def14a
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )
Filed by the Registrant þ
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
Koss Corporation
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Koss Corporation
4129 North Port Washington Avenue
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
to be held on
OCTOBER 10, 2007
We hereby notify you that we will hold the annual meeting of stockholders of Koss
Corporation at the Milwaukee River Hilton Hotel at 4700 North Port Washington Avenue, Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, on Wednesday, October 10, 2007, at 9:00 a.m. At the annual meeting, we will consider
and act on the following proposals:
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1. |
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The election of six (6) directors; |
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2. |
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The ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP, as the
independent accountants of the Company for the fiscal year ending June 30,
2008; and |
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3. |
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Such other business as may properly be brought before the annual
meeting. |
Only stockholders of record at the close of business on August 15, 2007, will be entitled to
notice of and to vote at the annual meeting. Information regarding the matters to be considered
and voted upon at the annual meeting is set forth in the Proxy Statement accompanying this notice.
You are cordially invited to attend our annual meeting in person, if possible. In order to
assist us in preparing for our annual meeting, we urge you to promptly sign and date the enclosed
proxy and return it in the enclosed envelope, which requires no postage. If you attend our annual
meeting, you may vote your shares in person even if you previously submitted a proxy.
By Order of the Board of Directors
/s/ Sujata Sachdeva
Sujata Sachdeva, Secretary
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
August 31, 2007
Koss Corporation
PROXY STATEMENT
2007 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
October 10, 2007
INTRODUCTION
THIS PROXY STATEMENT IS FURNISHED IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOLICITATION OF PROXIES BY THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF KOSS CORPORATION (the Company) for use at the Companys 2007 Annual Meeting
of Stockholders (the Meeting) and any adjournment thereof, for the purposes set forth in the
foregoing Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
Date, Time, and Location. The Meeting will be held at the Milwaukee River Hilton Hotel, 4700
North Port Washington Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, on Wednesday, October 10, 2007, at 9:00
a.m. local time.
Purposes of the Meeting. The Company is soliciting the stockholders proxies. At the
Meeting, stockholders will consider and vote upon the following: (i) the election of six (6)
directors for one-year terms; (ii) a proposal to ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP
(Grant Thornton), as the independent accountants for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008; and
(iii) such other business as may properly be brought before the Meeting.
Proxy Solicitation. The cost of soliciting proxies will be borne by the Company. Proxies
will be solicited primarily by mail and may be made by directors, officers, and employees
personally or by telephone. The Company will reimburse brokerage firms, custodians, and nominees
for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in forwarding proxy materials to beneficial owners.
Proxy Statements and proxies will be mailed to stockholders on approximately September 17, 2007.
Quorum and Voting Information. Only stockholders of record of the Companys $.005 par value
common stock (the Common Stock) at the close of business on August 15, 2007 (the Record Date)
are entitled to vote at the Meeting. As of the Record Date, there were issued and outstanding
3,669,569 shares of Common Stock, each of which is entitled to one vote per share. A quorum of
stockholders is necessary to take action at the Meeting. A majority of the outstanding shares of
Common Stock, represented in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum of stockholders at the
Meeting. Votes cast by proxy or in person at the Meeting will be tabulated by the inspector of
elections appointed for the Meeting. The inspector of elections will determine whether or not a
quorum is present at the Meeting. The inspector of elections will treat abstentions as shares of
Common Stock that are present and entitled to vote for purposes of determining the presence of a
quorum. If a broker indicates on the proxy that it does not have discretionary authority to vote
certain shares of Common Stock on a particular matter (a broker non-vote), those shares will not
be considered as present and entitled to vote with respect to that matter (although those shares
are considered entitled to vote for quorum purposes and may be entitled to vote on other matters).
The six nominees receiving the greatest number of votes cast in person or by proxy at the
Meeting will be elected directors of the Company. The vote required to ratify the appointment of
Grant Thornton as independent accountants for the year ending June 30, 2008, and to approve any
other matter to be presented to the Meeting, is the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of
Common Stock present in person or represented by proxy at the Meeting. Abstentions and broker
non-votes will have no effect on the election of directors and will have the same effect as votes
against ratification of Grant Thornton as the Companys accountants for the year ending June 30,
2008.
1
Proxies and Revocation of Proxies. A proxy in the accompanying form that is properly
executed, duly returned to the Company, and not revoked, will be voted in accordance with
instructions contained therein. In the event that any matter not described in this Proxy Statement
properly comes before the Meeting, the accompanying form of proxy authorizes the persons appointed
as proxies thereby (the Proxyholders) to vote on such matter in their sole discretion. At the
present time, the Company knows of no other matters that are to come before the Meeting. See ITEM
3. TRANSACTION OF OTHER BUSINESS. If no instructions are given with respect to any particular
matter to be acted upon, a proxy will be voted FOR the election of all nominees for director
named in this Proxy Statement, and FOR the ratification of Grant Thornton as the Companys
independent accountants for the year ending June 30, 2008. If matters other than those mentioned
in this Proxy Statement properly come before the Meeting, a proxy will be voted in accordance with
the best judgment of a majority of the Proxyholders named therein.
Each such proxy granted may be revoked at any time before it is voted by filing with the
Secretary of the Company a written notice of revocation, by delivering to the Company a duly
executed proxy bearing a later date, or by attending the Meeting and voting in person.
Annual Report. The Companys Annual Report to Stockholders, which includes the Companys
audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2007, although not a part of this Proxy
Statement, is delivered herewith.
2
ITEM 1. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
The By-Laws of the Company provide that the number of directors on the Board of Directors
of the Company (the Board) will be no fewer than five and no greater than twelve. We had six
directors during fiscal year 2007 and will also elect six directors for fiscal year 2007. Each
director elected will serve until the next Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until the directors
successor is duly elected, or until his prior death, resignation, or removal. The six nominees
that receive the most votes will be appointed to serve on our Board for the next year.
Information as to Nominees
The following identifies the nominees for the six director positions and provides information
as to their business experience for the past five years. Each nominee is presently a director of
the Company:
John C. Koss, 77, has served continuously as Chairman of the Board of the Company or its
predecessors since 1958. Previously, he served as Chief Executive Officer from 1958 until
1991. He is the father of Michael J. Koss (the Companys Vice Chairman, President, Chief
Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Operating Officer, and a nominee for
director of the Company), and the father of John Koss, Jr. (the Companys Vice President -
Sales).
Thomas L. Doerr, 63, has been a director of the Company since 1987. In 1972, Mr. Doerr
co-founded Leeson Electric Corporation and served as its President and Chief Executive
Officer until 1982. The company manufactures industrial electric motors. In 1983, Mr.
Doerr incorporated Doerr Corporation as a holding company for the purpose of acquiring
established companies involved in distributing products to industrial and commercial
markets. Currently, Mr. Doerr serves as President of Doerr Corporation.
Michael J. Koss, 53, has held various positions at the Company since 1976, and has been a
director of the Company since 1985. He was elected President, Chief Operating Officer,
and Chief Financial Officer of the Company in 1987, Chief Executive Officer in 1991, and
Vice-Chairman in 1998. He is the son of John C. Koss (the Companys Chairman of the
Board) and the brother of John Koss, Jr. (the Companys Vice President Sales). Michael
J. Koss is also a director of STRATTEC Security Corporation.
Lawrence S. Mattson, 75, has been a director of the Company since 1978. Mr. Mattson is
the retired President of Oster Company, a division of Sunbeam Corporation, which
manufactures and sells portable household appliances.
Theodore H. Nixon, 55, has been a director of the Company since 2006. Since 1992, Mr.
Nixon has been the Chief Executive Officer of D.D. Williamson, which is a manufacturer of
caramel coloring used in the food and beverage industries. Mr. Nixon joined D.D.
Williamson in 1974 and was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer in 1982. Mr.
Nixon is also a director of the non-profit Center for Quality of Management.
John J. Stollenwerk, 67, has been a director of the Company since 1986. Mr. Stollenwerk
is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Allen-Edmonds Shoe Corporation, an
international manufacturer and retailer of high quality footwear. He is also a director
of Allen-Edmonds Shoe Corporation, Badger Meter, Inc., U.S. Bancorp, and Northwestern
Mutual Life Insurance Company.
The Company expects that the Koss Family (John C. Koss, Michael J. Koss, and John Koss, Jr.),
who beneficially own approximately 71.2% of the outstanding Common Stock, will vote for the
election of all nominees named above to the Board of Directors.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT
STOCKHOLDERS VOTE FOR THE ELECTION OF ALL NOMINEES
NAMED ABOVE TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
3
Board Committees
The Board has appointed the following standing committees for auditing and accounting matters,
executive compensation and board nominations. Each member of these committees is independent as
defined in Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4200.
Audit Committee. The Audit Committee, which is composed of Mr. Doerr, Mr. Mattson
Mr. Nixon, and Mr. Stollenwerk, reviews and evaluates the effectiveness of the Companys
financial and accounting functions, including reviewing the scope and results of the audit
work performed by the independent accountants and by the Companys internal accounting
staff. The Audit Committee met three times during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2007.
The independent accountants were present at two of these meetings to discuss their audit
scope and the results of their audit. For more information about the Audit Committee
meetings, see the Audit Committee Report. The Audit Committee is governed by a written
charter approved and adopted by the Board, which is attached hereto as Appendix A.
Audit Committee Financial Expert. The Board has determined that Mr. Mattson is an
Audit Committee Financial Expert as that term is defined in Item 401(h) of Regulation
S-K promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC).
Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee, which is composed of Mr. Doerr,
Mr. Mattson, and Mr. Stollenwerk, has responsibility for reviewing and recommending
adjustments for all employees whose annual salaries exceed $75,000 or who report directly
to the Companys Chief Executive Officer. The Compensation Committee met once during the
fiscal year ended June 30, 2007. For more information about the Compensation Committee
meetings, see the Compensation Committee Report on Executive Compensation. The
Companys 1990 Flexible Incentive Plan (the Plan) is administered by the Compensation
Committee. Subject to the express provisions of the Plan, the Committee has complete
authority to (i) determine when and to whom benefits are granted; (ii) determine the terms
and provisions of benefits granted; (iii) interpret the Plan; (iv) prescribe, amend and
rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan; (v) accelerate, purchase, adjust or
remove restrictions from benefits; and (vi) take any other action which it considers
necessary or appropriate for the administration of the Plan.
Nominating Committee and Director Nomination Process. The Nominating Committee,
which is composed of Mr. Doerr, Mr. Mattson, and Mr. Stollenwerk, has responsibility for
overseeing the director nomination process and for identifying and evaluating potential
candidates and recommending candidates to the Board for nomination. Candidates will be
evaluated by the Nominating Committee on the basis of outstanding achievement in their
professional careers, broad experience, wisdom, personal and professional integrity, and
their experience with and understanding of the business environment. With respect to
minimum qualifications of candidates, the Nominating Committee will consider candidates
who have the experiences, skills, and characteristics necessary to gain a basic
understanding of the principal operational and financial objectives and plans of the
Company, the results of operations and financial condition of the Company, and the
relative standing of the Company and its business segments in relation to its competitors.
The Nominating Committee will consider qualified director candidates recommended by
stockholders if such recommendations for director are submitted in writing to the
Secretary, c/o Koss Corporation, 4129 North Port Washington Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
53212, and include the following information: (i) name and address of the stockholder
making the recommendation; (ii) name and address of the candidate; and (iii) pertinent
biographical information about the candidate. Any recommendations must be submitted by
the deadline by which a stockholder must give notice of a matter that he or she wishes to
bring before the Companys Annual Meeting as described in the Stockholder Proposals for
the 2008 Annual Meeting section of this Proxy Statement. The Nominating Committee does
not currently have a charter.
Attendance at Board and Committee Meetings
During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2007, the Board held four meetings. Every incumbent
director attended 75% or more of the total of (i) all meetings of the Board, plus (ii) all meetings
of the committees on which they served during their respective terms of office.
4
Attendance at Annual Meetings
All of the members of the Board, Mr. John C. Koss, Mr. Michael J. Koss, Mr. Doerr, Mr.
Mattson, Mr. Stollenwerk and Mr. Nixon, attended last years annual meeting held on October 11,
2006. The Company has no formal written policy regarding attendance at annual meetings of the
Company, but strongly encourages all directors to make attendance at all annual meetings a
priority.
Independence of the Board
Each of Mr. Doerr, Mr. Mattson, Mr. Nixon, and Mr. Stollenwerk, is independent as such term
is defined in Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4200. These independent directors constitute a majority of
the Board, as required under Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4350(c).
Communications with the Board
Stockholders may communicate with the Board, individually or as a group, by sending written
communications to: Koss Corporation, 4129 North Port Washington Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212.
Stockholders may also communicate with members of the Board by telephone (414) 964-5000 or
facsimile (414) 964-8615. If any correspondence is addressed to the Board or to a member of the
Board, that correspondence is forwarded directly to the Board or member of the Board.
Code of Ethics
The Board approved and adopted a Code of Ethics for the Companys directors, officers, and
employees, which is attached as Exhibit 14 to the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended June 30, 2004.
Executive Officers
Information is provided below with respect to the executive officers of the Company. Each
executive officer is elected annually by the Board of Directors and serves for one year or until
his or her successor is appointed.
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Current Position |
Name |
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Age |
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Positions Held |
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Held Since |
Michael J. Koss
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53 |
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President, Chief Operating Officer,
Chief Financial Officer, Chief Executive Officer
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1987
(Chief Executive Officer since 1991)
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John Koss, Jr.
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50 |
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Vice President Sales
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1988 |
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Sujata Sachdeva
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43 |
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Vice President Finance, Secretary
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1992 |
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Declan Hanley
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60 |
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Vice President International Sales
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1994 |
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Lenore E. Lillie
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46 |
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Vice President Operation
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1998 |
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Cheryl Mike
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55 |
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Vice President Human Resources
and Customer Service
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2001 |
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Beneficial Ownership of Company Securities
Security Ownership by Nominees and Management. The following table sets forth, as of August
1, 2007, the number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned (as defined under applicable
regulations of the SEC), and the percentage of such shares to the total number of shares
outstanding, for all nominees, for each executive officer named in the Summary Compensation Table
(see Executive Compensation and Related Matters Summary Compensation Table), for all directors
and executive officers as a group, and for each person and each group of persons who, to the
knowledge of the Company as of June 30, 2007, were the beneficial owners of more than 5% of the
outstanding shares of Common Stock.
5
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Number of |
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Percent of |
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Shares |
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Outstanding |
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Beneficially |
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Common |
Name and Business Address (1) |
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Owned (2) |
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Stock (3) |
John C. Koss (4) |
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1,405,052 |
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38.29 |
% |
Michael J. Koss (5) |
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1,039,417 |
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27.28 |
% |
John Koss, Jr. (6) |
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333,494 |
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8.87 |
% |
Thomas L. Doerr |
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0 |
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* |
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Lawrence S. Mattson |
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0 |
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* |
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Theodore H. Nixon |
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1,000 |
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* |
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John J. Stollenwerk |
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12,127 |
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* |
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Sujata Sachdeva (7) |
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19,921 |
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* |
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Declan Hanley (8) |
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62,500 |
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1.67 |
% |
Lenore E. Lillie (9) |
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54,464 |
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1.47 |
% |
Cheryl Mike (10) |
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32,593 |
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* |
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All directors and executive officers as a group (11 persons) (11) |
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2,960,568 |
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73.72 |
% |
Koss Family Voting Trust, John C. Koss, Trustee (12) |
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1,217,785 |
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33.18 |
% |
Koss
Employee Stock Ownership Trust (KESOT) (13) |
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331,907 |
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9.04 |
% |
Royce and Associates, LLC (14) |
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239,500 |
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6.52 |
% |
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(*) |
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denotes beneficial ownership of less than 1%. |
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(1) |
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Unless otherwise noted, the business address of all persons named in the above table is c/o Koss Corporation, 4129
North Port Washington Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53212. |
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(2) |
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Unless otherwise noted, amounts indicated reflect shares as to which the beneficial owner possesses sole voting and
dispositive powers. Also included are shares subject to stock options if such options are exercisable within 60 days
of August 1, 2007. |
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(3) |
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All percentages shown in the above table are based on 3,669,569 shares outstanding and entitled to vote on August 1,
2007, plus (for Michael J. Koss, John C. Koss, Jr., Ms. Sachdeva, Mr. Hanley, Ms. Lillie, Ms. Mike, and for all
directors and executive officers as a group) the number of options exercisable within 60 days of August 1, 2007. The
percentage calculation assumes, for each individual owning options and for directors and executive officers as a
group, the exercise of that number of stock options that are exercisable within 60 days of August 1, 2007. |
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(4) |
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Includes the following shares which are deemed to be beneficially owned by John C. Koss: (i) 61,732 shares owned
directly or by his spouse; (ii) 1,217,785 shares as a result of his position as trustee of the Koss Family Voting
Trust; (iii) 124,300 shares as a result of his position as co-trustee of the John C. and Nancy Koss Revocable Trust;
and (iv) 1,235 shares by reason of the allocation of those shares to his account under the Koss Employee Stock
Ownership Trust (KESOT) and his ability to vote such shares pursuant to the terms of the KESOT see Executive
Compensation and Related Matters Other Compensation Arrangements Employee Stock Ownership Plan and Trust. |
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(5) |
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Includes the following shares which are deemed to be beneficially owned by Michael J. Koss: (i) 524,578 shares owned
directly or by reason of family relationships; (ii) 68,102 shares by reason of the allocation of those shares to his
account under the KESOT and his ability to vote such shares; (iii) 111,034 shares as a result of his position as an
officer of the Koss Foundation; (iv) 140,000 shares with respect to which he holds options which are exercisable
within 60 days of August 1, 2007; and (v) 331,907 shares which are held by the KESOT (see Note (9), below). The
68,102 shares allocated to Michael J. Koss KESOT account, over which he holds voting power, are included within the
aforementioned 331,907 shares but are counted only once in his individual total. |
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(6) |
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Includes the following shares which are deemed to be beneficially owned by John Koss, Jr.:
(i) 243,494 shares owned directly or by reason of family relationships; (ii) 90,000 shares with respect |
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to which he
holds options which are exercisable within 60 days of August 1, 2007; and (iii) 49,347 shares by reason of the
allocation of those shares to his account under the KESOT and his ability to vote such shares. |
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(7) |
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Includes the following shares which are deemed to be beneficially owned by Sujata Sachdeva: (i) 12,000 shares
with respect to which she holds options which are exercisable within 60 days of August 1, 2007; and (ii) 7,921 shares
by reason of the allocation of those shares to her account under the KESOT and her ability to vote such shares. |
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(8) |
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Includes the following shares which are deemed to be beneficially owned by Declan Hanley: (i) 62,500 with
respect to which she holds options which are exercisable within 60 days of August 1, 2007. |
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(9) |
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Includes the following shares which are deemed to be beneficially owned by Lenore E. Lillie: (i) 10,044 shares
owned directly; (ii) 28,662 shares with respect to which she holds options which are exercisable within 60 days of
August 1, 2007; and (iii) 15,758 shares by reason of the allocation of those shares to her account under the KESOT and
her ability to vote such shares. |
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(10) |
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Includes the following shares which are deemed to be beneficially owned by Cheryl Mike: (i) 13,000 shares with
respect to which she holds options which are exercisable within 60 days of August 1, 2007; and (iii) 19,593 shares by
reason of the allocation of those shares to her account under the KESOT and her ability to vote such shares. |
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(11) |
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This group includes 11 people, all of whom are listed on the accompanying table. To avoid double-counting: (i) the
68,102 total shares held by the KESOT and deemed to be beneficially owned by Michael J. Koss as a result of his
position as a KESOT Trustee (see Note (5), above) include shares allocated to the KESOT accounts of John C. Koss,
Michael J. Koss, John Koss, Jr., Ms. Sachdeva, Ms. Lillie, and Ms. Mike, in the above table but are included only once
in the total; and (ii) the 1,217,785 shares deemed to be beneficially owned by John C. Koss as a result of his
position as trustee of the Koss Family Voting Trust (see Note (4), above) are included in his individual total share
ownership and are included only once in the total. |
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(12) |
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The Koss Family Voting Trust was established by John C. Koss. The sole trustee is John C. Koss. The term of the Koss
Family Voting Trust is indefinite. Under the Trust Agreement, John C. Koss, as trustee, holds full voting and
dispositive power over the shares held by the Koss Family Voting Trust. All of the 1,217,785 shares held by the Koss
Family Voting Trust are included in the number of shares shown as beneficially owned by John C. Koss (see Note (4),
above). |
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(13) |
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The KESOT holds 331,907 shares. Authority to vote these shares is vested in KESOT participants to the extent shares
have been allocated to individual KESOT accounts. All 331,907 of these KESOT shares are also included in the number
of shares shown as beneficially owned by Michael J. Koss (see Note (5), above). Michael J. Koss and Cheryl Mike (the
Companys Vice President of Human Resources) serve as Trustees of the KESOT and, as such, they share dispositive power
with respect to (and are therefore each deemed under applicable SEC rules to beneficially own) all 331,907 KESOT
shares. |
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(14) |
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1414 Avenue of the Americans, New York, NY 10019. The share ownership reported by Royce & Associates, LLC is based on
the most recently available public information obtained by the Company from the amended Schedule 13G filed with the
SEC by Royce & Associates, LLC on January 22, 2007. |
COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
The following discussion provides information concerning the compensation of the executives of
the Company set forth in the Summary Compensation Table below (the Named Executive Officers).
