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
☒
Filed
by a Party other than the Registrant
☐
Check
the appropriate box:
☐
Preliminary Proxy Statement
☐
Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule
14a-6(e)(2))
☒
Definitive Proxy Statement
☐
Definitive Additional Materials
☐
Soliciting Material under §240.14a-12
American Bio Medica
Corporation
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the
Registrant)
Payment
of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
☒
No fee required.
☐
Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and
0-11.
(1)
Title of each class
of securities to which transaction applies:
(2)
Aggregate number of
securities to which transaction applies:
(3)
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):
(4)
Proposed maximum
aggregate value of transaction:
☐
Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
☐
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.
(1)
Amount Previously
Paid:
(2)
Form, Schedule or
Registration Statement No.:
122 Smith Road
Kinderhook, New York 12106
May 4
2021
Dear
Shareholder:
You are
cordially invited to attend the 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders
of American Bio Medica Corporation (the “Company”) on
Thursday, June 24, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. at the Company’s
corporate offices located at 122 Smith Road, Kinderhook, New York
12106 (the “2021 Annual Meeting”).
At the
2021 Annual Meeting, you are being asked to (1) Elect two (2) Class
III directors (Peter Jerome and Melissa A. Waterhouse) for three
(3) year terms commencing upon their election and until their
successor is elected and duly qualified, (2) ratify the selection
of UHY, LLP as the Company’s independent registered public
accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2021 and (3) to
approve an amendment of Article Four of the Company’s
Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of common
shares which the Company shall have the authority to issue from
50,000,000 to 75,000,000 common shares.
In
addition to the formal items of business to be conducted at the
Annual Meeting, management will report on the operations and
activities of the Company and you will have an opportunity to ask
questions. Directors and officers of the Company will be present to
respond to any questions you may have.
This
booklet includes the Notice of Annual Meeting, Notice of Internet
Availability of Proxy Materials and Proxy Statement. The Proxy
Statement describes the business we will conduct at the Annual
Meeting and provides information about the Company that you should
consider when you vote your shares.
It is
important that your stock be represented at the meeting. Whether or
not you plan to attend the meeting in person, we hope that you will
vote on matters to be considered. You may vote your proxy via the
Internet or by telephone. If you received a printed copy of your
proxy materials, you may also vote by mail by signing, dating and
returning your proxy card in the envelope provided.
On
behalf of the Board of Directors and the employees of American Bio
Medica Corporation, I thank you for your continued support and look
forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting.
Chief
Executive Officer
Principal Financial
Officer
122 Smith Road
Kinderhook, New York 12106
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS & NOTICE OF INTERNET
AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS
|
Date:
|
June 24, 2021
|
|
Time:
|
10:00 a.m., Eastern Standard Time
|
|
Place:
|
Company’s Corporate Offices
|
|
|
122 Smith Road
|
|
|
Kinderhook, New York 12106
|
At our 2021 Annual Meeting, we will ask you to:
1. Elect Two (2) “Class III” directors, each for a
three (3) year term commencing upon their election and until their
successor shall be elected and duly qualified (the terms of office
of the other directors do not expire until 2022 or 2023). The
following directors are being nominated:
Peter
Jerome
Melissa
A. Waterhouse
|
2. Ratify the selection by the Company’s Audit Committee of
UHY, LLP as the Company’s independent registered public
accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2021.
3. To approve an amendment of Article Four of the Company’s
Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of common
shares which the Company shall have the authority to issue from
50,000,000 to 75,000,000 common shares; and
4. Transact any other business as may properly come before the
Annual Meeting.
You may vote at the Annual Meeting if you were a shareholder of
American Bio Medica Corporation at the close of business on April
27, 2021 (the “Record Date”).
|
By
Order of the Board of Directors
|
|
|
Kinderhook,
New York
|
Melissa
A. Waterhouse
|
May 4,
2021
|
Chief
Executive Officer
|
|
Principal
Financial Officer
|
You are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting. Our Board
strongly encourages you to exercise your right to vote. Your vote
is important. Voting early helps ensure that we receive a quorum of
shares necessary to hold the annual meeting. Please sign, date and
mark the enclosed proxy card promptly and return it in the enclosed
envelope, or follow the instructions on the proxy card for internet
and telephone voting. Returning the proxy card will not prevent you
from voting in person if you attend the Annual
Meeting.
|
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR
THE SHAREHOLDER MEETING TO BE HELD ON JUNE 24, 2021
Our
financial and other information is contained in our Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. Pursuant to
rules promulgated by the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission, we have elected to provide access by notifying you of
the availability of our proxy materials on the Internet. This proxy
statement and our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020,
are available at our web site at https://abmc.com/investor/proxy2021/.
122 Smith Road
Kinderhook, New York 12106
PROXY STATEMENT
General
American Bio Medica
Corporation is a New York corporation (the “Company”).
The term “Annual Meeting”, as used in this Proxy
Statement, includes any adjournment or postponement of such
meeting.
We have sent you this Proxy Statement and
enclosed proxy card because the Board of Directors is soliciting
your proxy to vote at the Annual Meeting. This Proxy
Statement summarizes the information you will need to know to cast
an informed vote at the Annual Meeting. You do not need to attend
the Annual Meeting to vote your shares. You may simply complete,
sign and return the enclosed proxy card to vote, or you may cast
your vote via telephone or the Internet. This process is described
below in the section titled “Voting”.
We
began mailing this Proxy Statement, the Notice of Annual Meeting
and the enclosed proxy card on or about May 14, 2021 to all
shareholders entitled to vote. In this mailing, we are also
including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2020; however, the Annual Report is not part of the
proxy solicitation material.
Shareholders entitled to vote; Record Date
If you
owned common stock of the Company at the close of business on April
27, 2021, (the “Record Date”), you are entitled to vote
at the Annual Meeting, or any adjournments thereof. On the Record
Date, the Company had one class of voting shares outstanding
– common shares, $.01 par value per share (“common
shares”) and there were 40,003,476 shares of common stock
outstanding and no shares of preferred stock
outstanding.
Procedure for Submitting Shareholder Proposals
In
order to be included in the Company’s proxy statement for the
2022 Annual Meeting, shareholder nominations for directors and/or
shareholder proposals for the next Annual Meeting of Shareholders
must be received (in writing) by the Company’s Corporate
Secretary at its Corporate Offices located at 122 Smith Road,
Kinderhook, New York 12106, on or before December 29, 2021 and must
otherwise comply with the requirements of Rule 14a-8 adopted
pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the
“Exchange Act”). However, if the date of the 2022
annual meeting of stockholders is changed by more than 30 days from
the date of the previous year’s meeting, then the deadline is
a reasonable time before we begin to print and send our proxy
statement for the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders.
With
respect to shareholder proposals and director nominations submitted
for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders that are outside the
process of Rule 14a-8, these proposals must be received by the
Company at its Corporate Offices no earlier than January 28, 2022
and no later than March 4, 2022.
Shareholder
proposals received outside of these time frames will be considered
untimely for consideration at the 2022 Annual Meeting.
The
Company has not received any shareholder proposals or shareholder
nominations for directors for this Annual Meeting.
Voting
You are
entitled to one vote at the Annual Meeting for each common share of
the Company that you owned as of the Record Date. The number of
shares you own (and may vote) is listed on your proxy card. You can
vote your shares using one of the following methods:
Voting by attending the meeting. A
shareholder may vote his or her shares in person at the Annual
Meeting. A shareholder planning to attend the meeting should bring
proof of identification for entrance to the meeting. If your shares
are not registered in your own name, you will need appropriate
documentation to confirm your ownership to vote at the Annual
Meeting. Examples of such documentation include a broker’s
statement, letter or other document that will confirm your
ownership of shares of the Company.
Voting by proxy card. All shares
entitled to vote and represented by properly executed proxy cards
received prior to the Annual Meeting and not revoked, will be voted
at the Annual Meeting in accordance with the instructions indicated
on those proxy cards. If no instructions are indicated on a
properly executed proxy card, the shares represented by that proxy
card will be voted as recommended by the Board of Directors. If any
other matters are properly presented for consideration at the
Annual Meeting, including, among other things, consideration of a
motion to adjourn the Annual Meeting to another time or place
(including, without limitation, for the purpose of soliciting
additional proxies), the persons named in the enclosed proxy card
and acting thereunder generally will have discretion to vote on
those matters in accordance with their best judgment. The Company
does not currently anticipate that any other matters will be raised
at the Annual Meeting.
