations,
while the Chairman of the Board provides guidance to the Chief Executive
Officer, sets the agenda for Board meetings and presides over meetings of the
full Board. In addition, the Chairman approves Board meeting agendas and
schedules and generally approves information sent to the Board. This structure
ensures a greater role for the independent directors in the oversight of the
company and active participation of the independent directors in setting agendas
and establishing priorities and procedures for the work of the Board. In
addition, our independent directors meet in executive sessions after every
scheduled Board meeting.
Generally,
management is responsible for managing the risks that we face. The board of
directors is responsible for overseeing management’s approach to risk management
that is designed to support the achievement of organizational objectives,
including strategic objectives, to improve long-term organizational performance
and enhance stockholder value. The involvement of the full Board of Directors in
reviewing our strategic objectives and plans is a key part of the Board’s
assessment of management’s approach and tolerance to risk. A fundamental part of
risk management is not only understanding the risks a company faces and what
steps management is taking to manage those risks, but also understanding what
level of risk is appropriate for us. In setting our business strategy, our Board
of Directors assesses the various risks being mitigated by management and
determines what constitutes an appropriate level of risk for us. While the Board
of Directors has ultimate oversight responsibility for overseeing management’s
risk management process, various committees of the Board of Directors assist it
in fulfilling that responsibility. The Audit Committee assists the Board in its
oversight of risk management in the areas of financial reporting, internal
controls and compliance with certain legal and regulatory requirements and the
Compensation Committee assists the board in its oversight of the evaluation and
management of risks related to our compensation policies and
practices.
Shareholder
Communications to the Board
Generally,
shareholders who have questions or concerns regarding Interleukin should contact
Investor Relations at (781) 398-0700. However, any shareholders who wish to
address questions regarding our business directly with the Board of Directors,
or any individual director, should direct his or her questions in writing to the
Chairman of the Board at Interleukin Genetics, Inc., 135 Beaver Street,
Waltham, Massachusetts 02452. Communications will be distributed to the Board,
or to any individual director or directors as appropriate, depending on the
facts and circumstances outlined in the communications. Items that are unrelated
to the duties and responsibilities of the Board may be excluded, such
as:
|
•
|
junk
mail and mass mailings;
|
|
•
|
resumes
and other forms of job inquiries;
|
|
•
|
solicitations
or advertisements.
|
In addition, any material that is
unduly hostile, threatening, or illegal in nature may be excluded, provided that
any communication that is filtered out will be made available to any outside
director upon request.
Corporate
Opportunity Agreement
We have
agreed to certain terms for allocating opportunities as permitted under
Section 122(17) of the Delaware General Corporation Law. This agreement, as
set forth in the Series A Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement dated
March 5, 2003, regulates and defines the conduct of certain of our affairs
as they may involve Pyxis Innovations Inc. as our majority stockholder and
its affiliates, and the powers, rights, duties and liabilities of us and our
officers and directors in connection with corporate opportunities.
Except
under certain circumstances, Pyxis and its affiliates have the right to engage
in the same or similar activities or lines of business or have an interest in
the same classes or categories of corporate opportunities as we do. If Pyxis, or
one of our directors appointed by Pyxis and its affiliates acquire knowledge of
a potential transaction or matter that may be a corporate opportunity for both
Pyxis and its affiliates and us, to the fullest extent permitted by law, Pyxis
and its affiliates will not have a duty to inform us about the corporate
opportunity or be liable to us or to you for breach of any fiduciary duty as a
stockholder of ours for not informing us of the corporate opportunity, keeping
it for its own account, or referring it to another person.
Additionally,
except under limited circumstances, if an officer or employee of Pyxis who is
also one of our directors is offered a corporate opportunity, such opportunity
shall not belong to us. In addition, we agreed that such director will have
satisfied his duties to us and not be liable to us or to you in connection with
such opportunity.
The terms
of this agreement will terminate on the date that no person who is a director,
officer or employee of ours is also a director, officer, or employee of
Pyxis.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
Summary
Compensation Table
The
following table sets forth the total compensation awarded or paid to, accrued or
earned during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2009 and 2008 by our
Chief Executive Officer and our next two most highly compensated executive
officers who were employed by us as of December 31, 2009. We refer to these
individuals as our “Named Executive Officers.”
