UQM TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

4120 Specialty Place

Longmont, Colorado 80504

 

 

 

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

TO BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

 

 

The annual meeting of shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”)  of UQM Technologies, Inc. (“UQM” or the “Company”) will be held on Thursday,  September 24,  2015, at 2:00 p.m., local time at the Company’s  headquarters located at 4120 Specialty Place, Longmont, Colorado 80504 for the following purposes:

The record date for the Annual Meeting has been fixed at July 31,  2015. Only shareholders of record at the close of business on that date will be entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting.

 

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT.  Please vote, whether or not you expect to attend the Annual Meeting, as soon as possible.  You may vote by using the internet or by telephone or by signing and returning the paper proxy card by mail. Your vote is being solicited by the board of directors.  If you attend the meeting, you may vote in person even though you have submitted a proxy.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE SHAREHOLDERS MEETING TO BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

Our Proxy Statement and Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K are available online at http://www.envisionreports.com/UQM.

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SUMMARY

PROPOSAL 1:  Election of Directors 

Board and Corporate Governance Matters 

Committees of the Board 

Compensation and Benefits Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation 

MANAGEMENT 

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance 

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS 

Executive Compensation 

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTS 

PAYMENTS AND POTENTIAL PAYMENTS UPON TERMINATION OR CHANGE IN CONTROL 

DIRECTOR COMPENSATION 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS COMMITTEE REPORT 

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS 

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT 

EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION 

PROPOSAL 2:  Advisory Vote to Approve Compensation for Our Named Executive Officers 

PROPOSAL 3: Vote to Approve an Amendment to our Restated Article of Incorporation to Increase our number of Authorized Shares of Common Stock by 25,000,000 

PROPOSAL 4:  Ratification of Selection of Independent Auditors 

REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE 

PROPOSALS BY SHAREHOLDERS 

OTHER MATTERS 

ANNUAL REPORT 

 

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PROXY STATEMENT

 

UQM TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

4120 Specialty Place

Longmont, Colorado 80504

 

ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

TO BE HELD ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

Table of Contents 

 

This proxy statement and proxy card are furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies to be voted at our Annual Meeting, which will be held at the Company’s  headquarters located at 4120 Specialty Place, Longmont,  Colorado  80504,  on September 24, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. local time.  On August 12, 2015, we began mailing to shareholders of record either a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (“Notice”) or this proxy statement and proxy card.

Why am I receiving this proxy statement and proxy card?

You have received these proxy materials because you own shares of UQM Technologies, Inc. common stock and our board of directors is soliciting your proxy to vote your shares at the Annual Meeting. This proxy statement describes issues on which we would like you to vote at our Annual Meeting. It also gives you information on these issues so that you can make an informed decision.

The expense of this solicitation is being borne by the Company.  Further solicitation of proxies may be made by telephone or oral communication by regular employees of the Company, who will not be additionally compensated for this work or by Alliance Advisors, a proxy solicitation firm, which is being paid $4,000 for its services.

When you vote by using the Internet, by telephone or (if you received your proxy card by mail) by signing and returning the proxy card, you appoint David I. Rosenthal and Joseph R. Mitchell as your representatives at the Annual Meeting. They will vote your shares at the Annual Meeting as you have instructed them or, if an issue that is not on the proxy card comes up for vote, in accordance with their best judgment. This way, your shares will be voted whether or not you attend the Annual Meeting. Even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we encourage you to vote in advance by using the Internet, by telephone or (if you received your proxy card by mail) by signing and returning your proxy card.

Why did I receive a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials in the mail instead of a printed set of proxy materials?

Pursuant to rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, we are permitted to furnish our proxy materials over the Internet to our shareholders by delivering a Notice in the mail. We are sending the Notice to most shareholders. If you received a Notice by mail, you will not receive a printed copy of the proxy materials in the mail. Instead, the Notice instructs you on how to access and review the proxy statement and Annual Report on Form 10-K over the Internet.  The Notice also instructs you on how you may submit your proxy over the Internet.  If you received a Notice by mail and would like to receive a printed copy of our proxy materials, you should follow the instructions for requesting these materials contained in the Notice.

Shareholders who receive a printed set of proxy materials will not receive the Notice, but may still access our proxy materials and submit their proxies over the Internet at www.envisionreports.com/UQM.

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Who is entitled to vote?

Holders of our common stock at the close of business on July 31, 2015 are entitled to vote.  As of that date, there were 40,541,847 shares of our $0.01 par value common stock outstanding, each share being entitled to one vote.  There are no other classes of voting securities.

How do I vote?

Shareholders of record may vote by using the Internet, by telephone or (if you received a proxy card by mail) by mail as described below. Shareholders also may attend the meeting and vote in person.  If you own common shares through a bank or broker, please refer to your proxy card, Notice or other information forwarded by your bank or broker to see which voting options are available to you.

The method you use to vote will not limit your right to vote at the Annual Meeting if you decide to attend in person. Written ballots will be passed out to anyone who wants to vote at the Annual Meeting. If you hold your shares in “street name,” you must obtain a proxy, executed in your favor, from the holder of record to be able to vote in person at the Annual Meeting.

What if I change my mind after I return my proxy?

You may revoke your proxy and change your vote at any time before the polls close at the Annual Meeting. You may do this by: 

Attendance at the meeting will not by itself revoke a proxy.

How many votes do you need to hold the Annual Meeting and what is the required vote on each proposal?

The presence, in person or by proxy, of the holders of one-third of the outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote will constitute a quorum. If a quorum is present, we can hold the Annual Meeting and conduct business.  If a quorum is present, the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares represented at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote is required for passage for each of the proposals other than for the election of directors.  For the election of the directors, the four candidates having the highest number of votes cast for their election will be elected.

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Shares that either abstain from voting on a proposal presented or which lack authority to vote will have no effect in the tabulation of votes on such proposal although they will be counted toward the presence of a quorum.  No cumulative voting rights are authorized, and dissenters’ rights are not applicable to these matters.

On what items am I voting?

You are being asked to vote on four items: 

How may I vote in the election of directors, and how many votes must the nominees receive to be elected?

With respect to the election of directors, for each of the four (4) director nominees you may: 

At the Annual Meeting, the four candidates having the highest numbers of votes cast for their election will be elected.    

What happens if a nominee is unable to stand for election?

If a nominee is unable to stand for election, the Board may either: 

If the Board designates a substitute nominee, shares represented by proxies voted for the nominee who is unable to stand for election will be voted for the substitute nominee.

How may I vote on the proposals other than the election of directors, and how many votes must this proposal receive to pass?

With respect to each of Proposal 2 (advisory vote on executive compensation), Proposal 3 (vote to increase the number of shares of our authorized common stock) and Proposal 4 (ratification of independent public accountants), you may: 

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In order to pass, the respective proposals must receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares represented at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote.

