def14a
SCHEDULE 14A
(Rule 14a-101)
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )
|
|
|
Filed by the Registrant þ |
|
|
Filed by a Party other than the Registrant o |
|
|
|
|
|
Check the appropriate box: |
|
|
o Preliminary Proxy Statement
|
|
o Confidential for Use of Commission Only |
þ Definitive Proxy Statement
|
|
(as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
o Definitive Additional Materials |
|
|
o Soliciting Material Under Rule 14a-12 |
|
|
Crown Crafts, Inc.
(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
þ No fee required.
o Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
(1) Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
(2) Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
(3) Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act
Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was
determined):
(4) Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
(5) Total fee paid:
o
Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
o Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2)
and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous
filing by registration statement number, or the form or schedule and the date of its filing.
(1) Amount previously paid:
(2) Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
(3) Filing Party:
(4) Date Filed:
June 27, 2005
Dear Stockholder:
Please join us for the 2005 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of
Crown Crafts, Inc. (the Company). The meeting will
be held on August 9, 2005, at 10:00 a.m., central
daylight time, at our headquarters, located at 916 South
Burnside Avenue, Gonzales, Louisiana 70737.
At this years meeting, we will ask our stockholders to
elect three Class III directors and to transact any other
business that may properly come before the meeting. If you owned
shares of the Companys Series A Common Stock at the
close of business on June 10, 2005, you are entitled to
notice of, and to vote at, the meeting.
Additional information about the items of business to be
discussed at our meeting is given in the attached Notice of
Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement. We also
include in this package the Companys Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended April 3, 2005, as filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (exclusive of
documents incorporated by reference).
I urge you to carefully review the proxy materials and to vote
FOR the director nominees.
We hope to see you at the 2005 Annual Meeting of Stockholders on
August 9, 2005.
|
|
|
Sincerely, |
|
|
|
|
|
E. Randall Chestnut |
|
Chairman of the Board, President and |
|
Chief Executive Officer |
YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. PLEASE FILL IN, DATE, SIGN AND
PROMPTLY MAIL THE ENCLOSED PROXY CARD IN THE ACCOMPANYING
POST-PAID ENVELOPE TO ASSURE THAT YOUR SHARES ARE REPRESENTED AT
THE MEETING. IF YOU ATTEND THE MEETING, YOU MAY CHOOSE TO VOTE
IN PERSON EVEN IF YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY SENT IN YOUR PROXY
CARD.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CROWN CRAFTS, INC.
916 South Burnside Avenue
Gonzales, Louisiana 70737
(225) 647-9100
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To BE HELD ON AUGUST 9, 2005
To the Stockholders of Crown Crafts, Inc.:
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the annual meeting of stockholders
(the Annual Meeting) of Crown Crafts, Inc.
(Crown Crafts or the Company) will be
held at the Companys executive offices, located at 916
South Burnside Avenue, Third Floor, Gonzales, Louisiana, on
August 9, 2005, at 10:00 a.m., central daylight time,
for the following purposes:
|
|
|
1. to elect two members to the board of directors to hold
office for a three-year term; and |
|
|
2. to transact such other business as may properly come
before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement
thereof. |
These items of business are described in the attached proxy
statement. The board of directors has fixed June 10, 2005
as the record date to determine the stockholders entitled to
notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting. Only those
stockholders of record of Crown Crafts Series A common
stock as of the close of business on that date will be entitled
to vote at the Annual Meeting or at any adjournment or
postponement thereof.
The board of directors recommends that you vote FOR the
election of the nominee directors.
IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOUR SHARES BE REPRESENTED AND VOTED
WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING IN PERSON.
PLEASE COMPLETE, DATE, SIGN AND MAIL THE ENCLOSED PROXY CARD IN
THE ACCOMPANYING RETURN ADDRESSED ENVELOPE, WHICH REQUIRES NO
POSTAGE IF MAILED IN THE UNITED STATES. IF YOU LATER DESIRE TO
REVOKE OR CHANGE YOUR PROXY FOR ANY REASON, YOU MAY DO SO AT ANY
TIME BEFORE THE VOTING BY DELIVERING TO CROWN CRAFTS A WRITTEN
NOTICE OF REVOCATION OR A DULY EXECUTED PROXY BEARING A LATER
DATE OR BY ATTENDING THE ANNUAL MEETING AND VOTING IN PERSON.
|
|
|
By Order of the Board of Directors, |
|
|
Olivia Elliott |
|
Secretary/ Treasurer |
Gonzales, Louisiana
June 27, 2005
CROWN CRAFTS, INC.
916 South Burnside Avenue
Gonzales, Louisiana 70737
PROXY STATEMENT
GENERAL INFORMATION
Solicitation of Proxies
This proxy statement and the accompanying form of proxy (which
were first sent or given to stockholders on or about
July 8, 2005) are furnished to stockholders of Crown
Crafts, Inc. (Crown Crafts or the
Company) in connection with the solicitation by and
on behalf of the board of directors of the Company of proxies
for use at the annual meeting of the Companys stockholders
to be held at the Companys executive offices, located at
916 South Burnside Avenue, Third Floor, Gonzales, Louisiana, on
August 9, 2005, at 10:00 a.m., central daylight time,
and any adjournment or postponement thereof (the Annual
Meeting).
The Annual Meeting is being held for the following purposes:
|
|
|
(i) to elect two members to the board of directors to hold
office for a three-year term; and |
|
|
(ii) to transact any other business as may properly come
before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement
thereof. |
Record Date; Outstanding Shares; Shares Entitled to
Vote
Only holders of record of Crown Crafts Series A common
stock at the close of business on the record date, June 10,
2005 (the Record Date), are entitled to notice of
and to vote at the Annual Meeting. As of the Record Date, there
were 9,505,937 shares of Crown Crafts Series A common
stock outstanding and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting,
held by approximately 706 holders of record. A list of the
Companys stockholders will be available for review at the
Companys executive offices during regular business hours
for a period of ten days before the Annual Meeting. Each holder
of Crown Crafts Series A common stock is entitled to one
vote for each share of Crown Crafts Series A common stock
he or she owned as of the Record Date.
Quorum and Vote Required
A quorum of stockholders is necessary to transact business at
the Annual Meeting. The presence, in person or by proxy, of
shares of Crown Crafts Series A common stock representing a
majority of shares of Crown Crafts Series A common stock
outstanding and entitled to vote on the Record Date is necessary
to constitute a quorum at the Annual Meeting. Abstentions and
broker non-votes, discussed below, count as present
for establishing a quorum.
Directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast, which
means the two nominees who receive the largest number of
properly cast votes will be elected as directors of Crown
Crafts. Cumulative voting is not permitted.
As of the Record Date, the Companys directors and
executive officers as a group beneficially owned and were
entitled to vote approximately 792,215 shares of the
Companys Series A common stock, or approximately 8.3%
of the outstanding shares of the Companys Series A
common stock on that date. This amount excludes approximately
10,310 shares of the Companys Series A common
stock held by members of the immediate families of certain
officers and directors of Crown Crafts with respect to which
such officers and directors disclaim beneficial ownership.
Voting; Proxies; Revocation
You may vote by proxy or in person at the Annual Meeting.
Voting in Person. If you plan to attend the Annual
Meeting and wish to vote in person, you will be given a ballot
at the Annual Meeting. Please note, however, that if your shares
are held in street name, which means your shares are
held of record by a broker, bank or other nominee, and you wish
to vote at the Annual Meeting, you must bring to the Annual
Meeting a proxy from the record holder of the shares authorizing
you to vote at the Annual Meeting.
Voting by Proxy. You should vote your proxy even if you
plan to attend the Annual Meeting. You can always change your
vote at the Annual Meeting. Your latest dated vote before the
Annual Meeting will be the vote counted. Voting instructions are
included on your proxy card. If you properly grant your proxy
and submit it to the Company in time to vote, one of the
individuals named as your proxy will vote your shares as you
have directed. If no instructions are indicated on a properly
executed proxy card or voting instruction, the shares will be
voted for the election of all of the director
nominees and ratification of the independent auditors.
If other matters properly come before the Annual Meeting, the
shares represented by proxies will be voted, or not voted, by
the individuals named in the proxies in their discretion.
You may submit your proxy through the mail by completing your
proxy card, and signing, dating and returning it in the
enclosed, pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope. To be valid, a
returned proxy card must be signed and dated.
If you are not the record holder of your shares, you must
provide the record holder of your shares with instructions on
how to vote your shares. If your shares are held by a bank,
broker or other nominee, that bank, broker or nominee may allow
you to deliver your voting instructions by telephone. If your
shares are held by a broker, you may also be allowed to deliver
your voting instructions over the Internet. Stockholders whose
shares are held by a bank, broker or other nominee should refer
to the voting instruction card forwarded to them by that bank,
broker or other nominee holding their shares.
Revocation of Proxy. You may revoke your proxy at any
time before it is voted at the Annual Meeting by:
|
|
|
|
|
delivering to the Secretary of Crown Crafts a signed notice of
revocation, bearing a date later than the date of the proxy,
stating that the proxy is revoked; |
|
|
|
granting a new proxy, relating to the same shares and bearing a
later date; or |
|
|
|
attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person. |
If your shares are held in the name of a broker, bank or other
nominee, you may change your vote by submitting new voting
instructions to your broker, bank or other nominee. You must
contact your broker, bank or other nominee to find out how to do
so.
Written notices of revocation and other communications with
respect to the revocation of proxies should be addressed to:
Crown Crafts, Inc., P.O. Box 1028, Gonzales, Louisiana
70707.
Abstentions and Broker Non-Votes. Shares of Crown Crafts
Series A common stock held by persons attending the Annual
Meeting but not voting, and shares of Crown Crafts Series A
common stock for which the Company has received proxies but with
respect to which holders of those shares have abstained from
voting, will be counted as present at the Annual Meeting for
purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum for
the transaction of business at the Annual Meeting. Because
directors are elected by a plurality of votes cast, abstentions
will not be counted in determining which nominees received the
largest number of votes cast.
Under certain circumstances, brokers are prohibited from
exercising discretionary authority for beneficial owners who
have not returned proxies to the brokers (so-called broker
non-votes). In these cases, and in cases where the
stockholder abstains from voting on a matter, those shares will
be counted for the purpose of determining if a quorum is
present, but will not be included in the vote totals with
respect to those matters
2
and, therefore, will have no effect on the vote. In addition, if
a broker indicates on the proxy card that it does not have
discretionary authority on other matters considered at the
Annual Meeting, those shares will not be counted in determining
the number of votes cast with respect to those matters.
Proxy Solicitation. Crown Crafts will bear the costs of
printing and mailing this proxy statement, as well as all other
costs incurred on behalf of the Companys board of
directors in connection with its solicitation of proxies from
the holders of Crown Crafts Series A common stock. In
addition, directors, officers and employees of Crown Crafts and
its subsidiaries may solicit proxies by mail, personal
interview, telephone or telegraph without additional
compensation therefor. Arrangements also will be made with
brokerage houses, voting trustees, banks, associations and other
custodians, nominees and fiduciaries, who are record holders of
the Companys Series A common stock not beneficially
owned by them, for forwarding these proxy materials to, and
obtaining proxies from, the beneficial owners of such stock
entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. Crown Crafts will
reimburse these persons for their reasonable expenses incurred
in doing so.
Other Business; Adjournments. The Company does not expect
that any matter other than the proposals presented in this proxy
statement will be brought before the Annual Meeting. However, if
other matters are properly presented at the Annual Meeting or
any adjournment or postponement of the Annual Meeting, the
persons named as proxies will vote in accordance with their best
judgment with respect to those matters.
Assistance
If you need assistance in completing your proxy card or have
questions regarding the Annual Meeting, please contact Olivia
Elliott at (225) 647-9124 or write to Ms. Elliott at
the following address: P.O. Box 1028, Gonzales, Louisiana
70707.
