Form DEF 14A - Proxy
SCHEDULE
14A INFORMATION
Proxy
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934
[Amendment
No. ____]
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Check
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14a-6(e)(2))
[X]
Definitive Proxy Statement
[_]
Definitive Additional Materials
[_]
Soliciting Material under ss. 240.14a-12
CHEMBIO
DIAGNOSTICS, INC.
----------------------------------------------
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of
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CHEMBIO
DIAGNOSTICS, INC.
3661
Horseblock Road
Medford,
NY 11763
(631)
924-1135
NOTICE
OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To
be held June 21, 2007
The
Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Chembio
Diagnostics, Inc. will be held on June 21, 2007 at 10:00 am (local time) at
the
Radisson Hotel, 1730 North Ocean Avenue, Holtsville, New York 11742, for the
following purposes:
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1.
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To
elect a Board of Directors consisting of four
Directors;
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2.
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To
consider and vote upon a proposal recommended by the Board of Directors
to
ratify the selection of Lazar, Levine & Felix LLP to serve as our
certified independent accountants for the fiscal year ending December
31,
2006;
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|
3.
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To
in their discretion, vote upon an adjournment or postponement of
the
meeting; and
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4. To
transact any other business that properly may come before the Annual
Meeting.
Only
the
stockholders of record as shown on our transfer books at the close of business
on April 30, 2007 are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual Meeting.
Our
Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 on Form 10-KSB is
being mailed to stockholders with this proxy statement. The Annual Report is
not
part of the proxy soliciting material.
All
stockholders, regardless of whether they expect to attend the meeting in person,
are requested to complete, date, sign and return promptly the enclosed form
of
proxy in the accompanying envelope (which requires no postage if mailed in
the
United States). The person executing the proxy may revoke it by filing with
our
Secretary an instrument of revocation or a duly executed proxy bearing a later
date, or by electing to vote in person at the Annual Meeting.
All
stockholders are extended a cordial invitation to attend the Annual
Meeting.
By
the
Board of Directors
/s/
Lawrence A. Siebert
Medford,
New York Lawrence
A. Siebert
May
10,
2007 President,
Chief Executive Officer &
Chairman
of the
Board
PROXY
STATEMENT
CHEMBIO
DIAGNOSTICS, INC.
3661
Horseblock Road
Medford,
NY 11763
(631)
924-1135
ANNUAL
MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
To
be held June 21, 2007
SOLICITATION
AND REVOCATION OF PROXIES
This
proxy statement is provided in connection with the solicitation of proxies
by
and on behalf of the Board of Directors of Chembio Diagnostics, Inc., a Nevada
corporation (referred to as the “Company” or “Chembio” or “we” or “us”), to be
voted at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held at 10:00 am (local time)
on June 21, 2007 at the Radisson Hotel, 1730 North Ocean Avenue, Holtsville,
New
York 11742, or at any adjournment or postponement of the Annual Meeting. We
anticipate that this proxy statement and the accompanying form of proxy will
be
first mailed or given to stockholders on or about May 15, 2007.
A
stockholder giving a proxy may revoke it at any time before it is exercised
by
delivering written notice of revocation to our Secretary, by substituting a
new
proxy executed at a later date, or by requesting, in person at the Annual
Meeting, that the proxy be returned.
The
solicitation of proxies is to be made principally by mail; however, following
the initial solicitation, further solicitations may be made by telephone or
oral
communication with stockholders. Our officers, directors and employees may
solicit proxies, but these persons will not receive compensation for that
solicitation other than their regular compensation as employees. Arrangements
also will be made with brokerage houses and other custodians, nominees and
fiduciaries to forward solicitation materials to beneficial owners of the shares
held of record by those persons. We may reimburse those persons for reasonable
out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in so doing. We will pay all expenses
involved in preparing, assembling and mailing this proxy statement and the
enclosed material.
VOTING
SECURITIES
The
close
of business on April 30, 2007 has been fixed as the record date for the
determination of holders of record of the Company’s common stock, $0.01 par
value per share (the “Common Stock”), entitled to notice of and to vote at the
Annual Meeting. On the record date, 11,844,015 shares of Common Stock were
outstanding and eligible to be voted at the Annual Meeting. A majority of the
issued and outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote, represented
either in person or by proxy, constitutes a quorum at any meeting of the
stockholders. If sufficient votes for approval of the matters to be considered
at the Annual Meeting have not been received prior to the meeting date, we
intend to postpone or adjourn the Annual Meeting in order to solicit additional
votes. The form of proxy we are soliciting requests authority for the proxies,
in their discretion, to vote the stockholders’ shares with respect to a
postponement or adjournment of the Annual Meeting. At any postponed or adjourned
meeting, we will vote any proxies received in the same manner described in
this
proxy statement with respect to the original meeting.
VOTING
PROCEDURES
Votes
at
the Annual Meeting are counted by an inspector of election appointed by the
Chairman of the meeting. If a quorum is present, an affirmative vote of a
majority of the votes entitled to be cast by those present in person or by
proxy
is required for the approval of the items submitted to shareholders for their
consideration, unless a different number of votes is required by Nevada law
or
our Articles Of Incorporation. Abstentions by those present at the Annual
Meeting are tabulated separately from affirmative and negative votes and do
not
constitute affirmative votes. If a shareholder returns his or her proxy card
and
withholds authority to vote for any or all of the nominees, the votes
represented by the proxy card will be deemed to be present at the meeting for
purposes of determining the presence of a quorum but will not be counted as
affirmative votes. Shares in the names of brokers that are not voted on a
particular matter are treated as not present with respect to that
matter.
FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This
proxy statement includes “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements other
than statements of historical facts included in this proxy statement regarding
our financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives of management
for future operations and capital expenditures are forward-looking statements.
Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking
statements and the assumptions upon which the forward-looking statements are
based are reasonable, we can give no assurance that such expectations and
assumptions will prove to have been correct.
BENEFICIAL
OWNERSHIP OF THE COMPANY’S EQUITY SECURITIES
On
April
30,
2007, there were 11,844,015 shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding and
eligible to be voted at the Annual Meeting. The following table sets forth
certain information regarding the beneficial ownership of our Common Stock
as of
April 30, 2007 by each person or entity known by us to be the beneficial owner
of more than 5% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, each of our directors
and each of our “named executive officers,” and all of our directors and
executive officers as a group.
Name
and Address of Beneficial Owner
|
Number
of Shares Beneficially Owned
|
Percent
of Class
|
Lawrence
Siebert (1)
3661
Horseblock Road
Medford,
NY 11763
|
2,141,919
|
17.55%
|
Javan
Esfandiari (2)
3661
Horseblock Road
Medford,
NY 11763
|
454,580
|
3.73%
|
Richard
J. Larkin (3)
3661
Horseblock Road
Medford,
NY 11763
|
145,261
|
1.21%
|
Alan
Carus (4)
3661
Horseblock Road
Medford,
NY 11763
|
92,000
|
0.77%
|
Gary
Meller (5)
3661
Horseblock Road
Medford,
NY 11763
|
87,000
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0.73%
|
All
officers and directors as a group(6)
|
2,945,760
|
22.88%
|
Mark
Baum (7)
580
Second Street, Suite 102
Encinitas,
CA 92024
|
1,408,597
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11.10%
|
Crestview
Master Fund LLC
95
Revere Drive, Suite A
Northbrook,
IL 60062
|
1,328,393
|
11.22%
|
Avi
Pelossof (8)
3661
Horseblock Road
Medford,
NY 11763
|
650,113
|
5.37%
|
Beneficial
ownership is determined in accordance with the Rule 13d-3(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and generally includes voting or investment
power with respect to securities. Except as subject to community property laws,
where applicable, the person named above has sole voting and investment power
with respect to all shares of our common stock shown as beneficially owned
by
him.
The
beneficial ownership percent in the table is calculated with respect to the
number of outstanding shares (11,754,015) of our common stock outstanding
as of
March 31, 2007. Each stockholder's ownership is calculated as the number
of
shares of common stock owned plus the number of shares of common stock into
which any preferred stock, warrants, options or other convertible securities
owned by that stockholder can be converted within 60 days. In addition to
the
11,754,015 shares of common stock outstanding, our outstanding series A,
B and C
preferred stock is convertible into a total of approximately 17.9 million
shares
of preferred stock and there are warrants to purchase approximately 16.7
million
shares of common stock outstanding. This table does not include convertible
securities which, due to contractual restrictions, are not exercisable within
60
days of the date of this prospectus. Specifically, at no time may a holder
of
shares of series A, series B or series C preferred stock convert shares of
the
series A, series B or series C preferred stock if the number of shares of
common
stock to be issued pursuant to such conversion would exceed, when aggregated
with all other shares of common stock owned by such holder at such time,
the
number of shares of common stock which would result in such holder beneficially
owning (as determined in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act) in excess of either 4.999% or 9.999% of the then issued and
outstanding shares of common stock outstanding at such time, unless the holder
has provided us with sixty-one (61) days notice that the holder has elected
to
waive this restriction. As a result of this provision, holders of preferred
stock that is convertible into common stock and holders of warrants to purchase
common stock who, with 61 days’ advance notice, can convert those securities
into more than 5% of our outstanding stock are not required to be listed
in this
table.
The
term
“named executive officer” refers to our principal executive officer, our two
most highly compensated executive officers other than the principal executive
officer who were serving as executive officers at the end of 2006, and two
additional individuals for whom disclosure would have been provided but for
the
fact that the individuals were not serving as executive officers of the Company
at the end of 2006.
None
of
the preferred shares can be converted into common stock and none of the warrants
can be exercised if the conversion or exercise would result in the holder owning
more than 4.99% of our outstanding common stock unless the holder provides
the
Company with 61 days advance written notice.
(1)
Includes 220,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options exercisable within
60
days and 140,697 warrants. Does not include 1,937,220 shares issuable upon
conversion of series A preferred stock, 2,324,666 shares issuable upon exercise
of warrants, 88,971 shares issuable upon conversion of series B preferred stock
and 77,868 shares issuable upon exercise of warrants because they can be
exercised only upon 61 days prior notice and therefore are not exercisable
within 60 days.
(2)
Includes 332,500 shares issuable upon exercise of options exercisable within
60
days and 2,007 shares issuable upon exercise of warrants. Does not include
100,000 common share that are not vested within the next 60 days and 200,000
shares issuable upon exercise of options that are not exercisable within the
next 60 days.
(3)
Includes 137,500 shares issuable upon exercise of options exercisable within
60
days and 260 shares issuable upon exercise of warrants. Does not include 30,236
shares issuable upon conversion of series A preferred stock and 25,196 shares
issuable upon exercise of warrants because they can be exercised only upon
61
days prior notice and therefore are not exercisable within 60 days.
