UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. )
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
Dean Foods Company
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
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| DATE: | May 18, 2009 | |
| TO: | Dean Foods Company Employee Stockholders | |
| FROM: | Gregg L. Engles | |
| Chairman and CEO | ||
| RE: | Your Vote is Important | |
At our upcoming Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on May 21, our Board of Directors is asking you to vote for the amendment to our 2007 Stock Incentive Plan to increase the shares available for grants. If the amendment passes, it will ensure that we have enough shares for next year’s grant cycle.
We strongly believe that the 2007 Plan is essential to our continuing efforts to build stockholder value for the following reasons:
| • | Our equity awards foster an ownership culture and are a critical tool for driving stockholder value and for recruiting, retaining and motivating employees. |
| • | The terms of our annual equity awards are designed to align the interests of our employees with the interests of our stockholders. |
Please support our efforts to build stockholder value by voting FOR the amendment to the 2007 Plan, as well as by following the Board’s voting recommendations on the other agenda items. Please contact Georgeson Inc., our proxy solicitor, at 1-800-790-6795 if you need assistance voting your shares.