3
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF MANAGEMENT AND CERTAIN BENEFICIAL
OWNERS
The following table sets forth certain information, based upon
publicly-filed documents, regarding the number and percentage of
shares of Series A common stock that are deemed to be
beneficially owned under the rules of the Securities
and Exchange Commission (the SEC) as of the Record
Date, by (i) each director of the Company, (ii) the
current executive officers of the Company named in the Summary
Compensation Table included elsewhere herein, (iii) all
officers and directors as a group, and (iv) all persons
known to the Company who may be deemed beneficial owners of more
than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Companys
Series A common stock. An asterisk indicates beneficial
ownership of less than one percent. Unless otherwise specified
in the footnotes, the stockholder has sole voting and
dispositive power over the shares of Series A common stock
beneficially held.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of Shares | |
|
Percentage of | |
Name |
|
Beneficially Owned(1) | |
|
Outstanding Shares | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Michael H. Bernstein(2)
|
|
|
1,194,251 |
|
|
|
12.6 |
% |
|
c/o Jerry Sims, Esq.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sims Moss Kline & Davis LLP
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Ravinia Drive, Suite 1700
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Atlanta, Georgia 30346
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wynnefield Capital, Inc.
|
|
|
1,428,835 |
|
|
|
15.0 |
% |
|
450 Seventh Avenue, Suite 509
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New York, New York 10123
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Elizabeth Fishman(3)
|
|
|
526,085 |
|
|
|
5.5 |
% |
|
c/o Jerry Sims, Esq.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sims Moss Kline & Davis LLP
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Ravinia Drive, Suite 1700
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Atlanta, Georgia 30346
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. Randall Chestnut(4)
|
|
|
461,103 |
|
|
|
4.8 |
% |
Amy Vidrine Samson(5)
|
|
|
148,112 |
|
|
|
1.6 |
% |
Nanci Freeman(6)
|
|
|
246,310 |
|
|
|
2.6 |
% |
William T. Deyo, Jr.(7)
|
|
|
9,001 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Steven E. Fox(7)
|
|
|
9,001 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Sidney Kirschner(7)
|
|
|
9,001 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Zenon S. Nie(7)
|
|
|
9,001 |
|
|
|
* |
|
William P. Payne(7)
|
|
|
9,001 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Dr. Donald Ratajczak(7)
|
|
|
9,001 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Dr. James A. Verbrugge(7)
|
|
|
9,001 |
|
|
|
* |
|
All officers and directors as a group (10 persons)
|
|
|
918,532 |
|
|
|
9.5 |
% |
|
|
(1) |
The number of shares beneficially owned and the percentage of
ownership includes all options to acquire shares of
Series A common stock that may be exercised within
60 days of June 10, 2005. |
|
(2) |
Includes 949,103 shares of Series A common stock owned
individually by Mr. Bernstein, 97,912 shares held by
Mr. Bernstein as custodian or trustee for his minor
children as to which he disclaims beneficial ownership,
82,236 shares held by the Bernstein Family Foundation, a
charitable foundation for which Mr. Bernstein acts as
trustee, and 65,000 shares owned by a trust for which
Mr. Bernstein is a trustee. |
|
(3) |
Includes 348,085 shares of Series A common stock owned
individually by Ms. Fishman, 118,000 shares owned by
the estate of Inez Bernstein, and 60,000 shares owned by a
trust for which Ms. Fishman is a trustee. |
|
(4) |
Includes 426,103 shares of Series A common stock owned
individually by Mr. Chestnut and options to
purchase 35,000 shares of Series A common stock. |
|
(5) |
Includes 140,612 shares of Series A common stock owned
individually by Ms. Samson and options to
purchase 7,500 shares of Series A common stock. |
4
|
|
(6) |
Includes 190,500 shares of Series A common stock owned
individually by Ms. Freeman, 10,250 shares owned by
her husband, 60 shares owned by her minor children, options
owned by Ms. Freeman to purchase 15,000 shares of
Series A common stock and options owned by her husband to
purchase 30,500 shares of Series A commons stock. |
|
(7) |
Includes 5,000 shares of Series A common stock owned
individually and options to purchase 4,001 shares of
Series A common stock. |
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
Board of Directors
The board of directors of Crown Crafts is responsible for
establishing broad corporate policies of the Company and
monitoring the Companys overall performance and ensuring
that the Companys activities are conducted in a
responsible and ethical manner. However, in accordance with
well-established corporate legal principles, the board of
directors is not involved in the Companys day-to-day
operating matters. Members of the board are kept informed about
the Companys business by participating in board and
committee meetings, by reviewing analyses and reports provided
to them by the Company and through discussions with the chairman
of the board and other officers of the Company.
Election of Directors
Pursuant to the bylaws of the Company, the board of directors
has fixed its membership at eight directors. The board of
directors is divided into three classes of directors, with each
class consisting of three members, except Class III, which
consists of two members. One class of directors is elected to
serve a three-year term at each Annual Meeting of the
Companys stockholders. At this years Annual Meeting
of stockholders, two Class III directors will be elected to
hold office until the 2008 Annual Meeting.
The board of directors has unanimously nominated Donald
Ratajczak and James A. Verbrugge as Class III nominees for
election to the board of directors. Each of these nominees
presently serves on the board of directors of the Company.
The proxy holder intends to vote for the election of
the named nominees unless you have specifically indicated by
proper proxy that your shares should be withheld from voting for
any or all of these nominees. If at the time of the Annual
Meeting any nominee is unavailable or unwilling to serve as a
director, the proxies will be voted for the remaining nominees
and for any other person designated by the board of directors as
a nominee. Proxies cannot be voted at the Annual Meeting for a
greater number of persons than the number of nominees named.
Recommendation of the Board of Directors
The board of directors unanimously recommends a vote FOR
each of the Class III nominees.
Class III Nominees
The following persons are the nominees for Class III
directorships with terms ending in 2008.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Director | |
Name |
|
Age | |
|
Since | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Donald Ratajczak
|
|
|
62 |
|
|
|
2001 |
|
James A. Verbrugge
|
|
|
64 |
|
|
|
2001 |
|
5
Dr. Donald Ratajczak is a consulting economist and
the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Brainworks
Ventures, Inc., an enterprise development company he founded in
2000. He is also Regents Professor Emeritus of the
Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. From
1997 to 2000, he was Regents Professor of Economics at
Georgia State University, and from 1973 to 1997, he was a
Professor or Associate Professor in that department. He was also
the founder and Director of the Economic Forecasting Center at
Georgia State University from 1973 to 2000. He is a member of
the Board of Directors of each of Ruby Tuesday, Inc., Assurance
America Corporation, Citizens Bankshares Corporation, TBC
Corporation and Regan Holding Corp. and is also a Trustee of the
CIM High Yield Fund.
Dr. James A. Verbrugge is Professor of Finance
Emeritus in the Terry College of Business at the University of
Georgia. From 2002 to 2004, he was the Director of the Center
for Strategic Risk Management in the Terry College. From 1976 to
2001, he was the Chairman of the Department of Banking and
Finance, and he held the Chair of Banking from 1992 to 2002. He
is currently a member of the Board of Directors of each of RCG
Companies, Inc., Tri-S Security Corporation and Verso
Technologies, Inc. He also serves on the board of one private
company.
