proxy_61609.htm
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE
14A
SCHEDULE
14A INFORMATION
Proxy
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934
Filed by
the Registrant x
Filed by
a Party other than the Registrant o
Check the
appropriate box:
o Preliminary
proxy statement
o Confidential,
for use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
x Definitive
Proxy Statement
o Definitive
Additional Materials
o Soliciting
Material Pursuant to Section 240.14a-12
NATURAL
GAS SERVICES GROUP,
INC. .
(Name of
Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Payment
of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
x No
fee required.
o
Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and
0-11.
(1) Title
of each class of securities to which the transaction applies:
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(2) Aggregate
number of securities to which transaction applies:
|
(3) Per
unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant
to
Exchange
Act Rule 0-11:
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(4) Proposed
maximum aggregate value of transaction:
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(5) Total
fee paid:
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o
Fee paid previously with preliminary
materials.
|
o
Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act
Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the
filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the
previous filing by registration
statement number, or the form or schedule and the date of its
filing.
|
(1)
Amount Previously Paid:
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(2)
Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
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(3)
Filing Party:
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(4)
Date Filed:
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NATURAL
GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
508
West Wall Street, Suite 550
Midland,
Texas 79701
Important
Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the
Stockholder
Meeting to Be Held on June 16, 2009
The
proxy statement and annual report to security holders are available
at
www.proxyvote.com.
NOTICE
OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
To
be held on June 16, 2009
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that
the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., a
Colorado corporation (the “Company”), will be held at the Hilton Hotel, 117 West
Wall Street, Midland, Texas 79701 on June 16, 2009 at 9:00 a.m., Central Time,
for the purpose of considering and voting upon proposals:
·
|
To
elect two Directors to serve until the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to
be held in 2012, or until their successors are elected and
qualify;
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·
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To
approve the Company’s 2009 Restricted Stock/Unit
Plan;
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·
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To
amend the Company’s 1998 Stock Option Plan to increase the number of
shares authorized for issuance thereunder from 550,000 to 750,000 shares
of common stock.
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·
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To
ratify the reappointment of Hein & Associates LLP as the Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm for 2009;
and
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·
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To
transact such other business as may properly be presented at the meeting
or at any adjournment(s) of the
meeting.
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Only shareholders of record at the close of business on April 27, 2009 are
entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting and at any adjournment(s) of
the meeting.
Our Board of Directors recommends that you vote FOR the (i) election of the
director nominees named in this proxy statement, (ii) approval of the 2009
Restricted Stock/Unit Plan, (iii) amendment to increase the number of shares of
common stock authorized for issuance under the 1998 Stock Option Plan from
550,000 to 750,000 shares, and (iv) the ratification of the appointment of Hein
& Associates LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for
2009.
We cordially invite you to attend the meeting. To ensure your representation at
the meeting, please vote promptly even if you plan to attend the meeting. Voting
now will not prevent you from voting in person at the meeting if you are a
stockholder of record and wish to do so.
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BY
ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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/s/ Stephen
C. Taylor
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Stephen
C. Taylor
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Midland,
Texas
May
4, 2009
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Chairman
of the Board, President and
Chief
Executive Officer
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NATURAL
GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
508
West Wall Street, Suite 550
Midland,
Texas 79701
PROXY
STATEMENT
FOR
THE
ANNUAL
MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
TO
BE HELD ON JUNE 16, 2009
GENERAL
We are providing this proxy statement
to you as part of a solicitation by the Board of Directors of Natural Gas
Service Group, Inc. for use at our 2009 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and
at any adjournment or postponement that may take place. We will hold the meeting
the Hilton Hotel, 117 West Wall Street, Midland, Texas 79701 on June 16, 2009 at
9:00 a.m., Central Time.
We are taking advantage of Securities
and Exchange Commission, or SEC, rules that allow us to deliver our proxy
materials to our shareholders on the Internet. Under these rules, we
are sending most of our shareholders a two-page notice regarding the Internet
availability of proxy materials instead of a full set of proxy materials. If you
receive this two-page notice, you will not receive printed copies of the proxy
materials unless you specifically request them. Instead, this notice tells you
how to access and review on the Internet all of the important information
contained in the proxy materials. This notice also tells you how to submit your
proxy card on the Internet and how to request to receive a printed copy of our
proxy materials.
We expect to mail, or provide notice
and electronic delivery of, this proxy statement and accompanying proxy card to
shareholders beginning on or about May 4, 2009.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
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QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE PROXY MATERIALS AND THE MEETING
…………………..
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1
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HOUSEHOLDING
OF PROXY MATERIALS …………………………………………………………………….
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5
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PROPOSAL
1 - ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
…………………………………………………………………...
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5
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Nominees
for Directors for Terms to Expire in 2012
……………………………………………………..
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6
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William
F. Hughes, Jr. ………………………………………………………………………….
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6
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Alan
A. Baker …………………………………………………………………………………..
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6
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Continuing
Directors Whose Terms Expire in 2010
……………………………………………………...
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6
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Paul
D. Hensley ………………………………………………………………………………...
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6
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John
W. Chisholm ……………………………………………………………………………...
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6
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Richard
L. Yadon ………………………………………………………………………………
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7
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Continuing
Directors Whose Terms Expire in 2011
……………………………………………………...
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7
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Charles
G. Curtis ……………………………………………………………………………….
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7
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Gene
A. Strasheim ……………………………………………………………………………...
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7
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Stephen
C. Taylor ………………………………………………………………………………
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7
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THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND ITS COMMITTEES
……………………………………………………….
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8
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Audit
Committee ………………………………………………………………………………………….
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8
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Compensation
Committee ………………………………………………………………………………...
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9
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Governance
and Personnel Development Committee …………………………………………………….
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9
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Nominating
Committee …………………………………………………………………………………...
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10
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Director
Independence …………………………………………………………………………………….
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10
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CODE
OF ETHICS ………………………………………………………………………………………………….
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11
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EXECUTIVE
OFFICERS …………………………………………………………………………………………...
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11
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EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION …………………………………………………………………………………..
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12
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Compensation
Discussion and Analysis …………………………………………………………………..
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12
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Introduction
and Overview ……………………………………………………………………..
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12
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Compensation
Philosophy and Objectives …………………………………………………......
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12
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Assistance
Provided to the Committee ………………………………………………………...
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13
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Compensation
Components …………………………………………………………………….
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13
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Compensation
Evaluation Factors ……………………………………………………………...
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14
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Executive
Compensation Levels of other Companies in the Natural Gas Compression
and
Related
Businesses ……………………………………………………………………………...
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14
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Individual
and Company Performance – Base Salary and Stock Option
………………………
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14
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Specific
Company Financial Metrics – Cash Bonuses …………………………………………
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15
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Base
Salary ……………………………………………………………………………………..
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15
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Short-Term
Incentives – Incentive Cash Bonus Program
……………………………………...
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16
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Long-Term
Incentives – Stock Option Grants …………………………………………………
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17
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Other
Compensation ……………………………………………………………………………
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17
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Employment
Agreements ………………………………………………………………………
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18
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Allocation
of Amounts and Types of Compensation …………………………………………..
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18
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Assistance
of Compensation Consultants ………………………………………………………
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18
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Change
of Control and Severance Arrangements ……………………………………………...
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19
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Stock
Ownership/Retention Guidelines ………………………………………………………..
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19
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Perquisites
………………………………………………………………………………………
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19
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Limit
on Deductibility of Certain Compensation
………………………………………………
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19
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Compensation
Committee Report ………………………………………………………………………...
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20
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Executive
Compensation ………………………………………………………………………………….
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20
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Grants
of Plan Based Awards ……………………………………………………………………………..
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22
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Incentive
Cash Bonus Program …………………………………………………………………………...
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22
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1998
Stock Option Plan …………………………………………………………………………………...
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23
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Outstanding
Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End ………………………………………………………….
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24
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Option
Exercises and Stock Vested in 2008
………………………………………………………………
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25
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Potential
Payments Upon Termination or Change of Control
…………………………………………….
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25
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Compensation
of Directors ………………………………………………………………………………..
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27
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Cash
Compensation Paid to Directors ………………………………………………………….
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28
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Equity
Based Compensation Paid to Directors ………………………………………………...
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28
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Compensation
Agreements with Management ……………………………………………………………
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29
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Related
Person Transactions ………………………………………………………………………………
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31
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Procedures
for Reviewing Certain Transactions ………………………………………………………….
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32
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Approval
Procedures …………………………………………………………………………...
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32
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Ratification
Procedures ………………………………………………………………………...
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32
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PRINCIPAL
SHAREHOLDERS AND SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF MANAGEMENT
……………………….
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33
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Section
16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
……………………………………………..
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35
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REPORT
OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE ………………………………………………………………………….
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36
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PROPOSAL
2 – APPROVAL OF THE NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP 2009 RESTRICTED STOCK/UNIT
PLAN ………………………………………………………………………………………………..
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General
Description ……………………………………………………………………………………….
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37
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Shares
Reserved for Issuance under the 2009 Plan.
……………………………………………
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37
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Administration
………………………………………………………………………………….
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37
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Types
of Awards; Eligibility …………………………………………………………………...
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37
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Terms
and Vesting of Awards ………………………………………………………………….
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37
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Termination
of Service …………………………………………………………………………
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38
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Restricted
Stock ………………………………………………………………………………...
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38
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Restricted
Stock Units ………………………………………………………………………….
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39
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Amendment,
Suspension or Termination of the Plan …………………………………………..
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39
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Transferability
of Awards ………………………………………………………………………
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39
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Section 162(m)
of the Code …………………………………………………………………….
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39
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Change
in Capitalization ……………………………………………………………………….
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40
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New
Plan Benefits ……………………………………………………………………………...
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40
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Market
Price of the Company's Common Stock ……………………………………………….
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40
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PROPOSAL
3 – AMENDMENT OF THE NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP 1998 STOCK OPTION
PLAN
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41
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History
of the Plan and Description of the Proposed Amendment
……………………………………….
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41
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Summary
Description of the 1998 Plan …………………………………………………………………..
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41
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The
Major Provisions of the 1998 Plan as amended are as follows
………………………………………
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41
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Eligibility
……………………………………………………………………………………….
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41
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Option
Price …………………………………………………………………………………….
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41
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Duration
of Options …………………………………………………………………………….
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42
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Exercise
Period …………………………………………………………………………………
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42
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Payment
………………………………………………………………………………………...
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42
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Shares
That May Be Issued under the 1998 Plan ………………………………………………
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42
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Estimate
of Benefits ……………………………………………………………………………
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42
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Federal
Income Tax Consequences ……………………………………………………………………….
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43
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Incentive
Stock Options ………………………………………………………………………..
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43
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Non-statutory
Options ………………………………………………………………………….
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43
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Termination
of and Amendments to the 1998 Plan ……………………………………………………….
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43
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Market
Price of the Company's Common Stock
………………………………………………………….
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43
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PROPOSAL
4 – RATIFICATION OF REAPPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC
ACCOUNTING FIRM
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44
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Principal
Accountant Fees ………………………………………………………………………………...
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44
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Audit
Fees ………………………………………………………………………………………
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44
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Audit
Related Fees ……………………………………………………………………………..
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44
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Tax
Fees ………………………………………………………………………………………..
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44
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All
Other Fees ………………………………………………………………………………….
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44
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Audit
Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
………………………………………………...
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45
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SHAREHOLDER
PROPOSALS ……………………………………………………………………………………
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45
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COMMUNICATIONS
WITH THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS …………………………………………………...
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45
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OTHER
MATTERS …………………………………………………………………………………………………
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46
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FORM
OF PROXY CARD ………………………………………………………………………………………….
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47
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APPENDIX
A - 2009 RESTRICTED STOCK/UNIT PLAN
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APPENDIX
B - 1998 STOCK OPTION PLAN, AS AMENDED
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QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE PROXY MATERIALS
AND
THE MEETING
Q: Why am I
receiving these materials?
A:
Our Board
is providing these proxy materials to you in connection with our 2009 Annual
Meeting of Shareholders, which will take place on Tuesday, June 16, 2009. As a
shareholder on the record date for the meeting, you are invited to attend the
meeting. We also encourage you to vote on the matters described in this proxy
statement.
Q: What
information is contained in these materials?
A:
This
proxy statement includes information about the nominees for director and the
other matters to be voted on at the meeting. The proxy statement also includes
information about the voting process and requirements, the compensation of
directors and some of our executive officers, and certain other required
information.
Q:
What
can I vote on at the meeting?
A:
There are
four matters to be voted on at the meeting:
1.
|
To
elect two Directors to serve until the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to
be held in 2012, or until their successors are elected and
qualify;
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2.
