Unassociated Document
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE
14A INFORMATION
Proxy
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(A) of the
Securities
Exchange Act of 1934
Filed by
the Registrant [ X ]
Filed by
a Party other than the Registrant [_]
Check the
appropriate box:
[X] Preliminary
Proxy Statement
[_] Confidential,
for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
[_] Definitive
Proxy Statement
[_] Definitive
Additional Materials
[_] Soliciting
Material Pursuant to ss.240.14a-11(c) or ss.240.14a-12
POSITRON
CORPORATION
_____________________________________
(Name of
Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
_________________________________________________________
(Name of
Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
Payment
of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
[_] |
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computed on the table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4) and
0-11. |
|
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of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
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|
(2) |
Aggregate
number of securities to which transaction applies:
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|
(3) |
Per
unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to
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calculated and state how it was determined):
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(4) |
Proposed
maximum aggregate value of transaction: N/A |
[_] |
Fee
paid previously with preliminary materials. |
[_] |
Check
box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule
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previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number,
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filing. |
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(1) |
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Previously Paid: N/A |
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[Positron
Logo]
June 24,
2005
Dear
Shareholder:
You are
cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting of shareholders of Positron
Corporation, which will be held at the Company's headquarters at 1304
Langham Creek Drive, Suite 300, Houston, Texas 77084, on
Friday, July 29, 2005, at 10:00 a.m.
Your vote
is important. Whether or not you attend the Annual Meeting, it is important that
your shares be represented and voted at the meeting. Instructions in the proxy
card or voting instruction form will tell you how to vote. The proxy statement
explains more about proxy voting. Please read it carefully.
On behalf
of the Board of Directors, I would like to express our appreciation for your
continued interest in the affairs of the Company.
|
Sincerely, |
|
|
|
Gary H. Brooks President,
Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer |
[Positron
Logo]
1304
Langham Creek Drive, Suite 300
Houston,
Texas 77084
NOTICE
OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
TO
BE HELD ON July 29, 2005
TO THE
SHAREHOLDERS:
NOTICE IS
HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Positron Corporation, a
Texas corporation (the "Company"), will be held on Friday, July 29, 2005, at
10:00 a.m., local time, at the Company's headquarters at 1304
Langham Creek Drive, Suite 300, Houston, Texas 77084 for the
following purposes:
|
1. |
To
elect five (5) directors to hold office for a term ending in 2006 and
until their successors are elected. |
|
2. |
To
approve a proposal to amend and restate our Articles of Incorporation to
effect a 100-to-1 reverse stock split and to maintain the number of
authorized shares of Common Stock at 100,000,000.
|
|
3. |
To
ratify the appointment of Ham, Langston & Brezina, L.L.P. as the
Company's independent auditors for the fiscal year ending December 31,
2005. |
|
4. |
To
transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting and
any adjournment or postponement thereof. |
The
foregoing items of business are more fully described in the Proxy Statement
accompanying this Notice.
Only
shareholders of record at the close of business on June 30, 2005 are entitled to
notice of and to vote at the meeting and at any continuation or adjournment
thereof.
|
FOR
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS |
|
|
|
Gary H. Brooks President,
Chief
Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and
Secretary |
Houston,
Texas
June 24,
2005
POSITRON
CORPORATION
1304
Langham Creek Drive, Suite 300
Houston,
Texas 77084
PROXY
STATEMENT
INFORMATION
CONCERNING SOLICITATION AND VOTING
Why
am I receiving these materials?
This
Proxy Statement and the enclosed Annual Report are being sent to all
shareholders of record as of the close of business on June 30, 2005 for delivery
beginning June 24, 2005 in connection with the solicitation of proxies on behalf
of the Board of Directors for use at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders on July
29, 2005.
Who
can attend the Annual Meeting?
Only
shareholders of the Company as of the record date, June 30, 2005, their
authorized representatives and guests of the Company will be able to attend the
Annual Meeting. At the record date, 53,185,803
shares of
the Company's Common Stock, $0.01 par value, and 510,219 shares of the
Company's Series A Preferred Stock, $1.00 par value, were issued and
outstanding.
Who
is entitled to vote?
All
holders of record of the Company's Common Stock and of the Company's Series A
Preferred Stock at the close of business on June 30, 2005 will be entitled to
vote at the 2005 Annual Meeting. Each share of Common Stock is entitled to one
vote on each matter properly brought before the meeting. Each share of Preferred
Stock is entitled to that number of votes equal to the number of shares of
Common Stock (including fractional shares) into which such shares of
Series A Preferred Stock are convertible. As a result, each share of
Preferred Stock will be entitled to 3.2126 votes.
How
do I vote?
You can
vote either in person at the Annual Meeting or by proxy without attending the
Annual Meeting. We urge you to vote by proxy even if you plan to attend the
Annual Meeting so that we will know as soon as possible that enough votes will
be present for us to hold the meeting. If you attend the meeting in person, you
may vote at the meeting and your previously delivered proxy will not be
counted.
Please
follow the instructions on your proxy card or voting instruction form. To vote
by proxy you must fill out the enclosed proxy card, or if you hold your shares
in "street name," voter instruction form, sign it, and mail it in the enclosed
postage-paid envelope. If you hold your shares in "street name," please refer to
the information forwarded by your bank, broker or other holder of record to see
which options are available to you.
How
do I specify how I want my shares voted?
If you
are a registered shareholder, you can specify how you want your shares voted on
each proposal by marking the appropriate boxes on the proxy card. Please review
the voting instructions on the proxy card and read the entire text of the
proposals and the positions of the Board of Directors in the Proxy Statement
prior to marking your vote.
If your
proxy card is signed and returned without specifying a vote or an abstention on
a proposal, it will be voted according to the recommendation of the Board of
Directors or Audit Committee on that proposal. That recommendation is shown for
each proposal on the proxy card.
How
do I vote if I am a beneficial shareholder?
If you
are a beneficial shareholder, you have the right to direct your broker or
nominee on how to vote the shares. You should complete a voting instruction form
which your broker or nominee is obligated to provide you. If you wish to vote in
person at the meeting, you must first obtain from the record holder a legal
proxy issued in your name.
What
items will be voted upon at the Annual Meeting?
At the
Annual Meeting, the following items will be voted upon:
(i) the
election of five (5) directors;
(ii) the
amendment and restatement of the Company's Articles of Incorporation to effect a
100-to-1 reverse stock split and to maintain the number of shares of Common
Stock authorized at 100,000,000 shares; and
(iii) the
ratification of the appointment of Ham, Langston & Brezina, L.L.P. as
independent auditors for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2005.
The Board
of Directors of Positron knows of no other matters that may be brought before
the meeting. However, if any other matters are properly presented for action, it
is the intention of the named proxies to vote on them according to their best
judgment.
What
are the Board of Directors and Audit Committee voting
recommendations?
For the
reasons set forth in more detail later in the Proxy Statement, the Board of
Directors recommends a vote FOR the election of directors and a vote FOR the
amendment and restatement of the Company's Articles of Incorporation, and the
Company's Audit Committee recommends a vote FOR the ratification of the
appointment of Ham, Langston & Brezina, L.L.P. as independent accountants
for 2005.
How
many votes are needed to approve the proposals?
A
plurality of the votes cast at the meeting is required to elect directors. The
affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the shares outstanding and entitled to
vote and the affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the shares of Common Stock
that is outstanding and entitled to vote is required for the approval of the
Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of the Company. The affirmative
vote of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy is required for
ratification of the appointment of Ham, Langston & Brezina, L.L.P. as
independent auditors for 2005.
How
are the votes counted?
Each
share of Common Stock is entitled to one vote.
Each
share of Series A Preferred Stock is entitled to that number of votes equal to
the number of shares of Common Stock (including fractional shares) into which
such shares of Series A Preferred Stock are convertible. As a result, each share
of Preferred Stock will be entitled to 3.2126 votes.
In
accordance with the laws of the State of Texas and the Company's Articles of
Incorporation and bylaws,
|
(i) |
for
the election of directors, which requires a plurality of the votes cast in
person or by proxy, only proxies and ballots indicating votes "FOR all
nominees," "WITHHELD for all nominees" or specifying that votes be
withheld for one or more designated nominees are counted to determine the
total number of votes cast; abstentions and broker non-votes are not
counted; and |
|
(ii) |
for
the adoption of all proposals which require the majority or two-thirds of
the votes cast in person or by proxy, only proxies and ballots indicating
votes "FOR," "AGAINST" or "ABSTAIN" on the proposals or providing the
designated proxies with the right to vote in their judgment and discretion
on the proposals are counted to determine the number of shares present and
entitled to vote; however, abstentions and broker non-votes have the
effect of a negative vote. |
How
can I revoke my Proxy?
You may
revoke your proxy at any time before it is voted at the meeting by taking one of
the following three actions: (i) by giving timely written notice of the
revocation to the Secretary of the Company; (ii) by executing and
delivering a proxy with a later date; or (iii) by voting in person at the
meeting.
How
do I designate my proxy?
If you
wish to give your proxy to someone other than Gary H. Brooks or Patrick G.
Rooney, you may do so by crossing out their names appearing on the proxy card
and inserting the name of another person. The person you have designated on the
proxy card must present the signed card at the meeting.
Who
counts the votes?
Tabulation
of proxies and the votes cast at the meeting is conducted by an independent
agent and certified to by an independent inspector of election.
What
is "householding"?
We have
adopted a procedure called "householding", which has been approved by the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Under this procedure, a single copy of the
annual report and proxy statement will be sent to any household at which two or
more shareholders reside if they appear to be members of the same family, unless
one of the shareholders at that address notifies us that they wish to receive
individual copies. This procedure reduces our printing costs and
fees.
You do
not need to do anything in order to participate in the householding program. If
we do not receive instructions to the contrary within 60 days after the mailing
of this notice, you will be deemed to have consented to the receipt of only one
set of our future shareholder mailings by your household. Your consent will be
perpetual unless you withhold it or revoke it. Also, you may have already
consented to householding through a prior mailing.
If you
wish to continue to receive separate annual reports, proxy statements,
prospectuses and other disclosure documents for each account in your household,
you must withhold your consent to our householding program by checking the
appropriate box on the enclosed proxy card and returning it in the enclosed
postage-prepaid envelope. Even if you vote by telephone or internet, the
enclosed proxy card must be returned and marked appropriately to withhold your
consent to householding.
How
do I revoke my consent to the householding program?
Even if
you do not withhold your consent to the householding program at this time, you
may always revoke your consent at a future date. You may revoke your consent by
contacting ADP, either by calling toll free at (800) 542-1061, or by writing to
ADP, Householding Department, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, New York, 11717. You
will be removed from the householding program within 30 days of receipt of your
revocation of your consent.
A number
of brokerage firms have instituted householding. If you hold your shares in
"street name," please contact your bank, broker or other holder of record to
request information about householding.
Allowing
us to household annual meeting materials will help us save on the cost of
printing and distributing these materials.
Who
will pay for the costs involved in the solicitation of
proxies?
The
Company will bear the cost of soliciting proxies. The Company will also
reimburse brokerage firms and other persons representing beneficial owners of
shares for their expenses in forwarding solicitation material to such beneficial
owners. Solicitation of proxies by mail may be supplemented by telephone,
telegram, facsimile or personal solicitation by directors, officers or regular
employees of the Company. No additional compensation will be paid to such
persons for such services.
What
is the deadline for submitting shareholder proposals for the 2006 Annual
Meeting?
Any of
our eligible shareholders who wish to submit a proposal for action at our next
Annual Meeting of shareholders and desires that such proposal be considered for
inclusion in our proxy statement and form of proxy relating to such meeting must
provide a written copy of the proposal to us at our principal executive offices
not later than February 3, 2006, and must otherwise comply with the rules of the
Securities and Exchange Commission relating to shareholder
proposals.
The proxy
or proxies designated by us will have discretionary authority to vote on any
matter properly presented by an eligible shareholder for action at our next
Annual Meeting of shareholders, but not submitted for inclusion in the proxy
materials for such meeting unless notice of the matter is received by us at our
principal executive office not later than April 1, 2006 and certain other
conditions of the applicable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission are
satisfied. Shareholders proposals should be addressed to our Secretary at 1304
Langham Creek Drive, Suite 300, Houston, Texas 77084.
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF DIRECTORS, OFFICERS AND
CERTAIN
BENEFICIAL OWNERS
The
following tables, based in part upon information supplied by officers, directors
and principal shareholders, set forth certain information regarding the
beneficial ownership of the Company's voting securities by (i) all those known
by the Company to be beneficial owners of more than 5% of the Company's voting
securities; (ii) each director (iii) the Company's Chief Executive Officer and
the four other highest paid executive officers (the "Named Executive Officers");
and (iv) the directors and executive officers as a group.
Security
Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners(a)
Name
and Address of Beneficial Owner |
|
|
Number
of Shares of Common Stock |
|
|
%
of Outstanding Common Stock(b) |
|
Gary
H. Brooks |
|
|
7,706,250(c) |
|
|
__% |
|
IMAGIN
Diagnostic Centers, Inc. |
|
|
113,575,000(d) |
|
|
__%(e) |
|
Solaris
Opportunity Fund, L.P. |
|
|
8,800,000
(f) |
|
|
__%(g) |
|
(a) |
Security
ownership information for beneficial owners is taken from statements filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Sections 13(d),
13(g) and 16(a) and information made known to the
Company. |
(b) |
Based
on 53,185,803 shares of Common Stock outstanding on June 30,
2005. |
(c) |
Includes
50,000 shares owned directly and 7,500,000 and 156,250 shares that
may be acquired pursuant to warrants and stock options, respectively, that
are or will become exercisable within 60 days of June 30, 2005. The
address for Mr. Brooks is 1304 Langham Creek Drive, Suite 300, Houston,
Texas 77084. |
(d) |
Includes
86,000,000 shares issuable upon the conversion of 10% secured convertible
notes into Series C, D and E Preferred Stock, which is in turn convertible
into Common Stock, and 4,575,000 shares that may be acquired pursuant to
warrants that are or will become exercisable within 60 days of June 30,
2005. The address for IMAGIN is 5160 Yonge Street, Suite 300, Toronto,
Ontario, M2N 6L9 |
(e) |
Full
convertibility of the shares of Series C, Series D and Series E Preferred
Stock into Common Stock will require an amendment to the Company's
Articles of Incorporation, which must be approved by the shareholders. The
percentage of outstanding Common Stock assumes full conversion of the 10%
secured convertible notes into Common Stock and is based on the Company's
current outstanding shares of Common Stock. |
(f) |
Includes
8,800,000 shares issuable upon the conversion of 10% secured convertible
notes into Series E Preferred Stock, which is in turn convertible into
Common Stock. |
(g) |
Full
convertibility of the shares of Series E Preferred Stock into Common Stock
will require an amendment to the Company's Articles of Incorporation,
which must be approved by the stockholders. The percentage of
outstanding Common Stock assumes full conversion of the 10% secured
convertible notes into Common Stock and is based on the Company's current
outstanding shares of Common Stock. |
Name
and Address of Beneficial Owner |
|
|
Number
of Shares of
Series
A Preferred |
|
|
%
of Outstanding Series A Preferred Stock(a) |
|
Fleet
Securities
26
Broadway, NY, NY 10004 |
|
|
51,532 |
|
|
10.0% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anthony
J. Cantone
675
Line Road, Aberdeen, NJ 07747 |
|
|
50,000 |
|
|
9.8% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jamscor,
Inc.
