Unassociated Document
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C 20549
SCHEDULE
14A
(Rule
14a-101)
Proxy
Statement Pursuant To Section 14(A) of the Securities
Exchange
Act of 1934 (Amendment No. __)
Filed
by
the Registrant: x
Filed
by
a Party other than the Registrant: o
Check
the
appropriate box:
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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AKEENA
SOLAR, INC.
(Name
of
Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Payment
of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
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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o
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Fee
paid previously with preliminary materials:
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o
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Check
box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act
Rule
0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was
paid
previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement
number,
or the Form or Schedule and the date of its
filing.
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(1)
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Amount
Previously Paid:
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(2)
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Form,
Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
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Akeena
Solar 888-253-3628
fax: 408-395-7979 www.akeena.net
Corporate
Headquarters: 16005 University Avenue, Los Gatos, CA 95032
NOTICE
OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
August
24, 2007
4:00
p.m.
(Pacific
Daylight Time)
To
the Stockholders of Akeena Solar, Inc.:
Notice
is hereby given
that the
Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Akeena Solar, Inc. (the “Company” or “Akeena”)
will be held at our principal corporate offices located at 16005 Los Gatos
Blvd.
Los Gatos, California 95032 on August 24, 2007 at 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Daylight
Time) for the following purposes:
1.
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To
elect four (4) directors to the Board of Directors to a one year
term;
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2.
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To
approve the Second Modification to our 2006 Incentive Stock Plan
(“Plan”),
which will increase the total number of shares of stock that Akeena
has
reserved for issuance under the Plan from 1,000,000, to 4,000,000—we refer
to this proposal as the “Second Modification to the 2006 Stock Incentive
Plan”; and
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3. |
To
ratify the appointment of Burr, Pilger and Mayer LLP as the Company’s
independent auditors for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2007.
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4.
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To
consider and act upon such other business as may properly come before
the
Annual Meeting or any adjournment(s) thereof.
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The
Board
of Directors has fixed the close of business on July 25, 2007 as the record
date
for the Annual Meeting. Only stockholders of record of our common stock at
the
close of business on that date are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the
Annual Meeting or any adjournment thereof.
Whether
or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, please
either (1) mark, sign, date and promptly return the accompanying Proxy in
the enclosed envelope, (2) vote utilizing the automated telephone feature
described on the Proxy, or (3) vote over the Internet pursuant to the
instructions set forth on the Proxy. You may revoke your Proxy at any time
before it is voted. Any
Proxy given pursuant to this solicitation may be revoked by the person giving
it
at any time before it is exercised by filing with our Secretary an instrument
revoking it, by presenting at the meeting a duly executed Proxy bearing a later
date or by attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person. For ten days
prior
to the Annual Meeting, a complete list of stockholders of record entitled to
vote at the Annual Meeting will be available for examination by any stockholder
for any purpose related to the Annual Meeting during ordinary business hours
at
the Company’s corporate offices.
Stockholders
are cordially invited to attend the meeting in person. Please indicate on the
enclosed Proxy whether you plan to attend the meeting. Stockholders may vote
in
person if they attend the meeting even though they have executed and returned
a
Proxy.
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By
Order of the Board of Directors,
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Barry
Cinnamon
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President, Chief
Executive Officer and Secretary
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TABLE
OF CONTENTS
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Page
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PROXY
STATEMENT
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1
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ANNUAL
MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS ON AUGUST 24, 2007
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1
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PROXIES
AND VOTING RIGHTS
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1
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COMPANY
HISTORY
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2
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VOTING
SECURITIES AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS
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3
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DIRECTORS
AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
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4
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ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS (Proposal 1)
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5
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EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
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9
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RELATED
PARTY TRANSACTIONS
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11
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APPROVAL
OF THE SECOND MODIFICATION TO THE 2006 INCENTIVE STOCK PLAN(Proposal
2)
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11
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RATIFICATION
OF APPOINTMENT OF THE COMPANY’S INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING
FIRM (Proposal 3)
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15
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BOARD
OF DIRECTORS AUDIT REPORT
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17
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OTHER
MATTERS
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17
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AKEENA
SOLAR, INC.
16005
Los
Gatos Blvd.
Los
Gatos, CA 95032
Telephone:
(408) 395-7774
Fax:
(408) 395-7979
PROXY
STATEMENT
ANNUAL
MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS ON AUGUST 24, 2007
This
Proxy Statement and the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders
and proxy card are furnished to stockholders of Akeena Solar, Inc., a Delaware
corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the solicitation by order of the
Board of Directors of the Company of proxies for use at the annual meeting
of
stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) to be held on Friday, August 24, 2007 at the
Company’s corporate offices located at 16005 Los Gatos Blvd., Los Gatos, CA
95032 at 4:00 p.m. local time, and at any adjournment thereof, for the purposes
set forth in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders. These
proxy materials and the accompanying Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the year
ending December 31, 2006, are being mailed on or about August 6, 2007 to
stockholders of the Company entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting.
As
indicated in the Notice of Annual Meeting of the Stockholders, the Annual
Meeting has been called to (i) elect four (4) directors to the Board of
Directors for the ensuing year, (ii) approve the Second Modification to the
2006
Incentive Stock Plan (“Plan”), which will increase the total number of shares of
stock that Akeena has reserved and has authority to issue under the Plan from
1,000,000 to 4,000,000—we refer to this proposal as the “Second Modification to
the 2006 Stock Incentive Plan,” (iii) ratify the Board’s appointment of Burr,
Pilger and Mayer LLP as the Company’s independent auditors for the fiscal year
ending December 31, 2007, and (iv) consider and act upon such other business
as
may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment
thereof.
PROXIES
AND VOTING RIGHTS
Only
stockholders of record at the close of business on July 25, 2007 (the “Record
Date”) are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting. The voting
securities of the Company issued and outstanding on the Record Date consisted
of
23,565,271 shares (the “Shares”) of common stock, par value $0.001 per share
(the "Common Stock"), entitling the holders thereof to one vote per Share.
There
was no other class of voting securities of the Company outstanding on such
date.
The presence at the Annual Meeting in person or by proxy of holders of a
majority of the Shares entitled to vote is required for a quorum.
Approval
of the proposal for the election of directors requires the affirmative vote
of a
plurality of the votes present at the Annual Meeting. Approval for each of
the
other proposals being submitted to the stockholders requires the affirmative
vote of a majority of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting by the holders of
Shares entitled to vote on such proposals.
Broker
“non-votes” and the Shares as to which a stockholder abstains are included for
purposes of determining whether a quorum of Shares is present at the Annual
Meeting. A broker “non-vote” occurs when a nominee holding Shares for a
beneficial owner does not vote on a particular proposal because the nominee
does
not have discretionary voting power with respect to that item and has not
received instructions from the beneficial owner. Neither broker “non-votes” nor
abstentions are included in the tabulation of the voting results on the election
of directors or issues requiring approval of a majority of the votes cast and,
therefore, do not have the effect of votes in opposition in such tabulations.
Votes
cast by proxy or in person at the Annual Meeting will be tabulated by persons
appointed by our Board of Directors to act as Inspectors of Election for the
Annual Meeting, as provided by the Company’s By-laws. The Inspectors of Election
will count the total number of votes cast for approval of each proposal for
purposes of determining whether sufficient affirmative votes have been cast.
All
proxies delivered pursuant to this solicitation may be revoked by the person
executing the same at any time prior to the time they are voted. A proxy may
be
revoked by notice in writing received at the office of the Company, Attention:
In-House Counsel, by execution of a subsequent proxy or by attendance and voting
in person at the Annual Meeting. Attendance at the Annual Meeting will not
automatically revoke the proxy. If not revoked, the Shares represented by a
proxy will be voted at the Annual Meeting or at any adjournment thereof. All
proxies will be voted in accordance with the instructions specified thereon.
If
no specification is indicated on the proxy, the Shares represented thereby
will
be voted (i) FOR the election of the persons nominated as Directors and (ii)
FOR
the approval of the Second Modification to the 2006 Stock Incentive Plan and
(iii) FOR ratification of the Board’s appointment of Burr, Pilger and Mayer LLP
as the Company’s independent auditors for the fiscal year ending December 31,
200, and (iv) at the discretion of the proxy holders on any other matters that
may properly come before the Meeting.
All
expenses in connection with the solicitation of proxies will be borne by the
Company. The Company expects that the solicitation will be made primarily by
mail, but regular employees or representatives of the Company may also solicit
proxies by telephone, facsimile, e-mail or in person, without additional
compensation. The Company will, upon request, reimburse brokerage houses and
persons holding Shares in the names of their nominees for their reasonable
expenses in sending proxy material to their principals.
COMPANY
HISTORY
The
Company was formed as a Nevada corporation on July 29, 2005, under the name
Fairview Energy Corporation, Inc. (“Fairview”), and on August 4, 2006, the
Company reincorporated in the State of Delaware. On August 11, 2006, the
Company consummated a reverse merger (the “Merger”) with a privately-held
company called Akeena Solar, Inc. (“Akeena-Private”), pursuant to which the
privately-held company, renamed Akeena Corp., became a wholly-owned subsidiary
of the Company and the Company changed its name to Akeena Solar, Inc. The
Company has been in the development stage since its inception and did not
commence business operations prior to the Merger. Akeena-Private was
incorporated in the State of California on February 23, 2001 under the name
Akeena, Inc., and on June 2, 2006, was reincorporated in the State of
Delaware under the name Akeena Solar, Inc. As a result of the Merger, the
Company succeeded to Akeena-Private’s line of business as our sole line of
business.
Akeena’s
corporate headquarters are located at 16005 Los Gatos Boulevard, Los Gatos,
California 95032. In addition, the Company maintains installation offices at
its
Los Gatos facility and at its Fresno (Clovis), Orange County,
Bakersfield, Manteca and Santa Rosa, California offices, as well as at its
Fairfield, New Jersey office. The Company’s telephone number is
(408) 395-7774.
VOTING
SECURITIES AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS
The
following table sets forth information concerning ownership of the Company's
Shares, as of the Record Date, by (i) each person known by the Company to be
the
beneficial owner of more than five percent of the outstanding Shares, (ii)
each
director and nominee for election as a director, (iii) each of the Named
Executive Officers listed in the Summary Compensation Table included in our
Annual Report on Form 10-KSB and (iv) all directors and executive officers
of
the Company as a group. Unless otherwise indicated, the Company believes that
each stockholder has sole voting power and sole dispositive power with respect
to the Shares beneficially owned by him.
Name
of Beneficial Owner(1)
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Amount
and Nature of
Beneficial
Owner (2)
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Percent
of Class (2)
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Barry
Cinnamon
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8,000,000
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34.0
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%
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Ed
Roffman
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68,000(3)
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*
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%
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David
“Lad” Wallace
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52,847(4)
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*
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%
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George
Lauro
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10,000
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*
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%
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Jon
Witkin
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10,000
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*
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%
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Bruce
Velestuk (5)
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0
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N/A |
%
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5%
holders.
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Angeleno
Investors II L.P. (6)
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1,272,727
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5.4
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%
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BB
Trust (7)
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1,344,716
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5.7
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%
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All
directors and executive officers
as
a group (5 persons)
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8,140,847
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34.5
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%
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(1)
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Unless
otherwise indicated the address for each of the stockholders is c/o
Akeena
Solar, Inc. 16005 Los Gatos Blvd., Los Gatos, CA
95032.
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(2)
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The
applicable percentage of ownership for each beneficial owner is based
on
23,565,271 shares of Common Stock outstanding as of the Record Date.
In
calculating the number of Shares beneficially owned by a stockholder
and
the percentage of ownership of that stockholder, shares of Common
Stock
issuable upon the exercise of options, warrants or the conversion
of other
securities held by that stockholder that are exercisable within 60
days,
are deemed outstanding for these Shares, however, are not deemed
outstanding for computing the percentage ownership of any other
stockholder.
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(3)
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Includes 20,000
shares of restricted common stock granted to Mr. Roffman on
August 30, 2006, under Akeena’s Stock Plan. Restrictions on the
20,000 shares lapse as to 5,000 shares on each anniversary of the
date of grant, commencing August 30, 2007. Also includes 48,000
shares of restricted common stock granted to Mr. Roffman on April
2, 2007,
under the Akeena Stock Plan. Restrictions on the 48,000 shares lapse
as to
4,000 shares monthly for twelve months commencing on the date of
grant.
Mr. Roffman is entitled to vote such restricted shares, subject
to forfeiture in accordance with the terms of the
grant.