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To
approve the Company’s 2009 Restricted Stock/Unit
Plan;
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3.
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To
amend the Company’s 1998 Stock Option Plan to increase the number of
shares authorized for issuance thereunder from 550,000 to 750,000 shares
of common stock; and
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4.
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To
ratify the reappointment of Hein & Associates LLP as our independent
registered public accounting firm for
2009.
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Q: How does the
Board recommend that I vote on each of the matters?
A:
Our Board
recommends that you vote FOR each of the director
nominees, the approval of the 2009 Restricted Stock/Unit Plan, the amendment to
increase the number of authorized shares of common stock under our 1998 Stock
Option Plan from 550,000 to 750,000 shares, and the ratification of the
appointment of Hein & Associates LLP as our independent registered public
accounting firm for 2009.
Q: Why did I
receive a two-page notice in the mail regarding the Internet availability of
proxy materials this year instead of a full set of proxy materials?
A:
We are
taking advantage of SEC rules that allow us to deliver proxy materials to our
shareholders on the Internet. Under these rules, we are sending most of our
shareholders a two-page notice regarding the Internet availability of proxy
materials instead of a full set of proxy materials. If you receive this two-page
notice, you will not receive printed copies of the proxy materials unless you
specifically request them. Instead, this notice tells you how to access and
review on the Internet all of the important information contained in the proxy
materials. This notice also tells you how to submit your proxy card on the
Internet and how to request to receive a printed copy of our proxy materials.
Shareholders may also request to receive proxy materials in printed form by mail
or electronically by email on an ongoing basis.
Q: Can I receive
next year's proxy materials by email?
A:
Yes. All
shareholders who have active email accounts and Internet access may sign up for
email delivery of shareholder materials. To sign up, go to www.proxyvote.com and click
on "Electronic Enrollment." If you have multiple registered or beneficial
accounts, you need to enroll for each account. If you elect to receive proxy
materials by email, we will not mail you any proxy-related materials next year.
Your enrollment in the email program will remain in effect as long as your
account remains active or until you cancel it.
Q: Who is entitled
to vote at our annual meeting of shareholders?
A:
Holders
of our outstanding common stock on April 27, 2009, are entitled to one vote per
share on each of the items being voted on at the meeting. We refer to this date
as the Record Date. On the Record Date, we had 12,093,833 shares of common stock
outstanding. We have no other classes of stock
outstanding.
Q: What shares can
I vote?
A:
You can
vote all shares you owned on the Record Date. These shares include
(1) shares held directly in your name as the shareholder of record and
(2) shares held for you as the beneficial owner through a stockbroker, bank
or other nominee.
Q: What is the
difference between holding shares as a shareholder of record and as a beneficial
owner?
A:
Most of
our shareholders hold their shares through a stockbroker, bank or other nominee
rather than directly in their own name. There are some important distinctions
between shares held of record and those owned beneficially.
Shareholder
of Record
If your
shares are registered in your name with our transfer agent, Computershare, you
are the shareholder of record for those shares and are receiving proxy-related
materials directly from us. As the shareholder of record, you have the right to
grant your voting proxy directly to us or to vote in person at the
meeting.
Beneficial
Owner
If your
shares are held in a stock brokerage account, by a bank or other nominee
(commonly referred to as being held in "street name") you are the beneficial
owner of those shares. Your broker, bank or nominee is the shareholder of record
and therefore has forwarded proxy-related materials to you as beneficial owner.
As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker, bank or other
nominee how to vote your shares and are also invited to attend the meeting.
However, since you are not the shareholder of record, you may not vote your
shares in person at the meeting unless you obtain a signed proxy from your
broker, bank or nominee giving you the right to vote the shares.
Q: How do I vote
if I am a shareholder of record (as described in the question and answer
above)?
A:
You can
vote on the Internet or by telephone by following the instructions you received
in the mail or by email. If you received a full printed set of our proxy
materials in the mail, you can also vote by mail. Finally, you can vote in
person at the meeting.
Q: How do I vote
if I am a beneficial owner (as described in the question and answer
above)?
A:
You can
vote on the Internet or by telephone by following the instructions you received
in the mail or by email. If you received a full printed set of our proxy
materials in the mail, you can also vote by mail. You can vote in person at the
meeting only if you obtain a
signed proxy from your broker, bank or nominee giving you this
right.
Q: Can I change my
vote or revoke my proxy?
A:
Q: What does it
mean if I get more than one set of proxy-related materials?
A:
It means
you hold shares registered in more than one account. Follow the instructions in
each set of proxy-related materials to ensure that all of your shares are
voted.
Q: What is the
quorum requirement for the meeting?
A:
For a
"quorum" to exist at the meeting, shareholders holding a majority of the votes
entitled to be cast by the shareholders entitled to vote generally must be
present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting. There must be a quorum
for any action to be taken at the meeting (other than adjournment or
postponement of the meeting). If you submit a properly completed proxy, even if
you abstain from voting, then your shares will be counted for purposes of
determining the presence of a quorum.
If a
broker indicates on a proxy that it lacks discretionary authority as to certain
shares to vote on a particular matter, commonly referred to as "broker
non-votes," those shares will still be counted for purposes of determining the
presence of a quorum at the meeting.
Q: What is the
voting requirement to approve each of the matters?
A:
Directors
are elected by a plurality of the votes cast at
the Annual Meeting. This means that the two nominees for election as Directors who
receive the greatest number of votes cast in favor of their election will be
elected to the Board of Directors. All other
matters are approved if the votes cast in favor of the matter exceed the votes
cast against the matter. If you are a beneficial owner and do not provide
the stockholder of record with voting instructions, your shares may constitute
broker non-votes for certain matters (as described in the question and answer
immediately above). In tabulating the voting result for a proposal, shares that
constitute broker non-votes are not considered as being entitled to vote on that
proposal.
Q: How can I vote
on each of the matters?
A:
In the
election of directors, you may vote For or Withhold each individual
nominee. For the other matters, you may vote For or Against the matter, or you
may indicate that you wish to
Abstain from voting on the matter.
Q: How will the
votes be counted?
A:
Your
shares will be voted according to your directions on your proxy. If you submit a
proxy with no further instructions, your shares will be voted in accordance with
the recommendations of our Board (For all director nominees
named in this proxy statement, For the approval of the 2009
Restricted Stock/Unit Plan, For the amendment to the 1998
Stock Option Plan and For the ratification of the
appointment of Hein & Associates LLP as our independent registered
public accounting firm for 2009). If you Withhold your votes on
the election of a director nominee, your vote will not be considered a vote cast
with respect to that director's election and therefore will not be counted in
determining the number of votes cast for that director. If you Abstain from voting on any of
the other proposals, it will have the same effect as a vote Against that
proposal.
Q: Who will count
the votes?
A:
Broadridge,
an international investor relations company, is assisting us with the voting of
proxies for our annual meeting. Prior to the meeting, Broadridge will
provide us with a tabulation of the votes cast prior to the meeting. We believe
that Broadridge will use procedures that are consistent with Colorado law
concerning the voting of shares, the determination of the presence of a quorum
and the determination of the outcome of each matter submitted for a vote. In
addition, we will appoint a voting inspector at the meeting to count and
tabulate any votes cast at the meeting.
Q: Who may attend
the meeting?
A:
All
shareholders as of the Record Date may attend. Please bring to the
meeting:
·
|
proof of ownership such
as: a copy of your proxy or voting instruction card; the two-page notice
regarding the Internet availability of proxy materials you received in the
mail; or a copy of a brokerage or bank statement showing your share
ownership as of the Record Date;
and
|
·
|
proof of identification
such as a valid driver's license or
passport.
|
Q: How will voting
on any other business be conducted?
A:
We do not
expect any matters to be presented for a vote at the meeting other than the four
matters described in this proxy statement. If you grant a proxy, either of the
officers named as proxy holders, Stephen C. Taylor and Gene A. Strasheim, or
their nominees or substitutes, will have the discretion to vote your shares on
any additional matters that are properly presented for a vote at the meeting and
at any adjournment or postponement that may take place. If, for any unforeseen
reason, any of our nominees is not available as a candidate for director, the
persons named as the proxy holder will vote your proxy for another candidate or
other candidates nominated by our Board.
A:
Yes. For
your proposal to be considered for inclusion in our proxy statement for next
year's meeting, we must receive your written proposal no later than December 29,
2009. If we change the date of next year's meeting by more than 30 days
from the date of this year's meeting, then the deadline is a reasonable time
before we begin to print and send our proxy materials. You should also be aware
that your proposal must comply with SEC regulations regarding shareholder
proposals.
Similarly,
for you to raise a proposal (including a director nomination) from the floor at
next year's meeting, we must receive a written notice of the proposal no later
than March 14, 2010. If we change the date of next year's meeting by
more than 30 days from the date of this year's meeting, then we must
receive your written proposal at least 150 days before the date of next
year's meeting for the proposal to be timely.
Q: Who is paying
for this proxy solicitation?
A:
We will
pay the cost of soliciting the proxies. In addition, our officers, directors and
employees may solicit proxies or votes in person, by telephone or by email.
These people will not be paid any additional compensation for these activities.
We will send copies of proxy-related materials or additional solicitation
materials to brokers, fiduciaries and custodians who will forward these
materials to the beneficial owners of our shares. On request, we will reimburse
brokers and other persons representing beneficial owners of shares for their
reasonable expenses in forwarding these materials to beneficial owners.
HOUSEHOLDING
OF PROXY MATERIALS
In an effort to reduce printing costs
and postage fees, we have adopted a practice called "householding." Under this
practice, shareholders who have the same address and last name and do not
participate in email delivery of proxy-related materials will receive only one
set of proxy-related materials unless one or more of these people notifies us
that he or she wishes to continue to receive individual copies.
If you share an address with another
shareholder and receive only one set of proxy-related materials and would like
to request a separate copy for this year's annual meeting or for any future
meetings, please: (1) call our Investor Relations contact at (432)
262-2700; (2) send an email message to kim.huckaba@ngsgi.com; or
(3) mail your request to Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., 508 West Wall
Street, Suite 550, Midland, Texas 79701, Attn: Investor Relations. Similarly,
you may also contact us through any of these methods if you receive multiple
copies of the materials and would prefer to receive a single copy in the
future.
PROPOSAL
1 - ELECTION OF
DIRECTORS
Our Board
of Directors is divided into three classes, each class to be as nearly equal in
number as possible. At each annual meeting of shareholders, members
of one of the classes, on a rotating basis, are elected for a three-year
term. The authorized number of Directors is currently set at
eight. Our current Directors are listed below by the year in which
their terms expire:
Terms
Expiring at the
2009 Annual Meeting
|
Terms
Expiring at the
2010 Annual Meeting
|
Terms
Expiring at the
2011 Annual Meeting
|
William
F. Hughes, Jr.
|
Paul
D. Hensley
|
Charles
G. Curtis
|
Alan
A. Baker
|
John
W. Chisolm
|
Gene
A. Strasheim
|
|
Richard
L. Yadon
|
Stephen
C. Taylor
|
The terms of two current Directors, Messrs. Baker and Hughes, expire at the 2009
Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
Shareholders will be electing two
Directors at the meeting. The Board is recommending Mr. Baker and Mr.
Hughes for re-election to the Board of Directors to serve for three-year terms
expiring at the annual meeting of shareholders in 2012.
The
persons named in the enclosed form of proxy will vote the shares represented by
such proxy for the election of the two nominees for Director named above unless other
instructions are shown on the proxy card. If, at the time of the
meeting, either of these nominees becomes unavailable for any reason, which is
not expected, the
persons
entitled to vote the proxy will vote for such substitute nominee or nominees, if
any, as they determine in their sole discretion, or we may reduce the size of
the Board.
Biographical
information for each person nominated as a Director, and for each person whose
term of office as a Director will continue after the 2009 Annual Meeting, is set
forth below.
Nominees
for Directors for Terms to Expire in 2012
William F. Hughes,
Jr.