Submitting Proxies Via the Internet or by
Telephone. Many shareholders who hold their shares through a
broker or bank may have the option to submit their proxies or
voting instructions via the Internet or by telephone. If your
shares are held in “street name”, you should check the
voting instruction card that has been provided to you by your
broker and follow the instructions that have been provided for
Internet or telephone voting on that card.
You are
invited to attend the meeting; however, to ensure your
representation at the meeting, you are urged to vote via the
Internet or telephone, or mark, sign, date and return the enclosed
proxy card as promptly as possible in the postage-prepaid envelope
enclosed for that purpose. Any shareholder of record attending the
meeting may vote in person even if he or she has voted via the
Internet or telephone, or returned a proxy card. By voting in
person, you automatically revoke any prior proxy given by Internet,
telephone or proxy card.
For the
election of directors, the nominees who receive the most votes will
be elected to the two (2) available seats on the Board (i.e. by a
plurality of votes cast). If you return a signed proxy form
indicating your abstention or attend the Annual Meeting but choose
to abstain from voting on any proposal (revoking your proxy), you
will be considered present at the Annual Meeting and not voting in
favor of the proposal. Since most proposals pass only if they
receive favorable votes from a majority of votes present at the
Annual Meeting, the fact that you are abstaining and not voting in
favor of a proposal will have the same effect as if you had voted
against the proposal.
Holders
of common shares are not entitled to cumulative voting
rights.
Effect of Broker Non-Votes
Certain
shareholder nominees (such as brokers, banks and other nominees)
have the discretion to vote on routine matters, such as the
ratification of the selection of our independent registered public
accounting firm, unless you instruct otherwise; but they do not
have authority to vote on non-routine matters, such as the election
of directors.
A
“broker non-vote” occurs when your broker submits a
proxy for your shares but does not indicate a vote for a particular
proposal because the broker does not have authority to vote on that
proposal and has not received voting instructions from you.
“Broker non-votes” are not counted as votes for or
against the proposal in question or as abstentions, and are not
counted to determine the number of votes present for the particular
proposal.
If
your broker holds shares in your name and delivers this proxy
statement to you, the broker is entitled to vote your shares on
Proposal 2; Ratification of Independent Registered Public
Accounting Firm, even if the broker does not receive voting
instructions from you. Without your instructions, the broker is not
entitled to vote your shares on Proposal 1: Election of Directors
or Proposal 3; To approve an amendment of Article Four of the
Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number
of common shares which the Company shall have the authority to
issue from 50,000,000 to 75,000,000 common shares. We encourage you
to provide instructions to your broker, bank or other nominee. This
ensures your shares will be voted at the meeting.
A
broker non-vote would have no effect on the outcome of Proposal 1
because only a plurality of votes cast is required to elect
directors.
Quorum
A
quorum of shareholders is necessary to hold a valid meeting. If the
holders of at least a majority of the total number of the
outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote are represented
in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting, a quorum will exist.
Abstentions and broker non-votes will be considered present for
purposes of determining the presence of a quorum.
Revocability of Proxy/Dissenter’s Right of
Appraisal
Any
proxy card given pursuant to this solicitation may be revoked by
the person giving it at any time before it is voted. A proxy card
may be revoked (1) by filing with the Corporate Secretary of the
Company, at or before the taking of the vote at the Annual Meeting,
a written notice of revocation or a duly executed proxy card, in
either case dated no later than the prior proxy card relating to
the same shares, or (2) by attending the Annual Meeting and voting
or abstaining in person (although attendance at the Annual Meeting
will not of itself revoke a proxy). Any written notice of
revocation or subsequent proxy card must be received by the
Corporate Secretary of the Company prior to the taking of the vote
at the Annual Meeting. Such written notice of revocation or
subsequent proxy card should be hand delivered to the Corporate
Secretary of the Company or should be sent so as to be delivered to
American Bio Medica Corporation, 122 Smith Road, Kinderhook, New
York 12106, Attention: Corporate Secretary.
The
Board is not proposing any action for which the laws of the State
of New York, our Certificate of Incorporation and/or our Bylaws, as
amended from time to time, provide a right of a shareholder to
obtain appraisal of or payment for such shareholder’s
shares.
Solicitation of Proxies
The
Company will pay the costs of soliciting proxies from its
shareholders. Directors, officers or employees of the Company may
solicit proxies by mail, telephone, and other electronic forms of
communication or in person without additional
compensation.
The
Company will also reimburse banks, brokers, nominees and other
fiduciaries for the expenses they incur in forwarding the proxy
materials to you. Arrangements may also be made with brokerage
firms or other custodians, nominees or fiduciaries for the
forwarding of soliciting material to the beneficial owners of
common shares of the Company held of record by such persons; and
the Company will reimburse such respective banks, brokers,
custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for the reasonable
out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them. Broadridge Financial
Solutions, Inc. has been retained to assist in soliciting proxies
at a fee of approximately $5,000 including distribution costs and
other costs and expenses.
Householding of Proxy Materials
Some
banks, brokers, and other intermediaries may participate in the
practice of “householding” proxy statements, annual
reports and related notices. This rule allows us to send a single
copy of this proxy statement to any household at which two (2) or
more of our shareholders reside, if we believe that the
shareholders are members of the same family. This rule benefits
both the Company and its shareholders as it reduces the volume of
duplicate information received at a shareholder’s house and
helps reduce our expenses. Each shareholder, however, will continue
to receive individual proxy cards or voting instructions forms.
Shareholders that have previously received a single set of
disclosure documents may request their own copy by contacting their
bank, broker or other intermediary. We will also deliver a separate
copy of this proxy statement to any shareholder upon written
request to American Bio Medica Corporation, Attn: Corporate
Secretary, 122 Smith Road, Kinderhook, New York 12106.
DISCUSSION OF PROPOSALS RECOMMENDED BY BOARD
Proposal No. 1
Election of Directors
General
The
current bylaws of the Company allow for a classified or staggered
board. The Company’s Board of Directors is divided into three
classes serving staggered terms. During the year ended December 31,
2020, the Company’s Board of Directors was fixed at four (4)
members.
The
directors with their terms expiring at this Annual Meeting are
Peter Jerome and Melissa Waterhouse, Class III directors. As of the
date of this report, the other member of the Board of Directors is
Jean Neff, a Class II director with her term expiring in June 2023.
Chaim Davis, our Chairman of the Board; a Class I director,
resigned from his position on the Company’s Board of
Directors on February 5, 2021. The Company’s Board of
Directors is still considering nominees for replacing Chaim Davis.
The position of Chairman of the Board remains vacant as of the date
of this report.
The
Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the Nominating
Committee has nominated Peter Jerome and Melissa Waterhouse to
serve as directors until the 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders
and until their successor has been duly elected and qualified. It
is the intention of the persons named as proxies in the
accompanying proxy, unless instructed otherwise, to vote for Peter
Jerome and Melissa Waterhouse. If either nominee should become
unavailable to serve, the proxy may be voted for the election of a
substitute nominee as may be designated by the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors has no reason to believe that Peter Jerome
and Melissa Waterhouse will be unable to serve if
elected.
Name
|
Age
|
Term Expires
|
Position(s) held
|
Director Since
|
Peter
Jerome
|
52
|
2021
|
Director
|
2018
|
Melissa
A. Waterhouse
|
51
|
2021
|
Chief
Executive Officer, Principal Financial Officer and
Director
|
2014
|
The
principal occupation and business experience of each nominee during
at least the last five (5) years is set forth below.
Peter Jerome was
appointed to our Board of Directors in January 2018. Since February
2016, Mr. Jerome has been the Senior Director, Finance of Taconic
Biosciences, Inc., a company that develops and produces animal
research models for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies
worldwide. Prior to his position with Taconic Biosciences, Inc.,
Mr. Jerome served as the Chief Financial Officer for CMP Pharma,
Inc., a niche pharmaceutical company and Chief Financial Officer
for Tyratech, Inc., a life science company. Mr. Jerome received his
B.S in accounting and computer information systems from Manhattan
College and has been a certified public accountant since
1994.
Melissa A.