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(4)
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Includes
33,304, 5,000 and 11,696 shares of restricted common stock
granted to Mr. Wallace on August 30, 2006, December 15, 2006 and
April 27, 2007, respectively. Restrictions on Mr. Wallace's
shares lapse as to one-fourth of such shares subject to each grant
on each
anniversary of the date of grant, commencing one year from the date
of
grant. Mr. Wallace is entitled to vote such restricted shares,
subject to forfeiture in accordance with the terms of the grant.
In
addition, includes 2,847 unrestricted shares of common stock
beneficially owned by Mr. Wallace.
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(5)
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Mr. Velestuk
resigned from all positions held in the Company and as a director
on
August 11, 2006, in connection with the
Merger.
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(6)
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Yaniv
Tepper, a managing member, has voting and dispositive power over
these
securities. Mr. Tepper disclaims beneficial ownership of such
securities.
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(7)
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Richard
Rock, as trustee, has voting and dispositive power over these securities.
Mr. Rock disclaims beneficial ownership of such
securities.
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DIRECTORS
AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
The
directors and executive officers of the Company are as follows:
Name
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Age
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Position
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Barry
Cinnamon
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49
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Chairman,
President, Chief Executive Officer, Secretary, Treasurer and
Director
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David
“Lad” Wallace
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54
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Chief
Financial Officer
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Ed
Roffman
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57
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Director
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George
Lauro
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48
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Director
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Jon
Witkin
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53
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Director
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Barry
Cinnamon, Chairman, President, Chief Executive Officer, Secretary, Treasurer
and
Director.
Our
founder, Barry Cinnamon, has served as director since the Company began. Mr.
Cinnamon is a long-time advocate of solar energy and widely recognized solar
energy expert. He started his career in solar energy in the late 1970s as a
researcher into new flat plate and concentrating collector designs at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). During the late 1970s and early
1980s, Mr. Cinnamon designed and installed active solar, passive solar and
ground coupled heat pump systems. Mr. Cinnamon’s work in solar energy
computer modeling led him into the software industry, where he served as Chief
Executive Officer of Software Publishing Corporation, and founded Allegro New
Media, a multimedia software publisher, which he led to an IPO in 1995. Mr.
Cinnamon earned a BS Degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and a MBA degree
in Marketing from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Cinnamon is a NABCEP-Certified Solar Installer, a licensed California
C-46 Solar Contractor and an active member of the Silicon Valley Leadership
Group. In December 2005, Mr. Cinnamon was elected President of the
California Solar Energy Industries Association, the largest state solar
organization in the country.
David
“Lad” Wallace, Chief Financial Officer.
David
“Lad” Wallace was a part-time consulting Chief Financial Officer for us from
January 2005 to February 2006, at which time Mr. Wallace left to
become the Controller of the Santa Cruz Sentinel, a newspaper publishing
company. Mr. Wallace returned in August 2006 to become our full-time
Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Wallace has an extensive history as senior
financial manager in a number of industries, including micro-electronics
manufacturing, winery, liquor and soft drink production, bottling and
distribution, oil refining, sporting goods and clothing manufacturing.
Mr. Wallace has broad experience in development of financial systems, from
creation of accounting systems to detailed financial reporting, and has helped
develop Sarbanes Oxley and ISO 900X procedures. Prior to joining us full-time,
Mr. Wallace had been an independent financial management consultant since
2004. Prior to that, he was Chief Financial Officer of Bonny Doon Winery form
2002 to 2004. Prior to that, Mr. Wallace held contract positions as
consulting CFO to Golden Vineyards LLC and as Business Development Consultant
to
Emcresal, a Spanish company, from 2000 to 2002. From 1997 to 2000,
Mr. Wallace was Business Manager subcontracting to Jacobs Engineering.
Mr. Wallace earned a B.A. from Linfield College and an MBA (International)
from the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
George
Lauro, Director.
Mr.
Lauro has been a director since July 2007. Mr. Lauro has been a senior partner
at Alteon Capital Partners since January 2007, a Silicon Valley firm that
provides direct venture investment and advisory services to private companies
in
the semiconductors, MEMS, nanotech and photonics sectors. From May 2006 to
January 2007, Mr. Lauro was Managing Director at Techfarm Ventures, a Silicon
Valley venture capital firm with approximately $250M under management. He was
also Managing Director at Wasserstein Venture Capital from May 1999 to May
2005
and was one of two partners managing over $300M across two venture funds. Before
joining Wasserstein, Mr. Lauro was Director of Rapid Commercialization at IBM
Headquarters from September 1995 to May 1999. At Motorola (NASDAQ: MOT), he
conceived the world's first consumer handheld Global Positioning Product (Traxar
GPS), invented new classes of RF transponders, and launched Motorola's
businesses in these spaces. He completed a Bachelors degree in Electrical
Engineering from Brown, a Master of Business Administration from Wharton, and
graduate work in Astronautics at MIT. Mr. Lauro currently serves as a Director
on ChipX and Pinyon Technologies.
Jon
Witkin, Director.
Mr.
Witkin has been a director since July 2007. Mr. Witkin is a co-owner of Western
States Glass, the largest independent flat glass distributor in Northern
California, which he co-founded in 1991. Mr. Witkin oversees Western States
Glass's operations, including its fleet of delivery vehicles and remote offices
throughout California. Prior to founding Western States Glass, Mr. Witkin was
a
Partner at Bay Mirror and an Area Sales Manager at ACI Glass Distribution
(“ACI”). He also served in various sales and management roles at the Havlin
Witkin Corporation which was sold to ACI. Mr. Witkin earned a Bachelors of
Science degree in 1976 from the University of Utah.
There
are
no family relationships among our directors, nominees for director and executive
officers.
Section
16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section
16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”),
requires the Company’s executive officers, directors and persons who own more
than 10% of the Company’s outstanding common stock to file initial reports of
ownership and changes in ownership with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Based solely upon a review of Forms 3, 4 and 5 and amendments thereto furnished
to the Company, none of the Company’s directors, officers or beneficial owners
of more than 10% of its common stock failed to file on a timely basis any
reports required by Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act during the year ended
December 31, 2006.
ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
(Proposal
1)
The
By-Laws of the Company (the “By-Laws”) provide that the Company shall have not
less than one nor more than fifteen directors, with the exact number to be
fixed
by the Board of Directors from time to time. The Board of Directors of the
Company presently consists of four members. All four nominees for election
at
Annual Meeting are currently directors of the Company, and will serve, subject
to the provisions of the By-Laws, until the next annual meeting of stockholders
and until such director’s successor is elected and qualified or until such
director’s prior death, resignation or removal. Management has no reason to
believe that any of the nominees will be unable or unwilling to serve as a
director, if elected. Should any nominee not be a candidate at the time of
the
Annual Meeting (a situation which is not now anticipated), proxies may be voted
in favor of the remaining nominees and may also be voted for a substitute
nominee selected by the Board of Directors.
The
names
of the nominees for director are Barry Cinnamon, Ed Roffman, George Lauro and
Jon Witkin. See “Directors and Executive Officers” for information regarding
each of the nominees for director.
Recommendation
of the Board of Directors
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE COMPANY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE ABOVE-NAMED
NOMINEE DIRECTORS OF THE COMPANY. The
proxy
enclosed herewith will be voted FOR the above-named nominee directors of the
Company unless the stockholder specifically votes against any or all of the
nominee directors, or abstains from voting on this matter. Pursuant to the
By-Laws, directors are elected by a plurality of the votes present at the Annual
Meeting. If a quorum is present and voting, each of the four nominees receiving
the highest number of votes cast “for” any nominee will be elected. Proxies
cannot be voted for more than four nominees. Abstentions, “broker non-votes” and
withheld votes will have no effect on the outcome of the vote. The Company’s
Certificate of Incorporation does not provide for cumulative voting in the
election of directors.
Director
Independence and Other Matters
The
Board
of Directors is presently comprised of Barry Cinnamon, Ed Roffman, George Lauro
and Jon Witkin. Of such directors, Ed Roffman, George Lauro and Jon Witkin
are
each an “independent director” as such term is defined in Marketplace Rule
4200(a)(15) of the listing standards of the NASDAQ Stock Market. The Company
was
not a party to any transaction, relationship or other arrangement with any
of
its “independent directors” that was considered by our Board of Directors under
Marketplace Rule 4200(a)(15) in the determination of such director’s
independence.
Each
member of the Nominating, Compensation and Audit committees of the Board of
Directors meets the independence requirements applicable to those committees
prescribed by the NASDAQ Stock Market and, for purposes of the Audit Committee,
Section 10A of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange
Act”).
The
Company encourages but does not require members of the Board of Directors to
attend the annual meetings of the stockholders. The Company did not have an
annual meeting of stockholders for the prior year ended December 31,
2005.
Committees
of the Board of Directors and Meetings
The
Board
of Directors did not hold any meetings in 2006, instead acting by unanimous
written consent sixteen times. In 2006, the Board of Directors was comprised
of
Ed Roffman and Barry Cinnamon. Mr. Roffman and Mr. Cinnamon were joined by
George Lauro and Jon Witkin on July 18, 2007, increasing the size of the Board
from two to four persons.
The
Company has standing Nominating, Audit and Compensation committees of the Board
of Directors. These committees were formed on July 18, 2007. In 2006, The
Company did not have any committees.
The
Nominating Committee. The
Nominating Committee is comprised of Messrs. Witkin and Lauro.
The
Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors performs the functions typical
of
a nominating committee, including: (i) developing and recommending corporate
governance principles and procedures applicable to the Board of Directors and
the Company’s employees; (ii) recommending committee composition and
assignments; (iii) identifying individuals qualified to become directors; (iv)
recommending director nominees; (v) recommending whether incumbent directors
should be nominated for re-election to the Board of Directors and (vi) reviewing
the adequacy of the Nominating Committee charter. The Nominating Committee
has
established a charter, which is available on the investor relations section
of
our website at www.akeena.net. Because the Nominating Committee was not formed
until July 18, 2007, it held no meetings in 2006.
The
Audit Committee. The
Audit
Committee is comprised of Messrs. Roffman, Lauro and Witkin. Our Board has
designated Mr. Roffman our audit committee financial expert as defined in Item
407(d)(5)(ii) of Regulation S-B. The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors
has the authority and responsibility to select, evaluate and, when appropriate,
replace the company’s independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit
Committee monitors the activities of the Company’s external auditors, including
the audit scope, the external audit fees, auditor independence matters and
the
extent to which the independent auditors may be retained to perform advisory
services. The Audit Committee also reviews the results of the external audit
work to assess the adequacy and appropriateness of the Company’s financial and
accounting controls. The Audit Committee reviews changes in accounting standards
that impact the Company’s financial statements and discusses with management
major events, including legal matters and tax audits, which may have significant
financial impact or are the subject of discussions with the independent
auditors. In addition, the Audit Committee oversees the Company’s internal
compliance programs. The Audit Committee has established a charter, which is
available on the investor relations section of our website at www.akeena.net.
Because the Audit Committee was not formed until July 18, 2007, it held no
meetings in 2006.
The
Compensation Committee. The
Compensation Committee is comprised of Messrs. Lauro and Witkin. The
Compensation Committee administers the Company’s stock option plan, including
the review and grant of stock options to officers, directors and other employees
under the Company’s stock option plan. The Compensation Committee also reviews
and approves various other Company compensation policies and matters, and
reviews and approves salaries and other matters relating to compensation of
the
executive officers of the Company. The Compensation Committee has established
a
charter, which is available on the investor relations section of our website
at
www.akeena.net. Because the Compensation Committee was not formed until July
18,
2007, no meetings were held in 2006.
The
Compensation Committee will meet in person, telephonically or otherwise at
least
twice during each fiscal year for, among other things, the consideration and
determination of executive and director compensation. The Compensation Committee
may also hold special meetings or act by unanimous written consent as required.
The Compensation Committee may request any officer or employee of the Company
or
the Company’s outside counsel to attend a meeting of the Compensation Committee
or to meet with any members of, or consultants to, the Compensation Committee;
provided, however, that the chief executive officer may not be present during
any discussions or deliberations of the Compensation Committee regarding the
chief executive officer’s compensation.
The
chairperson of the Compensation Committee will preside at each meeting of the
Compensation Committee and, in consultation with the other members of the
Compensation Committee, shall set the frequency and length of each meeting
and
the agenda of items to be addressed at each meeting. The chairperson will ensure
that the agenda for each meeting is circulated in advance of the meeting. The
Compensation Committee shall keep minutes of each of its meetings and conference
calls and report its actions and any recommendations to the Board after each
of
the Compensation Committee’s meeting.