William F. Hughes Jr., 56, has served
as a Director since December 2003. Mr. Hughes has over 30 years
experience in the engineering and construction industry as a Registered Civil
Engineer and licensed building contractor. From 1974 to 1979, he
served as an officer in the United States Air Force. From 1979 to 1986, he was a
project design engineer for Cushman & Associates. From 1986 to
1996, he served as a Project Manager on a variety of public works and industrial
construction projects. Since 1983, Mr. Hughes has been co- owner of
The Whole Wheatery, LLC, a natural foods store located in Lancaster,
California. Mr. Hughes holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil
Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy and a Master of Science in
Engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Alan A. Baker
Alan A. Baker, 77, was appointed as a
Director of Natural Gas Services Group in March 2006 to fill a vacancy on the
Board of Directors and was first elected as a Director of Natural Gas Services
Group at the 2006 annual meeting of shareholders. Mr. Baker has
served as a consultant to Halliburton Company and previously served as
President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Halliburton Company’s Energy
Services Group, Houston, Texas, from 1991 until his retirement in
1995. Mr. Baker joined Halliburton Services in 1954 after graduating
with a degree in Petroleum Engineering from Marietta College in
Ohio. Mr. Baker has served Halliburton Services as Senior Vice
President for U.S. Operations, Senior Vice President for International
Operations and as President of the Vann Systems Division of Halliburton
Company. Mr. Baker also served as a member of Halliburton’s executive
committee. Mr. Baker has served on the Boards of Noble Affiliates,
National Gas and Oil, Crestar Energy of Canada and the Mid-Continent Oil and Gas
Association. He is Trustee Emeritus of Marietta College and is a
registered professional engineer.
The Board of Directors recommends that
shareholders vote "for" each of the two nominees named above.
Continuing
Directors Whose Terms Expire in 2010
Paul D. Hensley
Paul D. Hensley, 56, was appointed as a Director of Natural Gas Services Group
in January 2005 and was first elected as a Director at the annual meeting of
shareholders held in June 2005. Mr. Hensley currently serves as
Senior Vice President - Technology of Natural Gas Services Group. He
is the founder of and served as President and as a Director of our former
subsidiary, Screw Compression Systems, Inc., from its inception in 1997 until it
was merged into Natural Gas Services Group in June 2007. Mr. Hensley
has over 30 years of industry experience.
John W. Chisholm
John W. Chisholm, 54, was appointed as
a Director of Natural Gas Services Group in December 2006 to fill a vacancy
created by expanding the size of the Board from seven to eight Directors and was
first elected as a Director of Natural Gas Services Group at the annual meeting
of shareholders held in June 2007. Mr. Chisholm is the founder of
Wellogix, an oil and gas software company that develops software aimed at
expediting the exchange of enterprise data and communication of complex
engineered services. Mr. Chisholm has served on the Board of
Directors of Flotek Industries, Inc. since 2002 and is a member of
its Compensation Committee. Prior to founding Wellogix, Mr. Chisholm
co-founded and served as President of ProTechnics Company from 1985 until its
sale to
Core
Laboratories in December of 1996. Mr. Chisholm served as Senior Vice
President of Global Sales and Marketing of Core Laboratories until 1998, when he
started Chisholm Energy Partners, an investment fund focused on mid-size energy
service companies. Mr. Chisholm holds a Business Administration
degree from Fort Lewis College in Colorado. He currently serves on
the Editorial Advisory Board on Middle East Technology of the Oil & Gas
Journal.
Richard L. Yadon
Richard L. Yadon, 50, has served as a Director since 2003. Mr.
Yadon served as an advisor to the Board of Directors of Natural Gas Services
Group from June 2002 to June 2003. Since 1981, Mr. Yadon has owned
and operated Yadeco Pipe & Equipment. Since 1994, he has co-owned
and served as President of Midland Pipe & Equipment, Inc. In
April 2007, Mr. Yadon became the sole owner of Midland Pipe & Equipment,
Inc. Yadeco Pipe & Equipment and Midland Pipe and Equipment, Inc.
are engaged in the business of providing oil and gas well drilling and
completion services and equipment to oil and gas producers conducting operations
in Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Since 1981, he has
owned Yadon Properties, which owns and operates real estate in Midland, Texas.
Mr. Yadon has 26 years of experience in the energy service
industry.
Continuing
Directors Whose Terms Expire in 2011
Charles G. Curtis
Charles G. Curtis, 75, has served as a Director of Natural Gas Services Group
since April 2001. Since 2002, substantially all of Mr. Curtis’
business activities have been devoted to managing personal
investments. From 1992 until 2002, Mr. Curtis was the President and
Chief Executive Officer of Curtis One, Inc., a manufacturer of aluminum and
steel mobile stools and mobile ladders. From 1988 to 1992, Mr. Curtis
was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Cramer, Inc., a manufacturer of
office furniture. Mr. Curtis has a Bachelor of Science degree from
the United States Naval Academy and a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical
Engineering from the University of Southern California.
Gene A. Strasheim
Gene A. Strasheim, 68, has served as a Director of Natural Gas Services Group
since 2003. From 2001 to 2004, Mr. Strasheim was a financial
consultant to Skyline Electronics/Products, a manufacturer of circuit boards and
large remotely controlled digital interstate highway signs. From 1992
to 2001, Mr. Strasheim was the Chief Financial Officer of Skyline
Electronics/Products. From 1985 to 1992, Mr. Strasheim was the Vice
President-Finance and Treasurer of CF&I Steel Corporation. Prior
to that, Mr. Strasheim was the Vice President-Finance for two privately-held companies and was a
partner with the public accounting firm of Deloitte Haskins &
Sells. Mr. Strasheim has practiced as a certified public accountant
in three states. Mr. Strasheim holds a Bachelor degree in Business from the
University of Wyoming.
Stephen C. Taylor
Stephen C. Taylor, 55, has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Natural
Gas Services Group since January 2005. He was elected as a Director of Natural
Gas Services Group at the annual meeting of shareholders in June 2005. Effective
January 1, 2006, Mr. Taylor was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Immediately prior to joining Natural Gas Services Group, Mr. Taylor held the
position of General Manager − US Operations for Trican Production Services, Inc.
from 2002 through 2004. Mr. Taylor joined Halliburton Resource Management in
1976, becoming its Vice President − Operations in 1989. Beginning in 1993, he
held multiple senior level management positions with Halliburton Energy Services
until 2000 when he was elected Senior Vice President/Chief Operating Officer of
Enventure Global Technology, LLC, a joint-venture deep water drilling technology
company owned by Halliburton Company and Shell Oil Company. Mr. Taylor elected
early retirement from Halliburton Company in 2002 to join Trican Production
Services, Inc. Mr. Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical
Engineering from Texas Tech University and a Master of Business Administration
degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND ITS COMMITTEES
Natural
Gas Services Group’s Board of Directors held four meetings in
2008. Each Director attended at least 75% of the total number of
Board meetings held while such person was a Director. Each Director
also attended at least 75% of all of the meetings held by all committees of the
Board of Directors for which he served (during the periods that he
served). The Board of Directors acts from time to time by unanimous
written consent in lieu of holding a meeting.
Our
non-management directors hold regularly scheduled executive sessions in which
those directors meet without management participation. Generally, the
Chairman of the Governance and Personnel Development Committee presides over
these sessions. Charles G. Curtis is currently that
Chairman.
We
typically schedule a Board meeting in conjunction with our annual meeting of
shareholders. Although we do not have a formal policy on the matter,
we expect our Directors to attend each annual meeting, absent a valid reason,
such as illness or an unavoidable schedule conflict. Last year, all
of the individuals then serving as Directors attended our 2008 annual meeting of
shareholders.
To assist it in carrying out its duties, the Board has delegated certain
authority to four separately designated standing committees. These committees
are described below.
Audit
Committee
The
primary functions of our Audit Committee include:
·
|
assisting
the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities as they relate to
our accounting policies, internal controls, financial reporting practices
and legal and regulatory
compliance;
|
·
|
hiring
independent registered public accounting
firm;
|
·
|
monitoring
the independence and performance of our independent registered public
accounting firm;
|
·
|
maintaining,
through regularly scheduled meetings, a line of communication between the
Board, our financial management and independent registered public
accounting firm; and
|
·
|
overseeing
compliance with our policies for conducting business, including ethical
business standards.
|
The members of the Audit Committee are Gene A. Strasheim (Chairman),
Charles G. Curtis and William F. Hughes, Jr. Our Board of Directors
has determined that Gene A. Strasheim is qualified as an "audit committee
financial expert" as that term is defined in the rules of the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
Our
common stock is listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Under rules
of the New York Stock Exchange, the Audit Committee is to be comprised of three
or more Directors, each of whom must be independent. Our Board has
determined that all of the members of the Audit Committee are independent,
including Mr. Strasheim, as defined under the applicable rules and listing
standards of the New York Stock Exchange, or "NYSE", and the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
Any
shareholder may obtain free of charge a printed copy of our Audit Committee
Charter by sending a written request to Investor Relations, Natural Gas Services
Group, Inc., 508 West Wall Street, Suite 550, Midland, Texas
79701. You can also view and print a copy of our Audit Committee
Charter by clicking on the “Governance” tab at the Investor Relations page of
our website at www.ngsgi.com.
The Audit Committee met four times
during the last fiscal year.
Compensation
Committee
The
functions of our Compensation Committee include:
·
|
assisting
the Board in overseeing the management of our human
resources;
|
·
|
evaluating
our Chief Executive Officer's performance and
compensation;
|
·
|
formulating
and administering our overall compensation principles and plans;
and
|
The
Compensation Committee’s policy is to offer the executive officers competitive
compensation packages that will permit us to attract and retain individuals with
superior abilities and to motivate and reward such individuals in an appropriate
fashion in the long-term interests of Natural Gas Services Group and its
shareholders. Currently, executive compensation is comprised of
salary and cash bonuses and awards of long-term incentive opportunities in the
form of stock options under our 1998 Stock Option Plan.
The members of the Compensation
Committee are William F. Hughes, Jr. (Chairman), Alan A. Baker, John W. Chisolm
and Richard L. Yadon.
Our Board has determined that all of
the members of the Compensation Committee are independent, as defined under the
applicable NYSE rules and listing standards.
Any
shareholder may obtain free of charge a printed copy of our Compensation
Committee Charter by sending a written request to Investor Relations, Natural
Gas Services Group, Inc., 508 West Wall Street, Suite 550, Midland, Texas
79701. You can also view and print a copy of our Compensation
Committee Charter by clicking on the “Governance” tab at the Investor Relations
page of our website at www.ngsgi.com.
During
the last fiscal year there were four meetings of the Compensation
Committee.
Governance
and Personnel Development Committee
Our Governance and Personnel
Development Committee primarily focuses on:
·
|
generally
overseeing the governance of the Board and its
committees;
|
·
|
interpreting
the Governance Guidelines, the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and
other similar governance documents adopted by the Board;
and
|
·
|
overseeing
the evaluation of the Board and its
committees.
|
The members of the Governance and
Personnel Development Committee are Charles G. Curtis (Chairman), Alan A. Baker,
John W. Chisholm and Richard L. Yadon.
Our Board
has determined that each of the Governance and Personnel Development Committee
members is independent, as defined under the applicable NYSE rules and listing
standards.
During the last fiscal year there were
four meetings of the Governance and Personnel Development
Committee.
Any
shareholder may obtain free of charge a printed copy of our Governance Committee
Charter by sending a written request to Investor Relations, Natural Gas Services
Group, Inc., 508 West Wall Street, Suite 550, Midland, Texas
79701. You can also view and print a copy of our Governance Committee
Charter by clicking on the “Governance” tab at the Investor Relations page of
our website at www.ngsgi.com.
Nominating
Committee
The functions of our Nominating Committee include:
·
|
identifying
individuals qualified to become board members, consistent with the
criteria approved by the Board;
|
·
|
recommending
Director nominees and individuals to fill vacant positions;
and
|
·
|
overseeing
executive development and succession and diversity
efforts.
|
The members of the Nominating Committee
are Richard L. Yadon (Chairman), Charles G. Curtis and Gene A.
Strasheim.
Any shareholder may obtain free of
charge a printed copy of our Nominating Committee Charter by sending a written
request to Investor Relations, Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., 508 West Wall
Street, Suite 550, Midland, Texas 79701. You can also view and print
a copy of our Nominating Committee Charter by clicking on the “Governance” tab
at the Investor Relations page of our website at www.ngsgi.com.
During the last fiscal year there were
four meetings of the Nominating Committee.
Our Board
of Directors has determined that each of the Nominating Committee members is
independent as defined under the applicable NYSE rules and listing
standards.
Our
Nominating Committee will consider a Director candidate recommended by a
shareholder. A candidate must be highly qualified in terms of
business experience and be both willing and expressly interested in serving on
the Board. A shareholder wishing to recommend a candidate for the
Committee’s consideration should forward the candidate’s name and information
about the candidate’s qualifications to Natural Gas Services Group, Inc.,
Nominating Committee, 508 West Wall Street, Suite 550, Midland, Texas 79701,
Attn.: Richard L. Yadon, Chairman. Submissions must include
sufficient biographical information concerning the recommended individual,
including age, employment history for at least the past five years indicating
employer’s names and description of the employer's business, educational
background and any other biographical information that would assist the
Committee in determining the qualifications of the individual. The
Committee will consider recommendations received by a date not later than 120
calendar days before the date our proxy statement was released to shareholders
in connection with the prior year's annual meeting for nomination at that annual
meeting. The Committee will consider nominations received after that
date at the annual meeting subsequent to the next annual meeting.