Name and Principal Position
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-Equity
Incentive
Plan
Compensation
($)
|
|
|
Change in
Pension Value
and
Nonqualified
Deferred
Compensation
Earnings
($)
|
|
|
All Other
Compensation
($)(6)
|
|
|
|
|
Lewis
H. Bender
|
|
2009
|
|
$
|
340,000
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
6,300
|
|
|
$
|
346,300
|
|
Chief
Executive Officer(2)
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
319,077
|
|
|
$
|
137,850
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
392,312
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
43,732
|
|
|
$
|
892,971
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kenneth
S. Kornman
|
|
2009
|
|
$
|
354,923
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
3,500
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
4,548
|
|
|
$
|
362,971
|
|
President
and Chief Scientific Officer
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
338,692
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
18,625
|
|
|
$
|
52,553
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
9,643
|
|
|
$
|
419,513
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eliot
M. Lurier
|
|
2009
|
|
$
|
222,709
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
6,109
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
1,500
|
|
|
$
|
230,318
|
|
Chief
Financial Officer(3)
|
|
2008
|
|
$
|
144,389
|
|
|
$
|
58,695
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
44,290
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
247,374
|
|
(1)
|
See
Note 12 to our Financial Statements reported in our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2009 for
details as to the assumptions used to determine the fair value of the
stock awards and option grants.
|
(2)
|
Mr. Bender
joined the Company on January 22, 2008 as Chief Executive
Officer.
|
(3)
|
Mr. Lurier
joined the Company on April 30, 2008 as Chief Financial
Officer.
|
(4)
|
The
2008 bonus amount for Mr. Bender consists of: (i) a signing bonus of
$35,000 when he joined the company in January 2008 and (ii) a performance
bonus of $102,850 of which $73,150 was paid in cash and $29,700 was paid
in 110,000 shares of the Company’s common stock valued at the closing
price of $.27 on March 13, 2009 quoted on the NYSE Amex which was paid in
2009 for services in 2008. The 2008 bonus amount for Mr. Lurier consists
of: (i) a signing bonus of $15,000 when he joined the company in April
2008 and (ii) a performance bonus of $43,695 of which $39,240 was paid in
cash and $4,455 was paid in 16,500 shares of the Company’s common stock
valued at the closing price of $.27 on March 13, 2009 quoted on the NYSE
Amex which was paid in 2009 for services in
2008.
|
(5)
|
Amounts
represent the grant date fair value of stock awards and option grants. The
2008 option award amount for Mr. Bender consists of the grant date fair
value of an option for 500,000 shares granted upon his joining the company
in January 2008. The 2009 stock award amount for Dr. Kornman consists of
the grant date fair value of 12,500 shares of our common stock valued at
the closing price of $0.28 on March 31, 2009 as quoted on the NYSE Amex.
This stock award was vested in full upon grant. The 2008 stock award
amount for Dr. Kornman consists of the grant date fair value of 12,500
shares of our common stock valued at the closing price of $1.49 on April
30, 2008 as quoted on the NYSE Amex. This stock award vested in full on
March 31, 2009. The 2008 option award amount for Dr. Kornman consists of
the grant date fair value of an option for 75,000 shares granted upon the
signing of a new employment agreement in November 2008. The 2009 option
award amount for Mr. Lurier consists of the grant date fair value of an
option for 30,000 shares granted in March 2009. The 2008 option award
amount for Mr. Lurier consists of the grant date fair value of an option
for 40,000 shares granted upon his joining the company in April
2008.
|
(6)
|
Mr. Bender
received a $1,500 401K company contribution in 2008 and 2009,
respectively, and a reimbursement for living expenses amounting to $42,232
and $4,800 in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Dr. Kornman received
reimbursement of $2,720 for life insurance in each of 2008 and 2009,
and a car allowance of $6,923 and $1,828 in 2008 and 2009, respectively.
Mr. Lurier received a $1,500 401K company contribution in
2009.
|
Narrative
Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table
The
compensation paid to our named executive officers in 2009 summarized in our
Summary Compensation Table above is generally determined in accordance with
employment agreements that we have entered into with each of our named executive
officers. The material terms of these agreements are discussed under the caption
“Employment Agreements” below.
