UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
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NexGel, Inc.
2150 Cabot Blvd West, Suite B
Langhorne, Pennsylvania 19047
(215) 702-8550
April 30, 2025
Dear Stockholder:
You are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of NexGel, Inc. to be held at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, on June 17, 2025, at our corporate headquarters located at 2150 Cabot Blvd West, Suite B, Langhorne, Pennsylvania 19047.
We are distributing our proxy materials to certain stockholders via the Internet under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission “Notice and Access” rules. We believe this approach allows us to provide stockholders with a timely and convenient way to receive proxy materials and vote, while lowering the costs of delivery and reducing the environmental impact of our Annual Meeting. We are mailing to our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice of Internet Availability”) beginning on or about April 30, 2025, rather than a paper copy of the Proxy Statement, the proxy card and our 2024 Annual Report, which includes our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. The Notice of Internet Availability contains instructions on how to access the proxy materials, vote and obtain, if desired, a paper copy of the proxy materials.
Your vote is very important, regardless of the number of shares of our voting securities that you own. Whether or not you expect to be present at the Annual Meeting, after receiving the Notice of Internet Availability please vote as promptly as possible to ensure your representation and the presence of a quorum at the Annual Meeting. As an alternative to voting in person at the Annual Meeting, you may vote via the Internet, by telephone, or by signing, dating and returning the proxy card that is mailed to those that request paper copies of the Proxy Statement and the other proxy materials. If your shares are held in the name of a broker, trust, bank or other nominee, and you receive these materials through your broker or through another intermediary, please complete and return the materials in accordance with the instructions provided to you by such broker or other intermediary or contact your broker directly in order to obtain a proxy issued to you by your nominee holder to attend the meeting and vote in person. Failure to do so may result in your shares not being eligible to be voted by proxy at the meeting.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I urge you to submit your vote as soon as possible, even if you currently plan to attend the meeting in person.
Thank you for your support of our company. I look forward to seeing you at the Annual Meeting.
| Sincerely, | |
| /s/ Steven Glassman | |
| Steven Glassman | |
| Chairperson of the Board of Directors |
IMPORTANT
NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR
THE STOCKHOLDER MEETING TO BE HELD ON JUNE 17, 2025:
Our official Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders, Proxy Statement, Form of Proxy Card and
2024Annual Report to Stockholders are available at:
www.proxyvote.com
NEXGEL, INC.
2150 Cabot Blvd West, Suite B
Langhorne, Pennsylvania 19047
(215) 702-8550
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held June 17, 2025
The 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of NexGel, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), will be held on June 17, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, at our corporate headquarters located at 2150 Cabot Blvd West, Suite B, Langhorne, Pennsylvania 19047. We will consider and act on the following items of business at the Annual Meeting:
| (1) | Election of five directors to serve as directors on our Board of Directors to serve until our 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until successors have been duly elected and qualified. | |
| (2) | Proposal to approve the Fourth Amendment to the NexGel, Inc. 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan to increase the total number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance under such plan by 780,000, to a total of 1,651,429 shares. | |
(3)
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An advisory vote on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in the Proxy Statement accompanying this notice.
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| (4) | An advisory vote on the frequency of future advisory votes on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers. | |
| (5) | Ratification of the appointment of Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P., as our independent registered public accounting firm for the 2025 fiscal year. | |
| (6) | Such other business as may arise and that may properly be conducted at the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. |
Stockholders are referred to the proxy statement accompanying this notice (the “Proxy Statement”) for more detailed information with respect to the matters to be considered at the Annual Meeting. After careful consideration, the Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” the election of the nominees as directors (Proposal 1); “FOR” Proposals 2, 3, and 5; and “FOR” holding an advisory vote every three years regarding approval of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers (Proposal 4).
The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on April 22, 2025, as the record date (the “Record Date”) for the Annual Meeting. A complete list of registered stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be available for inspection at the office of the Company during regular business hours for the ten (10) calendar days prior to and during the Annual Meeting.
YOUR VOTE AND PARTICIPATION IN THE COMPANY’S AFFAIRS ARE IMPORTANT.
If your shares are registered in your name, even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting or any postponement or adjournment of the Annual Meeting in person, we request that you vote by telephone, over the Internet, or complete, date, sign and mail the enclosed form of proxy in accordance with the instructions set out in the proxy card and in the Proxy Statement to ensure that your shares will be represented at the Annual Meeting.
If your shares are held in the name of a broker, trust, bank or other nominee, and you receive these materials through your broker or through another intermediary, please complete and return the materials in accordance with the instructions provided to you by such broker or other intermediary or contact your broker directly in order to obtain a proxy issued to you by your nominee holder to attend the Annual Meeting and vote in person. Failure to do so may result in your shares not being eligible to be voted by proxy at the Annual Meeting.
| By Order of the Board of Directors, | |
| /s/ Steven Glassman | |
| Steven Glassman | |
| Chairperson of the Board of Directors |
April 30, 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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NEXGEL, INC.
2150 Cabot Blvd West, Suite B
Langhorne, Pennsylvania 19047
(215) 702-8550
PROXY STATEMENT
FOR
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To Be Held June 17, 2025
Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this Proxy Statement to “we,” “us,” “our,” “the Company,” or “NexGel” refer to NexGel, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries as a whole. In addition, unless the context otherwise requires, references to “stockholders” are to the holders of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share, each of whom is entitled to vote at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company (the “Annual Meeting”).
The accompanying proxy is solicited by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) on behalf of NexGel, Inc. to be voted at the Annual Meeting to be held on June 17, 2025, at the time and place and for the purposes set forth in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Notice”) and at any adjournment(s) or postponement(s) of the Annual Meeting. This Proxy Statement and accompanying form of proxy are dated April 30, 2025 and are expected to be first sent or given to stockholders on or about April 30, 2025.
The executive offices of the Company are located at, and the mailing address of the Company is 2150 Cabot Blvd West, Suite B, Langhorne, Pennsylvania 19047.
IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS
FOR THE STOCKHOLDER MEETING TO BE HELD ON June 17, 2025:
As permitted by the “Notice and Access” rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), we are making this Proxy Statement, the proxy card and our Annual Report available to stockholders electronically via the Internet at the following website: www.proxyvote.com.
On or about April 30, 2025, we mailed to our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice of Internet Availability”) that contains instructions on how stockholders may access and review all of the proxy materials and how to vote. Also on or about April 30, 2025, we began mailing printed copies of the proxy materials to stockholders that previously requested printed copies. If you received a Notice of Internet Availability by mail, you will not receive a printed copy of the proxy materials in the mail unless you request a copy. If you received a Notice of Internet Availability by mail and would like to receive a printed copy of our proxy materials, you should follow the instructions for requesting such materials included in the Notice of Internet Availability.
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ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING
What is a proxy?
A proxy is another person that you legally designate to vote your stock. If you designate someone as your proxy in a written document, that document is also called a “proxy” or a “proxy card.” If you are a “street name” holder, you must obtain a proxy from your broker or nominee in order to vote your shares in person at the Annual Meeting.
What is a proxy statement?
A proxy statement is a document that regulations of the SEC require that we give to you when we ask you to sign a proxy card to vote your stock at the Annual Meeting.
Why did I receive a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials instead of paper copies of the proxy materials?
We are using the SEC’s Notice and Access model (“Notice and Access”), which allows us to deliver proxy materials over the Internet, as the primary means of furnishing proxy materials. We believe Notice and Access provides stockholders with a convenient method to access the proxy materials and vote, while allowing us to conserve natural resources and reduce the costs of printing and distributing the proxy materials. On or about April 30, 2025, we began mailing to stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability containing instructions on how to access our proxy materials on the Internet and how to vote online. The Notice of Internet Availability is not a proxy card and cannot be used to vote your shares. If you received a Notice of Internet Availability this year, you will not receive paper copies of the proxy materials unless you request the materials by following the instructions on the Notice of Internet Availability.
What is the purpose of the Annual Meeting?
At our Annual Meeting, stockholders will act upon the matters outlined in the Notice, which include the following:
| (1) | five directors to serve as directors on our Board of Directors to serve until our 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until successors have been duly elected and qualified (“Proposal 1”); | |
| (2) | proposal to approve the Fourth Amendment to the NexGel, Inc. 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan to increase the total number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance under such plan by 780,000, to a total of 1,651,429 shares (“Proposal 2”); | |
| (3) | an advisory vote on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in the Proxy Statement accompanying this notice (“Proposal 3”);
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| (4) | an advisory vote on the frequency of future advisory votes on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers (“Proposal 4); | |
| (5) | ratification of the appointment of Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P. as our independent registered public accounting firm for the 2025 fiscal year (“Proposal 5”); and | |
| (6) | such other business as may arise and that may properly be conducted at the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. |
What should I do if I receive more than one set of voting materials?
You may receive more than one Notice of Internet Availability (or, if you requested a printed copy of the proxy materials, this Proxy Statement and the proxy card) or voting instruction card. For example, if you hold your shares in more than one brokerage account, you will receive a separate voting instruction card for each brokerage account in which you hold shares. Similarly, if you are a stockholder of record and hold shares in a brokerage account, you will receive a Notice of Internet Availability (or, if you requested a printed copy of the proxy materials, a proxy card) for shares held in your name and a voting instruction card for shares held in “street name.” Please follow the separate voting instructions that you received for your shares common stock held in each of your different accounts to ensure that all of your shares are voted.
What is the record date and what does it mean?
The record date to determine the stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting is the close of business on April 22, 2025 (the “Record Date”). The Record Date is established by the Board as required by Delaware law. On the Record Date, 7,654,037 shares of common stock were issued and outstanding.
Who is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting?
Our common stock is the only class of security entitled to vote at our Annual Meeting.
What are the voting rights of the stockholders?
Each holder of common stock is entitled to one vote per share of common stock on all matters to be acted upon at the Annual Meeting.
The presence, in person or by proxy, of the holders of a majority of the voting power of the issued and outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting is necessary to constitute a quorum to transact business. If a quorum is not present or represented at the Annual Meeting, then either (i) chairperson of the meeting or (ii) the stockholders entitled to vote thereat, present in person or represented by proxy, may adjourn the meeting from time to time, without notice other than announcement at the meeting, until a quorum is present or represented.
What is the difference between a stockholder of record and a “street name” holder?
If your shares are registered directly in your name with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Co., the Company’s stock transfer agent, you are considered the stockholder of record with respect to those shares. The Notice of Internet Availability has been sent directly to you by the Company.
If your shares are held in a stock brokerage account or by a bank or other nominee, the nominee is considered the record holder of those shares. You are considered the beneficial owner of these shares, and your shares are held in “street name.” The Notice of Internet Availability has been forwarded to you by your nominee. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your nominee concerning how to vote your shares by using the voting instructions the nominee included in the mailing or by following such nominee’s instructions for voting.
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What is a broker non-vote?
Under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), brokers who hold stock on behalf of beneficial owners have the authority to vote on certain proposals when they have not received instructions from the beneficial owners. A broker non-vote occurs when a broker holding shares for a beneficial owner does not vote on a particular proposal because the broker does not have discretionary voting power with respect to that item under the rules of the NYSE and has not received voting instructions from the beneficial owner. Therefore, if you do not provide voting instructions to your broker regarding such proposal, your broker will be permitted to exercise discretionary voting authority to vote your shares on such proposal. In the absence of specific instructions from you, your broker does not have discretionary authority to vote your shares with respect to Proposal 1 but does have discretionary authority to vote your shares with respect to Proposal 2.
How do I vote my shares?
If you are a record holder, you may vote your shares at the Annual Meeting in person or by proxy. To vote in person, you must attend the Annual Meeting and obtain and submit a ballot. The ballot will be provided at the Annual Meeting. To vote by proxy, you may choose one of the following methods to vote your shares:
| ● | Via Internet: as prompted by the menu found at www.proxyvote.com, follow the instructions to obtain your records and submit an electronic ballot. Please have your Stockholder Control Number, which can be found on the bottom of the Notice of Internet Availability, when you access this voting site. You may vote via the Internet until 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on June 16, 2025. | |
| ● | Via telephone: call 1-800-690-6903 and then follow the voice instructions. Please have your Stockholder Control Number, which can be found on the bottom of the Notice of Internet Availability, when you call. You may vote by telephone until 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on June 16, 2025. | |
| ● | Via mail: if you requested printed proxy materials as provided in the Notice of Internet Availability and would like to vote by mail, complete and sign the accompanying proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope provided. If you submit a signed proxy without indicating your vote, the person voting the proxy will vote your shares according to the Board’s recommendation. |
The proxy is fairly simple to complete, with specific instructions on the electronic ballot, telephone or card. By completing and submitting it, you will direct the designated persons (known as “proxies”) to vote your stock at the Annual Meeting in accordance with your instructions. The Board has appointed Adam Levy and Joseph McGuire to serve as the proxies for the Annual Meeting.
Your proxy will be valid only if you complete and return it before the Annual Meeting. If you properly complete and transmit your proxy but do not provide voting instructions with respect to a proposal, then the designated proxies will vote your shares “FOR” each proposal as to which you provide no voting instructions in accordance with the Board’s recommendation in the manner described under “What if I do not specify how I want my shares voted?” below. We do not anticipate that any other matters will come before the Annual Meeting, but if any other matters properly come before the meeting, then the designated proxies will vote your shares in accordance with applicable law and their judgment.
If you hold your shares in “street name,” your bank, broker or other nominee should provide to you a request for voting instructions along with the Company’s proxy solicitation materials. By completing the voting instruction card, you may direct your nominee how to vote your shares. If you partially complete the voting instruction but fail to complete one or more of the voting instructions, then your nominee may be unable to vote your shares with respect to the proposal as to which you provided no voting instructions. See “What is a broker non-vote?” Alternatively, if you want to vote your shares in person at the Annual Meeting, you must contact your nominee directly in order to obtain a proxy issued to you by your nominee holder. Note that a broker letter that identifies you as a stockholder is not the same as a nominee-issued proxy. If you fail to bring a nominee-issued proxy to the Annual Meeting, you will not be able to vote your nominee-held shares in person at the Annual Meeting.
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Who counts the votes?
All votes will be tabulated by a representative of Broadridge Financial Solutions, the inspector of election appointed for the Annual Meeting. Each proposal will be tabulated separately.
Can I vote my shares in person at the Annual Meeting?
Yes. If you are a stockholder of record, you may vote your shares at the meeting by completing a ballot at the Annual Meeting.
If you hold your shares in “street name,” you may vote your shares in person only if you obtain a proxy issued by your bank, broker or other nominee giving you the right to vote the shares.
Even if you currently plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we recommend that you also return your proxy or voting instructions as described above so that your votes will be counted if you later decide not to attend the Annual Meeting or are unable to attend.
What are my choices when voting?
In the election of the nominees as directors (Proposal 1), stockholders may vote for the director nominees or may withhold their votes as to one or more director nominees. With respect to the approval of the Fourth Amendment to the NexGel, Inc. 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan to increase the total number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance under such plan by 780,000, to a total of 1,651,429 shares (Proposal 2) and the ratification of the independent registered public accounting firm (Proposal 3), stockholders may vote for the proposal, against the proposal, or abstain from voting on the proposal.
What are the Board’s recommendations on how I should vote my shares?
The Board recommends that you vote your shares as follows:
Proposal 1—FOR the election of the nominees as directors.
Proposal 2—FOR approval of the Fourth Amendment to the NexGel, Inc. 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan to increase the total number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance under such plan by 780,000, to a total of 1,651,429 shares.
Proposal 3—FOR the approval of the executive compensation as disclosed in these materials.
Proposal 4—FOR an advisory vote on executive compensation every three years.
Proposal 5—FOR the ratification of the appointment of the independent registered public accounting firm.
What if I do not specify how I want my shares voted?
If you are a record holder who returns a completed proxy that does not specify how you want to vote your shares on one or more proposals, the proxies will vote your shares for each proposal as to which you provide no voting instructions, and such shares will be voted in the following manner:
Proposal 1—FOR the election of the nominees as directors.
Proposal 2—FOR approval of the Fourth Amendment to the NexGel, Inc. 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan to increase the total number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance under such plan by 780,000, to a total of 1,651,429 shares.
Proposal 3—FOR the approval of the executive compensation as disclosed in these materials.
Proposal 4—FOR an advisory vote on executive compensation every three years.
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Proposal 5—FOR the ratification of the appointment of the independent registered public accounting firm.
If you are a “street name” holder and do not provide voting instructions on one or more proposals, your bank, broker or other nominee may be unable to vote those shares. See “What is a broker non-vote?” above.
Can I change my vote?
Yes. If you are a record holder, you may revoke your proxy at any time by any of the following means:
| ● | Attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person. Your attendance at the Annual Meeting will not by itself revoke a proxy. You must vote your shares by ballot at the Annual Meeting to revoke your proxy. | |
| ● | Completing and submitting a new valid proxy bearing a later date. | |
| ● | Giving written notice of revocation to the Company addressed to Joseph McGuire, Chief Financial Officer, at the Company’s address above, which notice must be received before 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on June 16, 2025. |
If you are a “street name” holder, your bank, broker or other nominee should provide instructions explaining how you may change or revoke your voting instructions.
What votes are required to approve each proposal?
Assuming the presence of a quorum, with respect to Proposal 1, the affirmative vote of the holders of a plurality of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting is required for the election of the director nominees, i.e., the five director nominees who receive the most votes will be elected.
Assuming the presence of a quorum, approval of Proposal 2, Proposal 3 and Proposal 5 will require the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting for or against the proposal. For the advisory vote on how frequently our stockholders should vote on the compensation of our named executive officers in (Proposal 4), the number of years (1, 2 or 3) that receives the highest number of votes will be deemed to be preferred by our stockholders. Please note that the vote on executive compensation (Proposal 3) and the vote on the frequency of future advisory votes on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers (Proposal 4) are non-binding advisory votes.
How are abstentions and broker non-votes treated?
Abstentions are included in the determination of the number of shares present at the Annual Meeting for determining a quorum at the meeting. Abstentions will have no effect with respect to the election of the nominees as directors (Proposal 1), the advisory vote on executive compensation (Proposal 3), the advisory vote on the frequency of future advisory votes on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers (Proposal 4), or the ratification of the independent registered public accounting firm (Proposal 5). Abstentions will have the same effect as a vote “AGAINST” with respect to the approval of the Fourth Amendment to the NexGel, Inc. 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan to increase the total number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance under such plan by 780,000, to a total of 1,651,429 shares (Proposal 2).
Broker non-votes are included in the determination of the number of shares present at the Annual Meeting for determining a quorum at the meeting. Broker non-votes will have no effect upon the election of the nominees as directors (Proposal 1), approval of the Fourth Amendment to the NexGel, Inc. 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan to increase the total number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance under such plan by 780,000, to a total of 1,651,429 shares (Proposal 2), the advisory vote on executive compensation (Proposal 3), and the advisory vote on the frequency of future advisory votes on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers (Proposal 4). With respect to the proposal to ratify the appointment of the independent registered public accounting firm (Proposal 5), broker-non-votes are not applicable because such proposal is considered a routine matter and therefore a broker holding shares for a beneficial owner will have discretionary authority to vote those shares for such proposal in the absence of voting instructions from the beneficial owner.
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Do I have any dissenters’ or appraisal rights with respect to any of the matters to be voted on at the Annual Meeting?
No. None of our stockholders has any dissenters’ or appraisal rights with respect to the matters to be voted on at the Annual Meeting.
What are the solicitation expenses and who pays the cost of this proxy solicitation?
Our Board is asking for your proxy and we will pay all of the costs of asking for stockholder proxies. We will reimburse brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses for forwarding solicitation material to the beneficial owners of common stock and collecting voting instructions. We may use officers and employees of the Company to ask for proxies, as described below.
Is this Proxy Statement the only way that proxies are being solicited?
No. In addition to the solicitation of proxies by use of the Notice of Internet Availability, officers and employees of the Company may solicit the return of proxies, either by mail, telephone, telecopy, e-mail or through personal contact. These officers and employees will not receive additional compensation for their efforts but will be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses. Brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries, in connection with shares of the common stock registered in their names, will be requested to forward solicitation material to the beneficial owners of shares of common stock.
Are there any other matters to be acted upon at the Annual Meeting?
Management does not intend to present any business at the Annual Meeting for a vote other than the matters set forth in the Notice and has no information that others will do so. If other matters requiring a vote of the stockholders properly come before the Annual Meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the form of proxy to vote the shares represented by the proxies held by them in accordance with applicable law and their judgment on such matters.
Where can I find voting results?
We expect to publish the voting results in a current report on Form 8-K, which we expect to file with the SEC within four business days after the Annual Meeting.
Who can help answer my questions?
The information provided above in this “Question and Answer” format is for your convenience only and is merely a summary of the information contained in this Proxy Statement. We urge you to carefully read this entire Proxy Statement, including the documents we refer to in this Proxy Statement. If you have any questions, or need additional materials, please feel free to contact our Chief Financial Officer, Joseph McGuire, at (215) 702-8550.
PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
Nominees for Election
The Board currently is comprised of five directors. Our Board, upon the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, has nominated the following five individuals to serve as directors (collectively, the “Company Nominees”):
| Name | Age | |||
| Adam Levy | 62 | |||
| Steven Glassman | 60 | |||
| Scott R. Henry | 54 | |||
| Nachum Stein | 76 | |||
| Dr. Jerome B. Zeldis, M.D., Ph.D. | 75 | |||
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If elected, respectively, these nominees will serve until our 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until successors have been duly elected and qualified. Our board of directors believes that all of our current directors, including the five nominees for election, possess personal and professional integrity, good judgment, a high level of ability and business acumen.