Why is the Board of Directors seeking approval to increase the authorized capital of the Company?

We currently have approximately 5,075,000 shares of common stock available for future issuance.  Our Board of Directors is seeking the amendment to increase the number of authorized shares by 25,000,000 to provide flexibility in the future for stock issuances.  While we have no current plans to issue additional shares, we may use the shares for equity offerings to raise funds for the operation and growth of the Company’s business, strategic partnerships or other transactions, equity compensation plans and for other general corporate purposes.

How does the board of directors recommend that I vote?

The Board recommends that you vote as follows: 

What happens if I sign and return my proxy card but do not provide voting instructions? 

If you return a signed card but do not provide voting instructions, your shares will be voted as follows: 

Will my shares be voted if I do not vote by using the Internet, by telephone or by signing and returning my proxy card?

If your shares are held in street name through a bank or broker, your bank or broker may only vote your shares under certain limited circumstances if you do not provide voting instructions before the Annual Meeting, in accordance with New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) rules that govern the banks and brokers. These circumstances include voting your shares on “routine matters,” such as the ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accountants described in this proxy statement (Proposal Number 4). With respect to Proposal Number 4, therefore, if you do not vote your shares, your bank or broker may vote your shares on your behalf or leave your shares unvoted.

The remaining proposals are not considered routine matters under NYSE rules relating to voting by banks and brokers. When a proposal is not a routine matter and the brokerage firm has not received voting instructions from the beneficial owner of the shares with respect to that proposal, the brokerage firm cannot vote the shares on that proposal. This is called a “broker non-vote.” Broker non-votes that are represented at the Annual Meeting will be counted for purposes of establishing a quorum, but not for determining the number of shares

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voted for or against any non-routine matter, and therefore will have no effect on the outcome of the vote with respect to any non-routine matter.

IN ORDER TO HAVE YOUR VOTING PREFERENCES ON PROPOSAL NUMBERS  1, 2 AND 3 REFLECTED IN THE VOTING TABULATION, YOU MUST PROVIDE INSTRUCTIONS DIRECTLY TO YOUR BANK OR BROKERAGE FIRM VIA TELEPHONE OR THE INTERNET OR BY VOTING AND MAILING THE PAPER PROXY CARD MAILED TO YOU.

Will the voting results be announced by the Company?

Yes. We will report the voting results on Form 8-K within four business days following the conclusion of the Annual Meeting.  The Form 8-K will be available through our website at www.uqm.com or at www.sec.gov.

Householding of Annual Meeting Materials

We, along with some banks, brokers and other nominee record holders may be participating in the practice of “Householding” proxy statements and annual reports.  This means that only one copy of the Company’s Notice of Internet Availability Proxy Statement or Annual Report on Form 10-K may have been sent to multiple shareholders sharing a household.  The Company will promptly deliver a separate copy of either document to any shareholder upon written or oral request to the Secretary of the Company, UQM Technologies, Inc., 4120 Specialty Place, Longmont, Colorado 80504, telephone: (303) 682-4900.  Any shareholder who wants to receive separate copies of the Proxy Statement or Annual Report on Form 10-K in the future, or any shareholder who is receiving multiple copies and would like to receive only one per household, should contact the shareholder’s bank, broker, or other nominee record holder, or the shareholder may contact the Company at the above address and phone number.

Table of Contents 

Pursuant to the bylaws of the Company, the board of directors sets the number of directors.  The board of directors consists of four members. The board of directors has nominated four candidates to stand for re-election to the board of directors (Messrs. Vanlandingham, Roy, Sellinger and Sztykiel), all of whom are independent directors, as defined in the applicable rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the NYSE MKT Stock Exchange (“NYSE MKT”) (the new name of the NYSE Amex Exchange).  Proxies may not be voted for more than four persons.  The board of directors is not classified, and each director serves for a term of one year and thereafter until his successor is duly elected and qualified.

At the Annual Meeting, the shareholders will elect four members to the board of directors.  In the absence of instructions to the contrary, the proxy holders will vote the shares represented by proxy in favor of the nominees listed below.  The Company expects each of the nominees listed below to be able to serve as a director.  If any nominee should become unavailable, however, it is intended that the proxy holders will vote for a substitute designated by management.

 

We have provided below information about each nominee’s specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills that led our board of directors to conclude that the nominee should serve as a director of the Company at the time we are filing this proxy statement, in light of our business and corporate strategy.

Mr. Vanlandingham, our Chairman, has been an independent director of the Company for 11 years.  He brings many years of leadership and management experience as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of a major technology and manufacturing company to his role on the Board.  With experience in overseeing development of technology and complex equipment with attention to development schedules, production, quality, business development and budgets, he brings valuable insight to the Board as it oversees the Company’s operations and strategy.

Mr. Roy has been an independent director of the Company for over a decade.  With 30 years of investment banking experience and nine years’ experience as a principal and co-founder of a private equity business, Mr. Roy brings valuable insight to the Company in finance and accounting, capital markets, business analysis and strategy.  Mr. Roy has the financial background and skills to serve as an “audit committee financial expert.”

Mr. Sellinger has been an independent director of the Company since 2008.  He brings extensive senior management experience with a major manufacturing company to his role on the Board.  From his experience running a high volume manufacturing business with annual sales in excess of $1 billion, he provides valuable insight to the Board on operations, planning and implementation of strategy, risk management and other issues as the Company launches volume production of its products.

Mr. Sztykiel has been an independent director of the Company since 2012.  Mr. Sztykiel was the Chief Executive Officer of a manufacturer of trucks and truck components for 12 years.  In this capacity, Mr. Sztykiel has extensive senior management and marketing experience in the North American truck market. Mr. Sztykiel’s extensive management experience in a manufacturing company servicing the truck market provides valuable insight to the Board on strategy, marketing and manufacturing of the Company’s products.

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No family relationship exists between any director, executive officer, significant employee or person nominated or chosen by the Company to become a director or executive officer.  There are no arrangements or understandings between any director and any other person pursuant to which any director was nominated as a director.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” EACH OF THE NOMINEES PRESENTED.

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, the board of directors held nine meetings.  Each incumbent director attended or participated in more than 80 percent of the meetings of the board of directors and Board committees on which he served during the period he was a director.  Participation at meetings was sometimes by telephone, which is authorized under Colorado law.  The Company encourages directors to attend the Annual Meeting each year.  At the last Annual Meeting of Shareholders held August 13, 2014, all members of the board of directors attended.  The independent directors serving on the board of directors periodically meet as a group without management present.  None of the directors listed above have been involved during the last ten years in any legal proceedings that are material to an evaluation of the ability or integrity of that person to serve as a director of the Company.