Compensation Philosophy and Compensation Program Objectives
As a public company operating in the competitive audio/video industry segment of the home
entertainment industry, we place high value on attracting and retaining our executives since it is
their talent and performance that is
7
responsible for our success. Therefore, our compensation philosophy is to create a
performance-based culture that attracts and retains a superior team. The Companys Named
Executive Officers and other executive officers are paid base salaries commensurate with their
responsibilities, after comparison with base salaries of executive officers of other light assembly
or manufacturing companies as reported in an annual national survey. We aim to achieve this goal
by designing a competitive and fiscally responsible compensation program to:
|
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Attract the highest caliber of talent required for the success of our business; |
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Retain those individuals capable of achieving challenging performance standards; |
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Incent our executives to strive for superior company wide and individual performance; and |
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o |
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Align management and stockholder interests over both the short and long-term. |
Our executive compensation program is designed in a manner to offer a compensation package
that utilizes three key elements: (1) base salary; (2) annual cash incentives and (3) long-term
equity incentives. We believe that together these performance-based elements support the objectives
of our compensation program.
|
o |
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Base Salaries. We seek to provide competitive base salaries factoring in the
position, the executives skills and experience, the executives performance as well as
other factors. We believe appropriate base salary levels are critical in helping us to
attract and retain talented executives. |
|
|
o |
|
Annual Cash Incentives. The aim of this element of compensation is to reward
individual contributions to align with our annual operating performance and to recognize
the achievement of challenging performance standards. |
|
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o |
|
Long-Term Equity Incentives. The long-term element of our compensation program
consists of discretionary grants of equity awards which are reviewed annually. These grants
of common stock and options to purchase common stock are designed to align interests of
management and employees with those of the Company and its stockholders by directly linking
individual compensation to the Companys long-term performance, as reflected in stock price
appreciation and increased stockholder value. |
Below is a description of our executive compensation process and a detailed discussion of each
of the key elements of our compensation program as they apply to the Named Executive Officers set
forth in the Summary Compensation Table. Because we are a competitive public company, we will
continue to review the overall design of our executive compensation program to ensure that it is
structured to most effectively meet our compensation philosophy and objectives. We will also
evaluate the program in the context of competitive market practice, as well as applicable legal and
regulatory guidelines, including IRS rules governing the deductibility of compensation. This
review may result in changes to the program we use today.
The Executive Compensation Process
Compensation Committee
The Compensation Committee of the Companys Board of Directors (the Compensation
Committee) is responsible for setting the Companys philosophy regarding executive
compensation. The Compensation Committee is comprised entirely of non-employee directors and acts
pursuant to a charter that has been approved by the Board and is annually reviewed by the
Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee is composed of Mr. Doerr, Mr. Mattson, and Mr.
Stollenwerk. Each member of the Compensation Committee is a non-employee and an independent
director as defined in Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4200.
Our Compensation Committee goes through the following process prior to determining equity compensation:
|
o |
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Reviewing and approving our compensation philosophy; |
|
|
o |
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Determining executive compensation levels; |
|
|
o |
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Annually reviewing and assessing performance goals and objectives for all executive
officers, including our Chief Executive Officer; and |
8
|
o |
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Determining short-term and long-term incentive compensation for all executive officers,
including our Chief Executive Officer. |
The Compensation Committee is responsible for the review of all employee salaries in excess of
$75,000 or who report directly to the Companys Chief Executive Officer. The Compensation
Committee also reviews all bonus, commission and stock option programs. The Compensation Committee
meets as a group each spring and reviews its report with the full Board prior to the end of the
fiscal year. This system enables management to plan the following year with the benefit of the
Compensation Committees input.
Our Compensation Committee relies upon its judgment in making compensation decisions, after
reviewing the performance of the Company and carefully evaluating an executives performance during
the year against established goals, leadership qualities, operational performance, business
responsibilities, career with the Company, current compensation arrangements and long-term
potential to enhance stockholder value. Specific factors affecting compensation decisions for the
Named Executive Officers include:
|
o |
|
key financial measurements such as pre-tax income; |
|
|
o |
|
promoting commercial excellence by launching new or continuously improving products or
services, being a leading market player and attracting and retaining customers and
employees; and |
|
|
o |
|
supporting our corporate values by promoting compliance with internal ethics policies
and legal obligations. |
When necessary, our Compensation Committee will seek compensation advice from either our Board or
executive officers.
Benchmarking Process
When making compensation decisions, the Compensation Committee considers the competitive
market for executives and compensation levels provided by comparable companies. Our Compensation
Committee has used Watson Wyatt Data Services to provide compensation figures of others in our
industry. Though we generally target salary levels at the median of our peer group, total
compensation may exceed or fall below the median for certain of our Named Executive Officers.
Since one of the objectives of our compensation program is to consistently reward and retain top
performers, actual compensation will vary depending on individual and our overall performance.
Compensation of the Chief Executive Officer
The Compensation Committee annually reviews and determines the compensation of the Companys
Chief Executive Officer, Michael J. Koss. The Compensation Committee has reviewed all components
of his compensation, including salary, bonus, equity and long-term incentive compensation.
Michael J. Kosss compensation is based on his experience, responsibilities, historical salary
levels and bonuses for himself and other executive officers of the Company, and the salaries and
bonuses of Chief Executive Officers of other light assembly or manufacturing companies. Michael
J. Koss is also eligible to receive a bonus calculated as a percentage of the Companys earnings
before interest and taxes. He also participates in the Companys Flexible Incentive Plan. For
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2007, Michael J. Kosss base salary was $275,000, his bonus was
$339,298, and he was granted 40,000 stock options. Michael J. Kosss bonus was calculated as a
percentage of the Companys earnings before interest and taxes for the year ended June 30, 2007.
The Compensation Committee finds Michael J. Kosss total compensation in the aggregate to be
reasonable and not excessive based upon individual performance and overall Company performance and
profitability for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2007. Mr. Koss has not entered into an
employment agreement with the Company.
Executive Officer Compensation
The Company employs a compensation program linked to company-wide performance and individual
achievement. All executive officers are reviewed once each year. Raises in base salaries are
made in July when necessary or when promotions are announced. In addition, the Company has a
Flexible Incentive Plan, an Employee Stock Ownership Plan and Trust, a 401(k) Plan, and a Profit
Sharing Plan. The Flexible Incentive Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee and vests
the Compensation Committee with discretionary powers to choose from a
9
variety of incentive compensation alternatives to make annual stock-based awards to officers, key
employees and other members of the Companys management team. The Company also has a cafeteria
benefits plan to provide flexibility to employees to choose their own health care and associated
benefits package from an array of offerings. The Company shares the cost of medical insurance
with its employees.
The Companys executive officers are paid base salaries commensurate with their
responsibilities, after comparison with base salaries of executive officers of other light
assembly or manufacturing companies taken from data in an annual national survey. As in years
past, for the year ended June 30, 2007, executive officers were eligible for annual bonuses based
upon individual performance and overall Company performance and profitability. Factors relevant
to determining such bonuses included attainment of corporate revenue and earnings goals and the
development of new accounts. The Companys Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and certain other
executive officers are eligible to receive a bonus calculated as a percentage of the Companys
earnings before interest and taxes. The Companys Vice President Sales is entitled to receive a
bonus based upon increases in sales over the prior year, and a bonus for obtaining new accounts
from a predetermined list of potential new accounts and for adding new product lines to current
accounts. The Companys Vice President International Sales is entitled to receive a bonus based
upon the Companys sales in export markets.
Components of the Executive Compensation Program
Though we feel it is important to provide competitive cash compensation, we believe that a
substantial portion of executive compensation should be performance-based. We believe it is
essential for executives to have a meaningful equity stake linked to our long-term performance and,
therefore, we have created compensation packages that aim to foster an owner-operator culture.
