Unassociated Document
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES EXCHANGE
COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE
14A
Proxy
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of
1934
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Filed by the Registrant:
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Filed
by a Party other than the Registrant:
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Check the appropriate
box:
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Preliminary
Proxy
Statement
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Confidential,
for Use of the
Commission only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
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Definitive
Proxy
Statement
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Definitive
Additional
Materials
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Soliciting
Material Pursuant to
§240.14a-12
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DGSE
COMPANIES, INC.
(Name
of Registrant as
Specified in Its Charter)
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(Name
of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the
Registrant)
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Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate
box)
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No
fee required.
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Fee
computed on table below per
Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4) 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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Aggregate number
of
securities to which transaction applies:
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3.
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Per unit price
or
other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange
Act
Rule 0-11 (Set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated
and
state how it was determined):
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4.
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Proposed maximum
aggregate value of transaction:
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5.
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Total fee
paid:
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Fee
paid previously with preliminary
materials.
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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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3.
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Filing
Party:
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4.
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Date
Filed:
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DGSE
COMPANIES, INC.
2817 Forest Lane
Dallas, Texas 75234
(972)
484-3662
NOTICE
OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON JULY 27, 2007
TO THE STOCKHOLDERS OF DGSE
COMPANIES, INC.:
NOTICE
IS
HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of DGSE COMPANIES, INC.,
a
Nevada corporation (the “Company”), will be held on Friday, July 27, 2007 at
11:30 a.m. local time, at our principal offices located at 2817 Forest Lane.
Dallas, Texas 75234.
1.
To elect directors to the Company’s
board of directors, to serve until their successors are elected and qualified
or
their earlier resignation or removal;
2.
To ratify the selection of BKR
Cornwell Jackson as the independent registered public accounting firm of the
Company for its fiscal year ending December 31, 2007; and
3.
To transact such other business
as
may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement
thereof.
The
nominees intended to be presented for election as directors are:
Dr. L.S. Smith, Ph.D.; William H. Oyster; Dr. William P.
Cordeiro, Ph.D.; Craig Alan-Lee; Richard M. Gozia; David Rector; and Mitchell
T.
Stoltz.
The
foregoing items of business are more fully described in the Proxy Statement
accompanying this Notice.
The
board of directors has fixed the close of business on June 27, 2007, as the
record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to notice of and
to
vote at this Annual Meeting and at any adjournment or postponement
thereof.
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By Order of the Board of Directors,
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/s/ Dr. L.S. Smith
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Dr. L.S. Smith
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Chairman and
Secretary
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Dallas, Texas
July 12,
2007
ALL STOCKHOLDERS
ARE
CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND THE MEETING IN PERSON. WHETHER OR NOT YOU EXPECT
TO
ATTEND THE MEETING, PLEASE COMPLETE, DATE, SIGN AND RETURN THE ENCLOSED PROXY
AS
PROMPTLY AS POSSIBLE IN ORDER TO ENSURE YOUR REPRESENTATION AT THE MEETING.
EVEN
IF YOU HAVE GIVEN YOUR PROXY, YOU MAY STILL VOTE IN PERSON IF YOU ATTEND THE
MEETING. PLEASE NOTE, HOWEVER, THAT IF YOUR SHARES ARE HELD OF RECORD BY A
BROKER, BANK OR OTHER NOMINEE AND YOU WISH TO VOTE AT THE MEETING, YOU MUST
OBTAIN FROM THE RECORD HOLDER A PROXY ISSUED IN YOUR NAME.
DGSE
COMPANIES, INC.
2817 Forest Lane
Dallas, Texas 75234
(972)
484-3662
PROXY
STATEMENT
FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To
be
held July 27, 2007
INFORMATION
CONCERNING SOLICITATION AND
VOTING
General
The
enclosed proxy solicitation is being made to the holders of record on June
27,
2007 of common stock of DGSE Companies, Inc., a Nevada corporation, on behalf
of
our board of directors for use at our Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be
held
on July 27, 2007, at 11:30 a.m. local time, which we refer to as our annual
meeting, or at any adjournment or postponement thereof, for the purposes set
forth herein and in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting. Our annual
meeting will be held at our principal offices located at 2817 Forest Lane,
Dallas, Texas 75234. We intend to mail or electronically deliver this proxy
statement, the accompanying proxy card and Notice of Annual Meeting on or about
July 12, 2007 to all stockholders entitled to vote at our annual meeting.
Solicitation
We will
bear the entire cost of solicitation of proxies, including preparation,
assembly, printing and mailing of this proxy statement, the proxy and any
additional information furnished to stockholders. Copies of solicitation
materials will be furnished to banks, brokerage houses, fiduciaries and
custodians holding in their names shares of common stock beneficially owned
by
others to forward to such beneficial owners. We may reimburse persons
representing beneficial owners of common stock for their costs of forwarding
solicitation materials to such beneficial owners. Original solicitation of
proxies by mail may be supplemented by telephone, telegram or personal
solicitation by directors, officers or other regular employees of our company.
No additional compensation will be paid to directors, officers or other regular
employees for such services.
Voting Rights and
Outstanding Shares
In order
to conduct business at our annual meeting, a quorum must be present. The holders
of a majority of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of common stock at
our
annual meeting, present in person or represented by proxy, constitutes a quorum
under our bylaws. We will treat shares of our common stock represented by a
properly signed and returned proxy, including abstentions and broker non-votes,
as present at our annual meeting for the purposes of determining the presence
of
a quorum. If a quorum is not present, we anticipate that our annual meeting
will
be adjourned to solicit additional proxies.
We have
designated a record date of June 27, 2007 for our annual meeting. Only
stockholders of record at the close of business on the record date will be
entitled to notice of and to vote at our annual meeting. At the close of
business on the record date we had 9,479,003 shares of common stock outstanding
and entitled to vote. On all matters to be voted upon at our annual meeting,
each holder of record of common stock on the record date will be entitled to
one
vote for each share held.
All votes
will be tabulated by the inspector of election appointed for the meeting, who
will separately tabulate affirmative and negative votes, abstentions and broker
non votes. Abstentions and broker non-votes will be counted towards the
tabulation of votes cast on proposals presented to the stockholders for the
purposes of determining the presence of a quorum and will have the same effect
as negative votes. If you sign your proxy card or broker voting instruction
card
with no instructions, your shares will be voted in accordance with the
recommendations of our Board.
Revocability of
Proxies
Any
person giving a proxy pursuant to this solicitation has the power to revoke
it
at any time before it is voted. It may be revoked by filing a written notice
of
revocation or a duly executed proxy bearing a later date with our corporate
secretary at our principal offices, 2817 Forest Lane, Dallas, Texas 75234,
Attention: Corporate Secretary, or it may be revoked by attending the
meeting and voting in person. Attendance at the meeting will not, by itself,
revoke a proxy.
If you
have instructed your broker to vote your shares, you must follow directions
received from your broker to change those instructions.
Stockholder
Proposals
Requirements
for Stockholder Proposals to be Brought Before an Annual Meeting. For
stockholder nominations to our board of directors or other proposals to be
considered at an annual meeting of our stockholders, the stockholder must have
given us timely notice of the proposal or nomination in writing to our corporate
secretary pursuant to Rule 14a-4 (c) under the Exchange Act. To be timely for
our 2008 annual meeting, a stockholder’s notice must be delivered to or mailed
and received by our corporate secretary at our principal executive offices
not
later than May 19, 2008.
Requirements
for Stockholder Proposals to be Considered for Inclusion in DGSE’s Proxy
Materials. Stockholder proposals submitted pursuant to Rule 14a-8(e) under
the Exchange Act for inclusion in our proxy materials and intended to be
presented at our 2008 annual meeting must be received by our corporate secretary
in writing not later than March 5, 2008 to be considered for inclusion in our
proxy materials for that meeting. The proposal also must meet the other
requirements of the rules of the SEC relating to stockholder proposals.
Copies of Annual
Report
A copy
of
the our Annual Report on Form 10-K and on Form 10-K/A for our fiscal year ended
December 31, 2006, as filed with the SEC, was previously mailed to you on or
about April 20, 2007. We will furnish an additional copy of these reports to
our
stockholders without charge upon written request to the attention of our
corporate secretary addressed to DGSE Companies, Inc., 2817 Forest Lane, Dallas,
Texas 75234.
2
PROPOSAL
ONE
ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
There
are
seven nominees for election to our board of directors. Each director to be
elected will hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders and
until
his or her successor is elected and has qualified, or until such director’s
earlier death, resignation or removal. Each nominee listed below is currently
a
director of our company. Four of the directors were elected by the stockholders
at our 2006 annual meeting. Three of the directors, Richard M. Gozia, David
Rector, and Mitchell T. Stoltz, were elected to our board on June 1, 2007,
pursuant to the terms of the amended and restated agreement and plan of merger
and reorganization related to our acquisition of Superior Galleries, Inc. We
encourage our board members to attend our annual meetings of stockholders.
Two
of the four nominees who were members of our board at the time of the 2006
annual meeting of our stockholders attended that meeting.
Shares
represented by executed proxies will be voted, if authority to do so is not
withheld, for the election of the seven nominees named below. In the event
that
any nominee is unavailable for election as a result of an unexpected occurrence,
those shares will be voted for the election of a substitute nominee proposed
by
our board or management. Each person nominated for election has agreed to serve
if elected and management has no reason to believe that any nominee will be
unable to serve.
The seven
candidates receiving the highest number of affirmative votes cast at the meeting
will be elected directors.
Our
board of directors recommends a vote IN FAVOR of each named
nominee
Nominees
The
names of the nominees and certain information about them are set forth
below:
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Name
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Age
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Position
and Offices
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Year
First Elected Director or Appointed
Officer of Company
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Dr. L.S.
Smith, Ph.D
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60
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Chairman
of
the board of directors, chief executive officer, secretary and
director
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1980
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William
H. Oyster
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54
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Director,
president, and chief operating officer
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1990
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Dr. William
P. Cordeiro, Ph.D.
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63
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Director
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1999
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Craig
Alan-Lee
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50
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Director
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2004
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Richard
M. Gozia
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62
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Director
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2007
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David
Rector
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60
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Director
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2007
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Mitchell
T. Stoltz
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53
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Director
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2007
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Dr. L.S.