Outstanding
Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The
following table shows stock option awards outstanding (vested and unvested) and
unvested stock awards outstanding as of December 31, 2009, including both
awards subject to performance conditions and non-performance-based awards, for
each of the executive officers in the Summary Compensation Table.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
Exercisable
(#)
|
|
|
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
Unexercisable
(#)
|
|
|
Equity
Incentive
Plan Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Unearned
Options
(#)
|
|
|
Options
Exercise
Price
($)
|
|
|
|
Number of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested
(#)
|
|
|
Market
Value of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested
($)
|
|
|
Equity
Incentive
Plan Awards:
Number of
Unearned
Shares, Units
or Other
Rights That
Have Not
Vested
(#)
|
|
|
Equity
Incentive
Plan Awards:
Market or
Payout Value
of Unearned
Shares, Units
or Other
Rights That
Have Not
Vested
($)(1)
|
|
Lewis
H. Bender
|
|
|
200,000
|
|
|
|
300,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
1.06
|
|
1/22/2018
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kenneth
S. Kornman
|
|
|
150,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
1.22
|
|
4/4/2011
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
30,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
0.91
|
|
3/17/2012
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
30,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
1.65
|
|
3/23/2013
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
30,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
4.70
|
|
12/11/2013
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
150,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
4.70
|
|
12/11/2013
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
30,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
3.65
|
|
12/14/2014
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
25,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
1.40
|
|
4/2/2018
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
30,000
|
|
|
|
45,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
0.48
|
|
11/12/2018
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eliot
M. Lurier
|
|
|
8,000
|
|
|
|
32,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
1.49
|
|
4/30/2018
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
30,000
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
$
|
0.27
|
|
3/13/2019
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
(1)
|
The
market value of the stock awards is determined by multiplying the number
of shares times $0.86, the closing price of our common stock on the NYSE
Amex, LLC on December 31, 2009, the last trading day of our
fiscal year.
|
Employment
Agreements
Lewis
H. Bender
Effective
as of January 22, 2008, we entered into a two-year employment agreement
with Lewis H. Bender for the position of Chief Executive Officer that provided
for automatic annual renewal terms. The agreement also provided that
Mr. Bender would serve as a member of our Board of Directors for as long as
he served as our Chief Executive Officer. The agreement provided for a minimum
annual base salary of $340,000, a sign-on bonus of up to $35,000 payable over
the first six months of employment and annual, discretionary bonuses of up to
50% of his base salary based upon our financial performance. In addition, the
agreement provided for the reimbursement of Mr. Bender’s relocation and
living expenses for the first twelve months of employment. Upon hire,
Mr. Bender was also granted an option to purchase 500,000 shares of our
common stock at an exercise price equal to $1.06, the closing price as reported
on the NYSE Amex on the effective date of the agreement, which option vests in
equal annual installments on the option grant date and February 1 of each
of the years 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2013.
On
January 21, 2010, we entered into a one-year employment agreement with Mr.
Bender to continue as our Chief Executive Officer. The agreement replaced and
superseded the employment agreement entered into on January 22, 2008. The
agreement has an initial term of one year and is automatically renewable for
successive one year periods unless at least 90 days prior notice is given by
either us or Mr. Bender. The agreement also provides that Mr. Bender will serve
as a member of our Board of Directors for as long as he serves as our Chief
Executive Officer, subject to any required approval of our
shareholders.
The
agreement provides the continuation of Mr. Bender’s annual base salary of
$340,000 and an annual discretionary bonus of up to 50% of base salary based
upon our financial performance. Under the terms of the agreement, Mr. Bender was
granted an option to purchase 100,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise
price equal to $0.89 per share, the closing price as reported on the NYSE
Amex, LLC on the effective date of the agreement, exercisable immediately
upon grant.
The
agreement is terminable by us for cause or upon thirty days prior written notice
without cause and by Mr. Bender upon thirty days prior written notice for “good
reason” (as defined in the agreement) or upon ninety days prior written notice
without good reason. If we terminate Mr. Bender without cause or Mr. Bender
terminates his employment for good reason, then we are required to pay Mr.