Other than base salary, compensation of our executive officers and other key associates is also
largely comprised of variable or at risk incentive pay linked to our financial and stock
performance and individual contributions. Other factors we consider in evaluating executive
compensation include internal equity, external market and competitive information, assessment of
individual performance, level of responsibility, and the overall expense of the program. In
addition, we also strive to offer competitive benefits and appropriate perquisites.
Base Salary
Base salary represents the fixed component of our Named Executive Officers and other executive
officers compensation. The Compensation Committee sets base salary levels based upon experience
and skills, position, level of responsibility, the ability to replace the individual, and market
practices. The Compensation Committee reviews base salaries of the Named Executive Officers and
our other executive officers annually and approves all salary increases for the Named Executive
Officers and our other executive officers. Increases are based on several factors, including an
assessment of individual performance and contribution, promotions, level of responsibility, scope
of position and competitive market data.
Annual Cash Incentives
Our Named Executive Officers have the opportunity to earn cash incentives for meeting annual
performance goals. The Compensation Committee establishes financial and performance targets and
opportunities linked to our overall performance.
Long-Term Equity Incentives
Our executive officer compensation is heavily weighted in long-term equity as we believe
superior stockholder returns are achieved through an ownership culture that encourages a focus on
long-term performance by our Named Executive Officers and other executive officers. Our primary
form of long-term equity incentive is stock option grants. By providing our Named Executive
Officers and other executive officers with an equity stake in our future, we are better able to
align the interests of our Named Executive Officers, our other executive officers and our
stockholders. In establishing long-term equity incentive grants for our Named Executive Officers
and other executive officers, the Compensation Committee reviews certain factors, including the
outstanding equity grants held both by the individual and by our executives as a group, total
compensation, performance, accumulated wealth analysis that includes projections of the potential
value of vested equity (which is prepared reflecting assumptions about future stock price growth
rates), the vesting dates of outstanding grants, tax and accounting costs, potential dilution and
other factors.
10
Perquisites and Other Benefits
We do not generally provide material perquisites that are not, in the Compensation Committees
view, integrally and directly related to the duties of our Named Executive Officers and other
executive officers. The perquisites we do provide to certain of our Named Executive Officers
include the payment of car leases and life insurance benefits. Our executive officers also
participate in other broad-based benefit programs that are generally available to our salaried
employees, including health and dental insurance programs and our retirement benefit plans
described below.
Retirement Plans
The Compensation believes that an important aspect of attracting and retaining qualified
individuals to serve as executive officers involves providing methods for those individuals to save
for retirement. All of our employees and Named Executive Officers are eligible to participate in
the 401(k) savings and retirement plan and KESOT plan of the Company.
Employment Agreements
None of our Named Executive Officers or other employees have entered into an employment
agreement with the Company.
Benefits Upon Termination of Employment
None of our Named Executive Officers or other employees have agreements that entitle them to
receive a payment upon a change of control or termination.
Other Compensation Arrangements
The Company has certain other compensation plans and arrangements which are available to the
CEO and certain of the Named Executive Officers, including the following:
|
|
|
Supplemental Medical Care Reimbursement Plan. Each officer of the Company is covered by
a medical care reimbursement plan for all medical expenses incurred that are not covered
under group health insurance up to an annual maximum of 10% of salary. |
|
|
|
|
Employee Stock Ownership Plan and Trust. In December 1975, the Company adopted the
KESOT, which is a form of employee benefit plan designed to invest primarily in employer
securities. The KESOT is qualified under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. All
full-time employees with at least six months uninterrupted service with the Company are
eligible to participate in the KESOT. Contributions to the KESOT are allocated to the
accounts of participants in proportion to the ratio that a participants compensation bears
to total compensation of all participants. Accounts are adjusted each year to reflect the
investment experience of the trust and forfeitures from accounts of non-vested terminated
participants. All unallocated shares will be voted by the KESOT Trustees as directed by
the KESOT Committee. Michael J. Koss and Cheryl Mike currently serve as KESOT Trustees and
as the members of the KESOT Committee. Voting rights for all allocated shares are passed
through to the participant for whose account such shares are allocated, and must be voted
by the Trustees in accordance with the participants direction. As of August 1, 2007 the
KESOT held 331,907 shares of Common Stock (approximately 9.04% of the
total number of shares outstanding). |
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|
Retirement Agreement. John C. Koss is eligible to receive his current base salary of
$150,000 for the remainder of his life, whether he becomes disabled or not. John C. Koss
is over 70 years old and will be entitled to receive this benefit upon his retirement from
the Company. The Company has a deferred compensation liability of $400,000 recorded as of
June 30, 2007 and $400,000 as of June 30, 2006 for this arrangement. |
|
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|
|
Stock Option Plans. In 1990, the Board of Directors created, and the stockholders
approved, a Flexible Incentive Plan (the Plan). This Plan is administered by the
Compensation Committee and vests the Compensation Committee with discretionary powers to
choose from a variety of incentive compensation alternatives to make annual stock-based
awards to officers, key employees, and other members of the Companys management team. |
11
|
|
|
Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan. The Board of Directors has by resolution
entered into a Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan with Michael J. Koss which calls for
Michael J. Koss to receive annual cash compensation following his retirement from the
Company (Retirement Payments) in an amount equal to 2% of the base salary of Michael J.
Koss, multiplied by his number of years of service to the Company (for example, if Michael
J. Koss had worked 25 years, then he would be entitled to receive 50% of base salary). The
base salary shall be calculated using the average base salary of Michael J. Koss during the
three years preceding his retirement. The Retirement Payments are to be paid to Michael J.
Koss monthly until his death, and after his death shall continue to be paid monthly to his
surviving spouse until her death. The Company had a deferred compensation liability of
$589,153 recorded as of June 30, 2007 and $592,831 as of June 30, 2006 for this
arrangement. |
|
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|
|
Profit Sharing Plan. Every quarter of each fiscal year, the Company sets aside a
percentage of any operating profits and distributes it to all employees (except John C.
Koss, Michael J. Koss, John Koss, Jr. and Declan Hanley) based on their hourly rate of pay.
All full-time Koss employees (except John C. Koss, Michael J. Koss, and John Koss, Jr.)
are eligible for profit sharing if they have been employed for the complete fiscal quarter.
Deductions are made from profit sharing for each absence (paid sick days and unpaid days)
based on the number of hours of time lost. |
|
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|
|
401(k) Plan. All full-time employees of the Company are eligible to participate in the
Companys 401(k) Plan the beginning of the fiscal quarter after they have completed one
full fiscal quarter. Employees are able to defer a dollar amount up to the federal yearly
maximum. The Company, in its discretion, matches the employee dollar deferral with a
dollar per dollar match, not to exceed 10% of the employees annual compensation. The
funds that are deferred and matched are immediately 100% vested to the employees 401(k)
account. The employees allocate their funds to a group of nine funds or they may
self-direct their funds to a qualified 401(k) of their choice. |
Tax and Accounting Matters
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, enacted as part of the Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act of 1993, generally disallows a tax deduction to public companies for
compensation over $1,000,000 paid to the chief executive officer and the four other most highly
compensated executive officers. Under Internal Revenue Service regulations, qualifying
performance-based compensation will not be subject to the deduction limit if certain requirements
are met. The Compensation Committee does not believe that any of the executive compensation
arrangements for Fiscal 2007 will result in the loss of a tax deduction pursuant to Section 162(m).
The Compensation Committee expects to continue to monitor the application of Section 162(m) to
executive compensation and will take appropriate action if it is warranted in the future.
We operate our compensation programs with the intention of complying with Section 409A of the
Code. Effective January 1, 2006, we began accounting for stock-based compensation with respect to
our long-term equity incentive award programs in accordance with the requirements of SFAS 123(R).
12
SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE
The following table presents certain summary information concerning compensation paid or
accrued by the Company for services rendered in all capacities during the fiscal year ended June
30, 2007 for (i) the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Company, and (ii) each of the other six
executive officers of the Company (determined as of the end of the last fiscal year) whose total
annual salary and bonus exceeded $100,000 (collectively, including the CEO, the Named Executive
Officers).