The Committee evaluates nominees for Directors recommended by shareholders in
the same manner in which it evaluates other nominees for
Directors. Minimum qualifications include the factors discussed
above.
Director
Independence
The Board
has determined that each of the following six members of the Board is
“independent” within the meaning of applicable listing standards of the New York
Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”): Alan A. Baker, John W. Chisholm, Charles G. Curtis,
William F. Hughes, Jr., Gene A. Strasheim, and Richard L.
Yadon. Under the standards set forth in Exhibit A to our Governance
and Personnel Development Charter (“Governance Charter”), which are consistent
with the NYSE listing standards. A copy of Exhibit A to our Governance Charter
is available at our website, www.ngsgi.com, under the
heading “Investor Relations—Governance.” The Board has made an affirmative
determination that each of the six directors named above satisfies these
categorical standards. In making its determination, the Board
examined relationships between directors or their affiliates with the Company
and its affiliates and determined that each such relationship, if any, did not
impair the director’s independence.
CODE
OF ETHICS
Our
Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, or "Code",
which is posted on
our website at www.ngsgi.com. You may also
obtain a copy of our Code by requesting a copy in writing at 508 West Wall
Street, Suite 550, Midland, Texas 79701 or by calling us at (432)
262-2700.
Our Code provides general statements of our expectations regarding ethical
standards that we expect our Directors, officers and employees, including our
Chief Executive Officer and principal financial officer, to adhere to while
acting on our behalf. Among other things, the Code provides
that:
·
|
we
will comply with all laws, rules and
regulations;
|
·
|
our
Directors, officers and employees are to avoid conflicts of interest and
are prohibited from competing with us or personally exploiting our
corporate opportunities;
|
·
|
our
Directors, officers and employees are to protect our assets and maintain
our confidentiality;
|
·
|
we
are committed to promoting values of integrity and fair dealing; and
that
|
·
|
we
are committed to accurately maintaining our accounting records under
generally accepted accounting principles and timely filing our periodic
reports.
|
Our Code also contains procedures for our employees to report, anonymously or
otherwise, violations of the Code.
EXECUTIVE
OFFICERS
Biographical information for the executive officers of Natural Gas Services
Group who are not Directors is set forth below. There are no family
relationships between any Director or executive officer and any other Director
or executive officer. Executive officers serve at the discretion of
the Board of Directors and until their successors have been duly elected and
qualified, unless sooner removed by the Board of Directors. Officers
are elected by the Board of Directors annually at its first meeting following
the annual meeting of shareholders.
Earl R. Wait, 65, became Vice President − Accounting in January 2006 and serves
as our Principal Financial Officer for SEC reporting requirements. He served as
our Chief Financial Officer from May 2000 to January 2006. He has also served as
our Treasurer since 1998. Mr. Wait was our Chief Accounting Officer from 1998 to
May 2000. During the period from 1993 to 2003, he also served as an officer or
Director of our former subsidiaries. Mr. Wait is a certified public accountant,
has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Texas A&M University −
Kingsville and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Texas
A&M University − Corpus Christi and has more than 30 years of experience in
the energy industry.
James
R. Hazlett, 52, has served as Vice President − Technical Services since June
2005. He also served as Vice President of Sales of Screw Compression
Systems, Inc. from 1997 until June 2007 when Screw Compression Systems, Inc. was
merged into Natural Gas Services Group. After the merger in June
2007, Mr. Hazlett continues to remain employed by Natural Gas Services Group as
Vice President − Technical Services. Mr. Hazlett holds an Industrial
Engineering degree from Texas A&M University and has over 27 years of
industry experience.
Compensation
Discussion and Analysis
Introduction
and Overview
The Compensation Committee or, the
“Committee,” of the Board of Directors is responsible for determining the types
and amounts of compensation we pay to our executives. The Committee operates
under a written charter that you can view on our website at www.ngsgi.com. The
Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Committee meets the
independence and financial literacy requirements of the New York Stock Exchange.
The Board determines, in its business judgment, whether a particular Director
satisfies the requirements for membership on the Committee set forth in the
Committee's charter. None of the members of the Committee are current or former
employees of Natural Gas Services Group or any of its subsidiaries.
The
Committee is responsible for formulating and administering our overall
compensation principles and plans. This includes establishing the
compensation paid to our Chief Executive Officer, meeting and consulting with
our Chief Executive Officer to establish the compensation paid to our other
executive officers, counseling our Chief Executive Officer as to different
compensation approaches, administering our stock option plan, monitoring
adherence to our compensation philosophy and conducting an annual, and sometimes
more frequent, review of our compensation programs and philosophy regarding
executive compensation.
The
Committee periodically meets in executive session without members of management
or management Directors present and reports to the Board of Directors on its
actions and recommendations.
Compensation
Philosophy and Objectives
Our compensation philosophy is to
provide an executive compensation program that:
·
|
rewards
performance and skills necessary to advance our company objectives and
further the interests of our
shareholders;
|
·
|
is
fair and reasonable and appropriately applied to each executive officer;
and
|
·
|
is
competitive with compensation programs offered by our
competitors.
|
The overall objectives of our compensation philosophy are to:
·
|
provide
a competitive level of current annual income that attracts and retains
qualified executives at a reasonable cost to
us;
|
·
|
retain
and motivate executives to accomplish our company
goals;
|
·
|
provide
long-term incentive compensation opportunities at levels appropriate for
the respective responsibilities and performance of each
executive;
|
·
|
align
compensation and benefits with our business strategies and
goals;
|
·
|
encourage
the application of a decision making process that takes into account both
short-term and long-term risks and the sometimes volatile nature of our
industry; and
|
·
|
align
the financial interests of our executives with those of our shareholders
through the potential grant of equity based
rewards.
|
Our Committee supports these objectives by emphasizing compensation arrangements
that we believe are reasonable and will attract and retain qualified executives
and reward them for their efforts to further our long-term growth and
success. At the same time, we remain cognizant of and aim to balance
our executive compensation arrangements with the interests and concerns of our
shareholders.
We have chosen to implement a
relatively simple compensation framework for our executives. We feel
that our compensation philosophies and practices are appropriate given our
relatively small size and early stage as a public company. This framework has
consisted primarily of base salaries, cash bonuses and stock
options. By continuing a relatively simple compensation framework for
our executives, we believe that we are able to establish a higher degree of
transparency, understanding and certainty for our executives as well as the
investing public, while at the same time avoiding complex benefit packages and
agreements that can be, in some ways, difficult to understand and require
significant time and cost to properly administer. In the end, we believe our
compensation arrangements provide the desired results: fair and reasonable pay
for achievements beneficial to Natural Gas Services Group and its
shareholders.
Assistance
Provided to the Committee
The Committee makes all compensation
decisions regarding our executive officers. Stephen C. Taylor, our
Chief Executive Officer, annually reviews the performance of each of our
executive officers (other than the Chief Executive Officer whose performance is
reviewed by the Committee) and presents recommendations to the Committee with
respect to salary and cash bonus percentage adjustments and stock option grants
for our executives (other than the Chief Executive Officer whose salary, cash
bonus percentage adjustments and stock option grants are determined solely by
the Committee). The Committee may exercise its discretion in
modifying any recommendations made by our Chief Executive Officer.
The
Committee also seeks the input and insight of Mr. Taylor concerning specific
factors that Mr. Taylor believes to be appropriate for the Committee’s
consideration and which the Committee may not be aware of, such as extraordinary
efforts or accomplishments of our executive officers. Mr. Taylor also
advises the Committee on general topics such as the morale of our
executives.
Natural Gas Services Group’s accounting
department assists the Committee in the compensation process by gathering and
organizing data, which is then presented to the Committee by Mr. Taylor for the
Committee’s review.
Compensation
Components
We base our decisions regarding executive compensation primarily on our
assessment of company performance, and each executive officer’s leadership,
performance and individual contributions to our business. The accounting and tax
treatment of different elements of compensation has not to date had a
significant impact on our use of any particular type of compensation. In
reviewing the overall compensation of our officers, we have historically
considered and used a mix of the following components or elements of executive
compensation:
• base
salary;
• cash
bonuses under our incentive cash bonus program;
• stock
option grants and stock awards;
• retirement and other benefits
generally available to all of our employees; and
• limited perquisites.
We do not presently and have not in the
past used any of the following types of executive compensation:
• defined
benefit pension plans;
|
•
|
employee
stock purchase/ownership plans;
|
|
•
|
supplemental
executive retirement plans/benefits;
or
|
|
•
|
deferred
compensation plans.
|
Compensation Evaluation
Factors
We continue, as we have in the past, to
rely on the following factors in evaluating and determining the amount of
compensation we pay our executives:
|
•
|
our
general knowledge of executive compensation levels in the natural gas
compression industry and similarly sized energy service
companies;
|
|
•
|
each
executive’s individual performance and the overall performance of Natural
Gas Services Group; and
|
|
•
|
specific
company financial metrics and the application of specific weights to such
metrics.
|
The
applicability of these factors varies depending on the type of compensation
being evaluated and determined. For instance, we do not rely on
weighted company financial metrics to evaluate and determine base salary levels,
but such factor is the primary means through which we evaluate and determine the
amount of the cash bonuses we award to our executives. Below is a more detailed
discussion of how these factors apply to the different types of compensation we
utilize.
Executive
Compensation Levels of other Companies in the Natural Gas Compression and
Related Businesses
Historically, we have not focused on a
specific peer group to evaluate and establish the compensation of our executive
officers. We do, however, have some general knowledge of the
executive compensation paid by certain of our competitors and general industry
peers. These competitors include public and privately held companies
in the natural gas compression business, industry partners and related
businesses, such as natural gas well servicing. In order to maintain
a compensation package that is competitive, we have considered, and continue to
consider, the executive compensation paid by these companies in evaluating and
establishing the compensation we pay our executive officers. Our
competitors in the natural gas compression industry that are public companies
are considerably larger than we are, and for this reason, we have not in the
past and do not currently consider the specific amounts of executive
compensation paid by such companies when evaluating or determining our executive
compensation. We do, however, from time to time, consider the types
of executive compensation offered by our competitors that are public companies
and the annual increases or decreases on a percentage basis in such
compensation.
Individual
and Company Performance – Base Salary and Stock Options
We also
evaluate compensation, particularly base salary levels and stock option awards,
through an analysis of each executive officer’s individual performance and the
overall performance of Natural Gas Services Group, our goal being to strengthen
the link between what we pay our executives and the performance of Natural Gas
Services Group. Factors we consider in our analysis
include:
|
•
|
the
individual performance, leadership, business knowledge and level of
responsibility of our officers;
|
|
•
|
the
particular skill-set and longevity of service of the
officer;
|
|
•
|
the
effectiveness of the officer in implementing our overall
strategy;
|
|
•
|
the
general level of competitive compensation
packages;
|
|
•
|
cash
flows from operations;
|
|
•
|
our
market share in the rental of natural gas compression units;
and
|
|
•
|
the
market value of our common stock.
|
Specific
Company Financial Metrics – Cash Bonuses
With respect to compensation we pay in
the form of cash bonuses, the Committee sets target performance levels for three
specific company financial metrics. The Committee relies on whether
these targets are achieved and the individual performance of our executive
officers to determine whether cash bonuses are awarded and the amounts of such
bonuses. The three financial metrics the Committee considers
are:
|
•
|
net
income before taxes.
|
EBITDA is
calculated from our audited consolidated financial statements by adding to net
income, or loss, (1) amortization and depreciation expense, (2) interest expense
and (3) provision for income tax expense.
We
believe that our core executive compensation mix of base salary, cash bonuses
and stock options, while fairly limited, presently provides enough diversity for
us to link executive compensation to our short-term and long-term
objectives. For instance, base salaries and cash bonuses are closely
linked to the short-term objectives of providing reasonable and competitive
levels of current annual income, while stock options are more closely linked to
the long-term objectives of earnings per share and increased market value of our
common stock.