Bender, in addition to any accrued, but unpaid compensation prior to the
termination, an amount equal to eighteen months of his base salary. If we
terminates Mr. Bender without cause or Mr. Bender terminates his employment with
good reason within six months after a “change of control” (as defined in the
agreement), then we are required to pay Mr. Bender, in addition to any accrued,
but unpaid compensation prior to the termination, an amount equal to twenty-four
months of his base salary, and all unvested stock options will automatically
vest.
The
agreement also includes non-compete and non-solicitation provisions for a period
of twelve months following the termination of Mr. Bender’s
employment.
Kenneth
S. Kornman, DDS, Ph.D.
On
November 12, 2008, we entered into an employment agreement with
Dr. Kornman, our President and Chief Scientific Officer, for a three-year
term, commencing on March 31, 2009, the date his previous employment
agreement expired. Under the new agreement, Dr. Kornman received an initial
annual salary of $360,000 and is eligible to receive annual bonuses solely at
the discretion of the Board of Directors. Dr. Kornman’s annual salary may be
increased in the sole discretion of the Board of Directors. Under the agreement,
on November 12, 2008 Dr. Kornman received a stock option to purchase 75,000
shares of common stock, at an exercise price of $0.48 per share, which was the
closing price as reported on the NYSE Amex on the grant date. The option was
immediately exercisable with respect to 30,000 shares and vests with respect to
an additional 15,000 shares on each of March 31, 2010, 2011, and 2012.
Under the agreement, Dr. Kornman is entitled to participate in employee
benefit plans that we provide or may establish for the benefit of our executive
management generally. In addition, while Dr. Kornman remains employed by
us, we will reimburse him $3,296 annually for payment of life insurance
premiums.
The
agreement is terminable immediately by us with cause or upon thirty days prior
written notice without cause. The agreement is terminable by Dr. Kornman
upon thirty days prior written notice. If we terminate Dr. Kornman without
cause or Dr. Kornman terminates his employment with good reason, then, in
addition to payment of any accrued, but unpaid compensation prior to the
termination, we must continue to pay his base salary and to provide health
insurance benefits until the earlier of (1) expiration of the agreement or (2)
twelve months. If we terminate Dr. Kornman in connection with a Cessation
of our Business (as defined in the agreement), then, in addition to payment of
any accrued, but unpaid compensation prior to the termination, we must continue
to pay his base salary and to provide health insurance benefits until the
earlier of (1) expiration of the agreement or (2) three months.
The
agreement also includes non-compete and non-solicitation provisions for a period
of twelve months following the termination of Dr. Kornman’s
employment.
Eliot
M. Lurier
On
April 30, 2008, we entered into a one-year employment agreement with Eliot
M. Lurier for the position of Chief Financial Officer. The agreement has an
initial term of one year and is automatically renewable for successive one year
periods unless at least 60 days prior notice is given by either us or Mr.
Lurier. The agreement provides for an initial annual base salary of $217,000
which may be increased in the sole discretion of the Compensation Committee of
our Board. Mr. Lurier is entitled to annual discretionary bonuses of up to 30%
of his base salary in effect during the year for which the bonus relates.
Bonuses will be determined by the Compensation Committee of the Board of
Directors upon the suggestion of the Chief Executive Officer and will be based
upon the employee’s performance and the overall performance of the Company for
the year. Mr. Lurier also received a signing bonus of $15,000 after his first
four months of employment. On April 30, 2008, Mr. Lurier was granted an
option to purchase 40,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price equal
to $1.49, which was the closing price as reported on the NYSE Amex on the grant
date. The option vests in equal annual installments of 8,000 shares on each of
the first five anniversaries of the grant date.
The
agreement is terminable immediately by us with cause or upon thirty days prior
written notice if without cause. The agreement is terminable by
Mr. Lurier upon thirty days prior written notice. If we terminate
Mr. Lurier without cause and at any time following the three-month
anniversary of April 30, 2008, then we will pay Mr. Lurier, in
addition to any accrued, but unpaid, compensation prior to the termination, an
amount equal to six months of his base salary in effect at the time of the
termination and six months of continued healthcare coverage, to the same extent
that we provided healthcare coverage during his employment, if Mr. Lurier
elects to continue participation in our health plan.
The
agreement also includes non-compete and non-solicitation provisions for a period
of six months following the termination of Mr. Lurier’s employment.