Smith has served as chairman of our board of directors, and as our
chief executive officer and secretary, since 1980. Dr. Smith obtained a
B.A. in political science from UCLA in 1967, an M.P.A. in public administration
from UCLA in 1969, and an M.A., E.M.B.A. and Ph.D. in management from the Peter
Drucker School of Management at the Claremont Graduate University in 1981,
1984
and 1991, respectively.
Mr. Oyster
has served as a director, and as our president and chief operating officer,
since January 1990. Mr. Oyster obtained an A.A.S. in nursing from Grayson
County College in 1976.
Dr. Cordeiro
has served as a director and an independent member and financial expert of
our
audit committee since June 1999. He has served as the director of the Smith
School of Business and Economics, California State University — Channel Islands
since June 1990. He has also been a partner of Bartik, Cordeiro &
Associates, Inc., a management consulting firm, since January 1990.
Dr. Cordeiro obtained a B.S. in biology from the University of San
Francisco in 1966, an M.B.A. in finance from USC in 1969, an M.A. in management
from Claremont Graduate School in 1982 and a Ph.D. in executive management
from
Claremont Graduate School in 1986.
3
Mr. Alan-Lee
has served as a director and independent member of our audit committee since
December 2004. He has served as a senior loan consultant with Castle Funding,
Inc., a mortgage loan company, since November 1994.
Mr. Gozia
has served as the chief executive officer of Fenix Companies, a subsidiary
of
Union Pacific Corporation responsible for transportation-related software
development and data management, since 2001. Prior to that, Mr. Gozia
served as president and chief operating officer of CellStar Corporation, a
global distributor of wireless phone products, from 1996 until 1999. Prior
to
that, Mr. Gozia served as executive vice president and chief financial
officer of SpectraVision, Inc., an in-room hotel movie provider, from 1994
until
1996. He has also served as a director of ForeFront Holdings, Inc. (f/k/a Datrek
Miller International, Inc.) since June 2005. Mr. Gozia obtained a B.S. in
accounting from the University of Missouri in 1970 and is a certified public
accountant in the State of Texas.
Mr. Rector
has served as a principal of David Stephen Group, which provides enterprise
consulting services to emerging and developing companies in a variety of
industries, since 1985. Prior to that, he served as president, chief executive
officer and chief operating officer of Nanoscience Technologies, Inc., a
development stage company engaged in the development and commercialization
of
DNA nanotechnology, from June 2004 to December 2006. He has also served as
a
director of Senesco Technologies, Inc., a research and development company
focused on genetic technologies to improve commercial agriculture and to treat
major medical conditions in humans, since 2002, and as a director of Superior
Galleries, Inc. from May 2003 until May 2007. Mr. Rector obtained a B.S. in
business from Murray State University in 1969.
Mr. Stoltz
has been an independent consultant to the beverage distribution industry as
well
as other industries since January 2001. Prior to that, he served as the
president of NWS Illinois d/b/a Union Beverage/Hamburg Distribution, a beer
and
soda distributor, from 1999 to 2001. He has also served as a director of NWS
Illinois d/b/a Union Beverage/Hamburg Distribution since 1999 and as director
of
Superior Galleries, Inc. from December 2005 until May 2007. Mr. Stoltz
obtained a B.B.A. from Notre Dame University in 1972 and an M.B.A. from
Northwestern University — J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management in
1986.
Corporate Governance
Agreement
In
connection with our acquisition of Superior Galleries, Inc. (Superior), in
May
2007, we entered into a corporate governance agreement (the corporate governance
agreement) with Stanford International Bank Ltd. (Stanford), our largest
stockholder and a lender to Superior, and Dr. Smith, our second-largest
stockholder, chairman and chief executive officer. Pursuant to the corporate
governance agreement, subject to the applicable fiduciary duties of our board
of
directors and compliance with applicable law, we have agreed to recommend up
to
six nominees to constitute our board of directors.
Each
of
Dr. Smith and Mr. Oyster has the right to be nominated for election to
our board as long as he serves as an executive officer of our company. In
addition, Dr. Smith has the right to nominate two “independent directors”
(as defined in the corporate governance agreement) for election to our board
as
long as he beneficially owns at least 10% of our outstanding shares of common
stock. Dr. Smith has exercised this right to nominate Dr. Cordeiro and
Mr. Alan-Lee for election to our board. Stanford has the right to nominate
two “independent directors” (as defined in the corporate governance agreement)
for election to our board as long as it beneficially owns at least 15% of our
outstanding shares of common stock. Stanford has exercised this right to
nominate Messrs. Stoltz and Gozia for election to our board.
4
BOARD
AND COMMITTEE MATTERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS
Corporate
Governance
We
maintain a corporate governance page on our website which includes our Code
of
Business Conduct and Ethics, which includes a whistleblower protection policy,
and the charters for our committees of our board of directors. The corporate
governance page can be found at www.DGSE.com, by clicking on “About Us,”
and then on the “DGSE Code of Business Conduct & Ethics” link.
Our
policies and practices reflect corporate governance initiatives that are
designed to be compliant with the listing requirements of The NASDAQ Stock
Market and the corporate governance requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
of
2002, including:
·
A
majority of our board members are
independent of our company and our management;
·
All
members of our standing board committee
— the audit committee — are independent (within the meaning of the NASDAQ
listing standards);
·
The
independent members of our board meet
regularly without the presence of management;
·
We
have a clear code of business conduct
and ethics that applies to our principal executive officers, our directors
and
all of our employees, and is monitored by our audit committee;
·
The
charter of our audit committee clearly
establishes its roles and responsibilities; and
·
We
have a specific telephone number
available to all employees, and our audit committee has procedures in place
for
the anonymous submission of employee complaints on accounting, internal
accounting controls, or auditing matters.
Board of
Directors
Our
board of directors currently has seven directors: Dr. L.S. Smith
(Chairman), William H. Oyster, Dr. William P. Cordeiro, Craig Alan-Lee,
Richard M. Gozia; David Rector, and Mitchell T. Stoltz. During 2006, our board
had five directors: Dr. Smith, Messrs. Oyster, Cordeiro and
Alan-Lee, and Paul Hagen. On March 28, 2007, Mr. Hagen resigned as a
director of our board and on March 30, 2007, our board appointed Alfred W.
Slayton as an independent director. On June 1, 2007, Mr. Slayton resigned
as a director of our board, and our board appointed Mr. Rector as an
independent director.
Our board
met four times and acted by unanimous written consent once during 2006. All
members of our board were present at each meeting.
Independence of the
Board of Directors
Our
company is a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NASDAQ listing
standards because our two largest stockholders, Dr. Smith and Stanford, who
have entered into a corporate governance agreement with our company and have
filed Schedule 13Ds with the SEC as a group, collectively hold approximately
64%
of the voting power of our company. Accordingly, we are not obligated to comply
with the independent director requirements of the NASDAQ listing
standards.
Pursuant
to the corporate governance agreement, four of the directors which Stanford
and
Dr. Smith have the right to nominate must be “independent” within the
meaning of the agreement. The agreement defines as independent a nominee or
director who, amongst other things, is an individual our board has determined,
in the case of a director standing for re-election, or our board is reasonably
likely to determine, in the case of a new director nominee, to be independent
within the meaning of the applicable listing rules of our principal trading
market (currently The NASDAQ Stock Market) and the applicable rules under the
Exchange Act.
After
review of all relevant transactions or relationships between each director,
or
any of his or her family members, and us, our senior management and our
independent registered public accounting firm, our board of directors has
affirmatively determined that five of our seven directors — Dr. Cordeiro
and Messrs. Alan-Lee, Gozia, Rector and Stoltz — are “independent” within
the meaning of the applicable NASDAQ listing standards and our corporate
governance agreement.
5
Executive
Sessions
As
required under the NASDAQ listing standards, during the calendar year ended
December 31, 2006, our independent directors met at least twice in regularly
scheduled executive sessions at which only independent directors were
present.
Stockholder
Communications with the Board of Directors
We have
adopted a formal process by which stockholders may communicate with our board
of
directors. Our board recommends that stockholders initiate any communications
with the board in writing and send them in care of the investor relations
department by mail to our principal offices, 2817 Forest Lane, Dallas, Texas
75234. This centralized process will assist the board in reviewing and
responding to stockholder communications in an appropriate manner. The name
of
any specific intended board recipient should be noted in the communication.
The
board has instructed the investor relations department to forward such
correspondence only to the intended recipients; however, the board has also
instructed the investor relations department, prior to forwarding any
correspondence, to review such correspondence and, in its discretion, not to
forward certain items if they are deemed of a personal, illegal, commercial,
offensive or frivolous nature or otherwise inappropriate for the board’s
consideration. In such cases, that correspondence will be forwarded to our
corporate secretary for review and possible response. This information is also
contained on our website at www.DGSE.com.
Information Regarding
the Board of Directors Committees
During
2006, the only standing committee of our board of directors was the audit
committee. Because our company is a “controlled company” under the NASDAQ
listing standards, our board is not obligated by those listing standards to
have, and our board does not have, a nominating committee or a compensation
committee, or any committees performing similar functions. The audit committee
was established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58) of the Exchange Act. The
current charter for our audit committee is included as Annex 1 and can also
be
found on our website at www.DGSE.com.
The audit
committee oversees our corporate accounting and financial reporting processes.
Among other functions, the audit committee:
·
oversees
our financial reporting process on
behalf of the board and reports the results of their activities to the
board;
·
sets
the overall corporate “tone” for
quality financial reporting, sound business risk practices, and ethical
behavior;
·
together
with the board, evaluates and,
where appropriate, replaces our independent registered public accounting
firm;
·
discusses
with our independent registered
public accounting firm their independence from management and our company and
the matters included in the written disclosures required by the Independence
Standards Board;
·
annually
reviews and recommends to the
board the selection of our independent registered public accounting
firm;
·
reviews
the interim financial statements
with management prior to the filing of our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and
discusses the results of the quarterly review and any other matters required
to
be communicated to the audit committee by the independent registered public
accounting firm under generally accepted auditing standards; and
·
reviews
with management and the independent
registered public accounting firm the financial statements to be included in
our
annual report on Form 10-K (or the annual reports to our stockholders if
distributed prior to the filing of a Form 10-K), including their judgment about
the quality, not just acceptability, of accounting principles, the
reasonableness of significant judgments, and the clarity of the disclosures
in
the financial statements, and discusses the results of the annual audit and
any
other matters required to be communicated to the audit committee by the
independent registered public accounting firm under generally accepted auditing
standards.