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Board and Corporate Governance Matters

Selecting Nominees for Director

The Board has delegated to the Governance and Nominating Committee the responsibility for reviewing and recommending to the Board nominees for director.  The Governance and Nominating Committee, in evaluating director candidates, considers factors such as professional background and skills, age and business experience, personal character and values, ethical standards, diversity, existing outside commitments and planned future commitments, among other things.  However, the Governance and Nominating Committee has not established any specific minimum criteria or qualifications that a nominee must possess.

The Governance and Nominating Committee is responsible for recommending nominees for election at the Annual Meeting and for identifying one or more candidates to fill any vacancies that may occur on the Board.  The Governance and Nominating Committee may use a variety of sources to identify new candidates such as recommendations from independent directors or members of management, search firms, discussions with business associates and other persons who may know of suitable candidates to serve on the Board and shareholder recommendations.  Evaluation of candidates typically includes a review of the candidate’s qualifications by the Governance and Nominating Committee based upon the factors described above, interviews with one or more members of the committee and interviews with one or more members of the Board.  The Governance and Nominating Committee then recommends suitable candidates to the full Board who then approves or rejects the nominee.

The Governance and Nominating Committee will consider director candidates proposed by shareholders using the same evaluation criteria as for candidates recommended from other sources.  Any shareholder interested in submitting a prospective nominee for consideration by the board of directors should submit the candidate’s name and qualifications addressed to: Corporate Secretary at 4120 Specialty Place, Longmont, Colorado 80504.

Board Diversity

Our Board is comprised of accomplished professionals who represent diverse and key areas of expertise including, national and international business, operations, marketing, manufacturing, finance and investing, management, entrepreneurship, government and science, research and technology.  While we do not have a formal diversity policy with respect to director nominations, we believe that the diversity of skills, knowledge, opinions and fields of expertise represented on our Board is one of the Board’s core strengths. When identifying

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and selecting director nominees, the Governance and Nominating Committee considers the impact a nominee would have in terms of increasing the diversity of the Board with respect to professional experience, background, viewpoints, skills and areas of expertise together with considering diversity of race, gender and national origin of potential director candidates.  We believe that the resulting diversity of directors allows the Board to engage in honest and challenging discussions, in service of the best decisions for the Company and its shareholders. The diversity of our directors’ skills allows each director an opportunity to provide specific leadership in his respective areas of expertise. 

Board Leadership Structure

We have a Board leadership structure whereby the positions of Chairman of the board of directors and Chief Executive Officer are separate.  We believe this structure provides the Board with independent leadership and oversight of management and allows the Chief Executive Officer to concentrate on the Company’s business operations.

Our board of directors is comprised of four directors, all of whom are independent directors.  All of our independent directors are highly accomplished and experienced business leaders in their respective fields, who have demonstrated leadership in significant enterprises and are familiar with board processes.  For additional information about the backgrounds and qualifications of our directors, see “Election of Directors” in this proxy statement. 

We believe the current Board leadership structure facilitates effective communication, oversight and governance of the Company consistent with the best interests of the Company’s shareholders and other stakeholders. 

Board Risk Oversight

Our Company faces a number of risks including financial, operational, reputational, credit and liquidity, governance and regulatory.  The Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer are primarily responsible for identifying, assessing and managing these risks.  The board of directors provides additional risk oversight in several ways, including: (a) discussing internal controls and financial reporting annually through review and approval of the Company’s annual budget, including a review of potential risks that could negatively impact the proposed budget and plan; (b) performing regular reviews with management regarding the Company’s liquidity and capital requirements; and (c) engaging in periodic discussions regarding operational, asset protection and security, regulatory and other risks with our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and other Company officers, as it deems appropriate. 

Communications from Shareholders to the Board of Directors

The board of directors recommends that any communications from shareholders be in writing and addressed to the Board in care of the Corporate Secretary, 4120 Specialty Place, Longmont, Colorado 80504.  The name of any specific intended Board members should be noted in the communication.  The Board has instructed the Corporate Secretary to forward such correspondence only to the intended recipients; however, the Board has also authorized the Corporate Secretary, prior to forwarding any correspondence, to review the correspondence, and in his discretion, not to forward certain items if they are deemed frivolous, of inconsequential commercial value or otherwise inappropriate for Board consideration.

Code of Ethics

The Company has adopted a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct that applies to all directors, officers, employees, consultants, representatives and agents. The Code of Ethics and Business Conduct is available on our website at www.uqm.com “Who We Are – Corporate Governance links.”  If the Company makes any substantive amendments to the Code of Ethics and Business Conduct or grants any waiver from a provision of

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the Code to any executive officer or director, the Company will promptly disclose the nature of the amendment or waiver on its website.

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Committees of the Board

Our Board has three committees - Audit, Compensation and Benefits, and Governance and Nominating.  Each of the Audit, Compensation and Benefits and Governance and Nominating committees is comprised entirely of independent directors and is led by a committee chair.  All of our independent directors are encouraged to, and do, actively participate in the development of the Company’s business strategy in collaboration with the Chief Executive Officer and in the general oversight of the Company’s operations and financial affairs.

Mr. Roy serves as the committee chair of the Audit Committee. In this role, he exercises substantial influence and judgment over the Company’s financial affairs and financial reporting. The Audit Committee has a written charter adopted by the board of directors that specifies its duties including assisting the board of directors in its general oversight of the Company’s financial reporting, internal controls and audit functions, and its direct responsibility for the appointment, retention, compensation and oversight of the independent auditors.  A copy of the Company’s Audit Committee charter is available on our website at www.uqm.com “Who We Are – Corporate Governance links”.  The Audit Committee consists of three directors, Messrs. Roy, Sellinger and Sztykiel and met five times during Fiscal Year 2015.  All members of the Audit Committee are independent directors as defined in applicable rules of the NYSE MKT and the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).  The Board has determined that Mr. Roy meets the qualifications of an “audit committee financial expert” in accordance with SEC rules.  See also “Report of the Audit Committee” below. 

Mr. Sztykiel serves as the committee chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee. In this role, he exercises substantial influence and judgment over the Company’s governance policies and the identification and evaluation of candidates for our board of directors.  The Governance and Nominating Committee considers such matters as whether the size and composition of the Board is appropriate in the context of the Company’s business operations, monitors and addresses issues related to corporate governance and suggests changes when it deems appropriate and oversees the annual assessment of Board performance.  The Governance and Nominating Committee has a written charter specifying its responsibilities which is available on our website at www.uqm.com “Who We Are – Corporate Governance links.”  See also “Selecting Nominees for Director” above. The Governance and Nominating Committee consists of three directors, Messrs. Sellinger, Sztykiel and Vanlandingham and met once during Fiscal Year 2015.  All members of the Governance and Nominating Committee are independent directors as defined in applicable rules of the NYSE MKT and the SEC.