Continuing Directors
The following persons are our Class I directors and
Class II directors, with terms ending in 2007 and 2006,
respectively.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
|
Age | |
|
Position with Company |
|
Since | |
|
Current Term | |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
CLASS I
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
E. Randall Chestnut
|
|
|
57 |
|
|
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President |
|
|
1995 |
|
|
|
Through 2007 |
|
William T. Deyo
|
|
|
60 |
|
|
Director |
|
|
2001 |
|
|
|
Through 2007 |
|
Steven E. Fox
|
|
|
59 |
|
|
Director |
|
|
2001 |
|
|
|
Through 2007 |
|
CLASS II
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sidney Kirschner
|
|
|
70 |
|
|
Director |
|
|
2001 |
|
|
|
Through 2006 |
|
Zenon S. Nie
|
|
|
54 |
|
|
Director |
|
|
2001 |
|
|
|
Through 2006 |
|
William P. Payne
|
|
|
57 |
|
|
Director |
|
|
2001 |
|
|
|
Through 2006 |
|
E. Randall Chestnut joined the Company in January
1995 as Vice President, Corporate Development. Since then, he
has been an executive of the Company, and in July 2001 he was
elected President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the
Board.
William T. Deyo, Jr. has been a principal of Goddard
Investment Group, LLC, a real estate investment firm, since
1999. He was Executive Vice President of NAI/ Brannen Goddard
Company, a real estate brokerage firm, from 1999 to 2000. From
1966 to 1999, he held various positions with Wachovia Bank in
Atlanta, Georgia, serving last as Executive Vice President.
Mr. Deyo also is Chairman of the Board of the Fulton County
(Georgia) Hospital Authority and a past member of the Board of
Directors of the Center for Visually Impaired Foundation.
Steven E. Fox is a partner in the law firm of
Rogers & Hardin LLP, where he has practiced since 1976.
He is a member of the Board of Directors of Athens Olympic
Broadcasting S.A.
Sidney Kirschner was Chairman of the Board, President and
Chief Executive Officer of Northside Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia
from 1992 to 2004. He is a member of the Board of Directors of
Superior Uniforms, Inc.
Zenon S. Nie is Chairman of the Board, President and
Chief Executive Officer of the C.E.O. Advisory Board, a
management consulting firm he founded in 2000, and has been an
operating partner in Tri-Artisan Partners since 2001. From 1993
to 2000, he was Chairman of the Board, President, Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Simmons
Company, a manufacturer and distributor of mattresses. He is a
member of the Board of Directors of Hilding Anders
International, AB.
6
William P. Payne has been a partner of Gleacher Partners
LLC, an investment banking firm, since 2000. From 1998 to 2000,
he was a Director of Healtheon/ WebMD Corporation and Vice
Chairman and Director of Premiere Technologies, Inc. and was
involved in web-based communications businesses. From 1997 to
1998, he was Vice Chairman of NationsBank (now known as Bank of
America). From 1991 to 1997, he was President and Chief
Executive Officer of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games
and an officer of Atlanta Centennial Olympic Properties. He is a
member of the Board of Directors of each of Anheuser-Busch,
Inc., Cousins Properties Incorporated, ILD Telecommunications,
Inc., Jefferson Pilot Corporation, the Convex Group, the Atlanta
Falcons and The Commerce Club and serves as an advisory director
of National Distributing Company.
Board Committees and Meetings
Currently, the board of directors has two standing committees:
the audit committee and the compensation committee. Committee
membership and the responsibilities assigned by the board of
directors to each of the committees are briefly described below.
The board of directors met six times during the last fiscal
year. The audit committee met three times and the compensation
committee met once during that same period. In addition, the
chairman of the audit committee met with the Companys
independent accountants twice during the last fiscal year. Each
director attended at least 57% of the total number of meetings
of the board and committees of which he was a member during
fiscal year 2005. Six directors also attended the Companys
annual meeting held in fiscal year 2005, and all members of the
board have been requested to attend the Annual Meeting.
The Company does not have a standing nominating committee or a
charter with respect to the nominating process. The board is of
the view that such a committee is unnecessary given the
relatively small number of directors elected each year and the
fact that all directors are considered by and recommended to the
Companys stockholders by the full board, which is
comprised of a majority of independent directors. If the board
appointed such a committee, its membership would consist of the
independent directors or a subset of them. To date, all director
nominees recommended to the stockholders have been identified by
current directors or management, and the Company has never
engaged a third party to identify director candidates. The board
would also consider any director candidate proposed in good
faith by a stockholder of the Company. To do so, a stockholder
should send the director candidates name, credentials,
contact information and his or her consent to be considered as a
candidate to the secretary of the Company. The proposing
stockholder should also include his or her contact information
and a statement of his or her share ownership (how many shares
of the Company owned and for how long). The board will evaluate
candidates based on their financial literacy, business acumen
and experience, independence, and willingness,
ability and availability for service.
Audit Committee. The audit committee is currently
comprised of four members, none of whom is a current or former
employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries and all of
whom are, in the opinion of the board, free from any
relationship that would interfere with the exercise of their
independent judgment in the discharge of the audit
committees duties. See Report of the Audit Committee
of the Board. The current members of the audit committee
are Drs. Ratajczak and Verbrugge and Messrs. Deyo and
Kirschner. The audit committee represents the board in
discharging its responsibility relating to the accounting,
reporting and financial practices of the Company and its
subsidiaries. Its primary functions include monitoring the
integrity of the Companys financial statements, system of
internal controls, and compliance with regulatory and legal
requirements; monitoring the independence, qualifications and
performance of the Companys independent auditor; and
providing an avenue of communication among the independent
auditor, management and the board.
Compensation Committee. The compensation committee
is currently comprised of three directors, Messrs. Nie
(Chairman), Fox and Payne, none of whom is a current or former
employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries. The duties
of the compensation committee are generally to establish the
compensation for the Companys executive officers and to
act on such other matters relating to compensation as it deems
appropriate, including an annual evaluation of the
Companys Chief Executive Officer and the design and
7
oversight of all compensation and benefit programs in which the
Companys employees and officers are eligible to
participate.