170
Bloor St. W., $#804
Toronto,
Ontario, Canada M5S 179 |
|
|
50,000 |
|
|
9.8% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Morgan
Instruments, Inc.
4382
Glendale - Milford Rd.
Cincinnati,
OH 45242 |
|
|
41,666 |
|
|
8.2% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Richard
E. Stites
RR
13 Box 356, Bloomington, IL 61704 |
|
|
33,333 |
|
|
6.5% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
John
H. Wilson
6309
Desco Dr., Dallas, TX 75225 |
|
|
33,333 |
|
|
6.5% |
|
(a) |
Based
on 510,219 Series A Preferred Shares outstanding on June 30,
2005. |
Security
Ownership of Directors and Executive Officers
Title
of Class |
|
|
Name
of Beneficial Owner |
|
|
Beneficial
Ownership(aa) |
|
|
Percent
of Class(bb) |
|
Common |
|
|
Gary
H. Brooks |
|
|
7,664,583(cc) |
|
|
12.6 |
% |
Common |
|
|
Sachio
Okamura |
|
|
125,000(dd) |
|
|
* |
|
Common |
|
|
Patrick
G. Rooney |
|
|
50,000(ee) |
|
|
* |
|
Common |
|
|
John
E. McConnaughy, Jr. |
|
|
50,000(ff) |
|
|
* |
|
Common |
|
|
All
Directors and Executive Officers as a Group |
|
|
7,889,583 |
|
|
12.9 |
% |
* Does not
exceed 1% of the referenced class of securities.
(aa) |
Ownership
is direct unless indicated otherwise. |
(bb) |
Calculation
based on 53,185,803 shares of Common Stock outstanding as
of June 30, 2005. |
(cc) |
Includes
50,000 shares owned directly and 7,500,000 shares and 114,583 shares that
may be acquired pursuant to warrants and stock options, respectively, that
are or will become exercisable within 60 days of June 30,
2005. |
(dd) |
Includes
125,000 shares that may be acquired pursuant to options that are or will
become exercisable within 60 days of June 28,
2005. |
(ee) |
Includes
50,000 shares that may be acquired pursuant to options that are or will
become exercisable within 60 days of June 30, 2005. On
April 11, 2005 IMAGIN entered into an agreement to sell certain 10%
secured convertible notes of the Company to Cipher Holding Corp., which
are ultimately convertible into 64,000,000 shares of Company Common Stock.
To the Company's knowledge, as of the date of this proxy statement, this
transaction has not closed. Patrick G. Rooney is the Chairman of Cipher
Holding Corp. |
(ff) |
Includes
50,000 shares that may be acquired pursuant to options that are or will
become exercisable within 60 days of June 30,
2005. |
The
address for all officers and directors of the Company is 1304 Langham Creek
Drive, Suite 300, Houston Texas, 77084.
PROPOSAL
1
ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
Our
business, property and affairs are managed under the direction of our Board of
Directors. Members of our Board are kept informed of our business through
discussions with our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and other officers, by
reviewing materials provided to them, by visiting our offices, and by
participating in meetings of the Board and its committees.
Our
directors are elected annually. Our bylaws provide that the number of our
directors will be determined by the Board of Directors but shall not be less
than one. The shareholders will elect five directors for the coming year, four
of the nominees presently serve as directors. Mario Leite Silva, one of the
current directors has indicated his desire to resign as a director but has not
done so as of the date of this proxy statement. In response, the remaining
directors have determined not to nominate Mr. Silva as a director. Dr. Anthony
C. Nicholls does not currently serve as a director, but has been nominated to
replace Mr. Silva as a director by the Board of Directors.
Nominees
Five
directors are to be elected to the Board at the Annual Meeting, each to serve
until the Annual Meeting of shareholders to be held in 2006 and until his
successor has been elected and qualified, or until his earlier death,
resignation or removal. Four of the nominees are currently directors of the
Company. Dr. Anthony C. Nicholls does not currently serve as a director, but has
been nominated to serve as such by the directors.
Each
person nominated for election has agreed to serve if elected, and management has
no reason to believe that any nominee will be unable to serve. However, if any
nominee unexpectedly is unavailable for election, these shares will be voted for
the election of a substitute nominee proposed by management. In the event that
additional persons are nominated for election as directors, the proxy holders
intend to vote all proxies received by them as will ensure the election of as
many of the nominees listed below as possible, and in such event the specific
nominees to be voted for will be determined by the proxy holders. In any event,
the proxy holders cannot vote for more than five duly nominated persons. If a
quorum is present and voting, the five nominees receiving the highest number of
votes will be elected to the Board of Directors.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS
VOTING
"FOR" THE NOMINEES SET FORTH BELOW
The
following table sets forth the nominees to be elected at the Annual Meeting and,
for each director whose term of office will extend beyond the Annual Meeting,
the year such nominee or director was first elected a director, the positions
currently held by the nominee and each director with the Company.
Name |
|
|
Position
with the Company |
|
|
Director
Since |
|
|
Gary
H. Brooks |
|
|
Director,
President, CEO, CFO and Secretary |
|
|
1999 |
|
Sachio
Okamura |
|
|
Director |
|
|
2001 |
|
Patrick
G. Rooney |
|
|
Chairman
of the Board |
|
|
2004 |
|
John
E. McConnaughy |
|
|
Director |
|
|
2004 |
|
Dr.
Anthony C. Nicholls |
|
|
Director
Nominee |
|
|
-- |
|
Directors
and Executive Officers
The
following table sets forth for each director of the Company the current
executive officers of the Company and the director nominee, their ages and
present positions with the Company:
Name |
|
|
Age |
|
|
Position
with the Company |
|
|
Patrick
G. Rooney |
|
|
42 |
|
|
Chairman
of the Board |
|
Gary
H. Brooks |
|
|
56 |
|
|
Director,
CEO, CFO and Secretary |
|
Sachio
Okamura |
|
|
52 |
|
|
Director |
|
John
E. McConnaughy |
|
|
75 |
|
|
Director |
|
Dr.
Anthony (Tony) C. Nicholls |
|
|
57 |
|
|
Director
Nominee |
|
Each of
the nominees, directors and named current executive officers of the Company has
been engaged in the principal occupations set forth below during the past five
(5) years.
Patrick
G. Rooney. Mr.
Rooney has served as Chairman of the Company since July 26, 2004. Since March
2003, Mr. Rooney has been the Managing Director of Solaris Opportunity Fund
L.P., an investing/trading hedge fund. Mr. Rooney is also acting Chairman of
Cipher Holding Corp. Through years 1985-2000, Patrick G. Rooney and/or Rooney
Trading was a member of The Chicago Board of Options Exchange, The Chicago Board
of Trade and the The Chicago Mercantile Exchange. In September 1998 through
March 2003, Mr. Rooney managed Digital Age Ventures, Ltd., a venture capital
investment company. Mr. Rooney attended Wagner College of New York from 1980
through 1984.
Gary
H. Brooks. Mr.
Brooks has served as a director since January 22, 1999, on which date he was
also appointed as President, Secretary and acting Chief Financial Officer of the
Company. In February 2002, Mr. Brooks was appointed Chief Executive Officer of
the Company. Prior to joining the Company on a full-time basis, Mr. Brooks
served as Vice President of Finance and Administration, Chief Financial Officer
and Secretary for Imatron, Inc. since December 1993. Prior to joining Imatron,
he was Chief Financial Officer and Director for five years at Avocet, a
privately-held sports electronics manufacturer located in Palo Alto, California.
Mr. Brooks received his B.A. in Zoology in 1971 from the University of
California, Berkeley, and an M.B.A. in Finance and Accounting in 1973 from the
University of California, Los Angeles.
Sachio
Okamura. Mr.
Okamura has served as a director since his appointment to the Board of the
Company on April 1, 2001. Mr. Okamura has performed bio-medical consulting
services for Okamura Associates, Inc. from 1993 through the present date. These
consulting services have included regulatory, distribution, licensing, joint
venture, investment, merger and acquisition activities involving businesses in
the United States and Japan. Mr. Okamura was in charge of bio-medical business
development for various offices of Mitsubishi Corporation from 1978 through
1993. Mr. Okamura received a BS in Biochemistry in 1975 from the University of
California, Davis and a Master of International Business from the American
Graduate School of International Management in 1978.
John
E. McConnaughy. Mr.
McConnaughy was appointed as a director of Positron Corporation in July 2004.
Mr. McConnaughy currently serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive officer of
JEMC Corporation. Prior to joining JEMC Corporation, Mr. McConnaughy was
Chairman and CEO of Peabody International Corp. from 1969 until 1986. He was
also Chairman and CEO of GEO International Corp., from 1981 until 1992. Mr.
McConnaughy holds a B.A. degree in Economics from Denison University and an
M.B.A. in Marketing and Finance from Harvard's Graduate School of Business
Administration.
Dr.
Anthony (Tony) C. Nicholls. Dr.
Nicholls was nominated for election to the Board of Directors by the vote of the
Board of Directors. Dr. Nicholls is currently CEO of L3Technology Ltd in
England, a company formed to commercialize patented medical technology developed
in UK government research laboratories. Additionally, he is Chairman of the
Alpha Omega Hospital Management Trust Ltd (London, UK) which undertakes the
construction and management of cancer treatment “Centres of Excellence” and a
Director of European Diagnostics plc (London UK) a company developing products
for patient point-of-care testing. Until 2002, Dr Nicholls was Chairman and CEO
of FAS Medical Ltd, a company primarily involved in the management of central
venous catheterization complications. Prior to working with FAS Medical Ltd.,
Dr. Nicholls was the Head of Microbiology and Immunology at the Midhurst Medical
Research Institute in the UK. Dr. Nicholls is a graduate of the University of
Birmingham School of Medical Sciences and has a Ph.D. in
Immunology.
CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE
The
Company operates within a comprehensive plan of corporate governance for the
purpose of defining responsibilities, setting high standards of professional and
personal conduct and assuring compliance with such responsibilities and
standards. In July 2002, Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which,
among other things, establishes, or provides the basis for, a number of new
corporate governance standards and disclosure requirements. The Company
regularly monitors developments in the area of corporate governance.
Board
of Directors
The Board
of Directors consists of directors who are elected by the Company's
shareholders, and is the ultimate decision-making body of the Company except
with respect to those matters reserved to the shareholders. The Board of
Directors acts as an advisor and counselor to senior management and ultimately
monitors its performance. These functions of the Board of Directors are
fulfilled by the presence of directors who have a substantive knowledge of the
Company's business.
Meeting
Attendance
The Board
of Directors met 5 times during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004.
Each director attended at least 75% of the
aggregate number of meetings of the Board or its committees upon which he served
that were held during the respective periods in which he was a director. While
the Company encourages all members of the Board to attend the Annual Meeting,
there is no formal policy as to their attendance at each of the annual meetings
of shareholders. The Company did not hold an Annual Meeting of shareholders in
2004.
Shareholder
Communications
Shareholders
may communicate in writing with the Chairman of the Board or the non-management
members of the Board as a group by mail addressed to the Secretary of the
Company at the following address: 1304 Langham Creek Drive, Suite 300, Houston,
Texas 77084. The Secretary will review all correspondence sent to the attention
of the non-management directors and regularly forward to the Board a summary of
such correspondence. Copies of all correspondence that, in the opinion of the
Secretary, deals with the functions of the Board or committees thereof or that
he otherwise determines requires their attention will also be forwarded to the
Board.
Codes
of Ethics
The Board
of Directors has adopted a Code
of Business Conduct and Ethics that
applies to all of our employees, officers and directors, and a Code of Ethics
for our Chief Executive Officer and senior financial officers. Copies of these
codes of ethics were filed with the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB.
Copies will be provided without charge upon request made to the Company's
Secretary at 1304 Langham Creek Drive, Suite 300, Houston, Texas
77084.
Committees
of the Board of Directors
The full
Board, except for Gary H. Brooks, serves as the Audit and Compensation
Committees. The Board has adopted charters for the Audit and Compensation
Committees. The Amended and Restated Audit Committee Charter is attached to this
proxy statement as Appendix A and the Compensation Committee Charter is
attached as Appendix B.
Audit
Committee
The full
Board, except for Gary H. Brooks, serves as the Audit Committee for the Company.
The Board has determined that Mr. Okamura and Mr. McConnaughy are independent
within the meaning established under NASDAQ Marketplace Rule 4200(a)(15). The
Board has not determined that any of the members of the Audit Committee are an
"audit committee financial expert" as defined in Item 401(h) of Regulation S-K.
The Board had previously determined that the former Board member, Mario da Silva
was an "audit committee financial expert." However, Mr. da Silva resigned from
the Board, effective May 2, 2005. Following Mr. da Silva's resignation, the
Board has not determined yet whether any of the other Audit Committee members
qualify as an "audit committee financial expert" under Item 401(h). The Board
expects to address this issue at its next meeting.