Mr. Sellinger serves as the committee chair of the Compensation and Benefits Committee.  In this role, he exercises substantial influence and judgment over the Company’s compensation practices, particularly as it relates to the structure and competitiveness of the Company’s executive compensation.    The Compensation and Benefits Committee reviews the performance and compensation of the Company’s  Chief Executive Officer and administers the 2012 Equity Incentive Plan, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan and Stock Bonus Plan.  The Compensation and Benefits Committee consists of three directors. Messrs. Roy, Sellinger and Vanlandingham, and met six times during Fiscal Year 2015.  All members of the Compensation and Benefits Committee are independent directors as defined in applicable rules of the NYSE MKT and the SEC.  The Compensation and Benefits Committee has a written charter specifying its responsibilities which is available on our website at www.uqm.com “Who We Are – Corporate Governance links.”

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Table of Contents

Compensation and Benefits Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, the members of our Compensation and Benefits Committee were not officers or employees of the Company or its subsidiaries, were not former officers or employees of the Company or its subsidiaries and did not have any relationship with the Company or its subsidiaries or any interlocking relationships with other entities requiring disclosure.

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The executive officers of the Company are:

 

 

On July 20, 2015, Joseph R. Mitchell was appointed our Chief Operating Officer.  In addition, on that date he was assigned to serve as our interim President and Chief Executive Officer, as our board sets out to identify a permanent President and Chief Executive Officer.  Mr. Mitchell joined the Company on June 1, 2012 and served as Senior Vice President of Operations.  From March 2012 until joining the Company, Mr. Mitchell was Director of Quality, North America, for A123 Systems, Inc. Mr. Mitchell served as Director, Operations and Quality - North American Hybrid Electric Drives for Continental Automotive from January 2008 through March 2012. From January 2007 through January 2008, Mr. Mitchell served as Director of Operations and Hybrid Drive Segment Manager for Siemens VDO. Prior to that, Mr. Mitchell held a series of manufacturing and quality positions at Ford Motor Company.

David I. Rosenthal joined the Company as Treasurer, Secretary and Chief Financial Officer on May 1, 2013.  From March 2011 until joining the Company, Mr. Rosenthal was a Financial Consultant for start-up and turnaround companies. From February 2010 until February 2011, Mr. Rosenthal was Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Cyanotech Corporation, a publicly-traded manufacturer of nutritional supplement products. Mr. Rosenthal served as a director of Cyanotech from August 2000 until September 2011.  From May 2008 until March 2009, Mr. Rosenthal served as Chief Financial Officer for Hickory Farms and from June 2007 until November 2007 served as Chief Financial Officer of Sanz, Inc., both portfolio companies of the private-equity firm Sun Capital Partners.

Adrian P. Schaffer joined the Company on December 1, 2011 as Vice President of Sales and Business Development.  From February 2006 until joining the Company, Mr. Schaffer served as Vice President of Sales for the Industrial, Commercial and Energy Group of Linamar Corporation, a leading supplier to the global vehicle and mobile industrial markets. Mr. Schaffer also spent thirteen years with Motorola Corporation where he held positions in sales, business development and account management in Motorola’s Telematics, Powertrain, Autobody and Heavy Vehicle Electronics Groups, including most recently as Director of Global Marketing for the global automotive group.

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Josh M. Ley joined the Company in January 1994 and was appointed Vice President of Engineering on March 4, 2015.  Mr. Ley previously served as Motor Design Engineer and Manager of Motor Design Engineering for the Company.  

There are no arrangements or understandings between any executive officer and any other person pursuant to which any executive officer was selected as an executive officer.

Under the securities laws of the United States, the Company’s directors, its executive (and certain other) officers, and any persons holding more than ten percent of the Company’s  common stock are required to report their ownership of the Company’s  common stock and any changes in that ownership to the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The Company is required to report in this statement any failure to file timely reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission during Fiscal Year 2015.  Based solely on its review of Form 3, Form 4 and Form 5 filings, the Company believes that all required reports were filed timely during Fiscal Year 2015.  

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Compensation Philosophy and Objectives

Our executive compensation program is designed to attract, motivate and retain highly qualified executives, while providing performance-based incentives for the attainment of strategic business objectives, rewarding superior performance and aligning the interests of our executives with those of our shareholders.

Our management compensation program has three primary components:

 

The base pay component of executive compensation is specified in employment agreements with our executive officers.  Bonus payments are performance-based payments that are payable annually in cash. Long-term equity-based incentive awards consist of shares of the Company’s  common stock, stock options to acquire shares of the Company’s  common stock or a combination of both. 

Bonus payments and long-term incentive grants are determined by the Compensation and Benefits Committee based principally on objective criteria consisting of each executive officer’s achievement of personal and Company-wide goals.  Payments of bonus awards each fiscal year are based on a retrospective review of the prior fiscal year’s performance.  The amount of the cash bonus payment and long-term incentive grant for each executive is determined based on the Committee’s deliberations regarding attainment of individual and Company-wide goals by Company executives.  The Committee’s determination of the degree of attainment of these goals by each executive was subjective and based on the Committee’s deliberations.

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The Compensation and Benefits Committee is composed of three members of our board of directors, each of which is independent as defined in applicable rules of the NYSE MKT and the SEC.  The Compensation and Benefits Committee does not delegate its authority to establish executive compensation to any other persons.  The Compensation and Benefits Committee approved the total compensation (and each of the individual elements of compensation) for Eric R. Ridenour, President and Chief Executive Officer.  The Committee also approved the compensation of the other named executive officers with input from the Chief Executive Officer. 

In Fiscal Year 2015, the Compensation and Benefits Committee engaged Pay Governance LLC to provide consulting services on executive compensation, pay scales and alternative executive compensation plans.    The Compensation and Benefits Committee anticipates that it may engage a compensation consultant at an interval of every three to five years to assist it in evaluating the competitiveness of its executive compensation program.    

The Compensation and Benefits Committee has also reviewed compensation data from a peer group of alternative energy companies that it believed to be in competition with the Company in the marketplace for executive talent.  While the Compensation and Benefits Committee does not set benchmark percentile targets for executive compensation, the compensation levels for the three primary elements of executive compensation are generally set to establish pay levels that are competitive with those of the identified peer group of companies.

The Compensation and Benefits Committee has reviewed all compensation policies and practices for executive officers and employees to determine if there is risk arising from such policies and practices that could reasonably have a material adverse effect on the Company. The Compensation and Benefits Committee reviews all aspects of performance in determining bonus awards and there are no specific threshold targets that increase bonuses.  In addition, the Company’s  maximum bonus award in any year is limited to one-and-one half times the target bonus, and the Company has to date never exceeded a bonus payout of more than 100% of the target.  Further, bonuses awarded may be recouped pursuant to our recently adopted Clawback Policy.  Therefore, the Committee believes there is a low risk for any material adverse effect on the Company arising from compensation policies and practices. 