The
Compensation Committee meetings will be governed by the quorum and other
procedures generally applicable to meetings of the Board under the Company’s
bylaws, unless otherwise stated in the bylaws or by resolution of the Board
or
the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee shall have the authority
to delegate any of its responsibilities to subcommittees as the Compensation
Committee may deem appropriate.
The
Compensation Committee will review and approve on an annual basis the corporate
goals and objectives with respect to the compensation for the Company’s chief
executive officer and other executive officers. The Committee shall evaluate
at
least once a year the chief executive officer and other executive officers’
performance in light of these established goals and objectives and based upon
these evaluations shall recommend to the full Board the chief executive officer
and other executive officers’ annual compensation, including salary, bonus,
incentive and equity compensation. In reviewing and recommending the
compensation of the chief executive officer and other executive officers, the
Committee may consider the compensation awarded to officers of similarly
situated companies, the Company’s performance, the individuals’ performance,
compensation given to the Company’s officers in past years or any other fact the
Committee deems appropriate. The chief executive officer shall not be permitted
to participate in any discussions or processes concerning his compensation,
but
may participate in a non-voting capacity in discussions or processes concerning
the compensation of other executive officers.
The
Compensation Committee will develop and periodically assess the Compensation
Committee’s compensation policies applicable to the Company’s executive officers
and directors, including the relationship of corporate performance to executive
compensation. The Compensation Committee will review and recommend to the Board
appropriate director compensation programs for service as directors, committee
chairs and committee members.
Director
Compensation
In
addition to reimbursement for reasonable expenses incurred in the performance
of
their duties as directors, including participation on the Board of Directors
and
its committees, as of July 18, 2007, the Company now compensates its
non-employee directors as follows:
|
·
|
10,000
shares of restricted stock under the Company’s Incentive Stock Plan, which
restriction lapses as to approximately 833 shares monthly for twelve
months commencing on the date of grant. Directors are entitled to
vote
such restricted stock, subject to forfeiture, in accordance with
the terms
of the grant; and
|
|
·
|
travel
and lodging expenses for any activities related to the performance
of
their duties on the Board of
Directors
|
Prior
to
July 18, 2007, members of the Board of Directors included only Barry Cinnamon
and Ed Roffman. Mr. Cinnamon received no remuneration for his services as a
director. On August 29, 2006, Mr. Roffman was granted 20,000 shares of
restricted stock under our Stock Plan, which restrictions lapse as to 5,000
shares, on each of the first four anniversaries of the date of grant, commencing
on August 30, 2007, subject to Mr. Roffman serving on our board of
directors on each such anniversary date. This grant of 20,000 shares received
by
Mr. Roffman includes the 10,000 shares of restricted stock the Company now
awards to non-employee directors. On April 2, 2007, Mr. Roffman received 48,000
shares of the Company’s restricted common stock under our Incentive Stock Plan,
which restrictions lapse as to 4,000 shares monthly for twelve months commencing
on the date of grant, subject to Mr. Roffman serving as the Board’s Audit
Committee Expert. Mr. Roffman is entitled to vote such restricted shares,
subject to forfeiture in accordance with the terms of the grant.
The
following table sets forth certain information concerning compensation earned
by
the Directors who were not Named Executive Officers during the year ended
December 31, 2006.
Name
|
|
|
Stock
Awarded
(1)
|
|
|
Option
Awards
|
|
|
Total
($)
|
|
Ed
Roffman
|
|
$
|
20,000
(2
|
)
|
$
|
------
|
|
$
|
20,000
|
|
(1) Based
upon the aggregate grant date fair value calculated in accordance
with
Statement of Financing Account Standards (“SFAS”) No. 123R, Share
Based Payments. The Company’s policy and assumptions made in the valuation
of share based payments are contained in Note 12 to the Company’s
December 31, 2006 financial statements.
(2) On
August 30, 2006, Mr. Roffman was granted 20,000 shares of
restricted stock, which restriction lapses as to 5,000 shares, on
each
anniversary of the date of grant commencing on August 30, 2007,
subject to Mr. Roffman serving on the Company’s board of directors on
each such anniversary. At December 31, 2006, 20,000 shares of
restricted stock were held by
Mr. Roffman.
|
Director
Nomination Process
The
Nominating Committee identifies nominees who have the business background and
experience, industry specific knowledge and general reputation and expertise
that would allow them to contribute as members of the Company’s Board of
Directors and who are willing to serve as directors of a public company. The
Board approved the Director Nomination Process by written resolution dated
August 1, 2007. To date, the Nominating Committee has not engaged any third
parties to assist the Nominating Committee in identifying or evaluating
potential nominees. After a possible candidate is identified, the candidate
meets with various members of the Board of Directors to evaluate the candidate’s
potential to be an effective member of the Board of Directors.
In
considering nominees for election as a director, the Nominating Committee
considers a number of factors. Characteristics expected of all directors include
integrity, high personal and professional ethics, sound business judgment and
the ability and willingness to commit sufficient time to the proceedings and
activities of the Company’s Board of Directors. In evaluating the suitability of
candidates for membership on the Board of Directors, the Nominating Committee
takes into account many factors, including the candidate’s general understanding
of marketing, finance and other disciplines relevant to the success of a large
publicly traded company in today’s business environment, understanding of the
Company’s business and technology, educational and professional background and
personal accomplishments.
The
Nominating Committee will consider stockholder recommendations for nominees
for
membership on the Board of Directors. Such recommendations may be submitted
in
writing to Akeena Solar, Inc., 16005 Los Gatos Blvd., Los Gatos, CA 95032,
Attention: In-House Counsel. Stockholders may recommend candidates at any time,
but to be considered by the Nominating Committee for inclusion in the Company’s
proxy statement for the next annual meeting of stockholders, recommendations
must be submitted in writing no later than 120 days in advance of the first
anniversary of the date of the Company’s proxy statement mailed to stockholders
for the preceding year’s annual meeting of stockholders. Any such recommendation
must include:
|
·
|
the
name of the stockholder recommending the director candidate for
consideration, the name of the director candidate and the written
consent
of the stockholder and the director candidate to be publicly
identified;
|
|
·
|
a
written statement by the director candidate agreeing to be named
in the
Company’s proxy materials and to serve as a member of the Board of
Directors (and any committee of the Board of Directors to which the
director candidate is assigned to serve by the Board of Directors)
if
nominated and elected;
|
|
·
|
a
written statement by the stockholder and director candidate agreeing
to
make available to the Nominating Committee all information reasonably
requested in connection with the Nominating Committee’s consideration of
the director candidate; and
|
|
·
|
the
director candidate’s name, age, business and residential address,
principal occupation or employment, number of shares of the Company’s
common stock and other securities beneficially owned, a resume or
similar
document detailing personal and professional experiences and
accomplishments, and all other information relating to the director
candidate that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement
or
other filing made in connection with the solicitation of proxies
for the
election of directors pursuant to the Exchange Act, the rules of
the SEC
and the listing standards of the NASDAQ Stock
Market.
|
The
Company may request additional information from such candidate to assist in
its
evaluation. The Committee will evaluate any stockholder recommended nominees
using the same criteria set forth above.
Communications
with the Board of Directors
Any
stockholder and other interested party may communicate with the Board of
Directors, any committee of the Board of Directors or any member of the Board
of
Directors. All written communications must identify the recipient and the author
and be forwarded by certified mail to Akeena Solar, Inc., 16005 Los Gatos Blvd.,
Los Gatos, CA 95032, Attention: In-House Counsel. The In-House Counsel will
act
as agent for the directors in facilitating these communications. There is no
screening process, and all stockholder communications which are received by
the
In-House Counsel are forwarded to the Board of Directors.
Code
of Ethics and Corporate Governance
The
Company adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the “Code”) on July 18,
2007 that applies to all of the Company’s directors and employees, including its
chief executive officer and chief financial officer. The purpose of the Code
is
to, among other things, focus the Company’s directors, officers and employees on
areas of ethical risk, provide guidance to help them recognize and deal with
ethical issues, provide mechanisms to report unethical or unlawful conduct
and
to help enhance and formalize the Company’s culture of integrity, respect and
accountability. The full text of the Code is posted on the investor relations
section of our website at www.akeena.net. A printed copy of the Code may also
be
obtained free of charge by writing to Akeena Solar, Inc., 16005 Los Gatos Blvd.,
Los Gatos, CA 95032, Attention: In-House Counsel. The Company intends to
disclose any amendment to or waiver from, a provision of the Code by posting
such information on its web site.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
The
following Summary Compensation Table sets forth certain information about
compensation paid, earned or accrued for services by persons serving as our
Chief Executive Officers during fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 (“Named
Executive Officers”). No other executive officer earned in excess of $100,000
during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006.
Summary
Compensation Table
Name
and Principal Position
|
|
|
Year
|
|
|
Salary
|
|
|
Bonus
|
|
|
All
Other
Compensation
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
BarrBarry
Cinnamon, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President, Treasurer,
Secretary and Director
|
|
|
2006
|
|
$
|
132,392
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
$
|
11,000
|
(1)
|
|
$
|
143,392
|
(2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bru
Bruce Velestuk, former Chief Executive Officer, President, Treasurer
and
Secretary and Director
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
—
|
(3) |
|
|
|
(1)
|
|
Represents
distributions on Mr. Cinnamon’s common stock paid by Akeena Solar,
Inc. prior to the Merger.
|
|
|
(2)
|
|
Represents
compensation paid by Akeena Solar, Inc. prior to the Merger and by
the
Company to Mr. Cinnamon after the Merger. Mr. Cinnamon was not compensated
for his service on the Board of Directors of the
Company.
|
|
|
(3)
|
|
No
compensation was paid by the Company to Mr. Velestuk prior to the
Merger. Mr. Velestuk resigned from the Company on August 11,
2006, in connection with the
Merger.
|
Outstanding
Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
There
were no stock awards held by the Named Executive Officers as of
December 31, 2006.
Option
Grants
We
have not granted any stock options to our Named Executive Officers or our
directors.
Employment
Agreements
We
currently do not have employment agreements with any of our executive
officers.
Stock
Incentive Plan
On
August 8, 2006, our board of directors and stockholders adopted the 2006
Stock Incentive Plan (the “Stock Plan”). On December 20, 2006, we amended
the Stock Plan to increase the number of shares of common stock reserved for
issuance under the Plan as restricted stock or options to Akeena Solar’s
employees, directors and consultants, from 450,000 shares to 1,000,000 shares.
The purpose of the Stock Plan is to provide an incentive to retain and attract
as directors, officers, consultants, advisors and employees of our company,
persons of training, experience and ability, to encourage the sense of
proprietorship and to stimulate the active interest of such persons into our
development and financial success. Under the Stock Plan, we are authorized
to
issue incentive stock options intended to qualify under Section 422 of the
Code, non-qualified stock options and restricted stock. The Stock Plan is
administered by our board of directors. As of June 30, 2007, there have been
no
grants of stock options, and an aggregate of 740,138 shares of restricted stock
have been issued under the Stock Plan, of which restrictions have lapsed on
74,345 shares.
Executive
Compensation Philosophy
The
Company operates in an extremely competitive and rapidly changing high
technology industry. When creating policies and making decisions concerning
executive compensation, the Compensation Committee will:
|
·
|
ensure
that the executive team has clear goals and accountability with respect
to
financial and non-financial corporate
performance;
|
|
·
|
establish
pay opportunities that are competitive based on prevailing practices
for
the industry, the stage of growth of the Company, and the dynamic
and
challenging high technology labor markets in which the Company
operates;
|
|
·
|
independently
assess operating results on a regular basis in light of its expected
performance; and
|
|
·
|
align
pay incentives with the long-term interests of our
stockholders.
|
Executive
Compensation Program
The
Company’s executive compensation program has three major components, all of
which are intended to attract, retain and motivate highly effective executives:
1. Base
salary
- Base
salary for executive officers is set annually by reviewing the competitive
pay
practices of comparable high technology companies. Local and national
compensation data are examined and taken into account, along with the skills
and
performance of each officer and the needs of the Company.
2. Cash
incentive compensation
- Cash
incentive compensation is designed to motivate executives to attain short-term
and longer-term corporate, business unit and individual management goals. The
actual annual cash bonuses received by an executive depend upon attainment
of
these specified business goals, together with discretionary analysis of
individual contribution. Payment of incentive bonuses for fiscal year 2006
depended upon the achievement of corporate financial goals. In setting goals
and
measuring performance against those goals, the Compensation Committee considers
compensation practices among companies competing for a common employee pool,
as
well as general economic and market conditions. It is the intention of the
Compensation Committee in 2007 to continue this linkage between the achievement
of specific financial targets, corporate and individual goals and the payment
of
incentive cash compensation to the Company’s officers and other
executives.