The Audit
Committee's function is to provide oversight of: the integrity of the Company's
financial statements; the Company's compliance with legal and regulatory
requirements; the independent auditors' qualifications and independence; and the
performance of the Company's internal audit function and independent auditors.
The Audit Committee is solely responsible for the appointment, compensation and
oversight of the independent auditors, and, if deemed necessary, the termination
of the independent auditors. The Audit Committee met once during fiscal year
2004. The Audit Committee's authority and duties and obligations are more
particularly described in the Audit Committee's amended and restated charter
adopted by the Board on April 30, 2005.
In 2005,
the Audit Committee adopted a formal policy concerning approval of audit and
non-audit services to be provided to the Company by its independent auditor,
Ham, Langston & Brezina, L.L.P. The policy requires that all services to be
provided by Ham, Langston & Brezina, L.L.P., including audit services and
permitted audit-related and non-audit services, must be pre-approved by the
Audit Committee. The Audit Committee pre-approved all audit and non-audit
services provided by Ham, Langston & Brezina, L.L.P. during fiscal year
2004.
Compensation
Committee
The full
Board serves as the Compensation Committee of the Company. The Board has
determined that Mr. Okamura and Mr. McConnaughy are independent within the
meaning established under NASDAQ Marketplace Rule 4200(a)(15). The Compensation
Committee met once during fiscal year 2004. The Compensation Committee of the
Board of Directors reviews and approves the compensation and benefits of all
executive officers of the Company, including the Chief Executive Officer,
administers the Company's stock option plans, and establishes and reviews
general policies relating to the compensation and benefits of the Company's
employees.
Compensation
Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
The
Company is not aware of any Compensation Committee interlocks.
Nominating
Committee
The
Company does not have a standing nominating committee. Due to the small size of
its Board, the Company does not foresee the need to establish a separate
nominating committee. The full Board is responsible for evaluating and
recommending individuals for election or reelection to the Board, including
those recommendations submitted by shareholders. Currently, the independent
directors of the Board (within the meaning of NASD Marketplace Rules) are Mr.
Okamura and Mr. McConnaughy.
It is the
Company's policy that candidates for director possess the highest personal and
professional integrity, have demonstrated exceptional ability and judgment, and
have skills and expertise appropriate for the Company and serving the long-term
interest of the Company's shareholders. The Company's process for identifying
and evaluating nominees is as follows: (1) in the case of incumbent directors
whose terms of office are set to expire, the independent directors review such
directors' overall service to the Company during their term, including the
number of meetings attended, level or participation, quality of performance, and
any related party transactions with the Company during the applicable time
period; and (2) in the case of new director candidates, the committee first
conducts any appropriate and necessary inquiries into the backgrounds and
qualifications of possible candidates after considering the function and needs
of the Board. The independent directors meet to discuss and consider such
candidates' qualifications, including relevant career experience, relevant
technical skills, industry knowledge and experience, financial expertise
(including expertise that could qualify a director as a "financial expert"). The
full Board then selects a candidate for nomination by majority vote. In seeking
potential nominees, the Board uses a network of contacts to compile a list of
potential candidates, but may also engage, if deemed appropriate, a professional
search firm. To date, the Company has not paid a fee to any third party to
assist in the process of identifying or evaluating director candidates, nor has
the Board rejected a timely director nominee from a shareholder(s) holding more
than 5% of the Company's voting stock.
The Board
will consider director candidates recommended by shareholders provided the
shareholders follow the procedures set forth below and in the Company's bylaws.
The Board does not intend to alter the manner in which they evaluate candidates,
including the criteria set forth above, based on whether the candidate was
recommended by a shareholder or otherwise.
Shareholders
who wish to recommend individuals for election to the Board may do so by
submitting a written recommendation to the Board in accordance with the
procedures set forth above in this proxy statement under the heading "What is
the Deadline for Submitting Shareholder Proposals for the 2006 Annual Meeting?"
For nominees for election to the Board proposed by shareholders to be
considered, the following information concerning each nominee must be timely
submitted in accordance with the required procedures: (1) the nominee's name,
age, business address, residence address, principal occupation or employment,
the class and number of shares of the Company's capital stock the nominee
beneficially owns and any other information relating to the nominee that is
required to be disclosed in solicitations for proxies for election of directors
pursuant to Section 14 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and rules and
regulations thereunder; and (2) as to the shareholder proposing such nominee,
that shareholder's name and address, the class and number of shares of the
Company's capital stock the shareholder beneficially owns, a description of all
arrangements and understandings between the shareholder and the nominee or any
other person (including their names) pursuant to which the nomination is made, a
representation that the shareholder is a holder of record of the Company's stock
entitled to vote at the meeting and that the shareholder intends to appear in
person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting to nominate the person named in its
notice, and any other information relating to the shareholder that is required
to be disclosed in solicitations for proxies for election of directors pursuant
to Section 14 of the Securities Exchange Act and the rules and regulations
thereunder. The notice must also be accompanied by a written consent of the
proposed nominee to being named as a nominee and to serve as a director if
elected.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
Summary
Compensation Table
The
following Summary Compensation Table shows certain compensation information for
each of the Named Executive Officers. Compensation data is shown for the years
ended December 31, 2002, 2003 and 2004. This information includes the
dollar value of base salaries, bonus awards, the number of stock options
granted, and certain other compensation, if any, whether paid or
deferred.
|
|
|
|
|
Annual
Compensation |
Long-Term
Compensation
Awards |
Name
and Principal Position |
|
|
Year |
|
|
Salary(a) |
|
|
Bonus |
|
|
Other
Annual Compensation |
|
|
Restricted
Stock
Awards |
|
|
Options/
SARs |
|
|
LTIP
Payouts |
|
|
All
Other Compensation(b) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gary
H. Brooks (c) |
|
|
2004 |
|
$ |
223,000 |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
--(d) |
|
President,
CEO, CFO |
|
|
2003 |
|
$ |
265,000 |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
500,000 |
|
|
-- |
|
|
$1,851 |
|
and
Secretary |
|
|
2002 |
|
$ |
223,000 |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
$5,177 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
David
S. Yeh (e) |
|
|
2004 |
|
$ |
119,000 |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
Executive
V.P. Sales & |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Marketing |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wayne
E. Webster (f) |
|
|
2002 |
|
$ |
217,000 |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
$3,752 |
|
Vice
President |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Marketing,
Sales & Service |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ross
K. Hartz (g) |
|
|
2004 |
|
$ |
2,000 |
|
|
-- |
|
|
$12,000 |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
Vice
President of |
|
|
2003 |
|
$ |
78,000 |
|
|
-- |
|
|
$37,000 |
|
|
-- |
|
|
300,000 |
|
|
-- |
|
|
$1,130 |
|
Engineering |
|
|
2002 |
|
$ |
143,000 |
|
|
$23,000 |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
$2,144 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Michael
L. Golden (h) |
|
|
2003 |
|
$ |
40,000 |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
$531 |
|
Chief
Financial Officer |
|
|
2002 |
|
$ |
99,000 |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
$1,491 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
Amounts
shown include cash compensation earned with respect to the year shown
above. |
(b) |
Represents
the Company's matching contributions to its 401(k)
plan. |
(c) |
Compensation
for Mr. Brooks in 2003 includes regular compensation of $223,000 and
$42,000 of vacation pay. |
(d) |
In
2004 the Company issued Mr. Brooks a warrant to purchase 4,000,000 shares
of Common Stock at $0.02 per share. The Company concluded that this
warrant has an indeterminate value given the quantity of the shares and
the current price of Company Common
Stock. |
(e) |
This
number reflects compensation paid to Mr. Yeh from the time he was hired in
July 2004 through December 2004. |
(f) |
Mr.
Webster served as an officer of the Company through December 31,
2002. |
(g) |
Mr.
Hartz received $12,000 and $37,471 in disability payments in 2004 and
2003, respectively, related to a prolonged illness. Mr. Hartz died in
2004. |
(h) |
Mr.
Golden served as an officer of the Company through May 15,
2003. |
Employment
Agreements
Effective
January 22, 1999, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Gary H.
Brooks. Pursuant to the Agreement, Mr. Brooks was appointed initially as
President of the Company with an initial employment term ending June 15, 2000,
with a rolling six month basis thereafter. From January 22, 1999 until June 15,
1999, and then from June 15, 1999 through August 31, 1999, his base salary was
$1,000 and $3,417 per month respectively, reflecting his less than full-time
commitments to the office during these periods. Effective September 1, 1999 and
with his full-time assignment with the Company, his salary increased to $185,000
on an annualized basis. In addition to participation in the Company's group
benefit plans and a monthly automobile allowance, Mr. Brooks purchased for
$20,000 a warrant to purchase 3,000,000 shares of the Company's Common Stock
exercisable at $0.30 per share, and effective May 4, 2004 the warrant was
repriced to $0.02 per share. The warrant, and the underlying Common Stock, are
subject to the Company's repurchase right, which lapses 25% immediately and the
remainder annual over the next three years. The base salary for Mr. Brooks was
increased to $205,000 effective June 15, 2000 and was increased again to
$217,000 effective January 1, 2002. The Board can terminate Mr. Brooks'
employment without cause on thirty days' written notice and the payment of base
salary for the remainder of the employment term or six months, whichever is
greater.
Option
Grants in Last Fiscal Year
The
following table sets forth certain information with respect to stock options
granted to each of the Named Executive Officers during the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2004. In accordance with the rules of the Securities and
Exchange Commission, also shown below is the potential realizable value over the
term of the option (the period from the grant date to the expiration date) based
on assumed rates of stock appreciation of 5% and 10%, compounded annually. These
amounts are based on certain assumed rates of appreciation and do not represent
the Company's estimate of future stock price. Actual gains, if any, on stock
option exercises will be dependent on the future performance of the Common
Stock.
|
|
|
Number
of Shares Underlying Options |
|
|
%
of Total Options Granted to Employees in |
|
|
Exercise
Price |
|
|
Expiration |
|
Potential
Realizable Value at Assumed Annual Rates of Stock Price
Appreciation
For
Option Term (3) |
Name |
|
|
Granted
(1) |
|
|
Fiscal
Year (2) |
|
|
Per
Share |
|
|
Date |
|
|
5% |
|
|
10% |
|
None |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
All
options were granted under the Company's 1999 Stock Option Plan and have
exercise prices equal to the fair market value on the grant
date. |
(2) |
No
new stock options granted in fiscal 2004. |
(3) |
Pursuant
to the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the dollar amounts
set forth in these columns are the result of calculations based on the set
rates of 5% and 10%, and therefore are not intended to forecast possible
future appreciation, if any, of the price of the Common
Stock. |
Option
Exercises and Holdings
The
following table provides information with respect to option exercises in fiscal
2004 by the Named Executive Officers and the value of such officers' unexercised
options at December 31, 2004:
Aggregated
Option Exercises in Last Fiscal Year
and
Fiscal Year-End Option Values
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number
of Shares
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
at
Fiscal
Year-End (#) |
|
Value
of Unexercised
In-the-Money
Options at
Fiscal
Year-End ($) (1) |
|
Name |
|
|
Shares
Acquired
on
Exercise (#) |
|
|
Value
Realized
($) |
|
|
Exercisable |
|
|
Unexercisable |
|
|
Exercisable |
|
|
Unexercisable |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gary
H. Brooks |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
72,917 |
|
|
427,083 |
|
$ |
7,292 |
|
$ |
42,708 |
|
Ross
K. Hartz |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
|
605,000 |
|
|
-- |
|
$ |
19,250 |
|
|
-- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
Market
value of unexercised options is based on the price of the last reported
sale of the Company's Common Stock on the NASDAQ OTC Bulletin Board of
$0.12 per share on December 31, 2004 (the last trading day for fiscal
2004), minus the exercise price. |
Option/Warrant
Repricing for Named Executive Officers
On May 4,
2004, our Board of Directors approved a repricing program for certain
outstanding options to purchase shares of our Common Stock granted under each of
the stock plans. As part of the repricing program, the Company granted to Gary
H. Brooks an option exercisable for 500,000 shares with an exercise price of
$0.02 per share that is subject to four year vesting in equal monthly
installments. This replaces an option grant previously held by Mr. Brooks that
was exercisable for 500,000 shares of Common Stock at a price of $0.05 per
share. The market value of the Company's Common Stock closed at $0.02 per share
at May 21, 2004.
The
Company also agreed to reprice outstanding warrants held by Mr. Brooks for the
purchase of 3,500,000 shares of Common Stock at $0.02 per share. The warrants
previously had exercise prices of $0.30 and $0.05 per share for 3,000,000 and
500,000 shares of Common Stock, respectively.
The
options and warrants were repriced in consideration for Mr. Brooks' efforts in
connection with negotiating and completing the financing with IMAGIN Diagnostic
Centres, Inc.
Equity
Compensation Plan Information
The
following table summarizes share and exercise information about the Company's
equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2004.
Plan
Category |
Number
of Securities to be Issued Upon Exercise of Outstanding
Options,
Warrants
and Rights |
Weighted-Average
Exercise Price of Outstanding Options, Warrants and
Rights |
Number
of Securities Remaining Available for Future Issuance Under Equity
Compensation Plans
(excluding
securities included in 1st
column) |
Equity
Compensation Plans Approved by Security Holders (1) |
1,722,272 |
$0.12 |
4,265,228(2) |
Equity
Compensation Plans Not Approved by Security Holders |
0 |
-- |
0 |
TOTAL |
1,722,272 |
$0.12 |
4,265,228 |
(1) |
Consists
of the 1999 Stock Option Plan, the 1999 Non-Employee Directors' Stock
Option Plan, the 1999 Stock Bonus Incentive Plan, and the 1999 Employee
Stock Purchase Plan, each as amended to
date. |
(2) |
Includes
2,490,228 shares available for issuance under the 1999 Stock Option Plan,
275,000 shares available for issuance under the 1999 Non-Employee
Directors' Plan, 1,000,000 shares available for issuance under the 1999
Stock Bonus Incentive Plan, and 500,000 shares available under the 1999
Employee Stock Purchase Plan. |
SUMMARY
OF EQUITY COMPENSATION PLANS
Equity-Based
Compensation
Key
Employee Incentive Compensation.