Director
Compensation
The
following table shows the total compensation paid or accrued during the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2009 to each of our non-executive
directors.
|
|
|
|
Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash
($)
|
|
|
|
|
|
All Other
Compensation
($)
|
|
|
|
|
Mary
E. Chowning
|
|
2009
|
|
$
|
33,500
|
|
|
|
-0-
|
|
|
|
-0-
|
|
|
$
|
33,500
|
|
All of
our directors are reimbursed for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in
attending Board and committee meetings. Prior to April 29, 2010, Mary E.
Chowning was our only director that is a non-employee director and is also not a
Series A director. In July 2008, when our board elected Ms. Chowning as a
director, we agreed to pay Ms. Chowning the following
compensation:
|
·
|
for
service as a director, an annual retainer of $14,000 and $1,500 for each
board meeting attended in person, by teleconference or by
video;
|
|
·
|
for
service as the chair of our audit committee, an annual retainer of $7,500
and $1,500 for each audit committee meeting attended in person, by
teleconference or by video; and
|
|
·
|
for
joining us as a director, a grant of 15,000 options to purchase our common
stock at an exercise price equal to the closing price of our common stock
on the grant date, which vests in equal annual installments on each of the
four anniversaries of the grant
date.
|
On April
29, 2010, our Board of Directors elected William C. Mills III as a director and
appointed him to our Audit Committee and as the Chair of our Compensation
Committee. Mr. Mills joins Ms. Chowning as a non-employee director
who is also not a Series A director. In connection with the election
of Mr. Mills, the Board adopted the following new policy for compensation of
non-employee directors who are also not a Series A director:
|
·
|
for
service as a director, an annual retainer of
$20,000;
|
|
·
|
for
service as the chair of a committee, an annual retainer of
$7,500;
|
|
·
|
for
service as a non-chair member of a committee, an annual retainer of
$5,000;
|
|
·
|
for
each Board or committee meeting attended in person, by teleconference or
by video, $1,500; and
|
|
·
|
upon
initial election or appointment to the Board, a grant of an option to
purchase 15,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price equal to
the closing price of the common stock on the date of grant, with such
option to vest in four equal annual installments on each of the first four
anniversaries of the grant date.
|
EQUITY
COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION
The
following table provides certain aggregate information with respect to all of
the Company’s equity compensation plans in effect as of December 31,
2009.
|
|
Number of securities to be
issued upon exercise
of outstanding options,
warrants and rights
|
|
|
Weighted-average
exercise price of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights
|
|
|
Number of securities
remaining available for
future issuance under
equity compensation
plans (excluding
securities reflected
in column (a))
|
|
Equity
compensation plans approved by security holders(1)
|
|
|
1,578,917
|
|
|
$
|
2.07
|
|
|
|
1,372,178
|
|
Equity
compensation plans not approved by security holders
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Total
|
|
|
1,578,917
|
|
|
$
|
2.07
|
|
|
|
1,372,178
|
|
(1)
|
These
plans consist of our 2000 Employee Stock Compensation Plan and our 2004
Employee, Director and Consultant Stock
Plan.
|
The Audit
Committee of the Board of Directors, which consists entirely of directors who
meet the independence and experience requirements of the NYSE Amex, on which the
company’s shares are listed, has furnished the following report.
The Audit
Committee assists the Board in overseeing and monitoring the integrity of our
financial reporting process, compliance with legal and regulatory requirements
and the quality of internal and external audit processes. The committee’s role
and responsibilities are set forth in our charter adopted by the Board, which is
available on our website at www.ilgenetics.com. The committee reviews and
reassesses our charter annually and recommends any changes to the Board for
approval. The Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing our overall
financial reporting process, and for the appointment, compensation, retention,
and oversight of the work of Grant Thornton LLP, our independent public
accountants. In fulfilling its responsibilities for the financial statements for
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009, the Audit Committee took the
following actions:
|
·
|
Reviewed
and discussed the audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2009 with management and Grant Thornton LLP, our
independent public accountants;
|
|
·
|
Discussed
with Grant Thornton LLP the matters required to be discussed by
Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61, as amended, as adopted by the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in Rule 3200T, relating to
the conduct of the audit; and
|
|
·
|
Received
written disclosures and the letter from Grant Thornton LLP regarding
its independence as required by applicable requirements of the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding Grant Thornton LLP’s
communications with the Audit Committee, and the Audit Committee further
discussed with Grant Thornton LLP their independence. The Audit
Committee also considered the status of pending litigation, taxation
matters and other areas of oversight relating to the financial reporting
and audit process that the committee determined
appropriate.
|
Based on
the Audit Committee’s review of the audited financial statements and discussions
with management and Grant Thornton LLP, the Audit Committee recommended to
the Board that the audited financial statements be included in our Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009 for filing
with the SEC.