6
The
audit committee has the authority to retain special legal, accounting or other
advisors or consultants as it deems necessary or appropriate to carry out its
duties. The audit committee is currently composed of Dr. William P.
Cordeiro, Ph.D. (Chairman), David Rector and Craig Alan-Lee. During 2006, it
was
composed of Dr. Cordeiro and Messrs. Alan-Lee and Hagen. On March 28,
2007, Mr. Hagen resigned as a director of our board and from the audit
committee and on March 30, 2007, our board appointed Alfred W. Slayton as an
independent director and member of the audit committee. On June 1, 2007,
Mr. Slayton resigned as a director of our board and from the audit
committee, and our board appointed Mr. Rector as an independent director
and member of the audit committee. The audit committee met four times during
2006.
Our board
of directors annually reviews the NASDAQ listing standards definition of
independence for audit committee members and has determined that all members
of
our audit committee are independent (as independence is currently defined in
Rule 4350(d)(2)(A) of the NASDAQ listing standards). Our board of directors
has
determined that each member of the audit committee is able to read and
understand fundamental financial statements, including our company’s balance
sheet, income statement and cash flow statement. Our board has also determined
that Dr. Cordeiro and Mr. Rector each qualifies as an “audit committee
financial expert,” as defined in applicable SEC rules. In making such
determinations, the board made a qualitative assessment of Dr. Cordeiro’s
and Mr. Rector’s level of knowledge and experience based on a number of
factors, including each individual’s formal education and experience. See
“Report of the Audit Committee.”
The audit
committee has discussed with BKR Cornwell Jackson, our independent registered
public accounting firm, the matters required to be discussed by the Statement
on
Auditing Standards No. 61 (Communication with Audit Committees). The audit
committee has also received the written disclosures and the letter from BKR
Cornwell Jackson required by Independent Standards Board Standard No. 1
(Independence Discussion with Audit Committees) and the audit committee has
discussed with BKR Cornwell Jackson the independence of BKR Cornwell Jackson
as
auditors of the Company. Based on the foregoing, the audit committee recommended
to the board that our audited financial statements be included in our annual
report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 for filing with the
SEC.
Consideration of
Director Nominees
Because
our company is a “controlled company” for purposes of the NASDAQ listing
standards, our board is not required by those listing standards either to have
a
nominating committee or to have director nominees selected, or recommended
for
the board’s selection, either by a majority of the independent directors or a
nominating committee comprised solely of independent directors. Our board has
not established a standing nominating committee or a charter with respect to
the
nominating process. Instead, our entire board is involved in the director
nomination process.
Our board
is of the view that such a committee is unnecessary given that almost all
directors are nominated pursuant to the corporate governance agreement and
the
fact that all directors are considered by and recommended to our stockholders
by
the full board, which is comprised of a majority of independent directors.
If
our board established 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 stockholders, current
directors or management, and we have never engaged a third party to identify
director candidates.
Director
Qualifications
Our board
believes that new candidates for director should have certain minimum
qualifications, including having the knowledge, capabilities, experience and
contacts that complement those currently existing within our company; having
the
ability to meet contemporary public company board standards with respect to
general governance; stewardship, depth of review, independence, financial
certification, personal integrity and responsibility to stockholders; a genuine
desire and availability to participate actively in the development of our
future; and an orientation toward maximizing stockholder value in realistic
time
frames. The board also intends to consider such factors as ability to contribute
strategically through relevant industry background and experience; independence
from our company and current board members; and a recognizable name that would
add credibility and value to our company and its stockholders. The board may
modify these qualifications from time to time.
7
Evaluating
Nominees for Director
Most
of
our nominees for election as directors are nominated pursuant to the corporate
governance agreement. With respect to these nominees, our board reviews
candidates to ensure they are “independent”, as defined in the corporate
governance agreement. Under that agreement, a nominee is “independent” if he or
she (i) is not and has never been an officer or employee of DGSE or Stanford
or
their respective affiliates or associates, or of any entity that derived 5%
or
more of its revenues or earnings in any of its three most recent fiscal years
from transactions involving DGSE or Stanford or any affiliate or associate
of
any of them, (ii) has no affiliation, compensation, consulting or contracting
arrangement with DGSE or Stanford or their respective affiliates or associates
or any other entity such that a reasonable person would regard such individual
as likely to be unduly influenced by management of DGSE or Stanford,
respectively, or their respective affiliates or associates, and (iii) is a
director our board has determined, or a nominee our board is reasonably likely
to determine, to be “independent” within the meaning of the applicable listing
rules of our principal trading market (currently The NASDAQ Stock Market) and
Section 10A(m)(3) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10A-3(b)(1) promulgated
thereunder.
With
respect to nominees not nominated pursuant to the corporate governance
agreement, our board reviews candidates for director nominees in the context
of
the current composition of our board, our operating requirements and the
long-term interests of our stockholders. In conducting this assessment, our
board currently considers, among other factors, diversity, age, skills, and
such
other factors as it deems appropriate given the current needs of our board
and
our company, to maintain a balance of knowledge, experience and capability.
In
the case of incumbent directors whose terms of office are set to expire, our
board reviews the directors’ overall service to our company during his or her
term, including the number of meetings attended, level of participation, quality
of performance, and any other relationships and transactions that might impair
the director’s independence. In the case of new director candidates, our board
also determines whether the nominee must be independent, which determination
is
based upon applicable NASDAQ listing standards, applicable SEC rules and
regulations and the advice of counsel, if necessary. Our board then uses its
network of contacts to compile a list of potential candidates, but may also
engage, if it deems appropriate, a professional search firm. Our board conducts
any appropriate and necessary inquiries into the backgrounds and qualifications
of possible candidates after considering the function and needs of our board.
Our board meets to discuss and consider such candidates’ qualifications and then
selects a nominee for recommendation to our stockholders by majority vote.
To
date, our board has not paid a fee to any third party to assist in the process
of identifying or evaluating director candidates. To date, our board has not
rejected a timely director nominee from a stockholder or group of stockholders
that beneficially owned, in the aggregate, more than 5% of our voting
stock.
Stockholder
Nominations
The board
applies the same guidelines (described above) to stockholder nominees as applied
to nominees from other sources. Any stockholder who wishes to recommend a
prospective director nominee for the board’s consideration may do so by giving
the candidate’s name and qualifications in writing to our chairman of the board
at our principal executive offices at 2817 Forest Lane, Dallas, Texas 75234.
The
proposing stockholder should also include his or her contact information and
a
statement of his or her share ownership, as well as any other information
required by our bylaws.
Executive and Director
Compensation
Because
our company is a “controlled company” for purposes of the NASDAQ listing
standards, our board is not required by those listing standards to have a
compensation committee or to have compensation determined either by a majority
of the independent directors or a compensation committee comprised solely of
independent directors. Our board has not established a standing compensation
committee or a charter with respect to the compensation process. Instead, our
entire board is involved in the compensation process.
Until
a
compensation committee is established, our entire board of directors is
responsible for reviewing all forms of compensation provided to our executive
officers, directors, consultants and employees, including stock compensation,
as
described more fully under the Compensation Discussion and Analysis heading
above. Our board does not employ compensation consultants in determining
executive or director compensation.
8
Compensation
Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
Since
we
have elected to be classified as a “controlled company” within the meaning of
the NASDAQ listing standards, we do not have a compensation committee of our
board of directors, or any committee performing similar functions. During 2006,
none of our directors or executive officers is known by us to have served on
the
board of directors or compensation (or equivalent) committee of any entity
one
of whose directors or officers serves on our board of directors, except that
on
January 6, 2007, William H. Oyster, a director and named executive officer,
became a director and executive officer of Superior Galleries, Inc.
Dr. Smith
and Mr. Oyster, who are executive officers identified in the Summary
Compensation Table below, served on our board of directors in 2006 and
participated in deliberations of the board concerning executive officer
compensation. No other current or past executive officers of our company serves
on our board of directors.
Code of Business
Conduct and Ethics
We have
adopted a “Code of Business Conduct and Ethics,” a code of ethics that applies
to all employees, including our executive officers. A copy of our Code of
Business Conduct and Ethics is posted on our internet site at
www.DGSE.com. In the event we make any amendments to, or grant any
waivers of, a provision of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies
to the principal executive officer, principal financial officer, or principal
accounting officer that requires disclosure under applicable SEC rules, we
intend to disclose such amendment or waiver and the reasons therefor on a Form
8-K or on our next periodic report.
AUDIT
COMMITTEE REPORT
Introductory
Note: The material in this report is not “soliciting material” and is being
furnished to, but not deemed filed with, the SEC. This report is not deemed
to
be incorporated by reference by any general statement incorporating by reference
this proxy statement into any filing under the Securities Act or under the
Exchange Act, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate this
information by reference, and shall not otherwise be deemed soliciting material
or filed under such acts.
The
following is the report of the Audit Committee with respect to our audited
financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006.
The Audit
Committee has reviewed and discussed the audited financial statements of DGSE
Companies, Inc. with senior management. The Audit Committee has discussed with
BKR Cornwell Jackson, our independent registered public accounting firm, the
matters required to be discussed by Statement of Auditing Standards No. 61,
Communication with Audit Committees, which includes, among other items,
matters related to the conduct of the audit of our financial statements. The
Audit Committee has also received written disclosures and the letter from BKR
Cornwell Jackson required by Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1, which
relates to the accounting firm’s independence from our company, and has
discussed with BKR Cornwell Jackson its independence from our company.
Based
on
the review and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended
to
the board of directors that audited financial statements be included in our
company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2006.
The Audit
Committee acts pursuant to the Audit Committee Charter adopted by the board
of
directors. Each of the members of the Audit Committee qualifies as an
independent director under the current listing standards of the NASDAQ Stock
Market. The Charter of the Audit Committee is attached as Annex 1 to this proxy
statement.
AUDIT
COMMITTEE
Dr. William
P. Cordeiro, Ph.D. (Chairman)
David Rector (Mr. Rector was not a
member of the Audit Committee during 2006)
Craig Alan-Lee
9
COMPENSATION
COMMITTEE REPORT
Introductory
Note: The material in this report is not “soliciting material” and is being
furnished to, but not deemed filed with, the SEC. This report is not deemed
to
be incorporated by reference by any general statement incorporating by reference
this proxy statement into any filing under the Securities Act or under the
Exchange Act, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate this
information by reference, and shall not otherwise be deemed soliciting material
or filed under such acts.