Base
Salary
We
provide our executive officers and other employees with base salary to
compensate them for services rendered during the fiscal year. Each
year the Committee receives base salary recommendations from our Chief Executive
Officer for all of our executive officers (other than our Chief Executive
Officer whose base salary is evaluated by the Committee on an annual basis). The
Committee reviews comparative salary data and information gathered by the
Committee relative to certain of our competitors and industry peers to gain some
general knowledge of what our competitors pay their executive
officers. The competitors are certain privately held companies in the
natural gas industry that are comparable in size to us. We do not
consider the specific amounts of the compensation packages offered by our
competitors that are public companies because of the considerable size
difference between those companies and us, but we do from time to time consider
the types of compensation offered by such competitors and the annual increases
or decreases on a percentage basis in such compensation. The
Committee determines base salary levels by considering the comparative salary
data and information gathered by the Committee in conjunction with the factors
described above under the caption “Individual and Company Performance – Base
Salary and Stock Options”. We do not give specific weights to any of
the factors the Committee considers in determining base salary levels or
adjustments thereto.
Based on
our criteria for base salary level determinations, Stephen C. Taylor, President
and Chief Executive Officer received an increase in annual base salary for 2008
from $210,000 to $275,000. Additionally, in 2008, the Committee
increased the annual base salary of (i) Earl R. Wait, our Vice President --
Accounting from $112,500 to $135,000 and (ii) Paul D. Hensley, our Senior Vice
President -- Technology from $130,500 to $145,000; and Mr. Hazlett’s annual base
salary from $115,000 to $135,000. The base salaries for these named
executives were increased in recognition of the Company’s record financial
performance and their leadership contributions.
Short-Term
Incentives – Incentive Cash Bonus Program
The
Committee has adopted an Incentive Cash Bonus Program or, the “IBP,” that
provides guidelines for the calculation of annual non-equity incentive based
compensation in the form of cash bonuses to our executives, subject to Committee
oversight and modification. The bonuses awarded under the IBP
are short-term awards in recognition of the overall performance and efforts made
by our executives during a particular year. Each year, the Committee
approves the group of executives eligible to participate in the IBP and
establishes target award opportunities for such executives, excluding our Chief
Executive Officer, whose employment agreement provides for a target award
opportunity of up to 50% of base salary. Target award opportunities
for our executives range from 20% to 50% of base salary.
In 2008,
90% of an executive officer’s IBP award was based on achievement of company
financial objectives relating to:
|
•
|
net
income before taxes.
|
Each of these three components accounts
for 30% of the total company financial objective portion of the
IBP. The remaining 10% of an executive officer’s IBP award is based
upon individual performance as evaluated by our Chief Executive Officer (except
with respect to our Chief Executive Officer whose individual performance is
evaluated by the Committee).
Each
year, the Committee sets a target level for each component of the company
financial objective portion of the IBP. The payment of awards under
the IBP is based upon whether these target levels are achieved for the
year. If we achieve the target levels for all components of the
company financial objective portion of the IBP, an executive with a base salary
of $100,000 and a target award opportunity of 40% will receive a cash bonus of
$40,000, assuming the executive receives the full amount (10%) of the individual
performance portion of the IBP. If we do not achieve the target
levels for all of the components, the Committee will decrease the target award
opportunity for each executive officer by a percentage of up to 30% for each
component in which there is a shortfall. For instance, if we meet all
target levels except the target level for EBITDA, the Committee will decrease
the executive’s award opportunity by up to 30%. With respect to the
executive described above, the award opportunity for such executive would be
reduced from 40% to as low as 28% (the target bonus of 40% multiplied by 70%),
in which case the executive would receive a cash bonus of $28,000, assuming the
executive receives the full amount of the individual performance portion of the
IBP.
In 2008,
Natural Gas Services Group met its target levels for net income before taxes and
EBITDA. However, it did not reach the target level set for total
revenues. Consequently, the Committee awarded each executive officer
with 15% of the possible 30% attributable to the total revenue component of the
IBP and the full 30% attributable to each of the net income before taxes and
EBITDA components of the IBP. Each executive officer received the
full 10% of the individual performance portion of the IBP. Therefore,
each executive officer received 85% of his target award
opportunity. The cash awards made to our executive officers under the
IBP for 2008 are included in column (g) of the “Summary Compensation Table” on
page 20.
In
connection with the bonuses for 2008, rather than pay the entire bonus amounts
in cash, the Chief Executive Officer recommended and the Committee elected to
issue a portion of the bonus for each executive officer by an award of stock
options. The recommendation and election to pay out bonuses in this
manner were made in order to link the interests of management with those of our
stockholders. Thus, on March 17, 2009, as a part of the bonus
earned by the employee and in lieu of a cash payment, the Committee granted
stock options to each of our executive officers as set forth below:
Name
and Position
|
Number
of Shares
Underlying
Option
|
|
|
Stephen
C. Taylor
Chairman
of the Board, President & Chief Executive Officer
|
23,852
|
|
|
Paul
D. Hensley
Director
& Senior Vice President – Technology
|
6,288
|
|
|
Earl
R. Wait
Vice
President – Accounting
|
11,384
|
|
|
James
R. Hazlett
Vice
President-Technical Services
|
7,589
|
The stock
options granted to the executive noted above were pursuant to the Company’s 1998
Stock Option Plan, as amended. The options are not exercisable until
their first anniversary date, although each option will become exercisable if
the employee leaves the employ of the Company. The exercise price of the options
is $7.84 per share, which was equal to the fair market value of our common stock
on the date of grant. The Committee believes that the options qualify
as “incentive stock options” under federal tax laws and are exercisable for a
term of 10 years from the date of grant, subject to the vesting requirements
described above and earlier termination pursuant to the terms of the 1998 Stock
Option Plan, as amended.
Long-Term Incentives – Stock Option
Grants
We
consider stock options to be a type of long-term incentive compensation that
motivates our executive officers to work toward our long-term growth and allows
them to participate in the growth and profitability of Natural Gas Services
Group. We believe that stock options align the interests of our
executive officers with our shareholders in that our executive officers will
benefit from the options only to the extent that the value of our common stock
increases. The number of options granted to an executive officer is based on a
subjective determination of an officer’s individual performance and his current
contributions and potential for future contributions to the overall performance
of Natural Gas Services Group.
All stock
options are granted under our 1998 Stock Option Plan, as amended, except one
stock option was granted outside of the plan in August 2005 to Stephen C.
Taylor, our Chief Executive Officer, as an inducement grant under the terms of
his employment agreement. We do not grant discounted options and
exercise prices are not based on a formula. Options granted under our
1998 Stock Option Plan are “at-the-money.” In other words, the
exercise price of the option equals the market price of the underlying stock on
the actual date of grant.
Except
with respect to an annual option grant required under the employment agreement
with Mr. Taylor, the Compensation Committee does not have any specific program
or plan with regard to the timing or dating of option grants, except that it has
been the Committee’s practice to grant options within thirty days after Natural
Gas Services Group’s quarterly or annual earnings releases. The
Committee’s practice as to when options are granted has historically been made
at the discretion of the Committee. Generally, option grants to
executives and other employees have been made at the same time. We
have not and do not plan to purposefully time the release of material non-public
information for the purpose of affecting the value of executive
compensation.
Other
Compensation
We maintain a 401(k) retirement plan in
which all of our executives and employees are eligible to
participate. We match executive and employee contributions to our
401(k) plan, on an equal percentage basis, with cash
contributions. The Company matching portion is equal to one-half of
the employee’s annual contribution up to a maximum of 3% of the employee’s
salary. Our matching amounts for our executive officers are included in column
(i) of the “Summary Compensation Table” on page 20.
Other than the reductions that can
occur with respect to the target award opportunities of our executives under the
IBP, we do not have a written policy or formula regarding the adjustment,
reduction or recovery of awards or payments if company performance measures are
restated or adjusted in a manner that would reduce the award or
payment. However, the Committee does consider compensation realized
or potentially realizable from prior compensation awards in setting new types
and amounts of compensation, the result of such consideration being varying
increases in annual salaries and cash bonuses, with percentage increases in some
cases being smaller than previous years.
Employment
Agreements
On October 25, 2008, we entered into a
new five year written employment agreement with Stephen C. Taylor, our President
and Chief Executive Officer. We do not have written employment agreements with
any of our other executive officers. We employed Mr. Taylor in
January 2005 and the terms of his employment were governed by a verbal
arrangement until August 2005 when we negotiated and entered into a written
employment agreement with him which expired on January 13, 2008.
The
employment agreement of Mr. Taylor provides for, among other things, base
salary, incentive cash bonuses under the IBP, and insurance, medical and other
benefits generally available to our other employees. Mr. Taylor’s
employment agreement also contained change of control and severance provisions,
as referenced under the caption “Change of Control and Severance Arrangements”
on page 19 and more particularly described under the caption “Potential Payments
Upon Termination or Change of Control” on page 25. More information
regarding the above-referenced employment agreement is provided under the
heading “Compensation Agreements with Management” on page 29.
Allocation
of Amounts and Types of Compensation
Other than the stock options we grant
to our executives from time to time and the determinations made by the Committee
as to specific target award opportunities under our IBP, the allocation of
different amounts and types of compensation has not been a consideration for
us. The Committee has not adopted a specific policy or target for the
allocation between either amounts or types of compensation. Since
becoming a publicly held company in October 2002, the compensation we have paid
to our executive officers has emphasized the use of cash rather than non-cash
compensation. While the Committee intends to continue to use cash as
a material part of its compensation package, assuming the approval by our
shareholders of the 2009 Restricted Stock/Unit Plan described in Proposal No. 2
of this proxy statement, we intend to increase the use of stock awards in our
compensation package. We believe that the use of stock awards in our
compensation package will align the interests of our management and employees
with our stockholders. Notwithstanding our plan to increase the use
of stock-based compensation, we intend to maintain and continue our practice of
having a simplified, but effective and competitive, compensation
package.
Assistance
of Compensation Consultants
Although the Committee has the
authority to retain, at the expense of Natural Gas Services Group, compensation
consultants, the Committee has not in the past sought or relied on an outside
compensation consultant to evaluate or establish the compensation we pay our
executives. While the Committee believes the executive compensation
we pay is fair and generally competitive within the natural gas compression
industry, the Committee tends to target pay within approximately 20% of what it
believes to be the industry median. This approach helps ensure that
our executive compensation remains reasonable and lessens the need for an
outside consultant to validate such compensation. Our Committee,
nevertheless, understands the value of an outside compensation consultant, and
in light of our growth over the last five years and the increased level of
competition within the natural gas compression industry for attracting and
retaining talented executives, may consider retaining a compensation consultant
to help the Committee better evaluate our executive compensation.
Change
of Control and Severance Arrangements
Our 1998 Stock Option Plan, as amended,
contains change of control provisions. In addition, Mr. Taylor’s
employment agreement contains change of control and severance
provisions. Information regarding these provisions is provided under
the caption “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change of Control” on page
25.
Stock
Ownership/Retention Guidelines
We have not in the past had written
guidelines or policy statements that required our executives to maintain
specified levels of stock ownership or adhere to specified "holding" practices
with regard to our common stock.
Perquisites
We provide limited perquisites to our
executives. The primary perquisites include allowing our executives a choice of
receiving an automobile allowance or personal use of a company-provided
automobile and matching contributions made by Natural Gas Services Group under
our 401(k) plan. Although we provide Mr. Taylor with one club
membership, since his use of the club is limited solely for business
entertainment, we have not considered it to be a perquisite and have not valued
it as such for inclusion in column (i) of the Summary Compensation Table on page
20.
Our executives also participate in the
same medical, dental and life insurance plans as other
employees. However, we pay a greater percentage of the premiums for
health insurance for our executives than we do for our other
employees.
As part of our negotiations with Mr.
Taylor relating to his compensation under his employment agreement and as an
inducement to Mr. Taylor to join our employment, we agreed to make a cash
payment to Mr. Taylor upon his exercise of the stock option granted to him in
August 2005 in an amount sufficient to place Mr. Taylor in the same after-tax
position he would be in if the income recognized by Mr. Taylor upon his exercise
of the stock option were taxed at the then applicable Federal capital gains tax
rate. Mr. Taylor is responsible for all tax due with respect to this
cash payment.
Limit
on Deductibility of Certain Compensation
Provisions of the Internal Revenue Code
that restrict the deductibility of certain compensation over $1 million dollars
per year have not been a factor in our considerations or recommendations.
Section 162(m) of the Code currently imposes a $1 million limitation on the
deductibility of certain compensation paid to specified executives. Excluded
from the limitation is compensation that is "performance based." For
compensation to be performance based, it must meet certain criteria, including
being based on predetermined objective standards approved by shareholders. The
Committee has not taken the requirements of Section 162(m) into account in
designing executive compensation. If the compensation level of any executive
officer approaches $1 million for purposes of Section 162(m), the Committee will
assess the implications of Section 162(m) and determine what action would be
appropriate, which may be influenced by factors other than full tax
deductibility.
Compensation
Committee Report
The Committee has reviewed and
discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis with management.