If a quorum is present, the Company Nominees will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting. Abstentions and broker non-votes have no effect on the vote. The five Company Nominees receiving the highest number of affirmative votes will be elected directors of the Company. Shares of voting stock represented by executed proxies will be voted, if authority to do so is not withheld, for the election of the five nominees named below. Should any Company Nominee become unable or unwilling to accept nomination or election, the proxy holders may vote the proxies for the election, in their stead, of any other person the Board may nominate or designate. Each Company Nominee has agreed to serve, if elected, and the Board has no reason to believe that any Company Nominee will be unable to serve.
The Board and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee continue to frequently evaluate the optimal size and composition of the Board to allow it to operate nimbly and efficiently, while maintaining new ideas, expertise, experience and diversity among its membership. We currently have no females or underrepresented minorities on our Board.
| Board Diversity Matrix (as of April 30, 2025) | ||||||||
| Total Number of Directors | 5 | |||||||
| Female | Male | |||||||
| Part I: Gender Identity | 0 | 5 | ||||||
| Part II: Demographic Background | ||||||||
| White | 0 | 5 | ||||||
The biographies of the Company Nominees are as follows:
Adam Levy. Mr. Levy has served as our Chief Executive Officer and President since September 10, 2019 and was our Chief Financial Officer from December 31, 2019 until June 1, 2021. Mr. Levy has also served on our Board since September 9, 2021. Mr. Levy was an investment banker associated with Cova Capital for six years prior to joining NexGel and has significant capital markets experience. Prior to that, he was the president and CEO of Warlock Records Inc. and its related companies from its inception in 1985. While at Warlock, he led the successful turn-around of several financially distressed music companies as part of a roll up strategy. Mr. Levy has expertise in consumer products, marketing, television/radio advertising and direct to consumer sales, which makes him well-qualified to be a member of the Company’s Board.
Steven Glassman. Steven Glassman has served on our Board of Directors since March 8, 2021. He is currently the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for Nephila Advisors, LLC, a Nashville, TN based hedge fund focused on catastrophic reinsurance and weather risk transfer markets in connection with the capital markets. From January 2018 until now, Mr. Glassman focused on Global Business Initiatives at Nephila. From 2010 to 2017, Mr. Glassman served as the Chief Management Officer of Nephila Capital Ltd. Prior to joining Nephila, Mr. Glassman worked at Merrill Lynch in New York in their real estate principal investment group from 1986 to 2009. Mr. Glassman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Vanderbilt University. Mr. Glassman brings to the Board more than 30 years of business-related experience, with expertise in finance, auditing and accounting, which makes him a well-qualified candidate to be a director of the Company.
Scott R. Henry, Director. Mr. Henry has served on our Board of Directors since January 16, 2023. Mr. Henry, CFA, is a Managing Director, Senior Research Analyst at Alliance Global Partners with 20+ years of sell-side coverage in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device sectors. He has previously held positions with firms including ROTH Capital Partners, Oppenheimer, Thomas Weisel Partners, ABN AMRO and Leerink Swann & Co. Mr. Henry has received numerous awards, including rankings in the Wall Street Journal “Best on the Street” stock picking survey, Forbes/Zacks Investment Research “Best Analysts” for the drugs category and Forbes.com/StarMine rankings for earnings estimate accuracy. His investment views have been cited in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, and he has made frequent appearances on CNBC, CBS MarketWatch and Bloomberg. Mr. Henry attended the University of Rhode Island and received an M.B.A. with distinction from Cornell University. Mr. Henry brings to the Board more than 20 years of business-related experience, with expertise in finance and the capital markets, which makes him a well-qualified candidate to be a director of the Company.
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Nachum Stein, Director. Mr. Stein has served on our Board of Directors since September 10, 2019. Mr. Stein is managing partner of HSI Partnership, an industrial and real estate investment family partnership. Mr. Stein previously served as Co-Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Coleman Cable Co., a publicly traded company until its sale in 2014 for more than $700 million. In 1987, he founded American European Group, a private insurance holding company (“AEG”). Mr. Stein is Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of AEG. Mr. Stein and his family currently own a majority of AEG. Mr. Stein is a former Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Machon Bais Yakov Hilda Birn High School, the largest Jewish Community School for girls in the United States, , and a member of the Board of Trustees of Agudath Israel of America as well as active in various community philanthropies, and committees of Jewish institutions of higher studies. Mr. Stein brings to the Board more than 40 years of business-related experience, with expertise growing and scaling business, which makes him a well-qualified candidate to be a director of the Company.
Dr. Jerome B. Zeldis, M.D., Ph.D., Director. Dr. Zeldis has served on our Board of Directors since April 1, 2020. From January 2021 to March 2023, he was Executive Vice President for Research and Development at NexImmune (NASDAQ: NEXI). From April 2020 to October 2021 Dr. Zeldis was executive chair of ViralClear Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a partially owned subsidiary of BioSig Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: BSGM) on which he served on the Board of Directors from May 2019 to October 2021. Dr. Zeldis was at Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ:CELG) from Feb 1997 to June 2016 where he was Chief Medical Officer and had a variety of other responsibilities. From 2016 to March 2019, Dr. Zeldis served as Chief Medical Officer and President of Clinical Research with responsibility for Drug Safety, Quality, and Regulatory at Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. Since June 2011, Dr. Zeldis has been a director of Soligenix, Inc. and PTC Therapeutics, Inc. He attended Brown University for an AB, MS, followed by Yale University for an MPhil, MD, and PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. Dr. Zeldis trained in Internal Medicine at the UCLA Center for the Health Sciences and in Gastroenterology at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He was Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School, Associate Professor of Medicine at University of California, Davis, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Cornell Medical School and Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Mr. Zeldis brings to the Board more than 40 years of business-related experience, with expertise in the biotech and medical devices fields, which makes him a well-qualified candidate to be a director of the Company.
Family Relationships
There are no family relationships among any of NexGel’s directors or executive officers.
Required Vote and Board Recommendation
If a quorum is present and voting, the five Company Nominees receiving the highest number of votes will be elected as directors. If you hold your shares in your own name and abstain from voting on the election of directors, your abstention will have no effect on the vote. If you hold your shares through a broker and you do not instruct the broker on how to vote for the five Company Nominees, your broker will not have the authority to vote your shares. Abstentions and broker non-votes will each be counted as present for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum but will not have any effect on the outcome of the vote.
| The Board recommends that you vote “FOR” each Company Nominee. |
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
NexGel, with the oversight of the Board and its committees, operates within a comprehensive plan of corporate governance for the purpose of defining independence, assigning responsibilities, setting high standards of professional and personal conduct and assuring compliance with such responsibilities and standards. We regularly monitor developments in the area of corporate governance.
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Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to our officers, directors and employees, including our principal financial officer and principal accounting officer. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics addresses, among other things, conflicts of interest, protection and proper use of Company assets, government relations, compliance with laws, rules and regulations and the process for reporting violations of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, improper conflicts of interest or other violations. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available on our website at www.nexgel.com in the “Governance Documents” section found under the “Investors” tab. We intend to disclose any future amendments to certain provisions of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, or waivers of such provisions granted to executive officers and directors, on this website within four business days following the date of any such amendment or waiver.
Insider Trading Policy
The
Company has
Pursuant to the Company’s insider trading policy, short sales of Company securities, including any hedging or monetization transactions (such as zero-cost collars and forward sale contracts) are prohibited. This prohibition applies to all employees, officers and directors of the Company.
Policy for the Recovery of Erroneously Awarded Compensation
The recovery period under this policy is three completed fiscal years preceding the earlier of (i) the date our Board, a committee of the Board or any officer of the Company authorized to take such action (if Board action is not required) concludes, or reasonably should have concluded, that an accounting restatement is required or (ii) the date a court, regulator or other legally authorized body directs the Company to prepare an accounting restatement. If applicable, the Company will provide the current or former Section 16 officer with a written notice containing the amount and a demand for repayment or return. If such repayment or return is not made when due, the policy provides that the Company will take all reasonable and appropriate actions to recover such erroneously awarded compensation from such person.
Board Composition
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and our Amended and Restated Bylaws (“Bylaws”) provide that our Board will consist of one or more members, such number of directors to be determined from time to time pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the total number of authorized directors. Vacancies or newly created directorships resulting from an increase in the authorized number of directors elected by all of the stockholders having the right to vote as a single class may be filled by a majority of the directors then in office, although less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director.
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We have no formal policy regarding Board diversity. Our Board believes that each director should have a basic understanding of the principal operational and financial objectives and plans and strategies of the Company, our results of operations and financial condition and relative standing in relation to our competitors. We take into consideration the overall composition and diversity of the Board and areas of expertise that director nominees may be able to offer, including business experience, knowledge, abilities and customer relationships. Generally, we will strive to assemble a Board that brings to us a variety of perspectives and skills derived from business and professional experience as we may deem are in our and our stockholders’ best interests. In doing so, we will also consider candidates with appropriate non-business backgrounds.
Director Independence
We are currently listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market and therefore rely on the definition of independence set forth in the NASDAQ Listing Rules (“NASDAQ Rules”). Under the NASDAQ Rules, a director will only qualify as an “independent director” if, in the opinion of our Board, that person does not have a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Based upon information requested from and provided by each director concerning his background, employment, and affiliations, including family relationships, we have determined that each of Steven Glassman, Scott R. Henry, Nachum Stein and Dr. Jerome B. Zeldis has no material relationships with us that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment and is an “independent director” as that term is defined in the NASDAQ Listing Rules.
Board Committees, Meetings and Attendance
During 2024, the Board held six meetings and took five actions by unanimous written consent. We expect our directors to attend Board meetings, meetings of any committees and subcommittees on which they serve and each annual meeting of stockholders. During 2024, we had no incumbent director who attended fewer than 75% of the total number of meetings held by the Board and Board committees of which such director was a member.
We encourage our Board members to attend the annual meeting.
The Board delegates various responsibilities and authority to different Board committees. Committees regularly report on their activities and actions to the full Board. Currently, the Board has established an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee and a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Committee assignments are re-evaluated annually. Each of these committees operates under a charter that has been approved by our Board.
As of April 30, 2025, the following table sets forth the membership of each of the Board committees listed above.
| Name | Audit Committee | Compensation Committee | Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee | |||||||||
| Adam Levy | - | - | - | |||||||||
| Steven Glassman* | Member | Member | Member | |||||||||
| Scott R. Henry | Chairperson | Member | Member | |||||||||
| Nachum Stein | Member | Chairperson | - | |||||||||
| Dr. Jerome B. Zeldis, M.D., Ph.D. | - | - | Chairperson | |||||||||
| * | Chairperson of the Board of Directors |
Audit Committee
Our audit committee is currently comprised of Mr. Glassman, Mr. Henry and Mr. Stein, each of whom our board has determined is financially literate and qualifies as an independent director under Section 5605(a)(2) and Section 5605(c)(2) of the Nasdaq rules. Mr. Henry is the chairperson of our audit committee and Mr. Henry qualifies as an audit committee financial expert, as defined in Item 407(d)(5)(ii) of Regulation S-K.
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Our audit committee has adopted a written audit committee charter, viewable at https://ir.nexgel.com/corporate-governance/governance-documents, that provides that the functions of our audit committee include, among other things:
| ● | selecting a qualified firm to serve as the independent registered public accounting firm to audit our financial statements; | |
| ● | helping to ensure the independence and performance of the independent registered public accounting firm; | |
| ● | discussing the scope and results of the audit with the independent registered public accounting firm, and reviewing, with management and the independent accountants, our interim and year-end operating results; | |
| ● | developing procedures for employees to submit concerns anonymously about questionable accounting or audit matters; | |
| ● | reviewing our policies on risk assessment and risk management; | |
| ● | reviewing and approving related party transactions; | |
| ● | obtaining and reviewing a report by the independent registered public accounting firm, at least annually, that describes our internal quality-control procedures, any material issues with such procedures, and any steps taken to deal with such issues when required by applicable law; and | |
| ● | approving (or, as permitted, pre-approving) all audit and all permissible non-audit services, other than de minimis non-audit services, to be performed by the independent registered public accounting firm. |
Compensation Committee
Our compensation committee is currently comprised of Mr. Glassman, Mr. Henry and Mr. Stein. Our board has determined that each of Mr. Glassman, Mr. Henry and Mr. Stein qualifies as an independent director under Section 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq rules and a “non-employee director” for purposes of Section 16b-3 under the Exchange Act and does not have a material relationship with us that would affect his ability to be independent from management in connection with the duties of a compensation committee member, as described in Section 5605(d)(2) of the Nasdaq rules. Mr. Stein is the chairperson of our compensation committee.
Our compensation committee has adopted a written compensation committee charter, viewable at https://ir.nexgel.com/corporate-governance/governance-documents, that provides that the functions of our compensation committee include, among other things:
| ● | reviewing and approving, or recommending to our board of directors for approval, the compensation of our executive officers and any compensatory arrangement with our executive officers; | |
| ● | reviewing and recommending to our board of directors for approval the compensation of our directors and any changes to their compensation; | |
| ● | reviewing and approving, or recommending to our board of directors for approval, and administering incentive compensation and equity incentive plans; and | |
| ● | reviewing and establishing general policies relating to compensation and benefits of our employees and reviewing our overall compensation philosophy. |
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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Our nominating and corporate governance committee is currently comprised of Mr. Glassman, Mr. Henry and Mr. Zeldis. Our board has determined that each of Mr. Glassman, Mr. Henry and Mr. Zeldis qualifies as an independent director under Section 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq rules. Mr. Zeldis is the chairperson of our nominating and corporate governance committee.
Our nominating and corporate governance committee has adopted a written nominating and corporate governance committee charter, viewable at https://ir.nexgel.com/corporate-governance/governance-documents, that provides that the functions of our nominating and corporate governance committee include, among other things:
| ● | identifying, evaluating and selecting, or making recommendations to our board of directors regarding, nominees for election to our board of directors and its committees; | |
| ● | overseeing the evaluation and the performance of our board of directors and of individual directors; | |
| ● | considering and making recommendations to our board of directors regarding the composition of our board of directors and its committees; | |
| ● | overseeing our corporate governance practices; | |
| ● | contributing to succession planning; and | |
| ● | developing and making recommendations to our board of directors regarding corporate governance guidelines and matters. |
Director Nominations
Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers all qualified candidates identified by members of the Board, by senior management and by stockholders. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee follows the same process and uses the same criteria for evaluating candidates proposed by stockholders, members of the Board and members of senior management. We did not pay fees to any third party to assist in the process of identifying or evaluating director candidates during 2024 nor during 2025 thus far.
Our Bylaws contain provisions that address the process by which a stockholder may nominate an individual to stand for election to the Board at our Annual Meeting. To recommend a nominee for election to the Board, a stockholder must submit their recommendation to our Secretary at our corporate offices at 2150 Cabot Blvd West, Suite B, Langhorne, Pennsylvania 19047. Such nomination must satisfy the notice, information and consent requirements set forth in our Bylaws and must be received by us prior to the date set forth under “Stockholder Proposals” below. A stockholder’s recommendation must be accompanied by the information with respect to stockholder nominees as specified in our Bylaws, including among other things, the name, age, address and occupation of the recommended person, the proposing stockholder’s name and address, the ownership interests of the proposing stockholder and any beneficial owner on whose behalf the nomination is being made (including the number of shares beneficially owned, any hedging, derivative, short or other economic interests and any rights to vote any shares) and any material monetary or other relationships between the recommended person and the proposing stockholder and/or the beneficial owners, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is being made.
In evaluating director nominees, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers the following factors:
| ● | the appropriate size and diversity of our Board; | |
| ● | our needs with respect to the particular knowledge, skills and experience of nominees, including experience in corporate finance, technology, business, administration and sales, in light of the prevailing business conditions and the knowledge, skills and experience already possessed by other members of the Board; | |
| ● | experience with accounting rules and practices, and whether such a person qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” pursuant to SEC rules; and |
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| ● | balancing continuity of our Board with periodic injection of fresh perspectives provided by new Board members. |
Our Board believes that each director should have a basic understanding of our principal operational and financial objectives and plans and strategies, our results of operations and financial condition and our relative standing in relation to our competitors.
In identifying director nominees, the Board will first evaluate the current members of the Board willing to continue in service. Current members of the Board with skills and experience that are relevant to our business and who are willing to continue in service will be considered for re-nomination.
If any member of the Board does not wish to continue in service or if the Board decides not to re-nominate a member for re-election, the Board will identify another nominee with the desired skills and experience described above. The Board takes into consideration the overall composition and diversity of the Board and areas of expertise that director nominees may be able to offer, including business experience, knowledge, abilities and customer relationships. Generally, the Board will strive to assemble a Board that brings to us a variety of perspectives and skills derived from business and professional experience as it may deem are in our and our stockholders’ best interests. In doing so, the Board will also consider candidates with appropriate non-business backgrounds.
Communications with Directors
The Board welcomes communication from our stockholders. Stockholders and other interested parties who wish to communicate with a member or members of our Board or a committee thereof may do so by addressing correspondence to the Board member, members or committee, c/o Secretary, NexGel, Inc., 2150 Cabot Blvd West, Suite B, Langhorne, Pennsylvania 19047. Our Secretary will review and forward correspondence to the appropriate person or persons.
All communications received as set forth in the preceding paragraph will be opened by our Secretary for the sole purpose of determining whether the contents represent a message to our directors. Any contents that are not in the nature of advertising, promotions of a product or service or patently offensive material will be forwarded promptly to the addressee(s). In the case of communications to the Board or any group or committee of directors, our Secretary will make sufficient copies of the contents to send to each director who is a member of the group or committee to whom the communication is addressed. If the amount of correspondence received through the foregoing process becomes excessive, our Board may consider approving a process for review, organization and screening of the correspondence by our Secretary or another appropriate person.
Involvement in Certain Legal Proceedings
There have been no material legal proceedings that would require disclosure under the federal securities laws that are material to an evaluation of the ability or integrity of our directors or executive officers, or in which any director, officer, nominee or principal stockholder, or any affiliate thereof, is a party adverse to us or has a material interest adverse to us.
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
During the period of December 31, 2024, non-employee members of our board of directors were compensated as follows:
| Name | Fees earned or paid in cash | Stock Award | Option Awards (1) | Non-equity Incentive Plan Compensation | Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings | All other Compensation | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Steve Glassman | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 67,875 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 67,875 | ||||||||||||||
| Scott R. Henry | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 67,875 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 67,875 | ||||||||||||||
| Nachum Stein | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 67,875 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 67,875 | ||||||||||||||
| Dr. Jerome B. Zeldis | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 67,875 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 67,875 | ||||||||||||||
(1) Represent an option to purchase up to 25,000 shares of the Company’s common stock granted to each non-employee director on September 13, 2024. The option has an exercise price of $2.72 per share, the closing price of the Company’s common stock on September 13, 2024, and vests as follows: 6,250 shares of common stock vested as of September 30, 2024 and the remaining 18,750 shares of common stock have vested or will vest in equal 2,084 share amounts at the end of each month over the following continuous nine months beginning on October 31, 2024 (with 2,078 shares vesting on June 30, 2025 due to rounding adjustments). Amounts in this column represent the aggregate grant date fair value of options granted in the reported year, determined in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. These amounts do not necessarily correspond to the actual value that may be realized by the directors.
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Equity Compensation
For fiscal 2025, the Board intends to grant each non-employee member of the Board an option to purchase 25,000 shares of common stock in connection with each Board members appointment to the Board. These options will have an exercise price to be determined based on the fair market value of our common stock as of the date of grant and will vest monthly until the 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
Indemnification of Directors and Officers
Our Certificate of Incorporation allows us to indemnify our present and former officers and directors and other personnel against liabilities and expenses arising from their service to the full extent permitted by Delaware law. The persons indemnified include our (i) present or former directors or officers, (ii) any person who while serving in any of the capacities referred to in clause (i) who served at our request as a director, officer, partner, proprietor, trustee, employee, agent or similar functionary of another foreign or domestic corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, and (iii) any person nominated or designated by (or pursuant to authority granted by) our Board of Directors or any committee thereof to serve in any of the capacities referred to in clauses (i) or (ii).
STOCK OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The following table sets forth information about beneficial ownership of our common stock as of April 30, 2025, (unless otherwise noted) by (i) each stockholder that has indicated in public filings that the stockholder beneficially owns more than five percent of the common stock, (ii) each of the Company’s directors and named officers and (iii) all directors and officers as a group. Except as otherwise noted, each person listed below, either alone or together with members of the person’s family sharing the same household, had, to our knowledge, sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares listed next to the person’s name.
| Name and address(1) | Number of shares | Percentage of ownership (2) | ||||||
| 5% stockholders | ||||||||
| None (except for certain directors and officers below) | - | - | ||||||
| Directors and officers | ||||||||
| Steven Glassman | 226,410 | (3) | 2.93 | % | ||||
| Scott R. Henry | 192,810 | (4) | 2.50 | % | ||||
| Nachum Stein | 645,856 | (5) | 8.24 | % | ||||
| Dr. Jerome Zeldis | 191,578 | (6) | 2.48 | % | ||||
| Adam Levy | 399,446 | (7) | 5.20 | % | ||||
| Joseph F. McGuire | 4,082 | (8) | * | |||||
| (All Directors and officers as a group 6 persons) | 1,660,182 | (9) | 20.55 | % | ||||
* Less than 1%.