The
following is the report of the board of directors with respect to the
Compensation Discussion and Analysis set forth in this proxy statement.
The board
of directors does not have a compensation committee. Accordingly, the full
board
of directors has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis
set forth in this proxy statement with management and based on this review
and
discussion has approved it for inclusion in this proxy statement.
BOARD
OF DIRECTORS
Dr. L.S.
Smith, Ph.D. (Chairman)
William H. Oyster
Dr. William P. Cordeiro,
Ph.D.
Craig Alan-Lee
Richard M. Gozia
David Rector
Mitchell T.
Stoltz
10
PROPOSAL
TWO
RATIFICATION
OF SELECTION OF
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED
PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Our audit
committee has selected BKR Cornwell Jackson as our independent registered public
accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2007. BKR Cornwell
Jackson has served as our independent registered public accounting firm since
October 2004 and audited our financial statements for the 2006 fiscal year.
A
representative of BKR Cornwell Jackson is expected to be present at the annual
meeting, will have the opportunity to make a statement if he or she desires
to
do so, and is expected to be available to respond to appropriate
questions.
Stockholder
ratification of the selection of BKR Cornwell Jackson is not required by our
bylaws or otherwise. However, we are submitting the selection of BKR Cornwell
Jackson to our stockholders for ratification as a matter of good corporate
governance. If our stockholders fail to ratify the selection, our audit
committee will consider whether or not to retain that firm. Even if the
selection is ratified, our audit committee in its discretion may direct the
appointment of a different independent registered public accounting firm at
any
time during the year if it determines that such a change would be in the best
interest of our company and our stockholders.
The
affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast at the meeting, either in
person or by proxy, is required to ratify the selection of BKR Cornwell Jackson.
Abstentions will be counted toward the tabulation of votes cast on proposals
presented to the stockholders for the purpose of determining a quorum and will
have the same effect as negative votes. Broker non votes are counted towards
a
quorum, but are not counted for any purpose in determining whether this matter
has been approved.
Independent Registered
Public Accountants Fees
The
following table presents fees billed by BKR Cornwell Jackson for professional
services rendered for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Audit
Fees(1)
|
|
$
|
38,180
|
|
$
|
34,900
|
Audit
Related Fees
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
—
|
Tax
Fees(2)
|
|
|
12,131
|
|
|
9,950
|
All
Other Fees(3)
|
|
|
29,169
|
|
|
29,575
|
Total
|
|
$
|
79,470
|
|
$
|
74,425
|
——————
(1)
Represents
the aggregate fees billed by BKR Cornwell Jackson for professional services
rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements for the fiscal year
indicated above.
(2)
Represents
the aggregate fees billed by BKR Cornwell Jackson for professional services
rendered in various tax matters during 2005 and 2006.
(3)
Represents
the aggregate fees billed by BKR Cornwell Jackson for professional services
rendered for the review of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the periods ended
March 31, June 30 and September 30 for the fiscal years indicated above. During
2006, BKR Cornwell Jackson provided additional professional services for due
diligence requirements for the Superior Galleries acquisition and consultation
on a routine IRS audit.
Audit Committee
Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
All audit
and non-audit services are pre-approved by our audit committee, which considers,
among other things, the possible effect of the performance of such services
on
the registered public accounting firm’s independence. Our audit committee
pre-approves the annual engagement of the principal independent registered
public accounting firm, including the performance of the annual audit and
quarterly reviews for the subsequent fiscal year, and pre-approves specific
engagements for tax services performed by such firm. Our audit committee has
also established pre-approval policies and procedures for certain enumerated
audit and audit related services performed pursuant to the annual engagement
agreement, including such firm’s attendance at and participation at board and
committee meetings; services of such firm associated with SEC registration
statements, periodic reports and other documents filed with the SEC or other
documents issued in connection with securities offerings, such as comfort
letters and
11
consents;
such firm’s assistance in responding to any SEC comments letters; and
consultations with such firm as to the accounting or disclosure treatment of
transactions or events and/or the actual or potential impact of final or
proposed rules, standards or interpretations by the SEC, Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB),
or other regulatory or standard-setting bodies. Our audit committee is informed
of each service performed pursuant to its pre-approval policies and
procedures.
Our audit
committee has considered the role of BKR Cornwell Jackson in providing services
to us for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 and has concluded that such
services are compatible with the firm’s independence.
Our
Board of Directors recommends a vote IN FAVOR of Proposal Two
12
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
Management
Set
forth below is information regarding our executive officers. All executive
officers serve at the pleasure of our board of directors.
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Position
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. L.S.
Smith*
|
|
60
|
|
Chairman of the board, chief executive officer
and secretary
|
William
H. Oyster*
|
|
54
|
|
President and chief operating officer
|
John
Benson
|
|
61
|
|
Chief financial officer
|
S.
Scott Williamson
|
|
49
|
|
Executive vice president – consumer
finance
|
Lawrence
Fairbanks Abbott, Jr.
|
|
43
|
|
Executive vice president – Superior Galleries,
Inc.
|
——————
*
Biographical
information about Dr. Smith and Mr. Oyster is set forth under Proposal
One above.
John
Benson joined our company in December 1992 as chief financial
officer. Between January and May 2007, Mr. Benson served on the board of
directors of Superior Galleries, Inc. Mr. Benson obtained his BBA from
Texas A&M University in 1968 and is a certified public accountant in the
State of Texas.
S.
Scott Williamson joined our company as executive vice president —
consumer finance and became president of our subsidiary American
Pay Day
Centers, Inc. in May 2004. Between 2002 and 2004, Mr. Williamson served as
president of Texas State Credit Co., a finance company with 63 locations. From
2001 to 2002, Mr. Williamson served as chief financial officer for Westgate
Fabrics, LLC, a distributor of decorative fabrics. Before that,
Mr. Williamson served as an executive vice president of operations for
First Cash Financial Services, Inc., a national markets finance company.
Mr. Williamson has also served on the board of directors of Superior
Galleries, Inc. from January 2007 to May 2007. Mr. Williamson obtained his
B.B.A. in accounting from the University of Oklahoma in 1980.
Lawrence
Fairbanks Abbott, Jr. joined Superior Galleries, Inc., which became
a subsidiary of our company on May 30, 2007, as executive vice president in
June
2005. He also served as chief operating officer of Superior from January 2006
until January 2007. Prior to that, Mr. Abbott served as executive vice
president of Heritage Rare Coin Galleries, a privately-held rare coin dealer
and
auctioneers, from May 1999 to May 2005. He also serves as a consultant to Divine
Imaging Commodities, a Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contractor reselling an
array of office products and equipment to the federal government, since October
15, 2006.
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN
BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND
MANAGEMENT
The
following table sets forth certain information regarding the ownership of our
common stock as of June 29, 2007 by: (i) each director; (ii) each of the named
executive officers reflected in the Summary Compensation Table; (iii) all our
executive officers and directors as a group; and (iv) all those known by us
to
be beneficial owners of more than five percent of our common stock.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
and Address of Beneficial Owner
|
|
Amount
and
Nature of
Beneficial Ownership(1)
|
|
Percent of
Class(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. L.
S. Smith, Ph.D. Director, chairman and chief executive officer 519
Interstate 30, #243 Rockwall, Texas 75087
|
|
6,555,392
|
(2), (8)
|
69.2
|
%
|
William
H. Oyster Director, president and chief operating officer(3)
|
|
290,115
|
(4)
|
3.1
|
%
|
John
Benson Chief financial officer(3)
|
|
161,500
|
(5)
|
1.7
|
%
|
13
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
and Address of Beneficial Owner
|
|
Amount
and
Nature of
Beneficial Ownership(1)
|
|
Percent of
Class(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
S.
Scott Williamson Executive vice president(3)
|
|
20,000
|
(6)
|
*
|
|
Dr. William
P. Cordeiro, Ph.D. Director P.O. Box 6010 Malibu, California
90264
|
|
27,500
|
(7)
|
*
|
|
Craig
Alan-Lee Director 11230 Dilling Street North Hollywood,
California 91602
|
|
325,000
|
(8),(9)
|
6.61
|
%
|
David
Rector Director(3)
|
|
5,462
|
(10)
|
*
|
|
Mitchell
T. Stoltz Director(3)
|
|
2,731
|
(11)
|
*
|
|
Richard
Matthew Gozia Director 123 22nd Street S. La Crosse, Wisconsin
54601
|
|
10,000
|
|
*
|
|
Stanford
International Bank Ltd. No. 11 Pavilion Drive St. John’s, Antigua,
West Indies
|
|
6,555,392
|
(12)
|
69.2
|
%
|
All
directors and officers as a group (10 individuals)
|
|
7,389,507
|
(13)
|
77.9
|
%
|
——————
(1)
Based
upon information furnished to us by the directors and executive officers or
obtained from our stock transfer books showing 9,479,003 shares of common stock
outstanding as of July 6, 2007. We are informed that these persons hold the
sole
voting and dispositive power with respect to the common stock except as
otherwise stated in the footnotes below. For purposes of computing “beneficial
ownership” and the percentage of outstanding common stock held by each person or
group of persons named above as of July 6, 2007, any security which such person
or group of persons has the right to acquire within 60 days after such date
is
deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of computing beneficial ownership
and
the percentage ownership of such person or persons, but is not deemed to be
outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other
person. A “*” indicates less than one percent.
(2)
Includes
577,777 and 267,857 shares currently exercisable under stock options with
exercise prices of $2.25 and $1.12 per share, respectively; 493,282 shares
subject to proxies pursuant to which Dr. L.S. Smith holds sole voting
power; and 3,390,727 shares subject to a corporate governance agreement with
Stanford International Bank Ltd., which we refer to as Stanford, and us. The
corporate governance agreement entitles Stanford and Dr. Smith to each
nominate two independent directors to our board of directors and entitles
Dr. Smith and Mr. Oyster to be nominated to our board for so long as
he remains an executive officer of our company. Pursuant to this agreement,
Dr. Smith has shared voting power with respect to the 3,390,727 shares
beneficially owned by Stanford. Dr. Smith disclaims beneficial ownership of
the 3,884,009 shares subject to the proxies or the corporate governance
agreement.