The
Company has an incentive compensation plan for certain key employees and its
Chairman. The incentive compensation plan provides for annual bonus payments
based upon achievement of certain corporate objectives as determined by the
Company's Compensation Committee, subject to the approval of the Board of
Directors. During 2004, the Company did not pay any bonus pursuant to the
incentive compensation plan.
Employee
Stock Option Plan
Positron's
Board administers the 1999 Employee Stock Option Plan ("1999 Plan"), which was
adopted by the Board effective June 15, 1999. The 1999 Plan provides for the
grant of options to officers, employees (including employee directors) and
consultants. The administrator is authorized to determine the terms of each
option granted under the plan, including the number of shares, exercise price,
term and exercisability. Options granted under the plan may be incentive stock
options or nonqualified stock options. The exercise price of incentive stock
options may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the Common Stock
as of the date of grant (110% of the fair market value in the case of an
optionee who owns more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all
classes of the Company's capital stock). Options may not be exercised more than
ten years after the date of grant (five years in the case of 10% shareholders).
Upon termination of employment for any reason other than death or disability,
each option may be exercised for a period of 90 days, to the extent it is
exercisable on the date of termination. In the case of a termination due to
death or disability, an option will remain exercisable for a period of one year,
to the extent it is exercisable on the date of termination. The Board has
authorized up to an aggregate of 4,000,000 shares of Common Stock for issuance
under the 1999 Plan. As of December 31, 2004, a total of 5,467,500 options
have been granted under the 1999 Plan, of which 12,500 have been
exercised and 1,467,084 are
outstanding, and of which 892,084
are
subject to vesting and 575,000 are fully
vested. As of December 31, 2004, a total of 30,188
fully vested options remain outstanding under the Company's 1994 Stock Option
Plan, which was terminated effective October 6, 1999.
Non-Employee
Directors' Stock Option Plan
The 1999
Non-Employee Directors' Stock Option Plan ("Directors' Plan") provides for the
automatic grant of an option to purchase 25,000 shares of Common Stock to
non-employee directors upon their election or appointment to the Board, and
subsequent annual grants also in the amount of 25,000 shares of Common Stock.
The exercise price of the options is 85% of the fair market value of the Common
Stock on the date of grant. The Directors' Plan is administered by the Board.
Options granted under the Directors' Plan become exercisable in one of two ways:
either in four equal annual installments, commencing on the first anniversary of
the date of grant, or immediately but subject to the Company's right to
repurchase, which repurchase right lapses in four equal annual installments,
commencing on the first anniversary of the date of grant. To the extent that an
option is not exercisable on the date that a director ceases to be a director of
the Company, the unexercisable portion terminates. The Board has authorized up
to an aggregate of 500,000 shares of Common Stock for issuance under the
Directors' Plan. As of December 31, 2004, a total of 400,000 fully
vested options have been granted and 225,000 remain
outstanding under the Directors' Plan.
1999 Stock
Bonus Incentive Plan
In
October 1999, the Board adopted an Employee Stock Bonus Incentive Plan, which
provides for the grant of bonus shares to any Company employee or consultant to
recognize exceptional service and performance beyond the service recognized by
the employee's salary or consultant's fee. The Board has authorized up to an
aggregate of 1,000,000 shares of Common Stock for issuance as bonus awards under
the Stock Bonus Plan. The Stock Bonus Plan is currently administered by the
Board. Each grant of bonus shares is in an amount determined by the Board, up to
a maximum of the participant's salary. The shares become exercisable according
to a schedule to be established by the Board at the time of grant. As of
December 31, 2004, no shares of Common Stock have been granted under the 1999
Stock Bonus Incentive Plan.
1999
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
The
Company's 1999 Employee Stock Purchase Plan ("Purchase Plan") was adopted by the
Board of Directors and approved by the shareholders in 1999. A total of 500,000
shares of Common Stock have been reserved for issuance under the Purchase Plan,
none of which has yet been issued. The Purchase Plan permits eligible employees
to purchase Common Stock at a discount through payroll deductions during
offering periods of up to 27 months. Offering periods generally will begin on
the first trading day of a calendar quarter. The initial offering period began
on January 1, 2000. The price at which stock is purchased under the Purchase
Plan will be equal to 85% of the fair market value of Common Stock on the first
or last day of the offering period, whichever is lower. No shares have been
issued under the Purchase Plan at December 31, 2004.
401(k)
Savings Plan
The
Company has a 401(k) Retirement Plan and Trust (the "401(k) Plan") which became
effective as of January 1, 1989. Employees of the Company who have completed
one-quarter year of service and have attained age 21 are eligible to participate
in the 401(k) Plan. Subject to certain statutory limitations, a participant may
elect to have his or her compensation reduced by up to 20% and have the Company
contribute such amounts to the 401(k) Plan on his or her behalf ("Deferral
Contributions"). The Company makes contributions in an amount equal to 25% of
the participant's Deferral Contributions up to 6% of his/her compensation
("Employer Contributions"). Additionally, the Company may make such additional
contributions, as it shall determine each year in its discretion. All Deferral
and Employer Contributions made on behalf of a participant are allocated to
his/her individual accounts and such participant is permitted to direct the
investment of such accounts.
A
participant is fully vested in the current value of that portion of his/her
accounts attributable to Deferral Contributions. A participant's interest in
that portion of his/her accounts attributable to Employer Contributions is
generally fully vested after five years of employment. Distributions under the
401(k) Plan are made upon termination of employment, retirement, disability and
death. In addition, participants may make withdrawals in the event of severe
hardship or after the participant attains age fifty-nine and one-half. The
401(k) Plan is intended to qualify under Section 401 of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, so that contributions made under the 401(k) Plan, and income
earned on contributions, are not taxable to participants until withdrawal from
the 401(k) Plan.
The
Company's contributions to the 401(k) Plan on behalf of all employees in the
year ended December 31, 2003 was approximately $18,000. The Company made no
contributions in 2004.
Policy
with Respect to $1 Million Deduction Limit
It is the
Company's policy, where practical, to avail itself of all proper deductions
under the Internal Revenue Code. Amendments to the Internal Revenue in 1993,
limit, in certain circumstances, the deductibility of compensation in excess of
$1 million paid to each of the five highest paid executives in one year. The
total compensation of the executive officers did not exceed this deduction
limitation in fiscal year 2004 or 2003.
Compensation
of Directors
Directors
who are also employees of the Company receive no fees for services provided in
that capacity, but are reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in
connection with attendance at meetings of the Board of Directors and its
committees.
Non-Employee
Director Compensation
Beginning
January 22, 1999 through current date, non-employee directors were not
separately compensated for their services on the Board although they continued
to be reimbursed for their reasonable expenses associated with attending board
and committee meetings.
On and
after October 6, 1999, each non-employee director is eligible to receive an
initial option to purchase 25,000 shares of Common Stock under the Company's
1999 Non-Employee Directors' Stock Option Plan upon their election or
appointment to the Board. The exercise price is equal to 85% of the fair market
value of the Common Stock on the date of grant. In addition, so long as the Plan
is in effect and there are shares available for grant, each director in service
on January 1 of each year (provided the director has served continuously for at
least the preceding 30 days) is eligible to receive an option to purchase 25,000
shares of Common Stock at an exercise price equal to 85% of the fair market
value of the Common Stock on the date of grant. Initial options as well as
annual options granted under the Plan are subject to one or two schedules,
either vesting over four years or vesting fully on the date of grant. In the
latter event, the Common Stock acquired upon exercise of such options are
subject to a right of repurchase in favor of the Company which lapses in four
equal annual installments, beginning on the first anniversary of the date of
grant.
COMPENSATION
COMMITTEE REPORT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The
following Compensation Committee Report does not constitute soliciting material
and should not be deemed filed or incorporated by reference into any other
Company filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, except to the extent the Company specifically incorporates this Report
by reference therein.
This
report is provided by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the
"Committee") to assist shareholders in understanding the Committee's objectives
and procedures in establishing the compensation of the Company's Chief Executive
Officer and other executive officers. The full Board acts as the Compensation
Committee and is responsible for establishing and administering the Company's
executive compensation program.
The
Committee is responsible for reviewing the compensation and benefits for the
Company's executive officers, as well as supervising and making recommendations
to the Board on compensation matters generally. The Committee also administers
the Company's stock option and purchase plans and makes grants to executive
officers under the Company's 1999 Stock Option Plan.
Compensation
Policies
The
Board's compensation philosophy is to provide cash and equity incentives to the
Company's executive officers and other employees to attract highly qualified
personnel in order to maintain the Company's competitive position. The Board's
compensation program goals are to: attract, retain and motivate qualified
executive officers and employees who contribute to the Company's long-term
success; align the compensation of executive officers with the Company's
business objectives and performance; and align incentives for executive officers
with the interests of shareholders in maximizing value.
Compensation
Components
The
compensation for executive officers generally consists of salary, stock option
awards and an incentive compensation plan.
Base
Salary
The
salaries of each of the executive officers of the Company are generally based on
salary levels of similarly sized companies. The Committee reviews generally
available surveys and other published compensation data. The compensation of the
executive officers, including the Chief Executive Officer, are generally
reviewed annually by the Committee and/or the Board and adjusted on the basis of
performance, the Company's results for the previous year and competitive
conditions.
Bonuses
Certain
executive officers are eligible for an annual bonus based on quarterly or annual
performance metrics and other operational goals, under the Company's executive
bonus plan.
Long-Term
Incentives
Long term
incentive awards are designed to develop and maintain strong management through
share ownership and incentive based compensation. During 2004 the Company did
not grant any awards under any of the long-term incentive plans.
Cash-Based
Compensation
Key
Employee Incentive Compensation Plan
The
Company has an incentive compensation plan for certain key employees and its
Chairman. The incentive compensation plan provides for annual bonus payments
based upon achievement of certain corporate objectives as determined by the
Company's Compensation Committee, subject to the approval of the Board of
Directors. During 2004, the Company did not pay any bonus pursuant to the
incentive compensation plan.
Compensation
of Chief Executive Officer
The
process of determining the compensation for the Company's Chief Executive
Officer and the factors taken into consideration in such determination are
generally the same as the process and factors used in determining the
compensation of all of the executive officers of the Company. As of
December 31, 2004, Mr. Brook's salary was $223,000. The Committee
believes that Mr. Brooks' base salary and incentive compensation is within
the range of compensation for Chief Executive Officers of other companies
engaged in the medical scanner manufacturing industry and is consistent with the
foregoing philosophy and objectives and reflect the scope and level of his
responsibilities.
Tax
Deductibility of Executive Compensation
Section
162(m) of the Code limits the federal income tax deductibility of compensation
paid to the Company's Chief Executive Officer and to each of the other four most
highly compensated executive officers. The Company may deduct such compensation
only to the extent that during any fiscal year the compensation paid to any such
individual does not exceed $1,000,000, unless compensation is performance-based
and meets certain specified conditions (including shareholder approval). It is
the Company's policy, where practical, to avail itself of all proper deductions
under the Internal Revenue Code. The total compensation of the executive
officers did not exceed this deduction limitation in fiscal year 2004 or 2003.
Based on the Company's current compensation plans and policies and the
transition rules of Section 162(m), the Company and the Board do not anticipate,
for the near future, that the Company will lose any significant tax deduction
for executive compensation.
Report
on Repricing of Options
In
connection with the financing agreements entered into with IMAGIN Diagnostic
Centres, Inc. in May 2004, the Company agreed to exchange 917,068 outstanding
options held by its employees for new options that are exercisable for the
purchase of Common Stock at a price of $0.02 per share. Of the options repriced,
500,000 were held by Gary H. Brooks. The new options are subject to four year
vesting in equal monthly installments. This re-pricing will require the Company
to apply the variable accounting rules established in Interpretation No. 44 of
the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FIN 44") to these options and record
changes in compensation based upon movements in the stock price.
The
Company also agreed to reprice outstanding warrants held by Gary H. Brooks for
the purchase of 3,500,000 shares of Common Stock at $0.02 per share. The Company
recognized $350,000 in compensation expense in the twelve month period ended
December 31, 2004, in accordance with the variable accounting rules established
in FIN 44. The market value of the Company's Common Stock increased to $0.12 per
share at December 31, 2004, resulting in an intrinsic value of $0.10 per share.
The Company will record changes in compensation based upon movements in the
stock price.
Ten-Year
Option/SAR Repricings
The
following table sets forth information regarding certain options held by the
executive officers named below that have been repriced during the ten year
period ended March 31, 2005.
Name
and Principal Position |
|
|
Date |
|
|
Number
of Securities Underlying Options/SARs Repriced or Amended
(#) |
|
|
Market
Price of Stock at Time of Repricing or Amendment
($) |
|
|
Exercise
Price at Time of Repricing or Amendment ($) |
|
|
New
Exercise Price ($) |
|
|
Length
of Original Option Term Remaining at Date of Repricing or
Amendment
(In
Years) |
|
Gary
H. Brooks (a) |
|
|
5/04/04 |
|
|
3,000,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
|
Gary
H. Brooks (a) |
|
|
5/04/04 |
|
|
500,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 |
|
Gary
H. Brooks |
|
|
5/04/04 |
|
|
500,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(a) |
These
items represent warrants which were originally issued to by
Mr. Brooks, and were repriced as part of his compensation
package. |
|
THE
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE |
|
|
|
Sachio Okamura Patrick G. Rooney John
E. McConnaughy |
AUDIT
COMMITTEE REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS
The
following Report of the Audit Committee does not constitute soliciting material
and should not be deemed filed or incorporated by reference into any other
Company filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates this
Report by reference therein.
June 24,
2005
The
Company's Board of Directors, except for Gary H. Brooks, acts as the Company's
Audit Committee (the "Committee"). The Board has adopted a written charter for
the Committee that is attached as Appendix A to this proxy statement. This
charter was amended and restated in May 2005 in response to new regulatory
requirements, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and related rules and regulations
proposed or issued by the SEC.
In
accordance with its charter, the Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its
responsibility for oversight of the quality and integrity of the accounting,
auditing and financial reporting practices of the Company. The
Committee is responsible for overseeing the Company's accounting and financial
reporting processes and audits of the Company's financial statements. The
Committee acts only in an oversight capacity and relies on the work and
assurances of both management, which has primary responsibilities for the
Company's financial statements and reports, as well as the independent auditors
who are responsible for expressing an opinion on the conformity of the Company's
audited financial statements to generally accepted accounting principles.