We have entered into employment agreements with our executive officers that contain retention and severance payment provisions, including change in control severance payments, and provide a modest program of executive perquisites and personal benefits as are further described in the section “Employment Agreements” below.  The purpose of the employment agreements is to provide financial security for the executive, to aid in retention and to encourage loyalty to and long-term employment with the Company. 

2014 Say-on-Pay Advisory Vote

At our 2014 Annual Meeting of the Company’s shareholders, over 72% of the Company’s shareholders approved, on an advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers.  Our Compensation and Benefits Committee considered the results of the advisory vote on executive compensation, and made  the changes to our executive compensation program including adoption of a clawback policy.  These changes are described in greater detail below.

Adoption of Compensation Clawback Policy

On July 28, 2015, our Board of Directors adopted the UQM Technologies, Inc. Clawback Policy.  This clawback policy allows us to recoup executive incentive compensation in the event of an accounting restatement resulting from material noncompliance with financial reporting requirements under the federal securities laws.   The clawback policy applies to all forms of incentive compensation previously granted to executive officers, including stock options, cash bonuses, and restricted stock, that were granted during the three years prior to any accounting restatement.

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Elements of Compensation

Base Salary.  Base salaries for our executives are established based on the scope of their responsibilities, taking into account competitive market compensation for similar positions in the peer group of companies, as well as the experience and performance of the individual, our ability to replace the individual and other primarily judgmental factors deemed relevant by the Compensation and Benefits Committee.  Base salaries are reviewed annually by the Compensation and Benefits Committee and the board of directors and may be increased, but not decreased without the consent of the executive, by the Board from time to time coincident with our annual review. 

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015, the Compensation and Benefits Committee increased annual base salary for each executive by approximately 2.5%. Mr. Mitchell received an additional annual base salary increase of 7% because of his promotion to Senior Vice President of Operations in August 2014.  These increases consisted of cost of living and merit based adjustments.

Cash Bonus Compensation. The Compensation and Benefits Committee annually considers the award of performance-based cash bonuses to compensate executives for achieving financial, operational and strategic goals and for individual performance.  The amount of cash bonuses, if any, is established during deliberations by the Compensation and Benefits Committee using its judgment after considering the objective and subjective factors discussed above and the individual’s performance. As a result, bonuses may vary greatly from one year to the next.

The Compensation and Benefits Committee has established target cash bonus levels as a percentage of base salary for each executive officer based on the level of responsibility for each executive position and by reference to the level of target cash bonus payments by the peer group of companies. The target cash bonus levels for each of the Company’s executive officers as a percentage of each officer’s base salary is as follows:

 

 

Actual cash bonus payments may either exceed or be less than the target level based on the Compensation and Benefit Committee’s judgment as to whether individual and Company-wide goals were met, exceeded or partially-met, subject to a maximum bonus award in any year of two times the target bonus.

For Fiscal Year 2015, cash bonuses paid to executive officers as a percentage of their base salary, were as follows:

 

 

The principal Company-wide goals for Fiscal Year 2015 used by the Compensation and Benefits Committee for purposes of determining bonus payments included solidifying the Company’s base revenue, maintaining and improving gross margins, securing a long-term supply contract, controlling the rate of cash outflows with cost management and efficiencies, product innovation and product quality.  In reviewing management’s performance at the end of Fiscal Year 2015 against the goals, the Compensation and Benefits Committee noted management’s success in securing a long-term supply agreement and controlling cash outflows, and its less satisfactory performance in solidifying base revenue and adding new growth opportunities.  Based on this performance, the Compensation and Benefits Committee determined that a cash bonus of 25% of the target level be awarded to the executives.

Long-Term Incentive Compensation.    The Compensation and Benefits Committee annually considers the award of long-term incentive compensation to compensate executive officers for their efforts in positioning the Company for long-term growth. The Compensation and Benefits Committee considers a number of qualitative factors in setting the long-term incentive compensation for each executive officer, including the specific goals listed above as well as each executive officer’s contribution to a variety of  other Company-wide goals such as new customer and market development activities, supply chain optimization and improvement, technology base enhancements, new product development and launch activities, enhanced investor relations and implementation of certain extraordinary transactions, among other things. 

Long-term incentive compensation may be paid in the form of Company common stock or in the form of a grant of stock options or any combination of stock and stock options.  The Committee believes that equity-based compensation awards aid in the retention of the executive and serve to align the interests of the executive with those of the Company’s other shareholders. Equity-based compensation awards have a future service requirement (vesting period) of three years.

Qualitative criteria are generally used to establish goals and objectives that the Board believes add value to the Company and enhance its prospects for long-term growth and success.  The Compensation and Benefits Committee has established target levels for long-term incentive compensation for each executive officer based on the level of responsibility for each executive position and the peer group of companies. The target long-term incentive compensation level (as a percentage of each officer’s base salary) for each of the Company’s executive officers is as follows:

 

The fair value of long-term incentive compensation awards granted to executive officers in early Fiscal Year 2015 for their performance against Fiscal Year 2014 goals, as a percentage of their base salary, were as follows:

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The Compensation and Benefits Committee evaluated the performance of the executives against the Company goals and determined that the executives be awarded long-term incentive compensation for Fiscal Year 2014 performance at fifty-five percent of the target level. 

 

The Compensation and Benefits Committee expects to review Fiscal Year 2015 performance in the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2015 at which time it will determine whether, and at what level, to award long-term incentive compensation to the named executive officers. 

 

Employment Agreements

Each of our executive officers have employment agreements with the Company, as described below.  The agreements provide for compensation in the form of annual base salary, which cannot be decreased during the term of the agreement without the consent of the executive, a monthly automobile allowance, the opportunity for cash bonuses, stock awards and stock options and employee benefits available to other Company employees.  The agreements also provide for potential payments upon termination without cause, termination upon a change in control, disability or death. 

Tax and Accounting Considerations

All elements of our employee and executive compensation program generate charges to earnings under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.  Our allocations of the elements of total compensation are generally not influenced by the accounting treatment of each element.  We do, however, consider the tax treatment of compensation elements as one factor in the allocation of each element.

Executive Compensation 

The following tables and narrative discuss the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and other highly compensated officers determined under the Securities and Exchange Commission rules for compensation earned or paid in Fiscal Years ended on March 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013.  These persons are referred to as our named executive officers. 

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Table of Contents 

Summary Compensation Table Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2015

 

 

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All Other Compensation

 

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Grants of Plan-Based Awards During Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2015

 

Stock Awards

We granted stock awards under the Company’s Stock Bonus Plan.  The shares granted vest in three equal annual installments beginning on the first anniversary of the grant date.

Option Awards

We granted option awards under the Company’s 2012 Equity Incentive Plan.  The options granted vest in three equal annual installments beginning on the first anniversary of the grant date.  The options granted were incentive stock options and are exercisable for a term of ten years from the date of grant.  The exercise price of the options is equal to the closing price of our common stock on the NYSE MKT Stock Exchange on the date of grant.