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| (1) | Except as indicated, the address of the person named in the table is c/o NexGel, Inc., 2150 Cabot Boulevard West, Suite B, Langhorne, PA 19667. |
| (2) | In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, shares of the common stock subject to options or warrants held by that person that are currently exercisable or will become exercisable within 60 days after April 30, 2025, are deemed outstanding, while the shares are not deemed outstanding for purposes of computing percentage ownership of any other person. Except as otherwise indicated, and subject to applicable community property laws, the persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of the common stock held by them. Applicable percentage ownership is based on 7,654,037 shares of the common stock outstanding as of April 30, 2025. The inclusion in the table above of any shares deemed beneficially owned does not constitute an admission of beneficial ownership of those shares. |
| (3) | Consists of (i) 156,655 shares of common stock, (ii) options to purchase 54,286 shares of common stock that are either currently exercisable or will become exercisable within 60 days of April 30, 2025, and (iii) warrants to purchase 15,469 shares of common stock which are currently exercisable. |
| (4) | Consists of (i) 135,053 shares of common stock, (ii) options to purchase 40,000 shares of common stock that are either exercisable or will become exercisable within 60 days of April 30, 2025, and (iii) warrants to purchase 17,757 shares of common stock which are currently exercisable. |
| (5) | Consists of (i) 461,456 shares of common stock, (ii) options to purchase 140,083 shares of common stock that are either exercisable or will become exercisable within 60 days of April 30, 2025, and (iii) warrants to purchase 44,317 shares of common stock which are currently exercisable. |
| (6) | Consists of (i) 106,664 shares of common stock and (ii) options to purchase 68,572 shares of common stock that are either exercisable or will become exercisable within 60 days of April 30, 2025, and (iii) warrants to purchase 16,342 shares of common stock which are currently exercisable. |
| (7) | Consists of (i) 370,284 shares of common stock and (ii) options to purchase 14,286 that are either exercisable or will become exercisable within 60 days of April 30, 2025 and (iii) warrants to purchase 1,818 shares of common stock which are currently exercisable, and (iv) 13,058 shares of common stock which have vested or will vest within 60 days of April 30, 2025. |
| (8) | Consists entirely of 4,082 shares of common stock. Effective January 1, 2025, Mr. McGuire replaced Adam E. Drapczuk as our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Drapczuk currently continues to serve as financial consultant to the Company but is no longer an executive officer of the company. |
| (9) | Consists of (i) 1,234,194 shares of common stock and (ii) options to purchase 317,227 that are either exercisable or will become exercisable within 60 days of April 30, 2025 and (iii) warrants to purchase 95,703 shares of common stock which are currently exercisable, and (iv) 13,058 shares of common stock which have vested or will vest within 60 days of April 30, 2025. |
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
In addition to the compensation arrangements with our directors and executive officers, including those discussed in the sections titled “Management” and “Executive Compensation,” the following is a description of each transaction since January 1, 2024 and each currently proposed transaction in which:
| ● | we have been or are to be a participant; | |
| ● | the amount involved exceeded or exceeds the lesser of $120,000 or one percent of the average of our total assets at year-end for the last two completed fiscal years; and | |
| ● | any of our directors, executive officers or holders of more than 5% of our outstanding capital stock, or any immediate family member of, or person sharing the household with, any of these individuals or entities, had or will have a direct or indirect material interest. |
Subscription Agreements
On February 15, 2024, we entered into subscription agreements with investors for the sale of an aggregate of 231,040 units at a price to the public of $4.22 per unit (the “February Offering”), with each unit consisting of two shares of our common stock and a warrant to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $4.00 per share and was immediately exercisable for a period of five years. Certain members of our board of directors and executive team purchased an aggregate of 41,469 units in the February Offering.
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On August 8, 2024, we entered into subscription agreements with investors for the sale of an aggregate of 222,000 units at a price to the public of $5.00 per unit (the “August Offering”), with each unit consisting of two shares of our common stock and a warrant to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $4.25 per share and was immediately exercisable for a period of five years. Certain members of our board of directors and executive team purchased an aggregate of 27,000 units in the August Offering.
On November 11, 2024, we entered into subscription agreements with investors for the sale of an aggregate of 363,636 units at a price to the public of $5.50 per unit (the “November Offering”), with each unit consisting of two shares of our common stock and a warrant to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $4.25 per share and was immediately exercisable for a period of five years. Certain members of our board of directors and executive team purchased an aggregate of 19,659 units in the November Offering.
Related-Party Transaction Policy
Our audit committee charter that gives our audit committee the primary responsibility for reviewing and approving or disapproving “related-party transactions,” which are generally transactions between us and related persons in which the aggregate amount involved exceeds or may be expected to exceed $120,000 and in which a related person has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. The written charter of our audit committee provides that our audit committee shall review and approve in advance any related-party transaction.
In approving or rejecting any related party transactions, our audit committee considers the relevant facts and circumstances available and deemed relevant to our audit committee, including whether the transaction is on terms no less favorable than terms generally available to an unaffiliated third party under the same or similar circumstances and the extent of the related person’s interest in the transaction.
Prior to the formation of our audit committee, our entire board of directors has been responsible for approving related-party transactions. The transactions described above were approved by our board of directors.
SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, requires our directors and officers, and persons who own more than ten percent of our common stock, to file with the SEC initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of our common stock. To our knowledge, based solely on a review of the copies of such reports furnished to us, during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, we believe that all filing requirements applicable to our officers, directors and greater than ten percent stockholders were complied with for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Compensation Philosophy and Practices
We believe that the performance of our executive officers significantly impacts our ability to achieve our corporate goals. We, therefore, place considerable importance on the design and administration of our executive officer compensation program. This program is intended to enhance stockholder value by attracting, motivating and retaining qualified individuals to perform at the highest levels and to contribute to our growth and success. Our executive officer compensation program is designed to provide compensation opportunities that are tied to individual and corporate performance.
Our compensation packages are also designed to be competitive in our industry. The Compensation Committee from time-to-time consults with other advisors in designing our compensation program, including in evaluating the competitiveness of individual compensation packages and in relation to our corporate goals.
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Our overall compensation philosophy has been to pay our executive officers an annual base salary and to provide opportunities, through cash and equity incentives, to provide higher compensation if certain key performance goals are satisfied.
The main principles of our fiscal year 2024 compensation strategy included the following:
| ● | An emphasis on pay for performance. A significant portion of our executive officers’ total compensation is variable and at risk and tied directly to measurable performance, which aligns the interests of our executives with those of our stockholders; | |
| ● | Equity as a key component to align the interests of our executives with those of our stockholders. Our Compensation Committee continues to believe that keeping executives interests aligned with those of our stockholders is critical to driving toward achievement of long-term goals of both our stockholders and the Company. |
Executive Officers
The following table sets forth the names, ages and positions of our executive officers and certain significant employees as of December 31, 2024 and currently:
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| Adam Levy | 62 | Chief Executive Officer, President and Director | ||
| Joseph F. McGuire(1) | 66 | Chief Financial Officer | ||
| Adam E. Drapczuk III(1) | 49 | Former Chief Financial Officer |
(1) Effective January 1, 2025, Mr. McGuire replaced Mr. Drapczuk as our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Drapczuk currently continues to serve as financial consultant to the Company.
Executive Officers
Adam Levy, Chief Executive Officer, President and Director
Mr. Levy has served as our Chief Executive Officer and President since September 10, 2019 and was our Chief Financial Officer from December 31, 2019 until June 1, 2021. Mr. Levy has also served on our Board since September 9, 2021. Mr. Levy was an investment banker associated with Cova Capital for six years prior to joining NexGel and has significant capital markets experience. Prior to that, he was the president and CEO of Warlock Records Inc. and its related companies from its inception in 1985. While at Warlock, he led the successful turn-around of several financially distressed music companies as part of a roll up strategy. He has expertise in consumer products, marketing, television/radio advertising and direct to consumer sales.
Joseph F. McGuire, Chief Financial Officer
Mr. McGuire has served as our Chief Financial Officer since January 1, 2025. Mr. McGuire has over 30 years of financial and public company experience, having served as Chief Financial Officer for several privately held and publicly traded companies in the health care, financial services, investment, and manufacturing industries. He was a key member of the team that successfully guided a biotechnology company through its IPO, resulting in its listing on the NYSE in July 2022. In these roles, Mr. McGuire’s responsibilities included SEC financial reporting, investor relations, corporate governance, legal and audit liaison, and team building. He began his career with Price Waterhouse, where he was a certified public accountant, and later held management positions with Dean Witter Reynolds and Paine Webber, Inc. Mr. McGuire received a Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of Notre Dame and holds a CPA certification. Mr. McGuire has consulted with the Company since September 2, 2024, and will serve on the executive management team to lead the Company’s finance functions.
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Adam E. Drapczuk III, Former Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Drapczuk served as our Chief Financial Officer since June 1, 2021 through December 31, 2024 and currently continues to serve as a financial consultant to the Company. Mr. Drapczuk served as Financial Controller for R-Pharm US, a private fully integrated specialty pharmaceutical company focused on commercial opportunities to treat cancer and chronic immune diseases from September 2016 to April 2020 and has remained in a consulting role with the company since then. He also served as Vice President of Finance, CFO, for Inpellis, Inc.; Controller and Director of Finance for Tris Pharma; and Director of Finance for West-Ward Pharmaceuticals Corp. Mr. Drapczuk began his career in accounting and finance at KPMG LLP, servicing the firm’s assurance clients. He received his B.S. in accounting at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Summary Compensation Table
The following table summarizes all compensation received by our named executive officer December 31, 2024 and 2023:
| Name and principal position | Year | Salary ($) | Bonus ($) | Stock Awards ($) | Option Awards ($) | Nonequity Incentive Plan Compensation ($) | Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($) | All Other Compensation ($) | Total ($) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adam Levy, Chief Executive Officer | 2024 | 325,000 | 45,000 | 50,000 | (1) | - | - | 10,350 | 7,200 | (2) | 437,550 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 325,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | (3) | - | - | 9,900 | 7,200 | (2) | 442,100 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adam E. Drapczuk III, Chief Financial Officer(4) | 2024 | 248,229 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 248,229 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 208,675 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 208,675 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (1) | Represents an equity grant of 22,222 shares of common stock to Mr. Levy which vested on a monthly basis from May 2024 through December 2024 which were valued at $2.25 per share which was the Company’s fair market value per share on the date of the grant, January 2, 2024 (or an aggregate of $50,000). | |
| (2) | Represents a cash reimbursement for an automobile allowance of $7,200. | |
| (3) | Represents an equity grant of 37,037 shares of common stock to Mr. Levy which vested on a monthly basis during the fiscal year ended 2023 which were valued at $1.35 per share which was the Company’s fair market value per share on the date of the grant, January 2, 2023 (or an aggregate of $50,000). | |
| (4) | Effective January 1, 2025, Joseph F. McGuire replaced Mr. Drapczuk as our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Drapczuk currently continues to serve as financial consultant to the Company. |
Employment Agreements
Adam Levy 2025 Executive Employment Agreement
On December 31, 2024, we entered into a 2025 Executive Employment Agreement (the “Levy Employment Agreement”) with Adam Levy, who has served as Company’s Chief Executive Officer and President since 2019. The term of the Levy Employment Agreement is for one year from January 1, 2025. The Levy Employment Agreement terminates Mr. Levy’s prior 2024 Executive Employment Agreement with the Company dated December 26, 2023 (the “Prior Agreement”) in its entirety and the Prior Agreement shall be of no further force or effect, including but not limited to any and all continuing or surviving obligations of both the Company and Mr. Levy under the Prior Agreement, and replaced in its entirety by the Levy Employment Agreement.
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Pursuant to the Levy Employment Agreement, Mr. Levy will be paid a base salary of $375,000 per year, which is an increase of $50,000 per year over his current base salary. Mr. Levy also received a grant of shares of the Company’s common stock equal to $100,000 divided by the closing per share price of the Company’s common stock as reported on the Nasdaq on January 2, 2025, which was $3.829 and equates to 26,116 shares of common stock (the “Equity Grant”). The Equity Grant vests in twelve equal monthly installments (subject to any rounding adjustments) during the term of the Levy Employment Agreement with the first installment vesting on January 2, 2025.
Additionally and pursuant to the Levy Employment Agreement, on January 2, 2025 Mr. Levy received stock options under the Company’s 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended (the “Plan”), to purchase up to 150,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at a per share exercise price of $3.829, which is equal to the closing per share price of the Company’s common stock as reported on Nasdaq on January 2, 2025 (the “Levy Stock Option”). The Levy Stock Option shall have a five-year term and shall vest as follows: 37,500 shares of common stock underlying the Levy Stock Option shall vest on December 31, 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2028, respectively; provided Executive is employed on the applicable vesting date by the Company unless Mr. Levy is terminated without cause or resigns for good reason (as defined in the Levy Employment Agreement) during the vesting period in which case the Levy Stock Option shall accelerate, vest and become exercisable immediately. In the event of a Change in Control (as defined in the Plan) of the Company, any unvested portion of the Levy Stock Option shall accelerate, vest and become exercisable immediately prior to the Change in Control.
Mr. Levy will also receive or be eligible for bonuses as follows:
| ● | A cash bonus equal to $25,000 (which was paid on December 31, 2024) and, for the remainder of the fiscal year 2025, Mr. Levy shall be eligible to receive a cash bonus in a targeted amount of $25,000 upon the achievement of reasonable target objectives and performance goals both of the Company and Mr. Levy as may be determined by the Board and/or the Compensation Committee of the Board in consultation with Executive which may result in the target bonus being a higher or lower amount than $25,000; | |
| ● | In the event the Company achieves EBITDA (as defined in the Levy Employment Agreement) for two consecutive fiscal calendar quarters during the term through the first fiscal quarter of 2026, (a) a cash bonus equal to $50,000 and (b) a grant of 40,000 shares of common stock, which shall vest over a two year period in four equal installments on each six month anniversary date after which the EBITDA bonus was earned; | |
| ● | In the event the earlier of either of the following occur: (i) the average closing price of the Company’s common stock as reported on Nasdaq over any consecutive three month prior to March 12, 2025 equals or exceeds $4.50 per share or (but not and) the average closing price of the Company’s common stock as reported on Nasdaq over any consecutive three month period during the term and through the first sixty calendar days of fiscal year 2026 equals or exceeds $5.50 per share or (ii) the Company raises an equity capital financing at a per share price equal to or in excess of $4.50 prior to March 12, 2025 or (but not and) $5.50 per share during the term and through the first sixty calendar days of fiscal year 2026 which results in gross proceeds to the Company of at least $2,500,000, Mr. Levy shall receive (i) a cash bonus equal to $25,000 and (ii) a grant of 25,000 shares of common stock, which shall vest over a three year period in six equal installments on each six month anniversary date after which the bonus was earned; and | |
| ● | In the event the earlier of either of the following to occur: (i) the average closing price of the Company’s common stock as reported on Nasdaq over any consecutive three month period during the term and through the first sixty calendar days of fiscal year 2026 equals or exceeds $7.50 per share or (ii) the Company raises an equity capital financing at a per share price equal to or in excess of $7.50 per share which results in gross proceeds to the Company of at least $2,500,000, (i) a cash bonus equal to $50,000 and (ii) a grant of 50,000 shares of common stock, which shall vest over a two year period in four equal installments on each six month anniversary date after which the bonus was earned. |
Mr. Levy is also be eligible to receive, from time to time, additional equity awards under the Company’s existing equity incentive plan, or any other equity incentive plan the Company may adopt in the future, and the terms and conditions of such awards, if any, would be determined by the Board or Compensation Committee, in their discretion. Mr. Levy is also eligible to participate in any benefit plan or program the Company adopts.
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Pursuant to the Levy Employment Agreement, if Mr. Levy’s employment is terminated upon his disability, Mr. Levy would be entitled to receive, in addition to other unpaid amounts owed to him (e.g., for base salary, accrued personal time and business expenses): (i) his then base salary for a period of three months (in accordance with the Company’s general payroll policy) commencing on the first payroll period following the fifteenth day after termination of employment and (ii) substantially similar coverage under the Company’s then-current medical, health and vision insurance coverage for a period of three months. Additionally, if Mr. Levy’s employment is terminated for disability, the vesting of any option grants would continue to vest pursuant to the schedule and terms previously established during the three month severance period. Subsequent to the three month severance period the vesting of any option grants would immediately cease. The severance benefits described above are collectively referred herein the “Severance Benefits”.
Pursuant to the Levy Employment Agreement and during the initial six months of the term of the Employment Agreement, if Mr. Levy resigns for good reason (as defined in the Levy Employment Agreement) or is terminated by us without cause (as defined in the Levy Employment Agreement), Mr. Levy would be entitled to receive (i) his then base salary (in accordance with the Company’s general payroll policy) commencing on the first payroll period following the fifteenth day after termination of employment and (ii) substantially similar coverage under the Company’s then-current medical, health and vision insurance coverage for a period of one year.
Pursuant to the Levy Employment Agreement and subsequent to the initial six months of the term of the Levy Employment Agreement, if Mr. Levy resigns for good reason or is terminated by us without cause or if the Company fails to enter into a new employment agreement with Mr. Levy at the end of term of the Levy Agreement after bona fide and good faith negotiation between us and Mr. Levy, Mr. Levy would be entitled to receive Severance Benefits for a period of one year less one month for each month (on a pro-rated basis) such termination or resignation occurs subsequent to the initial six month anniversary of the term (the “Adjusted Severance Period”). For example, in the event Mr. Levy is terminated without cause or resigns for good reason at the end of the eight month anniversary of the effective date, Mr. Levy would be entitled to an Adjusted Severance Period of ten months.
If the Company terminates Mr. Levy’s employment for cause or employment terminates as a result of Mr. Levy’s resignation (without good reason) or death, Mr. Levy would only be entitled to any salary earned but unpaid prior to termination, all accrued but unused personal time, and any business expenses that were incurred but not reimbursed as of the date of the termination. Vesting of any option grants would immediately cease.
The Levy Employment Agreement also contains certain non-competition, non-solicitation, confidentiality, and assignment of inventions provisions whereby Mr. Levy is subject to non-competition and non-solicitation restrictions for a period of one year and two years following termination of his employment, respectively.
Joseph F. McGuire 2025 Executive Employment Agreement
On December 30, 2025, we entered into a 2025 Executive Employment Agreement (the “McGuire Employment Agreement”) with Joseph F. McGuire to become our Chief Financial Officer to replace Adam E. Drapczuk III, who currently continues to serve as financial consultant to the Company.. The term of the McGuire Employment Agreement is for one year from January 1, 2025. Pursuant to the McGuire Employment Agreement, Mr. McGuire will be paid a base salary of $200,000 per year. Also, Mr. McGuire will be eligible to receive annual bonus compensation in a targeted amount of 30% of his base salary upon the achievement of reasonable target objectives and performance goals both of the Company and Mr. McGuire as may be determined by the Chief Executive Officer, the Board and/or the Compensation Committee of the Board in consultation with Mr. McGuire.
Additionally and pursuant to the McGuire Employment Agreement, on January 2, 2025 Mr. McGuire received stock options under the Company’s Plan, to purchase up to 100,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at a per share exercise price of $3.829, which is equal to the closing per share price of the Company’s common stock as reported on Nasdaq on January 2, 2025 (the “McGuire Stock Option”). The McGuire Stock Option vests as follows: (i) 25,000 shares of common stock vest on September 1, 2025; and (ii) the remaining 75,000 shares of common stock vest equally per month on the last day of each month for thirty-six months beginning on October 31, 2025 (with 2,084 shares vesting per month and 2,060 shares vesting on month thirty-six due to rounding adjustments); provided Mr. McGuire is employed on the applicable vesting date by the Company. In the event of a Change in Control of the Company, any unvested portion of the McGuire Stock Option shall accelerate, vest and become exercisable immediately prior to the Change in Control.
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The McGuire Employment Agreement contains certain severance obligations of the Company in the event of a Change in Control and also contains certain non-competition, non-solicitation, confidentiality, and assignment of inventions provisions whereby Mr. McGuire is subject to non-competition and non-solicitation restrictions for a period of one year and two years following termination of his employment, respectively.
Other Employment Agreements
Except as noted above, we do not have employment agreements with Mr. Drapczuk, our former Chief Financial Officer, or any of our other employees, each of whom are employees-at-will.
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The following table sets forth information regarding equity awards that have been previously awarded to each of the named executive officers and which remained outstanding as of December 31, 2024.
| Name | Number of securities underlying unexercised options (#) exercisable | Number of securities underlying unexercised options (#) unexercisable | Option exercise price ($) | Option expiration date | Number of Shares or Units of Stock that have not Vested (#) | Market Value of Shares of Units That Have Not Vested ($) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Adam Levy | 14,286 | - | 5.25 | 9/9/2031 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||
| - | - | - | - | 17,500 | 78,050 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Adam E. Drapczuk III(2) | - | - | - | - | 5,000 | 22,300 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||
(1) Based on the Company’s closing common stock per share price of $4.46 as of December 31, 2024, the last trading day of the fiscal year 2024.
(2) Effective January 1, 2025, Joseph F. McGuire replaced Mr. Drapczuk as our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Drapczuk currently continues to serve as financial consultant to the Company.