|
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Change in |
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Pension Value |
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& |
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Non-Equity |
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Nonqualified |
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Stock |
|
Option |
|
Incentive Plan |
|
Deferred |
|
All Other |
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|
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|
Bonus |
|
Awards |
|
Awards |
|
Compensation |
|
Compensation |
|
Compensation |
|
|
Name & Principal Position |
|
Year |
|
Salary ($) |
|
($) |
|
($) |
|
($)(1) |
|
($) |
|
Earnings ($) |
|
($) |
|
|
Total ($) |
|
John C. Koss (2)
Chairman of the Board |
|
|
2007 |
|
|
|
150,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
242,356 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
32,647 |
|
|
|
425,003 |
|
|
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|
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|
|
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Michael J. Koss (3)
Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
2007 |
|
|
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275,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
194,923 |
|
|
|
339,298 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
48,551 |
|
|
|
857,772 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
|
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John Koss, Jr. (4)
Vice President Sales |
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2007 |
|
|
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181,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
97,461 |
|
|
|
25,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
31,890 |
|
|
|
335,351 |
|
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Sujata Sachdeva (5)
Vice President Finance |
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2007 |
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130,000 |
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|
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0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
27,004 |
|
|
|
30,688 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
20,315 |
|
|
|
208,007 |
|
|
|
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|
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Declan Hanley (6)
Vice President
International Sales |
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2007 |
|
|
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105,987 |
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|
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0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
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27,004 |
|
|
|
241,686 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
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18,700 |
|
|
|
393,377 |
|
|
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Lenore Lillie (7)
Vice President Operations |
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2007 |
|
|
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123,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
27,004 |
|
|
|
29,035 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
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20,847 |
|
|
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199,886 |
|
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Cheryl Mike (8)
Vice President Human
Resources & Cust. Service |
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2007 |
|
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83,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
27,004 |
|
|
|
19,593 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
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23,816 |
|
|
|
153,413 |
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
For each of the stock option grants, the value shown is what is
also included in the companys financial statements per FAS
123(R). See the Companys Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
June 30, 2007 for a complete description of the FAS 123(R)
valuation. The actual number of awards granted is shown in the
Grants of Plan Based Awards table included in this filing. |
|
(2) |
|
Mr. John C. Koss, Sr. received $7,000 in Company matching
contributions under the Companys 401K Plan. Mr. Koss also
received Company contributions to the KESOT for the accounts of
John C. Koss in the amount of $5,751. Car leases were paid by
the Company for John C. Koss in the amount of $15,446, and
premiums paid by the Company for life insurance in the amount
$4,450. |
|
(3) |
|
Mr. Michael J. Koss received $21,000 in Company matching
contributions under the Companys 401K Plan. Mr. Koss also
received Company contributions to the KESOT for the accounts of
Michael J. Koss in the amount of $5,751. Car leases were paid by
the Company for Michael J. Koss in the amount of $20,890, and
premiums paid by the Company for life insurance in the amount
$911. |
|
(4) |
|
Mr. John Koss, Jr. received $16,846 in Company matching
contributions under the Companys 401K Plan. Mr. Koss also
received Company contributions to the KESOT for the accounts of
John Koss, Jr. in the amount of $5,751. Car leases were paid by
the Company for John Koss, Jr. in the amount of $8,916, and
premiums paid by the Company for life insurance in the amount
$378. |
|
(5) |
|
Ms. Sujata Sachdeva received $16,123 in Company matching
contributions under the Companys 401K Plan. Ms. |
13
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Sachdeva also
received Company contributions to the KESOT for the accounts of
Sujata Sachdeva in the amount of $4,192. |
|
(6) |
|
Mr. Declan Hanley received $5,000 in Company contributions under
the Companys 401K Plan. Car leases were paid by the Company for
Declan Hanley in the amount of $13,700. |
|
(7) |
|
Ms. Lenore Lillie received $16,233 in Company matching
contributions under the Companys 401K Plan. Ms. Lillie also
received Company contributions to the KESOT for the accounts of
Lenore Lillie in the amount of $3,947. Premiums paid by the
Company for life insurance in the amount $666. |
|
(8) |
|
Ms. Cheryl Mike received $20,773 in Company matching
contributions under the Companys 401K Plan. Ms. Mike also
received Company contributions to the KESOT for the accounts of
Cheryl Mike in the amount of $2,681. Premiums paid by the
Company for life insurance in the amount $361. |
GRANT OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS
The following table sets forth information regarding all plan awards that were made to the
Named Executive Officers during 2007. Disclosure on a separate line item is provided for each
grant of an award made to a Named Executive Officer during the year. The information supplements
the dollar value disclosure of stock, option and non-stock awards in the Summary Compensation Table
by providing additional details about such awards. Equity incentive-based awards are subject to a
performance condition or a market condition as those terms are defined by FAS 123(R) and are
intended to serve as an incentive for performance to occur over a specified period.
GRANTS OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS IN FISCAL 2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All Other |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All Other |
|
Option |
|
|
|
|
|
Fair |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock |
|
Awards: |
|
|
|
|
|
Value |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Estimated Future Payouts |
|
Estimated Future Payouts |
|
Awards: |
|
Number |
|
Exercise |
|
of |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Under Non-Equity |
|
Under Equity Incentive |
|
Number |
|
of |
|
or Base |
|
Stock |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Incentive Plan Awards |
|
Plan Awards |
|
of Shares |
|
Securities |
|
Price of |
|
and |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thres- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thres- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
of Stocks |
|
Underlying |
|
Option |
|
Option |
|
|
Grant |
|
hold |
|
Target |
|
Maximum |
|
hold |
|
Target |
|
Maximum |
|
or Units |
|
Options |
|
Awards |
|
Awards |
Name |
|
Date |
|
($) |
|
($) (1) |
|
($) |
|
(#) |
|
(#) |
|
(#) |
|
(#) |
|
(#) (2) |
|
($/Sh) |
|
($) |
John C. Koss |
|
|
|
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
$ |
242,356 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
Michael J. Koss |
|
|
05/09/07 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
$ |
339,298 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
40,000 |
|
|
$ |
21.42 |
|
|
|
194,923 |
|
John Koss, Jr. |
|
|
05/09/07 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
$ |
25,000 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
20,000 |
|
|
$ |
21.42 |
|
|
|
97,461 |
|
Sujata Sachdeva |
|
|
05/09/07 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
$ |
30,688 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
$ |
19.47 |
|
|
|
27,004 |
|
Declan Hanley |
|
|
05/09/07 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
$ |
241,686 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
$ |
19.47 |
|
|
|
27,004 |
|
Lenore Lillie |
|
|
05/09/07 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
$ |
29,035 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
$ |
19.47 |
|
|
|
27,004 |
|
Cheryl Mike |
|
|
05/09/07 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
$ |
19,593 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
$ |
19.47 |
|
|
|
27,004 |
|
(1) There are no threshold or maximum amounts associated with the grant of Non-Equity
Incentive Plan Awards. Such awards are granted in the form of cash awards to our Named Executive
Officers.
(2) All stock options awarded to all Named Executive Officers represent options granted under the
1990 Flexible Incentive Plan. The 1990 Flexible Incentive Plan is filed as Filed as Exhibit 25 to
the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 1990.
14
OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR END
The following table sets forth information on outstanding option and stock awards held by the Named
Executive Officers at June 30, 2007, including the number of shares underlying both exercisable and
unexercisable portions of each stock option as well as the exercise price and the expiration date
of each outstanding options
OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR END 2007
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Option Awards |
|
Stock Awards |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Incentive |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Plan Awards: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity |
|
Market or |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Incentive |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Incentive |
|
Payout |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Plan Awards: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Market |
|
Plan Awards: |
|
Value of |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number |
|
Value of |
|
Number of |
|
Unearned |
|
|
Number |
|
|
|
|
|
of |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
of Shares |
|
Shares or |
|
Unearned |
|
Shares, |
|
|
of |
|
Number |
|
Securities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
or Units |
|
Units of |
|
Shares, Units |
|
Units or |
|
|
Securities |
|
of Securities |
|
Underlying |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
of Stock |
|
Stock |
|
or Other |
|
Other |
|
|
Underlying |
|
Underlying |
|
Unexercised |
|
Option |
|
|
|
|
|
That Have |
|
That Have |
|
Rights That |
|
Rights |
|
|
Unexercised |
|
Unexercised |
|
UnEarned |
|
Exercise |
|
Option |
|
Not |
|
Not |
|
Have Not |
|
That Have |
|
|
Options (#) |
|
Options (#) |
|
Options |
|
Price |
|
Expiration |
|
Vested |
|
Vested |
|
Vested |
|
Not Vested |
Name |
|
Exercisable |
|
Unexercisable |
|
(#) |
|
($) |
|
Date |
|
($) |
|
($) |
|
(#) |
|
($) |
John C. Koss |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
N/A |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
Michael J. Koss |
|
|
60,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
17.32 |
|
|
|
04/30/08 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
60,000 |
|
|
|
20,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
24.11 |
|
|
|
04/28/09 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
19.12 |
|
|
|
07/20/10 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
30,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
28.80 |
|
|
|
05/08/11 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
40,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
21.42 |
|
|
|
05/09/12 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
John Koss, Jr. |
|
|
40,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
17.32 |
|
|
|
04/30/08 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
37,500 |
|
|
|
12,500 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
24.11 |
|
|
|
04/28/09 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
7,500 |
|
|
|
7,500 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
19.12 |
|
|
|
07/20/10 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
|
15,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
28.80 |
|
|
|
05/08/11 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
20,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
21.42 |
|
|
|
05/09/12 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
Sujata Sachdeva |
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
15.75 |
|
|
|
04/30/13 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
4,000 |
|
|
|
8,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
22.01 |
|
|
|
04/28/14 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
2,000 |
|
|
|
3,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
17.38 |
|
|
|
07/20/15 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
1,000 |
|
|
|
4,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
26.18 |
|
|
|
05/08/16 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
19.47 |
|
|
|
05/09/17 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
Declan Hanley |
|
|
7,500 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
5.375 |
|
|
|
04/29/09 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
6.725 |
|
|
|
05/01/10 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
16.755 |
|
|
|
04/25/11 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
16.80 |
|
|
|
04/24/12 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
15.75 |
|
|
|
04/30/13 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
12,000 |
|
|
|
8,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
22.10 |
|
|
|
04/25/14 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
2,000 |
|
|
|
3,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
17.38 |
|
|
|
07/20/15 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
1,000 |
|
|
|
4,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
26.18 |
|
|
|
05/08/16 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
19.47 |
|
|
|
05/09/17 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
Lenore Lillie |
|
|
3,662 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
16.80 |
|
|
|
04/24/12 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
15.75 |
|
|
|
04/30/13 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
12,000 |
|
|
|
8,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
22.10 |
|
|
|
04/28/14 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
2,000 |
|
|
|
3,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
17.38 |
|
|
|
07/20/15 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
1,000 |
|
|
|
4,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
26.18 |
|
|
|
05/08/16 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
19.47 |
|
|
|
05/09/17 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
Cheryl Mike |
|
|
10,000 |
|
|
|
8,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
22.10 |
|
|
|
04/28/14 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
2,000 |
|
|
|
3,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
17.38 |
|
|
|
07/20/15 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
1,000 |
|
|
|
4,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
26.18 |
|
|
|
05/08/16 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
5,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
$ |
19.47 |
|
|
|
05/09/17 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
15
(1) All options for the Named Executive Officers, which include Sujata Sachdeva, Declan
Hanley, Lenore Lillie, and Cheryl Mike, vest over a period of five (5) years with the first 20%
vesting one year after the date of grant. The options are exercisable for ten (10) years and
expire on the date ten years from the date of grant. All options for the Named Executive Officers,
which include Michael J. Koss and John Koss, Jr., vest over a period of four (4) years with the
first 25% vesting one year after the date of the grant. The options are exercisable for five (5)
years and expire on the date five years from the date of grant.