(4)
Includes 87,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options exercisable within
60
days. Does not include 10,000 common share that are not vested within the next
60 days and 36,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options that are not
exercisable within the next 60 days.
(5)
Includes 87,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options exercisable within
60
days. Does not include 36,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options that
are
not exercisable within the next 60 days.
(6)
Includes footnotes (1)-(6)
(7)
Includes 850,000 shares issuable upon exercise of warrants. Does not include
108,333 shares issuable upon conversion of series A preferred stock and 130,000
shares issuable upon exercise of warrants because they can be exercised only
upon 61 days prior notice and therefore are not exercisable within 60
days.
(8)
Includes 300,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options exercisable within
60
days and 22,555 shares issuable upon exercise of warrants. Does not include
10,078 shares issuable upon conversion of series A preferred stock and 12,095
shares issuable upon exercise of warrants because they can be exercised only
upon 61 days prior notice and therefore are not exercisable within 60 days.
Mr.
Pelossof voluntarily resigned from the Company on January 31, 2007.
AVAILABLE
INFORMATION
Copies
of
our Annual Report on Form 10-KSB are being sent to each stockholder with this
proxy statement. Upon written request, we will provide, without charge, a copy
of our quarterly reports on Form 10-QSB for the quarters ended March 31,
2007, September 30, 2006 and June 30, 2006 to any stockholder of record, or
to
any stockholder who owns Common Stock listed in the name of a bank or broker
as
nominee, at the close of business on April 30, 2007. Any request for a copy
of
these reports should be mailed to the Secretary, Chembio Diagnostics, Inc.,
3661
Horseblock Road, Medford, NY 11763. Stockholders may also receive copies of
these reports by accessing the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
ITEM
1. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
At
the
Annual Meeting, the stockholders will elect four directors to serve as our
Board
of Directors. Each director will be elected to hold office until the next annual
meeting of stockholders and thereafter until his successor is elected and
qualified. The affirmative vote of a plurality of the shares voted at the Annual
Meeting in person or by proxy is required to elect each director. Cumulative
voting is not permitted in the election of directors. In the absence of
instructions to the contrary, the person named in the accompanying proxy shall
vote the shares represented by that proxy for the persons named below as
management’s nominees for directors. Nominees Siebert, Carus and Meller
currently serve as directors of the Company.
It
is not
anticipated that any of the nominees will become unable or unwilling to accept
nomination or election, but, if that should occur, the persons named in the
proxy intend to vote for the election of such other person as the Board of
Directors may recommend.
The
following table sets forth, with respect to each nominee for director, the
nominee’s age, his positions and offices with the Company, the expiration of his
term as a director and the year in which he first became a director. Individual
background information concerning each of the nominees follows the table. For
additional information concerning the nominees, including stock ownership and
compensation, see “Executive Compensation,” “Beneficial Ownership of the
Company’s Equity Securities,” and “Certain Transactions With Management And
Principal Stockholders.”
Name
|
Age
|
Position(s)
and Office(s) with the Company
|
Expiration
of Term of Director
|
Initial
Date as Director
|
Lawrence
A. Siebert
|
50
|
Chief
Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board
|
2007
Annual Meeting
|
May
2004
|
|
|
|
|
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Dr.
Gary Meller
|
56
|
Director
|
2007
Annual Meeting
|
March
2005
|
|
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|
|
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Alan
Carus
|
68
|
Director
|
2007
Annual Meeting
|
April
2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
Katherine
L. Davis
|
50
|
Director
|
2007
Annual Meeting
|
Nominated
by the Board: May 2007
|
Lawrence
A. Siebert (50),
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director. Mr. Siebert was appointed
President of Chembio Diagnostics, Inc. and a member of our Board of Directors
upon consummation of the merger. Mr. Siebert has been Chairman of Chembio
Diagnostic Systems Inc. for approximately 12 years and its President since
May
2002. Mr. Siebert’s background is in private equity and venture capital
investing. From 1982 to 1991, Mr. Siebert was associated with Stanwich Partners,
Inc., which during that period invested in middle market manufacturing and
distribution companies. From 1992 to 1999, Mr. Siebert was an investment
consultant and business broker with Siebert Capital Corp. and Siebert Associates
LLC, and was a principal investor in a privately held test and measurement
company which was sold in 2002. Mr. Siebert received a JD from Case Western
Reserve University School of Law in 1981 and a BA with Distinction in Economics
from the University of Connecticut in 1978.
Alan
Carus, CPA (68),
Director, Audit Committee chair. Mr. Carus was elected to Chembio’s Board of
Directors on April 15, 2005. He is a co-founder of LARC Strategic Concepts
LLC,
a consulting firm dedicated to guiding emerging companies to next stage
development. Prior to co-founding LARC Strategic Concepts LLC, Mr. Carus was
Senior Vice President of Maritime Overseas Corporation (“MOC”) and a senior
executive of Overseas Ship Holding Group, Inc. (“OSG”) from 1981 to 1998 when he
retired. MOC was managing agent for OSG, one of the world’s largest ship-owners.
He was a member of OSG’s senior management committee and had senior
responsibility in areas relating to administration, accounting, tax, finance,
budgets, long-range projections and human resources. Mr. Carus was involved
in
numerous acquisitions, debt and equity offerings, complex transaction
structuring, and was active in the management of OSG’s major investments in the
cruise industry and other development stage companies. From 1964 to 1981, he
was
with Ernst & Young (including predecessors), the last seven years as a
partner. Mr. Carus has a B.B.A. from the Baruch School of Business of the City
College of New York.
Dr.
Gary Meller (56),
Director. Dr. Meller was elected to our Board of Directors on March 15, 2005.
Dr. Meller has been the president of CommSense Inc., a healthcare business
development company, since 2001. CommSense Inc. works with clients in Europe,
Asia, North America and the Middle East on medical information technology,
medical records, pharmaceutical product development and financing, health
services operations and strategy, and new product and new market development.
From 1999 until 2001 Dr. Meller was the executive vice president, North America,
of NextEd Ltd., a leading internet educational services company in the Asia
Pacific region. Dr. Meller also is a limited partner and a member of the
Advisory Board of Crestview Capital Master LLC, which was the lead investor
in
our series B preferred stock private placement. Dr. Meller is a graduate of
the
University of New Mexico School of Medicine and has an MBA from the Harvard
Business School.
Katherine
L. Davis (50),
Director. Katherine Davis was nominated to serve on the Board of Directors
on
May 10, 2007. Ms. Davis is presently the owner of Davis Design Group LLC, a
company that provides analytical and visual tools for public policy
design. Previously she served as the Chief Executive Officer of Global
Access Point, a start up company with products for data transport, data
processing, and data storage network and hub facilities. From October 2003
to January 2005 Ms. Davis was Lieutenant Governor of the State of Indiana,
and
from January 2000 to October 2003 was Controller of the City of Indiana.
From 1989 to 2003 Ms. Davis held leadership positions with agencies and programs
in the State of Indiana including State Budget Director, Secretary of Family
& Social Services Administration, and Deputy Commissioner of Transportation.
From 1982 to 1989 Ms. Davis held increasingly senior positions with Cummins
Engine, where she managed purchasing, product cost, manufacturing, engineering,
and assembly of certain engine product lines. Ms. Davis serves on the
not-for-profit boards of Noble of Indiana, Indiana Museum of African American
History, University of Evansville Institute of Global Enterprise, and Purdue
College of Science Dean’s Leadership Council. She has a Masters of Business
Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor Science in Mechanical
Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Required
Vote; Board Recommendation
The
affirmative vote of a plurality of the shares voted at the Annual Meeting in
person or by proxy is required to elect each director. The Board of Directors
unanimously recommends that the stockholders vote FOR the election of the four
nominees listed above.
INFORMATION
REGARDING THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
AND
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Other
Executive Officers
The
following table sets forth with respect to each other executive officer, the
officer’s age, the officer’s positions and offices with the Company, the
expiration of his term as an officer and the period during which he has served,
either the Company or Chembio Diagnostic Systems Inc.
Name
|
Age
|
Position
With Company
|
Initial
Date as Officer
|
Richard
J. Larkin
|
50
|
Chief
Financial Officer
|
2003
|
|
|
|
|
Javan
Esfandiari
|
40
|
Director
of Research & Development
|
2004
|
|
|
|
|
Rick
Bruce
|
52
|
Vice
President, Operations
|
2004
|
|
|
|
|
Les
Stutzman
|
55
|
Vice
President of Marketing
|
2005
|
|
|
|
|
Tom
Ippolito
|
44
|
Vice
President of Regulatory Affairs, Quality Assurance and Quality
Control
|
2005
|
Richard
J. Larkin (50),
Chief
Financial Officer. Mr. Larkin was appointed as Chief Financial Officer of
Chembio Diagnostics, Inc. upon consummation of the merger. Mr. Larkin oversees
our financial activities and information systems. Mr. Larkin has been the Chief
Financial Officer of Chembio Diagnostic Systems Inc. since September 2003.
Prior
to joining Chembio Diagnostic Systems Inc., Mr. Larkin served as CFO at Visual
Technology Group from May 2000 to September 2003, and also led their consultancy
program that provided hands-on expertise in all aspects of financial service,
including the initial assessment of client financial reporting requirements
within an Enterprise
Resource Planning (Manufacturing) environment through training and
implementation. Prior to joining VTG, he served as CFO at Protex International
Corporation from May 1987 to January 2000. Mr. Larkin holds a BBA in Accounting
from Dowling College and is a member of the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants.
Javan
Esfandiari (40),
Senior
Vice President of Research and Development. Mr. Esfandiari joined Chembio
Diagnostic Systems, Inc., in 2000. Mr. Esfandiari co-founded, and became a
co-owner of Sinovus Biotech AB where he served as Director of Research and
Development concerning lateral flow technology until Chembio Diagnostic Systems
Inc. acquired Sinovus Biotech AB in 2000. From 1993 to 1997, Mr. Esfandiari
was
Director of Research and Development with On-Site Biotech/National Veterinary
Institute, Uppsala, Sweden, which was working in collaboration with Sinovus
Biotech AB on development of veterinary lateral flow technology. Mr. Esfandiari
received his B.Sc. in Clinical Chemistry and his M. Sc. in Molecular Biology
from Lund University, Sweden. He has published articles in various veterinary
journals and has co-authored articles on tuberculosis serology with Dr.
Lyashchenko.