Based on its review and discussions,
the Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation
Discussion and Analysis be included in our proxy statement for the 2009 Annual
Meeting of Shareholders.
|
Members
of the Compensation Committee
|
|
|
|
William
F. Hughes, Jr. (Chairman)
|
|
Alan
A. Baker
|
|
John
W. Chisholm
|
|
Richard
L. Yadon
|
Executive
Compensation
The table
below sets forth the compensation earned by our Chief Executive Officer, Stephen
C. Taylor, and our other named executive officers for services rendered to
Natural Gas Services Group and its subsidiaries for the fiscal years ended
December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Summary
Compensation Table
Name
and
Principal
Position
(a)
|
Year
(b)
|
|
Salary ($)
(c)
|
|
|
Bonus
(d)
|
|
|
Stock
Awards
($)
(e)
|
|
|
Option
Awards
($)
(1)
(f)
|
|
|
Non-Equity
Incentive
Plan
Compensation
(2)
(g)
|
|
|
Change
in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation
Earnings
(h)
|
|
|
All
Other
Compensation
($)(3)
(i)
|
|
|
Total
(j)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stephen
C. Taylor
|
2008
|
|
$ |
271,250
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
$ |
51,211(4)
|
|
|
$ |
70,125
|
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
$ |
14,029
|
|
|
$ |
406,615
|
|
Chairman,
|
2007
|
|
|
207,982
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
|
270,106(5)
|
|
|
|
89,250
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
10,168
|
|
|
|
577,506
|
|
President
and Chief
|
2006
|
|
|
173,615
|
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
|
216,000(6)
|
|
|
|
87,500
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
8,994
|
|
|
|
486,109
|
|
Executive
Officer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earl
R. Wait
|
2008
|
|
|
124,519
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
|
12,036(7)
|
|
|
|
14,875
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
18,540
|
|
|
|
169,970
|
|
Vice
President -
|
2007
|
|
|
112,500
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
|
12,023(8)
|
|
|
|
33,469
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
19,766
|
|
|
|
177,758
|
|
Accounting
|
2006
|
|
|
100,769
|
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
39,375
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
18,490
|
|
|
|
158,634
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paul
D. Hensley
|
2008
|
|
|
137,135
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
36,975
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
12,902
|
|
|
|
187,012
|
|
Director,
|
2007
|
|
|
130,500
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
43,078(9)
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
12,582
|
|
|
|
186,160
|
|
Senior
Vice President
|
2006
|
|
|
130,500
|
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
50,680(10)
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
13,551
|
|
|
|
194,731
|
|
-
Technology
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
James
R. Hazlett
|
2008
|
|
|
124,615
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
22,313
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
11,761
|
|
|
|
158,689
|
|
Vice
President-
|
2007
|
|
|
115,000
|
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
34,213
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
9,573
|
|
|
|
158,786
|
|
Technical
Services
|
2006
|
|
|
105,615
|
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
40,250
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
7,723
|
|
|
|
153,588
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
The
amounts in column (f) reflect the dollar amounts recognized for financial
statement reporting purposes for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2006,
2007 and 2008, in accordance with FAS 123(R), associated with stock option
grants under our 1998 Stock Option Plan and the stock option grant to Mr.
Taylor under his employment agreement and thus include amounts associated
with grants made in 2007 and prior to 2007. Assumptions used to
calculate these amounts are
|
|
included
in footnote 10 to our audited consolidated financial statements for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, in footnote 9 to our audited
consolidated financial statements
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007 and in footnote 9 to our
audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2008.
|
(2)
|
The
amounts in column (g) reflect the cash bonus awards to the named executive
officers under our Incentive Cash Bonus Program, which is discussed in
further detail on page 16 under the caption “Short-Term Incentives –
Incentive Cash Bonus Program.”
|
(3)
|
The
amounts shown in column (i) include matching contributions made by Natural
Gas Services Group to each named executive officer under our 401(k) plan
and the aggregate incremental cost to Natural Gas Services Group of
perquisites provided to our named executive officers as
follows:
|
Name
|
Year
|
|
Automobile
Allowance
|
|
|
Personal
Use of Company Provided Automobiles
|
|
|
Additional
Incremental
Portion
of
Health Insurance
Premiums
Paid for Officers Only
|
|
|
401(k)
Plan
|
|
|
Total
(a)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stephen
C. Taylor
|
2008
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
1,237 |
|
|
$ |
1,051 |
|
|
$ |
6,326 |
|
|
$ |
14,029 |
|
|
2007
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
1,237 |
|
|
|
956 |
|
|
|
5,690 |
|
|
|
10,168 |
|
|
2006
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
4,566 |
|
|
|
927 |
|
|
|
1,766 |
|
|
|
8,994 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earl
R. Wait
|
2008
|
|
|
8,654 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
3,185 |
|
|
|
4,212 |
|
|
|
18,540 |
|
|
2007
|
|
|
9,000 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
4,727 |
|
|
|
3,564 |
|
|
|
19,766 |
|
|
2006
|
|
|
9,000 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
4,581 |
|
|
|
2,909 |
|
|
|
18,490 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paul
D. Hensley
|
2008
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
1,437 |
|
|
|
3,185 |
|
|
|
5,557 |
|
|
|
12,902 |
|
|
2007
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
2,145 |
|
|
|
3,651 |
|
|
|
3,915 |
|
|
|
12,582 |
|
|
2006
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
3,464 |
|
|
|
2,895 |
|
|
|
4,582 |
|
|
|
13,551 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
James
R. Hazlett
|
2008
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
923 |
|
|
|
5,012 |
|
|
|
3,334 |
|
|
|
11,761 |
|
|
2007
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
923 |
|
|
|
4,727 |
|
|
|
1,393 |
|
|
|
9,573 |
|
|
2006
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
1,041 |
|
|
|
4,582 |
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
|
7,723 |
|
|
2008
|
|
$ |
8,654 |
|
|
$ |
3,597 |
|
|
$ |
12,433 |
|
|
$ |
19,429 |
|
|
$ |
57,232 |
|
|
2007
|
|
$ |
9,000 |
|
|
$ |
4,305 |
|
|
$ |
14,061 |
|
|
$ |
14,562 |
|
|
$ |
52,089 |
|
|
2006
|
|
$ |
9,000 |
|
|
$ |
9,071 |
|
|
$ |
12,985 |
|
|
$ |
9,257 |
|
|
$ |
48,758 |
|
(a)
|
The
amounts reflected in this column include a nominal cash Christmas Bonus
paid to each of the named executive officers in the fiscal years ended
December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008.
|
(4)
|
This
amount reflects the dollar amount recognized for financial statement
reporting purposes for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, in
accordance with FAS 123(R), for 7,500 shares of common stock that vested
on November 21, 2008 under the stock option granted to Mr. Taylor on
November 21, 2006 under our 1998 Stock Option
Plan.
|
(5)
|
This
amount reflects the dollar amount recognized for financial statement
reporting purposes for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, in
accordance with FAS 123(R), for 15,000 shares of common stock that vested
on January 13, 2007 under the stock option granted to Mr. Taylor in August
2005 under his employment agreement and for 7,500 shares of common stock
that vested on November 21, 2007 under the stock option granted to Mr.
Taylor on November 21, 2006 under our 1998 Stock Option
Plan.
|
(6)
|
This
amount reflects the dollar amount recognized for financial statement
reporting purposes for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, in
accordance with FAS 123(R), for 15,000 shares of common stock that vested
on January 13, 2006 under the stock option granted to Mr. Taylor in August
2005 under his employment
agreement.
|
(7)
|
This
amount reflects the dollar amount recognized for financial statement
reporting purposes for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, in
accordance with FAS 123(R), for 1,666 shares of common stock that vested
on November 21, 2008 under the stock option granted to Mr. Wait on
November 21, 2006 under our 1998 Stock Option
Plan.
|
(8)
|
This
amount reflects the dollar amount recognized for financial statement
reporting purposes for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, in
accordance with FAS 123(R), for 1,666 shares of common stock that vested
on November 21, 2007 under the stock option granted to Mr. Wait on
November 21, 2006 under our 1998 Stock Option
Plan.
|
(9)
|
This
amount reflects the cash bonus awarded to Mr. Hensley under Natural Gas
Services Group’s Incentive Cash Bonus Program. Pursuant to the
employment agreement between Mr. Hensely and Screw Compression Systems,
Inc., our former subsidiary, which expired according to its own terms on
January 3, 2008, the amount awarded to Mr. Hensley was calculated using a
base salary of $126,700 and a target award opportunity of up to
40%.
|
(10)
|
This
amount reflects the cash bonus awarded to Mr. Hensley under Natural Gas
Services Group’s Incentive Cash Bonus Program. Pursuant to the
employment agreement between Mr. Hensely and Screw Compression Systems,
Inc., our former subsidiary, which expired according to its own terms on
January 3, 2008, the amount awarded to Mr. Hensley was calculated using a
base salary of $126,700 and a target award opportunity of up to
40%.
|
Grants
of Plan Based Awards
The table
below sets forth the estimated future payouts under non-equity incentive plan
awards and stock option awards granted and the grant date fair value of the
stock option awards.
Grants
of Plan-Based Awards for Fiscal 2008
|
|
|
Estimated
Future
Payouts
Under Non-Equity
Incentive
Plan Awards(1)
|
|
|
Estimated
Future Payouts Under Equity Incentive
Plan
Awards
|
|
|
All
Other
Stock
|
|
|
All
Other
Option
|
|
|
Exercise
or
Base
|
|
|
Grant
Date
Fair
|
|
Name
|
Grant
Date
|
|
Threshold
($)
|
|
|
Target
($)
|
|
|
Maximum
($)
|
|
|
Threshold
(#)
|
|
|
Target
(#)
|
|
|
Maximum
(#)
|
|
|
Awards:
Number of Shares of Stock or Units
(#)
|
|
|
Awards:
Number
of
Securities Underlying Option
(#)
|
|
|
Price
of
Option
Awards
($/Sh)
|
|
|
Value
of
Stock
and Option Awards
($)
|
|
(a)
|
(b)
|
|
(c)
|
|
|
(d)
|
|
|
(e)
|
|
|
(f)
|
|
|
(g)
|
|
|
(h)
|
|
|
(i)
|
|
|
(j)
|
|
|
(k)
|
|
|
(l)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stephen
C. Taylor
|
1/15/08
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
40,000
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
$ |
20.06
|
|
|
$ |
405,792
|
|
|
9/10/08
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
25,000
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
$ |
17.51
|
|
|
$ |
212,229
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
James
R. Hazlett
|
9/10/08
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
5,000
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
$ |
17.51
|
|
|
$ |
42,446
|
|
(1)
|
No
amounts are shown in column (c) because there is no minimum bonus amount
under our Incentive Cash Bonus Program, or the “IBP”. The
amounts shown in column (d) reflect the product of the target award
opportunity for each executive under our IBP, times the executive’s base
salary and are based on the assumption that all three components of the
company financial objective portion of the IBP (total revenues, EBITDA and
net income before taxes) will be met and each executive will receive the
full amount of the individual performance portion of the
IBP. The amounts shown in column (e) match the amounts shown in
column (d) because there are no circumstances under which any executive
would be entitled to a cash bonus award under the IBP that exceeds the
target amount. These amounts are based on each executive’s
current salary and position. More information regarding the IBP
and the calculation of awards is provided below and under the caption
“Short-Term Incentives – Incentive Cash Bonus Program” on page
16.
|
Incentive
Cash Bonus Program
Our
Incentive Cash Bonus Program or, the “IBP,” provides for annual non-equity
incentive based compensation in the form of cash bonuses to our executive
officers. Our Compensation Committee administers and determines from
year to year the executives that are eligible to participate in the
IBP. The Committee establishes target award opportunities for the
executives eligible to participate in the plan. These target award
opportunities are expressed as a percentage of an executive’s base
salary. An executive’s target award opportunity is the maximum cash
bonus an executive is eligible to receive in any one year under the
IBP.
The
Committee establishes annual target levels for Natural Gas Services Group’s
total revenues, EBITDA and net income before taxes and assigns a weight of 30%
to each of these components. The executive’s individual performance
is assigned a weight of 10%. If during the year Natural Gas Services
Group achieves all of the target levels established by the Committee for total
revenues, EBITDA and net income before taxes, and it is determined by the
Committee that an executive is entitled to the full 10% weight assigned to
individual performance, the executive is entitled to receive the maximum cash
bonus amount for the executive for that year. If any one of the
target levels is not met or it is determined that an executive is not entitled
to the full 10% weight assigned to individual performance, the cash bonus award
for the executive is reduced accordingly. More information regarding
the IBP and the calculation of awards is provided under the caption “Short-Term
Incentives – Incentive Cash Bonus Program” on page 16.