Waterhouse joined the Company in 1997. Since that time she
has held various management positions in Investor Relations,
Marketing, Public Relations and Corporate Compliance. She served as
our Corporate Secretary from September 2003 until her interim
appointment as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
in October 2013. In June 2014, Ms. Waterhouse was appointed as
Chief Executive Officer, Principal Financial Officer and was
appointed to the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors unanimously recommends a vote
“FOR” each nominee for election as
director.
|
INFORMATION ABOUT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Directors that are not nominees
The
Company’s Board of Directors currently consists of three (3)
members. Two (2) members are being nominated for election at this
Annual Meeting, and the principal occupation and business
experience during at least the last five (5) years of each nominee
is presented above. The other member is:
Name
|
Age
|
Term Expires
|
Position(s) held
|
Director Since
|
Jean
Neff
|
79
|
2023
|
Director and
Corporate Secretary
|
2008
|
The
principal occupation and business experience during at least the
last (five) 5 years of Jean Neff and Chaim Davis (our former
Chairman of the Board) is set forth below.
Jean Neff was
appointed to our Board of Directors in February 2008 and, until her
retirement in early 2014, she was the Sr. Vice President
Mid-Atlantic Region of Solstas Lab Partners. She served as the Sr.
Vice President of New Business Development of the Occupational
Testing Services division of Laboratory Corporation of America,
from 1991 until 2007. She received her B.S. in Biology from Mercer
University. Ms. Neff provides decades of experience in
administration, sales and management making her well qualified as a
member of the Board.
Former
Director:
Chaim Davis was
appointed to our Board of Director in June 2017 and was appointed
as Chairman of the Board of Directors in March 2018 until his
resignation in February 2021. Since July 2005, Mr. Davis has been
the Managing Member of Revach Group, LLC, the general partner of
Revach Fund L.P. (“Revach”), a sector-specific life
science fund focusing on micro to mid-cap companies, which he
founded in 2005. He has also served as a consultant to other hedge
funds including Gem Partners, KOM Capital Management and Maot
Group. From 2010 to 2014, he served as a director and a member of
the audit and compensation committees of AtheroNova Inc. (OTCBQ:
AHRO). Since April 2013, Mr. Davis has also served on the Board of
Directors of Entera Bio, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical
company. Mr. Davis received his B.A. from Columbia
University.
Information Related to Non-Employee Director Stock Options
Outstanding as of December 31, 2020
|
Number of
Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#)
Exercisable(1)
|
Number of
Securities Underlying Unexercised Options
(#)
Unexercisable
|
|
|
Jean
Neff
|
20,000
|
0
|
$0.12
|
06/19/24
|
|
20,000
|
0
|
$0.12
|
06/19/25
|
|
20,000
|
0
|
$0.15
|
06/24/26
|
|
20,000
|
0
|
$0.13
|
06/15/27
|
|
20,000
|
0
|
$0.10
|
06/21/28
|
|
20,000
|
0
|
$0.07
|
06/20/29
|
Chaim
Davis
|
50,000(2)
|
0
|
$0.18
|
04/23/23
|
|
20,000
|
0
|
$0.10
|
06/21/28
|
|
20,000
|
0
|
$0.07
|
06/20/29
|
Peter
Jerome
|
20,000
|
0
|
$0.10
|
06/21/28
|
|
20,000
|
0
|
$0.07
|
06/20/29
|
1) Includes
options exercisable within 60 days of April 27, 2021, or as of June
26, 2021.
2) The
option grant issued to Mr. Davis was granted on April 26, 2013
(prior to his appointment to the Board of Directors) in connection
with consulting services provided to the Company. The option vested
over 2 years in equal installments and was fully vested as of April
26, 2015.
3) Chaim
Davis resigned from the Board of Director on February 5, 2021;
however, information is being provided regarding his stock options
considering he was a member of the Company’s Board of
Directors throughout December 31, 2020.
COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS
|
|
Fees Earned
or
Paid in
Cash
($)
|
|
|
All Other
Compensation ($)
|
|
Jean
Neff
|
$0
|
$0
|
$10,250(2)
|
$0
|
$10,250
|
Chaim
Davis(3)
|
$0
|
$0
|
$10,250(2)
|
$0
|
$10,250
|
Peter
Jerome
|
$0
|
$0
|
$10,250(2)
|
$0
|
$10,250
|
1) There
were no Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation, or Non-Qualified
Deferred Compensation Earnings issued or earned by members of the
Board of Directors in the year ended December 31, 2020. These
columns have been omitted.
2) Payment
in restricted stock in lieu of cash for four meetings held in the
year ended December 31, 2020. One meeting fee paid at the
telephonic rate of $1,250 (at the increased rate of 1.3x, or
$1,625) and three meetings paid at the in person rate (although the
meetings were telephonic) of $2,500 (at the increased rate of 1.3x
the telephonic rate, or $2,875). The fair value of the restricted
shares was computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 as full
value awards using the volume weighted average price (VWAP) for the
ten days preceding the meeting date to determine the value of the
shares issued.
3) Chaim
Davis resigned from the Board of Director on February 5, 2021;
however, information is being provided regarding his compensation
considering he was a member of the Company’s Board of
Directors throughout December 31, 2020.
NOTE:
Melissa A. Waterhouse does not receive any compensation for her
services as a member of the Board of Directors, or her attendance
at meetings of the Board of Directors.
Narrative to Director Compensation Table
Directors who are
not employees (“Non-Employee Directors”) receive a cash
fee of $2,500 per meeting for attending meetings of the Board of
Directors in person and are reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses
submitted in connection with attending such meetings. Members who
attended in person meetings of the Board of Directors
telephonically normally receive 50% of this compensation, or
$1,250. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in the year ended December
31, 2020, all four meetings of the Board of Directors were held
telephonically, with the last three meetings required to be held
telephonically; given this, all members received the “in
person” fee of $2,500 for attending the last three meetings
even though they did not attend in person. Non-Employee board
members are not paid for their attendance at Committee meetings of
the Board of Directors; however, Non-Employee Directors are
reimbursed for any out of pocket expenses they may incur in
attending meetings of the Board of Directors or meetings of the
Committees of the Board of Directors.
We
offer a compensation structure that consists of payment in cash
only, restricted stock or a combination of both, solely at the
option of the Non-Employee director. If a director opts to receive
restricted shares in lieu of cash, the fee is increased to 1.3x the
normal fee considering the restricted nature of the shares issued.
In October 2019, all members of the Board of Directors agreed to
only be paid restricted shares in lieu of cash through October
2020. In the year ended December 31, 2020, all independent members
received shares of restricted stock in lieu of cash for their board
meeting attendance fees.
All
four meetings in the year ended December 31, 2020 were held
telephonically. The board also informally met telephonically
several times throughout the year ended December 31, 2020. No
member of the Board of Directors has a compensation arrangement
that differs from those of other members of the Board of
Directors.
Proposal No. 2
Ratification of Independent Registered Public Accounting
Firm
On
January 6, 2016, the Company engaged UHY, LLP (“UHY”)
as its independent registered public accounting firm to perform
audit services in connection with the Company’s year ended
December 31, 2015, and UHY has continued as the Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm since that
engagement. On December 31, 2020, the Company re-engaged UHY, LLP
(“UHY”) as its independent registered public accounting
firm to perform audit services for the year ended December 31, 2020
and to conduct reviews of unaudited quarterly financial information
through the quarter ending September 30, 2021. We expect to engage
UHY for the audit of our financial statements for the year ending
December 31, 2021. The decision to engage UHY was approved by the
Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. Prior to UHY’s
engagement, the Company did not consult with UHY and receive either
written or oral advice from UHY that was an important factor
considered by the Company in reaching a decision as to the
application of accounting principles to a specific completed or
contemplated transaction, or the type of audit opinion that might
be rendered on the Company’s financial statements. In
addition, the Company had not consulted with UHY concerning any
matter that was the subject of a disagreement or a reportable
event, each as described in Item 304(a)(1)(iv) and Item
304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K.
The Company
is asking its shareholders to ratify the selection of UHY, LLP as
its independent registered public accounting firm. Although
ratification is not required by the Company’s By-laws or
otherwise, the Company’s Board of Directors is submitting the
Audit Committee’s selection of UHY to our shareholders for
ratification as a matter of good corporate practice. Even if the
selection is ratified, the Audit Committee, in its discretion, may
select a different principal registered public accounting firm at
any time during the year if it determines that such a change would
be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. If
the appointment of UHY is not ratified, the Audit Committee will
evaluate the basis for the shareholders’ vote when
determining whether to continue the firm’s
engagement.
Representatives of
UHY may attend the 2021 Annual Meeting and have an opportunity to
make a statement and/or to respond to appropriate questions from
shareholders.