NexGel 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan
On March 8, 2019, our stockholders approved the 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2019 Plan”), which was adopted by our board of directors on March 8, 2019. The 2019 Plan provides for the granting of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, restricted stock, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock units, performance awards, dividend equivalent rights, and other awards, which may be granted singly, in combination, or in tandem, and which may be paid in cash, shares of our common stock, or a combination of cash and shares of our common stock. We initially reserved a total of 57,143 shares of our common stock for awards under the 2019 Plan. Effective as of May 26, 2020, May 3, 2021 and March 23, 2023, respectively, the 2019 Plan was amended to approve an increase of the number of authorized shares of common stock reserved under the 2019 Plan from 57,143 shares of common stock to 485,715 shares of common stock and from 485,715 shares of common stock to 571,429 shares of common stock and from 571,429 shares of common stock to 871,429 shares of common stock, all of which may be delivered pursuant to incentive stock options. The maximum number of shares of common stock that may be delivered pursuant to incentive stock options under the 2019 Plan is 871,429 shares (assuming our stockholders do not approve the Fourth Amendment to our Plan discussed in this proxy statement).
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Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table provides certain information as of December 31, 2024, with respect to our equity compensation plans under which our equity securities are authorized for issuance:
| Plan Category | Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options (a) | Weighted- average exercise price of outstanding options (b) | Securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) (c) | |||||||||
| Equity compensation plan approved by security holders | 353,397 | $ | 2.168073 | 77,594 | (1) | |||||||
| Equity compensation plan not approved by security holders | - | $ | - | - | ||||||||
| Total | 353,397 | $ | 2.168073 | 77,594 | (1) | |||||||
(1) This number assumes our stockholders do not approve the Fourth Amendment to the Plan discussed in the proxy statement. If the Fourth Amendment is approved, this number increases to 857,594.
Pay versus Performance
As an “emerging growth company,” we are not required to provide the executive compensation Pay versus Performance disclosure described in Section 953(a) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act or Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K.
AUDIT COMMITTEE MATTERS
Audit Committee Report
The Audit Committee assists the Board in its general oversight of the Company’s financial reporting processes. The Audit Committee Charter describes in greater detail the full responsibilities of the Audit Committee. During each fiscal year, the Audit Committee reviews the Company’s financial statements, management reports, internal control over financial reporting and audit matters. In connection with these reviews, the Audit Committee meets with management and independent public accountants at least once each quarter. The Audit Committee schedules its meetings with a view to ensuring that it devotes appropriate attention to all of its tasks. These meetings include, whenever appropriate, executive sessions in which the Audit Committee meets separately with the independent public accountants, financial management personnel and legal counsel.
As part of its review of audit matters, the Audit Committee supervises the relationship between the Company and its independent registered public accountants, including: having direct responsibility for their appointment, compensation and retention; reviewing the scope of their audit services; approving audit and non-audit services; and confirming the independence of the independent public accountants. Together with senior members of the Company’s financial management team, the Audit Committee reviewed the overall audit scope and plans of the independent public accountants, the results of external audit examinations, and evaluations by management of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and the quality of the Company’s financial reporting.
In addition, the Audit Committee reviewed key initiatives and programs aimed at designing and maintaining an effective internal and disclosure control structure. As part of this process, the Audit Committee continued to monitor the scope and adequacy of the steps taken to maintain the effectiveness of internal procedures and controls.
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In performing all of these functions, the Audit Committee acts in an oversight capacity. The Audit Committee reviews and discusses the quarterly and annual consolidated financial statements with management, and the Company’s independent public accountants prior to their issuance. In its oversight role, the Audit Committee relies on the work and assurances of the Company’s management, which is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, preparing the financial statements and other reports and maintaining policies relating to legal and regulatory compliance, ethics and conflicts of interest. Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P. is responsible for performing an independent audit of the consolidated financial statements and expressing an opinion on the conformity of those financial statements with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
The Audit Committee has reviewed with the independent public accountants the matters required to be discussed by the applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and the SEC including a discussion with management and the independent public accountants of the quality (and not merely the acceptability) of the Company’s accounting principles, the reasonableness of significant estimates and judgments and the disclosures in the Company’s financial statements. In addition, the Audit Committee reviewed and discussed with Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P. matters related to its independence, including a review of audit and non-audit fees and the written disclosures in the letter from Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P. to the Audit Committee required by applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding the independent public accountant’s communication with the Audit Committee concerning independence. The Audit Committee concluded that Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P. is independent from the Company and its management.
Taking all these reviews and discussions into account, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board that the audited financial statements be included in NexGel’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year 2024, for filing with the SEC.
| AUDIT COMMITTEE | |
| Scott R. Henry, Chairperson | |
| Steven Glassman | |
| Nachum Stein |
The Report of the Audit Committee set forth in this Proxy Statement shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C under the Exchange Act or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act. In addition, it shall not be deemed incorporated by reference by any statement that incorporates this Proxy Statement by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates this information by reference.
Fees to Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Since 2019, Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P., Dallas, Texas (PCAOB ID 76), has acted as our independent registered public accounting firm. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P. billed us the fees set forth below, including expenses, in connection with services rendered by that firm to us.
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||
| Audit Fees | $ | 165,173 | $ | 87,010 | ||||
| Audit-Related Fees | - | 27,980 | ||||||
| Tax Fees | - | - | ||||||
| All Other Fees | - | - | ||||||
| TOTAL | $ | 165,173 | $ | 114,990 | ||||
“Audit Fees” consisted of fees billed for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for the audit of our annual financial statements and review of the financial statements included in our Forms 10-K and 10-Q or services that are normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements.
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“Audit-Related Fees” consisted of fees billed for assurance and related services by the principal accountant that were reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under the paragraph captioned “Audit Fees” above. During our fiscal years ended December 31, 2024, there were no such fees billed by Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P. During our fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P. billed us $8,095 for services related to consent procedures for the use of its audit opinion in the Company’s filing of a Registration Statement on Form S-3 that incorporated by reference the Company’s audited financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 and also billed us $19,885 related to a underwriter “comfort” letter relating to the same Registration Statement.
“Tax Fees” consisted of fees billed for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for tax returns preparation. During our fiscal years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, there were no such fees billed by Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P.
“All Other Fees” consisted of fees billed for products and services provided by the principal accountant, other than the services reported above under other captions above. During our fiscal years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, there were no such fees billed by Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P.
Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
The audit committee’s policy is that all audit and non-audit services provided by its independent registered public accounting firm shall either be approved before the independent registered public accounting firm is engaged for the particular services or shall be rendered pursuant to pre-approval procedures established by the Audit Committee. These services may include audit services and permissible audit-related services, tax services and other services. Pre-approval spending limits for audit services are established on an annual basis, detailed as to the particular service or category of services to be performed and implemented by our financial officers. Any audit or non-audit service fees that may be incurred by us during a quarter that fall outside the limits pre-approved by the Audit Committee for a particular service or category of services must be reviewed and approved by the Chairperson of the Audit Committee prior to the performance of services. On an annual basis, the Audit Committee reviews and itemizes all fees paid to its independent registered public accounting firm in the prior quarter (including fees approved by the Chairperson of the Audit Committee between regularly scheduled meetings and fees approved by our financial officers pursuant to the pre-approval policies described above) and further reviews and itemizes all fees expected to be paid in the upcoming quarter. The Audit Committee may revise its pre-approval spending limits and policies at any time. None of the fees paid to the independent registered public accounting firm were approved by the Audit Committee after the services were rendered pursuant to the “de minimis” exception established by the SEC for the provision of non-audit services.
PROPOSAL 2: Proposal to approve the FOURTH Amendment to the
NexGel, Inc. 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan to increase the total number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance under such plan
by 780,000 to a total of 1,651,429 shares
Our Board is seeking the approval of our stockholders of an amendment to the 2019 Plan, which was adopted by our Board on December 31, 2024, subject to stockholder approval (the “Fourth Amendment”). The 2019 Plan provides for the granting of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, restricted stock, stock appreciation rights (“SARs”), restricted stock units, performance awards, dividend equivalent rights and other awards, which may be granted singly, in combination, or in tandem, and which may be paid in cash, shares of common stock of the Company or a combination of cash and shares of common stock of the Company. The Fourth Amendment would increase the number of shares of common stock available for issuance pursuant to awards under the 2019 Plan by an additional 780,000 shares, to a total of 1,651,429 shares of our common stock.
We believe that operation of the 2019 Plan is a necessary and powerful tool in enabling us to attract and retain the best available personnel for positions of substantial responsibility; to provide additional incentive to employees, consultants, and directors; and to promote the success of our business. The 2019 Plan is expected to provide flexibility to our compensation methods in order to adapt the compensation of employees, consultants, and directors to a changing business environment, after giving due consideration to competitive conditions and the impact of federal tax laws. We have strived to use our 2019 Plan resources effectively and to maintain an appropriate balance between stockholder interests and the ability to recruit and retain valuable employees. However, we believe that there is an insufficient number of shares remaining under our 2019 Plan to meet our current and projected needs. Accordingly, it is the judgment of our Board that the Fourth Amendment is in the best interest of the Company and its stockholders. We believe that the Fourth Amendment, which increases the number of shares of common stock available for issuance pursuant to awards under the 2019 Plan, reflects best practices in our industry and is appropriate to permit the grant of equity awards at expected levels for the future.
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A copy of the Fourth Amendment and the 2019 Plan, as amended by the first and second amendments, are included as Annex A and Annex B, respectively, to this proxy statement. Described below is a summary of certain key provisions of the 2019 Plan, which is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the 2019 Plan.
The Board recommends that the stockholders vote “FOR” the approval of the Fourth Amendment.
Summary of the Proposed Fourth Amendment
Our Board adopted the Fourth Amendment on December 31, 2024, subject to stockholder approval, to increase the number of shares of our common stock available for issuance pursuant to awards under the 2019 Plan by an additional 780,000 shares, to a total of 1,651,429 shares of common stock.
Description of 2019 Plan
Purpose. The purpose of the 2019 Plan is to enable us to remain competitive and innovative in our ability to attract and retain the services of key employees, key contractors, and outside directors of the Company and our subsidiaries. The 2019 Plan provides for the granting of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights (“SARs”), restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance awards, dividend equivalent rights, other awards, performance goals, and tandem awards which may be granted singly or in combination, or in tandem, and that may be paid in cash, shares of our common stock, or other consideration, or any combination thereof. The 2019 Plan is expected to provide flexibility to our compensation methods in order to adapt the compensation of our key employees, key contractors, and outside directors to a changing business environment, after giving due consideration to competitive conditions and the impact of applicable tax laws.
Effective Date and Expiration. The 2019 Plan was approved by our Board on March 8, 2019 (the “Effective Date”), subject to approval by our stockholders. The 2019 Plan will terminate on the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date, unless earlier terminated by our Board. No award may be granted under the 2019 Plan after its termination date, but awards made prior to the termination date may extend beyond that date in accordance with their terms.
Share Authorization. Subject to certain adjustments, the maximum aggregate number of shares of our common stock that may be delivered pursuant to awards under the 2019 Plan is currently 871,429 shares (assuming our stockholders do not approve the Fourth Amendment), subject to adjustment in certain circumstances to prevent dilution or enlargement as described below. All of the shares available for issuance as an award under the 2019 Plan may be delivered pursuant to incentive stock options.
Shares to be issued under the 2019 Plan may be made available from authorized but unissued shares of our common stock, common stock held in our treasury, or shares purchased by us on the open market or otherwise. During the term of the 2019 Plan, we will at all times reserve and keep enough shares available to satisfy the requirements of the 2019 Plan. Shares underlying awards granted under the 2019 Plan that expire or are forfeited, or terminated without being exercised, or awards that are settled for cash, will again be available for the grant of additional awards within the limits provided by in the 2019 Plan. If previously acquired shares of common stock are delivered to the Company in full or partial payment of the exercise price for the exercise of a stock option granted under the 2019 Plan, the number of shares of common stock available for future awards under the 2019 Plan shall be reduced only by the net number of shares of common stock issued upon exercise of the stock option. Awards that may be satisfied either by the issuance of shares of common stock or by cash or other consideration shall be counted against the maximum number of shares of common stock that may be issued under the 2019 Plan only during the period that the award is outstanding or to the extent the award is ultimately satisfied by the issuance of shares. An award will not reduce the number of shares that may be issued pursuant to the 2019 Plan if the settlement of the award will not require the issuance of shares, such as, for example, SARs that can only be satisfied by the payment of cash. Only shares forfeited back to the us or shares canceled on account of termination, expiration or lapse of an award, shares surrendered in payment of the exercise price of a stock option or shares withheld for payment of applicable employment taxes and/or withholding obligations resulting from the exercise of an option shall again be available for grant as incentive stock options under the 2019 Plan, but shall not increase the maximum number of shares that may be delivered pursuant to incentive stock options.
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Administration. Under the terms of the 2019 Plan, the 2019 Plan will be administered by our Board or such committee of the Board as is designated by the Board to administer the 2019 Plan (the “Committee”), which, to the extent necessary to satisfy the requirements of Rule 16b-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), shall consist entirely of two or more “outside directors” as defined in Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act. At any time there is no Committee to administer the 2019 Plan, any reference to the Committee is a reference to our Board. The Committee will determine the persons to whom awards are to be made; determine the type, size, and terms of awards; interpret the 2019 Plan; establish and revise rules and regulations relating to the 2019 Plan and any sub-plans (including sub-plans for awards made to participants who do not reside in the United States); establish performance goals applicable to awards and certify the extent of their achievement; and make any other determinations that it believes are necessary for the administration of the 2019 Plan. The Committee may delegate certain of its duties to one or more of our officers as provided in the 2019 Plan.
Eligibility. The 2019 Plan provides for awards to the outside directors, officers, employees, and contractors of the Company and our subsidiaries. The Company’s current Section 16 executive officers and each member of our Board are among the individuals eligible to receive awards under the 2019 Plan.
Stock Options. Subject to the terms and provisions of the 2019 Plan, options to purchase shares of our common stock may be granted to eligible individuals at any time and from time to time as determined by the Committee. Stock options may be granted as incentive stock options, which are intended to qualify for favorable treatment to the recipient under federal tax law, or as nonqualified stock options, which do not qualify for such favorable tax treatment. Subject to the limits provided in the 2019 Plan, the Committee determines the number of stock options granted to each recipient. Each stock option grant will be evidenced by a stock option agreement that specifies the stock option’s exercise price, whether the stock options are intended to be incentive stock options or nonqualified stock options, the duration of the stock options, the number of shares to which the stock options pertain, and such additional limitations, terms, and conditions as the Committee may determine.
The Committee determines the exercise price for each stock option granted, except that the exercise price may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the date of grant; provided, however, that if an incentive stock option is granted to an employee who owns or is deemed to own more than 10% of the combined voting power of all classes of our common stock (or of any parent or subsidiary), the exercise price must be at least 110% of the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the date of grant. All stock options granted under the 2019 Plan will expire no later than ten years (or, in the case of an incentive stock option granted to an employee who owns or is deemed to own more than 10% of the combined voting power of all classes of our common stock (or of any parent or subsidiary), five years) from the date of grant. Stock options are nontransferable except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution or, in the case of nonqualified stock options, as otherwise expressly permitted by the Committee. The granting of a stock option does not accord the recipient the rights of a stockholder, and such rights accrue only after the exercise of a stock option and the registration of shares of our common stock in the recipient’s name.
Stock Appreciation Rights. The 2019 Plan authorizes the Committee to grant SARs, either as a separate award or in connection with a stock option. A SAR entitles the holder to receive from us, upon exercise, an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the aggregate fair market value of a specified number of shares of our common stock to which such SAR pertains over the aggregate exercise price for the underlying shares. The exercise price of a SAR shall not be less than 100% of the fair market value of a share of our common stock on the date of grant.
Each SAR will be evidenced by an award agreement that specifies the exercise price, the number of shares to which the SAR pertains, and such additional limitations, terms, and conditions as the Committee may determine. We may make payment of the amount to which the participant exercising SARs is entitled by delivering shares of our common stock, cash, or a combination of stock and cash as set forth in the award agreement relating to the SARs. SARs are not transferable except as expressly permitted by the Committee.
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Restricted Stock. The 2019 Plan provides for the award of shares of our common stock that are subject to forfeiture and restrictions on transferability as set forth in the 2019 Plan, the applicable award agreement, and as may be otherwise determined by the Committee. Except for these restrictions and any others imposed by the Committee, upon the grant of restricted stock, the recipient will have rights of a stockholder with respect to the restricted stock, including the right to vote the restricted stock and to receive all dividends and other distributions paid or made with respect to the restricted stock on such terms as will be set forth in the applicable award agreement; provided, however, such dividends or distributions may, if provided in the applicable award agreement, be withheld by us for a participant’s account until the restrictions lapse with respect to such restricted stock. During the restriction period set by the Committee, the recipient may not sell, transfer, pledge, exchange, or otherwise encumber the restricted stock.
Restricted Stock Units. The 2019 Plan authorizes the Committee to grant restricted stock units. Restricted stock units are not shares of our common stock and do not entitle the recipients to the rights of a stockholder, although the award agreement may provide for rights with respect to dividends or dividend equivalents. The recipient may not sell, transfer, pledge, or otherwise encumber restricted stock units granted under the 2019 Plan prior to their vesting. Restricted stock units will be settled in shares of our common stock, in an amount based on the fair market value of our common stock on the settlement date. If the right to receive dividends on restricted stock units is awarded, then, if provided in the applicable award agreement, such dividends may be withheld by us for a participant’s account until the restrictions lapse with respect to such restricted stock units.
Dividend Equivalent Rights. The Committee may grant a dividend equivalent right either as a component of another award or as a separate award. The terms and conditions of the dividend equivalent right will be specified by the grant and, when granted as a component of another award, may have terms and conditions different from such other award. Dividend equivalent rights granted as a separate award also may be paid currently or may be deemed to be reinvested in additional common stock. Any such reinvestment will be at the fair market value at the time thereof. Dividend equivalent rights may be settled in cash or common stock.
Performance Awards. The Committee may grant performance awards payable at the end of a specified performance period in cash, shares of common stock, or other rights based upon, payable in, or otherwise related to our common stock. Payment will be contingent upon achieving pre-established performance goals (as described below) by the end of the applicable performance period. The Committee will determine the length of the performance period, the maximum payment value of an award, and the minimum performance goals required before payment will be made, so long as such provisions are not inconsistent with the terms of the 2019 Plan, and to the extent an award is subject to Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), are in compliance with the applicable requirements of Section 409A of the Code and any applicable regulations or authoritative guidance issued thereunder. In certain circumstances, the Committee may, in its discretion, determine that the amount payable with respect to certain performance awards will be reduced from the maximum amount of any potential awards. If the Committee determines, in its sole discretion, that the established performance measures or objectives are no longer suitable because of a change in our business, operations, corporate structure, or for other reasons that the Committee deems satisfactory, the Committee may modify the performance measures or objectives and/or the performance period.
Goals. The 2019 Plan provides that performance goals may be established by the Committee in connection with the grant of any award under the 2019 Plan. Such goals shall be based on the attainment of specified levels of one or more business criteria, which may include, without limitation: cash flow; cost; revenues; sales; ratio of debt to debt plus equity; net borrowing, credit quality or debt ratings; profit before tax; economic profit; earnings before interest and taxes; earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; gross margin; earnings per share (whether on a pre-tax, after-tax, operational or other basis); operating earnings; capital expenditures; expenses or expense levels; economic value added; ratio of operating earnings to capital spending or any other operating ratios; free cash flow; net profit; net sales; net asset value per share; the accomplishment of mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, public offerings or similar extraordinary business transactions; sales growth; price of our common stock; return on assets, equity or stockholders’ equity; market share; inventory levels, inventory turn or shrinkage; total return to stockholders; or any other criteria determined by the Committee, in each case with respect to the Company or any one or more of our subsidiaries, divisions, business units, or business segments, either in absolute terms or relative to the performance of one or more other companies (including an index covering multiple companies).
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Other Awards. The Committee may grant other forms of awards, based upon, payable in, or that otherwise relate to, in whole or in part, shares of our common stock, if the Committee determines that such other form of award is consistent with the purpose and restrictions of the 2019 Plan. The terms and conditions of such other form of award shall be specified in the grant. Such other awards may be granted for no cash consideration, for such minimum consideration as may be required by applicable law, or for such other consideration as may be specified in the grant.
Vesting of Awards; Forfeiture; Assignment. Except as otherwise provided below, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may determine that an award will be immediately vested, in whole or in part, or that all or any portion may not be vested until a date, or dates, subsequent to its date of grant, or until the occurrence of one or more specified events, subject in any case to the terms of the 2019 Plan.
The Committee may impose on any award, at the time of grant or thereafter, such additional terms and conditions as the Committee determines, including terms requiring forfeiture of awards in the event of a participant’s termination of service. The Committee will specify the circumstances under which performance awards may be forfeited in the event of a termination of service by a participant prior to the end of a performance period or settlement of awards. Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, restricted stock will be forfeited upon a participant’s termination of service during the applicable restriction period.
Awards granted under the 2019 Plan generally are not assignable or transferable except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, except that the Committee may, in its discretion and pursuant to the terms of an award agreement, permit transfers of nonqualified stock options or SARs to: (i) the spouse (or former spouse), children, or grandchildren of the participant (“Immediate Family Members”); (ii) a trust or trusts for the exclusive benefit of such Immediate Family Members; (iii) a partnership in which the only partners are (a) such Immediate Family Members and/or (b) entities that are controlled by the participant and/or his or her Immediate Family Members; (iv) an entity exempt from federal income tax pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Code or any successor provision; or (v) a split interest trust or pooled income fund described in Section 2522(c)(2) of the Code or any successor provision, provided that (x) there shall be no consideration for any such transfer, (y) the applicable award agreement pursuant to which such nonqualified stock options or SARs are granted must be approved by the Committee and must expressly provide for such transferability, and (z) subsequent transfers of transferred nonqualified stock options or SARs shall be prohibited except those by will or the laws of descent and distribution.