OPTION EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Options Awards |
|
Stock Awards |
|
|
Number of shares |
|
Value realized on |
|
Number of shares |
|
Value realized on |
|
|
acquired on exercise |
|
exercise |
|
acquired on vesting |
|
vesting |
Name |
|
($) |
|
($) |
|
(#) |
|
($) |
|
John C. Koss |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Michael J. Koss |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
John Koss, Jr. |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sujata Sachdeva |
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Declan Hanley |
|
|
961 |
|
|
|
17,745 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lenore Lillie |
|
|
6,338 |
|
|
|
47,028 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cheryl Mike |
|
|
23,633 |
|
|
|
148,056 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
PENSON BENEFITS
The table disclosing the actuarial present value for each Named Executive Officers
accumulated benefit under defined benefit plans, the number of years of credited service under each
such plan, and the amount of pension benefits paid to each Senior Executives during the year is
omitted because the Company does not have a defined benefit plan for Named Executive Officers. The
only retirement plan available to Named Executive Officers in 2007 was the Companys qualified
401(k) savings and retirement plan, and KESOT plan, which is available to all employees.
NON-QUALIFIED DEFERRED COMPENSATION
The table disclosing contributions to non-qualified defined contributions and other deferred
compensation plans, each Named Executive Officers withdrawals, earnings and fiscal year end
balances in those plans is omitted because, in 2007 the Company had no nonqualified deferred
compensation plans or benefits for executive officers or other employees of the Company.
16
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
The Company uses cash-based incentive compensation to attract and retain qualified candidates
to serve on the Board. In setting director compensation, the Company considers the significant
amount of time that Directors expend in fulfilling their duties to the Company as well as the
skill-level required by the Company of members of the Board.
Cash Contributions Paid to Non-employee Board Members
Directors who are not also employees of the Company receive an annual retainer of $10,000,
plus $2,000 per director for each board meeting attended, $1,000 per director for each committee
meeting attended, $2,000 per year for the audit committee chair to review statements with the audit
partner, and $1,000 per year for other committee chairs for service for each remaining committee.
Stock Option Program
There are no stock option programs in place for non-employee members of our Board.
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION TABLE
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Change in Pension |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fees |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-Equity |
|
Value and |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earned |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Incentive |
|
Nonqualified |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
or Paid |
|
Stock |
|
Options |
|
Plan |
|
Deferred |
|
All Other |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
in Cash |
|
Awards |
|
Awards |
|
Compen- |
|
Compensation |
|
Compen- |
|
Total |
Name |
|
Year |
|
($) |
|
($) |
|
($) |
|
sation ($) |
|
Earnings ($) |
|
sation |
|
($) |
|
John C. Koss (1) |
|
|
2007 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
Thomas L. Doerr |
|
|
2007 |
|
|
|
24,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
24,000 |
|
Michael J. Koss (2) |
|
|
2007 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
Lawrence S. Mattson |
|
|
2007 |
|
|
|
23,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
23,000 |
|
Theodore H. Nixon |
|
|
2007 |
|
|
|
18,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
18,000 |
|
John J. Stollenwerk |
|
|
2007 |
|
|
|
23,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
23,000 |
|
|
|
|
(1) |
|
John C. Koss did not receive additional compensation for his service as a member of our Board. |
|
(2) |
|
Michael J. Koss did not receive additional compensation for his service as a member of our
Board. |
17
AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT
THE REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE SHALL NOT BE DEEMED INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE BY ANY GENERAL
STATEMENT INCORPORATING BY REFERENCE THIS PROXY STATEMENT INTO ANY FILING UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT
OF 1933 OR UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 (TOGETHER, THE ACTS), EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT
THAT THE COMPANY SPECIFICALLY INCORPORATES THIS INFORMATION BY REFERENCE, AND SHALL NOT OTHERWISE
BE DEEMED FILED UNDER SUCH ACTS.
The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors (the Audit Committee) is composed of four
non-employee directors. The members of the Committee are Mr. Doerr, Mr. Mattson, Mr. Nixon, and
Mr. Stollenwerk. Each member of the Audit Committee is independent as defined in Nasdaq
Marketplace Rule 4200. The Audit Committee held three meetings during the fiscal year ended June
30, 2007.
The responsibilities of the Audit Committee are set forth in its Charter, which is reviewed
and amended periodically, as appropriate. Generally, the Audit Committee reviews and monitors the
Companys financial reporting process on behalf of the Board of Directors. The Audit Committee
operates under a written charter adopted by the Board of Directors. In fulfilling its
responsibilities, the Audit Committee, among other things, monitors the integrity of the financial
reporting process, systems of internal controls, and financial statements and reports of the
Company; appoints, compensates, retains, and oversees the Companys independent auditors, including
reviewing the qualifications, performance and independence of the independent auditors; reviews and
pre-approves all audit, attest and review services and permitted non-audit services; oversees the
audit work performed by the Companys internal accounting staff; and oversees the Companys
compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The Audit Committee meets twice a year with the
Companys independent accountants to discuss the results of their examinations, their evaluations
of the Companys internal controls, and the overall quality of the Companys financial reporting.
Specifically, the Audit Committee has:
(i) reviewed and discussed the Companys audited financial statements for the fiscal
year ended June 30, 2007 with the Companys management;
(ii) discussed with Grant Thornton LLP (Grant Thornton), the Companys independent
auditors, the matters required to be discussed by SAS 61 (Codification of Statements on
Auditing Standards);
(iii) received the written disclosures and the letter from Grant Thornton, the Companys
independent accountants, required by Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1
(Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1, Independence Discussions with Audit
Committees);
(iv) discussed with Grant Thornton, the Companys independent accountants, the
independent accountants independence; and
(v) recommended to the Board of Directors that the audited financial statements be
included in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30,
2007 for filing with the SEC.
AUDIT COMMITTEE
Thomas L. Doerr
Lawrence S. Mattson
Theodore H. Nixon
John J. Stollenwerk
18
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
THE REPORT OF THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE SHALL NOT BE DEEMED INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE BY ANY
GENERAL STATEMENT INCORPORATING BY REFERENCE THIS PROXY STATEMENT INTO ANY FILING UNDER THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 OR UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 (TOGETHER, THE ACTS), EXCEPT
TO THE EXTENT THAT THE COMPANY SPECIFICALLY INCORPORATES THIS INFORMATION BY REFERENCE, AND SHALL
NOT OTHERWISE BE DEEMED FILED UNDER SUCH ACTS.
Under SEC rules, the Company is required to provide certain information concerning
compensation provided to the Companys Chief Executive Officer and the Named Executive Officers.
The disclosure requirements for these individuals include the use of tables and a report of the
committee responsible for compensation decisions for these individuals, explaining the rationale
and considerations that led to those compensation decisions. Therefore, the Compensation Committee
of the Board of Directors has prepared the following report for inclusion in this Proxy Statement:
The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the Compensation Committee) is
composed of Mr. Doerr, Mr. Mattson, and Mr. Stollenwerk. Each member of the Compensation
Committee is independent as defined in Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4200. The Compensation Committee
is responsible for the review of all employee salaries in excess of $75,000 or who report directly
to the Companys Chief Executive Officer. The Compensation Committee also reviews all bonus,
commission and stock option programs. The Compensation Committee meets as a group each spring and
reviews its report with the full Board prior to the end of the fiscal year. This system enables
management to plan the following year with the benefit of the Compensation Committees input.
Executive Officer Compensation.
The Company employs a compensation program linked to company-wide performance and individual
achievement. All executive officers are reviewed once each year. Raises in base salaries are
made in July when necessary or when promotions are announced. In addition, the Company has a
Flexible Incentive Plan, an Employee Stock Ownership Plan and Trust, a 401(k) Plan, and a Profit
Sharing Plan. The Flexible Incentive Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee and vests
the Compensation Committee with discretionary powers to choose from a variety of incentive
compensation alternatives to make annual stock-based awards to officers, key employees and other
members of the Companys management team. The Company also has a cafeteria benefits plan to
provide flexibility to employees to choose their own health care and associated benefits package
from an array of offerings. The Company shares the cost of medical insurance with its employees.
The Companys executive officers are paid base salaries commensurate with their responsibilities,
after comparison with base salaries of executive officers of other light assembly or manufacturing
companies taken from data in an annual national survey. As in years past, for the year ended June
30, 2007, executive officers were eligible for annual bonuses based upon individual performance
and overall Company performance and profitability. Factors relevant to determining such bonuses
included attainment of corporate revenue and earnings goals and the development of new accounts.
The Companys Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and certain other executive officers are eligible
to receive a bonus calculated as a percentage of the Companys earnings before interest and taxes.
The Companys Vice President-Sales is entitled to receive a bonus based upon increases in sales
over the prior year, and a bonus for obtaining new accounts from a predetermined list of potential
new accounts and for adding new product lines to current accounts. The Companys Vice President
International Sales is entitled to receive a bonus based upon the Companys sales in export
markets.
Compensation of the Chief Executive Officer.
The Compensation Committee annually reviews and determines the compensation of the Companys Chief
Executive Officer, Michael J. Koss. The Compensation Committee has reviewed all components of his
compensation, including salary, bonus, equity and long-term incentive compensation. Michael J.