Directors Compensation
Each non-employee director is paid an annual cash retainer of
$20,000 and committee chairmen are paid an additional $4,500
annual cash retainer. During fiscal year 2005, each non-employee
director also received a cash fee of $2,500 for each board
meeting attended and $2,000 for each committee meeting held
other than in conjunction with a board meeting. For each
committee meeting that is held in conjunction with a board
meeting, each committee member receives a cash fee of $1,000. An
additional $2,500 is received for travel time associated with
attending the Companys Annual Meeting. Each non-employee
director also receives an option grant to
purchase 2,000 shares of the Companys
Series A common stock each year.
Directors who are employees of Crown Crafts or its subsidiaries
do not receive any compensation for their service as directors.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider
Participation
None of the members of the compensation committee during fiscal
year 2005 or as of the date of this proxy statement is or has
been an officer or employee of the Company.
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Executive Officers
The executive officers of the Company are as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
|
Age | |
|
Position with Company |
|
|
| |
|
|
E. Randall Chestnut(1)
|
|
|
57 |
|
|
Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer |
Amy Vidrine Samson(2)
|
|
|
44 |
|
|
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer |
Nanci Freeman(3)
|
|
|
47 |
|
|
President and Chief Executive Officer, Crown Crafts Infant
Products, Inc. |
|
|
(1) |
Information about the business experience of Mr. Chestnut
is set forth under Continuing Directors above. |
|
(2) |
Ms. Samson joined the Company on July 23, 2001 as Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer. Before joining the
Company, she had served, since 1995, as Vice President of
Finance and Operations of Hamco, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary
of the Company. |
|
(3) |
Ms. Freeman has been President and Chief Executive Officer
of Crown Crafts Infant Products, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary
of the Company, since 1999. |
Subject to the terms of his or her employment agreement, each
executive officer of the Company is elected or appointed by the
board and holds office until such officers successor is
elected or until such officers death, resignation or
removal.
8
Summary of Executive Compensation
The following table and notes present the total compensation
paid to or earned by the Companys chief executive officer
and its other executive officers whose annual salary and bonus
exceeded $100,000 (the Named Executive Officers) for
services rendered during each of the Companys last three
fiscal years.
Summary Compensation Table
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-Term | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Compensation | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annual Compensation | |
|
Restricted | |
|
Securities | |
|
|
|
|
Fiscal | |
|
| |
|
Stock | |
|
Underlying | |
|
All Other | |
Name and Principal Position |
|
Year | |
|
Salary | |
|
Bonus | |
|
Awards(1) | |
|
Options (#) | |
|
Compensation | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
E. Randall Chestnut
|
|
|
2005 |
|
|
$ |
395,000 |
|
|
$ |
-0- |
|
|
$ |
-0- |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
$ |
-0- |
|
|
Chairman of the Board, President and
|
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
368,000 |
|
|
|
221,000 |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
Chief Executive Officer
|
|
|
2003 |
|
|
|
363,000 |
|
|
|
210,000 |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
Amy Vidrine Samson
|
|
|
2005 |
|
|
$ |
193,000 |
|
|
$ |
-0- |
|
|
$ |
-0- |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
$ |
-0- |
|
|
Vice President and Chief
|
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
174,000 |
|
|
|
71,000 |
|
|
|
30,000 |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
Financial Officer
|
|
|
2003 |
|
|
|
166,000 |
|
|
|
64,000 |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
Nanci Freeman
|
|
|
2005 |
|
|
$ |
267,000 |
|
|
$ |
-0- |
|
|
$ |
-0- |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
$ |
-0- |
|
|
President and Chief Executive Officer, |
|
|
2004 |
|
|
|
245,000 |
|
|
|
99,000 |
|
|
|
30,000 |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
Crown Crafts Infant Products, Inc. |
|
|
2003 |
|
|
|
233,000 |
|
|
|
95,000 |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
|
-0- |
|
|
|
(1) |
At April 3, 2005, Ms. Samson and Ms. Freeman each
held 40,500 restricted shares of Series A common stock with
a value of $19,845. The dollar amounts reported in the table
above reflect the value of these shares on the date of grant,
June 23, 2003. These shares vested on June 23, 2005.
The Company does not expect to pay dividends on these shares. |
Employment Agreements
Mr. Chestnut has a Severance Protection Agreement for a
two-year term renewable annually (so as to always be effective
for two years after each renewal date), unless either party
notifies the other of non-renewal in a timely manner, providing
for payment of three times his compensation, acceleration of
vesting of stock awards, repurchase by the Company of shares
acquired on the exercise of stock options if he so elects, a
cash payment sufficient to relieve him of any tax liability
resulting from excise taxes on the payments to him and other
benefits if his employment is terminated within two years of a
Change in Control (as defined) and such termination is without
cause (as defined) or for Good Reason (as defined).
In addition, Mr. Chestnut, Ms. Samson and
Ms. Freeman each have an employment agreement through
March 31, 2006, in the case of Mr. Chestnut, and
through April 30, 2006, in the case of Ms. Samson and
Ms. Freeman, which automatically renews on a monthly basis
unless either party to such agreement gives the other party to
such agreement one years advance notice of non-renewal.
Each agreement provides for annual salary and performance
bonuses, as well as other benefits. If the Company terminates
Mr. Chestnuts employment without cause (as defined)
or Mr. Chestnut terminates his employment for Good Reason
(as defined), then Mr. Chestnut will be entitled to be paid
the amounts provided in his Severance Protection Agreement. If
the Company terminates the employment of either Ms. Samson
or Ms. Freeman without cause (as defined) or either
Ms. Samson or Ms. Freeman terminates her employment
for Good Reason (as defined), then Ms. Samson or
Ms. Freeman, as the case may be, will be entitled to her
compensation for the greater of the remaining term of the
agreement or one year plus an amount equal to her highest annual
bonus for the three prior years. If there is a Change in Control
(as defined), then each of Mr. Chestnut, Ms. Samson
and Ms. Freeman may, under certain circumstances, elect to
terminate their respective employment relationship with the
Company and receive the foregoing benefits. Each of the
employment agreements contains one-year post-employment
non-competition provisions and provides for a continuity of
compensation during that period if termination of employment was
without cause or for Good Reason.