(3)
The
address for Messrs. Oyster, Benson, Williamson, Rector and Stoltz is 2817
Forest Lane, Dallas, Texas 75234.
(4)
Includes
250,000 shares currently exercisable under stock options with an average
exercise price of $2.23 per share. In addition, W.H. Oyster has granted
Dr. L.S. Smith a proxy to vote 38,615 of his currently outstanding
shares.
(5)
Includes
150,000 shares currently exercisable under stock options with an average
exercise price of $2.02 per share. In addition, John Benson has granted
Dr. L.S. Smith a proxy to vote his 11,500 shares currently
outstanding.
(6)
Includes
20,000 shares currently exercisable under stock options with an exercise price
of $2.43 per share.
14
(7)
Includes
22,500 shares currently exercisable under stock options with an exercise price
of $2.47 per share and 5,000 shares owned by Bartik, Cordeiro & Associates,
as to which Dr. Cordeiro has shared voting and investment powers.
(8)
Craig
Alan-Lee has granted Dr. L.S. Smith a proxy to vote his 320,000 shares
currently outstanding.
(9)
Includes
5,000 shares currently exercisable under a stock option with an exercise price
of $2.82 per share.
(10)
Includes
2,731 and 2,731 shares currently exercisable under stock options with an
exercise price of $7.32 and $10.07, respectively, per share.
(11)
Includes
2,731 shares currently exercisable under a stock option with an exercise price
of $5.86 per share.
(12)
Includes
422,817 shares currently issuable upon the exercise of stock purchase warrants
with an exercise price of $1.89 per share and 3,164,665 shares beneficially
owned by Dr. Smith subject to the corporate governance agreement described
above. James M. Davis is the chief financial officer of Stanford. R. Allen
Stanford is a director and, indirectly, the principal shareholder of Stanford.
Both Messrs. Stanford and Davis share voting and dispositive power with
respect to shares held by Stanford. Pursuant to the corporate governance
agreement, Stanford has shared voting power with respect to the 3,164,665 shares
beneficially owned by Dr. Smith. Stanford disclaims beneficial ownership of
the 3,164,665 shares subject to the corporate governance agreement.
(13)
Includes
577,777, 267,857, 250,000, 150,000, 45,000, 10,000 and 20,000 shares currently
exercisable under stock options with an exercise price or average price, as
the
case may be, of $2.25, $1.12, $2.23, $2.02, $2.47, $2.82 and $2.43,
respectively, per share, and 493,282 shares subject to proxies granting
Dr. L.S. Smith sole voting powers.
SECTION
16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING
COMPLIANCE
Section
16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our officers, directors and persons who
own
more than 10% of any class of our securities registered under Section 12(b)
of
the Exchange Act to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with
the
SEC. Officers, directors and greater than 10% stockholders are required by
SEC
regulations to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms which they
file.
Based
solely on a review of copies of such reports furnished to us and written
representations that no other reports were required during our fiscal year
ended
December 31, 2006, we believe that all persons subject to the reporting
requirements pursuant to Section 16(a) filed the required reports on a timely
basis with the SEC, except Mr. Oyster, who filed an untimely Form 4 on
August 7, 2006 to report a stock purchase.
COMPENSATION
OF DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE
OFFICERS
Compensation
Discussion and Analysis
Overview
Because
our company is a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NASDAQ listing
standards, we are not required to have, and do not have, a compensation
committee. Instead, our board of directors has the overall responsibility for
evaluating, approving, administering and interpreting our compensation and
benefit policies affecting our executive officers, including:
·
the
corporate goals and objectives relating
to the overall compensation of executive officers,
·
the
actual compensation of executive
officers, including their annual base salaries and their annual incentive
opportunities (which includes cash-based and equity-based
compensation),
·
any
employment agreements, severance
arrangements and change in control agreements that affect elements of the
executive officers’ compensation and benefits,
·
the
supplemental compensation and benefits
of executive officers, and
·
perquisites
provided to executive officers
both during and after employment with us.
15
Compensation
Philosophy
Though
our compensation philosophy is informal, we believe compensation should include
a mixture of a competitive base salary, bonus incentives to encourage retention
and reward individual responsibility and productivity, equity grants to align
the interests of officers with those of our stockholders, and case-specific
compensation plans to accommodate individual circumstances or non-recurring
situations. Generally, we believe that overall executive compensation should
be
targeted near the mean of salaries for executives in similar positions with
similar responsibilities at comparable companies. Our board of directors uses
its judgment and experience and works closely with our executive officers to
determine the appropriate mix of compensation for each individual.
Benchmarking
While
we
do not believe it is appropriate to establish compensation levels primarily
based on benchmarking, we do believe that compensation practices at comparable
companies serve as a useful metric for us to remain competitive in the
marketplace. Therefore, we informally consider competitor market practices
with
respect to the salaries, bonuses, benefits and total compensation paid to our
executive officers.
Elements of
Compensation
Currently,
our
named executive officers’ compensation has three primary components — base
compensation or salary, discretionary annual cash bonuses, and equity awards.
In
addition, we provide our executive officers with a variety of benefits that
are
generally available to all salaried employees.
We view
the various components of compensation as related but distinct. Although our
board of directors reviews each executive officers’ total compensation, we do
not believe that significant compensation derived from one component of
compensation should negate or reduce compensation from other components. We
determine the appropriate level for each compensation component based in part,
but not exclusively, on our view of internal equity and consistency, and other
considerations we deem relevant, such as to reward extraordinary performance
and
increased responsibility and commitment. Our board of directors has not adopted
any formal or informal policies or guidelines for allocating compensation
between long-term and short-term compensation, between cash and non-cash
compensation or among different forms of non-cash compensation.
Our
annual process of determining overall compensation begins with recommendations
made by Dr. Smith, our chairman, chief executive officer, and large
stockholder. In making his recommendation, Dr. Smith considers a number of
factors, including the seniority of the individual, the functional role of
the
position, the level of the individual’s responsibility, the individual’s
long-term commitment to our company, and the scarcity of individuals with
similar skills. Acting with the recommendation from Dr. Smith, our board of
directors makes the final determination of compensation for our executive
officers, including for Dr. Smith. In making compensation decisions, our
management and board look at various metrics of our company’s performance,
including gross revenues, the fair market value of our common stock, and
operating earnings (such as EBIT, EBITDA and net earnings).
Base
Salary. Base salary is used to recognize the experience, skills, knowledge
and responsibilities required of executive officers, taking into account
competitive market compensation paid by other companies for similar positions.
Generally, we believe that executive base salaries should be targeted near
the
mean of salaries for executives in similar positions with similar
responsibilities at comparable companies, in line with our compensation
philosophy. Base salaries are reviewed annually, with the board of directors
examining detailed compensation surveys in all markets in which we operate,
and
adjusted from time to time to realign salaries with market levels after taking
into account individual responsibilities, performance and experience.
In
connection with the acquisition by our company of Superior, our board of
directors re-evaluated the appropriate base salaries of our executive officers
in light of the increased size of the combined business and the increased
responsibilities of our executive officers. Based on this analysis, the board
of
directors agreed to increase the base salaries of our executive officers
effective upon the completion of the acquisition, as more fully discussed under
the heading “Post-Acquisition Employment Agreements” beginning on page 21.
Discretionary
Annual Cash Bonus. Our board of directors has the authority to award
discretionary annual cash bonuses to our executive officers. The annual
incentive bonuses are intended to compensate our executive officers for
achieving financial and operational goals and for achieving individual annual
performance objectives. These
16
objectives
vary depending on the individual executive, but relate generally to financial
factors such as revenue growth, improving our results of operations and
increasing the price per share of our capital stock, and individual performance
factors such as responsibilities, improvement and diligence.
The
discretionary bonus is normally paid in a single installment in the first
quarter following the completion of our fiscal year. The actual amount of a
discretionary bonus was determined following a review of each executive’s
individual performance and contribution to our strategic goals conducted during
the first quarter in 2007. The board of directors has not fixed a maximum payout
for any annual discretionary cash bonus.
In
connection with the acquisition by our company of Superior, our board of
directors re-evaluated the bonus structure of our executive officers in light
of
the increased size of the combined business and increased responsibilities
of
our executive officers. Based on this analysis, our board of directors made
the
annual bonus mandatory for certain of our executive officers after the
completion of the acquisition, with the amount of the bonus based in part on
the
executive serving as an officer throughout the year and in part on a specified
increase in either the market value of our common stock or in our earnings
before interest and taxes (EBIT), as more fully discussed under the heading
“Post-Acquisition Employment Agreements” beginning on page 21.
Our board
of directors has not considered whether it would attempt to recover bonuses
paid
based on our financial performance where our financial statements are restated
in a downward direction sufficient to reduce the amount of bonus that should
have been paid under any applicable bonus criteria.
Equity
Compensation. We believe that long-term performance is achieved through an
ownership culture that encourages such performance by our executive officers
through the use of stock and stock-based awards. Our stock compensation plans
have been established to provide certain of our employees, including our
executive officers, with incentives to help align those employees’ interests
with the interests of our stockholders. Our board of directors believes that
the
use of stock and stock-based awards offers the best approach to achieving this
goal. We have not adopted stock ownership requirements or guidelines. Aside
from
Dr. Smith, our stock compensation plans have provided the principal method
for our executive officers and directors to acquire equity or equity-linked
interests in our company.
Our 2006
equity incentive plan authorizes us to grant options to purchase shares of
common stock and stock awards to our employees (including executives), directors
and consultants. Our board has appointed our chairman of the board,
Dr. Smith, as the administrator of the plan. In the case of awards intended
to qualify as “performance-based-compensation” excludable from the deduction
limitation under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, the administrator
will consist of two or more “outside directors” within the meaning of Section
162(m). The administrator has the authority, among other things, to:
·
select
the individuals to whom awards will
be granted and to determine the type of award to grant;
·
determine
the terms of the awards,
including the exercise price, the number of shares subject to each award, the
exercisability of the awards, and the form of consideration payable upon
exercise;
·
provide
for a right to dividends or
dividend equivalents; and
·
interpret
the plan and adopt rules and
procedures relating to administration of the plan.