3. Equity-based
incentive compensation
- Equity
based incentive compensation has been provided to employees and management
through the Company’s 2006 Stock Incentive Plan. Under the 2006 Stock Incentive
Plan, officers and employees are eligible to be granted stock options and shares
of restricted stock based on competitive market data, as well as their
responsibilities and position at the Company. Stock options allow participants
to purchase shares of the Company’s Common Stock at the market price on the date
of the grant, subject to vesting during the participant’s employment with the
Company. Grants of restricted stock give executive officers and employees a
proprietary interest in the Company’s success and aligns their interests with
the interest of the Company’s stockholders. The 2006 Stock Incentive Plan
utilizes vesting periods to encourage employees and executives to remain with
the Company and to focus on longer-term results.
The
Company believes that its executive compensation program falls within the
typical range of compensation programs offered by comparable high technology
companies.
Chief
Executive Officer Compensation
In
determining compensation of our Chief Executive Officer, Barry Cinnamon, for
2006, the Company reviewed industry surveys of compensation paid to chief
executive officers of comparable companies, and evaluated achievement of
corporate and individual objectives for the fiscal year. Mr. Cinnamon received
$132,392 in annual base compensation for 2006, and was given a distribution
of
$11,000 when the Company was previously an S-Corporation prior to the Merger.
Other
Executive Compensation
The
Company provides certain compensation programs to executives that are also
available to our other employees, including pre-tax savings plans and
medical/dental/vision benefits. There are no pension programs. The Company
does
not provide executive perquisites such as club memberships.
RELATED
PARTY TRANSACTIONS
On
March 30, 2001, Akeena, Inc. (the former name of Akeena Corp.) purchased
certain infrastructure and harvester technology from Akeena Wireless, Inc.
(formerly known as Andalay, Inc.), a Delaware corporation (“AWI”), of which
Barry Cinnamon, our President and Chief Executive Officer, is a director,
principal stockholder and chief executive officer, in exchange for warrants
to
purchase an aggregate of 1,000,000 shares of Akeena, Inc.’s common stock at an
exercise price of $0.01 per share. In July 2006, AWI sold warrants to
purchase 750,000 shares of Akeena, Inc.’s common stock to The Cinnamon 2006
Irrevocable Children’s Trust, warrants to purchase 90,000 shares of Akeena,
Inc.’s common stock to Mr. Cinnamon, and warrants to purchase 80,000 shares
of Akeena, Inc.’s common stock to each of two consultants, for an aggregate
price of $30,000. On August 11, 2006, we assumed the obligations of Akeena,
Inc. under the warrants in the Merger, so that each warrant was converted into
a
warrant to purchase one share of our common stock. On November 30, 2006,
Mr. Cinnamon gifted his warrants to purchase 90,000 shares to various adult
family members, all of which warrants were exercised by December 31, 2006.
There are no other related party transactions between any executive officers
or
directors.
APPROVAL
OF THE SECOND
MODIFICATION
TO
THE 2006 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN
(Proposal
2)
The
2006
Incentive Stock Plan (the “Plan”) was adopted by the Board of Directors on
August 8, 2006. On December 20, 2006, we amended the Stock Plan to increase
the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the Plan as
restricted stock or options to Akeena Solar’s employees, directors and
consultants, from 450,000 shares to 1,000,000 shares. The purpose of the Stock
Plan is to provide an incentive to retain and attract as directors, officers,
consultants, advisors and employees of our company, persons of training,
experience and ability, to encourage the sense of proprietorship and to
stimulate the active interest of such persons into our development and financial
success. Under the Stock Plan, we are authorized to issue incentive stock
options intended to qualify under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue
Service Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), non-qualified stock options and
restricted stock. The Stock Plan is administered by our board of directors.
As
of June 30, 2007, there have been no grants of stock options, and an aggregate
of 740,138 shares of restricted stock have been issued under the Stock Plan,
of
which restrictions have lapsed on 74,345 shares.
A
summary
of the Plan and the First Modification thereto is set forth below, and their
full text is attached hereto as Appendix
A
and
Appendix
B,
respectively. The following discussion is qualified in its entirety by reference
to Appendix
A
and
Appendix
B.
Administration
of the Plan
The
Board
of Directors appointed and maintains as administrator of the plan a Compensation
Committee consisting of “Independent Directors” (as such term is defined by
Marketplace Rule 4200(a)(15) of the NASDAQ Stock Market), “Non-Employee
Directors” (as such term is defined in Rule 16b-3 of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended) and “Outside Directors” (as such term is defined in Section
162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code), which serves at the pleasure of the Board
of Directors. The Compensation Committee, subject to certain restrictive
provisions of the Plan, has full power and authority to designate recipients
of
options and restricted stock agreements and to interpret provisions and
supervise the administration of the plan. The Board of Directors had been
directly administering the Plan until July 18, 2007, when the Compensation
Committee was established.
The
Board
of Directors is authorized to amend, suspend, or terminate the Plan, except
that
no amendment shall be effective, which, without the approval of the Company’s
stockholders would: (a) materially increase the number of shares issuable under
the Plan; (b) materially increase the benefits accruing to option holders under
the Plan; (c) materially modify Plan eligibility requirements; (d) decrease
the
exercise price of an option to less than 100% of the underlying stock’s fair
market value; (e) extend the term of any option granted under the Plan beyond
five years from its date of issuance; or (f) reduce the exercise price of
outstanding Options or effect repricing through cancellations and re-grants
of
new Options.
No
Option
or shares of Restricted Stock shall be granted pursuant to the Plan on or after
the date that is ten years from the effective date of the Plan, but Options
or
shares of Restricted Stock theretofore granted may extend beyond that
date.
Common
Stock Subject to the Plan
The
Plan
provides that options and restricted stock may be granted with respect to
1,000,000 shares (or, subject to shareholder approval of the Second Modification
to the Plan, 4,000,000 shares) of the Company’s Common Stock. The shares of
Common Stock subject to the Plan shall consist of unissued shares, treasury
shares or previously issued shares held by any subsidiary of the Company. Should
any option or restricted stock expire or be canceled prior to its exercise
or
vesting in full or should the number of shares of Common Stock to be delivered
upon the exercise or vesting in full of an option or restricted stock be reduced
for any reason, the shares of Common Stock subject to such option or restricted
stock may be subject to future options or restricted stock, except where such
reissuance is inconsistent with the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Internal
Revenue Code.
Participation
Any
director, officer, employee or consultant to the Company or any of its
subsidiaries shall be eligible to receive options or restricted stock under
the
Plan. However, only employees of the Company or its subsidiaries can receive
incentive stock options.
In
selecting participants, and in determining the number of shares to be covered
by
each option or share of restricted stock granted to participants, the Committee
may consider any factor it deems relevant, including without limitation, the
office or position held by the participant, the participant’s relationship to
the Company, the participant’s degree of responsibility for and contribution to
the growth and success of the Company’s business, the participant’s length or
service, promotions and potential.
Option
Price
The
purchase price of each share of the Company’s Common Stock purchasable under an
incentive option or a nonqualified option shall be determined by the Committee
at the time that the option is granted, but shall be no less than 100% of the
Fair Market Value (as defined in the Plan) of the underlying Common Stock.
If an
incentive stock option is granted to an employee who owns more than 10% of
the
total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or of any
subsidiary, the purchase price per share of Common Stock shall be at least
110%
of the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on the date of grant. The
closing price of the Company’s Common Stock as reported on the over the counter
bulletin board on August 1, 2007 was $ 4.85 per share.
Option
Term
The
term
of each option shall be fixed by the Committee, but no option shall be
exercisable more than five years after the date such option is granted. If
an
incentive stock option is granted to an employee, who at the time of the grant
owns more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of the
Company’s Common Stock or of any subsidiary, no such incentive stock option
shall be exercisable more than five years after the date of grant.
Exercisability
Options
shall be exercisable at such time or times and subject to such terms and
conditions as shall be determined by the Committee at the time of grant. In
the
absence of any option vesting periods designated by the Committee at the time
of
grant, options shall vest and become exercisable as to one-third of the total
amount of shares subject to the option on each of the first, second and third
anniversaries of the date of grant. In addition, the Plan provides that no
options shall be exercisable until such time as any vesting limitation required
by Section 16 of the Exchange Act and related rules, shall be satisfied if
such
limitation shall be required for continued validity of the exemption provided
under Rule 16b-3(d)(3).
In
the
event of a Change of Control (as defined in the Plan), the Company shall replace
any and all stock options granted by the Company and held by the participant
at
the time of the Change of Control, whether or not vested, with an equal number
of unrestricted and fully vested stock options. Alternatively, in the event
of a
Change of Control, the Company shall pay to the participant an amount in cash
per stock option (whether vested or unvested) then held, equal to the difference
between the full exercise price of each option and the greater of (i) the
average price per share paid in connection with the acquisition of control
of
the Company or the then fair market value of the non-cash consideration paid
for
such shares, (ii) the price per share paid in connection with any tender offer
for shares of the Company’s common stock leading to control, or (iii) the mean
between the high and low selling price of such stock on the NASDAQ Stock Market,
OTC Bulletin Board or other market on which the Company’s common stock is then
traded or listed for quotation on the date of the Change of Control.
Options
are not transferable and may be exercised solely by the participant during
her
or his lifetime of after her or his death by the person or persons entitled
to
such option under her or his will or laws of descent and
distribution.
Tax
Treatment of Incentive Stock Options
In
general, no taxable income for federal income tax purposes will be recognized
by
an option holder upon receipt or exercise of an incentive stock option, and
the
Company will not then be entitled to any tax deduction. Assuming that the option
holder does not dispose of the option shares before the later of (i) two years
after the date of grant or (ii) one year after the exercise of the option,
upon
any such disposition, the option holder will recognize capital gain equal to
the
difference between the sale price on disposition and the exercise
price.
If,
however, the option holder disposes of option shares prior to the expiration
of
the required holding period, such option holder will recognize ordinary income
for federal income tax purposes in the year of disposition equal to the lesser
of (i) the difference between the fair market value of the shares at the date
of
exercise and the exercise price, or (ii) the difference between the sale price
upon disposition and the exercise price. Any additional gain on such
disqualifying disposition will be treated as capital gain. In addition, if
such
a disqualifying disposition is made by the option holder, the Company will
be
entitled to a deduction equal to the amount of ordinary income recognized by
the
option holder provided that such amount constitutes an ordinary and reasonable
expense of ours.
Tax
Treatment of Nonqualified Stock Options
No
taxable income will be recognized by an option holder upon receipt of a
nonqualified stock option, and the Company will not be entitled to a tax
deduction for such grant.
Upon
the
exercise of a nonqualified stock option, the option holder will generally
include in taxable income, for federal income tax purposes, the excess in value
on the date of exercise of the shares acquired pursuant to the nonqualified
stock option over the exercise price. Upon a subsequent sale of the shares,
the
option holder will derive short-term or long-term gain or loss, depending upon
the option holder’s holding period for the shares, commencing upon the exercise
of the option, and upon the subsequent appreciation or depreciation in the
value
of the shares.
The
Company generally will be entitled to a corresponding deduction at the time
of
exercise of the stock option, the time that the participant is required to
include the value of the shares in such participants’ income.
Withholding
of Tax
The
Company is permitted to deduct and withhold amounts required to satisfy the
Company’s withholding tax liabilities with respect to the Company’s
employees.
Restricted
Stock Grants
The
Company’s 2001 Stock Option Plan (the “2001 Plan”) provides for the issuance of
incentive stock options and non-statutory stock options. The Company’s Board of
Directors, which, subject to the terms of the 2001 Plan, determines to whom
grants are made, and the vesting, timing, amounts and other terms of such
grants. Incentive stock options may be granted only to employees of the Company,
while non-statutory stock options may be granted to the Company’s employees,
officers, directors, consultants and advisors. Options under the Plan vest
as
determined by the Board of Directors, but in no event at a rate less than 20%
per year. The term of the options granted under the 2001 Plan may not exceed
10 years and the maximum aggregate shares that may be issued upon exercise
of such options is 4,000,000 shares of common stock. No options have been
granted under the 2001 Plan as of August 1, 2007.
