Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers
On May 19, 2020, the Company's Board of Directors, following extensive consultation with the Company's compensation and legal advisors, approved cash retention bonuses (each, a “Retention Bonus”) and a form of Retention Bonus Agreement (the “Retention Bonus Agreement”) for the Company’s executive officers and other key employees (each, a “Participant”). The Retention Bonuses will enable the Company to retain and motivate the Participants through the volatile and uncertain environment affecting the foodservice, hospitality and retail industries, as well as the previously disclosed disruptions to the Company's business related to coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”). Pursuant to the Retention Bonus Agreements, Participants were paid the Retention Bonuses on or before May 22, 2020.
The aggregate amount of Retention Bonuses paid was approximately $3.1 million. The Retention Bonuses received by our named executive officers and our principal financial officer are set forth in the table below.
Name
|
Title
|
Retention Bonus
|
Michael P. Bauer
|
Chief Executive Officer
|
$900,000
|
James C. Burmeister
|
Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer
|
$400,000
|
Sarah J. Zibbel
|
Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer
|
$325,000
|
Juan Amezquita
|
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
|
$400,000
|
Under the Retention Bonus Agreements, a Participant will be required to repay the full Retention Bonus to the Company in the event that the Company terminates the Participant’s employment for “Cause” or the Participant voluntarily resigns without “Good Reason” (each as defined in the Retention Bonus Agreement) prior to May 19, 2021.
The above summary of the Retention Bonuses is qualified in its entirety by reference to the complete terms and conditions as set forth in the Retention Bonus Agreement, the form of which is filed herewith as Exhibit 10.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated by reference into this Item 5.02.
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements
This Current Report on Form 8-K includes forward-looking statements as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements reflect only the Company’s best assessment at this time and are indicated by words or phrases such as “goal,” “plan,” “expects,” “believes,” “will,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” or similar phrases. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. They include statements regarding the Company’s intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, the impact of COVID-19 on our operations and the length of time of such impact, our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the impact of COVID-19 on the industry in which we operate and the industries we serve. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they related to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate, may differ materially from these statements. Investors should not place undue reliance on such statements. Important factors potentially affecting performance include but are not limited to risks and uncertainties related to the impact of COVID-19 on the global economy, our associates, our customers and our operations, our high level of indebtedness and the availability and cost of credit; high interest rates that increase the Company’s borrowing costs or volatility in the financial markets that could constrain liquidity and credit availability; the inability to achieve savings and profit improvements at targeted levels in the Company’s operations or within the intended time periods; increased competition from foreign suppliers endeavoring to sell glass tableware, ceramic dinnerware and metalware in our core markets; global economic conditions and the related impact on consumer spending levels; major slowdowns or changes in trends in the retail, travel, restaurant and bar or entertainment industries, and in the retail and foodservice channels of distribution generally, that impact demand for our products; inability to meet the demand for new products; material restructuring charges related to involuntary employee terminations, facility sales or closures, or other various restructuring activities; significant increases in per-unit costs for natural gas, electricity, freight, corrugated packaging, and other purchased materials; our ability to borrow under our ABL credit agreement; protracted work stoppages related to collective bargaining agreements; increased pension expense associated with lower returns on pension investments and increased pension obligations; increased tax expense resulting from changes to tax laws, regulations and evolving interpretations thereof; devaluations and other major currency fluctuations relative to the U.S. dollar and the euro that could reduce the cost competitiveness of the Company's products compared to foreign competition; the effect of exchange rate changes to the value of the euro, the Mexican peso, the Chinese renminbi and the Canadian dollar and the earnings and cash flows of our international operations, expressed under U.S. GAAP; the effect of high levels of inflation in countries in which we operate or sell our products; the failure of our investments in e-commerce, new technology and other capital expenditures to yield expected returns; failure to prevent unauthorized access, security breaches and cyber-attacks to our information technology systems; compliance with, or the failure to comply with, legal requirements relating to health, safety and environmental protection; our failure to protect our intellectual property; and the inability to effectively integrate future business we acquire or joint ventures into which we enter. These and other risk factors that could cause results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements can be found in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and in the Company’s other filings with the SEC. Refer to the Company’s most recent SEC filings for any updates concerning these and other risks and uncertainties that may affect the Company’s operations and performance. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Current Report on Form 8-K, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date of this report.