Change in Control. In connection with a change in control, outstanding awards may be converted into new awards, exchanged or substituted for with new awards, or canceled for no consideration, provided participants were given notice and an opportunity to purchase or exercise such awards, or cancelled and cashed out based on the positive difference between the per share amount to be received in connection with the transaction and the purchase/exercise price per share of the award, if any. The description of a change in control and its effects on awards granted under the 2019 Plan is qualified in its entirety by reference to the relevant terms and provisions of the 2019 Plan, which is attached as Annex B to this Proxy Statement.
Recoupment for Restatements. The Company may recoup all or any portion of any shares of our common stock or cash paid to a participant in connection with an award, in the event of a restatement of our financial statements as set forth in our clawback policy as may be in effect from time to time.
Adjustments Upon Changes in Capitalization. In the event that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, shares of our common stock, other securities, or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, rights offering, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, split-off, combination, subdivision, repurchase, or exchange of shares of our common stock or other securities, issuance of warrants or other rights to purchase shares of our common stock or other securities, or other similar corporate transaction or event affects the fair market value of an award, the Committee shall adjust any or all of the following so that the fair market value of the award immediately after the transaction or event is equal to the fair market value of the award immediately prior to the transaction or event: (i) the number of shares and type of common stock (or other securities or property) that thereafter may be made the subject of awards; (ii) the number of shares and type of common stock (or other securities or property) subject to outstanding awards; (iii) the exercise price of each outstanding stock option; (iv) the amount, if any, we pay for forfeited shares in accordance with the terms of the 2019 Plan; and (v) the number of or exercise price of shares then subject to outstanding SARs previously granted and unexercised under the 2019 Plan, to the extent that the same proportion of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock in each instance shall remain subject to exercise at the same aggregate exercise price; provided, however, that the number of shares of common stock (or other securities or property) subject to any award shall always be a whole number. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no such adjustment shall be made or authorized to the extent that such adjustment would cause the 2019 Plan or any stock option to violate Section 422 of the Code or Section 409A of the Code. All such adjustments must be made in accordance with the rules of any securities exchange, stock market, or stock quotation system to which we are subject.
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Amendment or Discontinuance of the 2019 Plan. Our Board may, at any time and from time to time, without the consent of participants, alter, amend, revise, suspend, or discontinue the 2019 Plan in whole or in part; provided, however, that (i) no amendment that requires stockholder approval in order for the 2019 Plan and any awards under the 2019 Plan to continue to comply with Sections 421 and 422 of the Code (including any successors to such sections or other applicable law) or any applicable requirements of any securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation system on which our common stock is listed or traded, shall be effective unless such amendment is approved by the requisite vote of our stockholders entitled to vote on the approval of the 2019 Plan; and (ii) unless required by law, no action by our Board regarding amendment or discontinuance of the 2019 Plan may adversely affect any rights of any participants or obligations of the Company to any participants with respect to any outstanding awards under the 2019 Plan without the consent of the affected participant.
Repricing of Stock Options or SARs. The Committee may not “reprice” any stock option or SAR without stockholder approval. For purposes of the 2019 Plan, “reprice” means any of the following or any other action that has the same effect: (a) amending a stock option or SAR to reduce its exercise price; (b) canceling a stock option or SAR at a time when its exercise price exceeds the fair market value of a share of our common stock in exchange for cash or a stock option, SAR, award of restricted stock, or other equity award; or (c) taking any other action that is treated as a repricing under generally accepted accounting principles, provided that nothing will prevent the Committee from (x) making adjustments to awards upon changes in capitalization, (y) exchanging or cancelling awards upon a merger, consolidation, or recapitalization, or (z) substituting awards for awards granted by other entities, to the extent permitted by the 2019 Plan.
Federal Income Tax Consequences
The following is a brief summary of certain federal income tax consequences relating to the transactions described under the 2019 Plan as set forth below. This summary does not purport to address all aspects of federal income taxation and does not describe any potential state, local, or foreign tax consequences. This discussion is based upon provisions of the Code and the applicable Treasury Regulations issued thereunder, as well as judicial and administrative interpretations under the Code and Treasury Regulations, all as in effect as of the date hereof, and all of which are subject to change (possibly on a retroactive basis) or different interpretation.
Law Affecting Deferred Compensation. In 2004, Section 409A was added to the Code to regulate all types of deferred compensation. If the requirements of Section 409A of the Code are not satisfied, deferred compensation and earnings thereon will be subject to tax as it vests, plus (i) an interest charge at the then-current underpayment rate plus 1% and (ii) a 20% penalty tax. Certain performance awards, stock options, SARs, restricted stock units, and certain types of restricted stock are subject to Section 409A of the Code.
Incentive Stock Options. A participant will not recognize income at the time an incentive stock option is granted. When a participant exercises an incentive stock option, a participant also generally will not be required to recognize income (either as ordinary income or capital gain). However, to the extent that the fair market value (determined as of the date of grant) of the shares with respect to which the participant’s incentive stock options are exercisable for the first time during any year exceeds $100,000, the incentive stock options for the shares over $100,000 will be treated as nonqualified stock options, and not incentive stock options, for federal tax purposes, and the participant will recognize income as if the incentive stock options were nonqualified stock options (discussed below). In addition to the foregoing, if the fair market value of the shares received upon exercise of an incentive stock option exceeds the exercise price, then the excess may be deemed a tax preference adjustment for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax calculation. The federal alternative minimum tax may produce significant tax repercussions depending upon the participant’s particular tax status.
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The tax treatment of any shares acquired by exercise of an incentive stock option will depend upon whether the participant disposes of his or her shares prior to the later of: (i) two years after the date the incentive stock option was granted and (ii) one year after the shares were transferred to the participant (referred to as, the “Holding Period”). If a participant disposes of shares acquired by exercise of an incentive stock option after the expiration of the Holding Period, any amount received in excess of the participant’s tax basis for such shares will be treated as a short-term or long-term capital gain, depending upon how long the participant has held the shares. If the amount received is less than the participant’s tax basis for such shares, the loss will be treated as a short-term or long-term capital loss, depending upon how long the participant has held the shares. If the participant disposes of shares acquired by exercise of an incentive stock option prior to the expiration of the Holding Period, the disposition will be considered a “disqualifying disposition.” If the amount received for the shares is greater than the fair market value of the shares on the exercise date, then the difference between the incentive stock option’s exercise price and the fair market value of the shares at the time of exercise will be treated as ordinary income for the tax year in which the disqualifying disposition occurs. The participant’s basis in the shares will be increased by an amount equal to the amount treated as ordinary income due to such disqualifying disposition. In addition, the amount received in such disqualifying disposition over the participant’s increased basis in the shares will be treated as capital gain. However, if the price received for shares acquired by exercise of an incentive stock option is less than the fair market value of the shares on the exercise date and the disposition is a transaction in which the participant sustains a loss that otherwise would be recognizable under the Code, then the amount of ordinary income that the participant will recognize is the excess, if any, of the amount realized on the disqualifying disposition over the basis in the shares.
Nonqualified Stock Options. A participant generally will not recognize income at the time a nonqualified stock option is granted. When a participant exercises a nonqualified stock option, the difference between the exercise price and any higher market value of the shares of common stock on the date of exercise will be treated as compensation taxable as ordinary income to the participant. The participant’s tax basis for the shares acquired under a nonqualified stock option will be equal to the exercise price paid for such shares, plus any amounts included in the participant’s taxable income as compensation. When a participant disposes of shares acquired by exercise of a nonqualified stock option, any amount received in excess of the participant’s tax basis for such shares will be treated as short-term or long-term capital gain, depending upon how long the participant has held the shares. If the amount received is less than the participant’s tax basis for such shares, the loss will be treated as a short-term or long-term capital loss, depending upon how long the participant has held the shares.
Special Rule if Exercise Price is Paid for in Shares. If a participant pays the exercise price of a nonqualified stock option with previously-owned shares of our common stock and the transaction is not a disqualifying disposition of shares previously acquired under an incentive stock option, the shares received equal to the number of shares surrendered are treated as having been received in a tax-free exchange. The participant’s tax basis and holding period for these shares received will be equal to the participant’s tax basis and holding period for the shares surrendered. The number of shares received in excess of the number of shares surrendered will be treated as compensation taxable as ordinary income to the participant to the extent of their fair market value. The participant’s tax basis in these shares will be equal to their fair market value on the date of exercise, and the participant’s holding period for such shares will begin on the date of exercise.
If the use of previously acquired shares to pay the exercise price of a nonqualified stock option constitutes a disqualifying disposition of shares previously acquired under an incentive stock option, the participant will have ordinary income as a result of the disqualifying disposition in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of the shares surrendered, determined at the time such shares were originally acquired upon exercise of the incentive stock option, over the aggregate exercise price paid for such shares. As discussed above, a disqualifying disposition of shares previously acquired under an incentive stock option occurs when the participant disposes of such shares before the end of the holding period. The other tax results from paying the exercise price with previously-owned shares are as described above, except that the participant’s tax basis in the shares that are treated as having been received in a tax-free exchange will be increased by the amount of ordinary income recognized by the participant as a result of the disqualifying disposition.
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Restricted Stock. A participant who receives restricted stock generally will recognize as ordinary income the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the shares granted as restricted stock at such time as the shares are no longer subject to forfeiture or restrictions, over the amount paid, if any, by the participant for such shares. However, a participant who receives unvested restricted stock may make an election under Section 83(b) of the Code within 30 days of the date of transfer of the shares to recognize ordinary income on the date of transfer of the shares equal to the excess of the fair market value of such shares (determined without regard to the restrictions on such shares) over the purchase price, if any, paid for such shares. If a participant does not make an election under Section 83(b) of the Code, then the participant will recognize as ordinary income any dividends received with respect to such shares. At the time of the sale of such shares, any gain or loss realized by the participant will be treated as either short-term or long-term capital gain or loss depending upon how long the participant has held the shares. For purposes of determining any gain or loss realized, the participant’s tax basis will be the amount previously taxable as ordinary income, plus the purchase price paid by the participant, if any, for such shares.
Stock Appreciation Rights. Generally, a participant who receives a stand-alone SAR will not recognize taxable income at the time the stand-alone SAR is granted, provided that the SAR is exempt from or complies with Section 409A of the Code. If an individual receives the appreciation inherent in the SARs in cash, the cash will be taxed as ordinary income to the recipient at the time it is received. If a recipient receives the appreciation inherent in the SARs in stock, the spread between the then-current market value and the grant price, if any, will be taxed as ordinary income to the participant at the time it is received. In general, there will be no federal income tax deduction allowed to us upon the grant or termination of SARs. However, upon the exercise of a SAR, we will be entitled to a deduction equal to the amount of ordinary income the recipient is required to recognize as a result of the exercise.
Other Awards. In the case of an award of restricted stock units, performance awards, dividend equivalent rights, or other stock-based or cash awards, the recipient will generally recognize ordinary income in an amount equal to any cash received and the fair market value of any shares received on the date of payment or delivery, provided that the award is exempt from or complies with Section 409A of the Code. In that taxable year, we will receive a federal income tax deduction in an amount equal to the ordinary income which the participant has recognized as to such other awards.
Federal Tax Withholding. Any ordinary income realized by a participant upon the granting, vesting, exercise, or conversion of an award under the 2019 Plan, as applicable, is subject to withholding of federal, state, and local income tax and to withholding of the participant’s share of tax under the Federal Insurance Contribution Act and the Federal Unemployment Tax Act, if applicable. To satisfy our federal income tax withholding requirements, we (or, if applicable, any of our subsidiaries) will have the right to require, as a condition to delivery of any certificate for shares of our common stock or the registration of the shares in the participant’s name, that the participant remit to us an amount sufficient to satisfy the withholding requirements. Alternatively, we may, if we consent, withhold a portion of the shares (valued at fair market value) that otherwise would be issued to the participant to satisfy all or part of the withholding tax obligations or may, if we consent, accept delivery of shares (that the participant has not acquired from us within six months prior to the date of exercise) with an aggregate fair market value that equals or exceeds the required tax withholding payment. Withholding does not represent an increase in the participant’s total income tax obligation because it is fully credited toward his or her tax liability for the year. Additionally, withholding does not affect the participant’s tax basis in the shares. Compensation income realized and taxes withheld will be reflected on Forms W-2 supplied by us to employees no later than January 31st of the succeeding year. Deferred compensation that is subject to Section 409A of the Code will also be subject to certain federal income tax withholding and reporting requirements.
Tax Consequences to Us. To the extent a participant recognizes ordinary income in the circumstances described above, we will be entitled to a corresponding deduction, provided that, among other things, the income meets the test of reasonableness, is an ordinary and necessary business expense, is not an “excess parachute payment” within the meaning of Section 280G of the Code, and is not disallowed by the $1,000,000 limitation on certain executive compensation under Section 162(m) of the Code.
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Million Dollar Deduction Limit and Other Tax Matters. We may not deduct compensation of more than $1,000,000 that is paid to “covered employees” (as defined in Section 162(m) of the Code), which include (i) an individual (or, in certain circumstances, his or her beneficiaries) who, at any time during the taxable year, is either our principal executive officer or principal financial officer; (ii) an individual who is among our three highest compensated officers for the taxable year (other than an individual who was either our principal executive officer or principal financial officer at any time during the taxable year); or (iii) anyone who was a covered employee for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Code for any tax year beginning on or after January 1, 2017. This limitation on deductions (x) only applies to compensation paid by a publicly-traded corporation (and not compensation paid by non-corporate entities) and (z) may not apply to certain types of compensation, such as qualified performance-based compensation that is payable pursuant to a written, binding contract that was in effect as of November 2, 2017, so long as the contract is not materially modified after that date.
If an individual’s rights under the 2019 Plan are accelerated as a result of a change in control and the individual is a “disqualified individual” under Section 280G of the Code, the value of any such accelerated rights received by such individual may be included in determining whether such individual has received an “excess parachute payment” under Section 280G of the Code, which could result in (i) the imposition of a 20% federal excise tax (in addition to federal income and employment taxes, if applicable) payable by the individual on the value of such accelerated rights and (ii) the loss by us of a corresponding compensation deduction.
The foregoing general tax discussion is intended for the information of stockholders considering how to vote with respect to this proposal and not as tax guidance to participants in the 2019 Plan. Participants are strongly urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the federal, state, local, foreign, and any other tax consequences to them by participating in the 2019 Plan.
Interests of Directors and Officers in the 2019 Plan
All members of our Board and all of our executive officers are eligible for awards under the 2019 Plan and, thus, have a personal interest in the approval of the 2019 Plan.
Vote Required
The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting entitled to vote on such proposal is required for the approval of the 2019 Plan.
| The Board recommends that a vote FOR approval of the Fourth Amendment to the 2019 Plan. |
PROPOSAL 3: ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, or the Dodd-Frank Act, enables our stockholders to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement in accordance with the SEC’s rules. The proposal, commonly known as a “say-on-pay” proposal, is required under Section 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (which was put in place by the Dodd-Frank Act) and gives our stockholders the opportunity to express their views on the Company’s executive compensation. Because this vote is an advisory vote, this proposal is not binding upon the Company, our board of directors or the compensation committee; however, the compensation committee, which is responsible for designing and administering the Company’s executive compensation program, values the opinions expressed by stockholders in their vote on this proposal. To the extent there is any significant vote against the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement, we will consider our stockholders’ concerns and the compensation committee will evaluate whether any actions are necessary to address these concerns.
As described in detail under the heading “Compensation Philosophy and Practices,” the goals of our compensation program are to ensure that executive compensation rewards management for helping us achieve our corporate goals (increased sales, profitability, etc.) and align management’s overall goals and objectives with those of our stockholders. To achieve these goals, our board of directors and, going forward, our compensation committee, aims to:
| ● | provide a competitive compensation package that enables us to attract and retain qualified management personnel; |
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| ● | provide incentives that reward the achievement of performance goals that directly correlate to the enhancement of stockholder value and facilitate executive retention; | |
| ● | reward our officers fairly for their role in our achievements; and | |
| ● | align executives’ interests with those of stockholders through long-term incentives linked to specific performance. |
We are asking our stockholders to indicate their support for our named executive officer compensation program as described in this Proxy Statement in accordance with the compensation disclosure rules of the SEC. This vote is not intended to address any specific item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of our named executive officers and the philosophy, policies and practices described in this Proxy Statement. Accordingly, we ask our stockholders to vote “FOR” the following resolution at the Annual Meeting:
“RESOLVED, that the stockholders approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in the Compensation Philosophy and Practices, the accompanying compensation tables, and the related narrative disclosure in the Company’s proxy statement for the 2025 annual meeting.”
As further described in “Proposal 4: Advisory Vote on the Frequency of Future Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation,” the board of directors is asking the Company’s stockholders to vote at the Annual Meeting on a proposal regarding the frequency of the vote on future Say-on-Pay proposals as required by Section 14A. Subject to adoption by the board of directors of a different frequency for an advisory vote on executive compensation in accordance with the recommendation of the Company’s stockholders pursuant to “Proposal No. 4 - Advisory Vote on the Frequency of Future Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation” or otherwise, we currently expect to hold future advisory votes on executive compensation every three years, and the next “say-on-pay” vote is expected to occur at the annual meeting of our stockholders in 2028.
Vote Required
The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of our voting securities represented in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting entitled to vote on such proposal that vote for or against such proposal is required to approve the advisory vote on executive compensation. This is a non-binding advisory vote.
| The Board recommends a vote FOR the advisory vote on executive compensation disclosed in the Compensation Philosophy and Practices, the accompanying compensation tables, and the related narrative disclosure. |
PROPOSAL 4: ADVISORY VOTE ON THE FREQUENCY OF FUTURE ADVISORY VOTES ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The Dodd-Frank Act also provides that stockholders must be given the opportunity to vote, on a non-binding, advisory basis, for their preference as to how frequently we should seek future advisory votes on the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in accordance with the compensation disclosure rules of the SEC, which we refer to as an advisory vote on executive compensation. By voting with respect to this proposal, stockholders may indicate whether they would prefer that we conduct future advisory votes on executive compensation once every one, two, or three years. Stockholders also may, if they wish, abstain from casting a vote on this proposal.
The board of directors believes that a frequency of “every three years” for the advisory vote on executive compensation is the optimal interval for conducting and responding to a “say on pay” vote. In determining to recommend that stockholders vote for a frequency of once every three years, the board considered how an advisory vote at this frequency will provide our stockholders with sufficient time to evaluate the effectiveness of our overall compensation philosophy, policies and practices in the context of our long-term business results for the corresponding period, while avoiding over-emphasis on short-term variations in compensation and business results. An advisory vote occurring once every three years will also permit our stockholders to observe and evaluate the impact of any changes to our executive compensation policies and practices that have occurred since the last advisory vote on executive compensation, including changes made in response to the outcome of a prior advisory vote on executive compensation. We will continue to engage with our stockholders regarding our executive compensation program during the period between advisory votes on executive compensation. Stockholders who have concerns about executive compensation during the interval between “say on pay” votes are welcome to bring their specific concerns to the attention of the board of directors. Please refer to “Corporate Governance—Communications with the Board of Directors” in this Proxy Statement for information about communicating with the board.
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Although this advisory vote on the frequency of the “say on pay” vote is non-binding, the board of directors and the compensation committee will take into account the outcome of the vote when considering the frequency of future advisory votes on executive compensation.
Vote Required
For the advisory vote on how frequently our stockholders should vote on the compensation of our named executive officers, the number of years (1, 2 or 3) that receives the highest number of votes will be deemed to be preferred by our stockholders. This is a non-binding advisory vote.
| The Board recommends a vote FOR the option of “every three years” for future advisory votes on executive compensation. |
PROPOSAL 5: RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF
TURNER, STONE & COMPANY, L.L.P. AS OUR
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR THE 2025 FISCAL YEAR
The Audit Committee of the Board has selected Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P. as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025, and the Board has directed that management submit the selection of independent registered public accountants for ratification by the stockholders at the Annual Meeting.
Stockholder ratification of the selection of Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P. as our independent registered public accounting firm is not required by our Bylaws or otherwise. However, the Board is submitting the selection of Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P. to the stockholders for ratification as a matter of good corporate practice. If the stockholders fail to ratify the selection, the Audit Committee will reconsider whether or not to retain Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P. Even if the selection is ratified, the Audit Committee, at its discretion, may direct the appointment of a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if it determines that such a change would be in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.
Required Vote and Board Recommendation
The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present cast for or against the proposal is required to ratify the appointment of Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P. as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025. If your shares are held by a broker and you do not give the broker specific instructions on how to vote your shares, your broker may vote your shares at its discretion. Abstentions will have no effect on the outcome of the vote on this proposal.
| The Board recommends a vote FOR the ratification of Turner, Stone & Company, L.L.P. as our independent registered public accounting firm for the 2025 fiscal year. |
OTHER BUSINESS
The Board knows of no other business to be brought before the Annual Meeting. If, however, any other business should properly come before the Annual Meeting, the persons named in the accompanying proxy will vote the proxy in accordance with applicable law and as they may deem appropriate in their discretion, unless directed by the proxy to do otherwise.