In
discharging its duties, the Committee reviewed and discussed with management of
the Company and Ham, Langston & Brezina, L.L.P., the independent auditing
firm of the Company, the audited financial statements of the Company for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2004 ("Audited Financial Statements").
The
Committee discussed with Ham, Langston & Brezina, L.L.P. the matters
required by Codification of Statements on Auditing Standards No. 61,
Communication
with Audit Committees, as
amended.
The
Committee received and reviewed the written disclosures and the letter from Ham,
Langston & Brezina, L.L.P. required by Independence Standards Board Standard
No. 1, Independence
with Audit Committees, and
discussed with that firm its independence from the Company.
The
Committee considered the compatibility of non-audit services with the auditors'
independence and have discussed with the independent auditors their
independence.
Based on
the foregoing review and discussions and a review of the report of Ham, Langston
& Brezina, L.L.P. with respect to the audited financial statements, and
relying thereon, the Committee recommended to the Company's Board of Directors
(and the Board approved) the inclusion of the Audited Financial Statements in
the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2004, for filing with the SEC.
|
THE
AUDIT COMMITTEE |
|
|
|
Sachio Okamura Patrick G. Rooney John
E. McConnaughy |
SECTION
16(A) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
Section
16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, requires the Company's
executive officers and directors, and persons who own more than 10% of the
Company's Common Stock to file reports of ownership on Form 3 and changes in
ownership on Form 4 or Form 5 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"SEC"). Such executive officers, directors and 10% shareholders are also
required by SEC rules to furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a)
forms they file. Based solely upon its review of copies of such forms received
by it, or on written representations from certain reporting persons that no
Forms 5 were required for those persons, the Company believes that the following
reports of Forms 3 and 4 were not timely filed: Gary H. Brooks filed late one
Forms 4s reporting a total of three transactions; Sachio Okamura filed late two
Form 4s reporting two transaction, Mario Silva filed late one Form 4, reporting
one transaction, John McConnaughy filed late one Form 4 reporting one
transaction, Patrick G. Rooney filed late one Form 4 reporting one
transaction.
CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Transactions
with IMAGIN Diagnostic Centres, Inc.
Convertible
Notes
In May
2004, the Company entered into a series of agreements with IMAGIN Diagnostic
Centres, Inc. ("IMAGIN") pursuant to which IMAGIN agreed to provide over the
next seven months an aggregate $2,000,000 of financing to the Company. If
all the conversion rights are exercised, IMAGIN will control approximately 68%
of the Company's Common Stock.
In the
first stage of the financing, IMAGIN agreed to purchase from the Company 10%
secured convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of
$700,000. As of December 31, 2005, IMAGIN had purchased $700,000 of these notes.
These notes are due and payable on May 21, 2006. The notes are initially
convertible into new shares of Series C Preferred Stock that, in turn are
convertible into an aggregate of 35,000,000 shares of the Company's Common
Stock. No shares of Series C Preferred Stock are currently
outstanding.
IMAGIN
also agreed, in a second stage of the financing, to purchase additional secured
convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $1,300,000.
IMAGIN agreed to purchase these notes over a six and a half month period,
commencing July 15, 2004. As of February 28, 2005, IMAGIN has purchased
$1,300,000 of these notes. These notes are due and payable on February, 2006.
These notes are initially convertible into new shares of Series D Preferred
Stock that, in turn is convertible into an aggregate of 52,000,000 shares of the
Company's Common Stock. On _______, IMAGIN converted $575,000 principal
amount of these notes into Series D Preferred Stock, which, in turn, IMAGIN
converted into 23,000,000 shares of Company Common Stock. No shares of Series D
Preferred Stock are currently outstanding.
Pursuant
to the terms of the agreements, the Company granted to IMAGIN a security
interest in all of its assets to secure payment of the convertible promissory
notes. Full convertibility of the shares of Series C and Series D Preferred
Stock into Common Stock requires an amendment to the Company's Articles of
Incorporation which must be approved by the shareholders. This approval is being
sought pursuant to Proposal 2. Imagin also purchased from Solaris Opportunity
Fund, L.P. $1,000,000 face amount of the Company's 10% secured convertible
promissory notes, which are initially convertible into new shares of Series E
Preferred Stock, that, in turn, are convertible into an aggregate of 22,000,000
shares of the Company's Common Stock. Based upon the 53,185,803 shares of Common
Stock outstanding as of the May 13, 2005 record date, if converted to Common
Stock, IMAGIN would own 68.1% of the total outstanding shares of Common Stock.
The Company paid a $200,000 fee to IMAGIN upon completion of the financing. See
Proposal 2 for a description of the proposed amendment to the Company's Articles
of Incorporation.
On April
11, 2005 IMAGIN entered into an agreement to sell such amount of the 10% secured
convertible promissory notes of the Company to Cipher Holding Corp., which would
ultimately be convertible into 64,000,000 shares of Company common stock. To the
Company's knowledge, as of the date of this proxy statement this transaction has
not closed. Patrick G. Rooney is the Chairman of Cipher Holding
Corp.
Patrick
G. Rooney, Chairman of the Board of the Company is the son of Patrick Rooney,
Director of Corporate Development of IMAGIN Diagnostic Centres, Inc. Cynthia
Jordon, the president of IMAGIN, is the wife of Patrick Rooney. Patrick G.
Rooney and John E. McConnaughy, Jr were appointed to the Board of Directors of
the Company in connection with the financing with IMAGIN.
Transactions
with Solaris Opportunity Fund, L.P.
On
February 28, 2005, the Company entered into a series of agreements with Solaris
Opportunity Fund, L.P. pursuant to which Solaris agreed to purchase an aggregate
of $1,000,000 face amount of the Company's 10% secured convertible promissory
notes. As of March 17, 2005, Solaris has purchased $1,000,000 of these notes.
Subsequently, Solaris sold these notes to Imagin. These notes are due and
payable on March 6, 2007. The notes are initially convertible into new shares of
Series E Preferred Stock that, in turn, are convertible into an aggregate of
22,000,000 shares of the Company's Common Stock.
Pursuant
to the terms of the agreements, the Company granted to Solaris a security
interest in all of its assets to secure payment of the convertible promissory
notes. The security interest is subordinate to the security interest granted in
the same collateral to IMAGIN Diagnotis Centres, Inc. Full convertibility of the
shares of Series E into Common Stock will require an amendment to the Company's
Articles of Incorporation which must be approved by the shareholders. See
Proposal 2 for a description of the proposed amendment to the Company's Articles
of Incorporation.
In June
2005, Solaris agreed to purchase additional secured convertible promissory notes
in the aggregate principal amount of $400,000. The notes are due and
payable on March 6, 2007. These notes are initially convertible into new shares
of Series E Preferred Stock that, in turn, are convertible into an aggregate of
8,800,000 shares of Company Common Stock. Full convertibility of the shares
of Series E into Common Stock will require an amendment to the Company's
Articles of Incorporation which must be approved by the
shareholders.
Patrick
G. Rooney, Chairman of the Board of the Company, is the general partner of
Solaris Opportunity Fund, L.P.
Options
and Warrants
In
connection with the financing, several agreements were reached involving option
and warrants contracts for the purchase of Common Stock of the Company.
§ |
The
Company agreed to exchange 917,068 outstanding options held by its
employees for new options that are exercisable for the purchase of Common
Stock at a price of $0.02 per share. The new options issued to the
employees are subject to four year vesting in equal monthly installments.
This repricing requires the Company to apply the variable accounting rules
established in Interpretation No. 44 of the Financial Accounting Standards
Board ("FIN 44") to these options and record changes in compensation based
upon movements in the stock price. The Company recognized $13,000 in
compensation expense in 2004, in accordance with the variable accounting
rules established in FIN 44. The market value of the company's Common
Stock increased $0.12 per share at December 31, 2004, resulting in an
intrinsic value of $0.10 per share. |
§ |
The
Company agreed to reprice outstanding warrants currently held by Gary H.
Brooks, its President & CEO, for the purchase of 3,500,000 shares of
Common Stock at $0.02 per share. The Company recognized $350,000 in
compensation expense in the twelve month period ended December 31,
2004, in accordance with the variable accounting rules established in FIN
44. The market value of the Company's Common Stock increased to $0.12 per
share at December 31, 2004, resulting in an intrinsic value of $0.10
per share. The Company will record changes in compensation based upon
movements in the stock price. |
§ |
The
Company agreed to issue a new warrant to Gary H. Brooks for the purchase
of 4,000,000 shares of Common Stock at $0.02 per share.
|
§ |
The
Company agreed to reprice outstanding warrants for the purchase of
9,150,000 shares of Common Stock. These warrants have been surrendered and
new warrants will be issued to the same third party holders for the
purchase of 4,575,000 shares of Common Stock at $0.02 per share. New
warrants for the purchase of 4,575,000 shares of Common Stock at $0.02 per
share (the remaining half of the surrendered warrants) will also be issued
to IMAGIN. |
Sale
of Scanners
In
connection with the financing, IMAGIN also agreed to purchase 10 PET scanners at
a purchase price of $1,300,000 each. As a result of the regulatory difficulties
encountered in connection with attempts to import and use scanners in Canada,
the parties have since agreed to terminate IMAGIN's obligation to purchase these
scanners.
Directors
/ Voting Agreement
In
connection with the financing, on July 26, 2004, the Board of Directors of the
Company amended the Company's bylaws to increase the number of authorized
Directors of the Board to 5 directors and appointed as directors, Patrick G.
Rooney, and John E. McConnaughy, to fill the vacancies created by the amendment
to the bylaws. Pursuant to a Voting Agreement dated May 21, 2004, IMAGIN also
agreed to vote all voting stock held by it in any election of directors in favor
of Gary H. Brooks, Mario da Silva and Sachio Okamura. Messrs. Brooks, Okamura,
Rooney and McConnaughy have been nominated for election to the Board at the
Annual Meeting of Shareholders. See Proposal 1 for information regarding the
directors nominated for election.
AUDITOR
INDEPENDENCE
Fees
to Independent Auditors for Fiscal 2003 and 2004
The
following table shows the fees billed to the Company for the audit and other
services provided by Ham, Langston & Brezina, L.L.P. for fiscal 2004 and
2003.
|
|
|
Fiscal
2004 |
|
|
Fiscal
2003 |
|
Audit
fees (1) |
|
$ |
39,312 |
|
$ |
39,343 |
|
Audit-related
fees |
|
|
-- |
|
|
-- |
|
Tax
fees (2) |
|
$ |
3,500 |
|
$ |
3,500 |
|
All
other fees |
|
$ |
500 |
|
|
-- |
|
1) |
Audit
fees represent fees for professional services provided in connection with
the audit of our financial statements and review of our quarterly
financial statements and audit services provided in connection with other
statutory or regulatory filings. |
2) |
For
fiscal 2004 and 2003, respectively, tax fees principally included tax
compliance fees of $3,500 and $3,500. |
All audit
related services, tax services and other services are and were pre-approved by
the Company's Board of Directors, which concluded that the provision of such
services by Ham, Langston & Brezina, L.L.P. was compatible with the
maintenance of that firm's independence in the conduct of its auditing
functions.
PROPOSAL
NO. 2
APPROVAL
OF AN AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT OF OUR ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION
TO EFFECT A
REVERSE STOCK SPLIT AND TO DECREASE THE NUMBER OF AUTHORIZED
SHARES
OF COMMON
STOCK
General
The Board
of Directors has authorized and recommends for your approval an amendment and
restatement to our Articles of Incorporation which would effect a reverse stock
split of our Common Stock. If the reverse stock split is approved by the
stockholders, each one hundred shares of Common Stock will be converted
automatically into one share of Common Stock. To avoid the existence of
fractional shares of Common Stock, fractional shares will be rounded to the
nearest integer. For those shareholders with less than fifty shares of Common
Stock prior to the reverse stock-split, the resulting fractional shares will be
cancelled. The effective date of the reverse stock split will be the date our
Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation are filed with the Secretary
of State of the State of Texas, which is anticipated to be as soon as
practicable on or following the date of the Meeting. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE
REVERSE STOCK SPLIT WILL NOT CHANGE YOUR PROPORTIONAL EQUITY INTERESTS IN
POSITRON, EXCEPT AS MAY RESULT FROM ROUNDING OR FROM THE CANCELLATION OF
FRACTIONAL SHARES.
In
addition to effecting a reverse stock split, the Amended and Restated Articles
of Incorporation will not decrease the number of authorized shares of Common
Stock from its current amount. As a result, if the amendment is approved by our
shareholders, we will proportionately have a larger number of authorized shares
of Common Stock.
We have
decided to restate our Articles of Incorporation in full, rather than merely
amend them, in order to simplify their organization. The only changes to the
Articles of Incorporation are set forth in detail in this Proposal and restating
the Articles of Incorporation will have no other effect on the shareholders
other than those described in this Proposal. Our proposed Amended and Restated
Articles of Incorporation are attached hereto as Appendix C.
Purpose
and Material Effects of Proposed Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation
The
purpose and material effects of the proposal to amend and restate our Articles
of Incorporation can be grouped into two distinct general areas. First, the
purpose and effect of the amendment related to the reverse stock split. Second,
the purpose and effect of the amendment related to maintaining the number of
authorized shares of Common Stock in a manner that is not proportional to the
rate of the reverse stock split.
The
Reverse Stock Split
The
reverse stock split is being proposed for several reasons. First, to reduce the
number of stockholders, in order to reduce our costs. Second, to increase the
market price of the Common Stock. And third to position the stock to appreciate
in a more regular manner.
Positron
has a large number of stockholders that own relatively few shares. Specifically,
as of April 26, 2005, Positron's approximately 247 registered stockholders,
approximately 53 held fewer than 100 shares of Common Stock. In addition, as of
April ___, 2005, of Positron's approximately _________ stockholders holding
Common Stock in street name through a nominee (e.g., a bank or broker),
approximately ________ held fewer than 100 shares of Common Stock in their
accounts. In summary, stockholders holding fewer than 100 shares in their
account represented approximately ___% of the total number of our stockholders,
but these stockholders collectively held only approximately ______% of our
Common Stock outstanding on the record date. (This analysis assumes no
stockholder has more than one account.) Continuing to maintain accounts for all
these stockholders, including costs associated with required stockholder
mailings, will cost Positron thousands of dollars each year. The reverse stock
split will reduce the number of stockholders with small accounts and result in
cost savings for Positron.