9
Option Exercises and Holdings
The following table sets forth certain information with respect
to stock options held by the Named Executive Officers, at
April 3, 2005. No options were granted to or exercised by
the Named Executive Officers during fiscal 2005.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of | |
|
Value of | |
|
|
Securities | |
|
Unexercised | |
|
|
Underlying | |
|
In-The-Money | |
|
|
Options at | |
|
Options at | |
|
|
4/3/05 | |
|
4/3/05(1) | |
|
|
(Exercisable/ | |
|
(Exercisable/ | |
Name and Principal Position |
|
Unexercisable) | |
|
Unexercisable) | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
E. Randall Chestnut, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief
Executive Officer
|
|
|
35,000/ 0 |
|
|
$ |
0/ $0 |
|
Amy Vidrine Samson, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
|
|
|
7,500/ 0 |
|
|
$ |
0/ $0 |
|
Nanci Freeman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Crown
Crafts Infant Products, Inc.
|
|
|
15,000/ 0 |
|
|
$ |
0/ $0 |
|
|
|
(1) |
Value is equal to the difference between the April 3, 2005
closing price of the Series A common stock and the exercise
price, which is equal to the closing price on the date of grant. |
REPORT OF THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE
This report of the compensation committee sets forth the
compensation committees compensation policies applicable
to the Companys chief executive officer and its other
executive officers.
The compensation committee is currently comprised of three
non-employee directors: Messrs. Nie, Fox and Payne. No
current member of the compensation committee has ever been an
employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, and none is
eligible to participate in any of the compensation plans that
the compensation committee administers other than the
Companys Amended 1995 Stock Option Plan, under which each
director receives an option grant to
purchase 2,000 shares of the Companys
Series A common stock each year on the day after the
Companys annual meeting of stockholders. Mr. Fox is a
partner in the firm of Rogers & Hardin LLP, which
performed legal services for the Company in fiscal 2005 and is
performing legal services for the Company in fiscal 2006 at
customary rates.
The compensation committee has overall responsibility to review,
monitor and recommend compensation plans to the board for
approval. In reviewing and approving executive compensation for
key executives other than the chief executive officer, the
committee reviews recommendations from the chief executive
officer.
Policy and Objectives. The fundamental philosophy of the
compensation program of the Company is to motivate executive
officers to achieve short-term and long-term goals through
incentive-based compensation and to provide competitive levels
of compensation that will enable the Company to attract and
retain qualified executives.
The Companys executive compensation program consists
primarily of three components. Of the three, only base salary is
fixed. The other two components are incentive-based. The Company
provides short-term incentives in the form of bonuses paid to
employees pursuant to formulae established by the compensation
committee based upon the Companys annual operating
results. The Companys Amended 1995 Stock Option Plan
provides long-term incentives to Plan participants.
A key objective of the compensation committee is to assure that
the total compensation of the Companys executives is
competitive. To this end, the compensation committee compared
the compensation of the Companys senior executives with
the compensation provided to executives in comparable positions
at a self-constructed group of peer companies. As the basis for
its 2005 competitive review, the compensation committee, with
assistance from an independent compensation consultant,
determined the appropriate companies to include in the peer
group, which included companies in addition to those included in
the Companys peer group index that appears in this proxy
statement for stock performance purposes. In the
10
committees view, this analysis helps to ensure that the
total compensation provided to the Companys senior
executives is set at an appropriate level to reward, retain and
attract a talented management team.
The compensation committee meets annually to set goals and
establish formulae for the awarding of bonuses, based upon
numerous factors, including the Companys projected
operating results. The formulae are generally progressive,
meaning that lower levels of profitability or sales growth by
the Company result in a lower proportion of incentive
compensation to pretax income than do higher levels of
profitability or sales growth. The compensation committee has
reserved the right to alter the formulae at any time to reflect
changing conditions.
Short-Term Compensation
Base Salary. The compensation committee targets
the base salary for each executive officer, including the chief
executive officer, at median market levels for the peer group.
Base salaries are reviewed annually by the compensation
committee. The compensation committee believes this policy is
consistent with the overall philosophy as set forth above.
Short-Term Incentives. The Company provides
executives with an opportunity for competitive short-term
compensation in the form of bonuses based upon the
Companys operating results for the fiscal year. The
maximum amounts potentially realizable by the eligible
executives are targeted to median bonus levels for the peer
group and are earned only if the Company meets or exceeds
certain performance objective(s) for the fiscal year. The
Companys earnings in fiscal year 2005 were below the
minimum level required to earn incentive compensation.
Long-Term Compensation
The Companys compensation program includes long-term
compensation in the form of periodic grants of stock options.
Long-term compensation is offered only to those key employees
who can make an impact on the Companys long-term
performance. The granting of stock options is designed to link
the interests of the executives with those of the stockholders
as well as to retain key executives. Stock option grants provide
an incentive that focuses the executives attention on
managing the Company from the perspective of an owner with an
equity stake in the business. Stock options are tied to the
future performance of the Companys stock and will provide
value only if the price of the Companys stock increases
after the stock option becomes exercisable and before it expires.
In addition, in fiscal year 2002, restricted stock grants were
awarded pursuant to the Companys Restricted Stock Plan to
Mr. Chestnut, Ms. Samson, Ms. Freeman and 13
other individuals who were involved in the restructuring of the
Company. The Company awarded the remaining 91,000 shares
under the Restricted Stock Plan equally to Ms. Samson and
Ms. Freeman on June 23, 2003.
Compensation Paid to the Chief Executive Officer
The compensation committee meets annually to evaluate the
performance of the chief executive officer. The compensation
paid in fiscal year 2005 to Mr. Chestnut was based on the
factors generally applicable to compensation paid to executives
of the Company as described in this Report.
In reviewing Mr. Chestnuts short-term incentive
compensation, the compensation committee reviewed and considered
Mr. Chestnuts recent performance, his achievements in
prior years, his achievement of specific short-term goals and
the Companys performance in fiscal year 2005.
Mr. Chestnuts base salary and bonus formula for
fiscal year 2005 were approved based on this review process.
Mr. Chestnuts bonus formula, which was based on the
Companys operating results for fiscal year 2005, resulted
in no bonus for fiscal year 2005.
Additionally, Mr. Chestnuts long-term compensation
was determined by considering such factors as the overall
long-term goals of the Company, performance trends, potential
stock appreciation and actual performance, taking into
consideration factors and conditions which affected that
performance, both positively and negatively.
11
Tax Compliance Policy
Certain provisions of the federal tax laws limit the
deductibility of certain compensation for the chief executive
officer and other executives to $1.0 million in applicable
remuneration in any year. This provision has had no effect on
the Company since its enactment because no officer of the
Company has received $1.0 million in applicable
remuneration in any year. Nonetheless, the presence of
non-qualified stock options makes it theoretically possible that
the threshold may be exceeded at some time in the future. In
such a case, the Company intends to take the necessary steps to
conform its compensation to qualify for deductibility. Further,
the compensation committee intends to give strong consideration
to the deductibility of compensation in making its compensation
decisions for executive officers in the future, balancing the
goal of maintaining a compensation program which will enable the
Company to attract and retain qualified executives while
maximizing the creation of long-term stockholder value.