Richard
Bruce (52),
Vice
President, Operations. Mr. Bruce was hired in April 2000 as Director of
Operations. He is responsible for manufacturing, maintenance, inventory,
shipping, receiving and warehouse operations. Prior to joining Chembio
Diagnostic Systems Inc., he held director level positions at Wyeth Laboratories
from 1984 to 1993. From 1993 to 1998, he held various management positions
in
the Operations department at bioMérieux Inc., (formerly Organon Teknika Corp.),
in Durham, North Carolina. From 1998 to 2000, he held a management position
at
V.I. Technologies. Mr. Bruce has over 25 years of operations management
experience with Fortune 500 companies in the field of in-vitro diagnostics
and
blood fractionation. Mr. Bruce received his BS in Management from National
Louis
University in 1997.
Les
Stutzman (55), Vice
President of Marketing. In 2005, Mr. Stutzman joined Chembio as Vice President
of Marketing to lead the development and launch of rapid tests for veterinary
and human TB and other veterinary products. Mr. Stutzman has spent over twenty
years in marketing leadership positions within various diagnostics companies.
He
has held Global Director and Business Development Director positions in
Marketing for diagnostic companies including bioMérieux Inc., (formerly Organon
Teknika Corp.), in Durham, North Carolina from 1997 to 2002 and TREK Diagnostic
Systems, Cleveland, Ohio from 2002 to 2005. Mr. Stutzman received his MBA in
Marketing from Duke University Fuqua School of Business in 1988 and his Masters
in Microbiology from Wagner College in 1982. Mr. Stutzman is MT (ASCP) SM
certified.
Tom
Ippolito (44), Vice
President of Regulatory Affairs, QA and QC. Mr. Ippolito joined Chembio in
June
2005. He has over twenty years experience with in-vitro diagnostics for
infectious diseases, protein therapeutics, vaccine development, Process
Development, Regulatory Affairs and Quality Management. Over the years, Mr.
Ippolito has held Vice President level positions at Biospecific Technologies,
Corp. from 2000 - 2005, Director level positions in Quality Assurance, Quality
Control, Process Development and Regulatory Affairs at United Biomedical, Inc.
from 1987 - 2000. Mr. Ippolito is the Course Director for “drug development
process” and “FDA Regulatory Process” for the BioScience Certificate Program at
the New York State University of Stony Brook, a program he has been a part
of
since its inception in 2003.
Each
of
our officers serves at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. There are no
family relationships among our officers and directors.
Certain
Transactions with Management and Principal Stockholders
Mark
L.
Baum, our former president prior to the merger and a former director of the
Company, entered into a nine-month employment agreement with the Company,
effective upon the closing of the merger, pursuant to which Mr. Baum received
400,000 shares of our common stock as well as a warrant to acquire 425,000
shares of common stock at $.60 per share and a warrant to acquire an additional
425,000 shares of common stock at $.90 per share. The warrants expire five
years
after the date of grant. Pursuant to the employment agreement, Mr. Baum was
to
advise the Company concerning management, marketing, strategic planning,
corporate structure, business operations, expansion of services, acquisitions
and business opportunities, matters related to our public reporting obligations,
and our overall needs through February 5, 2005. Mr. Baum also invested
$65,000 in the private placement of series A preferred stock, pursuant to which
he received 2.167 shares of series A preferred stock convertible into 108,350
shares of common stock, and a warrant to purchase 130,020 shares of common
stock. Mr. Baum also owns 300,000 shares of our common stock in addition to
the
stock and warrants described above. In November of 2004 as payment of dividends
on the series A preferred he received 4,333 shares of common stock. Prior to
the
merger, Mr. Baum was the sole director and officer of Chembio Diagnostics,
Inc. On March 18, 2005, as compensation for Mr. Baum’s service on the Board of
Directors of the Company, the exercise price of Mr. Baum’s warrant to acquire
425,000 shares of common stock at $.90 per share was reduced to $.75 per share.
Mr. Baum received no other compensation for his services on the Board of
Directors.
Lawrence
A. Siebert, the president and chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company
beginning at the time of and after the merger, and the president and chairman
of
Chembio Diagnostic Systems Inc. since May 2002, held two promissory notes issued
by Chembio Diagnostic Systems Inc. One note was issued on August 1, 1999 in
the
original principal amount of $338,125, bearing interest at a rate of 11% per
annum. The other was issued on April 25, 2001 in the original principal amount
of $795,937, bearing interest at a rate of 12% per annum. Mr. Siebert converted
the entire outstanding principal amount of the 11% note and $561,875 principal
amount of the 12% note into 30 shares of the Company’s series A preferred stock,
together with warrants to acquire 1,800,000 shares of common stock at $.90
per
share, pursuant to the Company’s private placement of its series A preferred
stock on May 5, 2004. The shares of series A preferred stock held by Mr.
Siebert are convertible into 1,547,100 shares of the Company’s common stock. The
remaining debt of $234,062 held by Mr. Siebert was exchanged on December 29,
2004 into 7.80208 shares of the Company’s series A preferred stock, together
with warrants to acquire 468,125 shares of common stock at $.90 per share,
pursuant to the terms of the Company’s private placement of its series A
preferred stock on May 5, 2004. As
of
December 31, 2006, $65,287.39 of accrued interest on the debt is also due to
Mr.
Siebert, but is not accruing interest.
The
accrued interest will be paid out according to the terms of the Company’s
private placement of its series B preferred stock on January 28, 2005. Mr.
Siebert also invested $50,000 in our series B preferred stock private placement
pursuant to which he received 1 share of series B preferred stock convertible
into 81,967 shares of common stock and a warrant to purchase 77,868 shares
of
common stock.
Mr.
Siebert also invested $18,700 in Chembio Diagnostic Systems Inc. pursuant to
a
private placement of convertible notes on March 22, 2004. Mr. Siebert
converted the entire principal amount of the note that he received, together
with accrued interest thereon, into .942 shares of the Company’s series A
preferred stock, together with warrants to acquire 56,520 shares of common
stock
at $.90 per share, pursuant to the Company’s private placement of its series A
preferred stock on May 5, 2004. In November of 2004 as payment of dividends
on the series A preferred he received 61,884 shares of common stock. Mr. Siebert
exercised a warrant to purchase 66,869 shares of common stock on December 30,
2004 at a price of $0.45 per share. These shares were gifted by Mr. Siebert
to a
third party. In May of 2005 as payment of dividends on the series A preferred
he
received 72,234 shares of common stock. In July of 2005 as payment of dividends
on the series B preferred he received .03871 shares of series B preferred stock.
In November of 2005 as payment of dividends on the series A preferred he
received 77,488 shares of common stock. In January of 2006 as payment of
dividends on the series B preferred he received .04674 shares of series B
preferred stock. In June of 2006 as payment of dividends on the series A
preferred and series B preferred, Mr. Siebert received 22,714 shares of common
stock. In July and August of 2006 as payment of dividends on the series B
preferred, Mr. Siebert received 3,295 shares of common stock. In November of
2006 as payment of dividends on the series A preferred he received 55,860 shares
of common stock. In
January 2007 as payment of dividends on the series B preferred, Mr. Siebert
received 3,292 shares of common stock.
Mr.
Siebert prior to March 22, 2004 had either advanced funds to Chembio
Diagnostic Systems, Inc. or paid vendors directly on Chembio Diagnostic Systems,
Inc.’s behalf. The total amount so paid or advanced totaled $182,181 and was
repaid in the fourth quarter of 2006.
Richard
J. Larkin, the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, invested $10,000 in
Chembio Diagnostic Systems Inc. pursuant to the March 22, 2004 private
placement of convertible notes. Mr. Larkin converted the entire principal amount
of the note that he received, together with accrued interest thereon, into
.504
shares of the Company’s series A preferred stock, together with warrants to
acquire 30,240 shares of common stock at $.90 per share, pursuant to the
Company’s private placement of its
series A preferred stock on May 5, 2004. In November of 2004 as payment of
dividends on the series A preferred he received 1,007 shares of common stock.
In
May of 2005 as payment of dividends on the series A preferred he received 999
shares of common stock. In November of 2005 as payment of dividends on the
series A preferred he received 1,007 shares of common stock. In May of 2006
as
payment of dividends on the series A preferred he received 1007 shares of common
stock. In June of 2006 as payment of dividends on the series A preferred Mr.
Larkin received 265 shares of common stock. In November of 2006 as payment
of
dividends on the series A preferred he received 726 shares of common stock.
Avi
Pelossof, vice president of sales and marketing of the Company from May 5,
2004
to January 31, 2007, invested $4,000 in the Company pursuant to the
March 22, 2004 private placement of convertible notes. Mr. Pelossof
converted the entire principal amount of the note that he received, together
with accrued interest thereon, into .202 shares of the Company’s series A
preferred stock, together with warrants to acquire 22,555 shares of common
stock
at $.90 per share, pursuant to the Company’s private placement of its series A
preferred stock on May 5, 2004. In November of 2004 as payment of dividends
on the series A preferred he received 403 shares of common stock. In May of
2005
as payment of dividends on the series A preferred he received 399 shares of
common stock. In November of 2005 as payment of dividends on the series A
preferred he received 403 shares of common stock. In May of 2006 as payment
of
dividends on the series A preferred he received 403 shares of common stock.
In
June of 2006 as payment of dividends on the series A preferred Mr. Pelossof
received 106 shares of common stock. In November of 2006 as payment of dividends
on the series A preferred he received 290 shares of common stock.
In
addition Mr. Pelossof exercised 100,000 options to purchase Common Stock in
December 2006 at $.60 per share and another 50,000 options to purchase Common
Stock in January 2006 at $.75 per share.
Dr.
Gary
Meller, a non-employee director of the Company, currently serves as a limited
partner and a member of the Advisory Board of Crestview Capital Master LLC,
referred
to herein as Crestview, which
was
the lead investor, investing $3 million,
in our
series B preferred stock private placement
in
January 2005, and which subsequently invested an additional $1 million in our
series B preferred in March 2006. Crestview also invested $2 million
in our
series C preferred stock private placement
in
September 2006.
As
referred to above, in
January
2005, for
a
purchase price of $3 million, we
issued
Crestview 60 shares of our series B preferred stock, and warrants to purchase
4,672,130 shares
of our
common stock at a warrant exercise price of $.61 per share. In July 2005, we
issued Crestview dividends on these series B preferred shares in the form of
2.32274 additional series B preferred shares.
In
March
2006, for
a
purchase price of $1 million, we
issued
Crestview 20 shares of series B preferred shares with warrants to purchase
1,557,377 shares of common stock
at a
warrant exercise price of $.61 per share. These shares were issued in connection
with our January 2005 private placement as described herein. Subsequently,
in
July 2006, we issued dividends on all of Crestview’s shares in the form of
220,301 shares of common stock. In September 2006, for
a
purchase price of $2 million, we
issued
40 shares of series C preferred shares to Crestview together
with
warrants to purchase 625,000 shares of common stock
at an
exercise price of $1.00 per share.