MEMBERS
OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE:
Mary E.
Chowning (Chair)
Thomas R.
Curran, Jr.
James M.
Weaver
COMPLIANCE
WITH SECTION 16(a) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Our
records reflect that all reports which were required to be filed pursuant to
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act were filed on a timely
basis.
CODE
OF CONDUCT AND ETHICS
We have
adopted a corporate code of conduct and ethics that applies to all of our
employees, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer.
The text of the corporate code of conduct and ethics is publicly available on
our website at www.ilgenetics.com. Disclosure regarding any amendments to, or
waivers from, provisions of the code of conduct and ethics that apply to our
directors, principal executive and financial officers will be included in a
Current Report on Form 8-K within four business days following the date of
the amendment or waiver, unless website posting of such amendments or waivers is
then permitted by the rules of the NYSE Amex.
CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Pursuant
to the written charter of our Audit Committee, the Audit Committee is
responsible for reviewing and approving, prior to our entry into any such
transaction, all transactions in which we are a participant and in which any of
the following persons has or will have a direct or indirect material interest:
our executive officers; our directors; the beneficial owners of more than 5% of
our securities; the immediate family members of any of the foregoing persons;
and any other persons whom the Board determines may be considered related
persons, any such person being referred to as a “related person.”
The
following is a description of arrangements that we have entered into with
related persons since January 1, 2008. We believe that the transactions
described below were made on terms no less favorable to us than could have been
obtained from unaffiliated third parties.
Effective
as of September 1, 2008, we and Access Business Group
International LLC (ABG), an affiliate of Alticor Inc. and an affiliate
of our primary stockholder Pyxis Innovations Inc., amended the formerly
exclusive license agreement to render the license non-exclusive, thereby
generally allowing us to license our intellectual property to third parties in
addition to ABG. The parties also amended the license agreement to remove the
right of first negotiation, which we had granted to ABG upon entry into the
license agreement, for the commercialization of all of our current and future
intellectual property into products/services outside of the field of
nutrigenomics and dermagenomics.
On
August 17, 2006, we entered into a stock purchase agreement and further
amended the note purchase agreement with Pyxis, dated October 23, 2002, to,
among other things, provide for the establishment of a $14.3 million
convertible credit facility with Pyxis. Subject to certain customary conditions,
the agreements contemplated that we could draw down against the convertible
credit facility until August 17, 2008. On June 10, 2008, we drew down
$4,000,000 under the convertible credit facility, leaving $10.3 million of
available credit, and issued a convertible promissory note to Pyxis in that
amount. On August 12, 2008, we and Pyxis amended the agreements to extend
the expiration date of the credit facility to permit borrowing at any time prior
to March 31, 2009. On March 11, 2009, we entered into an amended and
restated note purchase agreement, dated as of March 10, 2009, with Pyxis to
extend the availability of the credit facility until March 31, 2010. In
2009, we drew down $3.0 million under this credit facility, leaving
$7.3 million of remaining availability. On February 1, 2010, we drew down
$2.0 million under the credit facility leaving $5.3 million of remaining
availability. In addition, the credit line was extended to permit borrowing at
any time prior to June 30, 2011. All such borrowing becomes due on
August 16, 2011 and are convertible into shares of common stock at a
conversion price equal to $5.68 per share.
On
February 25, 2008, the Company entered into a research agreement (RA8) with an
affiliate of Alticor, effective January 1, 2008, to expand the research
being performed under its current agreements with Alticor through 2008. The
Company received $1,200,000 during 2008 under the research agreement, on a time
and materials basis. On January 31, 2009, the Company entered into an
amendment to the RA8. The amendment extended the term from a maximum of six
months to eight months, terminating on September 30, 2009. The Company received
an additional $200,316 on March 31, 2009 under the terms of the amendment to
complete ongoing research. At December 31, 2009, all research agreements with
Alticor were complete.