This report has been submitted by the compensation committee.
|
|
|
Zenon S. Nie, Chairman |
|
Steven E. Fox |
|
William P. Payne |
Pursuant to the regulations of the SEC, this report is not
soliciting material, is not deemed filed with the
SEC and is not to be incorporated by reference in any filing of
the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
12
REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
The audit committee of the Companys board of directors is
comprised of four directors, all of whom are independent, as
defined by the listing standards of Nasdaq. The board has
determined that Dr. Donald Ratajczak is an audit committee
financial expert within the meaning of regulations adopted by
the SEC as a result of his accounting and related financial
management expertise and experience. The main function of the
audit committee is to ensure that effective accounting policies
are implemented and that internal controls are in place to deter
fraud, anticipate financial risks and promote accurate and
timely disclosure of financial and other material information to
the public markets, the board and the stockholders. The audit
committee also reviews and recommends to the board the approval
of the annual financial statements and provides a forum,
independent of management, where the Companys auditors can
communicate any issues of concern. In performing all of these
functions, the audit committee acts only in an oversight
capacity and necessarily relies on the work and assurances of
the Companys management and independent auditors, which,
in their report, express an opinion on the conformity of the
Companys annual financial statements to generally accepted
accounting principles.
The audit committee has adopted a formal, written charter, which
has been approved by the full board and which specifies the
scope of the audit committees responsibilities and how it
should carry them out. The complete text of the audit committee
charter is available on the Companys website at
www.crowncrafts.com.
The audit committee has reviewed and discussed with the
Companys management the audited financial statements of
the Company for the fiscal year ended April 3, 2005. The
audit committee has discussed with Deloitte & Touche
LLP, the Companys independent public accountants, the
matters required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing
Standards No. 61 (Communication with Audit Committees), as
amended. The audit committee has also received the written
disclosures and the letter from Deloitte & Touche LLP
required by Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1
(Independence Discussions with Audit Committees), and the audit
committee has discussed the independence of Deloitte &
Touche LLP with that firm.
Based on the aforementioned review and discussions with
management and the Companys auditors, and subject to the
limitations on the role and responsibilities of the audit
committee described above, the audit committee recommended to
the board that the Companys audited consolidated financial
statements be included in the Companys Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 3, 2005.
This report has been submitted by the audit committee.
|
|
|
Dr. Donald Ratajczak, Chairman |
|
William T. Deyo, Jr. |
|
Sidney Kirschner |
|
Dr. James Verbrugge |
Pursuant to the regulations of the SEC, this report is not
soliciting material, is not deemed filed with the
SEC and is not to be incorporated by reference in any filing of
the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
13
PERFORMANCE GRAPH
The Performance Graph set forth below compares the cumulative
total stockholder return on $100 invested in the Companys
Series A common stock for the five-year period ended
April 3, 2005, with the cumulative total return on the same
investment in the Standard & Poors 500 Stock
Index, the Standard & Poors Apparel, Accessories
and Luxury Goods Index and a peer group index over the same
period. The graph assumes all dividends were reinvested.
The peer group consists of OshKosh BGosh, Inc. The
cumulative total stockholder return on the following graph is
not necessarily indicative of future stockholder return.
COMPARISON OF 5 YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN*
AMONG CROWN CRAFTS, INC., THE S & P 500 INDEX,
THE S & P APPAREL, ACCESSORIES & LUXURY
GOODS INDEX
AND A PEER GROUP
|
|
* |
$100 invested on 3/31/00 in stock or index-including
reinvestment of dividends. Fiscal year ending March 31. |
Copyright© 2002, Standard & Poors, a
division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
www.researchdatagroup.com/ S&P.htm
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
Deloitte & Touche LLP currently serves as the
Companys independent accountants and conducted the audit
of the Companys consolidated financial statements for
fiscal year 2005. The board of directors, upon the
recommendation of its audit committee, has ratified the
selection of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the
Companys independent registered accounting firm for 2005.
Appointment of the independent accountants of the Company is not
required to be submitted to a vote of the stockholders of the
Company for ratification under the laws of Delaware.
14
Representatives of Deloitte & Touche LLP are expected
to be present at the Annual Meeting. They will have the
opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so and are
expected to be available to respond to appropriate questions.
Principal Accountant Fees and Services
The following is a summary of the fees billed to the Company by
Deloitte & Touche LLP for professional services
rendered for the fiscal years ended April 3, 2005 and
March 28, 2004:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fee Category |
|
Fiscal 2005 Fees | |
|
Fiscal 2004 Fees | |
|
|
| |
|
| |
Audit Fees
|
|
$ |
113,500 |
|
|
$ |
107,000 |
|
Audit-related Fees
|
|
|
5,200 |
|
|
|
|
|
Tax Fees
|
|
|
71,700 |
|
|
|
65,100 |
|
All Other Fees
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Fees
|
|
$ |
190,400 |
|
|
$ |
172,100 |
|
Audit Fees
Audit fees consist of fees billed for professional services
rendered for the audit of the Companys annual consolidated
financial statements and review of the interim consolidated
financial statements included in quarterly reports and services
that are normally provided by Deloitte & Touche LLP in
connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements.
Audit-Related Fees
Audit-related fees consist of fees billed for assurance and
related services that are reasonably related to the performance
of the audit or review of the Companys consolidated
financial statements and are not reported under Audit
Fees. These services include attest services that are not
required by statute or regulation and consultations concerning
financial accounting and reporting standards.
Tax Fees
Tax fees consist of fees billed for professional services for
tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning. These services
include assistance regarding federal, state and local tax
compliance and custom and duties tax planning.
All Other Fees
Other fees consist of fees for products and services other than
the services reported above. There were no fees paid to
Deloitte & Touche LLP in fiscal 2005 or 2004 that are
not included in the above classifications.
Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and
Permissible Non-Audit Services of Independent Auditors
All services provided by Deloitte & Touche LLP are
subject to pre-approval by the Companys audit committee.