Except to the extent
prohibited by any applicable law, the administrator may delegate to one or
more
individuals the day-to-day administration of the plan.
Stock
option grants are made at the commencement of employment and, occasionally,
following a significant change in job responsibilities or to meet other special
retention or performance objectives. Stock options have an exercise price equal
to the fair market value of our common stock on the day of grant. The plan
permits payment in the form of cash, check or wire transfer, other shares of
our
common stock, cashless exercises, any other form of consideration and method
of
payment permitted by applicable laws, or any combination thereof.
An option
granted under the plan generally cannot be exercised until it vests. The
administrator establishes the vesting schedule of each option at the time of
grant and the option will expire at the times established by the administrator.
After termination of the optionee’s service, he or she may exercise his or her
option for the period stated in the option agreement, to the extent the option
is vested on the date of termination. If termination is due to death or
disability, the option generally will remain exercisable for twelve months
following such termination. In all other cases, the option generally will remain
exercisable for three months. Nevertheless, an option may never be
17
exercised
later than the expiration of its term. The term of any stock option may not
exceed ten years, except that with respect to any participant who owns 10%
or
more of the voting power of all classes of our outstanding capital stock, the
term for incentive stock options must not exceed five years.
Severance
Payments. Dr. Smith had a severance arrangement in his employment
agreement which was in effect during our fiscal year 2006. In addition, in
connection with the acquisition of Superior, our board of directors agreed
to
make severance payments to Dr. Smith and Messrs. Oyster and Benson in
new employment agreements conditioned upon the completion of the acquisition,
as
more fully discussed under the heading “Post-Acquisition Employment Agreements”
beginning on page 2. Our board has agreed to these severance provisions in
recognition of the longevity of service by these executive officers to our
company, and to protect these executive officers after the acquisition. We
believe that most of the severance provisions are customary and in accordance
with market practice. The single trigger for the payment of severance in the
event of a “change in control” of our company to some executives was to protect
our senior executives and in consideration of the agreement by Dr. Smith to
relinquish his majority voting power in our company.
Impact
on Compensation of Acquisition by Our Company of Superior. Our board of
directors has the discretion to revise, amend or add to the benefits and
perquisites of our executive officers. Based on the review of other executive
compensation arrangements in the equivalent industries and markets and in
connection with the proposed acquisition by our company of Superior, our board
of directors re-evaluated the appropriate compensation structure of our
executive officers in light of the increased size of the combined business
and
the increased responsibilities and commitment required of our executive
officers. Based on this evaluation, our board of directors agreed to add
additional benefits, including increases in salary, increases in bonuses, and
life and disability insurance, to certain of our executive officers upon the
consummation of the acquisition, as more fully discussed under the heading
“Post-Acquisition Employment Agreements” beginning on page 21
Tax and Accounting
Implications
Deductibility
of Executive Compensation. As part of its role, our board of directors
reviews and considers the deductibility of executive compensation under Section
162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, which provides that we may not deduct
compensation of more than $1,000,000 that is paid to certain individuals. Our
board of directors believes that compensation paid to our executive officers
are
generally fully deductible for federal income tax purposes. However, in certain
situations, certain of the independent members of our board of directors may
approve compensation that will not meet these requirements in order to ensure
competitive levels of total compensation of our executive officers.
Nonqualified
Deferred Compensation. On October 22, 2004, the American Jobs Creation Act
of 2004 was signed into law, changing the tax rules applicable to nonqualified
deferred compensation arrangements. While the final regulations have not become
effective yet, we believe the Company is operating in good faith compliance
with
the statutory provisions which became effective January 1, 2005.
Accounting
for Stock-Based Compensation. Effective January 1, 2006, we began accounting
for stock-based payments in accordance with the requirements of FASB Statement
123(R).
Conclusion
Our
compensation practices are designed to retain and motivate our senior executive
officers and to ultimately reward them for outstanding performance.
Executive
Compensation
The
following information is furnished with respect to each of our most highly
compensated executive officers whose cash compensation from us and our
subsidiaries during our last fiscal year exceeded $100,000.
18
Summary
Compensation Table
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
and Principal Position
|
|
Year
|
|
Salary ($)
|
|
Bonus ($)
|
|
All
Other Compensation ($)
|
|
Total ($)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. L.S.
Smith
|
|
2006
|
|
180,000
|
|
100,000
|
|
30,000
|
(1)
|
310,000
|
Chief
executive officer
|
|
2005
|
|
178,739
|
|
67,500
|
|
30,000
|
(1)
|
276,239
|
John
Benson
|
|
2006
|
|
102,308
|
|
30,000
|
|
—
|
|
132,308
|
Chief
financial officer
|
|
2005
|
|
98,443
|
|
25,200
|
|
—
|
|
123,443
|
William
H. Oyster
|
|
2006
|
|
165,000
|
|
60,000
|
|
—
|
|
225,000
|
President
|
|
2005
|
|
163,735
|
|
45,400
|
|
—
|
|
207,735
|
S.
Scott Williamson
|
|
2006
|
|
105,000
|
|
3,500
|
|
—
|
|
108,500
|
Executive
vice president – consumer finance
|
|
2005
|
|
99,933
|
|
2,500
|
|
—
|
|
102,433
|
——————
(1)
Dr. Smith
was provided a monthly automobile allowance and a $2,000 per month home office
allowance.
Grants of
Plan-Based Awards
We did
not grant any awards under any plan in fiscal year 2006.
Outstanding Equity
Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The
following table summarizes unexercised options to purchase shares of our common
stock and equity plan awards outstanding at December 31, 2006 for each executive
officer identified in the Summary Compensation Table above. All options were
fully vested and exercisable at the time of grant and expire 180 days after
termination of service:
|
|
|
|
|
Name
and Principal Position
|
|
Number
of Securities Underlying
Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable
|
|
Option
Exercise Price ($)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dr. L.S.
Smith
|
|
577,777
|
|
2.25
|
Chief
executive officer
|
|
267,857
|
|
1.12
|
John
Benson
|
|
50,000
|
|
1.625
|
Chief
financial officer
|
|
25,000
|
|
2.25
|
|
|
25,000
|
|
2.125
|
|
|
50,000
|
|
2.25
|
William
H. Oyster
|
|
100,000
|
|
2.25
|
President
|
|
50,000
|
|
2.125
|
|
|
100,000
|
|
2.25
|
S.
Scott Williamson
|
|
20,000
|
|
2.43
|
Executive
vice president – consumer finance
|
|
|
|
|
Option Exercises
and Stock Vested
No
executive officer identified in the Summary Compensation Table above exercised
an option in fiscal year 2006, and no shares of stock vested with respect to
any
of those executive officers.
Pension
Benefits
We do
not
have any plan which provides for payments or other benefits at, following,
or in
connection with retirement.
Nonqualified
Deferred Compensation
We do
not
have any defined contribution or other plan which provides for the deferral
of
compensation on a basis that is not tax-qualified.
19
Employment
Agreements
On July
1, 1997, we entered into an Amended and Restated Employment Agreement with
Dr. Smith pursuant to which Dr. Smith was employed as an executive
officer. The agreement had an initial term of ten years. Under the agreement,
Dr. Smith was entitled to (i) a base annual salary of $180,000, or such
greater amount as the board of directors or the compensation committee approved,
(ii) a discretionary cash bonus or other incentive compensation in an amount
determined by the board of directors, (iii) participation in our employee
benefit programs, (iv) a $5,000 annual allowance for professional legal and
accounting services rendered to Dr. Smith personally, and (v) an allowance
for the maintenance of a home office and an automobile. The agreement was
terminable by DGSE at any time, with or without cause, and by Dr. Smith
upon sixty days notice.
During
2006, Mr. Oyster was an at-will employee and his base salary was $165,000
per year. Mr. Oyster participated in our bonus program and benefit and
other incentives at the discretion of our board of directors.
During
2006, Mr. Benson was an at-will employee and his base salary was $110,000
per year. Mr. Benson participated in our bonus program and benefit and
other incentives at the discretion of our board of directors.
Mr. Williamson
is an at-will employee and his current base salary is $105,000 per year.
Mr. Williamson participates in our bonus program and benefit and other
incentives at the discretion of our board of directors.
On May
29, 2007, in connection with our acquisition of Superior, we entered into an
amended and restated employment agreement with Dr. Smith and into new
employment agreements with Messrs. Oyster and Benson.
Post-Acquisition
Employment Agreements
Smith
Employment Agreement. The revised employment agreement for Dr. Smith
sets forth the terms of his employment with us as chairman and chief executive
officer. The agreement has an initial 3-year term, and will be automatically
renewed thereafter for successive one-year terms unless either party provides
at
least 120 days notice not to renew. It provides for a signing bonus of $100,000
upon execution of the agreement and a base annual salary of at least $425,000.
In addition, it provides for an annual bonus in an amount not less than one-half
of his annual salary, payable on each January 31 in respect of the prior
calendar year, with half of the payment being contingent upon our stock price
having increased at least 10% during that calendar year. For purposes of the
2007 calendar year, the first day will be deemed to be May 30, 2007, the date
of
the closing of the acquisition of Superior, and the 10% increase requirement
will be prorated accordingly. In addition, Dr. Smith will be entitled to
life insurance of $2,000,000, disability insurance equal to half of his base
salary, medical insurance and other benefits.
Oyster
Employment Agreement. The new employment agreement for Mr. Oyster sets
forth the terms of his employment with us as president and chief operating
officer. The agreement has an initial 5-year term, and will be automatically
renewed thereafter for successive one-year terms unless either party provides
at
least 120 days notice not to renew. It provides for a signing bonus of $50,000
upon execution of the agreement and a base annual salary of at least $250,000.
In addition, it provides for an annual bonus in an amount not less than one-half
of his annual salary, payable on each April 30 in respect of the prior calendar
year, with half of the payment being contingent upon our EBIT (earnings before
interest and taxes) having increased at least 6% during that calendar year.
In
addition, Mr. Oyster will be entitled to life insurance of $1,000,000,
disability insurance equal to half of his base salary, medical insurance and
other benefits.
Benson
Employment Agreement. The new employment agreement for Mr. Benson sets
forth the terms of his employment with us as chief financial officer. The
agreement has an initial 2-year term. It provides for a base annual salary
of
$175,000 and an annual bonus to be determined by our board of directors. Upon
the termination of his employment, Mr. Benson will be entitled to, among
other things, (1) in case of termination by DGSE during the initial term other
than for cause, base salary for the remainder of the initial term plus six
months; and (2) in case of termination by DGSE after the initial term other
than
for cause, three months of annual base salary.
