Investor Relations

A majority of the members of the Board of Directors must meet the criteria for independence required by the NASDAQ Stock Market and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for reviewing with the Board, on an annual basis, the requisite skills and characteristics required for new Board members as well as the composition of the Board as a whole. This assessment will include members' qualification as independent, as well as consideration of diversity, age, skills, and experience in the context of the needs of the Board. Nominees for directors will be selected by the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee in accordance with the policies and principles in its charter. The invitation to join the Board should be extended by the Board itself, by the Chairman of the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee, and by the Chairman of the Board.

The Board will consider whether individual directors who change the responsibility they held when they were elected to the Board should continue to serve on the Board. The Board does not believe, however, that in every instance a director who retires or changes from the position held when the director joined the Board should necessarily leave the Board. There should, however, be an opportunity for the Board, through the Nominating and Governance Committee, to review the continued appropriateness of Board membership under the circumstances.

Directors should advise the Chairman of the Board and the Chairman of the Nominating/Governance Committee in advance of accepting an invitation to serve on another public company board.

The Board does not believe it should establish term limits. While term limits could help insure that there are fresh ideas and viewpoints available to the Board, term limits involve the disadvantage of losing the contribution of directors who have been able to develop, over a period of time, increasing insight into the Company and its operations and, therefore, provide an increasing contribution to the Board as a whole. As an alternative to term limits, the Nominating/Governance Committee will review each director's continuation on the Board at least every three years. This will allow each director the opportunity to confirm his or her desire to continue as a member of the Board and the Board, through the Nominating/Governance Committee, to consider the appropriateness of the director's continued service.

The basic responsibility of the directors is to exercise their business judgment to act in what they reasonably believe to be in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. In discharging this obligation, directors should be entitled to rely on the honesty and integrity of the Company's senior executives and its outside advisors and auditors. The directors will also be entitled to be covered by reasonable directors' and officers' liability insurance purchased by the Company on their behalf; to the benefits of indemnification to the fullest extent permitted by law and by the Company's certificate of incorporation, by-laws, and any indemnification agreements; and to exculpation as provided by state law and the Company's certificate of incorporation.

Directors are expected to regularly attend Board meetings and meetings of Board committees on which they serve, to spend the time needed to discharge their Board duties in a reasonable manner, and to meet as frequently as necessary to properly discharge their responsibilities. Information and data that are important to the Board's understanding of the business to be conducted at a Board or committee meeting should generally be distributed in writing to the directors before the meeting, and directors should review these materials in advance of the meeting.

The Board has no policy with respect to the separation of the offices of Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer. The Board believes that this issue is part of the succession planning process and that it is in the best interests of the Company for the Board to make a determination when it elects a chief executive officer.

The Chairman should establish the agenda for each Board meeting. Each Board member may suggest the inclusion of items on the agenda. Each Board member also may raise at any Board meeting subjects that are not on the agenda for that meeting. The Board will review the Company's long-term strategic plans and the principal issues that the Company will face in the future during at least one Board meeting each year.

The "independent" directors (as identified in the Company's proxy and other public filings) will meet in executive session at least quarterly. The director who presides at each of these meetings will be chosen by the non-management directors, and the name or names of that director or directors will be disclosed in the annual proxy statement.

The Board believes that the management speaks for the Company. Individual Board members, from time to time, may meet or otherwise communicate with various constituencies that are involved with the Company. It is expected, however, that Board members would do this with the knowledge of the management and, absent unusual circumstances or as contemplated by the committee charters, only at the request of management.

The Board at all times will have an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee, and a Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee. All of the members of these committees will be independent directors under the criteria established by the NASDAQ Stock Market and under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Committee members will be appointed by the Board upon recommendation of the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee with consideration of the desires of individual directors.

Each committee will have its own charter. The charter for each committee will set forth the purposes, goals, and responsibilities of the committee as well as qualifications for committee membership, procedures for committee member appointment and removal, committee structure and operations, and committee reporting to the Board. Each committee charter will also provide that the committee will annually evaluate its performance.

The Chairman of each committee, in consultation with the committee members, will determine the frequency and length of the committee meetings consistent with any requirements set forth in the committee's charter. The Chairman of each committee, in consultation with the members of the committee and management, will develop the committee's agenda. At the beginning of each fiscal year, each committee will establish a schedule of agenda subjects to be discussed during the year, to the degree these can be foreseen. The schedule for each committee will be furnished to all directors.

The Board and each committee have the power to hire independent legal, financial, or other advisors as they may deem necessary, without consulting with or obtaining the approval of any officer of the Company in advance.

The Board, from time to time, may establish or maintain additional committees as necessary or appropriate.

Directors have full and free access to officers and employees of the Company. Any meetings or contacts that a director wishes to initiate may be arranged through the CEO or the Secretary or directly by the director. The directors will use their judgment to ensure that any such contact is not disruptive to the business operations of the Company and will, to the extent not inappropriate, copy the CEO on any written communications between a director and an officer or employee of the Company.

The Board, as appropriate in its judgment, will invite senior officers and other employees of the Company to attend Board meetings. If the CEO wishes to have Company personnel attend meetings on a regular basis or periodic basis, this suggestion should be brought to the Board for approval.

The form and amount of director compensation will be determined by the Compensation Committee in accordance with the policies and principles set forth in its charter, and the Compensation Committee will conduct an annual review of director compensation. The Compensation Committee will consider that directors' independence may be jeopardized if director compensation and perquisites exceed customary levels, if the Company makes substantial charitable contributions to organizations with which a director is affiliated, or if the Company enters into consulting contracts with (or provides other indirect forms of compensation to) a director or an organization with which the director is affiliated. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no affiliated or inside directors may be compensated for service as a member of the Board of Directors.

Each new director should participate in an orientation program, which should be conducted promptly following the meeting at which a new director is elected. This orientation will include presentations by senior management to familiarize each new director with the Company's strategic plans; its significant financial, accounting, and risk management issues; its compliance programs; its Code of Business Conduct and Ethics; its principal officers; and its internal and independent auditors. In addition, the orientation program should include visits to the Company's headquarters. All other directors are also invited to attend the orientation program.

The Compensation Committee will conduct an annual review of the CEO's performance, as set forth in its charter. The Board of Directors will review the Compensation Committee's report in order to ensure that the CEO is providing the best leadership for the Company in the long- and short-term.

The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee should make an annual report to the Board on succession planning. As appropriate, the entire Board will work with the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee to nominate and evaluate potential successors to the CEO. The CEO should at all times make available his or her recommendations and evaluations of potential successors, along with a review of any development plans recommended for such individuals.

The Board of Directors will conduct an annual self-evaluation to determine whether it and its committees are functioning effectively. The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee will receive comments from all directors and report annually to the Board with an assessment of the Board's performance. This will be discussed with the full Board following the end of each fiscal year. The assessment will focus on the Board's contribution to the Company and on areas in which the Board or management believes that the Board could improve.