As
of
December 31, 2006, the Company had not granted any stock options under the
2006
Incentive Stock Plan (the “Plan”), but had awarded only grants of restricted
stock. Restricted stock was issued to 52 employees and 2 non-employee service
providers, for a total of 358,407 shares of restricted stock, net of actual
forfeitures through December 31, 2006. Generally, these grants of restricted
stock are subject to vesting in four equal annual installments from the date
of
grant or hire. Of these amounts and during fiscal year ended December 31, 2006,
no shares of restricted common stock were granted to our President and Chief
Executive Officer, no shares of restricted common stock were granted to our
former President and Chief Executive Officer, 38,304 shares of restricted common
stock was granted to our Chief Financial Officer, 38,304 shares of restricted
common stock was granted to all executive officers as a group and 20,000 shares
of restricted common stock was granted to all directors who were not executive
officers, as a group.
Restricted
stock may be granted under this Plan aside from, or in association with, any
other award. A participant shall have no rights to an award of restricted stock
unless and until the participant accepts the award, and if the Committee shall
deem it desirable, makes payments to the Company of cash, or by check. After
acceptance and the issuance of a stock certificate, the participant shall have
all the rights of a stockholder with respect to the restricted
stock.
The
Company shall issue in the participant’s name a certificate for the shares of
Common Stock associated with the award of restricted stock; however, unless
otherwise provided, the certificate shall not be delivered to the participant
until such shares are free of any restrictions specified by the Committee at
the
time of grant. Shares of restricted stock are forfeitable until the terms of
the
restricted stock grant have been satisfied, and shares of restricted stock
may
not be transferred until all restrictions have lapsed. Upon a Change of Control,
the Committee may accelerate the vesting of outstanding restricted stock, in
whole or in part, in its sole discretion.
Tax
Treatment of Restricted Stock Grants
Except
as
discussed below, upon the grant of restricted stock, no income is realized
by a
participant, and the Company is not allowed a deduction at that time. When
the
restricted stock vests and is no longer subject to a substantial risk of
forfeiture for income tax purposes, the participant realizes taxable ordinary
income in an amount equal to the Fair Market Value at the time of vesting of
the
shares of Restricted Stock which have vested (less the purchase price therefor,
if any), and, subject to the limitations of Section 162(m) of the Internal
Revenue Code, the Company is entitled to a corresponding deduction at such
time.
If
a
participant makes a timely election under Section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue
Code, the participant recognizes taxable ordinary income in an amount equal
to
the Fair Market Value at the time of grant of the restricted stock (less the
purchase price therefor, if any), and, subject to the limitations of Section
162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, the Company is entitled to a corresponding
deduction at such time.
Option
and Restricted Stock Grants
Options
to purchase shares of the Company’s Common Stock have not yet been granted
pursuant to the Plan.
Options
and Restricted Stock To Be Granted to Certain Persons
The
aggregate numbers of shares of Common Stock subject to options or restricted
stock grants that can be issued in the future are subject to discretion of
the
Compensation Committee and are not determinable.
Equity
Compensation Plan Information
On
August 8, 2006, Akeena Solar adopted the Akeena Solar, Inc. 2006 Stock
Incentive Plan (the “Stock Plan”) pursuant to which 450,000 shares of common
stock were available for issuance to employees, directors and consultants under
the Stock Plan as restricted stock and/or stock options. On December 20,
2006, the Stock Plan was amended to increase the number of shares available
for
issuance under the Stock Plan from 450,000 shares to 1,000,000 shares.
Restricted
stock and stock options may be issued under the Stock Plan. As of
December 31, 2006, we had no outstanding options, warrants or rights under
any existing equity compensation plan. The restriction period on the restricted
shares granted shall expire at a rate of 25% a year over four years. Upon the
lapse of the restriction period, the grantee shall become entitled to receive
a
stock certificate evidencing the common shares, and the restrictions shall
cease
to exist. The following table sets forth a summary of restricted stock activity
for the year ended December 31, 2006:
|
|
|
|
Weighted
Average
|
|
|
|
Number
of
|
|
Fair
Value
|
|
|
|
Restricted
Shares
|
|
on
Grant Date
|
|
Outstanding
at January 1, 2006
|
|
|
—
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
Granted
during 2006
|
|
|
407,305
|
|
$
|
1.76
|
|
Forfeited/cancelled
during 2006
|
|
|
(48,898
|
)
|
$
|
1.00
|
|
Released/vested
during 2006
|
|
|
(3,785
|
)
|
$
|
1.00
|
|
Outstanding
and not vested at December 31, 2006
|
|
|
354,622
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vote
Required and the Board of Director’s Recommendation
The
Board
of Directors recommends a vote “FOR”
the
approval of the Second Modification to the 2006 Incentive Stock Plan. The
affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting with
respect to this matter is required to approve the Second Modification to the
2006 Incentive Stock Plan. Broker non-votes and abstentions will have no effect
on the outcome of the vote.
RATIFICATION
OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
(Proposal
3)
On
December 19, 2006, the Board of Directors dismissed Marcum & Kliegman LLP as
the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm and retained Burr,
Pilger and Mayer LLP, as the Company’s independent registered public accounting
firm. Prior to December 19, 2006, Marcum & Kliegman LLP acted as the
Company’s independent registered public accounting firm.
The
report of Marcum & Kliegman LLP on the Company’s financial statements for
the fiscal years ended December 31, 2004 and December 31, 2005 did not contain
an adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion, nor was it qualified or modified
as
to uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principles.
Through
December 19, 2006, there were no disagreements with Marcum & Kliegman LLP on
any matter of accounting principals or practices, financial statement disclosure
or auditing scope or procedure which, if not resolved to the satisfaction of
Marcum & Kliegman LLP would have caused Marcum & Kliegman LLP to make
reference to the subject matter of the disagreement in connection with its
reports.
Through
December 19, 2006, the Company did not consult with
Burr, Pilger and Mayer LLP regarding either: (i) 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; or
(ii) any matter that was the subject of a disagreement or event identified
in
response to Item 304(a)(1)(iv) of Regulation S-B.
As
of
September 30, 2006, Marcum & Kliegman LLP advised the Company that a
deficiency was identified in the Company’s internal controls over financial
reporting that constitutes a “material weakness.” The material weakness was the
result of an insufficient number of personnel having adequate knowledge,
experience and training to provide effective oversight and review over the
Company’s financial close and reporting process. This was the result of limited
financial resources. These control deficiencies have not resulted in any
misstatements in the Company’s financial statements. As of this date, management
has remedied this by employing the appropriate number of skilled personnel
to
address our ongoing accounting and finance needs. The Company has
authorized Marcum & Kliegman LLP to respond fully to any inquiries of Burr,
Pilger and Mayer LLP concerning the material weakness described above.
The
Company has furnished Marcum & Kliegman LLP with the disclosures contained
in Item 4.01 of Form 8-K filed on December 22, 2006 and requested that Marcum
& Kliegman LLP furnish the Company with a letter addressed to the Securities
and Exchange Commission stating whether or not it agrees with the statements
made in Item 4.01 of Form 8-K filed on December 22, 2006. A copy of Marcum
&
Kliegman LLP's letter dated December 20, 2006 is included as Exhibit 16.1 to
Form 8-K filed on December 22, 2006.
The
Board
of Directors selected Burr, Pilger and Mayer LLP to continue in its capacity
for
the fiscal year ending December 31, 2007. Accordingly, the Company is asking
the
stockholders to ratify the engagement of Burr, Pilger and Mayer LLP as its
independent registered public accounting firm.
Although
the engagement of Burr, Pilger and Mayer LLP is not required to be submitted
to
a vote of the stockholders, the Board of Directors believes it appropriate
as a
matter of policy to request that the stockholders ratify the selection of its
independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending
December 31, 2007. If the stockholders fail to ratify the appointment, the
Audit
Committee of the Board of Directors will consider it as a direction to select
other auditors for the subsequent year. Even if the selection is ratified,
the
Board of Directors or the Audit Committee, in its discretion, may direct the
appointment of a different independent registered public accounting firm at
any
time during the year if the Board of Directors or Audit Committee feels that
such a change would be in the best interests of the Company and our
stockholders.
A
representative of Burr, Pilger and Mayer LLP is expected to be present at the
annual meeting, with the opportunity to make a statement if the representative
desires to do so, and is expected to be available to respond to appropriate
questions.
Burr,
Pilger and Mayer LLP (“Burr Pilger”) has served as our independent registered
public accounting firm since December 19, 2006. The following table sets
forth the aggregate fees billed to us for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2006 by Burr Pilger.
|
|
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
Audit
Fees(1)
|
|
$
|
34,000
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
|
Comprised
of the audit of our annual financial
statements.
|
On
December 19, 2006, we dismissed Marcum & Kliegman LLP (“Marcum”) as our
independent registered public accounting firm as disclosed in our Current Report
on Form 8-K, dated December 19, 2006. The following table sets forth the
aggregate fees billed to us for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2006
and December 31, 2005 by Marcum.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
Audit
Fees(1)
|
|
$
|
86,000
|
|
$
|
120,000
|
|
All Other
Fees(2)
|
|
$
|
27,000
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
|
Comprised
of the audit of our annual financial statements and reviews of our
quarterly financial statements.
|
|
|
|
(2)
|
|
Comprised
of services rendered in connection with our capital raising efforts,
registration statement, other filings with the SEC, including consents,
and consultations regarding financial accounting and
reporting.
|
The
Audit
Committee has the authority to grant pre-approval of audit and non-audit
services may be delegated to one or more designated members of the Audit
Committee who are independent directors. Any such delegation shall be presented
to the full Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting.
Vote
Required and Board of Directors Recommendation
Approval
of this proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast
affirmatively or negatively on the proposal at the annual meeting of
stockholders, as well as the presence of a quorum representing a majority of
all
outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company, either in person or by proxy.
Abstentions and broker non-votes will each be counted as present for purposes
of
determining the presence of a quorum but will not have any effect on the outcome
of the proposal.
The
Board
of Directors unanimously recommends a vote “FOR”
the
appointment of Burr, Pilger and Mayer LLP as the Company’s independent auditors
for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2007.
BOARD
OF DIRECTORS AUDIT REPORT
The
Company’s Audit Committee was not formed until July 18, 2007. Prior to July 18,
2007, the Company’s Board of Directors took responsibility for oversight of the
quality and integrity of the accounting, auditing and financial reporting
practices of the Company.
In
discharging its oversight responsibility as to the audit process, the Board
of
Directors obtained from the independent registered public accounting firm a
formal written statement describing all relationships between the independent
registered public accounting firm and the Company that might bear on the
independent registered public accounting firm’s independence consistent with
Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1 (Independence Discussions with
Audit
Committees) as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in
Rule
3600T, discussed with the independent registered public accounting firm any
relationships that may impact their objectivity and independence and satisfied
itself as to the independent registered public accounting firm’s independence.
The Board of Directors also discussed with management and the independent
registered public accounting firm the quality and adequacy of the Company’s
internal controls. The Board of Directors reviewed with the independent
registered public accounting firm their audit plan and audit scope.
The
Board
of Directors discussed and reviewed with the independent registered public
accounting firm all communications required by generally accepted auditing
standards, including those described in Statement on Auditing Standards No.
61,
as amended (Communication with Audit Committees), as adopted by the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board in Rule 3200T and, with and without
management present, discussed and reviewed the independent registered public
accounting firm’s examination of the financial statements.
The
Board
of Directors reviewed the audited financial statements of the Company as of
and
for the year ended December 31, 2006, with management and the independent
registered public accounting firm. Management has the responsibility for the
preparation of the Company’s financial statements and the independent registered
public accounting firm has the responsibility for the examination of those
statements.
Based
on
the above-mentioned review and discussions with the independent registered
public accounting firm, the Board of Directors recommended that the Company’s
audited financial statements be included in its Annual Report on Form 10-KSB
for
the year ended December 31, 2006, as filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the “SEC”), on March 29, 2007. The Board of Directors recommended
and approved the reappointment of the independent registered public account
firm.
|
Respectfully submitted, |
|
|
|
Barry Cinnamon |
|
Ed
Roffman |
OTHER
MATTERS
Submission
of Stockholder Proposals for 2008 Annual Meeting
Any
proposals by a stockholder intended to be included in the Company’s proxy
statement and form of proxy relating to the 2008 annual meeting of stockholders
must be received by the Company no later than April 3, 2008. In accordance
with
the Company’s bylaws, to be properly brought before such meeting of stockholders
any nomination or proposal from a stockholder must be received by the Company
no
later than June 23, 2008. Nothing in this paragraph shall be deemed as an
undertaking by the Company to include in its proxy statement and form of proxy
relating to the 2008 annual meeting of stockholders and stockholder proposal
may
be omitted from such proxy statement and form of proxy statement pursuant to
applicable law. Any stockholder proposal should be delivered to the Company
at
16005 Los Gatos Blvd., Los Gatos, CA 95032, Attention: In-House
Counsel.