Potential Payments
Upon Termination or Change-in-Control
Fiscal Year
2006
Under
Dr. Smith’s employment agreement in effect during our fiscal year 2006, in
the event we would have terminated Dr. Smith’s employment due to death or
incapacity, Dr. Smith (or his legal representative) would have
20
been
entitled to continue receiving his current base salary for one year. If
Dr. Smith would have been terminated for either reason on January 1, 2007,
DGSE would have been obligated to pay him $180,000 in 26 bi-weekly installments
of $6,923 each.
Under
that employment agreement, in the event we had (i) not elected to renew
Dr. Smith’s employment agreement upon the expiration of the initial term or
a renewal term, (ii) terminated Dr. Smith other than for “due cause” and
other than for death or incapacity, (iii) demoted Dr. Smith to a
non-executive position, or (iv) decreased Dr. Smith’s annual salary or
other benefits below the minimum level specified in the agreement, other than
for amendments to or terminations of employee benefit plans applicable to all
executives; which the agreement refers to as a constructive termination,
Dr. Smith would have been entitled to receive (i) a lump sum payment of his
base salary for the remainder of the current year, and (ii) subject to
Dr. Smith complying with his non-compete obligations specified in the
agreement, his “salary” until the date ending on the expiration of the initial
term or, if later, 36 months from his constructive termination, payable monthly
in 36 equal installments. If Dr. Smith would have constructively terminated
on January 1, 2007, DGSE would have been obligated to pay him $180,000 as a
lump
sum payment and $6,981 per month for a period of 36 months.
Under
that employment agreement, in the event after a “change in control” of our
company had occurred and within one year thereafter either Dr. Smith
voluntarily terminated his employment upon 60 days notice, or we either did
not
elect to renew the employment agreement upon the expiration of the initial
term
or a renewal term or terminated Dr. Smith other than for “due cause”, we
would have been obligated to pay him his “salary” for the remainder of the
current year plus five additional years (discounted at 8% per annum), payable
at
Dr. Smith’s option in a lump sum or in four equal installments over a
three-year period at 8% interest. If a “change in control” were to have occurred
and Dr. Smith’s employment were to have terminated under one of those
circumstances on January 1, 2007, we would have been obligated to pay him,
at
his election, either $1.25 million as a lump sum payment, or payments of
$314,000, $339,000, $366,000 and $395,000 on the date 30 days, 12 months, 24
months and 36 months after the date of termination of his employment.
For
purposes of that employment agreement:
·
“salary”
is
defined as Dr. Smith’s
base salary plus his average cash bonus and other cash incentive compensation
paid over the three most recent years;
·
“due
cause” is defined as (A) an
intentional and material misapplication by Dr. Smith of our funds, or any
other material act of dishonesty committed by Dr. Smith, (B)
Dr. Smith’s continued material breach or nonperformance of his employment
agreement 30 days after notice of the breach has been provided, or
(C) any
other act by Dr. Smith involving willful and material malfeasance or gross
negligence in the performance of his duties; and
·
“change
in control” is defined as (A) any
person or group becomes the beneficial owner of shares representing 30% or
more
of the voting power of our company, (B) in any 12-month period, our directors
at
the beginning of that period cease to constitute a majority of our board of
directors and a majority of the initial directors still in office neither
elected all of the new directors nor nominated them all for election by our
stockholders, or (C) a person or group acquires in any 12-month period gross
assets of our company constituting at least 50% of the fair market value of
all
our gross assets.
Post-Acquisition
Employment Agreements
Under
the
new employment agreements of Dr. Smith and Mr. Oyster, if the
executive were to be terminated due to an illness, injury or other incapacity
which prevents him from carrying out or performing fully the essential functions
of his duties for a period of 180 consecutive days, or due to his death, the
executive (or his legal representative) would be entitled to receive his salary
for a period of one year following the date of termination and the pro rata
portion of this bonus for the prior calendar year. If Dr. Smith would have
been terminated for either reason on January 1, 2007 and his new employment
agreement had then been in effect, we would have been obligated to pay him
$425,000 in 26 bi-weekly installments of $16,346 each. If Mr. Oyster would
have been terminated for either reason on January 1, 2007 and his new employment
agreement had then been in effect, we would have been obligated to pay him
$250,000 in 26 bi-weekly installments of $9,615 each.
In the
event either executive were to be terminated for “cause”, he would be entitled
to the pro rata share of the bonus paid to him for the calendar year immediately
preceding his termination. If either executive would have been
21
terminated
for “cause” on January 1, 2007 and his new employment agreement had then been in
effect, we would not have been obligated to pay him any additional severance
pay.
In the
event either executive were to be terminated other than for “cause”, or if
either executive resigns for “good reason”, he would be entitled to receive a
lump sum payment of (i) his base salary for the remainder of the current year,
plus (ii) the maximum bonus he would have been entitled to receive for the
current year, plus (iii) three years salary based on the salary then in effect.
If Dr. Smith would have been terminated other than for “cause” or resigned
for “good reason” on January 1, 2007 and his new employment agreement had then
been in effect, we would have been obligated to pay him a lump sum payment
of
$1.91 million. If Mr. Oyster would have been terminated other than for
“cause” or resigned for “good reason” on January 1, 2007 and his new employment
agreement had then been in effect, we would have been obligated to pay him
a
lump sum payment of $1.13 million.
In the
event either executive were to resign other than for “good reason”, he would be
entitled to receive a lump sum payment of (i) his base salary for the remainder
of the current year, plus (ii) a pro rata share of the maximum bonus he would
have been entitled to receive for the current year, plus (iii) one year salary
based on the salary then in effect. If Dr. Smith would have resigned other
than for “good reason” on January 1, 2007 and his new employment agreement had
then been in effect, we would have been obligated to pay him a lump sum payment
of $850,000. If Mr. Oyster would have resigned other than for “good reason”
on January 1, 2007 and his new employment agreement had then been in effect,
we
would have been obligated to pay him a lump sum payment of $500,000.
In
addition, in the event of the termination of Dr. Smith’s employment, DGSE
would be required to maintain medical health benefits for Dr. Smith and his
wife until both are covered by a comparable health insurance plan provided
by a
subsequent employer or their earlier death. This obligation has an estimated
present cost to us of $32,100 (assuming payment for a 36-month period). In
the
event of the termination of Mr. Oyster’s employment, we would be required
to maintain medical health benefits for Mr. Oyster and his wife for a
period of 18 months or, if earlier, until both are covered by a comparable
health insurance plan provided by a subsequent employer. This obligation has
an
estimated cost to us of $17,200.
In the
event of the termination of either executive’s employment, other than for
termination by the executive for “good reason”, the executive may not for a
period of two years compete with us in the state in which we conduct business
during the employment term.
For
purposes of the two executives’ new employment agreements:
·
“cause”
is
defined as (i) conviction of the
executive for a felony involving dishonest acts during the term of the
agreement, (ii) any “willful” and material misapplication by the executive of
company funds, or any other material act of dishonesty committed by him, or
(iii) the executive’s “willful” and material breach of the agreement or
“willful” and material failure to substantially perform his duties thereunder
(other than a failure resulting from mental or physical illness) after written
demand for substantial performance is delivered by the our board of directors
which specifically identifies the manner in which the board believes the
executive has not substantially performed his duties and the executive fails
to
cure his nonperformance. We are obligated to provide the executive 30 days
written notice setting forth the specific reasons for its intention to terminate
the executive for cause and an opportunity for the executive to be heard before
our board of directors, and to deliver to the executive a notice of termination
from the board of directors stating that a majority of the board found, in
good
faith, that the executive had engaged in the “willful” and material conduct
referred to in the notice;
·
an
act or failure to act is “willful” if
done, or omitted to be done, by the executive in bad faith and without
reasonable belief that his action or omission was in our best
interest;
·
“good
reason” is defined as (i) a change in
the executive’s status or positions with us that, in his reasonable judgment,
represents a demotion, (ii) the assignment to the executive of any duties or
responsibilities that, in the executive’s reasonable judgment, are inconsistent
with his existing status or position, (iii) layoff or involuntary termination
of
the executive’s employment, except in connection with the termination of the
executive’s employment for “cause” or as a result of his retirement, disability
or death, (iv) a reduction by us in the executive’s base salary, (v) any “change
in control” occurring more than one year after the effective date of the
agreement, (vi) the failure by us to continue in effect any employee benefit
plan in which the executive is participating at the effective date of the
agreement, other than as a result of the normal expiration of the plan in
accordance with its terms, except to the extent that we provide the
22
executive
without substantially equivalent benefits, (vii) the imposition of any
requirement that the executive be based outside the Dallas-Fort Worth
metropolitan area, (viii) our failure to obtain the express assumption of the
agreement by any successor, or (ix) any violation by us of any agreement
(including the new employment agreement) between us and the executive; and
·
“change
in control” is defined as (A) any
person or group becomes the beneficial owner of shares representing 20% or
more
of the combined outstanding voting power of our company, (B) in any 12-month
period, our directors at the beginning of that period cease to constitute a
majority of our board of directors and a majority of the initial directors
still
in office neither elected all of the new directors nor nominated them all for
election by our stockholders, or (C) a person or group acquires in any 12-month
period gross assets of our company constituting at least 50% of the fair market
value of all our gross assets.
Under
the
new employment agreement of Mr. Benson, if DGSE were to terminate
Mr. Benson’s employment during the initial 2-year term, he would be
entitled to receive a lump sum payment of (i) his base salary for the remainder
of the initial term, plus (ii) six months salary based on the salary then in
effect. If Mr. Benson would have been terminated by us on January 1, 2007
and his new employment agreement had then been in effect, we would have been
obligated to pay him a lump sum payment of $437,500. If we were to terminate
Mr. Benson’s employment after the initial 2-year term, he would be entitled
to receive a lump sum payment of three months salary based on his salary then
in
effect.