Audit Fees
Year Ended December 31, 2020
The
aggregate audit fees billed for UHY professional services rendered
for the annual audit of the Company’s financial statements
for the year ended December 31, 2020 were $42,000 as of the date of
this report; however given the base audit fee in our engagement
letter with UHY is $71,000 for a stipulated numbers of hours, with
incremental billing for hours incurred in excess of that threshold,
we do expect additional amounts to be invoiced by UHY related to
the audit for the year ended December 31, 2020. The aggregate fees
billed for review of interim financial information included in each
of the Company’s Form 10-Q’s for the year ended
December 31, 2020 were $34.000.
Year Ended December 31, 2019
The
aggregate audit fees billed for UHY professional services rendered
for the annual audit of the Company’s financial statements
for the year ended December 31, 2019 were $91,000. The aggregate
fees billed for review of interim financial information included in
each of the Company’s Form 10-Q’s for the year ended
December 31, 2019 were $35,000.
Audit Related Fees
There
were no audit related fees billed by UHY to the Company in the year
ended December 31, 2020 or December 31, 2019.
Tax Fees
We are
utilizing RBSM, LLP for tax engagement for the year ended December
31, 2020 at a cost of $5,000.
We
utilized RBSM, LLP for tax engagement for the year ended December
31, 2019 at a cost of $5,000.
All Other Fees
There
were no other fees billed by UHY to the Company for the years ended
December 31, 2020 or December 31, 2019.
There
were no other fees billed by UHY for services rendered to the
Company other than the services described herein and the Audit
Committee has considered whether the provision of these services is
compatible with maintaining the independence of our public
accountants.
Pursuant to SEC
Rule 210.2-01I(7)(i), the Company’s Audit Committee approved
the engagement of UHY prior to UHY rendering audit or non-audit
services. 100% of the services performed by UHY were also
approved.
The Board of Directors unanimously recommends a vote
“FOR” the ratification of our independent registered
public accounting firm for the year ending December 31,
2021.
|
Proposal No. 3
APPROVE AN AMENDMENT OF ARTICLE FOUR OF THE COMPANY’S
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF COMMON
SHARES WHICH THE COMPANY SHALL HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO ISSUE FROM
50,000,000 TO 75,000,000 COMMON SHARES
Background
Our
Board of Directors has approved, subject to shareholder approval,
an amendment to Article Four of our Certificate of Incorporation to
increase the number of authorized shares of common stock, par value
$0.01, from 50,000,000 to 75,000,000 and to make a corresponding
change to the number of authorized shares of capital stock. We
currently have a total of 55,000,000 shares of capital stock
authorized under our Certificate of Incorporation, as amended,
consisting of 50,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01
and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Our Board is asking our
shareholders to approve an amendment that will increase the number
of authorized shares of common stock from 50,000,000 to 75,000,000
and increase the number of authorized shares of all classes of
stock from 55,000,000 to 80,000,000. The number of shares of
authorized preferred stock would remain unchanged and the Amendment
would not make any changes to the terms of the shares of common
stock.
The
full text of Article Four PRIOR to this proposed amendment
is:
“The
aggregate number of shares which the Corporation shall have the
authority to issue is 55,000,000 shares, par value $.01 per share
of which 50,000,000 are common shares, $.01 par value per share and
5,000,000 are preferred shares into one or more series and issue
such preferred shares from time to time with such preference,
privileges, limitation and relative rights as it may
determine.”
The
full text of amended Article Four AFTER this proposed amendment
would be:
“The
aggregate number of shares which the Corporation shall have the
authority to issue is 80,000,000 shares, par value $.01 per share
of which 75,000,000 are common shares, $.01 par value per share and
5,000,000 are preferred shares into one or more series and issue
such preferred shares from time to time with such preference,
privileges, limitation and relative rights as it may
determine.”
If the
Amendment is approved by the shareholders, our Board of Directors
intends to prepare and file a Certificate of Amendment to the
Company's Certificate of Incorporation in accordance with the
Amendment, which will become effective (the "Effective Time")
immediately upon acceptance of filing by the Secretary of State of
New York.
Purpose of the Proposal
Our
Board of Directors has determined that it would be in the
Company’s best interests and in the best interests of our
shareholders to increase the number of authorized shares of common
stock in order to provide the Company with the flexibility to
pursue all finance and corporate opportunities involving our common
stock, which may include private or public offerings of our equity
securities, without the need to obtain additional shareholder
approvals. Each additional authorized share of common stock would
have the same rights and privileges as each share of currently
authorized common stock.
On
December 9, 2020, we entered into a Purchase Agreement (the
“Purchase Agreement”) and a Registration Rights
Agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) with
Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC (“Lincoln Park”) under
which Lincoln Park agreed to purchase up to $10,250,000 of our
shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share. On December 29,
2020, we filed a Form S-1 Registration Statement registering up to
9,750,000 shares of common stock which have been or may be issued
and sold to Lincoln Park under the Purchase Agreement (hereinafter
referred to as the “Form S-1”). The Registration
Statement was subsequently amended on January 7, 2021 and declared
effective by the Commission on January 11, 2021.
Depending on the
price per share at which we sell our common stock to Lincoln Park
pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, we may need to sell to Lincoln
Park under the Purchase Agreement more shares of our common stock
than are offered under the Form S-1 in order to receive aggregate
gross proceeds equal to the $10,250,000 total commitment available
to us under the Purchase Agreement.
As of the
date of this report, there were 40,003,476 shares of common stock
outstanding. This includes 2,800,000 shares of common stock already
issued to Lincoln Park. While the Board believes that 9,750,000
shares of common stock is providing/will provide the Company with
much needed equity financing, when they are combined with shares of
common stock reserved for the issuance of common stock under our
stock option plans (3,717,000 shares of common stock as of the date
of this report) and our current shares outstanding, the remaining
authorized shares of common stock is very limited and does not
provide the Company with any flexibility for future financial and
corporate opportunities that would involve our common
stock.
Potential Consequences if Proposal 3 is Not Approved
If this
proposal is not approved by our shareholders, our financing
alternatives will be limited by the lack of any available unissued
and unreserved authorized shares of common stock, and shareholder
value may be harmed by this limitation. In addition, our future
success depends upon our ability to attract, retain and motivate
highly-skilled employees, and if this proposal is not approved by
our shareholders, the lack of any available unissued and unreserved
authorized shares of common stock to provide future equity
incentive opportunities could adversely impact our ability to
achieve these goals. In short, if our shareholders do not approve
this proposal, we may not be able to access the capital markets,
complete corporate collaborations, partnerships or other strategic
transactions, attract, retain and motivate employees, and pursue
other business opportunities integral to our growth and
success.
Rights of Additional Authorized Shares
If and
when issued, the additional shares of common stock to be authorized
by adoption of the Amendment would have rights and privileges
identical to our currently outstanding common stock. Those rights
do not include preemptive rights with respect to the future
issuance of any additional shares of common.
Potential Adverse Effects of Increase in Authorized Common
Stock
Future
issuances of common stock or securities convertible into common
stock could have a dilutive effect on our earnings per share, book
value per share, and the voting power and ownership interest of
current shareholders.
Anti-Takeover Effects
The
increased proportion of unissued authorized shares, compared to
issued shares could, under certain circumstances, have an
anti-takeover effect (for example, by permitting issuances that
would dilute the stock ownership of a person seeking to effect a
change in the composition of our Board or contemplating a tender
offer or other transaction for our combination with another
company). However, the Amendment is not being proposed in response
to any effort of which we are aware to accumulate shares of our
common stock or obtain control of our Company, nor is it part of a
plan by management to recommend a series of similar amendments to
our Board and shareholders.
Timing of Proposed Amendment
If
Proposal 3 is approved by shareholders, as soon as practicable
after the 2020 Annual Meeting, we will file the Amendment with the
office of the Secretary of State of New York to implement the
increase in the authorized number of shares of common stock and
corresponding change to the number of authorized shares of capital
stock. Upon approval and following such filing with the Secretary
of State of New York, the Amendment will become effective on the
date it is filed.
Required Vote
The
approval of the proposal to increase the authorized shares shall be
authorized by affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast at
this 2020 Annual Meeting. Because the vote is based on the votes
cast at the 2020 Annual Meeting versus the total number of shares
outstanding your failure to vote on Proposal 3 will have no effect
on the approval. If you sign and return your proxy card but do not
specify how you want to vote your shares, the persons named as
proxy holders on the proxy card will vote in accordance with the
recommendations of the Board (which is in favor of Proposal 3). The
Board believes that unless we obtain shareholder approval to
further amend our Certificate of Incorporation to increase the
number of authorized shares of common stock, we will be severely
limited by the inability to issue additional shares in connection
with future capital raising transactions or strategic transactions.