Householding
of Proxy Materials
Some
banks, brokers and other nominee record holders may employ the practice of
“householding” proxy statements and annual reports. This means that only one
copy of this Proxy Statement and the accompanying Annual Report may have been
sent to multiple stockholders residing at the same household. If you would
to
obtain an additional copy of this Proxy Statement and the accompanying Annual
Report, please contact Angela Lipanovich at 16005 Los Gatos Blvd., Los Gatos,
CA
95032, Attention: In-House Counsel, telephone (408) 402-9453. If you want to
receive separate copies of the Company’s proxy statement and annual report in
the future, or if you are receiving multiple copies and would like to receive
only one copy for your household, you should contact your bank, broker or other
nominee record holder.
Other
Matters that may Come before the Annual Meeting
The
Board
of Directors is not aware of any other matters to be presented for a vote at
the
Annual Meeting. If, however, any other matter should properly come before the
Annual Meeting or any adjournment thereof, the persons named in the accompanying
proxy will vote such proxy in accordance with the directions of the Board of
Directors, or in the absence of such directions, in their own best
judgment.
AKEENA
SOLAR, INC.
2006
INCENTIVE STOCK PLAN
1.
Purpose
of the Plan
This
2006
Incentive Stock Plan (the "Plan") is intended as an incentive, to retain
in the
employ of and as directors, officers, consultants, advisors and employees
to
Akeena Solar , Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and any Subsidiary
of the Company, within the meaning of Section 424(f) of the United States
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), persons of training,
experience and ability, to attract new directors, officers, consultants,
advisors and employees whose services are considered valuable, to encourage
the
sense of proprietorship and to stimulate the active interest of such persons
in
the development and financial success of the Company and its
Subsidiaries.
It
is
further intended that certain options granted pursuant to the Plan shall
constitute incentive stock options within the meaning of Section 422 of the
Code
(the "Incentive
Options")
while
certain other options granted pursuant to the Plan shall be nonqualified
stock
options (the "Nonqualified
Options").
Incentive Options and Nonqualified Options are hereinafter referred to
collectively as "Options."
The
Company intends that the Plan meet the requirements of Rule 16b-3 ("Rule
16b-3")
promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange
Act") and that transactions of the type specified in subparagraphs (c) to
(f)
inclusive of Rule 16b-3 by officers and directors of the Company pursuant
to the
Plan will be exempt from the operation of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act.
Further, the Plan is intended to satisfy the performance-based compensation
exception to the limitation on the Company's tax deductions imposed by Section
162(m) of the Code with respect to those Options for which qualification
for
such exception is intended. In all cases, the terms, provisions, conditions
and
limitations of the Plan shall be construed and interpreted consistent with
the
Company's intent as stated in this Section 1.
2.
Administration
of the Plan
The
Board
of Directors of the Company (the "Board")
shall
appoint and maintain as administrator of the Plan a Committee (the "Committee")
consisting of two or more directors who are "Non-Employee
Directors"
(as
such term is defined in Rule 16b-3) and "Outside
Directors"
(as
such term is defined in Section 162(m) of the Code), which shall serve at
the
pleasure of the Board. The Committee, subject to Sections 3, 5 and 6 hereof,
shall have full power and authority to designate recipients of Options and
restricted stock ("Restricted
Stock")
and to
determine the terms and conditions of the respective Option and Restricted
Stock
agreements (which need not be identical) and to interpret the provisions
and
supervise the administration of the Plan. The Committee shall have the
authority, without limitation, to designate which Options granted under the
Plan
shall be Incentive Options and which shall be Nonqualified Options. To the
extent any Option does not qualify as an Incentive Option, it shall
constitute
a separate Nonqualified Option.
Subject
to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee shall interpret the Plan and
all
Options and Restricted Stock granted under the Plan, shall make such rules
as it
deems necessary for the proper administration of the Plan, shall make all
other
determinations necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan
and
shall correct any defects or supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency
in the Plan or in any Options or Restricted Stock granted
under the Plan in the manner and to the extent that the Committee deems
desirable to carry into effect the Plan or any Options or Restricted Stock.
The
act or determination of a majority of the Committee shall be the act or
determination of the Committee and any decision reduced to writing and signed
by
all of the members of the Committee shall be fully effective as if it had
been
made by a majority of the Committee at a meeting duly held for such purpose.
Subject
to the provisions of the Plan, any action taken or determination made by
the
Committee pursuant to this and the other Sections of the Plan shall be
conclusive on all parties.
In
the
event that for any reason the Committee is unable to act or if the Committee
at
the time of any grant, award or other acquisition under the Plan does not
consist of two or more Non-Employee Directors, or if there shall be no such
Committee, then the Plan shall be administered by the Board, and references
herein to the Committee (except in the proviso to this sentence) shall be
deemed
to be references to the Board, and any such grant, award or other acquisition
may be approved or ratified in any other manner contemplated by subparagraph
(d)
of
Rule
16b-3; provided, however, that grants to the Company's Chief Executive Officer
or to any of the Company's other four most highly compensated officers that
are
intended to qualify as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m)
of
the Code may only be granted by the Committee.
3.
Designation
of Optionees and Grantees.
The
persons eligible for participation in the Plan as recipients of Options (the
"Optionees")
or
Restricted Stock (the "Grantees"
and
together with Optionees, the "Participants")
shall
include directors, officers and employees of the Company and consultants,
subject to their meeting the eligibility requirements of Rule 701 promulgated
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities
Act"),
provided that Incentive Options may only be granted to employees of the Company
and any Subsidiary. In selecting Participants, and in determining the number
of
shares to be covered by each Option or shares of Restricted Stock granted
to
Participants, the Committee may consider any factors it deems relevant,
including, without limitation, the office or position held by the Participant
or
the Participant's relationship to the Company, the Participant's degree of
responsibility for and contribution to the growth and success of the Company
or
any Subsidiary, the Participant's length of service, promotions and potential.
A
Participant who has been granted an Option or Restricted Stock hereunder
may be
granted an additional Option or Options, or Restricted Stock if the Committee
shall so determine.
4.
Stock
Reserved for the Plan.
Subject
to adjustment as provided in Section 8 hereof, a total of 450,000 shares
of the
Company's Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the "Stock"),
shall
be subject to the Plan. The maximum number of shares of Stock that may be
subject to Options granted under the Plan to any individual in any calendar
year
shall not exceed 150,000 shares and the method of counting such shares shall
conform to any requirements applicable to performance-based compensation
under
Section 162(m) of the Code, if qualification as performance-based compensation
under Section 162(m) of the Code is intended. The shares of Stock subject
to the
Plan shall consist of unissued shares, treasury shares or previously issued
shares held by any Subsidiary of the Company, and such amount of shares of
Stock
shall be and is hereby reserved for such purpose. Any of such shares of Stock
that may remain unissued and that are not subject to outstanding Options
at the
termination of the Plan shall cease to be reserved for the purposes of the
Plan,
but until termination of the Plan the Company shall at all times reserve
a
sufficient number of shares of Stock to meet the requirements of the Plan.
Should any Option or share of Restricted Stock expire or be canceled prior
to
its exercise or vesting in full or should the number of shares of Stock to
be
delivered upon the exercise or vesting in full of an Option or share of
Restricted Stock be reduced for any reason, the shares of Stock theretofore
subject to such Option or share of Restricted Stock may be subject to future
Options or shares of Restricted Stock under the Plan, except where such
reissuance is inconsistent with the provisions of Section 162(m) of the Code
where qualification as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m)
of
the Code is intended.
5.
Terms
and Conditions of Options.
Options
granted under the Plan shall be subject to the following conditions and shall
contain such additional terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms
of
the Plan, as the Committee shall deem desirable:
(a)
Option
Price.
The
purchase price of each share of Stock purchasable under an Incentive Option
shall be determined by the Committee at the time of grant, but shall not
be less
than 100% of the Fair Market Value (as defined below) of such share of Stock
on
the date the Option is granted; provided, however, that with respect to an
Optionee who, at the time such Incentive Option is granted, owns (within
the
meaning of Section 424(d) of the Code) more than 10% of the total combined
voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or of any Subsidiary,
the
purchase price per share of Stock shall be at least 110% of the Fair Market
Value per share of Stock on the date of grant. The purchase price of each
share
of Stock purchasable under a Nonqualified Option shall not be less than 100%
of
the Fair Market Value of such share of Stock on the date the Option is granted.
The exercise price for each Option shall be subject to adjustment as provided
in
Section 8 below. "Fair
Market Value"
means
the closing price on the date of grant on the principal securities exchange
on
which shares of Stock are listed (if the shares of Stock are so listed),
or on
the NASDAQ Stock Market or OTC Bulletin Board (if the shares of Stock are
regularly quoted on the NASDAQ Stock Market or OTC Bulletin Board, as the
case
may be), or, if not so listed or regularly quoted, the mean
between
the closing bid and asked prices of publicly traded shares of Stock in the
over
the counter market, or, if such bid and asked prices shall not be available,
as
reported by any nationally recognized quotation service selected by the Company,
or as determined by the Committee in a manner consistent with the provisions
of
the Code.
(b)
Option
Term.
The
term of each Option shall be fixed by the Committee, but no Option shall
be
exercisable more than five years after the date such Option is granted and
in
the case of an Incentive Option granted to an Optionee who, at the time such
Incentive Option is granted, owns (within the meaning of Section 424(d) of
the
Code) more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of
stock
of the Company or of any Subsidiary, no Such
Incentive Option shall be exercisable more than five years after the date
such
Incentive Option is granted.
(c)
Exercisability.
Subject
to Section 5(j) hereof, Options shall be exercisable at such time or times
and
subject to such terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Committee
at
the time of grant; provided,
however,
that in
the absence of any Option vesting periods designated by the Committee at
the
time of grant, Options shall vest and become exercisable as to one-third
of the
total amount of shares subject to the Option on each of the first, second
and
third anniversaries of the date of grant; and provided further that no Options
shall be exercisable until such time as any vesting limitation required by
Section 16 of the Exchange Act, and related rules, shall be satisfied if
such
limitation shall be required for continued validity of the exemption provided
under Rule 16b-3(d)(3).
Notwithstanding
any provision in this Plan, in the event there is a Change of Control (as
defined below), the Company shall, at no cost to the Participant, replace
any
and all stock options granted by the Company and held by the Participant
at the
time of the Change of Control, whether or not vested, with an equal number
of
unrestricted and fully vested stock options to purchase shares of the Company's
Common Stock (the "Option
Replacement").
With
respect to the Option Replacement, all options will become fully vested.
Alternatively, in the
event
of
a Change of Control, in lieu of the Option Replacement, a Participant may,
subject to Board approval at the time, elect to surrender the Participant's
rights to such options, and upon such surrender, the Company shall pay to
the
Participant an amount in cash per stock option (whether vested or unvested)
then
held, which is the difference between the full exercise price of each option
surrendered and the greater of (i) the average price per share paid in
connection with the acquisition of control of the Company if such control
was
acquired by the payment of cash or the then fair market value of the
consideration paid for such shares if such control was acquired for
consideration other than cash, (ii) the price per share paid in connection
with
any tender offer for shares of the Company's Common Stock leading to control,
or
(iii) the mean between the high and low selling price of such stock on the
NASDAQ Stock Market, OTC Bulletin Board or other market on which the Company's
Common Stock is then traded or listed for quotation on the date of the Change
of
Control.