In the
event Mr. Benson were to resign upon not less than 30 days notice to us,
and we were immediately to relieve Mr. Benson of his duties, he would be
entitled to receive a lump sum payment of his salary until the date his
resignation were to be effective. If Mr. Benson would have delivered a
resignation notice to us on January 1, 2007 indicating his decision to resign
on
March 1, 2007, his new employment agreement had then been in effect and we
would
have immediately relieved him of his duties and terminated the employment
agreement, we would have been obligated to pay him a lump sum payment of
$29,000.
Compensation of
Directors
The
following table sets forth information concerning the compensation of our
directors during our 2006 fiscal year, except for directors who are also named
executive officers and whose compensation is reflected in the Summary
Compensation Table.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
Fees
Earned or Paid in Cash
|
|
Option Awards
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
William
P.
Cordeiro
|
|
$
|
2,000
|
|
—
|
(1)
|
$
|
2,000
|
Paul
Hagen
|
|
$
|
2,000
|
|
—
|
(2)
|
$
|
2,000
|
Craig
Alan-Lee
|
|
$
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2,000
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—
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(2)
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$
|
2,000
|
——————
(1)
Mr. Cordeiro
has been granted options to purchase 22,500 shares of DGSE’s common stock at an
exercise price equal to the then fair market value of DGSE’s common stock.
(2)
Each
of
Messrs. Hagen and Alan-Lee has been granted an option to purchase 5,000
shares of DGSE’s common stock at an exercise price equal to the then fair market
value of DGSE’s common stock.
Directors
who are also employees of DGSE do not receive any compensation for serving
as a
director or as a member of a committee of the board of directors. Directors
who
are not employees of DGSE receive a fee in the amount of $500 for each meeting
of the board of directors and each committee meeting of the board of directors
attended.
TRANSACTIONS
WITH RELATED PERSONS, PROMOTERS AND CERTAIN
CONTROL PERSONS
Transactions with
Related Persons
We have
not entered into any transaction since the beginning of our 2006 fiscal year
required to be disclosed in this proxy statement under the rules of the SEC,
other than transactions described elsewhere in this proxy statement.
23
Review,
Approval or Ratification of Transactions with Related Persons
We have
adopted a written policy regarding the review, approval or ratification of
transactions with designated related persons, which is available from our
website, www.DGSE.com. In accordance with the policy, our audit committee
or the chairperson of our audit committee reviews transactions in which the
amount involved exceeds $120,000 and in which any related person had, has,
or
will have a direct or indirect material interest. In general, the policy applies
to the following categories of related persons: directors, nominees,
executive officers, and stockholders owning five percent or more of our
outstanding stock, and their respective immediate family members. The committee
or chairperson approve or ratify only those transactions which are in, or not
inconsistent with, the best interests of our company and our stockholders.
The
audit committee chairperson reviews and approves or ratifies transactions when
it is not practicable or desirable to delay review of a transaction until our
audit committee can meet. The chairperson reports any transactions with related
persons he has approved or ratified to our audit committee and any transactions
with related persons he or the audit committee has approved or ratified to
our
board. Our audit committee will annually review any previously approved or
ratified related person transactions that remains ongoing.
OTHER
MATTERS
The board
of directors knows of no other matters that will be presented for consideration
at our annual meeting. If any other matters are properly brought before the
meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the accompanying proxy
to
vote on such matters in accordance with their best judgment.
Any
stockholder or stockholder’s representative who, because of a disability, may
need special assistance or accommodation to allow him or her to participate
at
the annual meeting may request reasonable assistance or accommodation from
us by
contacting the corporate secretary at DGSE Companies, Inc., 2817 Forest Lane,
Dallas, Texas 75234, or at (972) 484-3662. To provide us sufficient time
to arrange for reasonable assistance or accommodation, please submit all
requests by July 16, 2007.
Whether
you
intend to be present at the annual meeting or not, we urge you to return your
signed proxy card promptly.
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By Order of the Board of Directors,
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/s/ Dr. L.S. Smith
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Dr. L.S. Smith
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Chairman of the
Board
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July 12, 2007
24
ANNEX
1
DGSE
COMPANIES, INC.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER
Organization
This
charter governs the operations of the Audit Committee of Dallas Gold &
Silver Exchange, Inc. The Audit Committee shall review and reassess this charter
on at least an annual basis and obtain the approval of the board of directors.
The Audit Committee shall be appointed by the board of directors and shall
consist of at least three directors, two of whom are independent of management
and the Company. Members of the Audit Committee shall be considered independent
if they have no relationship that may interfere with the exercise of their
independence from management and the Company and meet the standards of
independence required by the NASDAQ or any other exchange on which the common
stock of Dallas Gold & Silver Exchange, Inc. is traded. The members shall be
financially literate, or shall become financially literate within a reasonable
period of time after appointment to the audit committee, and at least one member
shall have accounting or related financial management expertise as required
by
the rules of the NASDAQ or any other exchange on which the common stock of
Dallas Gold & Silver Exchange, Inc. is traded.
The Audit
Committee shall provide assistance to the board of directors in fulfilling
their
oversight responsibility to the shareholders, potential shareholders, the
investment community, and others relating to the Company’s financial statements
and financial reporting process, the systems of internal accounting and
financial controls, the internal audit function, the annual independent audit
of
the Company’s financial statements, and the legal compliance and ethics programs
as established by management and the board of directors. In so doing, it is
the
responsibility of the Audit Committee to maintain free and open communication
between the Audit Committee, independent auditors, the internal auditors and
management of the Company. In discharging its oversight role, the audit
committee is empowered to investigate any matter brought to its attention with
full access to all books, records, facilities, and personnel of the Company
and
the power to retain outside counsel at the Company’s expense, or other experts
for this purpose.
Responsibilities
and
Processes
The
primary responsibility of the Audit Committee is to oversee the Company’s
financial reporting process on behalf of the Board and report the results of
their activities to the Board. Management is responsible for preparing the
Company’s financial statements, and the independent auditors are responsible for
auditing those financial statements. The Audit Committee, in carrying out its
responsibilities, believes its policies and procedures should remain flexible
to
best react to changing conditions and circumstances. The audit committee should
take the appropriate actions to set the overall corporate “tone’ for quality
financial reporting, sound business risk practices, and ethical behavior.
The
following shall be the principal recurring processes of the Audit Committee
in
carrying out its oversight responsibilities. The processes are set forth as
a
guide with the understanding that the Audit Committee may supplement them as
appropriate.
·
The
Audit Committee shall have a clear
understanding with management and the independent auditors that the independent
auditors are ultimately accountable to the Board and the Audit Committee, as
representatives of the Company’s shareholders. The Audit Committee and the Board
shall have the ultimate authority and responsibility to evaluate and, where
appropriate, replace the independent auditors. The Audit Committee shall discuss
with the auditors their independence from management and the Company and the
matters included in the written disclosures required by the Independence
Standards Board. Annually, the Audit Committee shall review and recommend to
the
Board the selection of the Company’s independent auditors.
·
The
Audit Committee shall review the
interim financial statements with management prior to the filing of the
Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Also, the Audit Committee shall
discuss the results of the quarterly review and any other matters required
to be
communicated to the audit committee by the
25
independent
auditors under generally accepted auditing standards. The chair of the Audit
Committee may represent the entire committee for the purposes of this
review.
·
The
Audit Committee shall review with
management and the independent auditors the financial statements to be included
in the Company’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K (or the annual reports to
shareholders if distributed prior to the filing of Form 10-K), including their
judgment about the quality, not just acceptability, of accounting principles,
the reasonableness of significant judgments, and the clarity of the disclosures
in the financial statements. Also, the Audit Committee shall discuss the results
of the annual audit and any other matters required to be communicated to the
audit committee by the independent auditors under generally accepted auditing
standards.
26
DGSE
COMPANIES, INC.
THIS
PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
ANNUAL
MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
JULY
27, 2007
FOLD
AND DETACH
HERE
REVOCABLE
PROXY
– DGSE COMPANIES, INC.
The
undersigned, a stockholder of DGSE Companies, Inc., a Nevada
corporation, hereby appoints DR. L.S. SMITH and WILLIAM H. OYSTER, or any of
them, the proxies of the undersigned, each with the power to appoint his
substitute, and hereby authorizes them to represent and to vote for the
undersigned all the shares of DGSE Companies, Inc. common stock held of record
on June 27, 2007 by the undersigned at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to
be
held on July 27, 2007 or any adjournment or postponement thereof as follows.
Unless a contrary direction is indicated, this proxy will be voted
for
all nominees listed in Proposal 1 and for Proposals 2 and 3, as recommended
by
management and as more specifically described in the proxy statement. If
specific instructions are indicated, this proxy will be voted in accordance
therewith.
1.
ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
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¨
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VOTE
FOR all nominees listed below (except WITHHOLD AUTHORITY to
vote
for as marked to the contrary below)
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INSTRUCTION:
To withhold authority to vote for any individual, cross
out the nominee’s name in the list below.
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Dr. L.S.
Smith
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William
H.
Oyster
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Dr. William
P.
Cordeiro
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Craig
Alan-Lee
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David
Rector
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Richard
M.
Gozia
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Mitchell
T.
Stoltz
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¨
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VOTE
WITHHELD from all nominees
|
2. To
ratify the selection of BKR Cornwell Jackson as the independent registered
public accounting firm of the Company for its fiscal year ending December 31,
2007.
|
¨ FOR
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¨ AGAINST
|
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¨ ABSTAIN
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3. In their discretion, the Proxies are authorized to vote upon such
other business as may properly come before the meeting.
(Continued,
and to be marked, dated and signed on the other side)
FOLD
AND DETACH
HERE
|
PLEASE
MARK BOX IF YOU PLAN
TO ATTEND THE MEETING ¨
|
IF
NO
DIRECTION IS GIVEN, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED FOR ALL
NOMINEES LISTED IN PROPOSAL 1 AND FOR PROPOSALS 2 AND 3.
Date:
___________________________________________,
2007
Stockholder:
__________________________________________
Co-Holder
(if any):
_____________________________________
Note:
Please sign exactly as your name or names appear on this
Proxy. When shares are held jointly, each holder should sign. When signing
as
attorney, as executor, administrator, trustee or guardian, please give full
title as such. If the signer is a corporation, please sign in full corporate
name by duly authorized officer giving full title as such. If signer is a
partnership, please sign in partnership name and by authorized person.
Please act promptly. Sign, date and mail your proxy card
today.
If
your address has changed, please correct the address in the
space provided below and return this portion with the proxy in the envelope
provided.