This may cause a delay in our future capital raising or other
strategic transactions and may have a material adverse effect on
our business and financial condition.
The Board of Directors unanimously recommends a vote
“FOR” Approval of an Amendment of Article Four of the
Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to Increase the Number
of Common Shares which the Company shall have the authority to
issue from 50,000,000 to 75,000,000 common shares.
|
EXECUTIVES
Executive Officer
As of
the date of this report and throughout the year ended December 31,
2019, our sole executive officer is Melissa A. Waterhouse. Ms.
Waterhouse also serves as a member of our Board of Directors and
her biography can be found under “Information about our Board
of Directors”.
Additional Senior Management
In
addition to Melissa Waterhouse, the following table sets forth the
names, ages, positions/offices held, the term of the
positions/offices held of additional senior management. Scott
Hutton was relieved of his position of Vice President, Sales and
Marketing in August 2020.
Name
|
Age
|
Position(s) held
|
Since
|
Lawrence
Ferringo
|
45
|
Vice
President, Manufacturing and Research
|
2019
|
Lawrence Ferringo was appointed to this
position in November 2019. Mr. Ferringo joined the Company in 2006
and until his appointment to Vice President he served as our
Director of Manufacturing and Research. Mr. Ferringo received his
B.S. in Biology from Rowan University.
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The
following table sets forth for the years ended December 31, 2020
and December 31, 2019, the compensation paid by the Company to its
principal executive officer (“PEO”) and also the
“Named Executive Officer”. Ms. Waterhouse was the sole
executive officer in both the years ended December 31, 2020 and
December 31, 2019. There were no additional individuals for whom
disclosure would have been provided but for the fact that the
individuals were not serving as executive officers of the Company
at year end December 31, 2020.
Name and
principal position(1)
|
|
|
All Other
Compensation ($)
|
|
Melissa A.
Waterhouse
|
12/31/20
|
$156,000(2)
|
$35,081(3)
|
$191,081
|
Chief Executive
Officer/Principal Financial Officer
|
12/31/19
|
$144,000(4)
|
$25,475(5)
|
$169,475
|
1)
There were no
amounts paid to the named executive officer related to Bonuses,
Option Awards, Stock Awards, Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation
or Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings; therefore, these
columns of the table have been omitted.
2)
Ms.
Waterhouse’s annual salary for the year ended December 31,
2020 was $160,000 under her employment contract; however, during
the year ended December 31, 2020, 10% of Ms. Waterhouse’s
salary was deferred until early June 2020 when the deferral ceased,
given the length of time the deferral was in place for Waterhouse
(almost 7 years) and the balance owed. As of December 31, 2020, we
owed Ms. Waterhouse approximately $106,000 in deferred
compensation. This amount is cumulative since the third quarter of
the year ended December 31, 2013 when Ms. Waterhouse implemented
the deferral program and also considers some payments that were
made on the deferred compensation in the years prior to the year
ended December 31, 2018. There were no deferral payments made to
Ms. Waterhouse during the year ended December 31,
2020.
3)
Consists of $26,371
for health insurance premiums, $8,562 in sales commissions and $148
for premiums paid by the company, for Ms. Waterhouse’s
benefit, for long-term disability and life insurance, both of which
are provided to all employees of the company.
4)
Ms.
Waterhouse’s salary in the year ended December 31, 2019 was
$160,000 under her employment contract; however in the year ended
December 31, 2019, 10% of Ms. Waterhouse’s salary was
deferred through December 31, 2019. As of December 31, 2019, the
Company owed Ms. Waterhouse approximately $99,000 in deferred
compensation. This amount is cumulative since the third quarter of
the year ended December 31, 2013 when Ms. Waterhouse implemented
the deferral program and also considers some payments that were
made on the deferred compensation in years prior to the year ended
December 31, 2018. There were no deferral payments made to Ms.
Waterhouse in the year ended December 31, 2019.
5)
Consists of $25,328
for health insurance premiums and $147 for premiums paid, by the
company for Ms. Waterhouse’s benefit, for long-term
disability and life insurance, both of which are provided to all
employees of the company.
Narrative Disclosure Related to Summary Compensation
Melissa A. Waterhouse, Chief Executive Officer (PEO)/Principal
Financial Officer
Ms.
Waterhouse entered into an employment agreement with the Company on
June 19, 2014 providing for an annual salary of $160,000, health
and dental benefits and participation in any management bonus
program adopted by the Company. Ms. Waterhouse’s employment
agreement has severance and change in control provisions. Under the
agreement, termination from the Company for any reason other than
cause results in severance being paid to Ms. Waterhouse. Such
severance equals twelve (12) months of Ms. Waterhouse’s base
salary at the time of separation, with continuation of all medical
benefits during the twelve-month period at the Company’s
expense. Additionally, under the employment agreement, Ms.
Waterhouse may resign her position and elect to exercise the
severance provision at her option under the following
circumstances:
1)
If she is required
to relocate by the Company or its Board of Directors more than 50
miles from the Company’s New York corporate facility as a
condition of continued employment; or
2)
If there is a
substantial change in the responsibilities normally assumed by a
Chief Executive Officer or Principal Financial Officer at the
direction of the Board of Directors.
In
addition, the Company provides Ms. Waterhouse with the same
benefits offered to other employees, including long-term disability
and life insurance, at the Company’s expense. Ms.
Waterhouse’s employment agreement also contains a change in
control provision which gives Ms. Waterhouse the option to resign
and receive a lump sum severance payment equal to two (2) times her
annual base salary at the time of the change in control, which
option must be exercised within ten (10) days following the change
in control.
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The
following table sets forth information concerning the outstanding
equity awards of the Named Executive Officer at year-end December
31, 2020:
OUTSTANDING EQUITY
AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR-END
|
|
|
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Exercisable(2)
|
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Unexercisable
|
Option Exercise
Price
($)
|
|
Melissa A.
Waterhouse
|
25,000
|
0
|
$0.26
|
02/21/23
|
Chief Executive
Officer (PEO)
|
200,000
|
0
|
$0.14
|
06/25/23
|
Principal Financial
Officer
|
250,000
|
0
|
$0.12
|
06/29/25
|
|
750,000
|
0
|
$0.11
|
01/29/26
|
(1)
No Stock Awards
were outstanding for the Named Executive Officer in the year ended
December 31, 2020, and therefore the Stock Awards portion of the
table has been omitted. Furthermore, because there were no Equity
Incentive Plan Awards outstanding for the Named Executive Officer,
this column was omitted as well.
(2)
Includes options
that are exercisable within 60 days of April 27, 2021, or as of
June 26, 2021.
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
The
Company, through its Board of Directors, attempts to review all
related party transactions to ensure fairness to the Company and
proper disclosure under SEC rules. Additionally, the Board of
Directors conducts annual reviews of each director to determine
such director’s independence. We also require our executive
officers and directors to complete a questionnaire that is intended
to identify transactions or potential transactions that require
disclosure under SEC rules or create a potential conflict of
interest. Furthermore, our Code of Ethics contains provisions
related to actual or apparent conflicts of interest between
personal and professional relationships. A copy of the
Company’s Code of Ethics can be found on its website located
at www.abmc.com as
noted under “Code of Ethics”.
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND
MANAGEMENT
As of
April 27, 2021, there were 40,003,476 common shares outstanding.
The following table sets forth, as of April 27, 2021, the
beneficial ownership of the Company's common shares by (i) each
director, (ii) each nominee for director, (iii) the Named Executive
Officer, (iv) all directors and executive officers of the Company
as a group, and (v) each shareholder, known to management of the
Company, to beneficially own more than five percent (5%) of the
outstanding common shares.
The
number and percentage of shares beneficially owned is determined
under the rules of the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission (“SEC”), and the information is not
necessarily indicative of beneficial ownership for any other
purpose. Under such rules, beneficial ownership includes any shares
as to which the individual has sole or shared voting power or
investment power and also any shares which the individual has the
right to acquire within sixty (60) days after April 27, 2021
through the exercise of any stock option, exchange of exchangeable
shares or other right. Unless otherwise indicated, each person has
sole voting and investment power (or shares such powers with his or
her spouse) with respect to the shares shown as beneficially owned.