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SUBMISSION OF FUTURE STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS
Pursuant to our Amended and Restated Bylaws (“Restated Bylaws”), stockholders who wish to submit proposals to be considered or to nominate persons for election to the Board of Directors at the 2026 Annual Meeting must be a stockholder of record, both when they give us notice and at the 2026 Annual Meeting, must be entitled to vote at the 2026 Annual Meeting, and must comply with the notice provisions in our Restated Bylaws. A stockholder’s notice must be delivered to our Secretary at c/o NexGel, Inc., 2150 Cabot Blvd West, Suite B, Langhorne, Pennsylvania 19047 not less than 45 nor more than 75 days before the one-year anniversary of the date on which we first mailed its proxy materials or a notice of availability of proxy materials (whichever is earlier) for the preceding year’s annual meeting. For our 2026 Annual Meeting, the notice must be delivered between February 14, 2026 and March 16, 2026. However, if our 2026 Annual Meeting is not within 30 days prior to or 60 days after June 17, 2026, the notice must be delivered no later than the close of business on the 10th day following the earlier of the day on which the first public announcement of the date of the 2026 Annual Meeting or 120 days prior to such meeting but not later than 90 days prior to such meeting. The public announcement of an adjournment or postponement of the 2026 Annual Meeting will not trigger a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a stockholder notice as described in this proxy statement. The stockholder’s notice must be updated and supplemented as set forth in our Restated Bylaws.
A copy of our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended, is available without charge (except for exhibits, which are available upon payment of a reasonable fee) upon written request to NexGel, Inc., Attention: Secretary, 2150 Cabot Blvd West, Suite B, Langhorne, Pennsylvania 19047.
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Annex A
FOURTH AMENDMENT
TO THE
NEXGEL, INC. 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan
This FOURTH AMENDMENT TO THE NEXGEL, INC. 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan (this “Amendment”), effective as of , 2025, is made and entered into by NexGel, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”). Terms used in this Amendment with initial capital letters that are not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the NexGel, Inc. 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended (the “Plan”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, Article 9 of the Plan provides that the Board may amend the Plan at any time; and
WHEREAS, the Board desires to amend the Plan, to increase the number of shares of Common Stock that may be delivered pursuant to Awards under the Plan by an additional seven hundred eighty thousand (780,000).
NOW, THEREFORE, in accordance with Section 18 of the Plan the Company hereby amends the Plan as follows:
1. The first of Section 5.1 of the Plan is hereby amended by deleting said section in its entirety and substituting in lieu thereof the following new Section 5.1:
5.1 Number Available for Awards. Subject to adjustment as provided in Articles 11 and 12, the maximum number of shares of Common Stock that may be delivered pursuant to Awards granted under the Plan is one million six hundred fifty-one thousand four hundred and twenty-nine (1,651,429) shares, of which one hundred percent (100%) may be delivered pursuant to Incentive Stock Options.
2. Except as expressly amended by this Amendment, the Plan shall continue in full force and effect in accordance with the provisions thereof.
[Remainder of Page Intentionally Left Blank;
Signature Page Follows.]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Amendment to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
| NEXGEL, INC. | |||
| By: | |||
| Name: | |||
| Title: | |||
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Annex B
NEXGEL, INC.
2019 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN
(as amended)
The NexGel, Inc. 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended (the “Plan”), was adopted by the Board of Directors of NexGel, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), effective as of March 8, 2019 (the “Effective Date”), subject to approval by the Company’s stockholders.
ARTICLE 1
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Plan is to attract and retain the services of key Employees, key Contractors, and Outside Directors of the Company and its Subsidiaries and to provide such persons with a proprietary interest in the Company through the granting of Incentive Stock Options, Nonqualified Stock Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Awards, Dividend Equivalent Rights, and Other Awards, whether granted singly, or in combination, or in tandem, that will:
(a) increase the interest of such persons in the Company’s welfare;
(b) furnish an incentive to such persons to continue their services for the Company or its Subsidiaries; and
(c) provide a means through which the Company may attract able persons as Employees, Contractors, and Outside Directors.
With respect to Reporting Participants, the Plan and all transactions under the Plan are intended to comply with all applicable conditions of Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act. To the extent any provision of the Plan or action by the Committee fails to so comply, such provision or action shall be deemed null and void ab initio, to the extent permitted by law and deemed advisable by the Committee.
ARTICLE 2
DEFINITIONS
For the purpose of the Plan, unless the context requires otherwise, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
2.1 “Applicable Law” means all legal requirements relating to the administration of equity incentive plans and the issuance and distribution of shares of Common Stock, if any, under applicable corporate laws, applicable securities laws, the rules of any exchange or inter-dealer quotation system upon which the Company’s securities are listed or quoted, the rules of any foreign jurisdiction applicable to Incentives granted to residents therein, and any other applicable law, rule or restriction.
2.2 “Authorized Officer” is defined in Section 3.2(b) hereof.
2.3 “Award” means the grant of any Incentive Stock Option, Nonqualified Stock Option, Restricted Stock, SAR, Restricted Stock Unit, Performance Award, Dividend Equivalent Right or Other Award, whether granted singly or in combination or in tandem (each individually referred to herein as an “Incentive”).
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2.4 “Award Agreement” means a written agreement between a Participant and the Company which sets out the terms of the grant of an Award.
2.5 “Award Period” means the period set forth in the Award Agreement during which one or more Incentives granted under an Award may be exercised.
2.6 “Board” means the board of directors of the Company.
2.7 “Change in Control” means any of the following, except as otherwise provided herein: (i) any consolidation, merger or share exchange of the Company in which the Company is not the continuing or surviving corporation or pursuant to which shares of the Company’s Common Stock would be converted into cash, securities or other property, other than a consolidation, merger or share exchange of the Company in which the holders of the Company’s Common Stock immediately prior to such transaction have the same proportionate ownership of Common Stock of the surviving corporation immediately after such transaction; (ii) any sale, lease, exchange or other transfer (excluding transfer by way of pledge or hypothecation) in one transaction or a series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company; (iii) the stockholders of the Company approve any plan or proposal for the liquidation or dissolution of the Company; (iv) the cessation of control (by virtue of their not constituting a majority of directors) of the Board by the individuals (the “Continuing Directors”) who (x) at the date of this Plan were directors or (y) become directors after the date of this Plan and whose election or nomination for election by the Company’s stockholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds (2/3rds) of the directors then in office who were directors at the date of this Plan or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved; (v) the acquisition of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) of an aggregate of fifty percent (50%) or more of the voting power of the Company’s outstanding voting securities by any person or group (as such term is used in Rule 13d-5 under the Exchange Act) who beneficially owned less than fifty percent (50%) of the voting power of the Company’s outstanding voting securities on the date of this Plan; provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing, an acquisition shall not constitute a Change in Control hereunder if the acquirer is (x) a trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company and acting in such capacity, (y) a Subsidiary of the Company or a corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of voting securities of the Company or (z) any other person whose acquisition of shares of voting securities is approved in advance by a majority of the Continuing Directors; or (vi) in a Title 11 bankruptcy proceeding, the appointment of a trustee or the conversion of a case involving the Company to a case under Chapter 7.
Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.7, if an Award issued under the Plan is subject to Section 409A of the Code, then an event shall not constitute a Change in Control for purposes of such Award under the Plan unless such event also constitutes a change in the Company’s ownership, its effective control or the ownership of a substantial portion of its assets within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code.
2.8 “Claim” means any claim, liability or obligation of any nature, arising out of or relating to this Plan or an alleged breach of this Plan or an Award Agreement.
2.9 “Code” means the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
2.10 “Committee” means the committee appointed or designated by the Board to administer the Plan in accordance with Article 3 of this Plan.
2.11 “Common Stock” means the common stock, par value $0.001 per share, which the Company is currently authorized to issue or may in the future be authorized to issue, or any securities into which or for which the common stock of the Company may be converted or exchanged, as the case may be, pursuant to the terms of this Plan.
2.12 “Company” means NexGel, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and any successor entity.
2.13 “Contractor” means any natural person, who is not an Employee, rendering bona fide services to the Company or a Subsidiary, with compensation, pursuant to a written independent contractor agreement between such person (or any entity employing such person) and the Company or a Subsidiary, provided that such services are not rendered in connection with the offer or sale of securities in a capital raising transaction and do not directly or indirectly promote or maintain a market for the Company’s securities.
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2.14 “Corporation” means any entity that (i) is defined as a corporation under Section 7701 of the Code and (ii) is the Company or is in an unbroken chain of corporations (other than the Company) beginning with the Company, if each of the corporations other than the last corporation in the unbroken chain owns stock possessing a majority of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other corporations in the chain. For purposes of clause (ii) hereof, an entity shall be treated as a “corporation” if it satisfies the definition of a corporation under Section 7701 of the Code.
2.15 “Date of Grant” means the effective date on which an Award is made to a Participant as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement; provided, however, that solely for purposes of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, the Date of Grant of an Award shall be the date of stockholder approval of the Plan if such date is later than the effective date of such Award as set forth in the Award Agreement.
2.16 “Dividend Equivalent Right” means the right of the holder thereof to receive credits based on the cash dividends that would have been paid on the shares of Common Stock specified in the Award if such shares were held by the Participant to whom the Award is made.
2.17 “Employee” means a common law employee (as defined in accordance with the Regulations and Revenue Rulings then applicable under Section 3401(c) of the Code) of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company; provided, however, that in the case of individuals whose employment status, by virtue of their employer or residence, is not determined under Section 3401(c) of the Code, “Employee” shall mean an individual treated as an employee for local payroll tax or employment purposes by the applicable employer under Applicable Law for the relevant period.
2.18 “Exchange Act” means the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
2.19 “Executive Officer” means an officer of the Company or a Subsidiary subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act.
2.20 “Exercise Date” is defined in Section 8.3(b) hereof.
2.21 “Exercise Notice” is defined in Section 8.3(b) hereof.
2.22 “Fair Market Value” means, as of a particular date, (a) if the shares of Common Stock are listed on any established national securities exchange, the closing sales price per share of Common Stock on the consolidated transaction reporting system for the principal securities exchange for the Common Stock on that date, or, if there shall have been no such sale so reported on that date, on the last preceding date on which such a sale was so reported; (b) if the shares of Common Stock are not so listed, but are quoted on an automated quotation system, the closing sales price per share of Common Stock reported on the automated quotation system on that date, or, if there shall have been no such sale so reported on that date, on the last preceding date on which such a sale was so reported; (c) if the Common Stock is not so listed or quoted, the mean between the closing bid and asked price on that date, or, if there are no quotations available for such date, on the last preceding date on which such quotations shall be available, as reported by the National Association of Securities Dealer, Inc.’s OTC Bulletin Board or the Pink OTC Markets, Inc. (previously known as the National Quotation Bureau, Inc.); or (d) if none of the above is applicable, such amount as may be determined by the Committee (acting on the advice of an Independent Third Party, should the Committee elect in its sole discretion to utilize an Independent Third Party for this purpose), in good faith, to be the fair market value per share of Common Stock. The determination of Fair Market Value shall, where applicable, be in compliance with Section 409A of the Code.
2.23 “Immediate Family Members” is defined in Section 15.8 hereof.
2.24 “Incentive” is defined in Section 2.3 hereof.
2.25 “Incentive Stock Option” means an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code, granted pursuant to this Plan.
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2.26 “Independent Third Party” means an individual or entity independent of the Company having experience in providing investment banking or similar appraisal or valuation services and with expertise generally in the valuation of securities or other property for purposes of this Plan. The Committee may utilize one or more Independent Third Parties.
2.27 “Nonqualified Stock Option” means a nonqualified stock option, granted pursuant to this Plan, which is not an Incentive Stock Option.
2.28 “Option Price” means the price which must be paid by a Participant upon exercise of a Stock Option to purchase a share of Common Stock.
2.29 “Other Award” means an Award issued pursuant to Section 6.9 hereof.
2.30 “Outside Director” means a director of the Company who is not an Employee or a Contractor.
2.31 “Participant” means an Employee, Contractor or an Outside Director to whom an Award is granted under this Plan.
2.32 “Performance Award” means an Award hereunder of cash, shares of Common Stock, units or rights based upon, payable in, or otherwise related to, Common Stock pursuant to Section 6.7 hereof.
2.33 “Performance Goal” means any of the Performance Criteria set forth in Section 6.10 hereof.
2.34 “Plan” means this NexGel, Inc. 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as amended from time to time.
2.35 “Reporting Participant” means a Participant who is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 16 of the Exchange Act.
2.36 “Restricted Stock” means shares of Common Stock issued or transferred to a Participant pursuant to Section 6.4 of this Plan which are subject to restrictions or limitations set forth in this Plan and in the related Award Agreement.
2.37 “Restricted Stock Units” means units awarded to Participants pursuant to Section 6.6 hereof, which are convertible into Common Stock at such time as such units are no longer subject to restrictions as established by the Committee.
2.38 “Restriction Period” is defined in Section 6.4(b)(i) hereof.
2.39 “Retirement” means any Termination of Service solely due to retirement upon or after attainment of age sixty-five (65), or permitted early retirement as determined by the Committee.
2.40 “SAR” or “Stock Appreciation Right” means the right to receive an amount, in cash and/or Common Stock, equal to the excess of the Fair Market Value of a specified number of shares of Common Stock as of the date the SAR is exercised (or, as provided in the Award Agreement, converted) over the SAR Price for such shares.
2.41 “SAR Price” means the exercise price or conversion price of each share of Common Stock covered by a SAR, determined on the Date of Grant of the SAR.
2.42 “Spread” is defined in Section 12.4(b) hereof.
2.43 “Stock Option” means a Nonqualified Stock Option or an Incentive Stock Option.
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2.44 “Subsidiary” means (i) any corporation in an unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the Company, if each of the corporations other than the last corporation in the unbroken chain owns stock possessing a majority of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other corporations in the chain, (ii) any limited partnership, if the Company or any corporation described in item (i) above owns a majority of the general partnership interest and a majority of the limited partnership interests entitled to vote on the removal and replacement of the general partner, and (iii) any partnership or limited liability company, if the partners or members thereof are composed only of the Company, any corporation listed in item (i) above or any limited partnership listed in item (ii) above. “Subsidiaries” means more than one of any such corporations, limited partnerships, partnerships or limited liability companies.
2.45 “Termination of Service” occurs when a Participant who is (i) an Employee of the Company or any Subsidiary ceases to serve as an Employee of the Company and its Subsidiaries, for any reason; (ii) an Outside Director of the Company or a Subsidiary ceases to serve as a director of the Company and its Subsidiaries for any reason; or (iii) a Contractor of the Company or a Subsidiary ceases to serve as a Contractor of the Company and its Subsidiaries for any reason. Except as may be necessary or desirable to comply with applicable federal or state law, a “Termination of Service” shall not be deemed to have occurred when a Participant who is an Employee becomes an Outside Director or Contractor or vice versa. If, however, a Participant who is an Employee and who has an Incentive Stock Option ceases to be an Employee but does not suffer a Termination of Service, and if that Participant does not exercise the Incentive Stock Option within the time required under Section 422 of the Code upon ceasing to be an Employee, the Incentive Stock Option shall thereafter become a Nonqualified Stock Option. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.45, in the event an Award issued under the Plan is subject to Section 409A of the Code, then, in lieu of the foregoing definition and to the extent necessary to comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, the definition of “Termination of Service” for purposes of such Award shall be the definition of “separation from service” provided for under Section 409A of the Code and the regulations or other guidance issued thereunder.
2.46 “Total and Permanent Disability” means a Participant is qualified for long-term disability benefits under the Company’s or Subsidiary’s disability plan or insurance policy; or, if no such plan or policy is then in existence or if the Participant is not eligible to participate in such plan or policy, that the Participant, because of a physical or mental condition resulting from bodily injury, disease, or mental disorder, is unable to perform his or her duties of employment for a period of six (6) continuous months, as determined in good faith by the Committee, based upon medical reports or other evidence satisfactory to the Committee; provided that, with respect to any Incentive Stock Option, Total and Permanent Disability shall have the meaning given it under the rules governing Incentive Stock Options under the Code. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.46, in the event an Award issued under the Plan is subject to Section 409A of the Code, then, in lieu of the foregoing definition and to the extent necessary to comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, the definition of “Total and Permanent Disability” for purposes of such Award shall be the definition of “disability” provided for under Section 409A of the Code and the regulations or other guidance issued thereunder.
ARTICLE 3
ADMINISTRATION
3.1 General Administration; Establishment of Committee. Subject to the terms of this Article 3, the Plan shall be administered by the Board or such committee of the Board as is designated by the Board to administer the Plan (the “Committee”). The Committee shall consist of not fewer than two persons. Any member of the Committee may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by resolution of the Board. Any vacancy occurring in the membership of the Committee may be filled by appointment by the Board. At any time there is no Committee to administer the Plan, any references in this Plan to the Committee shall be deemed to refer to the Board.
Membership on the Committee shall be limited to those members of the Board who are “non-employee directors” as defined in Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act. The Committee shall select one of its members to act as its Chairman. A majority of the Committee shall constitute a quorum, and the act of a majority of the members of the Committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the Committee.
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3.2 Designation of Participants and Awards.
(a) The Committee or the Board shall determine and designate from time to time the eligible persons to whom Awards will be granted and shall set forth in each related Award Agreement, where applicable, the Award Period, the Date of Grant, and such other terms, provisions, limitations, and performance requirements, as are approved by the Committee, but not inconsistent with the Plan. The Committee shall determine whether an Award shall include one type of Incentive or two or more Incentives granted in combination or two or more Incentives granted in tandem (that is, a joint grant where exercise of one Incentive results in cancellation of all or a portion of the other Incentive). Although the members of the Committee shall be eligible to receive Awards, all decisions with respect to any Award, and the terms and conditions thereof, to be granted under the Plan to any member of the Committee shall be made solely and exclusively by the other members of the Committee, or if such member is the only member of the Committee, by the Board.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 3.2(a), to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, the Board may, in its discretion and by a resolution adopted by the Board, authorize one or more officers of the Company (an “Authorized Officer”) to (i) designate one or more Employees as eligible persons to whom Nonqualified Stock Options, Incentive Stock Options or SARs will be granted under the Plan, and (ii) determine the number of shares of Common Stock that will be subject to such Nonqualified Stock Options, Incentive Stock Options or SARs; provided, however, that the resolution of the Board granting such authority shall (x) specify the total number of shares of Common Stock that may be made subject to the Nonqualified Stock Options, Incentive Stock Options or SARs, (y) set forth the price or prices (or a formula by which such price or prices may be determined) to be paid for the purchase of the Common Stock subject to such Nonqualified Stock Options, Incentive Stock Options or SARs, and (z) not authorize an officer to designate himself as a recipient of any Award.
3.3 Authority of the Committee. The Committee, in its discretion, shall (i) interpret the Plan and Award Agreements, (ii) prescribe, amend, and rescind any rules and regulations and sub-plans (including sub-plans for Awards made to Participants who are not resident in the United States), as necessary or appropriate for the administration of the Plan, (iii) establish performance goals for an Award and certify the extent of their achievement, and (iv) make such other determinations or certifications and take such other action as it deems necessary or advisable in the administration of the Plan. Any interpretation, determination, or other action made or taken by the Committee shall be final, binding, and conclusive on all interested parties. The Committee’s discretion set forth herein shall not be limited by any provision of the Plan, including any provision which by its terms is applicable notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan to the contrary.
The Committee may delegate to officers of the Company, pursuant to a written delegation, the authority to perform specified functions under the Plan. Any actions taken by any officers of the Company pursuant to such written delegation of authority shall be deemed to have been taken by the Committee.
With respect to restrictions in the Plan that are based on the requirements of Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act, Section 422 of the Code, the rules of any exchange or inter-dealer quotation system upon which the Company’s securities are listed or quoted, or any other Applicable Law, to the extent that any such restrictions are no longer required by Applicable Law, the Committee shall have the sole discretion and authority to grant Awards that are not subject to such mandated restrictions and/or to waive any such mandated restrictions with respect to outstanding Awards.
ARTICLE 4
ELIGIBILITY
Any Employee (including an Employee who is also a director or an officer), Contractor or Outside Director of the Company whose judgment, initiative, and efforts contributed or may be expected to contribute to the successful performance of the Company is eligible to participate in the Plan; provided that only Employees of a Corporation shall be eligible to receive Incentive Stock Options. The Committee, upon its own action, may grant, but shall not be required to grant, an Award to any Employee, Contractor or Outside Director. Awards may be granted by the Committee at any time and from time to time to new Participants, or to then Participants, or to a greater or lesser number of Participants, and may include or exclude previous Participants, as the Committee shall determine. Except as required by this Plan, Awards need not contain similar provisions. The Committee’s determinations under the Plan (including without limitation determinations of which Employees, Contractors or Outside Directors, if any, are to receive Awards, the form, amount and timing of such Awards, the terms and provisions of such Awards and the agreements evidencing same) need not be uniform and may be made by it selectively among Participants who receive, or are eligible to receive, Awards under the Plan.
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ARTICLE 5
SHARES SUBJECT TO PLAN
5.1 Number Available for Awards. Subject to adjustment as provided in Articles 11 and 12, the maximum number of shares of Common Stock that may be delivered pursuant to Awards granted under the Plan is one million six hundred fifty-one thousand four hundred and twenty-nine (1,651,429) shares, of which one hundred percent (100%) may be delivered pursuant to Incentive Stock Options. Subject to adjustment pursuant to Articles 11 and 12, the maximum number of shares of Common Stock with respect to which Stock Options or SARs may be granted to an Executive Officer during any calendar year is one hundred fifteen thousand (115,000) shares of Common Stock. Shares to be issued may be made available from authorized but unissued Common Stock, Common Stock held by the Company in its treasury, or Common Stock purchased by the Company on the open market or otherwise. During the term of this Plan, the Company will at all times reserve and keep available the number of shares of Common Stock that shall be sufficient to satisfy the requirements of this Plan.