It is our
belief that stock which is valued at less than $1.00/share has typically traded
in much more irregular patterns than stock which is valued at a higher amount.
This reverse stock split is an effort to bring our stock price in line with
other successful companies and to allow for more regular stock
appreciation.
The
effect of the reverse stock split upon the market price for the Common Stock
cannot be predicted, and the history of similar stock split combinations for
companies in circumstances similar to Positron is varied. There can be no
assurance that the market price per share of the Common Stock after the reverse
split will rise in proportion to the reduction in the number of shares of Common
Stock outstanding resulting from the reverse split. The market price of the
Common Stock may also be based on our performance and other factors (including,
without limitation, general investor sentiment, the performance of the major
stock market indexes, and general economic indicators), some of which may be
unrelated to the number of shares outstanding.
The
reverse stock split will affect all of our stockholders uniformly and will not
affect any stockholder's percentage ownership interests in the Company or
proportionate voting power, except to the extent that the reverse split results
in any of our stockholders owning a fractional share. In lieu of issuing
fractional shares, fractional shares of Common Stock will be
cancelled.
If the
shareholders approve the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation, and as
a result, the reverse stock split, the principal effects relating to the reverse
stock split will be:
§ |
The
number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding as of the
effective date of the reverse stock split will be reduced by approximately
ninety-nine percent, |
§ |
All
outstanding options and warrants entitling the holders thereof to purchase
shares of Common Stock will enable such holders to purchase, upon exercise
of their options, one-hundredth of the number of shares of Common Stock
which such holders would have been able to purchase upon exercise of their
options immediately preceding the reverse split at an exercise price equal
to one hundred times the exercise price specified before the reverse
split, resulting in the same aggregate price being required to be paid
therefore upon exercise thereof immediately preceding the reverse split,
|
§ |
The
number of shares reserved for issuance in each of our stock option plans
will be reduced to one-hundredth of the number of shares currently
included in each such plan, and |
§ |
The
number of shares issuable upon conversion of our Series A, Series C,
Series D and Series E Preferred Stock will be reduced to one-hundredth of
the number of shares currently issuable upon such shares
conversion. |
§ |
Each
shareholder will own a smaller number of shares than they presently own (a
number equal to the number of shares owned immediately prior to the filing
of the certificate of amendment divided by
100) |
Because
the reverse split will not affect the par value of our Common Stock, on the
effective date of the reverse split, the stated capital on our balance sheet
attributable to the Common Stock will be reduced to up to one-hundredth of its
present amount, and the additional paid-in capital shall be credited with the
amount by which the stated capital is reduced. The per share net income or loss
and net book value of our Common Stock will be increased because there will be
fewer shares of our Common Stock outstanding.
The
Common Stock issued pursuant to the reverse stock split will remain fully paid
and non-assessable. The reverse stock split is not intended as, and will not
have the effect of, a "going private transaction" covered by Rule 13e-3 under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. It is our intention to continue to be
subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934.
Stockholders
should recognize that if the reverse stock split is effected they will own a
smaller number of shares than they presently own (a number equal to the number
of shares owned immediately prior to the filing of the certificate of amendment
divided by 100). While we expect that the reverse split will result in an
increase in the market price of our Common Stock, there can be no assurance that
the reverse stock split will increase the market price of our Common Stock by a
multiple equal to the exchange number or result in the permanent increase in the
market price (which is dependent upon many factors, including our performance
and prospects). Also, should the market price of our Common Stock decline, the
percentage decline as an absolute number and as a percentage of our overall
market capitalization may be greater than would pertain in the absence of a
reverse stock split. Furthermore, the possibility exists that liquidity in the
market price of our Common Stock could be adversely affected by the reduced
number of shares that would be outstanding after the reverse split. In addition,
the reverse stock split will likely increase the number of stockholders of
Positron who own odd lots (less than 100 shares). Stockholders who hold odd lots
typically will experience an increase in the cost of selling their shares, as
well as possible greater difficulty in effecting such sales. Consequently, there
can be no assurance that the reverse stock split will achieve the desired
results that have been outlined above
The
Maintenance in Our Number of Shares of Common Stock Authorized
The
principal purposes of maintaining the number of shares of Common Stock
authorized by the proposed Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation is to
ensure sufficient shares of Common Stock are available for issuance upon
conversion of all outstanding shares of preferred stock, warrants and options
and to provide for the availability of sufficient shares of Common Stock for
future financing transactions.
Under
Texas law, we may only issue shares of Common Stock to the extent such shares
have been authorized for issuance under our Articles of Incorporation. Our
Articles of Incorporation currently authorize the issuance of up to 100,000,000
shares of Common Stock. However, as of June 30, 2005, 53,185,803 shares of
Common Stock were issued and outstanding and (a) 1,639,109 shares were reserved
for issuance upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock; (b)
18,150,000 shares
were for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants; and (c) an
aggregate of 1,722,272 shares were reserved for issuance under our 1999 Stock
Option Plan, 1999 Non-Employee Directors' Stock Option Plan, 1999 Stock Bonus
Incentive Plan and 1999 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. In addition, our
outstanding convertible debt is convertible into a maximum of 840,000 shares of
Series C Preferred Stock, 1,560,000 shares of Series D Preferred Stock, and
1,000,000 shares of Series E Preferred Stock which, subject to shareholder
approval, is in turn convertible into a maximum of 126,400,000 shares of Common
Stock (assuming payment of interest and dividends in additional shares of
stock).
In order
to ensure sufficient shares of Common Stock will be available for issuance,
prior to effecting the proposed reverse stock split, we would need to increase
the number of shares of Common Stock authorized for issuance from 100,000,000 to
approximately 200,000,000 shares. If we reduced the number of authorized shares
of Common Stock proportionally to the ratio being contemplated in the reverse
stock split, we would only have the ability to issue 1,000,000 shares. This
amount would not be sufficient to ensure the ability to issue the shares upon
full conversion of our preferred stock, options and warrants. As a result, our
proposed Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation maintains the amount of
Common Stock authorized, despite the occurrence of the reverse stock split,
partly to ensure that we have sufficient shares of Common Stock
available.
By
effecting a reverse stock split and by maintaining the same number of shares of
authorized Common Stock, the proposed Amended and Restated Articles of
Incorporation will have the same effect as increasing the number of shares of
authorized Common Stock. These additional shares of Common Stock will be
available for issuance upon conversion of shares of preferred stock, upon
issuance of shares under our stock option plans and outstanding warrants, and in
the event the Board of Directors determines it is necessary or appropriate to
raise additional capital through the sale of equity securities, to acquire
another company or its assets, to establish strategic relationships with
corporate partners, or for other corporate purposes.
The
availability of additional shares of Common Stock is important in the event that
the Board of Directors needs to undertake any of the foregoing actions on an
expedited basis and thus to avoid the time and expense of seeking shareholder
approval in connection with the contemplated issuance of Common Stock. If the
Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation are approved by the shareholders,
the Board does not intend to solicit further shareholder approval prior to the
issuance of any additional shares of Common Stock, except as may be required by
applicable law. The Board of Directors is not currently aware of any attempt to
take over or acquire the Company. While it may be deemed to have potential
anti-takeover effects, the proposed amendment and restatement of our Articles of
Incorporation to effectively increase the authorized Common Stock is not
prompted by any specific effort or takeover threat currently perceived by
management.
The
additional shares of Common Stock to be authorized pursuant to the proposed
Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation will have a par value of $.01 per
share and be of the same class of Common Stock as is currently authorized under
our Articles of Incorporation. We do not have any current intentions, plans,
arrangements, commitments or understandings to issue any shares of our Common
Stock except in connection with its stock option plans.
If the
shareholders approve the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation, and as
a result, maintain the same number of authorized shares of Common Stock, the
principal effects related to this will be:
§ |
IMAGIN
will have the ability to acquire approximately 68.1% of the Company's
outstanding shares of Common Stock, as a result of the conversion rights
of the Series C, and Series D Preferred Stock, and based upon
the 53,185,803 shares of Common Stock outstanding as of the
June 30, 2005 record date. As a result, if the shareholders approve
the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation IMAGIN will be able to
control the Company. IMAGIN is a private company headquartered in Ontario,
Canada. IMAGIN is in the business of owning, operating and developing
medical scanning centers in Canada. Patrick G. Rooney, Chairman of the
Board of the Company, is the son of Patrick Rooney, Director of Corporate
Development of IMAGIN Diagnostic Centres,
Inc. |
§ |
Although
the relative increase in authorized shares of Common Stock will not have
any immediate effect on the rights of existing shareholders, the Board
will have the authority to issue authorized Common Stock without requiring
future shareholder approval of such issuances, except as may be required
by applicable law. To the extent that additional authorized shares are
issued in the future, they may decrease the existing shareholders'
percentage equity ownership and, depending on the price at which they are
issued, could be dilutive to the existing shareholders. The holders of
Common Stock have no preemptive rights and the Board of Directors has no
plans to grant such rights with respect to any such
shares. |
§ |
The
relative increase in the authorized number of shares of Common Stock and
the subsequent issuance of such shares could have the effect of delaying
or preventing a change in control of the Company without further action by
the shareholders. Shares of authorized and unissued Common Stock could,
within the limits imposed by applicable law, be issued in one or more
transactions which would make a change in control of the Company more
difficult, and therefore less likely. Any such issuance of additional
stock could have the effect of diluting the earnings per share and book
value per share of outstanding shares of Common Stock and such additional
shares could be used to dilute the stock ownership or voting rights of a
person seeking to obtain control of the Company.
|
Reasons
for the Amendment to our Articles of Incorporation
The Board
of Directors recommends that the shareholders approve the Amended and Restated
Articles of Incorporation described herein for the following reasons. These
reasons are in addition to those set forth above under the section entitled
"Purpose and Material Effects of the Proposed Amended and Restated Articles of
Incorporation."
The
number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of all our Preferred
Stock increased dramatically from approximately 1.6 million to approximately 110
million due to our recent transactions with IMAGIN and Solaris. We believe that
number is too large for a company of our size and expected financial
performance. We believe that the number of shares of our Common Stock our shares
of preferred stock are convertible into after the reverse stock split (expected
to be approximately 1.1 million) is more appropriate and would better position
us for future stock price appreciation.
We
believe that the reverse stock split should also increase the near-term per
share market price of our Common Stock. We expect the effect of the reverse
stock split to increase the per share market price of our Common Stock by a
multiple of one hundred discounted by some amount. There
can be no assurance, however, that the market price of our Common Stock will
rise in proportion to the reduction in the number of outstanding shares
resulting from the reverse stock split, if at all. The desire for a near-term
increase in the market price of our Common Stock is not one of our primary
motivations for proposing the reverse stock split. Rather, our Board of
Directors focused on cost savings and establishing an appropriately-sized
outstanding share base for long-term, sustainable stock price
appreciation.
Procedure
for Effecting the Reverse Split and Exchange of Stock Certificates
If the
Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation are approved by our
shareholders, we will promptly file the Amended and Restated Articles of
Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Texas. The Amended and
Restated Articles of Incorporation will reclassify and convert the Common Stock
into new shares of Common Stock, on the basis of one share of Common Stock for
each one hundred outstanding shares of Common Stock, and will reduce the Common
Stock authorized for issuance to an amount equal to 2,500,000 shares of Common
Stock. The reverse stock split will become effective on the date of filing of
the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation, which we will refer to as
the "effective date." Beginning on the effective date, each certificate
representing pre-reverse split shares will be deemed for all corporate purposes
to evidence ownership of post-reverse split shares.
As soon
as practicable after the effective date, stockholders will be notified that the
reverse split has been effected. Our transfer agent, Continental Stock Transfer
and Trust Company, will act as exchange agent for purposes of implementing the
exchange of stock certificates. Holders of pre-reverse split shares will be
asked to surrender to the exchange agent certificates representing pre-reverse
split shares in exchange for certificates representing post-reverse split shares
in accordance with the procedures to be set forth in a letter of transmittal to
be sent by us. No new certificates will be issued to a stockholder until that
stockholder has surrendered the stockholder's outstanding certificate(s)
together with the properly completed and executed letter of transmittal to the
exchange agent. Stockholders that hold shares in a brokerage account will not
have to take any action as the brokers adjust the share numbers at the effective
date automatically. STOCKHOLDERS SHOULD NOT DESTROY ANY STOCK CERTIFICATES AND
SHOULD NOT SUBMIT ANY CERTIFICATES UNTIL REQUESTED TO DO SO.
Fractional
Shares
As
previously noted, we will not issue fractional certificates for post- reverse
split shares in connection with the reverse split. Instead, fractional shares
will be rounded to the nearest whole integer. Fractional shares, after the
reverse stock split, of less than ½ share, will be cancelled. The Board of
Directors determined to cancel these fractional shares due to the low price of
the Common Stock weighed against the cost of issuing a de minimis amount of cash
in lieu of fractional shares.
No
Dissenter's Rights
Under the
Texas Business Corporation Act, our stockholders are not entitled to dissenter's
rights with respect to the proposal approval of our Amended and Restated
Articles of Incorporation to effect the reverse stock split and the reduction in
the number of authorized shares of Common Stock and we will not independently
provide our stockholders with any such right.
Federal
Income Tax Consequences of the Reverse Split
The
following is a summary of important tax considerations of the reverse split. It
addresses only stockholders who hold the pre-reverse split shares and
post-reverse split shares as capital assets. It does not purport to be complete
and does not address stockholders subject to special rules, such as financial
institutions, tax-exempt organizations, insurance companies, dealers in
securities, mutual funds, foreign stockholders, stockholders who hold the
pre-reverse split shares as part of a straddle, hedge, or conversion
transaction, stockholders who hold the pre-reverse split shares as qualified
small business stock within the meaning of Section 1202 of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), stockholders who are subject to the
alternative minimum tax provisions of the Code, and stockholders who acquired
their pre-reverse split shares pursuant to the exercise of employee stock
options or otherwise as compensation. This summary is based upon current law,
which may change, possibly even retroactively. It does not address tax
considerations under state, local, foreign, and other laws. Furthermore, we have
not obtained a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service or an opinion of legal
or tax counsel with respect to the consequences of the reverse stock split. Each
stockholder is advised to consult his or her tax advisor as to his or her own
situation.