On
October 26, 2009, we entered into a Merchant Network and Channel Partner
Agreement with Amway Corp. d/b/a Amway Global, a subsidiary of Alticor
Inc. Pursuant to this Agreement, Amway Global will sell our Inherent Health
brand of genetic tests through its e-commerce Web site via a hyperlink to our
e-commerce site. Amway Global will receive a commission equal to a
percentage of net sales received by us from Amway Global customers. The
agreement has an initial term of 12 months and is automatically renewable for
successive 12-month terms. The agreement may be terminated by either party
upon 120 days written notice. To date, we have paid Amway Global approximately
$116,000 in commissions under this agreement.
For
additional information with respect to the holdings of our primary stockholder,
Pyxis Innovations Inc., see “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial
Owners and Management.”
PROPOSAL
1
TO
ELECT WILLIAM C. MILLS III AS A CLASS I DIRECTOR
Our Board
of Directors currently consists of seven directors. Pursuant to our charter, the
holders of shares of our Series A Preferred Stock are entitled to elect up
to four directors to our Board of Directors (the “Series A Directors”), who
are not apportioned among classes. Each of the Series A Directors is
nominated and elected by Pyxis Innovations Inc., as the sole holder of
shares of our Series A Preferred Stock. James M. Weaver, Glenn S.
Armstrong, George D. Calvert, and Thomas R. Curran are our current Series A
Directors. Our Board of Directors currently includes three directors who are not
Series A Directors and who are classified into three classes as follows:
(1) William C. Mills III, serves as a Class I director with a term ending
at this annual meeting, (2) Lewis H. Bender serves as a Class II director
with a term ending at the 2011 annual meeting, and (3) Mary E. Chowning serves
as a Class III director with a term ending at the 2012 annual
meeting.
The Board
of Directors, upon the recommendation of the Nominating Committee, has voted to
nominate Mr. Mills for election at the 2010 annual meeting for a term of three
years to serve until the 2013 annual meeting, and until his successor is elected
and qualified. Mr. Bender, as a Class II director, will continue to serve
until the 2011 annual meeting, and Ms. Chowning, as a Class III director,
will serve until the 2012 annual meeting
, and, in each case, until
their respective successors have been elected and qualified.
Unless
authority to vote for Mr. Mills is withheld, the shares represented by the
enclosed proxy will be voted
FOR
the election as director
of Mr. Mills. In the event that the nominee becomes unable or unwilling to
serve, the shares represented by the enclosed proxy will be voted for the
election of such other person as the Board of Directors may recommend in his
place. We have no reason to believe that Mr. Mills will be unable or unwilling
to serve as a director.
A
plurality of the shares voted is required to elect Mr. Mills.
The
Board of Directors recommends a vote "FOR" the election of William C. Mills III
as a Class I director, and proxies solicited by the Board will be voted in
favor, unless a stockholder indicates otherwise on the proxy.
PROPOSAL
2
RATIFICATION
OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT
The Audit
Committee of the Board has appointed Grant Thornton LLP as our independent
public accountant for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2010. The Board
proposes that the stockholders ratify this appointment. Grant Thornton LLP has
audited the Company’s financial statements since 2002. We expect that
representatives of Grant Thornton LLP will be present at the meeting, will be
able to make a statement if they so desire, and will be available to respond to
appropriate questions.
Principal
Accountant Fees And Services
The
following table presents fees for professional audit services rendered by Grant
Thornton, LLP for the audit of our annual financial statements for the
years ended December 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008 and fees billed
for other services rendered by Grant Thornton LLP during those
periods.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Audit
fees(1)
|
|
$
|
238,541
|
|
|
$
|
303,245
|
|
Audit
related fees
|
|
|
41,811
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
Tax
fees
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
All
other fees(2)
|
|
|
7,787
|
|
|
|
7,385
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
288,139
|
|
|
$
|
310,630
|
|
(1)
|
Audit
fees consist of fees for professional services rendered for the audit of
our annual financial statements, a review of the interim financial
statements included in the quarterly reports and a review of internal
controls over financial reporting (Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002).
|
(2)
|
All
other fees consist of non audit service fees paid to our audit firm and
approved by our audit committee.
|
Policy
on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-audit Services of
Independent Auditors
Consistent
with SEC policies regarding auditor independence, the Audit Committee has
responsibility for appointing, setting compensation and overseeing the work of
the independent auditor. In recognition of this responsibility, the Audit
Committee has established a policy to pre-approve all audit and permissible
non-audit services provided by the independent auditor.