In
January 2007, because of comments from the staff of the SEC concerning the
registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, Crestview agreed
to
reduce the number of its shares of common stock covered by this prospectus
to
2,000,000. Crestview also agreed to waive any penalties that we would otherwise
owe Crestview because of the failure to register all of Crestview’s shares in
the current registration statement. In return, we agreed that, upon request
by
Crestview, we will file one or more registration statements with the SEC in
order to register the resale of other shares beneficially owned by Crestview.
The cost of any such registration statements shall be borne by us.
The
series B preferred shares owned by Crestview are convertible into a total of
6,747,748 shares of common stock, and the series C preferred shares owned by
Crestview are convertible into a total of 2,500,000 shares of common
stock.
Crestview
invested $2,000,000 in our series C preferred stock private placement on
September 29, 2006. We also received an investment of $2,000,000 on that date
from Inverness
Medical
Innovations, Inc. A certificate of designation for the series C preferred was
filed with the Secretary of State of Nevada reflecting the agreed upon
conversion price of $.85. The series C preferred stock private placement for
an
aggregate of $8,150,000 (including the $2,000,000 invested by each of Crestview
and Inverness) was completed on October 5, 2006. During the period between
September 29, 2006 and October 5, 2006, we requested the assistance of Crestview
and others in identifying to us prospective investors. A representative of
Crestview informed Mr. Siebert on October 3, 2006 of a conversation he had
earlier that day with a fund manager that the fund would be interested in
investing a substantial amount in the offering, but only at a conversion price
of no more than $.80.
At
a
Board of Directors meeting on October 4, 2006, Mr. Siebert expressed his
recommendation that the Board approve lowering the conversion price to $.80
in
order to be able to obtain the additional funds. The Board discussed the bridge
financing of $1,300,000 in promissory notes which had been completed in June
2006, the noteholders who expected to convert their notes into the series C
preferred stock, and the restrictions on future equity sales by us in the bridge
financing purchase agreement that necessitated finalizing promptly the series
C
preferred stock offering. After discussion to approve the funding, the motion
was approved unanimously, with the exception of Gerald Eppner1
who
abstained. Mr. Eppner stated that he understood the benefits of the economics
of
the transaction and our need to proceed so quickly, but that he did not wish
to
vote in favor.
At
a
Board meeting held on October 11, 2006, the Board members discussed the series
C
preferred stock private placement. Mr. Eppner stated in his view that it would
be desirable to review the sequence of events in this transaction to assure
proper guidelines for corporate governance and to determine if disclosure or
other issues needed to be considered. At a Board meeting held on October 26,
2006, it was discussed that a subcommittee of the Audit Committee, whose members
would be Mr. Eppner and Alan Carus, would review certain issues related to
the
series C preferred stock private placement.
1
Mr. Eppner resigned from the Board of
Directors on January 30, 2007.
The
first
meeting of the Audit Committee to review the series C preferred stock offering
was held on October 27, 2006. The Audit Committee decided it would review the
role of Crestview in the series C preferred stock offering, Crestview’s status
as a possible control person, the role of Dr. Gary Meller in the offering and
his relationship with Crestview, and whether the Audit Committee should
recommend new corporate governance procedures to be implemented or any action
to
be taken by the Board of Directors. The Audit Committee utilized legal counsel
to assist in its review. The Audit Committee held seven meetings during the
period from October 27, 2006 to January 10, 2007. Messrs. Carus and Eppner
attended all of the meetings. Mr. Carus concluded that: (i) he was
satisfied with the review, and (ii) although with fewer time constraints,
there could have been more deliberation regarding the change in the conversion
price, he believed there was no inappropriate conduct, that the Company had
not
suffered any damage and that the matter should be closed. Mr. Eppner stated
his
concerns that: (i) Crestview is an affiliate of the Company,
(ii) there was no participation by the Company in the reduction in the
conversion price from $.85 to $.80, (iii) although he agreed with Mr. Carus
that the $.80 price may have been acceptable to the Company, it was not as
good
as a higher price, (iv) Mr. Siebert should not have allowed this to happen,
and that because he did, it was evidence of control by Crestview, and
(v) disclosure of the review of the Audit Committee should be made in a
registration statement that was to be filed shortly thereafter.
Director
Independence
Our
common stock trades on the OTC Bulletin Board. As such, we are not currently
subject to corporate governance standards of listed companies, which require,
among other things, that the majority of the board of directors be
independent.
Since
we
are not currently subject to corporate governance standards relating to the
independence of our directors, we choose to define an “independent” director in
accordance with the NASDAQ Global Market's requirements for independent
directors (NASDAQ Marketplace Rule 4200). All of our non-employee directors
are
independent under the above definition. We do not list that definition on our
Internet website.
Section
16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section
16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”),
requires our directors, executive officers and beneficial owners of more than
10% of our common stock to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission
initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership of common
stock
and other equity securities of the Company. We believe that during the year
ended December 31, 2006, each person who was an officer, director and beneficial
owner of more than 10% of our common stock complied with all Section 16(a)
filing requirements, except the following filings were filed late: (i) Form
4
for Lawrence A. Siebert filed on January 10, 2006; (ii) Form 4 for Dr. Gary
Meller filed on April 6, 2006; (iii) Form 4 for Gerald A. Eppner filed on April
8, 2006; (iv) Form 4 filed for Avi Pelossof on April 26, 2006; (v) Form 4 for
Lawrence A. Siebert filed on July 20, 2006; (vi) Form 4 for Avi Pelossof filed
on July 20, 2006; (vii) Form 4 for Richard Larkin filed on July 20, 2006: and
(viii) Form 4 for Lawrence A. Siebert filed on August 24, 2006.
Board
of Directors and Committees
The
Board
of Directors held seventeen meetings during the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2006 and each director participated in at least 75% of those
meetings and meetings of the committees on which he served. Although the Company
does not have a formal policy regarding attendance by members of the Board
of
Directors at the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders, the Company
encourages each director to attend. All of our directors attended last year’s
annual meeting.
The
Company’s Audit Committee met four times in 2006 and consisted of Alan Carus,
Gerald A. Eppner and Dr. Gary Meller. The Board of Directors has determined
that Mr. Carus is an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined under the
rules of the SEC. Each of the members of the Audit Committee is “independent,”
as that term is defined in Rule 4200(a)(15) of the Nasdaq Stock Market, except.
This committee oversees, reviews, acts on and reports to our Board of Directors
on various auditing and accounting matters including: the selection of our
independent accountants, the scope of our annual audits, fees to be paid to
the
independent accountants, and the performance of our independent accountants.
A
copy of the committee’s charter is attached to this proxy as Appendix
A.
The
Company’s Compensation Committee met five times in 2006 and consisted of Alan
Carus, Gerald A. Eppner and Dr. Gary Meller. Each of the committee’s members is
“independent,” as that term is defined in Rule 4200(a)(15) of the Nasdaq Stock
Market. The Compensation Committee establishes salaries, incentives and other
forms of compensation for officers and employees. The Compensation Committee
also administers our incentive compensation plan. The Compensation Committee
does not have a charter.
The
Company’s Nominating and Corporate Governance committee met once in 2006 and
consisted of Alan Carus, Gerald A. Eppner and Dr. Gary Meller. Each of the
committee’s members is “independent,” as that term is defined in Rule
4200(a)(15) of the Nasdaq Stock Market. The committee (i) identifies
individuals qualified to become members of the Board of Directors,
(ii) recommends director candidates to the Company’s Board of Directors,
(iii) develops, updates as necessary, and recommends to the Company’s Board
of Directors corporate governance principles and policies, and
(iv) monitors compliance with such principles and policies. The committee’s
charter is attended to this proxy statement as Appendix
B.
All the
nominees for director included in this proxy statement were recommended by
the
Nominating Committee, which is comprised entirely of non-management
directors.
To
be
considered for nomination by the Board at the next annual meeting of
stockholders, the nominations must be made by stockholders of record entitled
to
vote. Stockholder nominations must be made by notice in writing, delivered
or
mailed by first class U.S. mail, postage prepaid, to the Secretary of the
Company at the Company’s principal business address, not less than 60 days nor
more than 90 days prior to any meeting of the stockholders at which directors
are to be elected. Each notice of nomination of directors by a stockholder
shall
set forth the nominee’s name, age, business address, if known, residence address
of each nominee proposed in that notice, the principal occupation or employment
of each nominee for the five years preceding the date of the notice, the number
of shares of the Company’s common stock beneficially owned by each nominee and
any arrangement, affiliation, association, agreement or other relationship
of
the nominee with any Company stockholder.
Stockholders
wishing to send communications to the Board may contact Lawrence Siebert, our
CEO, President and Chairman, at the Company’s principal executive office
address. All such communications shall be shared with the members of the Board,
or if applicable, a specified committee or director.
Audit
Committee Report
This
report shall not be deemed incorporated by reference by any general statement
incorporating by reference this Proxy Statement into any filing under the
Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the
extent that we specifically incorporate this information by reference, and
shall
not otherwise be deemed filed under either of such Acts.
The
Audit
Committee oversees the Company’s financial reporting process. Management has the
primary responsibility for the financial statements and the reporting process,
including the systems of internal controls. In fulfilling its oversight
responsibilities, the committee reviewed and discussed with management the
audited financial statements in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for
the year ended December 31, 2006 and the unaudited financial statements included
in the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-QSB for the first three quarters of the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2006.
The
committee discussed with the independent auditors, who are responsible for
expressing an opinion on the conformity of audited financial statements with
generally accepted accounting principles, the auditors’ judgments as to the
quality, not just the acceptability, of the Company’s accounting principles and
such other matters as are required to be discussed by the auditors with the
committee under Statement on Auditing Standard No. 61, as amended. In addition,
the committee discussed with the independent auditors the auditors’ independence
from management and the Company, including the matters in the written
disclosures and the letter required by the Independence Standards Board Standard
No. 1. The committee considered whether the auditors’ providing services on
behalf of the Company other than audit services is compatible with maintaining
the auditors’ independence.
The
committee discussed with the Company’s independent auditors the overall scope
and plans for their respective audits. The committee will meet with the
independent auditors, with and without management present, to discuss the
results of the auditors’ examinations, their evaluations of the Company’s
internal controls, and the overall quality of the Company’s financial reporting.
In
reliance on the reviews and discussions referred to above, the committee
approved inclusion of the audited financial
statements in the Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended
December 31, 2006 for filing with the SEC.
The
Audit
Committee
Dr.