The
reverse stock split is intended to constitute a reorganization within the
meaning of Section 368 of the Code. Assuming the reverse split qualifies as a
reorganization, because no cash or other consideration would be paid to our
stockholders in lieu of fractional shares or otherwise in connection with the
reverse stock split, a stockholder will not recognize gain or loss on the
reverse stock split. The aggregate tax basis of the post-reverse split shares
received will be equal to the aggregate tax basis of the pre-reverse split
shares exchanged therefore, and the holding period of the post-reverse split
shares received will include the holding period of the pre-reverse split shares
exchanged.
No gain
or loss will be recognized by Positron as a result of the reverse stock
split.
Vote
Required and Board of Director's Recommendation
Approval
of this proposal requires both the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the issued
and outstanding shares of Common Stock and Series A Preferred Stock voting
together as a class and the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the issued and
outstanding shares of Common Stock voting as a class. Abstentions and broker
non-votes will be counted as present for purposes of determining if a quorum is
present but will have the same effect as a negative vote on this proposal.
Each
share of Common Stock shall be entitled to one vote. Each share of Series A
Preferred Stock shall be entitled to that number of votes equal to the number of
shares of Common Stock (including fractional shares) into which such shares of
Series A Preferred Stock are convertible. As a result, each share of
Series A Preferred Stock will be entitled to 3.2126 votes. The effect of an
abstention is the same as that of a vote against the proposal
The Board
of Directors unanimously recommends that the shareholder vote FOR approval of
the Amendment and Restatement of our articles of incorporation to effect the
reverse stock split and to maintain the number of authorized shares of Common
Stock at 100,000,000 shares.
THE BOARD
OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE AMENDED AND RESTATED
ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION, AND AS A RESULT, AN APPROVAL OF THE REVERSE STOCK
SPLIT AND THE MAINTAINING OF THE NUMBER OF SHARES OF AUTHORIZED COMMON
STOCK.
PROPOSAL
3
RATIFICATION
OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS
The Audit
Committee has selected Ham, Langston & Brezina, L.L.P., independent
auditors, to audit the financial statements of the Company for the year ended
December 31, 2005. Ham, Langston & Brezina, L.L.P. has audited the
Company's financial statements since fiscal 1997. Representatives of Ham,
Langston & Brezina, L.L.P. are expected to be present at the Annual Meeting
and will have the opportunity to make a statement if they so desire. The
representatives also are expected to be available to respond to appropriate
questions from shareholders.
The
affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of Common Stock and
Series A Preferred Stock voting in person or by proxy on this proposal is
required to ratify the appointment of the independent auditors.
Each
share of Common Stock shall be entitled to one vote. Each share of Series A
Preferred Stock shall be entitled to that number of Shares of Common Stock
(including fractional shares) into which such shares of Series A Preferred Stock
are convertible. As a result, each share of Series A Preferred Stock will be
entitled to 3.2126 votes.
Shareholder
ratification of the selection of Ham, Langston & Brezina, L.L.P. is not
required by the Company's bylaws or other applicable legal requirements.
However, the Audit Committee is submitting the selection to the shareholders for
ratification as a matter of good corporate practice. In the event the
shareholders fail to ratify the appointment, it will be considered as a
direction to the Audit Committee to select another independent accounting firm.
It is understood that even if the selection is ratified, the Audit Committee at
its discretion, may direct the appointment of a new independent accounting 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 shareholders.
THE
AUDIT COMMITTEE UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR" THIS
PROPOSAL.
AVAILABILITY
OF 10-KSB REPORT
THE
COMPANY FILED ITS ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K FOR THE YEAR ENDED
DECEMBER 31, 2004 WITH THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON MARCH 31,
2005. A COPY OF THE REPORT, INCLUDING ANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SCHEDULES,
AND A LIST DESCRIBING ANY EXHIBITS NOT CONTAINED THEREIN, MAY BE OBTAINED
WITHOUT CHARGE BY ANY SHAREHOLDER. THE EXHIBITS ARE AVAILABLE UPON PAYMENT OF
CHARGES WHICH APPROXIMATE THE COMPANY'S COST OF REPRODUCTION OF THE EXHIBITS.
REQUESTS FOR COPIES OF THE REPORT SHOULD BE SENT TO THE OFFICE OF THE CORPORATE
SECRETARY AT THE MAILING ADDRESS OF THE COMPANY LISTED ON PAGE ONE OF THIS PROXY
STATEMENT.
OTHER
MATTERS
The
Company knows of no other matters to be submitted at the meeting. If any other
matters properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement
thereof, it is the intention of the persons named in the enclosed form of Proxy
to vote the shares they represent as the Board of Directors may
recommend.
|
For the Board of Directors |
|
|
|
Gary
H. Brooks Secretary |
Dated: June 24, 2005
[Positron
Logo]
PROXY FOR
ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS JULY 29, 2005
This
Proxy is solicited on Behalf of the Board of Directors
Gary H.
Brooks and Patrick G. Rooney, or either of them, each with the power of
substitution and revocation, are hereby authorized to represent the undersigned
with all powers which the undersigned would possess if personally present, to
vote the securities of the undersigned at the annual meeting of shareholders of
Positron Corporation to be held on
July 29, 2005, at 10:00 A.M., local time, at the Company's headquarters, 1304
Langham Creek Drive, Suite 300, Houston, Texas 77084, and at
any postponements or adjournments of that meeting, as set forth below, and in
their discretion upon any other business that may properly come before the
meeting.
THE BOARD
OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS AN AFFIRMATIVE VOTE FOR PROPOSAL ONE :
1. |
To
elect five (5) directors to hold office for a term ending in 2006 and
until their successors are elected. |
[_] FOR
all nominees listed below (except as marked below)
[_]
WITHHOLD AUTHORITY to vote for all nominees listed below
Gary H.
Brooks
Sachio
Okamura
Patrick
G. Rooney
John E.
McConnaughy
Dr.
Anthony C. Nicholls
TO
WITHHOLD AUTHORITY TO VOTE FOR ANY NOMINEE, STRIKE THAT NOMINEE'S NAME FROM THE
LIST ABOVE.
POSITRON'S
AUDIT COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS AN AFFIRMATIVE VOTE FOR PROPOSAL TWO:
2. |
To
approve a proposed amendment and restatement of the Company's Articles of
Incorporation to effect a 100 to 1 reverse stock split and to maintain the
number of shares of Common Stock authorized at 100,000,000. |
|
|
|
|
|
[_] FOR |
[_]
AGAINST |
[_]
ABSTAIN |
POSITRON'S
BOARD OF DIRECTORS COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS AN AFFIRMATIVE VOTE FOR PROPOSAL
THREE:
3. |
To
ratify the appointment of Ham, Langston & Brezina, L.L.P. as the
Company's independent auditors for the fiscal year ending
December 31, 2005. |
|
|
|
|
|
[_] FOR |
[_]
AGAINST |
[_]
ABSTAIN |
The
undersigned hereby acknowledges receipt of (a) Notice of Annual Meeting of
Shareholders to be held July 29, 2005, (b) the accompanying Proxy
Statement, and (c) the annual report of the Company for the year ended
December 31, 2004. If no specification is made, this proxy will be voted
FOR proposals one, two and three.
Date:
_____________________, 2005
Please
sign exactly as signature appears on this proxy card. Executors, administrators,
traders, guardians, attorneys-in-fact, etc. should give their full titles. If
signer is a corporation, please give full corporate name and have a duly
authorized officer sign, stating title. If a partnership, please sign in
partnership name by authorized person. If stock is registered in two names, both
should sign.
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
APPENDIX
A
POSITRON
CORPORATION
AMENDED
AND RESTATED
AUDIT
COMMITTEE CHARTER
The
function of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of Positron
Corporation is to provide assistance to Positron directors in their oversight
of: (a) the integrity of Positron's financial statements; (b) the
accounting and financial reporting processes and the audits of Positron's
financial statements; (c) Positron's compliance with legal and regulatory
requirements; (d) the independent auditors' qualifications and
independence; and (e) the performance of Positron's internal audit function
and independent auditors. In doing so, it is the responsibility of the Audit
Committee to maintain free and open means of communication between the
directors, the independent auditors and the management of Positron.
II. |
MEMBERSHIP AND ORGANIZATION |
The Audit Committee is a committee of the Board of Directors. The
Audit Committee shall be composed of at least one Director determined by the
Board of Directors to meet the independence and financial literacy requirements
of the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. ("NASDAQ") and/or such additional members as is
required by any applicable law. Appointment to the Committee and the designation
of Committee members as "financial experts" shall be made on an annual basis by
the full Board.
The
duties and responsibilities of a member of the Audit Committee are in addition
to those duties set out for a member of the Board of Directors.
In
furtherance of its purpose, the Audit Committee shall have the following
authority and responsibilities:
§ |
Be
solely responsible for the appointment, compensation, evaluation,
retention and oversight of the work of independent auditors engaged
(including the resolution of any disagreements between management and the
independent auditors regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of
preparing or issuing an audit report or performing other audit, review or
attest services for Positron. The independent auditors shall report
directly to the Audit Committee, as representatives of the shareholders of
Positron. |
§ |
Review
and reassess the adequacy of the Committee's charter at least annually and
recommend any proposed changes to the Board for
approval. |
§ |
Review
the annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements
with management and the independent auditors, including the disclosure in
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations, and major issues regarding accounting principles and
disclosures. |
§ |
Obtain
and review a formal written statement from the independent auditors
describing all relationship or services that may impact the objectivity
and independence of the independent
auditors. |
§ |
Obtain
written
confirmation on at least an annual basis from the independent auditors
assuring the auditors' independence; discuss such reports with the
independent auditors, and if so determined by the Audit Committee, take
appropriate action to satisfy itself of the independence of the
independent auditors. |
§ |
Review
with the independent auditors the auditors' judgments about the quality,
not just the acceptability, of Positron's accounting principles and
underlying estimates, and such matters as are required to be discussed
with the Committee under generally accepted accounting
standards. |
§ |
Pre-approve
all audit and non-audit engagements or services (with exceptions provided
for de minimus amounts under certain circumstances as described by
law) to be provided by the independent auditors. The Committee may
delegate to one or more Committee members the authority to pre-approve
non-audit services between regularly scheduled meetings provided that such
approval is reported to the full Committee at the next Committee
meeting. |
§ |
Review
and discuss with the independent auditors: (a) audit plans and audit
procedures, including the scope, fees and timing of the audit;
(b) the results of the annual audit examination and accompanying
management letters; and (c) the results of the independent auditors'
procedures with respect to interim periods. |
§ |
Review
and discuss reports from the independent auditors on (a) all critical
accounting policies and practices used by Positron,
(b) alternative
accounting treatments within GAAP related to material items that have been
discussed with management, including the ramifications of the use of the
alternative treatments and the treatment preferred by the independent
auditors, and (c) other material written communications between the
independent auditors and management. |
§ |
Obtain
from the independent auditors assurance that it will inform the Committee
concerning any information indicating that an illegal act has or may have
occurred that could have a material effect on Positron's financial
statements, and assure that such information has been conveyed to the
Committee, in accordance with Section 10A of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. |
§ |
Obtain
and review a report from the independent auditors describing (a) the
auditing firm's internal quality-control procedures, (b) any material
issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer
review, of the auditing firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by
governmental or professional authorities (including the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board), within the preceding five years, respecting
one or more independent audits carried out by the firm, and (c) any
steps taken to deal with such issues. |
§ |
Review
with management and the independent auditors: (a) the effectiveness
of Positron's internal control over financial reporting (including any
material weaknesses and material changes in internal control over
financial reporting reported to the Committee by the independent auditors
or management); (b) Positron's internal audit procedures; and
(c) the effectiveness of Positron's disclosure controls and
procedures and management reports thereon. |
§ |
Review
separately with management, the internal accounting department and the
independent auditors at the completion of the annual
examination: |
|
- |
The
Company's annual financial statements and related
footnotes. |
|
- |
The
independent auditors' audit of the financial statements and its report
thereon. |
|
- |
Any significant changes required in the independent
auditors' audit plan. |
|
- |
Any
serious difficulties or disputes with management encountered during the
course of the audit, including management's response
thereto. |
|
- |
Other
matters related to the conduct of the audit which are to be communicated
to the Committee under generally accepted auditing
standards. |
§ |
Discuss
with management and the independent auditors, quarterly earnings press
releases, including the interim financial information and earnings
guidance provided to analysts and rating
agencies. |
§ |
Prepare
the report of the Committee required by the rules of the Securities and
Exchange Commission to be included in Positron's annual proxy
statement. |
§ |
Establish
procedures for the receipt, retention, and treatment of complaints
received by Positron regarding accounting, internal accounting controls,
or auditing matters. |
§ |
Establish
procedures for the confidential, anonymous submission by employees of
Positron of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing
matters. |
§ |
Establish
policies for the hiring of employees and former employees of the
independent auditors. |
§ |
Review
and pre-approve all related-party transactions (as defined in
Item 404 of Regulation S-K). |
§ |
Engage
in an annual self-assessment with the goal of continuing
improvement. |
§ |
The
Committee shall hold regular meetings on such days as it shall determine.
Other meetings of the Committee will be held at the request of the Chair
of the Committee or any two other Committee members. The Audit Committee
shall meet in executive session with the independent auditors and
management periodically. Minutes shall be regularly kept of Committee
proceedings, by a person appointed by the Committee to do
so. |
§ |
Prior
to each regularly scheduled meeting, the Committee will receive a prepared
agenda for the meeting. Other topics for discussion may be introduced at
the meeting at the request of any Committee
member. |
§ |
Such
corporate officers and other employees of Positron as the Committee may
regularly from time-to-time designate, shall attend the
meetings. |
§ |
The
Committee shall have the authority to delegate any of its responsibilities
to subcommittees as the Committee may deem appropriate in its sole
discretion. |
§ |
The
Chairman of the Audit Committee shall report on Audit Committee activities
to the Board of Directors after each Committee
meeting. |
§ |
The
Audit Committee shall have the authority to engage independent legal,
accounting and other advisers, as it determines necessary to carry out its
duties. The Audit Committee shall have sole authority to approve related
fees and retention terms for its advisors, and funding for payment of such
fees and reimbursement of ordinary administrative expenses that are
necessary or appropriate in carrying out its
duties. |
APPENDIX
B
COMPENSATION
COMMITTEE CHARTER
The
function of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of Positron
Corporation is to assist the Board of Directors in fulfilling its oversight
responsibilities relating to executive compensation.