Prior to
the engagement of the independent auditor for the next year’s audit, management
will submit to the Audit Committee for approval a summary of the services
expected to be rendered during that year for each of four categories of
services.
1.
Audit
services include audit work performed in the preparation of financial
statements, as well as work that generally only the independent auditor can
reasonably be expected to provide, including comfort letters, statutory audits,
and attest services and consultation regarding financial accounting and/or
reporting standards.
2.
Audit-Related
services are for assurance and related services that are traditionally performed
by the independent auditor, including due diligence related to mergers and
acquisitions, employee benefit plan audits, and special procedures required to
meet certain regulatory requirements.
3.
Tax
services include all services performed by the independent auditor’s tax
personnel except those services specifically related to the audit of the
financial statements, and includes fees in the areas of tax compliance, tax
planning, and tax advice.
4.
Other Fees
are those associated with services not captured in the other categories. The
Company generally does not request such services from the independent
auditor.
Prior to
the engagement, the Audit Committee pre-approves these services by category of
service. The fees are budgeted and the Audit Committee requires the independent
auditor and management to report actual fees versus the budget periodically
throughout the year by category of service. During the year, circumstances may
arise when it may become necessary to engage the independent auditor for
additional services not contemplated in the original pre-approval. In those
instances, the Audit Committee requires specific pre-approval before engaging
the independent auditor.
The Audit
Committee may delegate pre-approval authority to one or more of its members. The
member to whom such authority is delegated must report, for informational
purposes only, any pre-approval decisions to the Audit Committee at its next
scheduled meeting.
Neither
our Bylaws nor other governing documents or law require stockholder ratification
of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s independent public
accountant. However, the Board is submitting the appointment of Grant Thornton
LLP to the stockholders for ratification as a matter of good corporate practice.
If the stockholders fail to ratify the appointment, the Audit Committee of the
Board will reconsider whether to retain Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s
independent public accountant. Even if the selection is ratified, the Audit
Committee of the Board in its discretion may direct the appointment of a
different independent public accountant at any time during the year if the Audit
Committee determines that such a change would be in the best interests of the
company and its stockholders.
The
affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present in person or
represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the annual meeting will be required
to ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent public
accountant.
The
Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” ratification of the appointment of
Grant Thornton LLP as our independent public accountant, and proxies solicited
by the Board will be voted in favor of such ratification unless a stockholder
indicates otherwise on the proxy.
OTHER
MATTERS
The Board
of Directors knows of no other business which will be presented at the annual
meeting. If any other business is properly brought before the annual meeting,
proxies in the enclosed form will be voted in accordance with the judgment of
the persons named therein.
STOCKHOLDER
PROPOSALS AND NOMINATIONS FOR DIRECTOR
To be
considered for inclusion in the proxy statement relating to our 2011 Annual
Meeting of Stockholders, stockholder proposals, including nominations for
director, must be received no later than January 11, 2011. To be considered for
presentation at the 2011 Annual Meeting, although not included in the proxy
statement, proposals must be received no later than April 18, 2011 and not
before March 19, 2011. Proposals received in a timely manner will not be voted
on at the 2011 Annual Meeting. If a timely proposal is received, the proxies
that management solicits for the meeting may still exercise discretionary voting
authority on the proposal under circumstances consistent with the proxy rules of
the SEC. All stockholder proposals and nominations for director should be marked
for the attention of Secretary, Interleukin Genetics, Inc., 135 Beaver
Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02452.
Waltham,
Massachusetts
April 29,
2010
Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, which
includes our financial statements, for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009,
and which provides additional information about us can be found on the website
of the Securities and
Exchange Commission at
www.sec.gov.
It is also available on our website
at
www.ilgenetics.com
.
You may obtain a printed copy of our
Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our financial statements, free of
charge, from us by sending a written request to:
Investor Relations, Interleukin
Genetics, Inc., 135 Beaver Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02452.
Exhibits will be provided upon
written request and payment of an appropriate processing
fee.
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