Gary
Meller
Alan
Carus
March
31,
2007
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
The
following table summarizes all compensation recorded by the Company in the
latest completed fiscal year for our principal executive officer, our two most
highly compensated executive officers other than our principal executive officer
whose annual compensation exceeded $100,000, and up to two additional executive
officers for whom disclosure would have been made in this table but for the
fact
that the individual was not serving as an executive officer of our company
at
December 31, 2006.
Name
and Principal
Position
|
|
Year
|
|
Salary
($)1
|
|
Bonus
($)2
|
|
Option
Awards ($)3
|
|
All
Other Compensation
|
|
Total
($)
|
|
Lawrence
A. Siebert, CEO and Director4
|
|
|
2006
|
|
$
|
207,115
|
|
$
|
20,000
|
|
$
|
21,017
|
|
$
|
7,200
|
|
$
|
255,332
|
|
Richard
J. Larkin, CFO
|
|
|
2006
|
|
$
|
140,385
|
|
$
|
15,000
|
|
$
|
27,300
|
|
|
-
|
|
$
|
182,685
|
|
Avi
Pelossof, Vice President of Sales and Marketing5
|
|
|
2006
|
|
$
|
156,538
|
|
$
|
12,000
|
|
$
|
51,081
|
|
$
|
6,120
|
|
$
|
225,739
|
|
Javan
Esfandiari, Director of Research and Development
|
|
|
2006
|
|
$
|
150,385
|
|
$
|
12,000
|
|
$
|
41,390
|
|
$
|
4,800
|
|
$
|
208,575
|
|
1
Salary is total base salary.
2
Any bonus earned was paid solely on a
discretionary basis, and not pursuant to any bonus plan.
3
The valuations of these options reflect the
compensation costs of each option award over the requisite service period in
accordance with FAS123R.
4
Mr. Siebert also serves as a director on the
Company’s board of directors. Mr. Siebert does not receive any compensation for
this director role.
5
Mr. Pelossof voluntarily resigned from the Company on December 6, 2006,
effective January 31, 2007.
Employment
Agreements
Mr.
Siebert.
On June
15, 2006, Mr. Siebert and the Company entered into an employment agreement,
effective May 10, 2006, which terminates on May 10, 2008. Pursuant to the
employment agreement, Mr. Siebert serves as the President and Chief Executive
Officer of the Company and is entitled to receive a base compensation of
$240,000 per year, subject to review by the Board of Directors of the Company
at
the end of the first twelve months. Mr. Siebert also shall be eligible for
a
bonus of up to 50% of his salary, consisting of (i) a bonus of up to 25% of
his
salary that is at the complete discretion and determination of the Board of
Directors, and (ii) a bonus of up to an additional 25% of his salary that will
be determined based upon revenue and earnings performance criteria established
each year by the Board of Directors. Mr. Siebert is eligible to participate
in
any profit sharing, stock option, retirement plan, medical and/or
hospitalization plan, and/or other benefit plans except for disability and
life
insurance that the Company may from time to time place in effect for the
Company’s executives during the term of Mr. Siebert’s employment agreement. If
Mr. Siebert’s employment agreement is terminated by the Company without cause,
or if Mr. Siebert terminates his employment agreement for a reasonable basis,
including within 12 months of a change in control, the Company is required
to
pay as severance Mr. Siebert’s salary for six months. Mr. Siebert has agreed for
a period of two years after the termination of his employment with the Company
not to induce customers, agents, or other sources of distribution of the
Company’s business under contract or doing business with the Company to
terminate, reduce, alter, or divert business with or from the
Company.
Mr.
Pelossof.
On May
5, 2004, Mr. Pelossof and the Company entered into an employment agreement,
effective May 10, 2004, which was scheduled to terminate on May 10, 2007.
Pursuant to the employment agreement, Mr. Pelossof served as the Vice President
of Sales, Marketing and Business Development of the Company. On June 15,
2006, the Board of Directors amended this agreement, and increased
Mr. Pelossof’s salary from a base compensation of $120,000 per year, to a
base salary of $170,000 per year. Mr. Pelossof was also eligible for a bonus
of
up to 25% of his salary, consisting of (i) a bonus of up to 12.5% of his salary
that was at the complete discretion and determination of the Board of Directors,
and (ii) a bonus of up to an additional 12.5% of his salary that would be
determined based upon revenue and earnings performance criteria established
each
year by the Board of Directors. Mr. Pelossof was also eligible to participate
in
any profit sharing, stock option, retirement plan, medical and/or
hospitalization plan, and/or other benefit plans except for disability and
life
insurance that the Company from time to time had in place for the Company’s
executives during the term of Mr. Pelossof’s employment agreement. If Mr.
Pelossof’s employment agreement was terminated by the Company without cause, or
if Mr. Pelossof terminated his employment agreement for a reasonable basis,
including within 12 months of a change in control, the Company was required
to
pay as severance Mr. Pelossof’s salary for six months. Mr. Pelossof agreed for a
period of two years after the termination of his employment with the Company
not
to induce customers, agents, or other sources of distribution of the Company’s
business under contract or doing business with the Company, and not to
terminate, reduce, alter, or divert business with or from the Company. Mr.
Pelossof voluntarily resigned from the Company effective January 31,
2007.
Mr.
Esfandiari.
On April
23, 2007, Mr. Esfandiari and the Company entered into a new employment agreement
effective March 5, 2007. Pursuant to the terms of the employment agreement,
Mr.
Esfandiari will continue as the Company’s Senior Vice President of Research and
Development for an additional term of three years. Mr. Esfandiari’s salary under
the employment agreement is $185,000 for the first year, $210,000 for the second
year, and $235,000 for the final year. Mr. Esfandiari is eligible for a cash
bonus of up to 50% of his base salary for each respective year, consisting
of
(i) a cash bonus of up to 37.5% of his calendar year base salary based on the
performance of the Company’s Dual Path Platform Technology, which is directly
related to certain annual revenue targets budgeted by management of the Company,
and (ii) a cash bonus of up to 12.5% of his calendar year base salary that
is at
the complete discretion and determination of the board of directors. The Company
also granted Mr. Esfandiari a stock grant of 200,000 shares of the Company’s
common stock, and incentive stock options to purchase 300,000 shares of the
Company’s common stock. Mr. Esfandiari is eligible to participate in any profit
sharing plan, executive stock option plan, pension plan, retirement plan,
medical and/or hospitalization plan, and/or any and all other benefit plans,
except for disability and life insurance, which may be placed in effect by
the
Company for the benefit of the Company’s executive officers during the term of
Mr. Esfandiari’s employment agreement. For a period of two years following the
termination of his employment agreement, Mr. Esfandiari will not induce or
attempt to induce any employee of the Company to leave the employ of the
Company, or in any way interfere with the relationship between the Company
and
any other employee; and for a period of one year following the termination
of
his agreement, Mr. Esfandiari will not compete with the Company or induce
customers or others doing business with the Company to terminate, reduce, alter,
or divert business with or from the Company. Mr. Esfandiari will not compete
with the business activities of the Company. If Mr. Esfandiari’s employment
agreement is terminated by the Company without cause, or if Mr. Esfandiari
terminates his employment agreement for a reasonable basis, including within
six
months of a change in control, the Company is required to pay as severance
Mr.
Esfandiari’s salary for twelve months.
Mr.
Larkin does not have an employment contract with the Company.
OUTSTANDING
EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR-END 2006
Name
|
Number
of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Exercisable
(#)
|
Number
of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options
Unexcercisable
(#)
|
Option
Exercise Price
($)
|
Option
Expiration Date
|
|
Lawrence
A. Siebert
|
50,0002
|
|
0.75
|
11/19/2007
|
4/17/2006
|
|
10,0002
|
|
0.75
|
12/31/2008
|
4/17/2006
|
|
10,0002
|
|
0.75
|
5/4/2011
|
4/17/2006
|
|
50,0002
|
|
0.75
|
5/28/2011
|
4/17/2006
|
|
|
50,0002
|
0.75
|
5/28/2011
|
1/1/2007
|
|
50,0003
|
|
0.75
|
5/4/2011
|
5/5/2004
|
Richard
J. Larkin
|
25,0002
|
|
0.75
|
5/17/2010
|
4/17/2006
|
|
|
25,0002
|
0.75
|
5/17/2010
|
4/17/2006
|
|
18,7501
|
|
0.62
|
3/24/2011
|
3/24/2006
|
|
|
18,7501
|
0.62
|
3/24/2011
|
1/1/2007
|
|
50,0003
|
|
0.45
|
9/15/2010
|
5/5/2004
|
Avi
Pelossof
|
40,0002
|
|
0.75
|
11/19/2007
|
4/17/2006
|
|
10,0002
|
|
0.75
|
12/31/2008
|
4/17/2006
|
|
25,0002
|
|
0.75
|
5/17/2010
|
4/17/2006
|
|
|
25,0002
|
0.75
|
5/17/2010
|
1/1/2007
|
|
25,0001
|
|
0.62
|
3/24/2011
|
3/24/2006
|
|
|
25,0001
|
0.62
|
3/24/2011
|
1/1/2007
|
|
10,0002
|
|
0.75
|
5/4/2011
|
4/17/2006
|
|
27,5002
|
|
0.75
|
5/27/2011
|
4/17/2006
|
|
|
50,0002
|
0.75
|
5/27/2011
|
1/1/2007
|
|
|
22,5002
|
0.75
|
5/27/2011
|
1/1/2007
|
|
40,0003
|
|
0.75
|
5/4/2011
|
5/5/2004
|
Javan
Esfandiari
|
30,0002
|
|
0.75
|
3/31/2008
|
4/17/2006
|
|
5,0002
|
|
0.75
|
12/31/2008
|
4/17/2006
|
|
25,0002
|
|
0.75
|
5/17/2010
|
4/17/2006
|
|
|
25,0002
|
0.75
|
5/17/2010
|
1/1/2007
|
|
18,7501
|
|
0.62
|
3/24/2011
|
3/24/2006
|
|
|
18,7501
|
0.62
|
3/24/2011
|
1/1/2007
|
|
5,0002
|
|
0.75
|
5/4/2011
|
4/17/2006
|
|
25,0002
|
|
0.75
|
5/28/2011
|
4/17/2006
|
|
25,0002
|
|
0.75
|
5/28/2011
|
4/17/2006
|
|
|
25,0002
|
0.75
|
5/28/2011
|
5/28/2007
|
|
30,0003
|
|
0.75
|
5/4/2011
|
5/5/2004
|
1
All options issued with a $.62 exercise price
were issued during 2006 as part of the Company’s 1999 Option Plan. Pursuant to
this plan, the Company granted 244,000 options to all
employees.