For
purposes of the Plan, a "Change in Control" shall be deemed to have occurred
if
any of the following occurs:
(i)
An
acquisition (other than directly from the Company) of any voting
securities of the Company (the "Voting
Securities")
by any
"Person" (as the term "person" is used for purposes of Section 13(d) or 14(d)
of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange
Act")),
immediately after which such Person has "Beneficial Ownership" (within the
meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) of more than fifty
percent (50%) of (1) the then-outstanding shares of common stock of the Company
(or any other securities into which such shares of common stock are changed
or
for which such shares
of
common stock are exchanged) (the "Shares")
or (2)
the combined voting power of the Company's then-outstanding Voting Securities;
provided, however, that in determining whether a Change in Control has occurred
pursuant to this paragraph (a), the acquisition of Shares or Voting Securities
in a "Non-Control Acquisition" (as hereinafter defined) shall not constitute
a
Change in Control. A "Non-Control
Acquisition"
shall
mean an acquisition by (i) an employee benefit plan (or a trust forming a
part
thereof) maintained by (A) the Company or (B) any corporation or other Person
the majority of the voting power, voting equity securities or equity interest
of
which is owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company (for purposes of this
definition, a "Related
Entity"),
(ii)
the Company or any Related Entity, or (iii) any Person in connection with
a
"Non-Control Transaction" (as hereinafter defined);
(ii)
The
consummation of:
(a)
A
merger, consolidation or reorganization (1) with or into the Company or (2)
in
which securities of the Company are issued (a "Merger"), unless such Merger
is a
"Non-Control Transaction." A "Non-Control Transaction" shall mean a Merger
in
which:
(i)
the
stockholders of the Company immediately before such Merger own directly or
indirectly immediately following such Merger at least fifty percent (50%)
of the
combined voting power of the outstanding voting securities of (x) the Surviving
Corporation, if there is no Parent Corporation or (y) if there is one or
more
than one Parent Corporation, the ultimate Parent Corporation; and
(ii)
no
Person other than (1) the Company, (2) any Related Entity, or (3) any employee
benefit plan (or any trust forming a part thereof) that, immediately prior
to
the Merger, was maintained by the Company or any Related Entity, or (4) any
Person who, immediately prior to the Merger had Beneficial Ownership of twenty
percent (20%) or more of the then outstanding Shares or Voting Securities,
has
Beneficial Ownership, directly or indirectly, of twenty percent (20%) or
more of
the combined voting power of the outstanding voting securities or common
stock
of (x) the Surviving Corporation, if fifty percent (50%) or more of the combined
voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the Surviving
Corporation is not Beneficially Owned, directly or indirectly by a Parent
Corporation, or (y) if there is one or more than one Parent Corporation,
the
ultimate Parent Corporation;
(b) A
complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company; or
(c)
The
sale
or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company
and its subsidiaries taken as a whole to any Person (other than (x) a transfer
to a Related Entity, (y) a transfer under conditions that would constitute
a
Non-Control Transaction, with the disposition of assets being regarded as
a
Merger for this purpose or (z) the distribution to the Company's stockholders
of
the stock of a Related Entity or any other assets).
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, a Change in Control shall not be deemed to occur solely because
any Person (the "Subject Person") acquired Beneficial Ownership of more than
the
permitted amount of the then outstanding Shares or Voting Securities as a
result
of the acquisition of Shares or Voting Securities by the Company which, by
reducing the number of Shares or Voting Securities then outstanding, increases
the proportional number of shares Beneficially Owned by the Subject Persons;
provided,
that if
a Change in Control would occur (but for the operation of this sentence)
as a
result of the acquisition of Shares or Voting Securities by the Company and,
after such share acquisition by the Company, the Subject Person becomes the
Beneficial Owner of any additional Shares or Voting Securities and such
Beneficial Ownership increases the percentage of the then outstanding Shares
or
Voting Securities Beneficially Owned by the Subject Person, then a Change
in
Control shall occur.
(d)
Method
of Exercise.
Options
to the extent then exercisable may be exercised in whole or in part at any
time
during the option period, by giving written notice to the Company specifying
the
number of shares of Stock to be purchased, accompanied by payment in full
of the
purchase price, in cash, or by check or such other instrument as may be
acceptable to the Committee. As determined by the Committee, in its sole
discretion, at or after grant, payment in full or in part may be made at
the
election of the Optionee (i) in the form of Stock owned by the Optionee (based
on the Fair Market Value of the Stock which is not the subject of any pledge
or
security interest, (ii) in the form of shares of Stock withheld by the Company
from the shares of Stock otherwise to be received with such withheld shares
of
Stock having a Fair Market Value equal to the exercise price of the Option,
or
(iii) by a combination of the foregoing, such Fair Market Value determined
by
applying the principles set forth in Section 5(a), provided that the combined
value of all cash and cash equivalents and the Fair Market Value of any shares
surrendered to the Company is at least equal to such exercise price and except
with respect to (ii) above, such method of payment will not cause a
disqualifying disposition of all or a portion of the Stock received upon
exercise of an Incentive Option. Notwithstanding the forgoing, an Optionee
may
not take any actions that are prohibited by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
and
the rules and regulations promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission
or any agency thereunder. An Optionee shall have the right to dividends and
other rights of a stockholder with respect to shares of Stock purchased upon
exercise of an Option at such time as the Optionee (i) has given written
notice
of exercise and has paid in full for such shares, and (ii) has satisfied
such
conditions that may be imposed by the Company with respect to the withholding
of
taxes.
(e)
Non-transferability
of Options.
Options
are not transferable and may be exercised solely by the Optionee during his
lifetime or after his death by the person or persons entitled thereto under
his
will or the laws of descent and distribution. The Committee, in its sole
discretion, may permit a transfer of a Nonqualified Option to (i) a trust
for
the benefit of the Optionee, (ii) a member of the Optionee's immediate family
(or a trust for his or her benefit) or (iii)
pursuant to a domestic relations order. Any attempt to transfer, assign,
pledge
or otherwise dispose of, or to subject to execution, attachment or similar
process, any Option contrary to the provisions hereof shall be void and
ineffective and shall give no right to the purported transferee.
(f)
Termination
by Death.
Unless
otherwise determined by the Committee, if any Optionee's employment with
or
service to the Company or any Subsidiary terminates by reason of death, the
Option may thereafter be exercised, to the extent then exercisable (or on
such
accelerated basis as the Committee shall determine at or after grant), by
the
legal representative of the estate or by the legatee of the Optionee under
the
will of the Optionee, for a period of one year after the date of such death
(or,
if later, such time as the Option may be exercised pursuant to Section 14(d)
hereof) or until the expiration of the stated term of such Option as provided
under the Plan, whichever period is shorter.
(g)
Termination
by Reason of Disability.
Unless
otherwise determined by the Committee, if any Optionee's employment with
or
service to the Company or any Subsidiary terminates by reason of total and
permanent disability, any Option held by such Optionee may thereafter be
exercised, to the extent it was exercisable at the time of termination due
to
disability (or on such accelerated basis as the Committee shall determine
at or
after grant), but may not be exercised after three (3) months after the date
of
such termination of employment or service (or, if later, such time as the
Option
may be exercised pursuant to Section 14(d) hereof) or the expiration of the
stated term of such Option, whichever period is shorter; provided, however,
that, if the Optionee dies within such three (3) month period, any unexercised
Option held by such Optionee shall thereafter be exercisable to the extent
to
which it was exercisable at the time of death for a period of one (1) year
after
the date of such death (or, if later, such time as the Option may be exercised
pursuant to Section 14(d) hereof) or for the stated term of such Option,
whichever period is shorter.
(h)
Termination
by Reason of Retirement.
Unless
otherwise determined by the Committee, if any Optionee's employment with
or
service to the Company or any Subsidiary terminates by reason of Normal or
Early
Retirement (as such terms are defined below), any Option held by such Optionee
may thereafter be exercised to the extent it was exercisable at the time
of such
Retirement (or on such accelerated basis as the Committee shall determine
at or
after grant), but may not be exercised after three (3) months after the date
of
such termination of employment
or service (or, if later, such time as the Option may be exercised pursuant
to
Section 14(d) hereof) or the expiration of the stated term of such Option,
whichever date is earlier; provided, however, that, if the Optionee dies
within
such three (3) month period, any unexercised Option held by such Optionee
shall
thereafter be exercisable, to the extent to which it was exercisable at the
time
of death, for a period of one (1) year after the date of such death
(or,
if
later, such time as the Option may be exercised pursuant to Section 14(d)
hereof) or for the stated term of such Option, whichever period is shorter.
For
purposes of this paragraph (h), "Normal Retirement" shall mean retirement
from
active employment with the Company or any Subsidiary on or after the normal
retirement date specified in the applicable Company or Subsidiary pension
plan
or if no such pension plan, age 65, and "Early Retirement" shall mean retirement
from active employment with the Company or any Subsidiary pursuant to the
early
retirement provisions of the applicable Company or Subsidiary pension plan
or if
no such pension plan, age 55.
(i)
Other
Termination.
Unless
otherwise determined by the Committee upon grant, if any Optionee's employment
with or service to the Company or any Subsidiary terminates for any reason
other
than death, disability or Normal or Early Retirement, the Option shall thereupon
terminate, except that the portion of any Option that was exercisable on
the
date of such termination of employment or service may be exercised for the
lesser of thirty (30) days after the date of termination or the balance of
such
Option's term if the Optionee's employment or service with the Company or
any
Subsidiary or Affiliate is terminated by the Company or such Subsidiary without
cause (the determination as to whether termination was for cause to be made
by
the Committee). The transfer of an Optionee from the employ of or service
to the
Company to the employ of or service to a Subsidiary, or vice versa, or from
one
Subsidiary to another, shall not be deemed to constitute a termination of
employment or service for purposes of the Plan.
(j)
Limit
on Value of Incentive Option.
The
aggregate Fair Market Value, determined as of the date the Incentive Option
is
granted, of Stock for which Incentive Options are exercisable for the first
time
by any Optionee during any calendar year under the Plan (and/or any other
stock
option plans of the Company or any Subsidiary) shall not exceed
$100,000.
(k)
Grants
to Foreign Employees.
The
terms of grants to foreign employees may vary from the terms of this Section
5
provided that the terms shall only be more restrictive than any term in this
Section 5.
6.
Terms
and Conditions of Restricted Stock.
Restricted
Stock may be granted under this Plan aside from, or in association with,
any
other award and shall be subject to the following conditions and shall contain
such additional terms and conditions (including provisions relating to the
acceleration of vesting of Restricted Stock upon a Change of Control), not
inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Committee shall deem
desirable:
(a)
Grantee
rights.
A
Grantee shall have no rights to an award of Restricted Stock unless and until
Grantee accepts the award within the period prescribed by the Committee.
After
acceptance and issuance of a certificate or certificates, as provided for
below,
the Grantee shall have the rights of a stockholder with respect to Restricted
Stock subject to the non-transferability and forfeiture restrictions described
in Section 6(d) below.
(b)
Issuance
of Certificates.
The
Company shall issue in the Grantee's name a certificate or certificates for
the
shares of Common Stock associated with the award promptly after the Grantee
accepts such award.
(c)
Delivery
of Certificates.
Unless
otherwise provided, any certificate or certificates issued evidencing shares
of
Restricted Stock shall not be delivered to the Grantee until such shares
are
free of any restrictions specified by the Committee at the time of
grant.
(d)
Forfeitability,
Non-transferability of Restricted Stock.
Shares
of Restricted Stock are forfeitable until the terms of the Restricted Stock
grant have been satisfied. Shares of Restricted Stock are not transferable
until
the date on which the Committee has specified such restrictions have lapsed.
Unless otherwise provided by the Committee at or after grant, distributions
in
the form of dividends or otherwise of additional shares or property in respect
of shares of Restricted Stock shall be subject to the same restrictions as
such
shares of Restricted Stock.
(e)
Change
of Control.
Upon the
occurrence of a Change in Control as defined in Section 5(c), the Committee
may
accelerate the vesting of outstanding Restricted Stock, in whole or in part,
as
determined by the Committee, in its sole discretion.
(f)
Termination
of Employment.
Unless
otherwise determined by the Committee at or after grant, in the event the
Grantee ceases to be an employee or otherwise associated with the Company
for
any other reason, all shares of Restricted Stock theretofore awarded to him
which are still subject to restrictions shall be forfeited and the Company
shall
have the right to complete the blank stock power. The Committee may provide
(on
or after grant) that restrictions or forfeiture conditions relating to shares
of
Restricted Stock will be waived in whole or in part in the event of termination
resulting from specified causes, and the Committee may in other cases waive
in
whole or in part restrictions or forfeiture conditions relating to Restricted
Stock.
7.
Term
of Plan.
No
Option
or shares of Restricted Stock shall be granted pursuant to the Plan on or
after
the date that is ten years from the effective date of the Plan, but Options
or
shares of Restricted Stock theretofore granted may extend beyond that
date.
8.
Capital
Change of the Company.
In
the
event of any merger, reorganization, consolidation, recapitalization, stock
dividend, or other change in corporate structure affecting the Stock, the
Committee shall make an appropriate and equitable adjustment in the number
and
kind of shares reserved for issuance under the Plan and in the number and
option
price of shares subject to outstanding Options granted under the Plan, to
the
end that after such event each Optionee's proportionate interest shall be
maintained (to the extent possible) as immediately before the occurrence
of such
event. The Committee shall, to the extent feasible, make such other adjustments
as may be required under the tax laws so that any Incentive Options previously
granted shall not be deemed modified within the meaning of Section 424(h)
of the
Code. Appropriate adjustments shall also be made in the case of outstanding
Restricted Stock granted under the Plan.
The
adjustments described above will be made only to the extent consistent with
continued qualification of the Option under Section 422 of the Code (in the
case
of an Incentive Option) and Section 409A of the Code.