II. |
MEMBERSHIP AND ORGANIZATION |
§ |
The
Committee shall be composed of such number of directors as may be
appointed by the Board, but in no event less than two members. Subject to
exceptions set forth in the Marketplace Rules and, unless otherwise
required by applicable law, at least one Committee member shall be
"independent" as such term is defined under Rule 4200(a)(15) of the
Marketplace Rules contained in the National Association of Securities
Dealers Manual. Unless a Chair is elected by the Board of Directors, the
members of the Committee will designate a Chair by majority vote of the
full Committee membership. |
§ |
The
Board shall appoint the members of the Committee to serve until their
successors have been duly designated. Members of the Committee may be
removed by the Board of Directors for any reason and at any
time. |
§ |
Vacancies
on the Committee shall be filled by vote of the Board of
Directors. |
In
furtherance of its purpose, the Compensation Committee shall have the following
authority and responsibilities:
§ |
Supervise
the administration of Positron's employee stock option plans, employee
stock purchase plan, and provide disinterested administration of any
employee benefit plans in which Section 16 Insiders are eligible to
participate. |
§ |
Prepare
the report of the Committee required by the rules of the Securities
Exchange Commission to be included in Positron's annual proxy
statement. |
§ |
Review
and approve on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives with
respect to compensation for the chief executive officer. The Committee
shall evaluate at least once a year the chief executive officer's
performance in light of these established goals and objectives and based
upon these evaluations shall set the chief executive officer's annual
compensation, including salary, bonus, incentive and equity
compensation. |
§ |
Consider
Positron's performance and relative shareholder return, the value of
similar incentive awards to chief executive officers at comparable
companies, and the awards given to Positron's chief executive officer in
past years in setting long term incentive compensation for Positron's
chief executive officer. |
§ |
Review
and approve on an annual basis the evaluation process and compensation
structure for Positron's Section 16 Insiders. The Committee shall evaluate
the performance of Positron's Section 16 Insiders and shall approve the
annual compensation, including salary, bonus, incentive and equity
compensation, for such Section 16 Insiders. The Committee shall also
provide oversight of management's decisions concerning the performance and
compensation of other Positron officers. |
§ |
Review
and approve the proposed compensation and terms of employment of persons
proposed to be hired as executive officers. |
§ |
Engage
in annual self-assessment with the goal of continuing
improvement. |
§ |
Review
and assess the adequacy of the Committee's charter at least annually and
recommend any proposed changes to the Board of Directors for approval.
|
For
purposes of this Charter, the term "Section 16 Insiders" shall mean an Positron
officer or director subject to the short-swing profit liabilities of Section 16
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
§ |
The
Committee shall hold regular meetings on such days as it shall determine.
Other meetings of the Committee will be held at the request of the Chair
of the Committee or any two other Committee members. The Committee shall
meet in executive session periodically. Minutes shall be regularly kept of
Committee proceedings, by a person appointed by the Committee to do
so. |
§ |
Prior
to each regularly scheduled meeting, the Committee will receive a prepared
agenda for the meeting. Other topics for discussion may be introduced at
the meeting at the request of any Committee
member. |
§ |
Such
corporate officers and other employees of Positron, as the Committee may
regularly from time-to-time designate, shall attend the meetings. However,
the chief executive officer may not be present during the voting for
approval of proposed compensation arrangements for the chief executive
officer. |
§ |
The
Committee shall have the authority to delegate any of its responsibilities
to subcommittees as the Committee may deem appropriate in its sole
discretion. |
§ |
The
Chair of the Committee shall report on Compensation Committee activities
to the Board after each Committee meeting. |
§ |
The
Committee shall have authority to engage such compensation consultants,
outside counsel and other advisors, as it determines necessary to carry
out its duties. The Committee shall have sole authority to approve related
fees and retention terms for its advisors, and funding for payment of such
fees and reimbursement of ordinary administrations expenses that are
necessary or appropriate in carrying out its
duties. |
APPENDIX
C
AMENDED
AND RESTATED ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION
OF
POSITRON
CORPORATION
ARTICLE
I.
The name
of the corporation is Positron Corporation.
ARTICLE
II.
The
period of its duration is perpetual.
ARTICLE
III.
The
purpose for which the corporation is organized is to transact any lawful
business for which corporations may be incorporated under the Texas Business
Corporation Act.
ARTICLE
IV.
The total
number of shares of all classes of stock that the corporation shall be
authorized to issue is 110,000,000 shares, of which 10,000,000 shares of the par
value of $1.00 per share shall be a class designated as Preferred Stock
(“Preferred Stock”); and 100,000,000 shares of the par value of $.01 per share
shall be designated Common Stock (“Common Stock”).
Simultaneously
with the effective date of this Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation
(the "Effective Date'), all issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock
("Existing Common Stock") shall be and hereby are automatically combined and
reclassified as follows: each 100 shares of Existing Common Stock shall be
combined and reclassified (the 'Reverse Split") as one share of issued and
outstanding Common Stock ("New Common Stock"), provided that there shall be no
fractional shares of New Common Stock. In the case of any holder of fewer than
100 shares of Existing Common Stock or any number of shares of Existing Common
Stock which, when divided by 100, does not result in a whole number (a
"Fractional Share Holder"), the fractional share interest of New Common Stock
held by such Fractional Share Holder as a result of the Reverse split shall be
rounded to the nearest integer. Each fractional share interest of New Common
Stock held by a Fractional Share Holder, which is less than ½ of a share of New
Common Stock, and as a result is rounded to zero, shall be
cancelled.
The
Corporation shall, through its transfer agent, provide certificates representing
New Common Stock to holders of Existing Common Stock in exchange for
certificates representing Existing Common Stock. From and after the Effective
Date, certificates representing shares of Existing Common Stock are hereby
canceled and shall represent only the right of the holders thereof to receive
New Common Stock to the extent provided herein.
From and
after the Effective Date, the term "New Common Stock" as used in this Article
FOUR shall mean Common Stock as provided in the Amended and Restated Articles of
Incorporation.
A
description of the respective classes of stock and a statement of the
designations, preferences, limitations and relative rights of such classes of
stock and the limitations on or denial of the voting rights of the shares of
such classes of stock are as follows:
A. PREFERRED
STOCK
1. Issuance
in Series. The
Preferred Stock may be divided into and issued in one or more series. The board
of directors is hereby vested with authority from time to time to establish and
designate such series, and within the limitations prescribed by law or set forth
herein, to fix and determine the relative rights and preferences of the shares
of any series so established but all shares of Preferred Stock shall be
identical except as to the following relative rights and preferences as to which
there may be variations between different series: (a) the rate of dividend
and the terms and conditions including the relative rights of priority, if any,
of payment of dividends; (b) the price at and the terms and conditions
including the relative rights of priority, if any, on which shares may be
redeemed; (c) the amount payable including the relative rights of priority,
if any, upon shares in event of involuntary liquidation; (d) the amount
payable including the relative rights of priority, if any, upon shares in event
of voluntary liquidation; (e) sinking fund provisions for the redemption or
purchase of shares; (f) the terms and conditions on which shares may be
converted, if the shares of any series are issued with the privilege of
conversion; (g) the nature of any dividends, whether cumulative,
noncumulative or otherwise; (h) the repurchase obligations including the
relative rights of priority, if any, of the corporation with respect to such
shares; and (i) voting rights. The board of directors shall exercise such
authority by the adoption of a resolution or resolutions as prescribed by
law.
2. Dividends. The
holders of each series of Preferred Stock at the time outstanding shall be
entitled to receive, when and as declared to be payable by the board of
directors, out of any funds legally available for the payment thereof, dividends
subject to the terms and conditions including the relative rights of priority,
if any, and at the rate theretofore fixed by the board of directors for such
series of Preferred Stock that have theretofore been established, and no more,
payable quarterly on the first days of January, April, July and October in each
year.
3. Preferences
on Liquidation. In the
event of any dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the corporation, whether
voluntary or involuntary, the holders of each series of the then outstanding
Preferred Stock shall be entitled to receive the amount fixed for such purpose
and subject to the terms and conditions including the relative rights of
priority, if any, set forth in the resolution or resolutions of the board of
directors establishing the respective series of Preferred Stock that might then
be outstanding together with a sum equal to the amount of all accumulated and
unpaid dividends thereon at the dividend rate fixed therefor in the aforesaid
resolution or resolutions. After such payment to such holders of Preferred
Stock, the remaining assets and funds of the corporation shall be distributed
pro rata among the holders of the Common Stock. A consolidation, merger or
reorganization of the corporation with any other corporation or corporations or
a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the corporation shall be
considered a dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the corporation within
the meaning of these provisions.
B. COMMON
STOCK
1. Dividends. Subject
to all the rights of the Preferred Stock or any series thereof, and on the
conditions set forth in Part A of this Article IV or to any resolution of the
board of directors providing for the issuance of any series of Preferred Stock,
the holders of the Common Stock shall be entitled to receive, when, as and if
declared by the board of directors, out of funds legally available therefor,
dividends payable in cash, stock or otherwise.
2. Voting
Rights. Each
holder of Common Stock shall be entitled to one vote for each share
held.
C. PROVISIONS
APPLICABLE TO ALL CLASSES
1. No
Preemptive Rights. No
holder of securities of the corporation shall be entitled as a matter of right,
preemptive or otherwise, to subscribe for or purchase any securities of the
corporation now or hereafter authorized to be issued, or securities held in the
treasury of the corporation, Whether issued or sold for cash or other
consideration or as a dividend or otherwise. Any such securities may be issued
or disposed of by the board of directors to such persons and on such terms as in
its discretion it shall deem advisable.
2. Cumulative
Voting. No
shareholder of the corporation shall have the right of cumulative voting at any
election of directors or upon any other matter.
3. Authority
to Purchase own Shares. The
corporation shall have the authority to purchase, directly or indirectly, its
own shares to the extent of the aggregate of unrestricted capital surplus
available therefor and unrestricted reduction surplus available
therefor."
ARTICLE
V.
The
corporation will not commence business until it has received for the issuance of
its shares consideration of the value of not less than One Thousand Dollars
($1,000.00) consisting of money, labor done or property actually
received.
ARTICLE
VI.
The
street address of the corporation’s initial registered office is 1304 Langham
Creek Drive, Suite 300, Houston, TX 77084, and the name of its registered agent
at such address is Gary H. Brooks.
ARTICLE
VII.
The
number of directors constituting the Board of Directors is five, and the names
and addresses of the persons who are directors until the next annual meeting of
the shareholders or until their successors are elected and qualified
are:
Name |
|
Address |
Gary
H. Brooks |
|
1304
Langham Creek Drive, Suite 300, Houston, Texas 77084 |
Sachio
Okamura |
|
1304
Langham Creek Drive, Suite 300, Houston, Texas 77084 |
Patrick
G. Rooney |
|
1304
Langham Creek Drive, Suite 300, Houston, Texas 77084 |
John
E. McConnaughy, Jr. |
|
1304
Langham Creek Drive, Suite 300, Houston, Texas 77084 |
Dr.
Anthony Nicholls |
|
1304
Langham Creek Drive, Suite 300, Houston, Texas
77084 |
ARTICLE
VIII
No
contract or other transaction between the corporation and any other person (as
used herein the term “person” means an individual, firm, trust, partnership,
association, corporation, or other entity) shall be affected or invalidated by
the fact that any director of the corporation is interested in or is a member,
director, or an officer of, such other person, and any director may be a party
to or may be interested in any contract or transaction of the corporation or in
which the corporation is interested; and no contract, act or transaction of the
corporation with any person shall be affected or invalidated by the fact that
any director of the corporation is a party to, or interested in, such contract,
act or transaction, or in any way connected with such person. Each and every
person who may become a director of the corporation is hereby relieved from any
liability that might otherwise exist from contracting with the corporation for
the benefit of himself or any person in which he may in any way be interested,
provided that the
fact of such interest shall have been disclosed to, or shall be known by, the
other directors or the shareholders of the corporation, as the case may be,
acting upon or with reference to such act, contract or transaction, even though
the presence at a meeting or vote or votes of such interested director might
have been necessary to obligate the corporation upon such act, contract or
transaction.
ARTICLE
IX.
A
director of the corporation shall not be liable to the corporation or its
shareholders for monetary damages for an act or omission in the director’s
capacity as a director, except for liability (i) for any breach of the
director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its shareholders, (ii) for
acts or omissions not in good faith or that involve intentional misconduct or
knowing violation of law, (iii) for any transaction from which the director
received an improper benefit, whether or not the benefit resulted from an action
taken within the scope of the director’s office, (iv) for any act or
omission for which the liability of the director is expressly provided for by
state or (v) for any act related to an unlawful stock repurchase or payment
of a dividend. If either the Texas Business Corporation Act, the Texas
Miscellaneous Corporations Laws Act or any other applicable Texas statute
hereafter is amended to authorized the further elimination or limitation of the
liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the corporation, in
addition to the limitation on liability provided herein, shall be limited to the
fullest extent permitted by such amended act. Any repeal or modification of this
Article X by the shareholders of the corporation shall be prospective only, and
shall not adversely affect any limitation on the liability of a director of the
corporation existing at the time of such repeal or modification.
ARTICLE
X
Any
action required by the Texas Business Corporation Act to be taken at any annual
or special meeting of shareholders, or any action which may be taken at any
annual or special meeting of shareholders, may be taken without a meeting,
without prior notice, and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing,
setting forth the actions so taken, shall be signed by the holder of holders of
shares having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary
to take such action at a meeting at which the holders of all shares entitled to
vote on the action were present and voted.