Kosss compensation is based on his experience, responsibilities, historical salary levels and
bonuses for himself and other executive officers of the Company, and the salaries and bonuses of
Chief Executive Officers of other light assembly or manufacturing companies. Michael J. Koss is
also eligible to receive a bonus calculated as a percentage of the Companys earnings before
interest and taxes. He also participates in the Companys Flexible Incentive Plan. For the
fiscal year ended June
19
30, 2007, Michael J. Kosss base salary was $275,000, his bonus was $339,298, and he was granted
40,000 stock options. Michael J. Kosss bonus was calculated as a percentage of the Companys
earnings before interest and taxes for the year ended June 30, 2007. The Compensation Committee
finds Michael J. Kosss total compensation in the aggregate to be reasonable and not excessive
based upon individual performance and overall Company performance and profitability for the fiscal
year ended June 30, 2007.
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE
Thomas L. Doerr
Lawrence S. Mattson
John J. Stollenwerk
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2007, Mr. Doerr, Mr. Mattson, and Mr. Stollenwerk served as
members of the Compensation Committee. None of the members of the Compensation Committee was an
officer or employee of the Company or its subsidiaries or had any relationship requiring
disclosure pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K. Additionally, during the fiscal year ended
June 30, 2007, none of the executive officers of the Company was a member of the board of
directors, or any committee thereof, of any other entity one of the executive officers of which
served as a member of the Board, or any committee thereof, of the Company.
20
Stock Price Performance Graph
The graph and table below set forth information comparing the yearly cumulative total return
on the Companys Common Stock over the past five years with the yearly cumulative total return on
(i) stocks included in The Nasdaq Stock Market (US Companies) Index, (ii) a group of peer companies
(the Peer Group), and (iii) a line-of-business index based on the SEC Standard Industrial
Classification (SIC) Code 3651 for household audio and video equipment companies**. The Peer
Group consists of Boston Acoustics, Inc., Digital Video Systems, Inc., and Phoenix Gold
International, Inc., companies which the Company believes are similar in terms of market
capitalization and business lines. For purposes of the graph and table, it is assumed that on July
1, 2002, $100 was invested in the stock of each of (i) the Company, (ii) the companies on The
Nasdaq Stock Market (US Companies) Index, (iii) the companies in the Peer Group (the return for the
investment in the stock of each company in the Peer Group is weighted according to the stock market
capitalization of each company as adjusted at the beginning of each fiscal year indicated on the
table), and (iv) household audio and video equipment companies included in the line-of-business
index based on the SEC SIC Code 3651, and assumes reinvestment of dividends. The graph and table
also assume that all dividends paid were reinvested in the stock of the issuing companies. The
stock price performance information shown in the graph and table below should not be considered
indicative of future performance.
Our Peer Group is based on the SEC SIC Code 3651 for household audio and video equipment
companies, for the purposes of comparing the cumulative total return on the Companys Common Stock.
21
Related Transactions
Building Lease. The Company leases its main plant and offices in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from
its Chairman, John C. Koss. On May 28, 2003, the lease was renewed for a period of five years,
and is being accounted for as an operating lease. The lease extension maintained the rent at a
fixed rate of $380,000 per year. At anytime during this period the Company has the option to
renew the lease for an additional five years for the period commencing July 1, 2008 and ending
June 30, 2013 under the same terms and conditions. The Company believes that the lease is on
terms no less favorable to the Company than those that could be obtained from an independent
party. The Company is responsible for all property maintenance, insurance, taxes and other
normal expenses related to ownership.
Stock Repurchases. The Company has previously announced its intention to repurchase shares of
Common Stock in the open market or in private transactions as such shares become available from
time to time, because the Company believes that its stock is undervalued in the current market and
that such repurchases enhance the value to stockholders. Consistent with this policy, the Company
repurchased 83,437 shares during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2007. The Company believes that
purchases of Common Stock enhance stockholder value and will continue from time to time to engage
in such transactions either on the open market or in private transactions.
The Company has an agreement with its Chairman to, at the request of the executor of his
estate, repurchase Company common stock from his estate in the event of his death. The repurchase
price is 95% of the fair market value of the common stock on the date that notice to repurchase is
provided to the Company. The total number of shares to be repurchased shall be sufficient to
provide proceeds which are the lesser of $2,500,000 or the amount of estate taxes and
administrative expenses incurred by his estate. The Company may elect to pay the purchase price in
cash or may elect to pay cash equal to 25% of the total amount due and to execute a promissory note
at the prime rate of interest for the balance payable over four years. The Company maintains a
$1,150,000 life insurance policy to fund a substantial portion of this obligation.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires the Companys directors and
executive officers, and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of the Companys equity
securities, to file with the SEC and with The Nasdaq Stock Market reports of ownership and changes
in ownership of Common Stock and other equity securities of the Company. Officers, directors and
greater than 10% shareholders are required by SEC regulation to furnish the Company with copies of
all Section 16(a) forms they file.
Based solely on review of such reports furnished to the Company or representations that no
other reports were required, the Company believes that, during the 2007 fiscal year, all filing
requirements applicable to its officers, directors, and greater than 10% beneficial owners were
complied with.
22
ITEM 2. RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
The firm of Grant Thornton has acted as our independent accountants to audit the
consolidated financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries for the fiscal year ending
June 30, 2007. Grant Thornton has served the Company as its independent accountants and
independent auditors since March 16, 2004. Representatives of Grant Thornton are expected to be
present at the Meeting, and will have the opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so.
The Grant Thornton representatives are expected to be available to respond to appropriate questions
at the Meeting.
Although this appointment of Grant Thornton as independent accountants is not required to be
submitted to a vote by stockholders, the Board believes it appropriate, as a matter of policy, to
request that the stockholders ratify the appointment. If stockholder ratification (by the
affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of Common Stock present in person or represented by
proxy at the Meeting) is not received, the Audit Committee of the Board will reconsider the
appointment. Even if the selection of Grant Thornton is ratified, the Audit Committee of the
Board may, in its discretion, appoint a different firm at any time during the year if the Audit
Committee feels that such a change would be in the best interests of the Company and its
stockholders. Unless otherwise directed, the proxy will be voted in favor of the ratification of
such appointment.
Fees and Services
The following table represents fees for professional services rendered to the Company by Grant
Thornton and PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2007 and 2006
respectively:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fiscal Year Ended |
|
|
June 30, 2007 |
|
June 30, 2006 |
Audit Fees |
|
$ |
114,920 |
(1) |
|
$ |
108,920 |
(6) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Audit-Related Fees |
|
$ |
46,179 |
(2) |
|
$ |
22,880 |
(7) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tax Fees |
|
$ |
53,675 |
(3) |
|
$ |
42,200 |
(8) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All Other Fees |
|
$ |
22,050 |
(4) |
|
$ |
16,912 |
(9) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
|
$ |
236,824 |
(5) |
|
$ |
190,912 |
(10) |
|
|
|
(1) |
|
This entire amount was attributable to Grant Thornton. |
|
(2) |
|
Of this amount $25,324 was attributable to Grant Thornton and $20,855 was attributable to PWC. |
|
(3) |
|
This entire amount was attributable to PWC. |
|
(4) |
|
This entire amount was attributable to PWC. |
|
(5) |
|
Of this amount, $140,244 was attributable to Grant Thornton and $96,580 was attributable to
PWC. |
|
(6) |
|
Of this amount, $101,420.00 was attributable to Grant Thornton and $7,500.00 was attributable
to PWC. |
|
(7) |
|
This entire amount was attributable to Grant Thornton. |
|
(8) |
|
This entire amount was attributable to PWC. |
|
(9) |
|
Of this amount, $8,512.00 was attributable to Grant Thornton and $8,400.00 was attributable to
PWC. |
|
(10) |
|
Of this amount, $132,812.00 was attributable to Grant Thornton and $58,100.00 was attributable
to PWC. |
Audit Fees. For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2007 and 2006. the Audit Fees reported
above were billed by Grant Thornton and PWC for professional services rendered for the audit of the
Companys annual financial statements and the review of financial statements included in the
Companys quarterly 10-Q filings, and for services normally provided by Grant Thornton and PWC in
connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements.
Audit-Related Fees. For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2007 and 2006, the Audit-Related
Fees reported above were billed by Grant Thornton and PWC for assurance and related services that
were reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of the Companys financial
statements, but which were not reported as Audit Fees.
Tax Fees. For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2007 and 2006, the Tax Fees reported above
were billed by PWC for professional services rendered for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax
planning.
23
All Other Fees. For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2007 and 2006, the All Other Fees
reported above were billed by Grant Thornton and PWC for professional services rendered for
assistance not related to Audit Fees, Audit-Related Fees or Tax Fees.
Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
The Audit Committee has a policy requiring the pre-approval of all audit and permissible
non-audit services provided by the Companys independent auditors. Under the policy, the Audit
Committee is to specifically pre-approve before the filing of the Form 10-K Annual Report for the
previous fiscal year any recurring audit and audit related services to be provided during the
following fiscal year. The Audit Committee also may generally pre-approve, up to a specified
maximum amount, any nonrecurring audit and audit related services for the following fiscal year.
All pre-approved matters must be detailed as to the particular service or category of services to
be provided, whether recurring or non-recurring, and reports to the Audit Committee at its next
scheduled meeting. Permissible non-audit services are to be pre-approved on a case-by-case basis.
The Audit Committee may delegate its pre-approval authority to any of its members, provided that
such member reports all pre-approval decisions to the Audit Committee at its next scheduled
meeting. The Companys independent auditors and members of management are required to report
periodically to the Audit Committee the extent of all services provided in accordance with the
pre-approval policy, including the amount of fees attributable to such services.
In accordance with Section 10A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended by Section
202 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Company is required to disclose the approval by the
Audit Committee of the Board of non-audit services performed by the Companys independent auditors.
Non-audit services are services other than those provided in connection with an audit review of
the financial statements. During the period covered by this filing, the Audit Committee approved
all Audit-Related Fees, Tax Fees and All Other Fees, and the services rendered in connection with
these fees, as reported in the table shown above.