Unless otherwise noted, the address of each person is c/o American
Bio Medica Corporation, 122 Smith Road, Kinderhook, New York
12106.
Title of
Class
|
Name and
Address
of Beneficial
Owner
|
Amount and
Nature
of Beneficial
Ownership
|
|
Common
|
Chaim
Davis
|
3,309,047(1)
|
8.25%
|
Common
|
Melissa A.
Waterhouse
|
1,225,000(2)
|
2.97%
|
Common
|
Jean
Neff
|
186,226(3)
|
*
|
Common
|
Peter
Jerome
|
120,610(4)
|
*
|
Common
|
Directors and
Executive Officers
as a group (5
persons)
|
4,840,883(5)
|
11.67%
|
Common
|
MP Biomedicals
LLC
|
4,738,601(6)
|
11.85%
|
Common
|
John J.
Moroney
|
2,481,608(7)
|
6.20%
|
Common
|
Stuart
Sternberg
|
1,893,932(8)
|
4.73%
|
*
Less than one
percent (1%).
(1)
Includes 215,838
shares issued to Chaim Davis in connection with his attendance at
meetings of our Board of Directors in the years ended December 31,
2018, December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2020, as well as 2,978,486
shares in the name of Revach Fund, LP. (Chaim Davis is a managing
member of Revach Group, LLC which operates as the general partner
of the Revach Fund, LP). Also includes 24,723 shares held by Mr.
Davis directly prior to his appointment to our Board of Directors
and 90,000 shares subject to stock options exercisable within 60
days of April 27, 2021, or June 26, 2021.
(2)
Includes 1,225,000
shares of common stock subject to stock options exercisable within
60 days of April 27, 2021, or June 26, 2021.
(3)
Includes 66,226
shares issued to Jean Neff in connection with her attendance at
meetings of our Board of Directors in the year ended December 31,
2019 and meetings of our Board of Directors held in the year ending
December 31, 2020, as well as 120,000 shares subject to stock
options exercisable within 60 days of April 27, 2021, or June 26,
2021.
(4)
Includes 80,610
shares issued to Peter Jerome in connection with his attendance at
meetings of our Board of Directors in the year ended December 31,
2019 and meetings of our Board of Directors held in the year ending
December 31, 2020, as well as 40,000 shares subject to stock
options exercisable within 60 days of April 27, 2021, or June 26,
2021.
(5)
Includes an
aggregate of 1,475,000 shares subject to stock options exercisable
within 60 days of April 27, 2021, or June 26, 2021.
(6)
Information based
on the last Section 16(a) filing made by MP Biomedicals LLC on
December 22, 2015. The last known address
for MP Biomedical LLC is 3 Hutton Centre Drive, Suite 100, Santa
Ana, CA 92707.
(7)
Information based
on last Schedule 13G/A filed by John J. Moroney, a principal of
Landmark Pegasus, Inc. on April 27, 2020. The address for Mr.
Moroney (indicated on the Schedule 13G/A) is 118 Pegasus Drive,
Jupiter, FL 33477.
(8)
Information based
on the last Schedule 13G/A filed by Stuart Sternberg on January 14,
2021. The address for Mr. Sternberg (indicated on the Schedule 13G)
is 85 Bellevue Avenue, Rye, NY 10580.
Note:
Chaim Davis resigned from the Board of Director on February 5,
2021; however, information is being provided regarding his security
ownership considering he was a member of the Company’s Board
of Directors throughout December 31, 2020.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
General Information related to the Board of Directors &
Attendance at Meetings
The
Board of Directors oversees our business and monitors the
performance of our management. The Board of Directors does not
involve itself in the day-to-day operations of the Company. Our
executive officer and management oversee our day-to-day operations.
Our directors fulfill their duties and responsibilities by
attending regular meetings of the Board, which are typically held
on a quarterly basis. Special meetings may be held from time to
time to consider matters for which approval of the Board of
Directors is desirable or is required by law. Our directors also
discuss business and other matters with our key executive and our
principal external advisors (legal counsel, independent auditors,
and other consultants) when necessary. The Board of Directors also
regularly communicates with executive management via
teleconference.
The
Board of Directors held four regular meetings during the year ended
December 31, 2020 (not including the Annual Meeting of
Shareholders). Each director, with the exception of Chaim Davis;
who attended 75% of the meetings, attended 100% of the meetings of
the Board of Directors in the year ended December 31,
2020.
Directors are
expected to prepare themselves for and attend all meetings of the
Board of Directors, Annual Meetings of Shareholders and the
meetings of the committees on which they serve, with the
understanding that on occasion a director may be unable to attend a
meeting.
Board Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight
Board Leadership Structure
Over
the last several years, the Company has had different individuals
holding the positions of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive
Officer. The Board of Directors believes this structure is
appropriate for the Company because it provides the Board of
Directors with capable leadership and allows the Chief Executive
Officer to focus on the day-to-day business of running the Company
while the Chairman leads the Board of Directors. The independent
directors meet in executive sessions in connection with regular
meetings of the Board of Directors. Melissa Waterhouse serves as
our Chief Executive Officer, and until his resignation on February
5, 2021, Chaim Davis served as our Chairman of the
Board.
Role in Risk Oversight
The
role of our Board of Directors in our Company’s risk
oversight process includes receiving regular reports from
management on areas of material risk to our Company, including
operational, financial, legal and regulatory, and strategic risks.
The full Board of Directors (or the appropriate committee in the
case of risks that are under the purview of a particular committee)
receives these reports from either the Chief Executive Officer or
from the member of management responsible for the function from
which the risk arises so that it can understand and assess the
Company’s ongoing risk identification, risk management and
risk mitigation strategies. When a committee receives a report
regarding a previously unidentified risk, the chairman of the
relevant committee reports on the discussion to the full Board of
Directors. This enables the Board of Directors and its committees
to coordinate the risk oversight role and consult with management
about implementation of appropriate risk management and mitigation
measures. Our Board of Directors also administers its risk
oversight function through the required approval by the Board (or a
committee of the Board) of significant transactions and other
material decisions, and regular periodic reports from the
Company’s independent registered public accounting firm and
other outside consultants regarding various areas of potential
risk, including, among others, those relating to our internal
controls and financial reporting.
Independent Directors
Until
December 3, 2020, our common shares traded on the OTC Markets,
Inc., under their OTC Pink Open Marketplace with the “current
information” designation. On December 3, 2020, our common
shares began trading on the “middle tier” of the OTC
Markets; the OTCQB Venture Market. To be eligible for OTCQB,
companies must be current in their financial reporting, undergo an
annual verification and management certification process, and have
a bid price of at least $0.01.
Companies that
trade on the OTCQB Venture Market must have a Board of Directors
that includes at least two independent directors and must have an
audit committee that consists of a majority of independent members.
From a corporate governance standpoint, we strive to comply with
NASDAQ’s listing standards to determine the independence of
our directors.
Under
the rules of the national securities exchanges (like NASDAQ), a
majority of a listed company’s board of directors must be
comprised of independent directors, and each member of a listed
company’s audit, compensation, and nominating and corporate
governance committees must be independent as well. Subject to some
exceptions, these standards generally provide that a director will
not be independent if (a) the director is, or in the past three
years has been, an employee of ours; (b) a member of the
director’s immediate family is, or in the past three years
has been, an executive officer of ours; (c) the director or a
member of the director’s immediate family has received more
than $120,000 per year in direct compensation from us other than
for service as a director (or for a family member, as a
non-executive employee); (d) the director or a member of the
director’s immediate family is, or in the past three years
has been, employed in a professional capacity by our independent
public accountants, or has worked for such firm in any capacity on
our audit; (e) the director or a member of the director’s
immediate family is, or in the past three years has been, employed
as an executive officer of a company where one of our executive
officers serves on the compensation committee; or (f) the director
or a member of the director’s immediate family is an
executive officer of a company that makes payments to, or receives
payments from, us in an amount which, in any twelve-month period
during the past three years, exceeds the greater of $1,000,000 or
two percent of that other company’s consolidated gross
revenues.
The
Board of Directors has determined that Jean Neff, Peter Jerome (and
Chaim Davis up until his resignation on February 5, 2021) are/were
independent directors under NASDAQ’s listing standards. As of
the date of this report, the majority of the Board of Directors is
independent as there are currently three members on the Board of
Directors. In accordance with NASDAQ’s listing standards,
independent directors meet in executive session when required in
conjunction with regularly scheduled meetings of the Board of
Directors, outside of the presence of non-independent
directors.