Before granting any approval, the audit committee must receive:
(1) a detailed description of the proposed service;
(2) a statement from management as to why they believe
Deloitte & Touche LLP is best qualified to perform the
service; and (3) an estimate of the fees to be incurred.
Before granting any approval, the audit committee gives due
consideration to whether approval of the proposed service will
have a detrimental impact on the independence of
Deloitte & Touche LLP.
SECTION 16(A) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING
COMPLIANCE
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the 1934 Act), requires the
Companys directors, executive officers and persons who own
more than 10% of the common stock of the
15
Company to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership and
reports of changes in ownership of the common stock. They are
also required to furnish the Company with copies of all
Section 16(a) forms they file with the SEC.
To the Companys knowledge, based solely on its review of
the copies of such reports furnished to it and written
representations that no other reports were required, during the
fiscal year ended April 3, 2005, all of the Companys
officers, directors and greater than 10% stockholders complied
with all applicable Section 16(a) filing requirements.
OTHER MATTERS
The board does not contemplate bringing before the Annual
Meeting any matter other than those specified in the
accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders, nor does
it have information that other matters will be presented at the
Annual Meeting. If other matters come before the Annual Meeting,
signed proxies will be voted upon such questions in accordance
with the best judgment of the persons acting under the proxies.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Where You Can Find More Information
Crown Crafts is delivering with this proxy statement a copy of
its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
April 3, 2005. Crown Crafts files annual, quarterly and
current reports, proxy statements and other information with the
SEC. You may read and copy these reports, statements or other
information at the SECs Public Reference Room at 450 Fifty
Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC
at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the public
reference rooms. The Companys SEC filings are also
available to the public from commercial document retrieval
services and at the website maintained by the SEC at
http://www.sec.gov.
Code of Ethics
The Company has adopted a code of ethics that is applicable to
the Companys chief executive officer and all senior
financial officers, including the chief financial officer and
principal accounting officer. The complete text of the code of
ethics is available on the Companys website at
www.crowncrafts.com. It has also been filed as an exhibit
to the Companys 2004 Annual Report on Form 10-K. The
Company intends to post any amendments to, or waivers from, its
code of ethics on its website.
Stockholder Proposals
Crown Crafts will hold an annual meeting in the year 2006.
Pursuant to the Companys bylaws and Rule 14a-8 under
the 1934 Act, stockholders may present proper proposals for
inclusion in the Companys proxy statement with respect to
such meeting. Under the Companys bylaws, you must notify
the Companys secretary in writing not less than
90 days in advance of such meeting or, if later, the
seventh day following the first public announcement of the date
of such meeting, of any proposals. Such notice must include
(a) the name and address of the stockholder and the person
or persons to be nominated as directors or a description of the
business to be proposed; (b) the class and number of shares
of the Companys capital stock that are owned beneficially
by such stockholder; and (c) as applicable, all information
relating to such nominee or each matter of business to be
proposed by such stockholder that would be required to be
included in a proxy statement filed pursuant to the proxy rules
of the SEC had the nominee been nominated, or the matter been
proposed, by the board. In addition, your proposal must
otherwise comply with Rule 14a-8 to be eligible for
inclusion in the Companys 2006 proxy statement. Even if
the Company receives a proposal from a stockholder in a timely
manner, it reserves the right to omit from its 2006 proxy
statement any proposal that it is not required to include under
the 1934 Act.
16
You may write to the Secretary of Crown Crafts at the following
address: Crown Crafts, Inc., P.O. Box 1028, Gonzales,
Louisiana 70707, Attn: Corporate Secretary.
Householding of Proxy Materials
The SEC has adopted rules that permit companies and
intermediaries such as brokers to satisfy delivery requirements
for proxy statements with respect to two or more stockholders
sharing the same address by delivering a single proxy statement
addressed to those stockholders. This process, which is commonly
referred to as householding, potentially provides
extra convenience for stockholders and cost savings for
companies. It is anticipated that a number of brokers with
account holders who are stockholders of the Company will be
householding the Companys proxy materials. If you receive
notice from your broker that it will be householding materials
to your address, householding will continue until you are
notified otherwise or until you revoke your consent. If, at any
time, you no longer wish to participate in householding and
would prefer to receive a separate proxy statement, or if you
are receiving multiple copies of the proxy statement and wish to
receive only one, please notify your broker or notify us by
sending a written request to Crown Crafts, Inc., P.O.
Box 1028, Gonzales, Louisiana 70707, Attn: Corporate
Secretary.
17
CROWN CRAFTS, INC.
Post Office Box 1028
Gonzales, Louisiana 70707-1028
This Proxy is Solicited on Behalf of the Board of
Directors.
The undersigned hereby appoints E. Randall Chestnut
and Amy Vidrine Samson, and each of them, with full
power of substitution, the proxies and attorneys of the
undersigned at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the
Meeting) of Crown Crafts, Inc. (the
Company) to be held on August 9, 2005, at the
Companys headquarters,
916 South Burnside Avenue, Gonzales,
Louisiana 70737, at 10:00 a.m., central daylight time,
and at any adjournment or postponement thereof, and hereby
authorizes them to vote as designated below at the Meeting all
the shares of Series A Common Stock of the Company held of
record by the undersigned as of June 10, 2005.
|
|
1. |
Election of the following nominees to the Board of Directors in
Class I for three-year terms of office: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
o
|
|
FOR all nominees listed below (except as marked to the
contrary below) |
|
o
|
|
WITHHOLD AUTHORITY to vote for all nominees listed below |
Class III: Donald
Ratajczak James
A. Verbrugge
INSTRUCTIONS: To withhold authority to vote for any
individual nominee(s), write the name(s) of such nominee(s)
in the space provided below. If this proxy is executed by the
undersigned in such manner as not to withhold authority
to vote for the election of any nominee, this proxy shall be
deemed to grant such authority.
|
|
2. |
To transact any other business that may properly come before the
Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof: |
o FOR o AGAINST o ABSTAIN
UNLESS OTHERWISE MARKED, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED AS IF
MARKED FOR THE PROPOSALS ABOVE.
Receipt of the accompanying proxy statement dated
June 27, 2005 is hereby acknowledged.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Print
Name(s): |
|
|
|
Signature: |
|
|
|
Signature If
Held
Jointly: |
|
|
|
Dated: |
|
|
|
, 2005 |
|
|
|
Please date and sign in the same manner in which your shares are
registered. When signing as executor, administrator, trustee,
guardian, attorney or corporate officer, please give full title
as such. Joint owners should each sign. |