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Outstanding Equity Awards at March 31, 2015

 

 

Option Exercises and Stock Vested During Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2015

 

We have employment agreements with the executive officers described below. 

Current Named Executive Officers

On July 20, 2015, the Company entered into employment agreements with Messrs. Mitchell, Rosenthal, Schaffer and Ley, which continue through June 30, 2017. The agreements for these officers contain certain severance provisions, including severance provisions arising from a change in control of the Company.

The agreements also contain a special retention bonus.  If the executive remains an employee of the Company continuously through June 30, 2017, the Company shall pay Mr. Mitchell $100,000, Mr. Rosenthal $100,000, Mr. Schaffer $75,000 and Mr. Ley $75,000.

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If the executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without cause, other than upon a change in control event, the executive will be paid a lump sum equal to six month’s base salary.  If the executive’s employment is terminated (or deemed terminated) as a result of a change in control event, the executive will receive a lump sum equal to one year’s base salary,  a cash bonus (equal to two times the average of the annual cash bonus paid for the preceding three fiscal years), and the retention bonus.

In the event of a change in control and, within the following twelve months, the termination without cause of the executive’s employment,  he will receive a lump sum severance payment equal to two times the sum of (a) the amount otherwise payable under the agreement for upon a termination for cause, (b) the average annual cash bonus paid to him for the preceding three fiscal years, and (c) the retention bonus.  In addition, all stock options and bonus stock awards held by the executive shall become immediately vested.  For purposes of the agreements, a change in control generally means any merger, reorganization, sale of substantially all Company assets, liquidation, a change in the composition of the Company’s board of directors as defined in the employment agreement and any other transaction that the board of directors determines by resolution to be a corporate transaction.

Mr. Ridenour

Mr. Ridenour’s  employment agreement was terminated on July 20, 2015, the last day of his employment with the Company.  Pursuant to the terms of his agreement, upon termination of his employment without cause, Mr. Ridenour was entitled to receive a lump sum payment equal to one year’s salary and accelerated vesting of all unvested stock options and other equity awards. 

Health and Life Insurance and Other Benefits

The executive employment agreements provide that upon termination without cause, change in control or because of disability, the Company will pay two-thirds of the cost of COBRA premiums for the executive and any covered dependents for a period of six months or, if earlier, until the executive is employed by another employer.  Each executive of the Company also receives a monthly automobile allowance.

All of the employment agreements provide that the Company shall maintain at its expense, life insurance coverage on the executive payable to the executive’s designees in an amount equal to three times the annual salary payable to the executive.

Other Provisions

The employment agreements have customary confidentiality obligations.  The employment agreements further provide that the executive, for a period of one year after the term of his respective employment agreement, will not become affiliated with any person, firm or corporation whose business is similar to or in competition with the Company and for a period of one year after termination of the executive’s employment agreement, to not induce or attempt to induce any employee of the Company to leave the employ of the Company; nor will the executive induce or attempt to induce any customer, supplier or licensee to cease doing business with the Company.

Table of Contents 

Our current executive employment agreements provide compensation to Messrs. Mitchell, Rosenthal, Schaffer and Ley in the event of a termination of employment or a change in control.  Mr. Ridenour’s agreement, which was terminated on July 20, 2015, had similar provisions as well as payment upon voluntary termination by Mr. Ridenour.  The tables below show the potential payments or benefits upon a termination or change in control for each of the Company’s executive officers assuming the triggering event took place on March 31, 2015.  The closing price per share of our common stock on the last trading day prior to March 31, 2015 was $1.10.  Actual

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amounts can only be determined at the date of the triggering event.  The amount of acceleration of unvested equity awards represents the intrinsic value of in-the-money non-vested stock options and non-vested stock awards as of March 31, 2015 that would vest upon termination or change in control.

 

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In 2009, the Compensation and Benefits Committee retained the consulting firm Towers Watson to assist it in establishing appropriate compensation for the Company’s directors.  Towers Watson evaluated the board compensation practices of the peer group of alternative energy companies listed under “Compensation Philosophy and Objectives” above in Fiscal Year 2011 which the consulting firm selected based on its belief that the listed companies competed with the Company in the marketplace for executive talent.  After considering the recommendations of the compensation consultant, the board of directors adopted a director compensation policy consisting of an annual cash retainer and equity-based compensation that it believes appropriately aligns the interests of directors with those of the Company’s shareholders. 

For Fiscal Year 2015, directors of the Company who are not employees may elect to receive an annual retainer of $35,000 in cash or the grant of options with an exercise period of ten years to acquire that number of shares of the Company’s  common stock that is equivalent to $35,000 as determined by utilizing the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model on the date of grant or a combination of cash and options that together have a fair value of $35,000.  Options granted under the plan vest immediately. In addition, the Chairman of the Board of Directors receives an additional annual cash retainer of $9,000 and the Chairman of the Compensation and Benefits Committee, the Chairman of the Audit Committee and the Chairman of the Governance and Nominating Committee each receive an additional annual cash retainer of $5,000 each.

Non-employee directors also receive each year shares with a fair value of $14,000 on the date of grant, except for the Chairman of the Board who receives shares with a fair value of $17,000 on the date of grant.  These shares vest immediately.  In addition, each non-employee director receives a stock option for that number of shares of the Company’s  common stock that is equivalent to $21,000, or $26,000 in the case of the Chairman of the Board, as determined by utilizing the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model on the date of grant.  Options granted under this component of director compensation vest immediately. In Fiscal Year 2015, the directors received shares equal to 55% of the dollar values noted above.

In addition, each non-employee director upon his initial election to the Board is awarded 2,000 shares of the Company’s  common stock at a purchase price of $0.01 per share.  Directors who are employees of the Company are not entitled to additional compensation for their service as directors.  Accordingly, Mr. Ridenour did not receive additional compensation for his service as a director prior to his resignation on July 24, 2015. 

The following table sets forth information concerning remuneration paid to directors of the Company during Fiscal Year 2015:

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Non-Employee Director Compensation Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2015

 

The table below shows the aggregate number of shares of common stock granted under the Stock Bonus Plan held by each non-employee director as of March 31, 2015:

 

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The table below shows the aggregate number of options held by each non-employee director as of March 31, 2015:  

 

The board of directors determines the total amount of the annual retainer, bonus share award and stock option award payable to non-employee members of the board of directors.  

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COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS COMMITTEE REPORT

1

The Compensation and Benefits Committee of the board of directors has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis with management and, based on this review and discussion, recommends that it be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 and Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held September 24, 2015.

Compensation and Benefits Committee

Stephen J. Roy

Joseph P. Sellinger

Donald W. Vanlandingham

 

July 30, 2015 

 

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1  The material in this report is not deemed “filed” with the SEC, and is not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, whether made before or after the date hereof and irrespective of any general incorporation contained in such filing.