2
All options issued with a $.75 exercise price and an April 17, 2006 vesting
date
were issued on April 17, 2006 as part of the Company’s 1999 Option Plan.
Pursuant to this plan, the Company granted 244,000 options to all employees.
On
April 17, 2006, the Company’s Compensation Committee approved the cancellation
of each employee stock option award issued under the 1999 Equity Incentive
Plan
where the exercise price was greater than $0.75 per share of the Company’s
common stock, and the issuance of a new stock option award under the 1999 Equity
Incentive Plan, for the same number of shares of the Company’s common stock,
with an exercise price of $0.75 per share of the Company’s common stock for each
cancelled stock option award. The market price of the common stock of the
Company on April 17, 2006 was $0.72 per share. In total, stock option awards
to
acquire 795,000 shares of Company common stock were cancelled, and stock option
awards to acquire 795,000 shares of Company common stock were issued. Other
than
the change in the exercise price, all of the terms and conditions in each newly
issued stock option award are identical to the cancelled stock option award
it
replaces, with the following exceptions: (i) Lawrence A. Siebert’s stock option
award for 50,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, exercisable on May 28,
2006 and terminating on May 28, 2011 were replaced with a stock option award
for
50,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, exercisable on January 1, 2007 and
terminating on May 28, 2011; (ii) Avi Pelossof’s stock option awards for 72,500
shares of the Company’s common stock, exercisable on May 28, 2005 and on May 28,
2006 and both terminating on May 28, 2011 were replaced with a stock option
award for 72,500 shares of the Company’s common stock, exercisable on January 1,
2007 and terminating on May 28, 2011.
3
All other options shown were issued prior to 2006
as part of the Company’s 1999 Option Plan.
Name
|
|
Fees
Earned or Paid in Cash
($)
1
|
|
Stock
Awards
($)
2
|
|
Option
Awards
($)
3
|
|
Total
($)
|
|
Alan
Carus
|
|
$
|
40,000
|
|
$
|
10,650
|
|
$
|
14,663
|
|
$
|
65,313
|
|
Gerald
Eppner 4
|
|
|
37,500
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
16,504
|
|
|
54,004
|
|
Gary
Meller
|
|
|
34,750
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
16,504
|
|
|
51,254
|
|
1
Fees earned or paid in cash represents a yearly
fee and fees for meeting expenses: (a) Mr. Carus received an $18,000 annual
fee
as a member of the board of directors, a $2,500 annual fee as Audit Committee
chairman and $19,500 in meeting fees paid during 2006; (b) Mr. Eppner received
an $18,000 annual fee as a member of the board of directors, and $19,500 in
meeting fees paid during 2006; (c) Mr. Meller received an $18,000 annual fee
as
a member of the board of directors, and $16,750 in meeting
fees.
2
Alan Carus was awarded 15,000 shares of common
stock as compensation for services as the Audit Committee Chairman. The shares
were awarded on July 18, 2006 and 5,000 of these shares vested immediately,
5000
vest on July 1, 2007, and 5,000 vest on July 1, 2008. This stock was valued
based on the market closing price on the date of the grant at
$10,650.
3
Each outside member of the board of directors is
granted the right to purchase 36,000 shares of the company’s common stock with
an exercise price equal to the market price on the date of the grant as part
of
their annual compensation. One-third of these options are exercisable on the
date of grant, one-third become exercisable on the first anniversary of the
date
of grant, and one-third become exercisable on the second anniversary of the
date
of grant. The fair value of options at the date of grant was estimated using
the
Black-Scholes option pricing model.
4
Mr. Eppner resigned from our Board of Directors on January 30,
2007.
Director
Compensation
For
each
year of service beginning prior to 2007, non-employee directors were paid an
$18,000 annual retainer, and 36,000 stock options, with an exercise price equal
to the market price on the date of the grant. One-third of each non-employee
director’s stock options were exercisable on the date of grant, one-third would
become exercisable on the first anniversary of the date of grant, and one-third
would become exercisable on the second anniversary of the date of grant. The
Audit Committee chairman is paid an annual retainer of $2,500, paid
semi-annually. In addition, the non-employee directors are paid $1,000 in cash
for each Board of Directors’ meeting attended, and paid $500 in cash for each
telephonic Board of Directors meeting. The non-employee directors who are
members of a committee of the Board of Directors are paid $500 in cash for
each
committee meeting attended, or $750 in cash for each committee meeting attended
if that non-employee director is the committee chairman. In addition, in
December 2005, each of the three non-employee directors was granted options
to
purchase 15,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price equal
to the market price of the underlying common stock on the date of grant.
Beginning
with the election of directors for the year following the June 21, 2007 Annual
Meeting, each non-employee director will receive option grants by which 36,000
stock options will become exercisable each year pursuant to a grant of 180,000
options to be made once each five years. The exercise price of each option
is
equal to the market price of the stock on the date of grant. Other than these
provisions for stock options, the compensation for non-employee directors
remains the same as it was for prior years.
ITEM
2. PROPOSAL TO RATIFY THE SELECTION OF LAZAR, LEVINE & FELIX LLP
AS
CERTIFIED INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS
The
Audit
Committee of the Company's Board of directors has appointed Lazar Levine &
Felix LLP ("Lazar") of New York, New York to serve as the Company's certified
independent accountants to audit the Company's financial statements for the
fiscal year ending December 31, 2007. On June 1, 2004, the Company's Board
of
Directors initially engaged Lazar to serve as the Company's certified
independent accountants to audit the Company's financial statements for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2004. Lazar was originally the audit firm for
Chembio Diagnostic Systems Inc. before Chembio Diagnostic Systems Inc. became
our wholly-owned subsidiary in May 2004.
It
is
expected that one or more representatives of Lazar will be present at the Annual
Meeting and will be given the opportunity to make a statement and to respond
to
appropriate questions from stockholders.
Principal
Accountant Fees and Services
Audit
Fees
For
the
years ended December 31, 2006 and December 31, 2005, Lazar billed the Company
$72,000 and $99,000, respectively, for fees for the audit of the Company’s
annual financial statements and review of financial statements included in
the
Company’s Forms 10-QSB and 10-KSB.
Audit-Related
Fees
For
the
years ended December 31, 2006 and December 31, 2005, Lazar did not provide
the
Company with any assurance or related services reasonably related to the
performance of the audit or review of the Company’s financial statements that
are not reported above under “Audit Fees.”
Tax
Fees
For
the
years ended December 31, 2006 and December 31, 2005, Lazar billed the Company
$3,130 and $9,100, respectively, for professional services for tax compliance,
tax advice and tax planning.
All
Other Fees
For
the
years ended December 31, 2006 and December 31, 2005, Lazar billed the Company
$30,200 and $17,700, respectively, for fees associated with the preparation
and
filing of the Company’s registration statements, responses to SEC comment
letters and other related matters.
Audit
Committee Pre-Approval Policies
The
Audit
Committee (and prior to the adoption of the Audit Committee, the Board of
Directors) approves in advance all audit and non-audit services performed by
Lazar, Levine & Felix LLP. There are no other specific policies or
procedures relating to the pre-approval of services performed by Lazar, Levine
& Felix LLP.
Required
Vote; Board Recommendation
An
affirmative vote of the majority of shares represented at the Annual Meeting
in
person or by proxy is necessary to ratify the selection of auditors. There
is no
legal requirement for submitting this proposal to the stockholders; however,
the
Board of Directors believes that it is of sufficient importance to seek
ratification. Whether the proposal is approved or defeated, the Board may
reconsider its selection of Lazar.
The
Board of Directors unanimously recommends that the stockholders vote FOR
ratifying the selection of the certified public accounting firm of Lazar Levine
& Felix LLP to serve as the Company’s certified independent accountants for
the fiscal year ending December 31, 2007 or until the Board of Directors, in
its
discretion, replaces them.
OTHER
BUSINESS
The
Board
of Directors is not aware of any other matters that are to be presented at
the
Annual Meeting, and it has not been advised that any other person will present
any other matters for consideration at the meeting. Nevertheless, if other
matters should properly come before the Annual Meeting, the stockholders
present, or the persons, if any, authorized by a valid proxy to vote on their
behalf, shall vote on such matters in accordance with their
judgment.
RESOLUTIONS
PROPOSED BY INDIVIDUAL STOCKHOLDERS;
DISCRETIONARY
AUTHORITY TO VOTE PROXIES
Under
Rule 14a-8(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, in order to be considered
for inclusion in the proxy statement and form of proxy relating to our next
annual meeting of stockholders following the end of our 2007 fiscal year,
proposals by individual stockholders must be received by us no later
than January
15, 2008.
In
addition, under Rule 14a-4(c)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act, the proxy
solicited by the Board of Directors for the next annual meeting of stockholders
following the end of our 2007 fiscal year will confer discretionary authority
on
any stockholder proposal presented at that meeting unless we are provided with
notice of that proposal no later than March 31, 2008.
*
* * *
*
This
Notice and Proxy statement are sent by order of the Board of
Directors.
Dated:
May 10, 2007 /s/
Lawrence A. Siebert
Lawrence
A. Siebert, President, Chief Executive Officer
and
Chairman of the Board
*
* * *
*
PROXY
CHEMBIO
DIAGNOSTICS, INC.
For
the
Annual Meeting of Stockholders on June 21, 2007
Proxy
Solicited on Behalf of the Board of Directors
The
undersigned hereby appoints Lawrence A. Siebert, Richard Larkin, or either
of
them, as proxies with full power of substitution to vote all the shares of
the
undersigned with all of the powers which the undersigned would possess if
personally present at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Chembio Diagnostics,
Inc. (the “Corporation”) to be held at 10:00 a.m. (local time) on June 21, 2007,
at the Radisson Hotel, 1730 North Ocean Avenue, Holtsville, New York 11742,
or
any adjournments thereof, on the following matters:
[X]
Please mark votes as in this example.
1.
To
elect the following four directors:
Nominees:
Alan Carus, Katherine L. Davis, Dr. Gary Meller and Lawrence A.
Siebert.
FOR
ALL
NOMINEES [ ]
WITHHELD
AUTHORITY FOR ALL NOMINEES [ ]
FOR
ALL
NOMINEES EXCEPT AS NOTED ABOVE [ ]
2.
To
ratify the selection of Lazar, Levine & Felix, LLP as the Corporation’s
certified independent accountants.
[
]
FOR [ ]
AGAINST [
]
ABSTAIN
3.
In
their discretion, to vote upon an adjournment or postponement of the
meeting.
[
]
YES [ ] NO [
]
ABSTAIN
4.
In
their discretion, to vote upon such other business as may properly come before
the meeting.