9.
Purchase
for Investment Conditions.
Unless
the Options and shares covered by the Plan have been registered under the
Securities Act, or the Company has determined that such registration is
unnecessary, each person exercising or receiving Options or Restricted Stock
under the Plan may be required by the Company to give a representation in
writing that he is acquiring the securities for his own account for investment
and not with a view to, or for sale in connection with, the distribution
of any
part thereof. The Committee may impose any additional or further restrictions
on
awards of Options or Restricted Stock as shall be determined by the Committee
at
the time of award.
10.
Taxes.
(a)
The Company may make such provisions as it may deem appropriate, consistent
with
applicable law, in connection with any Options or Restricted Stock granted
under
the Plan with respect to the withholding of any taxes (including income or
employment taxes) or any other tax matters.
(b)
If any Grantee, in connection with the acquisition of Restricted Stock, makes
the election permitted under Section 83(b) of the Code (that is, an election
to
include in gross income in the year of transfer the amounts specified in
Section
83(b)), such Grantee shall notify the Company of the election with the Internal
Revenue Service pursuant to regulations issued under the authority of Code
Section 83(b).
(c)
If any Grantee shall make any disposition of shares of Stock issued pursuant
to
the exercise of an Incentive Option under the circumstances described in
Section
421(b) of the Code (relating to certain disqualifying dispositions), such
Grantee shall notify the Company of such disposition within ten (10) days
hereof.
11.
Effective
Date of Plan.
The
Plan
shall be effective on August 7, 2006; provided, however, that if, and only
if,
certain options are intended to qualify as Incentive Stock Options, the Plan
must subsequently be approved by majority vote of the Company's stockholders
no
later than August 7, 2007, and further, that in the event certain Option
grants
hereunder are intended to qualify as performance-based compensation within
the
meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code, the requirements as to shareholder
approval set forth in Section 162(m) of the Code are satisfied.
12.
Amendment
and Termination.
The
Board
may amend, suspend, or terminate the Plan, except that no amendment shall
be
made that would impair the rights of any Participant under any Option or
Restricted Stock theretofore granted without the Participant's consent, and
except that no amendment shall be made which, without the approval of the
stockholders of the Company would:
(a)
materially increase the number of shares that may be issued under the Plan,
except as is provided in Section 8;
(b)
materially increase the benefits accruing to the Participants under the
Plan;
(c)
materially modify the requirements as to eligibility for participation in
the
Plan;
(d)
decrease the exercise price of an Incentive Option to less than 100% of the
Fair
Market Value per share of Stock on the date of grant thereof or the exercise
price of a Nonqualified Option to less than 100% of the Fair Market Value
per
share of Stock on the date of grant thereof;
(e)
extend the term of any Option beyond that provided for in Section 5(b);
or
(f)
except as otherwise provided in Sections 5(c), 5(l) and 8 here of, reduce
the
exercise price of outstanding Options or effect repricing through cancellations
and re-grants of new Options.
Subject
to the forgoing, the Committee may amend the terms of any Option theretofore
granted, prospectively or retrospectively, but no such amendment shall impair
the rights of any Optionee without the Optionee's consent.
It
is the
intention of the Board that the Plan comply strictly with the provisions
of
Section 409A of the Code and Treasury Regulations and other Internal Revenue
Service guidance promulgated thereunder (the "Section 409A Rules") and the
Committee shall exercise its discretion in granting awards hereunder (and
the
terms of such awards), accordingly. The Plan and any grant of an award hereunder
may be amended from time to time (without, in the case of an award, the consent
of the Participant) as may be necessary or appropriate to comply with the
Section 409A Rules.
13.
Government
Regulations.
The
Plan,
and the grant and exercise of Options or Restricted Stock hereunder, and
the
obligation of the Company to sell and deliver shares under such Options and
Restricted Stock shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules and regulations,
and to such approvals by any governmental agencies, national securities
exchanges and interdealer quotation systems as may be required.
14.
General
Provisions.
(a)
Certificates.
All
certificates for shares of Stock delivered under the Plan shall be subject
to
such stop transfer orders and other restrictions as the Committee may deem
advisable under the rules, regulations and other requirements of the Securities
and Exchange Commission, or other securities commission having jurisdiction,
any
applicable Federal or state securities law, any stock exchange or interdealer
quotation system upon which the Stock is then listed or traded and the Committee
may cause a legend or legends to be placed on any such certificates to make
appropriate reference to such restrictions.
(b)
Employment
Matters. Neither
the adoption of the Plan nor any grant or award under the Plan shall confer
upon
any Participant who is an employee of the Company or any Subsidiary any right
to
continued employment or, in the case of a Participant who is a director,
continued service as a director, with the Company or a Subsidiary, as the
case
may be, nor shall it interfere in any way with the right of the Company or
any
Subsidiary to terminate the employment of any of its employees, the service
of
any of its directors or the retention of any of its consultants or advisors
at
any time.
(c)
Limitation
of Liability.
No
member of the Committee, or any officer or employee of the Company acting
on
behalf of the Committee, shall be personally liable for any action,
determination or interpretation taken or made in good faith with respect
to the
Plan, and all members of the Committee and each and any officer or employee
of
the Company acting on their behalf shall, to the extent permitted by law,
be
fully indemnified and protected by the Company in respect of any such action,
determination or interpretation.
(d)
Registration
of Stock.
Notwithstanding any other provision in the Plan, no Option may be exercised
unless and until the Stock to be issued upon the exercise thereof has been
registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and applicable state
securities laws, or are, in the opinion of counsel to the Company, exempt
from
such registration in the United States. The Company shall not be under any
obligation to register under applicable federal or state securities laws
any
Stock to be issued upon the exercise of an Option granted hereunder in order
to
permit the exercise of an Option and the issuance and sale of the Stock subject
to such Option, although the Company may in its sole discretion register
such
Stock at such time as the Company shall determine. If the Company chooses
to
comply with such an exemption from registration, the Stock issued under the
Plan
may, at the direction of the Committee, bear an appropriate restrictive legend
restricting the transfer or pledge of the Stock represented thereby, and
the
Committee may also give appropriate stop transfer instructions with respect
to
such Stock to the Company's transfer agent.
15.
Non-Uniform
Determinations.
The
Committee's determinations under the Plan, including, without limitation,
(i)
the determination of the Participants to receive awards, (ii) the form, amount
and timing of such awards, (iii) the terms and provisions of such awards
and
(ii) the agreements evidencing the same, need not be uniform and may be made
by
it selectively among Participants who receive, or who are eligible to receive,
awards under the Plan, whether or not such Participants are similarly
situated.
16. Governing
Law.
The
validity, construction, and effect of the Plan and any rules and regulations
relating to the Plan shall be determined in accordance with the internal
laws of
the State of Delaware, without giving effect to principles of conflicts of
laws,
and applicable federal law.
|
Akeena
Solar, Inc. |
|
August
8, 2006 |
FIRST
AMENDMENT TO THE
AKEENA
SOLAR, INC.
2006
INCENTIVE STOCK PLAN
THIS
FIRST AMENDMENT to the 2006 Incentive Stock Plan (the “Plan”) of Akeena Solar,
Inc. (the “Company”) is made as of this 20 day of December, 2006.
INTRODUCTION
The
Board
of Directors administers the Plan, which was adopted on August 8, 2006.
The
Board of Directors now desires to amend the Plan to increase the number
of
shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company subject
to
the Plan to 1,000,000 shares from 450,000 shares.
AMENDMENT
NOW,
THEREFORE, the Board of Directors hereby amends the Plan, effective December
20,
2006, by deleting the text of Section 4 in its entirety and replacing it
with
the following:
“Subject
to adjustment as provided in Section 8 hereof, a total of 1,000,000 shares
of
the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Stock”),
shall
be subject to the Plan. The number of shares of Stock that may be subject
to
Options granted under the Plan to any individual in any calendar year shall
conform to any requirements applicable to performance-based compensation
under
Section 162(m) of the Code, if qualification as performance-based compensation
under Section 162(m) of the Code is intended. The shares of Stock subject
to the
Plan shall consist of unissued shares, treasury shares or previously issued
shares held by any Subsidiary of the Company, and such amount of shares
of Stock
shall be and is hereby reserved for such purpose. Any of such shares of
Stock
that may remain unissued and that are not subject to outstanding Options
at the
termination of the Plan shall cease to be reserved for the purposes of
the Plan,
but until termination of the Plan the Company shall at all times reserve
a
sufficient number of shares of Stock to meet the requirements of the Plan.
Should any Option or share of Restricted Stock expire or be canceled prior
to
its exercise or vesting in full or should the number of shares of Stock
to be
delivered upon the exercise or vesting in full of an Option or share of
Restricted Stock be reduced for any reason, the shares of Stock theretofore
subject to such Option or share of Restricted Stock may be subject to future
Options or shares of Restricted Stock under the Plan, except where such
reissuance is inconsistent with the provisions of Section 162(m) of the
Code
where qualification as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m)
of
the Code is intended.”
PROXY
AKEENA
SOLAR, INC.
THIS
PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The
undersigned hereby appoints Barry Cinnamon and David (Lad) Wallace,and
either of them, as attorneys of the undersigned with full power of substitution,
to vote all shares of stock which the undersigned is entitled to
vote
at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Akeena Solar, Inc., to be held
on
August 22, 2007 at 8:00 a.m. PDT, at the Company’s corporate office located at
16005 Los Gatos Blvd., Los Gatos, California 95032, and at any
continuation or adjournment thereof, with all powers which the undersigned
might
have if personally present at the meeting.
WHERE
NO CONTRARY CHOICE IS INDICATED BY THE STOCKHOLDER, THIS PROXY,
WHEN
RETURNED, WILL BE VOTED FOR ALL NOMINEES AND FOR EACH OF THE PROPOSALS
AND WITH
DISCRETIONARY
AUTHORITY UPON SUCH OTHER MATTERS AS MAY PROPERLY COME BEFORE
THE
MEETING. THIS PROXY MAY BE REVOKED AT ANY TIME PRIOR TO THE TIME IT IS
VOTED.
PLEASE
COMPLETE, DATE AND SIGN THIS PROXY AND
RETURN
IT
PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE.
(CONTINUED
AND TO BE SIGNED ON REVERSE SIDE.)
YOUR
VOTE
IS IMPORTANT TO THE COMPANY
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
FOLD
AND DETACH HERE -
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE
BOARD
OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR" THE FOLLOWING NOMINEES AND
PROPOSALS:
|
Please mark
your
votes as x
indicated
in
|
|
|
FOR
all
nominees listed
(except
as marked
to
the contrary)
o
|
WITHHOLD
AUTHORITY
to
vote for all
nominees
listed
o
|
Proposal
1. To elect four
Directors
for a one-year term as
proposed
in the accompanying Proxy Statement.
Barry
Cinnamon
|
Ed
Roffman
|
George
Lauro
|
Jon
Witkin
|
INSTRUCTION: |
To
withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee,
write
that nominee's name in the space provided
below.
|
________________________________________
|
|
|
|
Proposal
2. To approve the Second Modification to the company’s 2006 Incentive
Stock Plan, increasing the total number of shares of common
stock the
Company has reserved for issuance under the Plan from 1,000,000
shares to
4,000,000 shares.
|
FOR
□
|
AGAINST
□
|
ABSTAIN
□
|
|
|
|
|
Proposal
3. To ratify the appointment of Burr, Pilger and Mayer LLP
as the
Company's independent certified public accountants for the
fiscal year
ending December 31, 2007.
|
FOR
□
|
AGAINST
□
|
ABSTAIN
□
|
And
to
transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual
Meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof.
The
undersigned hereby acknowledges receipt of: (a) Notice of Annual Meeting
of
Stockholders dated August 1, 2007; (b) the accompanying Proxy Statement;
and
(c)
the Annual Report on Form 10KSB for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2006
and
hereby expressly revokes any and all proxies heretofore given or executed
by the undersigned with respect to the shares of stock represented by
this
Proxy and by filing this Proxy with the Secretary of the Corporation,
gives
notice of such revocation.
Signature(s)________________________________________
Dated______________, 2007
Please
sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s) on your stock certificate. If
shares
of
stock are held of record in the names of two or more persons or in the
name
of husband and wife, whether as joint tenants or otherwise, both or
all
of
such persons should sign the Proxy. If shares of stock are held of record
by
a corporation, the Proxy should be signed by the President or Vice President
or the Secretary or Assistant Secretary. Executors or administrators
or other fiduciaries who execute the above Proxy for a deceased
stockholder should give their full titles.
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