 

The Company has entered into indemnification agreements with all members of the board of directors and with all of its officers. These agreements require that the Company to indemnify such officer or director, under the circumstances and to the extent provided for therein, for expenses, damages, judgments, fines and settlements he or she may be required to pay in actions or proceedings which he or she is or may be made a party by reason of his or her position as a director, officer or other agent of the Company, and otherwise to the fullest extent permitted under Colorado law and the Company’s Bylaws.

The Company does not have a written policy regarding the identification, review, consideration and approval or ratification of “related person’s transactions.”  The Audit Committee approves any transaction between the Company and a related person.  A related person is any executive officer, director, or more than five percent shareholder of the Company’s stock, including any of their immediate family members, and any entity owned or controlled by such persons.

The following table shows the ownership of the Company’s $0.01 par value common stock by (i) beneficial owners of five percent or more of the Company’s common stock, (ii) each director, (iii) each of our named executive officers (including Mr. Ridenour who was a named executive officer during our most recently completed fiscal year) and (iv) all directors and named executive officers as a group, as of July 31, 2015.  Unless otherwise noted, each shareholder’s address is the address of the Company and exercises sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares beneficially owned. 

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Shareholders have the opportunity to vote, on an advisory basis, on the compensation of our named executive officers. This advisory vote offers shareholders the opportunity to endorse or not endorse the Company’s executive compensation policies and practices described in this proxy statement.  Last year, over 65 percent of the advisory votes cast by the Company’s shareholders approved of our executive compensation policies and practices.  Following our 2011 Annual Meeting, at which our shareholders supported an annual frequency for the advisory vote on the compensation of our named executive officers, our Board has determined to hold the advisory vote on executive compensation each year. 

Our executive compensation programs are designed with the objectives of attracting, motivating and retaining highly qualified executives, providing performance-based incentives for the attainment of strategic business objectives, rewarding superior performance and aligning the interests of our executives with those of our shareholders.  Accordingly, we are submitting the following resolution for shareholder vote at the Annual Meeting:

“RESOLVED, that the compensation paid to the Company’s named executive officers, as disclosed pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, compensation tables and narrative discussion, is hereby APPROVED.”

For a more complete discussion of our compensation policies and practices please see the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section and the accompanying compensation tables and narrative disclosures in this proxy. 

Your vote on this matter is advisory and non-binding, and therefore cannot overrule any decisions made by the board of directors of the Company.  However, the Compensation and Benefits Committee will consider the outcome of this shareholder vote in its future deliberations on executive compensation.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” APPROVAL OF THE COMPENSATION OF OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS.

Background and Purpose

Our Restated Articles of Incorporation currently authorizes the issuance of 50,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share. As of June 30, 2015, we had 40,052,602 shares of common stock issued and outstanding.  As of that date we had an aggregate of 3,382,702 shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding options and other equity-based awards and an aggregate of 1,489,733 shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding warrants.  Thus, we only have 5,074,965 shares of common stock available for future issuance.

On July 28, 2015, our Board of Directors approved an amendment to our Restated Articles of Incorporation, subject to shareholder approval, to increase the number of shares of our common stock authorized for issuance by 25,000,000, from 50,000,000 to 75,000,000.

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The affirmative vote of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock represented and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting are required for approval of the amendment. If our shareholders approve the amendment, we will file the amendment with the Secretary of State of the State of Colorado as soon as reasonably practicable after the Annual Meeting.

This amendment will increase the number of our authorized shares of common stock by 25,000,000 shares.  We believe the amendment will provide us with a sufficient number of shares of common stock for future corporate purposes, including public or private offerings of common stock or other securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock, strategic partnerships and other similar transactions and general corporate purposes. Our business requires a significant amount of working capital and other capital as we continue to pursue orders for our products.

The authorized but unissued shares of common stock would be available for issuance from time to time for such purposes and for such consideration as our Board of Directors may determine to be appropriate without further action by the shareholders, except for those instances in which our organizational documents, applicable laws or regulations or stock exchange rules require shareholder approval. The additional shares of authorized common stock, when issued, would have the same rights and privileges as the shares of common stock currently issued and outstanding.

Our Board of Directors believes that it is in our best interests to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock in order to have additional authorized but unissued shares available for issuance to meet business needs as they arise.  Increasing the number of authorized shares of common stock would give us greater flexibility. We are at all times investigating additional sources of financing and other opportunities which our Board of Directors believes will be in our best interests and in the best interests of our shareholders. The failure of shareholders to approve the amendment may require us to forego or otherwise limit raising additional capital should the need arise in order to support our business strategy, to increase cash compensation to replace stock-based compensation that we believe more closely aligns our interests with the interests of our shareholders and for other corporate purposes that arise.  The availability of such additional shares will provide us with the flexibility to issue common stock for possible future financings, strategic partnerships or other transactions and other general corporate purposes that may be identified in the future by our Board of Directors, without the possible expense and delay of seeking shareholder approval.

Consequences of Approval of Additional Authorized Common Stock

If approved, the additional authorized shares of common stock will provide the Company with additional flexibility to continue to fund our business or seek strategic partnerships or other transactions. If approved, the additional authorized shares of common stock will be available for issuance at such times and for such purposes as our Board of Directors may deem advisable without further action by the Company’s shareholders, except as may be required by applicable laws or regulations, including the rules of the NYSE MKT Exchange. The Company currently does not have any plans or commitments to issue common stock. Our Board of Directors does not intend to issue any stock except on terms or for reasons which our Board of Directors deems to be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. Because the holders of the Company’s common stock do not have preemptive rights, the issuance of additional shares of common stock (other than on a pro-rata basis to all current shareholders, such as pursuant to a stock dividend) would have the effect of reducing the current shareholders’ proportionate interests.

Under current NYSE MKT Exchange rules, shareholder approval is generally required to issue common stock, or securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock, in one or a series of related transactions, if such common stock represents 20% or more of the voting power of the outstanding common stock of the Company. Common stock issued for cash in a public offering, however, is excluded from this shareholder approval requirement as are the shares of common stock issued for cash in a private offering at a price at least equal to both book value and market value of the common stock. NYSE MKT Exchange rules also require shareholder approval for an issuance of shares that would result in a change of control of the Company as well as for stock issuances in connection with certain equity benefit plans or related party transactions.

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Anti-takeover Effects

The proposal to increase the authorized common stock may be construed as having an anti-takeover effect, because authorized and unissued common stock could be issued for the purpose of discouraging an attempt by another person to take control of the Company. Neither the management of the Company nor our Board of Directors, however, view this proposal as an anti-takeover mechanism. In addition, this proposal is not part of any plan by the Company to recommend a series of anti-takeover amendments to our Restated Articles of Incorporation that could be construed to affect the ability of third parties to take over or change control of the Company.