5.2 Reuse of Shares. To the extent that any Award under this Plan shall be forfeited, shall expire or be canceled, in whole or in part, then the number of shares of Common Stock covered by the Award or stock option so forfeited, expired or canceled may again be awarded pursuant to the provisions of this Plan. In the event that previously acquired shares of Common Stock are delivered to the Company in full or partial payment of the exercise price for the exercise of a Stock Option granted under this Plan, the number of shares of Common Stock available for future Awards under this Plan shall be reduced only by the net number of shares of Common Stock issued upon the exercise of the Stock Option. Awards that may be satisfied either by the issuance of shares of Common Stock or by cash or other consideration shall be counted against the maximum number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued under this Plan only during the period that the Award is outstanding or to the extent the Award is ultimately satisfied by the issuance of shares of Common Stock. Awards will not reduce the number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued pursuant to this Plan if the settlement of the Award will not require the issuance of shares of Common Stock, as, for example, a SAR that can be satisfied only by the payment of cash. Notwithstanding any provisions of the Plan to the contrary, only shares forfeited back to the Company, shares canceled on account of termination, expiration or lapse of an Award, shares surrendered in payment of the exercise price of a Stock Option or shares withheld for payment of applicable employment taxes and/or withholding obligations resulting from the exercise of an option shall again be available for grant of Incentive Stock Options under the Plan, but shall not increase the maximum number of shares described in Section 5.1 above as the maximum number of shares of Common Stock that may be delivered pursuant to Incentive Stock Options.
ARTICLE 6
GRANT OF AWARDS
6.1 In General.
(a) The grant of an Award shall be authorized by the Committee and shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement setting forth the Incentive or Incentives being granted, the total number of shares of Common Stock subject to the Incentive(s), the Option Price (if applicable), the Award Period, the Date of Grant, and such other terms, provisions, limitations, and performance objectives, as are approved by the Committee, but (i) not inconsistent with the Plan, and (ii) to the extent an Award issued under the Plan is subject to Section 409A of the Code, in compliance with the applicable requirements of Section 409A of the Code and the regulations or other guidance issued thereunder. The Company shall execute an Award Agreement with a Participant after the Committee approves the issuance of an Award. Any Award granted pursuant to this Plan must be granted within ten (10) years of the date of adoption of this Plan by the Board. The Plan shall be submitted to the Company’s stockholders for approval; however, the Committee may grant Awards under the Plan prior to the time of stockholder approval. Any such Award granted prior to such stockholder approval shall be made subject to such stockholder approval. The grant of an Award to a Participant shall not be deemed either to entitle the Participant to, or to disqualify the Participant from, receipt of any other Award under the Plan.
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(b) If the Committee establishes a purchase price for an Award, the Participant must accept such Award within a period of thirty (30) days (or such shorter period as the Committee may specify) after the Date of Grant by executing the applicable Award Agreement and paying such purchase price.
(c) Any Award under this Plan that is settled in whole or in part in cash on a deferred basis may provide for interest equivalents to be credited with respect to such cash payment. Interest equivalents may be compounded and shall be paid upon such terms and conditions as may be specified by the grant.
6.2 Option Price. The Option Price for any share of Common Stock which may be purchased under a Nonqualified Stock Option for any share of Common Stock must be equal to or greater than the Fair Market Value of the share on the Date of Grant. The Option Price for any share of Common Stock which may be purchased under an Incentive Stock Option must be at least equal to the Fair Market Value of the share on the Date of Grant; if an Incentive Stock Option is granted to an Employee who owns or is deemed to own (by reason of the attribution rules of Section 424(d) of the Code) more than ten percent (10%) of the combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company (or any parent or Subsidiary), the Option Price shall be at least one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the Date of Grant.
6.3 Maximum ISO Grants. The Committee may not grant Incentive Stock Options under the Plan to any Employee which would permit the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined on the Date of Grant) of the Common Stock with respect to which Incentive Stock Options (under this and any other plan of the Company and its Subsidiaries) are exercisable for the first time by such Employee during any calendar year to exceed $100,000. To the extent any Stock Option granted under this Plan which is designated as an Incentive Stock Option exceeds this limit or otherwise fails to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option, such Stock Option (or any such portion thereof) shall be a Nonqualified Stock Option. In such case, the Committee shall designate which stock will be treated as Incentive Stock Option stock by causing the issuance of a separate stock certificate and identifying such stock as Incentive Stock Option stock on the Company’s stock transfer records.
6.4 Restricted Stock. If Restricted Stock is granted to or received by a Participant under an Award (including a Stock Option), the Committee shall set forth in the related Award Agreement: (i) the number of shares of Common Stock awarded, (ii) the price, if any, to be paid by the Participant for such Restricted Stock and the method of payment of the price, (iii) the time or times within which such Award may be subject to forfeiture, (iv) specified Performance Goals of the Company, a Subsidiary, any division thereof or any group of Employees of the Company, or other criteria, which the Committee determines must be met in order to remove any restrictions (including vesting) on such Award, and (v) all other terms, limitations, restrictions, and conditions of the Restricted Stock, which shall be consistent with this Plan, to the extent applicable and, to the extent Restricted Stock granted under the Plan is subject to Section 409A of the Code, in compliance with the applicable requirements of Section 409A of the Code and the regulations or other guidance issued thereunder. The provisions of Restricted Stock need not be the same with respect to each Participant.
(a) Legend on Shares. The Company shall electronically register the Restricted Stock awarded to a Participant in the name of such Participant, which shall bear an appropriate legend referring to the terms, conditions, and restrictions applicable to such Restricted Stock, substantially as provided in Section 15.10 of the Plan. No stock certificate or certificates shall be issued with respect to such shares of Common Stock, unless, following the expiration of the Restriction Period (as defined in Section 6.4(b)(i)) without forfeiture in respect of such shares of Common Stock, the Participant requests delivery of the certificate or certificates by submitting a written request to the Committee (or such party designated by the Company) requesting delivery of the certificates. The Company shall deliver the certificates requested by the Participant to the Participant as soon as administratively practicable following the Company’s receipt of such request.
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(b) Restrictions and Conditions. Shares of Restricted Stock shall be subject to the following restrictions and conditions:
(i) Subject to the other provisions of this Plan and the terms of the particular Award Agreements, during such period as may be determined by the Committee commencing on the Date of Grant or the date of exercise of an Award (the “Restriction Period”), the Participant shall not be permitted to sell, transfer, pledge or assign shares of Restricted Stock. Except for these limitations, the Committee may in its sole discretion, remove any or all of the restrictions on such Restricted Stock whenever it may determine that, by reason of changes in Applicable Laws or other changes in circumstances arising after the date of the Award, such action is appropriate.
(ii) Except as provided in sub-paragraph (i) above or in the applicable Award Agreement, the Participant shall have, with respect to his or her Restricted Stock, all of the rights of a stockholder of the Company, including the right to vote the shares, and the right to receive any dividends thereon. Certificates for shares of Common Stock free of restriction under this Plan shall be delivered to the Participant promptly after, and only after, the Restriction Period shall expire without forfeiture in respect of such shares of Common Stock or after any other restrictions imposed on such shares of Common Stock by the applicable Award Agreement or other agreement have expired. Certificates for the shares of Common Stock forfeited under the provisions of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement shall be promptly returned to the Company by the forfeiting Participant. Each Award Agreement shall require that each Participant, in connection with the issuance of a certificate for Restricted Stock, shall endorse such certificate in blank or execute a stock power in form satisfactory to the Company in blank and deliver such certificate and executed stock power to the Company.
(iii) The Restriction Period of Restricted Stock shall commence on the Date of Grant or the date of exercise of an Award, as specified in the Award Agreement, and, subject to Article 12 of the Plan, unless otherwise established by the Committee in the Award Agreement setting forth the terms of the Restricted Stock, shall expire upon satisfaction of the conditions set forth in the Award Agreement; such conditions may provide for vesting based on length of continuous service or such Performance Goals, as may be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.
(iv) Except as otherwise provided in the particular Award Agreement, upon Termination of Service for any reason during the Restriction Period, the nonvested shares of Restricted Stock shall be forfeited by the Participant. In the event a Participant has paid any consideration to the Company for such forfeited Restricted Stock, the Committee shall specify in the Award Agreement that either (i) the Company shall be obligated to, or (ii) the Company may, in its sole discretion, elect to, pay to the Participant, as soon as practicable after the event causing forfeiture, in cash, an amount equal to the lesser of the total consideration paid by the Participant for such forfeited shares or the Fair Market Value of such forfeited shares as of the date of Termination of Service, as the Committee, in its sole discretion shall select. Upon any forfeiture, all rights of a Participant with respect to the forfeited shares of the Restricted Stock shall cease and terminate, without any further obligation on the part of the Company.
6.5 SARs. The Committee may grant SARs to any Participant, either as a separate Award or in connection with a Stock Option. SARs shall be subject to such terms and conditions as the Committee shall impose, provided that such terms and conditions are (i) not inconsistent with the Plan, and (ii) to the extent a SAR issued under the Plan is subject to Section 409A of the Code, in compliance with the applicable requirements of Section 409A of the Code and the regulations or other guidance issued thereunder. The grant of the SAR may provide that the holder may be paid for the value of the SAR either in cash or in shares of Common Stock, or a combination thereof. In the event of the exercise of a SAR payable in shares of Common Stock, the holder of the SAR shall receive that number of whole shares of Common Stock having an aggregate Fair Market Value on the date of exercise equal to the value obtained by multiplying (i) the difference between the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on the date of exercise over the SAR Price as set forth in such SAR (or other value specified in the agreement granting the SAR), by (ii) the number of shares of Common Stock as to which the SAR is exercised, with a cash settlement to be made for any fractional shares of Common Stock. The SAR Price for any share of Common Stock subject to a SAR may be equal to or greater than the Fair Market Value of the share on the Date of Grant. The Committee, in its sole discretion, may place a ceiling on the amount payable upon exercise of a SAR, but any such limitation shall be specified at the time that the SAR is granted.
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6.6 Restricted Stock Units. Restricted Stock Units may be awarded or sold to any Participant under such terms and conditions as shall be established by the Committee, provided, however, that such terms and conditions are (i) not inconsistent with the Plan, and (ii) to the extent a Restricted Stock Unit issued under the Plan is subject to Section 409A of the Code, in compliance with the applicable requirements of Section 409A of the Code and the regulations or other guidance issued thereunder. Restricted Stock Units shall be subject to such restrictions as the Committee determines, including, without limitation, (a) a prohibition against sale, assignment, transfer, pledge, hypothecation or other encumbrance for a specified period; or (b) a requirement that the holder forfeit (or in the case of shares of Common Stock or units sold to the Participant, resell to the Company at cost) such shares or units in the event of Termination of Service during the period of restriction.
6.7 Performance Awards.
(a) The Committee may grant Performance Awards to one or more Participants. The terms and conditions of Performance Awards shall be specified at the time of the grant and may include provisions establishing the performance period, the Performance Goals to be achieved during a performance period, and the maximum or minimum settlement values, provided that such terms and conditions are (i) not inconsistent with the Plan and (ii) to the extent a Performance Award issued under the Plan is subject to Section 409A of the Code, in compliance with the applicable requirements of Section 409A of the Code and the regulations or other guidance issued thereunder. If the Performance Award is to be in shares of Common Stock, the Performance Awards may provide for the issuance of the shares of Common Stock at the time of the grant of the Performance Award or at the time of the certification by the Committee that the Performance Goals for the performance period have been met; provided, however, if shares of Common Stock are issued at the time of the grant of the Performance Award and if, at the end of the performance period, the Performance Goals are not certified by the Committee to have been fully satisfied, then, notwithstanding any other provisions of this Plan to the contrary, the Common Stock shall be forfeited in accordance with the terms of the grant to the extent the Committee determines that the Performance Goals were not met. The forfeiture of shares of Common Stock issued at the time of the grant of the Performance Award due to failure to achieve the established Performance Goals shall be separate from and in addition to any other restrictions provided for in this Plan that may be applicable to such shares of Common Stock. Each Performance Award granted to one or more Participants shall have its own terms and conditions.
If the Committee determines, in its sole discretion, that the established performance measures or objectives are no longer suitable because of a change in the Company’s business, operations, corporate structure, or for other reasons that the Committee deemed satisfactory, the Committee may modify the performance measures or objectives and/or the performance period.
(b) Performance Awards may be valued by reference to the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock or according to any formula or method deemed appropriate by the Committee, in its sole discretion, including, but not limited to, achievement of Performance Goals or other specific financial, production, sales or cost performance objectives that the Committee believes to be relevant to the Company’s business and/or remaining in the employ of the Company or a Subsidiary for a specified period of time. Performance Awards may be paid in cash, shares of Common Stock, or other consideration, or any combination thereof. If payable in shares of Common Stock, the consideration for the issuance of such shares may be the achievement of the performance objective established at the time of the grant of the Performance Award. Performance Awards may be payable in a single payment or in installments and may be payable at a specified date or dates or upon attaining the performance objective. The extent to which any applicable performance objective has been achieved shall be conclusively determined by the Committee.
6.8 Dividend Equivalent Rights. The Committee may grant a Dividend Equivalent Right to any Participant, either as a component of another Award or as a separate Award. The terms and conditions of the Dividend Equivalent Right shall be specified by the grant. Dividend equivalents credited to the holder of a Dividend Equivalent Right may be paid currently or may be deemed to be reinvested in additional shares of Common Stock (which may thereafter accrue additional dividend equivalents). Any such reinvestment shall be at the Fair Market Value at the time thereof. Dividend Equivalent Rights may be settled in cash or shares of Common Stock, or a combination thereof, in a single payment or in installments. A Dividend Equivalent Right granted as a component of another Award may provide that such Dividend Equivalent Right shall be settled upon exercise, settlement, or payment of, or lapse of restrictions on, such other Award, and that such Dividend Equivalent Right granted as a component of another Award may also contain terms and conditions different from such other Award.
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6.9 Other Awards. The Committee may grant to any Participant other forms of Awards, based upon, payable in, or otherwise related to, in whole or in part, shares of Common Stock, if the Committee determines that such other form of Award is consistent with the purpose and restrictions of this Plan. The terms and conditions of such other form of Award shall be specified by the grant. Such Other Awards may be granted for no cash consideration, for such minimum consideration as may be required by Applicable Law, or for such other consideration as may be specified by the grant.
6.10 Performance Goals. Awards of Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Award and Other Awards (whether relating to cash or shares of Common Stock) under the Plan may be made subject to the attainment of Performance Goals relating to one or more business criteria which may consist of one or more or any combination of the following criteria: cash flow; cost; revenues; sales; ratio of debt to debt plus equity; net borrowing, credit quality or debt ratings; profit before tax; economic profit; earnings before interest and taxes; earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; gross margin; earnings per share (whether on a pre-tax, after-tax, operational or other basis); operating earnings; capital expenditures; expenses or expense levels; economic value added; ratio of operating earnings to capital spending or any other operating ratios; free cash flow; net profit; net sales; net asset value per share; the accomplishment of mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, public offerings or similar extraordinary business transactions; sales growth; price of the Company’s Common Stock; return on assets, equity or stockholders’ equity; market share; inventory levels, inventory turn or shrinkage; or total return to stockholders (“Performance Criteria”). Any Performance Criteria may be used to measure the performance of the Company as a whole or any business unit of the Company and may be measured relative to a peer group or index. Any Performance Criteria may include or exclude (i) events that are of an unusual nature or indicate infrequency of occurrence, (ii) gains or losses on the disposition of a business, (iii) changes in tax or accounting regulations or laws, (iv) the effect of a merger or acquisition, as identified in the Company’s quarterly and annual earnings releases, or (v) other similar occurrences. In all other respects, Performance Criteria shall be calculated in accordance with the Company’s financial statements, under generally accepted accounting principles, or under a methodology established by the Committee prior to the issuance of an Award which is consistently applied and identified in the audited financial statements, including footnotes, or the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section of the Company’s annual report.
6.11 Tandem Awards. The Committee may grant two or more Incentives in one Award in the form of a “tandem Award,” so that the right of the Participant to exercise one Incentive shall be canceled if, and to the extent, the other Incentive is exercised. For example, if a Stock Option and a SAR are issued in a tandem Award, and the Participant exercises the SAR with respect to one hundred (100) shares of Common Stock, the right of the Participant to exercise the related Stock Option shall be canceled to the extent of one hundred (100) shares of Common Stock.
ARTICLE 7
AWARD PERIOD; VESTING
7.1 Award Period. Subject to the other provisions of this Plan, the Committee may, in its discretion, provide that an Incentive may not be exercised in whole or in part for any period or periods of time or beyond any date specified in the Award Agreement. Except as provided in the Award Agreement, an Incentive may be exercised in whole or in part at any time during its term. The Award Period for an Incentive shall be reduced or terminated upon Termination of Service. No Incentive granted under the Plan may be exercised at any time after the end of its Award Period. No portion of any Incentive may be exercised after the expiration of ten (10) years from its Date of Grant. However, if an Employee owns or is deemed to own (by reason of the attribution rules of Section 424(d) of the Code) more than ten percent (10%) of the combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company (or any parent or Subsidiary) and an Incentive Stock Option is granted to such Employee, the term of such Incentive Stock Option (to the extent required by the Code at the time of grant) shall be no more than five (5) years from the Date of Grant.
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7.2 Vesting. The Committee, in its sole discretion, may determine that an Incentive will be immediately vested in whole or in part, or that all or any portion may not be vested until a date, or dates, subsequent to its Date of Grant, or until the occurrence of one or more specified events, subject in any case to the terms of the Plan. If the Committee imposes conditions upon vesting, then, subsequent to the Date of Grant, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, accelerate the date on which all or any portion of the Incentive may be vested.
ARTICLE 8
EXERCISE OR CONVERSION OF INCENTIVE
8.1 In General. A vested Incentive may be exercised or converted, during its Award Period, subject to limitations and restrictions set forth in the Award Agreement.
8.2 Securities Law and Exchange Restrictions. In no event may an Incentive be exercised or shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to an Award if a necessary listing or quotation of the shares of Common Stock on a stock exchange or inter-dealer quotation system or any registration under state or federal securities laws required under the circumstances has not been accomplished.
8.3 Exercise of Stock Option.
(a) In General. If a Stock Option is exercisable prior to the time it is vested, the Common Stock obtained on the exercise of the Stock Option shall be Restricted Stock which is subject to the applicable provisions of the Plan and the Award Agreement. If the Committee imposes conditions upon exercise, then subsequent to the Date of Grant, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, accelerate the date on which all or any portion of the Stock Option may be exercised. No Stock Option may be exercised for a fractional share of Common Stock. The granting of a Stock Option shall impose no obligation upon the Participant to exercise that Stock Option.
(b) Notice and Payment. Subject to such administrative regulations as the Committee may from time to time adopt, a Stock Option may be exercised by the delivery of written notice to the Committee setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock with respect to which the Stock Option is to be exercised (the “Exercise Notice”) and the date of exercise thereof (the “Exercise Date”) with respect to any Stock Option shall be the date that the Participant has delivered both the Exercise Notice and consideration to the Company with a value equal to the total Option Price of the shares to be purchased (plus any employment tax withholding or other tax payment due with respect to such Award), payable as provided in the Award Agreement, which may provide for payment in any one or more of the following ways: (a) cash or check, bank draft, or money order payable to the order of the Company, (b) Common Stock (including Restricted Stock) owned by the Participant on the Exercise Date, valued at its Fair Market Value on the Exercise Date, and which the Participant has not acquired from the Company within six (6) months prior to the Exercise Date, (c) by delivery (including by FAX or electronic transmission) to the Company or its designated agent of an executed irrevocable option exercise form (or, to the extent permitted by the Company, exercise instructions, which may be communicated in writing, telephonically, or electronically) together with irrevocable instructions from the Participant to a broker or dealer, reasonably acceptable to the Company, to sell certain of the shares of Common Stock purchased upon exercise of the Stock Option or to pledge such shares as collateral for a loan and promptly deliver to the Company the amount of sale or loan proceeds necessary to pay such purchase price, and/or (d) in any other form of valid consideration that is acceptable to the Committee in its sole discretion. In the event that shares of Restricted Stock are tendered as consideration for the exercise of a Stock Option, a number of shares of Common Stock issued upon the exercise of the Stock Option equal to the number of shares of Restricted Stock used as consideration therefor shall be subject to the same restrictions and provisions as the Restricted Stock so tendered. If the Participant fails to deliver the consideration described in this Section 8.3(b) within three (3) business days of the date of the Exercise Notice, then the Exercise Notice shall be null and void and the Company will have no obligation to deliver any shares of Common Stock to the Participant in connection with such Exercise Notice.