[
]
YES [ ] NO [
]
ABSTAIN
(Continued
and to be signed on the reverse side)
Unless
contrary instructions are given, the shares represented by this proxy will
be
voted in favor of Items 1, 2, 3, and 4. This proxy is solicited on behalf of
the
Board of Directors of Chembio Diagnostics, Inc.
EVEN
IF
YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE MEETING, PLEASE COMPLETE, DATE, SIGN AND RETURN THIS
PROXY IN THE ACCOMPANYING ENVELOPE.
MARK
HERE
FOR ADDRESS CHANGE AND NOTE BELOW [ ]
Number
of
voting shares: _________________________
Dated: ________________________________
____
Signature:
____________________________________
Signature:
____________________________________
Signature
if held jointly
(Please
sign exactly as shown on your stock certificate and on the envelope in which
this proxy was mailed. When signing as partner, corporate officer, attorney,
executor, administrator, trustee, guardian, etc., give full title as such and
sign your own name as well. If stock is held jointly, each join owner should
sign.)
CHEMBIO
DIAGNOSTICS, INC.
AUDIT
COMMITTEE CHARTER
Purpose
and Authority
The
purpose of the Audit Committee (the “Committee”) is to assist the Board of
Directors (the “Board”) in overseeing: (1) the integrity of the Company’s
financial statements; (2) the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory
requirements; (3) the independent auditor’s qualifications and independence; (4)
the performance of the Company’s internal auditors, if applicable, and
independent auditor; and (5) compliance with the Company’s code of ethics for
senior financial officers and compliance with the Company’s code of conduct for
all Company personnel. The Committee shall have the ultimate authority and
responsibility to select, evaluate and, where appropriate, replace the
independent auditor. The Committee shall also have all authority necessary
to
fulfill the duties and responsibilities assigned to the Committee in this
Charter or otherwise assigned to it by the Board. The Committee shall fulfill
its oversight role by performing the duties and responsibilities set forth
in
this Charter.
As
the
Committee deems appropriate, it may retain independent counsel, accounting
and
other professionals to assist the Committee without seeking Board approval
with
respect to the selection, fees or terms of engagement of any such
advisors.
Committee
Structure and Expertise
The
Committee shall consist of at least three directors, or such other number as
the
Audit Committee may have and remain in compliance with the rules and regulations
promulgated by the Nasdaq Stock Market, who shall be appointed by the Board.
Each member of the Committee shall be “independent” as that term is defined in
Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) Rule 4200(a)(15) and shall otherwise meet the
independence and experience requirements of Nasdaq, Section 10A-3 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), and the rules and
regulations of the SEC. The Board may, at any time and in its complete
discretion, replace a Committee member. Each member of the Committee shall
be
financially literate and shall, at a minimum, be able to read and understand
fundamental financial statements, including the Company’s balance sheet, income
statement and cash flow statement. No member of the Committee shall have
participated in the preparation of the financial statements of the Company
or
any current subsidiary of the Company at any time during the three years prior
to that member being appointed to the Committee. At least one Committee member
shall have, through education and experience as a public accountant or auditor,
or a principal financial officer, controller or principal accounting officer
or
a chief executive officer, or from performance of similar functions, sufficient
financial expertise in accounting and auditing so as to be a “financial expert”,
in accordance with such regulations as may be applicable to the Company from
time to time.
If
the
Committee is aware of any material noncompliance with the structure or expertise
requirements set forth above, the Committee shall report such noncompliance
to
the Board.
Meetings
The
Committee shall meet as often as necessary, at least on a quarterly basis.
The
Committee shall meet periodically in separate, private sessions with each of
management, the independent auditor and the internal auditors to discuss
anything the Committee or these groups believe should be discussed. The
Committee may require any Company officer or employee or the Company’s outside
counsel or external auditor to attend a Committee meeting or to meet with any
members of, or consultants to, the Committee, and to provide pertinent
information as necessary. In the absence of a member designated by the Board
to
serve as chair, the members of the Committee may appoint from among their number
a person to preside at their meetings.
The
Committee shall maintain minutes and other relevant documentation of all its
meetings.
Committee
Authority and Responsibilities
The
Committee shall have the following duties and responsibilities, in addition
to
any duties and responsibilities assigned to the Committee from time to time
by
the Board:
Engagement
of Independent Auditor
·
|
The
Committee has the sole authority to approve all audit engagement
fees and
terms, as well as all significant non-audit engagements with the
independent auditor. The Committee shall be directly responsible
for
overseeing the work of the independent auditor (including resolution
of
disagreements between management and the independent auditor regarding
financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit
report or performing other audit, review or attest services for the
Company. The independent auditor shall report directly to the
Committee.
|
·
|
The
Committee shall pre-approve all audit and non-audit services as the
independent auditor is permitted to provide, subject to de
minimus
exceptions for other than audit, review, or attest services that
are
approved by the Committee prior to completion of the audit. Alternatively,
the engagement of the independent auditor may be entered into pursuant
to
pre-approved policies and procedures established by the Committee,
provided that the policies and procedures are detailed as to the
particular services and the Committee is informed of each service.
In
considering whether to pre-approve any non-audit services, the Committee
shall consider whether the provision of such services is compatible
with
maintaining the independence of the
auditor.
|
·
|
The
Committee shall ensure that the Committee’s approval of any non-audit
services is publicly disclosed pursuant to applicable laws, rules
and
regulations.
|
·
|
The
Committee shall have the authority to engage, without Board approval,
independent legal, accounting, and other advisors as it deems necessary
to
carry out its duties. The Company shall provide appropriate funding,
as
determined by the Committee, to compensate the independent auditor,
outside legal counsel, or any other advisors employed by the Committee,
and to pay ordinary Committee administrative expenses that are necessary
and appropriate in carrying out its
duties.
|
Evaluate
Independent Auditor’s Qualifications, Performance and
Independence
·
|
At
least annually, the Committee shall evaluate the independent auditor’s
qualifications, performance and independence, including that of the
lead
audit partner.
|
·
|
At
least annually, the Committee shall obtain and review the letter
and
written disclosures from the independent auditor consistent with
Independence Standards Board No. 1, including a formal written statement
by the independent auditor delineating all relationships between
the
auditor and the Company; actively engage in a dialogue with the auditor
with respect to that firm’s independence and any disclosed relationships
or services that may impact the objectivity and independence of the
auditor; and take, or recommend that the Board take, appropriate
action to
oversee the independence of the outside
auditor.
|
·
|
The
Committee shall discuss with the independent auditor the matters
required
to be discussed by the Statement of Auditing Standards (“SAS”) No. 61, as
amended from time to time, together with any other matters as may
be
required for public disclosure or otherwise under applicable laws,
rules
and regulations.
|
Review
Financial Statements and Financial Disclosure
·
|
The
Committee shall review and discuss the annual audited financial statements
and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent
auditor, including disclosures under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”, the report of the
independent auditor thereon, the disclosures regarding critical accounting
estimates, and shall discuss any significant issues encountered in
the
course of the audit work, including any restrictions on the scope
of
activities, access to required information or the adequacy of internal
controls.
|
·
|
If
so determined by the Committee, based on its review and discussion
of the
audited financial statements with management and the independent
auditor,
its discussions with the independent auditor regarding the matters
required to be discussed by SAS 61, and its discussions regarding
the
auditor’s independence, recommend to the Board that the audited financial
statements be included in the Company’s annual report on Form
10-KSB.
|
·
|
The
Committee shall review the CEO and CFO’s disclosures and certifications
set forth in the Company’s Forms 10-QSB and 10-KSB under Sections 302 and
906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
|
·
|
The
Committee shall discuss earnings press releases, as well as the financial
information and earnings guidance provided to analysts and rating
agencies. This may be done generally and does not require the Committee
to
discuss in advance each earnings release or each instance in which
the
Company may provide earnings
guidance.
|
Periodic
Assessment of Accounting Practices and Policies
·
|
The
Committee shall obtain and review timely reports from the independent
auditor regarding: (1) all critical accounting policies to be used;
(2)
all alternative treatments of financial information within GAAP that
have
been discussed with management, ramifications of the use of such
alternative disclosures and treatments, and the treatment preferred
by the
independent auditor; and (3) other material written communications
between
the independent auditor and management, such as any management letter
or
schedule of unadjusted differences.
|
·
|
The
Committee shall review with management and the independent auditor
the
effect of regulatory and accounting initiatives, as well as off-balance
sheet structures on the financial statements of the
Company.
|
·
|
The
Committee shall review changes in promulgated accounting and auditing
standards that may materially affect the Company’s financial reporting
practices.
|
·
|
The
Committee shall review any reports by management regarding the
effectiveness of, or any deficiencies in, the design or operation
of
internal controls and any fraud, whether or not material, that involves
management or other employees who have a significant role in the
Company’s
internal controls. Review any report issued by the Company’s independent
auditor regarding management’s assessment of the Company’s internal
controls.
|
Proxy
Statement Report of Audit Committee
·
|
The
Committee shall prepare the report required by the rules of the SEC
to be
included in the Company’s annual proxy
statement.
|
Related-Party
Transactions
·
|
The
Committee shall review and approve all related-party transactions,
including transactions between the Company and its officers or directors
or affiliates of officers or directors.
|
Hiring
Policies
·
|
The
Committee shall set clear hiring policies for the Company’s hiring of
employees and former employees of the independent auditor who were
engaged
on the Company’s account, and ensure that such policies comply with any
regulations applicable to the Company from time to
time.
|
Ethics
Compliance and Complaint Procedures
·
|
The
Committee shall develop, and monitor compliance with, a code of ethics
for
senior financial officers pursuant to, and to the extent required
by,
regulations applicable to the Company from time to
time.
|
·
|
The
Committee shall develop, and monitor compliance with, a code of conduct
for all Company employees, officers and directors pursuant to, and
to the
extent required by, regulations applicable to the Company from time
to
time.
|
·
|
The
Committee shall establish procedures for the receipt, retention and
treatment of complaints regarding accounting, internal accounting
controls
or auditing matters.
|
·
|
The
Committee shall establish procedures for the confidential, anonymous
submission by employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting
or
auditing matters.
|
Evaluation
The
Committee shall review and reassess the adequacy of this Charter at least
annually and submit proposed changes to the Board for approval. The Committee
has the powers and responsibilities delineated in this Charter. It is not,
however, the Committee’s responsibility to prepare and certify the Company’s
financial statements, to guaranty the independent auditor’s report, or to
guaranty other disclosures by the Company. These are the fundamental
responsibilities of management and the independent auditor. Committee members
are not full-time Company employees and are not performing the functions of
auditors or accountants.