Certificate of Amendment

If the shareholders approve the proposal, the Company will cause a certificate of amendment to the Company’s Restated Articles of Incorporation to be filed with the Colorado Secretary of State. Upon the effectiveness of the proposed amendment, the first sentence of Article IV of our Restated Articles of Incorporation would be revised to read substantially as follows:

The authorized capital stock of the corporation is 75,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share. 

Upon effectiveness of the certificate of amendment, the increase will be effective without any further action on the part of our shareholders.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” APPROVAL OF THE AMENDMENT TO OUR RESTATED ARTICLE OF INCORPORATION TO INCREASE THE AUTHORIZED NUMBER OF OUR COMMON STOCK BY 25,000,000.

The Audit Committee of the board of directors has selected Grant Thornton LLP, a registered public accounting firm, as the Company’s independent auditors for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016, and has further directed management to submit the selection of independent auditors for ratification by the shareholders at the Annual Meeting. Grant Thornton LLP was engaged as the Company’s auditors in September 2004. Representatives of Grant Thornton LLP are expected to be present at the Annual Meeting. They will have an opportunity to make a statement if they so desire and will be available to respond to appropriate questions.

Neither the Company’s governing documents, nor law, require shareholder ratification of the selection of Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s independent auditors. However, the Audit Committee of the Board is submitting the selection of Grant Thornton LLP to the shareholders for ratification as a matter of good corporate practice. If the shareholders fail to ratify the selection, the Audit Committee of the Board will reconsider whether or not to retain that firm. Even if the selection is ratified, the Audit Committee of the Board in its discretion may direct the appointment of different independent auditors at any time during the year if they determine that such a change would be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders.

To be ratified, the proposal must be approved by the affirmative vote of a greater number of votes cast for the proposal than are cast against the proposal. If a ballot is called for, proxies in the accompanying form appointing the persons whose names are printed therein to act (unless the proxy form has been marked against or authority to vote is withheld) will be voted in favor of the proposal.

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Independent Auditor’s Fees

The following table represents aggregate fees billed to the Company by Grant Thornton LLP for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2015 and 2014:  

 

 

 

All fees described above incurred in connection with services performed by Grant Thornton LLP were approved by the Audit Committee.

Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures 

The Audit Committee pre-approves all auditing services and permitted non-audit services (including the fees and terms thereof) to be performed for the Company by our independent auditor, Grant Thornton LLP (subject to de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in Section 10A(i)(1)(B) of the Exchange Act which are approved by the Audit Committee prior to completion of the audit). The Audit Committee may form and delegate authority to subcommittees consisting of one or more members when appropriate, including the authority to grant pre-approvals of audit and permitted non-audit services, provided that decisions of such subcommittee to grant pre-approvals shall be presented to the full Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting.

Disagreements with Auditors

There have been no disagreements with Grant Thornton LLP on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedure.

REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE

1

The Audit Committee of the board of directors has furnished the following report on its activities:

The Committee appointed the independent auditors Grant Thornton LLP to serve for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 and this selection was ratified by the Company’s shareholders on August 13, 2014.  The Committee reviewed and discussed the financial statements included in the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and the audited financial statements in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015 with Grant Thornton LLP.  The Audit Committee discussed with the independent auditors matters required to be discussed under applicable standards, including Auditing Standard No. 16.  The Committee also

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reviewed with management and the independent auditors the reasonableness of significant judgments and the clarity and quality of disclosures in the financial statements, not just the acceptability of the Company’s accounting principles and such other matters as are required to be discussed with the Committee under generally accepted auditing standards.  The independent auditors also provided to the Committee the written disclosures and the letter required by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”).  The Committee discussed with the independent auditors their independence from management and the Company, including the matters in the written disclosures required by the PCAOB, and considered whether the independent auditors’ provision of non-audit services is compatible with the auditors’ independence.    

In accordance with the Audit Committee policy and applicable law, the Audit Committee pre-approves all auditing services and permitted non-audit services (including the fees and terms thereof) to be performed for the Company by our independent auditor, Grant Thornton LLP (subject to de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in Section 10A(i)(1)(B) of the Exchange Act which are approved by the Audit Committee prior to completion of the audit).  Non-audit services, such as tax return preparation, are provided by service providers other than Grant Thornton LLP.

The Committee discussed with the Company’s independent auditors the overall scope and plans for their audit and met with the auditors to discuss the results of their examinations, their consideration and testing of the Company’s internal controls as part of their audit, and the overall quality of the Company’s financial reporting.  The Committee also reviewed the Company’s disclosure controls.  Five Audit Committee meetings were held during the fiscal year.

In reliance on the reviews and discussions referred to above, the Committee recommended to the board of directors that the audited financial statements be included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2015 and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

The Audit Committee of the board of directors:

Stephen J. Roy

Joseph P. Sellinger

John E. Sztykiel

 

May 19, 2015

 

 

1 The material in this report is not “soliciting material,” is not deemed “filed” with the SEC, and is not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, whether made before or after the date hereof and irrespective of any general incorporation contained in such filing.

 

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” RATIFICATION OF THE SELECTION OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITORS.

To be considered for inclusion in next year’s proxy materials, your proposal must be submitted in writing by February 19, 2016 to UQM Technologies, Inc., Attn: Corporate Secretary, 4120 Specialty Place, Longmont, Colorado 80504.  Such proposals must also meet the other requirements of the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to shareholders’ proposals and the provisions of our Bylaws.

Our Bylaws provide that any proposals by shareholders for the next Annual Meeting will not be acted on at the meeting unless notice thereof is received at our principal executive offices not less than 60 days or more than 90

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days before the meeting.  Our Bylaws also provide that nominations to the board of directors for the 2015 Annual Meeting may not be made by shareholders unless written notice is received by the Secretary of the Company before March 25, 2016.  You should review our bylaws, which contain additional requirements about advance notice of shareholder proposals and director nominations.

If we are not notified of intent to present a proposal at our 2016 Annual Meeting by 60 calendar days before the 2016 meeting date, which we expect will be within 30 calendar days of August 1, 2016, we will have the right to exercise discretionary voting authority with respect to any proposal, if presented at the meeting, without including information regarding such proposal in our proxy materials.

As of the date of this proxy statement, the board of directors is not aware of any other matters to be presented for action at the meeting, nor has it been advised that others will present any other matters.  If any other matters do properly come before the meeting, the proxy holders intend to vote the proxies held by them in accordance with their best judgment on such matters.

Upon the receipt of a written request from any shareholder, the Company will mail, at no charge to the shareholder, a copy of the Company’s  Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the financial statements and schedules required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 13a-1 under the Exchange Act.  Written requests for such Report should be directed to:

Secretary

UQM Technologies, Inc.

4120 Specialty Place

Longmont, Colorado 80504

Phone (303) 682-4900

 

The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K is also available on the Company’s web site at www.uqm.com or at the web site that the Securities and Exchange Commission maintains at www.sec.gov.