Code Of Ethics
The
Company has adopted a Code of Ethics that applies to all employees,
including but not limited to the principal executive officer,
principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or
controller, or person performing similar functions. The Board of
Directors will review the Code of Ethics on a regular basis and
propose or adopt additions or amendments to the Code of Ethics as
appropriate. A copy of the Company’s Code of Ethics can be
found on its website located at www.abmc.com,
under the section title “Corporate” and the subsection
titled “Governance”. A copy of the Code of Ethics may
also be obtained free of charge by sending a written request to
American Bio Medica Corporation, Attention: Corporate Secretary,
122 Smith Road, Kinderhook, New York 12106.
Committees of the Board of Directors
The
Board of Directors of the Company has established the following
committees:
Nominating Committee
Throughout the year
ended December 31, 2020, the Nominating Committee consisted of two
members, Jean Neff and Chaim Davis. Given the small composition of
the Nominating Committee, there was/is no chairperson. Chaim Davis
subsequently resigned from the Board of Directors on February 5,
2021. As of the date of this report, the Nominating Committee still
consists of two (2) members, Jean Neff and Peter
Jerome.
The
Nominating Committee is governed by a charter it has adopted. A
copy of the Nominating Committee charter can be found on the
Company’s website at www.abmc.com,
under the section title “Corporate” and the subsection
titled “Governance”. A copy can also be obtained free
of charge by sending a written request to American Bio Medica
Corporation, Attn: Corporate Secretary, 122 Smith Road, Kinderhook,
New York 12106. There have been no material changes to the
Nominating Committee Charter since it was last filed as an exhibit
to the Company’s Proxy Statement filed on May 12,
2004.
The
purpose of the Nominating Committee is to review, and make
recommendations related to, qualified candidates for election to
the Board of Directors. In carrying out these functions, our
Nominating Committee considers a candidate’s mix of skills,
experience, character, commitment and diversity of background, all
in the context of the requirements of the Board of Directors at
that point in time. Each candidate should be prepared to
participate fully in activities of the Board of Directors,
including attendance at, and active participation in, meetings of
the Board of Directors, and not have other personal or professional
commitments that would, in the Nominating Committee’s
judgment, interfere with or limit such candidate’s ability to
do so.
Additionally, in
determining whether to recommend a director for re-election, our
Nominating Committee considers the director’s record of
attendance at Board of Directors and Committee meetings and
participation in and contributions to the activities of the Board
of Directors. Our Nominating Committee has no stated specific,
minimum qualifications that must be met by a candidate for a
position on our Board of Directors. Our Nominating Committee does,
however, believe it appropriate for at least one member of the
Board to meet the criteria for an “Audit Committee Financial
Expert” as defined by SEC rules, and for a majority of the
members of the Board to meet the definition of “independent
director” within the meaning of applicable NASDAQ listing
standards, even though such criteria may not be required by the
OTCQB Venture Market. Our Nominating Committee met one time in the
year ended December 31, 2020. All members of the Nominating
Committee attended this meeting.
Audit Committee
The
OTCQB Venture Market requires its listed companies to have
an audit committee that consists of a
majority of independent members. Throughout the year ended December 31, 2020, the
Audit Committee consisted of three (3) members, Peter Jerome, Jean
Neff and Chaim Davis; all of which the Board has determined are
independent directors (as independence is defined in NASDAQ Rule
5605(a)(2) of the NASDAQ listing standards, as applicable). On
February 5, 2021, Chaim Davis resigned from the Board of Directors
and the Audit Committee currently consists of two members; Peter
Jerome and Jean Neff. Peter Jerome serves as the Chairman of the
Audit Committee.
The
Board of Directors has adopted an Audit Committee charter. A copy
of the Audit Committee Charter can be found on the Company’s
website at www.abmc.com,
under the section title “Corporate” and the subsection
titled “Governance”. A copy can also be obtained free
of charge by sending a written request to American Bio Medica
Corporation, Attn: Corporate Secretary, 122 Smith Road, Kinderhook,
New York 12106. There have been no material changes to the Audit
Committee Charter since it was last filed as an exhibit to the
Company’s Proxy Statement filed on May 12, 2004.
This
Committee makes recommendations to the Board of Directors with
respect to the Company's financial statements and the appointment
of independent auditors, reviews significant audit and accounting
policies and practices, meets with the Company’s independent
public accountants concerning, among other things, the scope of
audits and reports, and reviews the performance of the overall
accounting and financial controls of the Company. The Audit
Committee formally met four times and informally met several times
in the year ended December 31, 2020. The Audit Committee charter
requires four (4) Audit Committee meetings per year. In the year
ended December 31, 2020, Chaim Davis attended 75% of the formal
meetings and Peter Jerome and Jean Neff attended 100% of the formal
meetings.
Audit Committee Financial Expert
At
least one member of the Audit Committee must be financially
sophisticated, in that he or she has past employment experience in
finance or accounting, requisite certification in accounting, or
other comparable experience or background which results in the
individual’s financial sophistication, including but not
limited to being or having been a chief executive officer, chief
financial officer or other senior officer with financial oversight
responsibilities. The individual must have an understanding of
generally accepted accounting principles and financial statements,
the ability to assess the general application of such principles in
connection with the accounting for estimates, accruals and
reserves, experience in preparing, auditing, analyzing or
evaluating financial statements that present a breadth and level of
complexity of accounting issues comparable to those issues raised
by the Company’s financial statements, an understanding of
internal control over financial reporting, and an understanding of
audit committee functions. Such attributes would be acquired
through education and experience as a principal accounting or
financial officer, controller, public accountant or auditor or
experience actively supervising such positions, or experience
overseeing or assessing the performance of companies or public
accountants with respect to the preparation, auditing, or
evaluation of financial statements. Peter Jerome meets the
requirements of a financial expert. Peter Jerome serves as the
Chairman of the Audit Committee as of the date of this
report.
Audit Committee Report
The
Audit Committee reviews the Company’s financial reporting
process on behalf of the Company’s Board of Directors.
Management has the primary responsibility for the Company’s
financial statements and the reporting process. The Company’s
independent registered public accountants are responsible for
expressing an opinion on the conformity of the Company’s
audited financial statements to generally accepted accounting
principles upon completion of their audit.
In this
context, the Audit Committee reviewed and discussed with management
and the independent public accountants the Company’s audited
financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020 (the
“Audited Financial Statements”). The Audit Committee
has discussed with the independent registered public accountants
the matters required to be discussed by statement of Auditing
Standards No. 61, as amended (AICPA, Professional Standards, Vol.1.
AU section 380), as adopted by the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board in Rule 3200T. In addition, the Audit Committee has
received the written disclosures and the letter from the
independent registered public accountants required by applicable
requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
regarding the independent registered public accountant’s
communications with the audit committee concerning independence,
and has discussed with the independent registered public accountant
the independent registered public accountant’s
independence.
Based
on reviews and discussions with the independent registered public
accountants, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of
Directors that the Audited Financial Statements be included in the
Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2020, for filing with the SEC.
The
Audit Committee members do not serve as professional accountants or
auditors and their functions are not intended to duplicate or to
certify the activities of management and the independent auditors.
The Committee serves a board-level oversight role where it receives
information from, consults with and provides its views and
directions to, management and the independent public accountants on
the basis of the information it receives and the experience of its
members in business, financial and accounting matters.
The
Audit Committee
Peter
Jerome, Chairman
Jean
Neff
Chaim
Davis*
*Chaim
Davis served on the Audit Committee until his resignation from the
Board of Directors on February 5, 2021.
Compensation and Option Committees
The
Compensation Committee makes recommendations to the Board of
Directors relating to salaries, bonuses and other compensation and
benefits of executive officers, and reviews and advises management
regarding benefits and other terms and conditions of compensation
of management. The Compensation Committee is also responsible for
reviewing the outcome of the shareholder advisory vote on executive
compensation. The Company’s Option Committee is a
sub-committee of the Compensation Committee and administers the
Company's stock option plans. The Compensation Committee does not
have a charter. The Compensation Committee formally met one time in
the year ended December 31, 2020. All members attended the formal
meeting.