1998
Stock Option Plan
Our 1998
Stock Option Plan provides for the issuance of stock options to purchase up to
550,000 shares of our common stock. The purpose of this plan is to
attract and retain the best available personnel for positions of substantial
responsibility and to provide long-term incentives to employees and consultants
and to promote the long-term growth and success of our business. The
plan is administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board of
Directors. At its discretion, the Compensation Committee determines
the persons to whom stock options may be granted and the terms upon which
options will be granted. In addition, the Compensation Committee may
interpret the plan and may adopt, amend and rescind rules and regulations for
its administration. Option awards are generally granted with an
exercise price equal to the closing price of our common stock at the date of
grant and generally vest based on three years of continuous service and have
ten-year contractual terms.
As of
December 31, 2008, stock options to purchase a total of 264,501 shares of our
common stock were outstanding under the 1998 Stock Option Plan, which includes
15,000 shares underlying stock options granted on March 18, 2008 to our six
non-employee directors under the compensation arrangements described under the
caption “Compensation of Directors” on page 27.
One
additional stock option to purchase 45,000 shares of common stock was also
outstanding at December 31, 2008, although the option was not granted under the
1998 Stock Option Plan. This freestanding option was granted on
August 26, 2005 without shareholder approval in connection with the employment
of Stephen C. Taylor, our President and Chief Executive Officer.
A total
of 304,502 shares of common stock were available at December 31, 2008 for future
grants of stock options under the 1998 Stock Option Plan. Since the beginning of
2009, we have issued options for 107,433 shares of common stock which has left
197,069 shares available under the 1998 Stock Option Plan as of the date of this
proxy statement.
Outstanding
Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The
following table shows certain information about stock options outstanding as of
December 31, 2008 and held by our Chief Executive Officer, Stephen C. Taylor,
and each other named executive officer.
Outstanding
Equity Awards at 2008 Fiscal Year-End
|
|
Option
Awards
|
|
Stock
Awards
|
|
Name
|
|
Number
of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#)
Exercisable
|
|
|
Number
of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#)
Unexercisable
|
|
|
Equity
Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options
(#)
|
|
|
Option
Exercise Price
($)
|
|
Option
Expiration Date
|
|
Number
of Shares of Stock That Have Not Vested (#)
|
|
|
Market
Value of Shares of Stock that Have Not Vested ($)
|
|
|
Equity
Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares or Other Rights that
Have
Not
Vested (#)
|
|
|
Equity
Incentive
Plan Awards:
Market
or Payout Value
of
Unearned
Shares
or
Other
Rights
that
Have
Not
Vested ($)
|
|
(a)
|
|
(b)
|
|
|
(c)
|
|
|
(d)
|
|
|
(e)
|
|
(f)
|
|
(g)
|
|
|
(h)
|
|
|
(i)
|
|
|
(j)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stephen
C. Taylor
|
|
|
45,000 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
$ |
9.22 |
|
8/06/2015
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
|
15,000 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
$ |
14.22 |
|
11/21/2016
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
|
−
|
|
|
|
40,000(1) |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
$ |
20.06 |
|
1/15/2018
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
25,000(2) |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
$ |
17.51 |
|
9/10/2018
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earl
R. Wait
|
|
|
12,000 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
$ |
3.25 |
|
4/12/2012
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
|
3,333 |
|
|
|
1,667(3) |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
$ |
14.22 |
|
11/21/2016
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paul
D. Hensley
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
James
R. Hazlett
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
5,000(4) |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
$ |
17.51 |
|
9/10/2018
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
Under
the stock option granted to Mr. Taylor in January 2008, 13,333 of these
shares will become fully exercisable on January 15, 2009 and 2010,
respectively, and the remaining 13,334 shares will become fully
exercisable on January 15, 2011.
|
(2)
|
Under
the stock option granted to Mr. Taylor in September 2008, 8,333 of these
shares will become fully exercisable on September 10, 2009 and 2010,
respectively, and the remaining 8,334 shares will become fully exercisable
on September 10, 2011.
|
(3)
|
This
portion of the stock option granted to Mr. Wait in November 2006 will
become fully exercisable on November 21,
2009.
|
(4)
|
Under
the stock option granted to Mr. Hazlett in September 2008, 1,666 of these
shares will become fully exercisable on September 10, 2009 and 2010,
respectively, and the remaining 1,667 shares will become fully exercisable
on September 10, 2011.
|
Option
Exercises and Stock Vested in 2008
In the
table below, we show certain information about (i) the number of shares of
common stock acquired upon exercise of stock options by each of the named
executive officers in 2008 and the value realized on exercise of the stock
options and (ii) stock awards.
|
|
Option
Awards
|
|
|
Stock
Awards
|
|
Name
(a)
|
|
Number
of
Shares
Acquired
on
Exercise
(#)
(b)
|
|
|
Value
Realized
on
Exercise
($)
(c)
|
|
|
Number
of
Shares
Acquired
on
Vesting
(d)
|
|
|
Value
Realized
on
Vesting
(e)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stephen
C. Taylor
|
|
|
− |
|
|
$ |
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earl
R. Wait
|
|
|
3,000 |
|
|
|
53,340 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paul
D. Hensley
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
James
R. Hazlett
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
Potential
Payments Upon Termination or Change of Control
Our 1998 Stock Option Plan contains
"change of control" provisions. These provisions are designed to provide some
assurance that we will be able to rely upon each executive's services and advice
as to the best interests of Natural Gas Services Group and our shareholders
without concern that the executive might be distracted by the personal
uncertainties and risks created by any proposed or threatened change of control
and to promote continuity of our executive team.
Under our stock option plan, the
Committee may adjust the stock options held by our executives upon the
occurrence of a change of control. With this authority, the Committee may in its
discretion elect to accelerate the vesting of any stock options that were not
fully vested and allow for the exercise of such options as to all shares of
stock subject thereto.
As noted
in the tables above, Mr. Taylor has an option to purchase 15,000 shares of stock
with an exercise price of $14.22 per share, an option to purchase 40,000 shares
of stock with an exercise price of $20.06 per share and an option to purchase
25,000 shares of stock with an exercise price of $17.51 per
share. Mr. Wait has an option to purchase 12,000 shares of stock with
an exercise price of $3.25 per share and an option to purchase 5,000 shares of
stock with an exercise price of $14.22 per share. Mr. Hazlett has an
option to purchase 5,000 shares of stock with an exercise price of $17.51 per
share. Each of these options could have become fully exercisable on
December 31, 2008 assuming a change of control were to have occurred on that
date. In this event, Mr. Taylor would have had to pay approximately
$1,453,000 to purchase the shares, Mr. Wait would have had to pay approximately
$110,000 to purchase the shares and Mr. Hazlett would have had to pay
approximately $88,000 to purchase the shares. The closing price of
our common stock on December 31, 2008, was $10.31 per
share. Accordingly, on December 31, 2008, the aggregate values of the
shares covered by Mr. Taylor’s, Mr. Wait’s and Mr. Hazlett’s options were
approximately $824,800, $175,270 and $51,550, respectively. As a
result, on December 31, 2008, and assuming the vesting of the options had been
accelerated by the Compensation Committee, there was a potential for Mr. Taylor
and/or Mr. Wait to realize an immediate value upon exercise of their respective
options at such date.
As
described under “Compensation Agreements with Management” on page 29, we entered
into a new written employment agreement with Stephen C. Taylor, President, Chief
Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board in October 2008. Under
the employment agreement, Mr. Taylor is eligible for certain benefits in
connection with a change in control. These provisions were included
in Mr. Taylor’s initial employment agreement with us and were continued in his
current agreement as part of our negotiations with Mr. Taylor as to the terms of
his employment and as an inducement for him to continue his employ with our
company. The change of control and
severance
provisions were designed to promote stability and continuity with respect to Mr.
Taylor’s employment as our Chief Executive Officer and President.
Mr.
Taylor’s employment agreement provides that he is entitled to certain severance
benefits if his employment was terminated as the result of a “fundamental
change” or for any other reason, but excluding the following:
|
•
|
the
mental or physical incapacity or inability of Mr. Taylor to perform his
duties for a period of 120 or more consecutive days or for multiple
periods totaling 180 or more days during any twelve-month
period;
|
|
•
|
the
death of Mr. Taylor; or
|
|
•
|
the
voluntary retirement or resignation of Mr.
Taylor.
|
Generally,
a “fundamental change” was defined in Mr. Taylor’s employment agreement as the
occurrence of any of the following:
|
•
|
the
dissolution, merger or consolidation of Natural Gas Services
Group;
|
|
•
|
the
sale of all or substantially all of the assets of Natural Gas Services
Group;
|
|
•
|
the
recapitalization or any other type of transaction which resulted in 51% or
more of the common stock of Natural Gas Services Group being changed into,
or exchanged for, different securities of Natural Gas Services Group, or
other securities in other entities;
or
|
|
•
|
any
change in the duties, functions, responsibilities or authority of Mr.
Taylor or any decrease in his base
salary.
|
The severance benefits provided to Mr.
Taylor upon the occurrence of a fundamental change included:
|
•
|
a
single lump sum cash payment equal to the amount owed through the
remaining term of the employment agreement (but not less than 300% of his
annual base salary in effect on the date of termination of his
employment);
|
|
•
|
immediate
vesting of all unvested stock options or other equity
awards;
|
|
•
|
continued
health care and insurance benefits and premium payments for a period of 36
months from the date of
termination;
|
|
•
|
the
sum of (i) all bonus or incentive compensation amounts not yet paid but
due and owing at the time of termination of employment, and (ii) any bonus
or incentive compensation amounts which would have been payable to Mr.
Taylor under the employment agreement calculated in a manner as if Mr.
Taylor had remained employed by the Company during the remaining term of
the agreement and earned the maximum award level possible; provided,
however, that such amount due under item (ii) shall not be less than 300%
of the annual bonus or incentive compensation amount that would have been
due in the year of termination (once again calculated in a manner as if
Mr. Taylor had remained employed by the Company for the remainder of the
year and earned the maximum award level possible);
and
|
|
•
|
immediate
vesting of stock options (or other equity awards) and any other
compensation or incentive plans that Mr. Taylor contributed to at the date
of termination, except to the extent covered by the benefits listed
above.
|
In connection with his initial
employment by us in 2005, Mr. Taylor was granted a stock option to purchase
45,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $9.22 per
share. Unlike his employment agreement, the stock option agreement
provided that upon the occurrence of a fundamental change (without the
termination of Mr. Taylor) or the termination of Mr. Taylor as a result of his
incapacity or inability to perform his duties, the voluntary retirement or
resignation of Mr. Taylor, or the death of Mr. Taylor, the stock option would
vest in full on the date immediately prior to the effective date of the
occurrence of any of these events. These provisions were negotiated
by Mr. Taylor and us and were included in Mr. Taylor’s compensation package as
an additional inducement for him to join our employment.
The table
below shows the potential payments to Mr. Taylor under the change of control and
severance provisions contained in his employment agreement and the stock option
agreement entered into in connection with his employment
agreement. The potential payments are based on Mr. Taylor’s salary
level and compensation package as of December 31, 2008, and the assumption that
the change of control or severance event occurred on December 31,
2008.
Chief
Executive Officer Potential Payments Table
Potential
Payments
and
other Benefits
upon
a Change of Control or Severance
|
|
Fundamental
Change
|
|
|
Termination
Upon Fundamental Change
|
|
|
Voluntary
Resignation or Retirement
|
|
|
Death
|
|
|
Incapacity
or Inability to Perform Duties
|
|
|
Termination
for Cause
|
|
|
Termination
Without Cause
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Compensation:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Salary
|
|
$ |
− |
|
|
$ |
1,324,521 |
|
|
$ |
− |
|
|
$ |
− |
|
|
$ |
− |
|
|
$ |
− |
|
|
$ |
1,324,521 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Short-Term
Incentive
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Compensation-Cash
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bonus
Under IBP
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
405,303 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
405,303 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-Term
Incentive
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock
Option Grants
|
|
|
739,914 |
|
|
|
739,914 |
|
|
|
739,914 |
|
|
|
739,914 |
|
|
|
739,914 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
739,914 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Benefits:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
401(k)
Plan
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
6,326 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
6,326 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Medical
Benefits
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
34,366 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
34,366 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Life
Insurance Benefits
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
243 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
243 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$ |
739,914 |
|
|
$ |
2,510,673 |
|
|
$ |
739,914 |
|
|
$ |
739,914 |
|
|
$ |
739,914 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
$ |
2,510,673 |
|
Compensation
of Directors
We use a combination of cash and
equity-based incentive compensation to attract and retain qualified candidates
to serve on our Board of Directors. In setting compensation for our
Directors, we consider the substantial amount of time that Directors expend in
fulfilling their duties to Natural Gas Services Group and our shareholders, as
well as the skill-sets required to fulfill these duties.