The Company expects that the Koss Family, who own or beneficially own approximately 71.2% of
the outstanding Common Stock, will vote for the ratification of Grant Thornton as independent
accountants for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT
STOCKHOLDERS VOTE FOR RATIFICATION OF
GRANT THORNTON AS INDEPENDENT
ACCOUNTANTS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2008.
24
ITEM 3. TRANSACTION OF OTHER BUSINESS
The Board of Directors of the Company is not aware of any other matters that may come
before the meeting. If any other matters are properly presented to the meeting for action, it is
the intention of the persons named as proxies in the enclosed form of proxy to vote such proxies in
accordance with their best judgment on such matters.
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS FOR 2008 ANNUAL MEETING
There are no stockholder proposals on the agenda for the Meeting. In order to be
eligible for inclusion in the Companys proxy materials for its 2008 annual meeting, a stockholder
proposal must be received by the Company no later than May 12, 2008 and must otherwise comply with
the applicable rules of the SEC. To avoid controversy over when a stockholder proposal is
received, stockholder proposals should be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, and
should be addressed to the Secretary of the Company.
By Order of the Board of Directors
/s/ Sujata Sachdeva
Sujata Sachdeva, Secretary
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
August 31, 2007
APPENDIX A
KOSS CORPORATION
AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER
MISSION STATEMENT
The Audit Committee (the Committee) of Koss Corporation (the Company) will assist the board of
directors in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities. The Committee will review the financial
reporting process, the system of internal control, the audit process, and the Companys process for
monitoring compliance with laws and regulations and with the Companys code of ethics. In
performing its duties, the committee will maintain effective working relationships with the board
of directors, management, and the external auditors. To effectively perform his or her role, each
committee member will obtain an understanding of the detailed responsibilities of committee
membership as well as the Companys business, operations, and risks.
ORGANIZATION
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The Committee shall be comprised of three or more directors as determined by the Board. |
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All members of the Committee shall have (in accordance with the requirements of the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc.) a
working familiarity with basic finance and accounting practices, and at least one member of the Committee shall have
accounting or related financial management expertise. |
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Each Committee member shall be (as required by and defined in the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc.) an
independent director, free from any relationship that, in the opinion of the Board, would interfere with the exercise
of his or her independent judgement as a member of the Committee. |
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The Committee shall meet at least two times annually, or more frequently as circumstances dictate. |
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All members of the Committee, including the Chairperson of the Committee, shall be elected by the Board at the annual
organization meeting of the Board. |
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Internal Control
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Evaluate whether management is communicating the importance of
internal control and ensuring that all individuals possess an
understanding of their roles and responsibilities. |
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Focus on the extent to which external auditors review computer
systems and applications, the security of such systems and
applications, and the contingency plan for processing financial
information in the event of a systems breakdown. |
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Determine whether internal control recommendations made by
external auditors have been implemented by management. |
FINANCIAL REPORTING
General
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Review significant accounting and reporting issues, including recent professional and regulatory pronouncements,
and understand their impact on the financial statements. |
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Ask management and the external auditors about significant risks and exposures and the plans to minimize such
risks. |
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Consider the independent accountants judgments about the quality and appropriateness of the Companys
accounting principles and estimates as applied to its financial reporting. |
Annual Financial Statements
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Review the annual audited financial statements and determine whether they are complete and consistent with the
information known to Committee members; assess whether the financial statements reflect appropriate accounting
principles. |
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Review and discuss complex and/or unusual transactions such as restructuring charges and derivative disclosures,
if any. |
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Review an analysis prepared by management and the external auditor regarding significant financial reporting
issues and judgments made in connection with the preparation of the Companys financial statements; focus on
judgmental areas such as those involving valuation of assets and liabilities, including, for example, the
accounting for and disclosure of obsolete or slow-moving inventory; bad debt; warranty; product, and
environmental liability; litigation reserves; and other commitments and contingencies. |
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Meet with management and the external auditors to review the financial statements and the results of the audit. |
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Consider managements handling of proposed audit adjustments identified by the external auditors. |
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Review major changes to the Companys auditing and accounting principles as suggested by the external auditor or
management. |
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Review the MD&A and other sections of the annual report before its release and consider whether the information
is adequate and consistent with members knowledge about the company and its operations. |
Interim Financial Statements
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Review and assess how management develops and summarizes quarterly financial information, the extent to which
the external auditors review quarterly financial information, and that the review is performed on a pre-issuance
basis. |
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Consult with management and the external auditor, as appropriate, regarding matters related to the preparation
of quarterly financial information. |
COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND REGULATIONS
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Review the effectiveness of the system for monitoring compliance
with laws and regulations, and the results of managements
investigation and follow-up (including disciplinary action) on any
fraudulent acts or accounting irregularities. |
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Periodically obtain updates from management, general counsel, and
tax director regarding compliance with applicable laws and
regulations and applicable internal conflict of interest policies
and procedures. |
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Be satisfied that all regulatory compliance matters have been
considered in the preparation of the financial statements. |
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Review the findings of any examinations by regulatory agencies,
such as the Securities and Exchange Commission. |
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Receive, investigate and retain complaints regarding accounting,
internal accounting controls, and auditing matters, including
concerns that employees have about questionable matters. |
EXTERNAL AUDIT
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Appoint, terminate, compensate and oversee the Companys
independent external auditors in connection with their preparation
or issuance of audit reports and the performance of other audit,
review, attest and related services for the Company. |
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Ensure that the Companys external auditors are independent and
that there is an absence of conflicts of interest with the
Company. |
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Meet with the external auditor prior to the audit and review the
external auditors proposed audit scope, staffing and approach. |
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Review any significant changes required in the external auditors
audit plans and any difficulties or disputes with management
encountered during the course of the audit. |
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Review the experience, qualifications, and performance of the
external auditors and oversee the rotation of the audit partners
who have responsibility for decision-making on significant
auditing, accounting and reporting matters. |
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Receive formal written reports for the external auditor regarding
the auditors independence, and delineating all relationships
between the auditor and the company, consistent with Independence
Standards Board Standard No. 1, discuss such reports with the
auditor, and if so determined by the Committee recommend that the
Board take appropriate action to insure the independence of the
auditor. |
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Discuss with the external auditor the matters required to be
discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61 relating to
the conduct of the audit. |
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Approve the fees to be paid to the external auditor. |
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Pre-approve all audit, review or attest services and permissible
non-audit services provided by the external auditor. |
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Establish policies and procedures for engaging the external
auditor to perform services other than audit, review and attest
services to safeguard the continued independents of the external
auditor. |
OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES
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Meet at least annually with the external auditors and management in separate executive sessions to discuss any matters
that the Committee or these groups believe should be discussed privately. |
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Ensure that significant findings and recommendations made by the external auditors are received and discussed on a
timely basis. |
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Review, with the companys counsel, any legal matters that could have a significant impact on the companys financial
statements. |
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If necessary, institute special investigations and, if appropriate, hire special counsel, experts or outside advisors
to assist. |
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Perform other oversight functions as requested by the full Board. |
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Maintain minutes or other records of meetings and activities of the Committee. |
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Establish procedures for (a) the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the Company regarding
accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters, and (b) the confidential anonymous submission by
employees of the Company of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters. |
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Review and assess the adequacy of this charter annually and submit any recommended changes to the Board for approval. |
REPORTING RESPONSIBILITIES
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Regularly update the Board of Directors about Committee activities
and make appropriate recommendations. |
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Prepare the report required by the rules of the Securities and
Exchange Commissions to be included in the Companys annual proxy
statements. |
4129 North Port Washington Avenue
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212 |
THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS |
The undersigned hereby appoints John C. Koss and Lawrence S. Mattson, or either of them, as
Proxies, each with full power of substitution for himself, and hereby authorizes them to represent
and to vote, as designated on the reverse side, all the shares of common stock of Koss Corporation
held as of the record date and which the undersigned is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting of
Stockholders to be held on October 10, 2007 and any or all adjournments thereof, with like effect
as if the undersigned were personally present and voting. |
Properly executed proxies received by the Company will be voted in the manner directed herein by
the undersigned stockholder. If no direction is made, this proxy will be voted FOR the election of
all nominees listed for director and FOR Proposal 2. If any other matters properly come before the
meeting, this proxy will be voted in accordance with the best judgment of the Proxies appointed.
The undersigned hereby acknowledges receipt of the Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and the
Proxy Statement furnished therewith. |
(Continued and to be signed on the reverse side) |
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS OF
KOSS CORPORATION
October 10, 2007 |
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR THE ELECTION OF DIRECTORS AND FOR PROPOSAL 2.
PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND RETURN PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. PLEASE MARK YOUR VOTE IN BLUE OR
BLACK INK AS SHOWN HERE x |
O John C. Koss
O Thomas L. Doerr
O Michael J. Koss
O Lawrence S. Mattson
O Theodore H. Nixon
O John J. Stollenwerk |
o FOR ALL NOMINEES
o WITHHOLD AUTHORITY FOR ALL NOMINEES
o FOR ALL EXCEPT (See instructions below) |
INSTRUCTION: To withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee(s), mark FOR ALL
EXCEPT and fill in the circle next to each nominee you wish to withhold, as shown here:
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2. PROPOSAL TO RATIFY THE APPOINTMENT OF GRANT THORNTON LLP AS INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS OF THE
CORPORATION FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2008. |
o FOR
o AGAINST
o ABSTAIN |
3. IN THEIR DISCRETION, THE PROXIES ARE AUTHORIZED TO VOTE UPON SUCH OTHER BUSINESS AS MAY
PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE MEETING. |
Signature of Stockholder Date: |
Signature of Stockholder Date:
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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 executor, administrator, attorney, trustee or
guardian, please give full title as such. If the signer is a corporation, please sign full
corporate name by duly authorized officer, giving full title as such. If signer is a partnership,
please sign in partnership name by authorized person. |