Throughout
the year ended December 31, 2020, the Compensation Committee
consisted of two members, Jean Neff and Chaim Davis. Upon the
resignation of Chaim Davis on February 5, 2021 and as of the date
of this report, the Compensation Committee still consists of two
members (Jean Neff and Peter Jerome), both of which the Board has
determined are independent directors (as independence is defined in
NASDAQ Rule 5605(a)(2) of the NASDAQ listing standards, as
applicable). Jean
Neff serves as the Chairperson of the Compensation
Committee.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider
Participation
None of
the members of the Compensation Committee during the year ended
December 31, 2020 served as an officer or employee of the Company
or had any relationship requiring disclosure by the
Company.
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT
The
compensation of the Company’s sole executive officer; its
chief financial officer/principal financial officer, is recommended
for determination to the Board of Directors by the Compensation
Committee. In addition to recommending the executive salaries and
bonus arrangements, the Compensation Committee recommends policies
and guidelines for the determination of other benefits by the Board
of Directors.
General.
Compensation of the Company’s executive officers is intended
to attract, retain and reward persons who are essential to the
corporate enterprise. The fundamental policy of the Company's
executive compensation program is to offer competitive compensation
to executive officers that appropriately rewards the individual
executive officer’s contribution to corporate performance.
Compensation is determined primarily by reference to compensation
packages for similarly situated executive officers of companies of
similar size or in comparable lines of business with which the
Company expects to compete for executive officer talent and with
reference to the revenues, gross profits and other financial
criteria of the Company. In establishing base salaries, the
Committee also assesses subjective qualitative factors to discern a
particular executive officer’s relative value to the
corporate enterprise. The Compensation Committee utilizes
subjective criteria for evaluation of individual performance and
relies substantially on the executive officers in doing so. The
Committee focuses on two primary components of the Company’s
executive officer compensation program, each of which is intended
to reflect individual and corporate performance: base salary
compensation and bonus program based upon profitability of the
Company.
Cash
Compensation. Executive officers’ base salaries are
determined primarily by reference to compensation packages for
similarly situated executive officers of companies of similar size
or in comparable lines of business with which the Company expects
to compete for executive officer talent and with reference to the
revenues, gross profits and other financial criteria of the
Company. In accordance with these criteria, the salary of the Chief
Executive Officer/Principal Financial Officer was established in
her employment agreement. The employment agreement of the Chief
Executive Officer/Principal Financial Officer was filed as an
exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on
June 24, 2014.
Bonus Programs. The Company does not currently have any bonus
programs in place. In the past, the Company has implemented bonus
programs in which executive officers, senior management and certain
mid-level managers were eligible to participate. There have not
been bonuses paid to anyone in the Company under any bonus plans,
including the named executive officer for more than 10 years. The
Company continues to evaluate additional bonus programs to
compensate its executive officers, senior management and mid-level
managers. Any future bonus programs are expected to be based upon
the Company’s sales and profitability and/or the market value
of the Company’s securities. The Company may also adopt other
ad hoc bonus programs as appropriate to provide incentives for
particular officers or management employees to meet specific
goals.
Stock
Options. The Company does utilize stock options as a form of
long-term incentive compensation. The Company has no plans to
widely issue stock options but, will reserve the issuance of stock
options for special circumstances.
In
reviewing and approving the Chief Executive Officer’s
compensation for the year ended December 31, 2020, the Board did
not retain a compensation consultant. The Board of Directors
considered the same criteria detailed herein with respect to
executive officers in general and determined Melissa A.
Waterhouse’s compensation.
THE
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE
Chaim
Davis*
* Chaim
Davis served on the Audit Committee until his resignation from the
Board of Directors on February 5, 2021.
Communications with Directors and Committees
Shareholders may
communicate with members of the Company’s Board of Directors
and its Committees by writing to American Bio Medica Corporation,
122 Smith Road, Kinderhook, New York 12106, Attn: Corporate
Secretary. The Corporate Secretary will disseminate the
communication(s) to the appropriate individual(s).
SECTION 16(A) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING
COMPLIANCE
Section
16(a) of the Exchange Act requires the Company’s executive
officers and directors, and persons who own more than ten percent
(10%) of a registered class of the Company’s equity
securities to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership
with the SEC. Executive officers, directors and greater than ten
percent (10%) shareholders are required by SEC regulations to
furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they
file.
Based
solely on a review of the copies of such forms furnished to the
Company as of the date of this report, all executive officers and
directors complied with all Section 16(a) requirements during the
year ended December 31, 2019. We are unable to confirm that all ten
percent (10%) beneficial holders complied with all Section 16(a)
requirements during the year ended December 31, 2020.
OTHER MATTERS
The
Board of Directors is not aware of any matter to be presented for
action at the Annual Meeting other than the matters set forth
herein. Should any other matter requiring a vote of shareholders
arise, the proxies confer upon the person or persons entitled to
vote the shares represented by such proxies the authority to vote
the proxies in their discretion.
BY
ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Melissa
A. Waterhouse
Chief
Executive Officer
Principal Financial
Officer
May 4,
2021
PROXY
ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
For the
Year Ended December 31, 2020
AMERICAN BIO MEDICA CORPORATION
THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE
CORPORATION
The
undersigned shareholder of American Bio Medica Corporation, having
received the Notice dated May 30, 2021 of the Annual Meeting of
Shareholders, hereby nominates, constitutes, appoints and
authorizes Melissa A. Waterhouse and Jean Neff, and each of them
with full power to act alone, as proxies with full power of
substitution, for me and in my name, place and stead, to vote all
the common shares of said corporation standing in my name on its
books on April 27, 2021, at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to
be held at 10:00 A.M. on Thursday, June 24, 2021 at the
Company’s corporate offices located at 122 Smith Road,
Kinderhook, New York 12106, or at any adjournments thereof, with
all the power the undersigned would possess if personally present,
as follows:
1.
The election of the
nominee listed in the Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting, as a
director to serve the term indicated in the Proxy Statement
commencing with the ensuing year and
until their successor(s) shall be elected and duly
qualified.
If you
wish your vote to be cast for the nominees listed below, place an
“X” in this box ☐
If you
wish to withhold your vote for the nominees listed below, place an
“X” in this box ☐
If
you do not wish to vote for all of the nominees, line out the
name(s) of the person(s) for whom you do not wish to
vote.
DIRECTOR:
Peter
Jerome
Melissa
Waterhouse
2.
To ratify the selection by the Company’s Audit
Committee of UHY, LLP as the Company’s independent registered
public accounting firm for the year ending December 31,
2021.
☐
FOR AGAINST
☐ ABSTAIN
☐
3.
To
approve an amendment of Article Four of the Company’s
Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of common
shares which the Company shall have the authority to issue from
50,000,000 to 75,000,000 common shares.
☐FOR
AGAINST ☐
ABSTAIN ☐
THIS PROXY CONFERS AUTHORITY TO VOTE FOR EACH OF THE NOMINEES
LISTED EVEN THOUGH THE BLOCK IN ITEM 1 IS NOT MARKED UNLESS THE
NAME OF THE PERSON IS LINED OUT.
THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND THE
COST OF SAME IS BORNE BY THE CORPORATION. THIS PROXY MAY BE
REVOKED BY WRITING TO THE CORPORATE SECRETARY, AMERICAN BIO MEDICA
CORPORATION, 122 SMITH ROAD, KINDERHOOK, NEW YORK 12106 OR IN
PERSON AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS AT ANY TIME PRIOR TO
ITS EXERCISE.
Date:
|
_________________________________________
|
|
|
Name:
|
_________________________________________
|
|
Beneficial Shareholder (Please
Print)
|
|
|
|
|
Address:
|
_________________________________________
|
|
_________________________________________
|
|
_________________________________________
|
|
|
Signature(s):
|
_________________________________________
|
|
_________________________________________
|
|
(All Shareholders must
sign)
|
NUMBER
OF SHAREHOLDERS VOTING _________________________
DATE:
_________________________________________
IF
SHARES ARE NOT REGISTERED IN YOUR NAME, PLEASE GIVE THE NAME AND
ADDRESS OF THE PERSON OR ENTITY IN WHOSE NAME THEY ARE
REGISTERED.
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
(This
must be completed if applicable)
Please
date, fill in your complete name and address and sign above exactly
as your name or names appear hereon, and return this proxy promptly
in the enclosed envelope. When signing as attorney, executor,
administrator, trustee or guardian, please give full title. If
there is more than one fiduciary, all should sign. All joint owners
must sign.
American Bio Medica (CE) (USOTC:ABMC)
Historical Stock Chart
From Dec 2024 to Jan 2025
American Bio Medica (CE) (USOTC:ABMC)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jan 2024 to Jan 2025