The
Committee shall obtain or perform an annual evaluation of the Committee's
performance and make applicable recommendations for improvement.
It
is
not the responsibility of the Committee to plan or conduct audits or to
determine whether the Company’s financial statements are complete and accurate
or in conformance with generally accepted accounting
principles.
*****
CHEMBIO
DIAGNOSTICS, INC.
NOMINATING
AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE CHARTER
A. Purpose
and Authority
The
purpose of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (the “Committee”)
is to (i) identify individuals qualified to become members of the Board of
Directors (the “Board”), (ii) recommend director candidates to the Board,
(iii) develop, update as necessary and recommend to the Board corporate
governance principles and policies applicable to the Company, and
(iv) monitor compliance with such principles and policies.
The
Committee also shall have all authority necessary to fulfill the duties and
responsibilities assigned to the Committee in this Charter or otherwise assigned
to it by the Board.
B. Composition
1. Independence
The
Committee shall be composed of three or more directors, as determined by the
Board, and shall meet the independence standards required by the NASDAQ, Section
10A-3 of the Securities Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), to the extent that
Section 10A-3 is applicable to membership on the Committee, and any regulations
of the Securities Exchange and Commission (the “SEC”) applicable to the
Company.
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, one director who is not independent and who is not a current
employee of, or an immediate family member of a current employee of, the Company
may be appointed to the Nominating Committee if the Board, under exceptional
and
limited circumstances, determines that membership on the Committee by the
individual is required by the best interests of the Company and its
shareholders, and the Board discloses such determination, the nature of the
relationship, and the reason for the determination in the next annual proxy
statement or, if the Company does not file a proxy statement, in the next annual
report on Form 10-KSB. A director who is appointed to the Committee pursuant
to
this exception may not serve in excess of two years.
2. Appointment
and Removal of Members
The
members of the Committee shall be appointed by the Board on the recommendation
of the Chair of the Board following the Chair’s consultation with the incumbent
Chair of the Committee. The Board may remove any member from the Committee
at
any time with or without cause.
D. Duties
and Responsibilities:
The
Committee shall have the following duties and responsibilities, in addition
to
any duties and responsibilities assigned to the Committee from time to time
by
the Board.
Director
Selection
·
|
Review,
approve and recommend for Board consideration director candidates
based on
the Director Selection Guidelines outlined in Exhibit A
to
this Charter, and advise the Board with regard to nomination or election
of director candidates.
|
·
|
Periodically
review, approve and recommend to the Board appropriate revisions
to the
Director Selection Guidelines outlined in Exhibit A to
this Charter.
|
·
|
Determine
procedures for the review, approval and recommendation of director
candidates, as appropriate.
|
·
|
Determine
procedures for the consideration of shareholder-recommended Board
candidates.
|
Periodic
Disclosure
Prepare
the disclosure required in the Company’s proxy statement which explains the
process used to identify and evaluate nominees for the board of directors,
including an explanation of:
1. Director
Nomination Process
a. The
“minimum qualifications” that must be met for a nominee to be recommended by the
Committee, including any specific qualities or skills necessary for a
nominee.
b. Whether
the Company has a policy regarding consideration of shareholder-recommended
Board candidates and, if not, why not. The Committee must describe the material
terms of any policy, including whether the Committee will consider
shareholder-recommended candidates and, if so, what the procedures are for
recommending them.
c. The
Committee’s process for identifying and evaluating potential nominees for the
Board, including shareholder-recommended candidates. If shareholder-recommended
candidates are evaluated on a different basis from other candidates, the
Committee must disclose and explain these differences. For all nominees proposed
by the Committee for election (other than executive officers or current
directors standing for reelection) the Committee must disclose which of the
following recommended each nominee: shareholder; non-management director, CEO,
other executive officer; third party search firm; or other source. The Committee
must disclose the identity and role of any third party engaged to identify
or
evaluate potential Board candidates.
d. If
a 5%
or greater shareholder (or group) that has held its position for at least a
year
recommends a director candidate at least 120 days prior to the anniversary
of
the mailing date of the prior year’s proxy statement, the Committee must
disclose the name of the candidate and of the recommending shareholder, and
whether the Company nominated the candidate.
e. The
Committee shall assist the Board in preparing disclosure regarding any material
change to the procedures for shareholder nomination of directors. The disclosure
will be made in the Form 10-QSB filed for the period in which the material
change occurred (or the Form 10-KSB, for the fourth quarter). Adopting
procedures for the first time will be considered a material change.
2. Shareholder
Communications with the Board
The
Committee shall disclose whether the Company has a process for shareholders
to
communicate with the Board and, if not, why not. Finally, the Committee must
explain the process shareholders should use for sending communications to the
Board or to specific individual directors.
Board
and Board Performance
·
|
Periodically
review and recommend to Board appropriate size of the
Board.
|
·
|
Periodically
review appropriateness of any restrictions on Board service, such
as term
limits and retirement policy.
|
·
|
Recommend
to Board standards regarding Company’s definition of “independence” as
such term relates to directors (taking into account, among other
things,
Nasdaq requirements and any other laws and regulations applicable
to the
Company).
|
·
|
Establish
performance criteria/expectations for directors in areas of attendance,
preparedness, candor and
participation.
|
·
|
Establish,
coordinate and review with the Chair of Board criteria and method
for
evaluating the effectiveness of the
Board.
|
·
|
Recommend
frequency of regular meetings of non-management directors and develop
format for such meetings, including selection of presiding director
at
such meetings.
|
·
|
Determine
method of communications between (i) employees, shareholders and
other interested parties and (ii) non-management directors and/or the
presiding non-management director.
|
Board
Leadership
·
|
Develop
and recommend to the Board procedures for selection of the Chair
of the
Board.
|
·
|
Develop
and recommend to the Board procedures for Board review of, and for
communicating such review to, the Chair of the
Board.
|
Board
Relationship to Senior Management
·
|
Monitor
process and scope of director access to Company management and employees
and communications between directors and Company management and
employees.
|
Meeting
Procedures
·
|
Develop
annual meeting calendar for Board.
|
·
|
Develop
process for preparing agendas for, organizing and running Board
meetings.
|
·
|
Determine
appropriate timing for distribution of Board materials to allow directors
adequate time to review materials and prepare for
meetings.
|
Board
Committee Matters
·
|
Recommend
to Board, as appropriate, number, type, functions, structure and
independence of committees.
|
·
|
Annually
recommend to Board director membership on Board committees and advise
Board and/or committees with regard to selection of Chairs of committees.
(The Committee should consider rotation of Chairs and committee members
when making its recommendations).
|
·
|
Determine
criteria and procedures for selection of committee members and Chairs,
as
appropriate.
|
·
|
Establish
and coordinate with applicable committee Chair criteria and method
for
evaluating the effectiveness of the
committees.
|
Director
Orientation and Continuing Education
·
|
Periodically
review and revise, as appropriate, the Company’s director orientation
program.
|
·
|
Monitor,
plan and support continuing education activities of the
directors.
|
Governance
Policies
·
|
Develop,
review and recommend to the Board, as appropriate, other principles
and
policies relating to corporate governance; and monitor compliance
with and
the effectiveness of such principles and policies, as
appropriate.
|
Committee
Reports to Board
·
|
Provide
minutes of Committee meetings to the Board and report to the Board
on any
significant matters arising from the Committee’s
work.
|
E. Meetings
The
Committee shall establish a meeting calendar annually. The Committee may hold
such other meetings as are necessary or appropriate in order for the Committee
to fulfill its responsibilities. In the absence of a member designated by the
Board to serve as Chair, the members of the Committee may appoint from among
their number a person to preside at their meetings.
F. Evaluation
The
Committee shall review and reassess this Charter at least annually and, if
appropriate, propose changes to the Board.
The
Committee shall obtain or perform an annual evaluation of the Committee’s
performance and make applicable recommendations.
EXHIBIT
A
Director
Selection Guidelines
The
Charter of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (the “Committee”)
of the Board requires the Committee to develop and periodically review and
recommend to the Board appropriate revisions to these Director Selection
Guidelines. The following guidelines have been adopted by the Board upon the
recommendation of the Committee.
A. Director
Qualifications
When
considering potential director candidates for nomination or election, directors
should consider the following qualifications, among others, of each director
candidate:
·
|
High
standard of personal and professional ethics, integrity and
values;
|
·
|
Training,
experience and ability at making and overseeing policy in business,
government and/or education
sectors;
|
·
|
Willingness
and ability to keep an open mind when considering matters affecting
interests of the Company and its
constituents;
|
·
|
Willingness
and ability to devote the required time and effort to effectively
fulfill
the duties and responsibilities related to Board and committee
membership;
|
·
|
Willingness
and ability to serve on the Board for multiple terms, if nominated
and
elected, to enable development of a deeper understanding of the Company’s
business affairs
|
·
|
Willingness
not to engage in activities or interests that may create a conflict
of
interest with a director’s responsibilities and duties to the Company and
its constituents; and
|
·
|
Willingness
to act in the best interests of the Company and its constituents,
and
objectively assess Board, committee and management
performances.
|
B. Board
Composition Selection Criteria
The
Board
believes that its effectiveness depends on the overall mix of the skills and
characteristics of its directors. Accordingly, the following factors, among
others, relating to overall Board composition should be considered when
determining Board needs and evaluating director candidates to fill such
needs:
·
|
Diversity
(e.g., age, geography, professional,
other);
|
·
|
Professional
experience;
|
·
|
Industry
knowledge (e.g., relevant industry or trade association
participation);
|
·
|
Skills
and expertise (e.g., accounting or
financial);
|
·
|
Public
company board and committee
experience;
|
·
|
Non-business-related
activities and experience (e.g., academic, civic, public
interest);
|
·
|
Board
continuity (including succession
planning);
|
·
|
Number
and type of committees, and committee sizes;
and
|
·
|
Legal
and Nasdaq, or other applicable trading exchange or quotation system,
requirements and recommendations, and other corporate governance-related
guidance regarding board and committee
composition.
|
C. Selection
Procedures
Potential
director candidates should be referred to the Chair of the Committee for
consideration by the Committee and possible recommendation to the Board. The
Committee shall maintain a list of director candidates to consider and propose
to the Board, as required. If necessary or desirable in the opinion of the
Committee, the Committee will determine appropriate means for seeking additional
director candidates, including engagement of any outside consultant to assist
the Committee in the identification of director candidates.
The
Committee shall decide on the appropriate means for the review, recommendation
and/or selection of individual director candidates, including current directors,
and the recommendation of director candidates to the Board. In the event of
a
vacancy on the Board, the Chair of the Committee shall initiate the effort
to
identify appropriate director candidates.