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(c) Issuance of Certificate. Except as otherwise provided in Section 6.4 hereof (with respect to shares of Restricted Stock) or in the applicable Award Agreement, upon payment of all amounts due from the Participant, the Company shall cause the Common Stock then being purchased to be registered in the Participant’s name (or the person exercising the Participant’s Stock Option in the event of his or her death), but shall not issue certificates for the Common Stock unless the Participant or such other person requests delivery of the certificates for the Common Stock, in writing in accordance with the procedures established by the Committee. The Company shall deliver certificates to the Participant (or the person exercising the Participant’s Stock Option in the event of his or her death) as soon as administratively practicable following the Company’s receipt of a written request from the Participant or such other person for delivery of the certificates. Notwithstanding the forgoing, if the Participant has exercised an Incentive Stock Option, the Company may at its option retain physical possession of the certificate evidencing the shares acquired upon exercise until the expiration of the holding periods described in Section 422(a)(1) of the Code. The obligation of the Company to deliver shares of Common Stock shall, however, be subject to the condition that, if at any time the Committee shall determine in its discretion that the listing, registration, or qualification of the Stock Option or the Common Stock upon any securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation system or under any state or federal law, or the consent or approval of any governmental regulatory body, is necessary as a condition of, or in connection with, the Stock Option or the issuance or purchase of shares of Common Stock thereunder, the Stock Option may not be exercised in whole or in part unless such listing, registration, qualification, consent, or approval shall have been effected or obtained free of any conditions not reasonably acceptable to the Committee.
(d) Failure to Pay. Except as may otherwise be provided in an Award Agreement, if the Participant fails to pay for any of the Common Stock specified in such notice or fails to accept delivery thereof, that portion of the Participant’s Stock Option and right to purchase such Common Stock may be forfeited by the Participant.
8.4 SARs. Subject to the conditions of this Section 8.4 and such administrative regulations as the Committee may from time to time adopt, a SAR may be exercised by the delivery (including by FAX) of written notice to the Committee setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock with respect to which the SAR is to be exercised and the Exercise Date, which shall be at least three (3) days after giving such notice unless an earlier time shall have been mutually agreed upon. Subject to the terms of the Award Agreement and only if permissible under Section 409A of the Code and the regulations or other guidance issued thereunder (or, if not so permissible, at such time as permitted by Section 409A of the Code and the regulations or other guidance issued thereunder), the Participant shall receive from the Company in exchange therefor in the discretion of the Committee, and subject to the terms of the Award Agreement:
(a) cash in an amount equal to the excess (if any) of the Fair Market Value (as of the Exercise Date, or if provided in the Award Agreement, conversion, of the SAR) per share of Common Stock over the SAR Price per share specified in such SAR, multiplied by the total number of shares of Common Stock of the SAR being surrendered;
(b) that number of shares of Common Stock having an aggregate Fair Market Value (as of the Exercise Date, or if provided in the Award Agreement, conversion, of the SAR) equal to the amount of cash otherwise payable to the Participant, with a cash settlement to be made for any fractional share interests; or
(c) the Company may settle such obligation in part with shares of Common Stock and in part with cash.
The distribution of any cash or Common Stock pursuant to the foregoing sentence shall be made at such time as set forth in the Award Agreement.
8.5 Disqualifying Disposition of Incentive Stock Option. If shares of Common Stock acquired upon exercise of an Incentive Stock Option are disposed of by a Participant prior to the expiration of either two (2) years from the Date of Grant of such Stock Option or one (1) year from the transfer of shares of Common Stock to the Participant pursuant to the exercise of such Stock Option, or in any other disqualifying disposition within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code, such Participant shall notify the Company in writing of the date and terms of such disposition. A disqualifying disposition by a Participant shall not affect the status of any other Stock Option granted under the Plan as an Incentive Stock Option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.
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ARTICLE 9
AMENDMENT OR DISCONTINUANCE
Subject to the limitations set forth in this Article 9, the Board may at any time and from time to time, without the consent of the Participants, alter, amend, revise, suspend, or discontinue the Plan in whole or in part; provided, however, that no amendment for which stockholder approval is required either (i) by any securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation system on which the Common Stock is listed or traded or (ii) in order for the Plan and Incentives awarded under the Plan to continue to comply with Sections 421 and 422 of the Code, including any successors to such Sections, or other Applicable Law, shall be effective unless such amendment shall be approved by the requisite vote of the stockholders of the Company entitled to vote thereon. Any such amendment shall, to the extent deemed necessary or advisable by the Committee, be applicable to any outstanding Incentives theretofore granted under the Plan, notwithstanding any contrary provisions contained in any Award Agreement. In the event of any such amendment to the Plan, the holder of any Incentive outstanding under the Plan shall, upon request of the Committee and as a condition to the exercisability thereof, execute a conforming amendment in the form prescribed by the Committee to any Award Agreement relating thereto. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Plan to the contrary, unless required by law, no action contemplated or permitted by this Article 9 shall adversely affect any rights of Participants or obligations of the Company to Participants with respect to any Incentive theretofore granted under the Plan without the consent of the affected Participant.
ARTICLE 10
TERM
The Plan shall be effective from the date that this Plan is adopted by the Board. Unless sooner terminated by action of the Board, the Plan will terminate on the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date, but Incentives granted before that date will continue to be effective in accordance with their terms and conditions.
ARTICLE 11
CAPITAL ADJUSTMENTS
In the event that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Common Stock, other securities, or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, rights offering, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, split-off, combination, subdivision, repurchase, or exchange of Common Stock or other securities of the Company, issuance of warrants or other rights to purchase Common Stock or other securities of the Company, or other similar corporate transaction or event affects the fair value of an Award, then the Committee shall adjust any or all of the following so that the fair value of the Award immediately after the transaction or event is equal to the fair value of the Award immediately prior to the transaction or event (i) the number of shares and type of Common Stock (or the securities or property) which thereafter may be made the subject of Awards, (ii) the number of shares and type of Common Stock (or other securities or property) subject to outstanding Awards, (iii) the number of shares and type of Common Stock (or other securities or property) specified as the annual per-participant limitation under Section 5.1 of the Plan, (iv) the Option Price of each outstanding Award, (v) the amount, if any, the Company pays for forfeited shares of Common Stock in accordance with Section 6.4, and (vi) the number of or SAR Price of shares of Common Stock then subject to outstanding SARs previously granted and unexercised under the Plan, to the end that the same proportion of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock in each instance shall remain subject to exercise at the same aggregate SAR Price; provided however, that the number of shares of Common Stock (or other securities or property) subject to any Award shall always be a whole number. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no such adjustment shall be made or authorized to the extent that such adjustment would cause the Plan or any Stock Option to violate Section 422 of the Code or Section 409A of the Code. Such adjustments shall be made in accordance with the rules of any securities exchange, stock market, or stock quotation system to which the Company is subject.
Upon the occurrence of any such adjustment, the Company shall provide notice to each affected Participant of its computation of such adjustment which shall be conclusive and shall be binding upon each such Participant.
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ARTICLE 12
RECAPITALIZATION, MERGER AND CONSOLIDATION
12.1 No Effect on Company’s Authority. The existence of this Plan and Incentives granted hereunder shall not affect in any way the right or power of the Company or its stockholders to make or authorize any or all adjustments, recapitalizations, reorganizations, or other changes in the Company’s capital structure and its business, or any Change in Control, or any merger or consolidation of the Company, or any issuance of bonds, debentures, preferred or preference stocks ranking prior to or otherwise affecting the Common Stock or the rights thereof (or any rights, options, or warrants to purchase same), or the dissolution or liquidation of the Company, or any sale or transfer of all or any part of its assets or business, or any other corporate act or proceeding, whether of a similar character or otherwise.
12.2 Conversion of Incentives Where Company Survives. Subject to any required action by the stockholders and except as otherwise provided by Section 12.4 hereof or as may be required to comply with Section 409A of the Code and the regulations or other guidance issued thereunder, if the Company shall be the surviving or resulting corporation in any merger, consolidation or share exchange, any Incentive granted hereunder shall pertain to and apply to the securities or rights (including cash, property, or assets) to which a holder of the number of shares of Common Stock subject to the Incentive would have been entitled.
12.3 Exchange or Cancellation of Incentives Where Company Does Not Survive. Except as otherwise provided by Section 12.4 hereof or as may be required to comply with Section 409A of the Code and the regulations or other guidance issued thereunder, in the event of any merger, consolidation or share exchange pursuant to which the Company is not the surviving or resulting corporation, there shall be substituted for each share of Common Stock subject to the unexercised portions of outstanding Incentives, that number of shares of each class of stock or other securities or that amount of cash, property, or assets of the surviving, resulting or consolidated company which were distributed or distributable to the stockholders of the Company in respect to each share of Common Stock held by them, such outstanding Incentives to be thereafter exercisable for such stock, securities, cash, or property in accordance with their terms.
12.4 Cancellation of Incentives. Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 12.2 and 12.3 hereof, and except as may be required to comply with Section 409A of the Code and the regulations or other guidance issued thereunder, all Incentives granted hereunder may be canceled by the Company, in its sole discretion, as of the effective date of any Change in Control, merger, consolidation or share exchange, or any issuance of bonds, debentures, preferred or preference stocks ranking prior to or otherwise affecting the Common Stock or the rights thereof (or any rights, options, or warrants to purchase same), or of any proposed sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or of any dissolution or liquidation of the Company, by either:
(a) giving notice to each holder thereof or his personal representative of its intention to cancel those Incentives for which the issuance of shares of Common Stock involved payment by the Participant for such shares, and permitting the purchase during the thirty (30) day period next preceding such effective date of any or all of the shares of Common Stock subject to such outstanding Incentives, including in the Board’s discretion some or all of the shares as to which such Incentives would not otherwise be vested and exercisable; or
(b) in the case of Incentives that are either (i) settled only in shares of Common Stock, or (ii) at the election of the Participant, settled in shares of Common Stock, paying the holder thereof an amount equal to a reasonable estimate of the difference between the net amount per share payable in such transaction or as a result of such transaction, and the price per share of such Incentive to be paid by the Participant (hereinafter the “Spread”), multiplied by the number of shares subject to the Incentive. In cases where the shares constitute, or would after exercise, constitute Restricted Stock, the Company, in its discretion, may include some or all of those shares in the calculation of the amount payable hereunder. In estimating the Spread, appropriate adjustments to give effect to the existence of the Incentives shall be made, such as deeming the Incentives to have been exercised, with the Company receiving the exercise price payable thereunder, and treating the shares receivable upon exercise of the Incentives as being outstanding in determining the net amount per share. In cases where the proposed transaction consists of the acquisition of assets of the Company, the net amount per share shall be calculated on the basis of the net amount receivable with respect to shares of Common Stock upon a distribution and liquidation by the Company after giving effect to expenses and charges, including but not limited to taxes, payable by the Company before such liquidation could be completed.
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(c) An Award that by its terms would be fully vested or exercisable upon a Change in Control will be considered vested or exercisable for purposes of Section 12.4(a) hereof.
ARTICLE 13
LIQUIDATION OR DISSOLUTION
Subject to Section 12.4 hereof, in case the Company shall, at any time while any Incentive under this Plan shall be in force and remain unexpired, (i) sell all or substantially all of its property, or (ii) dissolve, liquidate, or wind up its affairs, then each Participant shall be entitled to receive, in lieu of each share of Common Stock of the Company which such Participant would have been entitled to receive under the Incentive, the same kind and amount of any securities or assets as may be issuable, distributable, or payable upon any such sale, dissolution, liquidation, or winding up with respect to each share of Common Stock of the Company. If the Company shall, at any time prior to the expiration of any Incentive, make any partial distribution of its assets, in the nature of a partial liquidation, whether payable in cash or in kind (but excluding the distribution of a cash dividend payable out of earned surplus and designated as such) and an adjustment is determined by the Committee to be appropriate to prevent the dilution of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan, then the Committee shall, in such manner as it may deem equitable, make such adjustment in accordance with the provisions of Article 11 hereof.
ARTICLE 14
INCENTIVES IN SUBSTITUTION FOR
INCENTIVES GRANTED BY OTHER ENTITIES
Incentives may be granted under the Plan from time to time in substitution for similar instruments held by employees, independent contractors or directors of a corporation, partnership, or limited liability company who become or are about to become Employees, Contractors or Outside Directors of the Company or any Subsidiary as a result of a merger or consolidation of the employing corporation with the Company, the acquisition by the Company of equity of the employing entity, or any other similar transaction pursuant to which the Company becomes the successor employer. The terms and conditions of the substitute Incentives so granted may vary from the terms and conditions set forth in this Plan to such extent as the Committee at the time of grant may deem appropriate to conform, in whole or in part, to the provisions of the Incentives in substitution for which they are granted.
ARTICLE 15
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
15.1 Investment Intent. The Company may require that there be presented to and filed with it by any Participant under the Plan, such evidence as it may deem necessary to establish that the Incentives granted or the shares of Common Stock to be purchased or transferred are being acquired for investment and not with a view to their distribution.
15.2 No Right to Continued Employment. Neither the Plan nor any Incentive granted under the Plan shall confer upon any Participant any right with respect to continuance of employment by the Company or any Subsidiary.
15.3 Indemnification of Board and Committee. No member of the Board or the Committee, nor any officer or Employee of the Company acting on behalf of the Board or the Committee, shall be personally liable for any action, determination, or interpretation taken or made in good faith with respect to the Plan, and all members of the Board and the Committee, each officer of the Company, and each Employee of the Company acting on behalf of the Board or the Committee shall, to the extent permitted by law, be fully indemnified and protected by the Company in respect of any such action, determination, or interpretation to the fullest extent provided by law. Except to the extent required by any unwaiveable requirement under applicable law, no member of the Board or the Committee (and no Subsidiary of the Company) shall have any duties or liabilities, including without limitation any fiduciary duties, to any Participant (or any Person claiming by and through any Participant) as a result of this Plan, any Award Agreement or any Claim arising hereunder and, to the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, each Participant (as consideration for receiving and accepting an Award Agreement) irrevocably waives and releases any right or opportunity such Participant might have to assert (or participate or cooperate in) any Claim against any member of the Board or the Committee and any Subsidiary of the Company arising out of this Plan.
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15.4 Effect of the Plan. Neither the adoption of this Plan nor any action of the Board or the Committee shall be deemed to give any person any right to be granted an Award or any other rights except as may be evidenced by an Award Agreement, or any amendment thereto, duly authorized by the Committee and executed on behalf of the Company, and then only to the extent and upon the terms and conditions expressly set forth therein.
15.5 Compliance with Other Laws and Regulations. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, the Company shall not be required to sell or issue shares of Common Stock under any Incentive if the issuance thereof would constitute a violation by the Participant or the Company of any provisions of any law or regulation of any governmental authority or any national securities exchange or inter-dealer quotation system or other forum in which shares of Common Stock are quoted or traded (including without limitation Section 16 of the Exchange Act); and, as a condition of any sale or issuance of shares of Common Stock under an Incentive, the Committee may require such agreements or undertakings, if any, as the Committee may deem necessary or advisable to assure compliance with any such law or regulation. The Plan, the grant and exercise of Incentives hereunder, and the obligation of the Company to sell and deliver shares of Common Stock, shall be subject to all applicable federal and state laws, rules and regulations and to such approvals by any government or regulatory agency as may be required.
15.6 Foreign Participation. To assure the viability of Awards granted to Participants employed in foreign countries, the Committee may provide for such special terms as it may consider necessary or appropriate to accommodate differences in local law, tax policy or custom. Moreover, the Committee may approve such supplements to, or amendments, restatements or alternative versions of, this Plan as it determines is necessary or appropriate for such purposes. Any such amendment, restatement or alternative versions that the Committee approves for purposes of using this Plan in a foreign country will not affect the terms of this Plan for any other country.
15.7 Tax Requirements. The Company or, if applicable, any Subsidiary (for purposes of this Section 15.7, the term “Company” shall be deemed to include any applicable Subsidiary), shall have the right to deduct from all amounts paid in cash or other form in connection with the Plan, any federal, state, local, or other taxes required by law to be withheld in connection with an Award granted under this Plan. The Company may, in its sole discretion, also require the Participant receiving shares of Common Stock issued under the Plan to pay the Company the amount of any taxes that the Company is required to withhold in connection with the Participant’s income arising with respect to the Award. Such payments shall be required to be made when requested by the Company and may be required to be made prior to the delivery of any certificate representing shares of Common Stock. Such payment may be made by (i) the delivery of cash to the Company in an amount that equals or exceeds (to avoid the issuance of fractional shares under (iii) below) the required tax withholding obligations of the Company; (ii) if the Company, in its sole discretion, so consents in writing, the actual delivery by the exercising Participant to the Company of shares of Common Stock that the Participant has not acquired from the Company within six (6) months prior to the date of exercise, which shares so delivered have an aggregate Fair Market Value that equals or exceeds (to avoid the issuance of fractional shares under (iii) below) the required tax withholding payment; (iii) if the Company, in its sole discretion, so consents in writing, the Company’s withholding of a number of shares to be delivered upon the exercise of the Stock Option, which shares so withheld have an aggregate fair market value that equals (but does not exceed) the required tax withholding payment; or (iv) any combination of (i), (ii), or (iii). The Company may, in its sole discretion, withhold any such taxes from any other cash remuneration otherwise paid by the Company to the Participant. The Committee may in the Award Agreement impose any additional tax requirements or provisions that the Committee deems necessary or desirable.
15.8 Assignability. Incentive Stock Options may not be transferred, assigned, pledged, hypothecated or otherwise conveyed or encumbered other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution and may be exercised during the lifetime of the Participant only by the Participant or the Participant’s legally authorized representative, and each Award Agreement in respect of an Incentive Stock Option shall so provide. The designation by a Participant of a beneficiary will not constitute a transfer of the Stock Option. The Committee may waive or modify any limitation contained in the preceding sentences of this Section 15.8 that is not required for compliance with Section 422 of the Code.
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Exceptas otherwise provided herein, Awards may not be transferred, assigned, pledged, hypothecated or otherwise conveyed or encumbered other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may, in its discretion, authorize all or a portion of a Nonqualified Stock Option or SAR to be granted to a Participant on terms which permit transfer by such Participant to (i) the spouse (or former spouse), children or grandchildren of the Participant (“Immediate Family Members”), (ii) a trust or trusts for the exclusive benefit of such Immediate Family Members, (iii) a partnership in which the only partners are (1) such Immediate Family Members and/or (2) entities which are controlled by the Participant and/or Immediate Family Members, (iv) an entity exempt from federal income tax pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Code or any successor provision, or (v) a split interest trust or pooled income fund described in Section 2522(c)(2) of the Code or any successor provision, provided that (x) there shall be no consideration for any such transfer, (y) the Award Agreement pursuant to which such Nonqualified Stock Option or SAR is granted must be approved by the Committee and must expressly provide for transferability in a manner consistent with this Section, and (z) subsequent transfers of transferred Nonqualified Stock Options or SARs shall be prohibited except those by will or the laws of descent and distribution.
Following any transfer, any such Nonqualified Stock Option and SAR shall continue to be subject to the same terms and conditions as were applicable immediately prior to transfer, provided that for purposes of Articles 8, 9, 11, 13 and 15 hereof the term “Participant” shall be deemed to include the transferee. The events of Termination of Service shall continue to be applied with respect to the original Participant, following which the Nonqualified Stock Options and SARs shall be exercisable or convertible by the transferee only to the extent and for the periods specified in the Award Agreement. The Committee and the Company shall have no obligation to inform any transferee of a Nonqualified Stock Option or SAR of any expiration, termination, lapse or acceleration of such Stock Option or SAR. The Company shall have no obligation to register with any federal or state securities commission or agency any Common Stock issuable or issued under a Nonqualified Stock Option or SAR that has been transferred by a Participant under this Section 15.8.
15.9 Use of Proceeds. Proceeds from the sale of shares of Common Stock pursuant to Incentives granted under this Plan shall constitute general funds of the Company.
15.10 Legend. Each certificate representing shares of Restricted Stock issued to a Participant shall bear the following legend, or a similar legend deemed by the Company to constitute an appropriate notice of the provisions hereof (any such certificate not having such legend shall be surrendered upon demand by the Company and so endorsed):
On the face of the certificate:
“Transfer of this stock is restricted in accordance with conditions printed on the reverse of this certificate.”
On the reverse:
“The shares of stock evidenced by this certificate are subject to and transferable only in accordance with that certain NexGel, Inc. 2019 Long-Term Incentive Plan, a copy of which is on file at the principal office of the Company in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. No transfer or pledge of the shares evidenced hereby may be made except in accordance with and subject to the provisions of said Plan. By acceptance of this certificate, any holder, transferee or pledgee hereof agrees to be bound by all of the provisions of said Plan.”
The following legend shall be inserted on a certificate evidencing Common Stock issued under the Plan if the shares were not issued in a transaction registered under the applicable federal and state securities laws:
“Shares of stock represented by this certificate have been acquired by the holder for investment and not for resale, transfer or distribution, have been issued pursuant to exemptions from the registration requirements of applicable state and federal securities laws, and may not be offered for sale, sold or transferred other than pursuant to effective registration under such laws, or in transactions otherwise in compliance with such laws, and upon evidence satisfactory to the Company of compliance with such laws, as to which the Company may rely upon an opinion of counsel satisfactory to the Company.”
15.11 Governing Law. The Plan shall be governed by, construed, and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware (excluding any conflict of laws, rule or principle of Delaware law that might refer the governance, construction, or interpretation of this Plan to the laws of another state). A Participant’s sole remedy for any Claim shall be against the Company, and no Participant shall have any claim or right of any nature against any Subsidiary of the Company or any stockholder or existing or former director, officer or Employee of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company. The individuals and entities described above in this Section 15.11 (other than the Company) shall be third-party beneficiaries of this Plan for purposes of enforcing the terms of this Section 15.11.
A copy of this Plan shall be kept on file in the principal office of the Company in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this instrument to be executed as of March 8, 2019, by an authorized officer pursuant to prior action taken by the Board.
| NEXGEL, INC. | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
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