The
following table discloses the cash, equity awards and other compensation earned,
paid or awarded, as the case may be, to each of our non-employee Directors
during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008.
2008
Director Compensation
Name
(a)
|
|
Fees
Earned
Or
Paid
($)(1)
(b)
|
|
|
Stock
Awards
($)
(c)
|
|
|
Option
Awards ($)(2)(3)
(d)
|
|
|
Non-Equity
Incentive
Plan
Compensation
($)
(e)
|
|
|
Change
in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation
Earnings
(f)
|
|
|
All
Other
Compensation
($)
(g)
|
|
|
Total
($)
(h)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Charles
G. Curtis
|
|
$ |
11,250 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
$ |
23,025 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
$ |
34,275 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gene
A. Strasheim
|
|
|
15,000 |
(4) |
|
|
− |
|
|
|
23,025 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
38,025 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
William
F. Hughes
|
|
|
11,250 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
23,025 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
34,275 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Richard
L. Yadon
|
|
|
11,250 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
23,025 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
34,275 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alan
A. Baker
|
|
|
11,250 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
23,025 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
34,275 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
John
W. Chisholm
|
|
|
11,250 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
23,025 |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
− |
|
|
|
34,275 |
|
(1)
|
Our
non-employee Directors are paid a quarterly cash fee for their attendance
at each meeting of our Board of Directors. The cash fee payable
to our non-employee Directors is $3,750 per quarter. Each of
our non-employee Directors received a cash fee payment of $3,750 for the
first three quarters in 2008 totaling
$11,250.
|
(2)
|
On
March 18, 2008, each of our non-employee Directors was granted a stock
option to purchase 2,500 shares of common stock at an exercise price of
$20.48 per share, the closing price of our common stock on March 18,
2008. These stock options were granted under our 1998 Stock
Option Plan. The stock options are exercisable for a term of
ten years from the date of grant and are exercisable immediately upon
being granted.
|
(3)
|
The
amounts set forth in column (d) represent the dollar amounts we recognized
for financial statement reporting purposes for 2008 in accordance with FAS
123(R) with respect to the stock options granted to our non-employee
Directors. The grant date fair value, as calculated in
accordance with FAS 123(R), for the stock options granted to our
non-employee Directors in 2008 was $23,025 for each option
grant.
|
(4)
|
Mr.
Strasheim served as the
Chairman of the Audit Committee in 2008, and as a result, he received an
additional cash fee of $1,250 per quarter for the first three quarters
totaling $3,750.
|
Cash
Compensation Paid to Directors
We pay our non-employee Directors a
quarterly cash fee for their attendance at each meeting of our Board of
Directors. The cash fee payable to our non-employee Directors is
$3,750 per quarter. In addition, the Chairman of the Audit Committee
is entitled to an additional quarterly cash fee in the amount of
$1,250.
Equity
Based Compensation Paid to Directors
Historically, each non-employee
Director receives an annual stock option award covering 2,500 shares of our
common stock for their services as a Director. The options granted to
our non-employee Directors are granted under our 1998 Stock Option
Plan. The options typically vest immediately and are exercisable for
a term of 10 years from the date of grant, subject to earlier termination upon
the occurrence of certain events. The options issued to our
non-employee Directors have an exercise price equal to the closing price of our
common stock on the date of grant.
Directors
who are employees of Natural Gas Services Group do not receive any compensation
for their services as Directors.
Other
All Directors are reimbursed for their
expenses incurred in connection with attending meetings.
Natural Gas Services Group provides
liability insurance for its Directors and officers. The cost of this
coverage for 2008 was approximately $81,000.
We do not offer non-employee Directors
travel accident insurance, life insurance or a pension or retirement
plan.
Compensation
Agreements with Management
On
October 25, 2008, we entered into a new five year employment agreement with
Stephen C. Taylor, our President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the
Board. We initially employed Mr. Taylor in January 2005 and the terms
of his employment were governed by a verbal arrangement until August 2005 when
we negotiated and entered into a written employment agreement with him. That
employment agreement with Mr. Taylor expired according to its own terms on
January 13, 2008, and Mr. Taylor has been working since then without a written
contract.
The new
employment agreement provides for, among other things:
·
|
an
annual base salary of $275,000;
|
·
|
an
annual bonus of up to 50% of Mr. Taylor's annual base salary based upon
and subject to parameters established by our Board of Directors or
Compensation
Committee (although higher bonus amounts may be
awarded);
|
·
|
an
award to Mr. Taylor of stock options exercisable to acquire a minimum
of 30,000 shares of common stock, or equivalent equity awards, each
year on the
anniversary of
his employment; and
|
·
|
participation
in health and other plans generally offered to our
employees.
|
The
agreement contains provisions restricting the use of confidential information,
requiring that business opportunities and intellectual property developed by Mr.
Taylor become our property; and a limited two-year non-compete clause following
the date he ceases to be employed by us.
The
agreement is subject to termination upon (i) certain fundamental changes (such
as a merger or dissolution of the Company, sale of substantially all of our
assets, certain reorganizations, or demotion without cause); (ii) the death or
mental or physical incapacity of Mr. Taylor or inability of Mr. Taylor to
perform the services he has been hired to provide; (iii) the voluntary
resignation or retirement of Mr. Taylor; or (iv) the termination of Mr. Taylor's
employment for cause within the meaning of the agreement. The
employment agreement also provides that he is entitled to certain severance
benefits if his employment is terminated as the result of a fundamental change
or for any other reason, but excluding the following (unless otherwise
authorized by our Board of Directors):
·
|
the
mental or physical incapacity or inability of Mr. Taylor to perform his
duties for a period of 120 or more consecutive days or for multiple
periods totaling
180 or
more days during any twelve-month
period;
|
·
|
the
death of Mr. Taylor; or
|
·
|
the
voluntary retirement or resignation of Mr.
Taylor.
|
The severance benefits provided
to Mr. Taylor upon the occurrence of a fundamental change include:
·
|
a
single lump sum cash payment equal to the amount owed through the
remaining term of the employment agreement (but not less than 300% of his
annual base salary in effect on the date of termination of his
employment);
|
·
|
immediate
vesting of all unvested stock options or other equity
awards;
|
·
|
continued
health care and insurance benefits and premium payments for a period of 36
months from the date of
termination;
|
·
|
the
sum of (i) all bonus or incentive compensation amounts not yet paid but
due and owing at the time of termination of employment, and (ii) any bonus
or incentive compensation amounts which would have been payable to Mr.
Taylor under the employment agreement calculated in a manner as if Mr.
Taylor had remained employed by the Company during the remaining term of
the agreement and earned the maximum award level possible; provided,
however, that such amount due under item (ii) shall not be less than 300%
of the annual bonus or incentive compensation amount that would have been
due in the year of termination (once again calculated in a manner as if
Mr. Taylor had remained employed by the Company for the remainder of the
year and earned the maximum award level possible);
and
|
·
|
immediate
vesting of stock options (or other equity awards) and any other
compensation or incentive plans that Mr. Taylor contributed to at the date
of termination, except to the extent covered by the benefits listed
above.
|
We do not
have any written employment agreements with our other executive
officers.
Limitation
on Directors’ and Officers’ Liability
Our
Articles of Incorporation provide our officers and Directors with certain
limitations on liability to us or any of our shareholders for damages for breach
of fiduciary duty as a Director or officer involving certain acts or omissions
of any such Director or officer.
This
limitation on liability may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of
derivative litigation against Directors and officers and may discourage or deter
shareholders or management from bringing a lawsuit against Directors and
officers for breach of their duty of care even though such an action, if
successful, might otherwise have benefited our shareholders and us.
Our
Articles of Incorporation and bylaws provide certain indemnification privileges
to our Directors, employees, agents and officers against liabilities incurred in
legal proceedings. Also, our Directors, employees, agents or officers
who are successful, on the merits or otherwise, in defense of any proceeding to
which he or she was a party, are entitled to receive indemnification against
expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred in connection with the
proceeding.
We are
not aware of any pending litigation or proceeding involving any of our
Directors, officers, employees or agents as to which indemnification is being or
may be sought, and we are not aware of any other pending or threatened
litigation that may result in claims for indemnification by any of our
Directors, officers, employees or agents.
Even
though we maintain Directors and officers’ liability insurance, the
indemnification provisions contained in the Articles of Incorporation and bylaws
of Natural Gas Services Group remain in place.
|
Related
Person Transactions
|
In
October 2004, we entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement with Screw Compression
Systems, Inc. or “SCS”, and the three stockholders of SCS, Paul D.
Hensley, James R. Hazlett and Tony Vohjesus. Under this agreement, we
purchased all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of SCS from Messrs.
Hensley, Hazlett and Vohjesus. The acquisition was completed on
January 3, 2005 and SCS was subsequently merged into Natural Gas Services Group
in June 2007.
Under the
terms of the Stock Purchase Agreement, we appointed Mr. Hensley as a Director of
Natural Gas Services Group in January 2005 to fill a vacancy existing on its
Board of Directors, to hold office until the 2005 annual meeting of
shareholders. On January 3, 2005, Mr. Hensley entered into a three
year employment agreement with SCS. Mr. Hensley was elected as a
Director of Natural Gas Services Group at the annual meeting of shareholders
held in June 2005. In 2007, in addition to serving as President of SCS, Mr.
Hensley also served as a Director of SCS and as a Director and Senior Vice
President - Technology
of Natural Gas Services Group. Mr. Hazlett entered into a three year
employment agreement with SCS to serve as one of its Vice Presidents on January
3, 2005 and became Vice President ─ Technical Services of Natural Gas Services
Group in June 2005. Mr. Vohjesus entered into a three year employment
agreement with SCS on January 3, 2005 and was employed by SCS as a Vice
President during 2007. The employment agreements with Messrs.
Hensley, Hazlett and Vohjesus expired according to their own terms on January 3,
2008. However, Mr. Hensley continues to serve as a Director and
Senior Vice President - Technology of Natural Gas
Services Group; Mr. Hazlett continues to serve as Vice President - Technical Services of
Natural Gas Services Group; and Mr. Vohjesus serves as Manager of Operations
- Tulsa for Natural
Gas Services Group.
When we
acquired SCS, and based on Mr. Hensley’s pro rata ownership of SCS, he received
$5.6 million in cash; 426,829 shares of Natural Gas Services Group common stock;
and a promissory note issued by Natural Gas Services Group in the principal
amount of $2.1 million, bearing interest at the rate of 4.00% per annum,
maturing January 3, 2008 and secured by a letter of credit in the initial
aggregate face amount of $1.4 million. Mr. Hazlett received $800,000
in cash; 60,976 shares of Natural Gas Services Group common stock; and a
promissory note in the principal amount of $300,000, bearing interest at the
rate of 4.00% per annum, maturing January 3, 2008 and secured by a letter of
credit in the initial aggregate face amount of $200,000. Mr. Vohjesus
received $1.6 million in cash 121,951 shares of Natural Gas Services Group
common stock; and a promissory note in the principal amount of $600,000, bearing
interest at the rate of 4.00% per annum, maturing January 3, 2008 and secured by
a letter of credit in the initial aggregate face amount of
$400,000. The promissory notes were payable in three equal annual
installments, with the first installment due and payable on January 3,
2006. Subject to the consent of the holder of each respective note,
principal payments could be made by Natural Gas Services Group in shares of
common stock valued at the average daily closing prices of the common stock on
the American Stock Exchange for the twenty consecutive trading days commencing
thirty days before the due date of the principal payment, or by combination of
cash and shares of common stock. On January 3, 2006, Mr. Hensley
received $700,000 in principal and $84,000 in interest; Mr. Hazlett received
$100,000 in principal and $12,000 in interest; and Mr. Vohjesus received
$200,000 in principal and $24,000 in interest. On January 3, 2007,
Mr. Hensley received $700,000 in principal and $56,000 in interest; Mr. Hazlett
received $100,000 in principal and $8,000 in interest; and Mr. Vohjesus received
$200,000 in principal and $16,000 in interest. On January 3, 2008,
Mr. Hensley received $700,000 in principal and $28,000 in interest; Mr. Hazlett
received $100,000 in principal and $4,000 in interest; and Mr. Vohjesus received
$200,000 in principal and $8,000 in interest. After the January 3,
2008 payments, the promissory notes held by Messrs. Hensley, Hazlett, and
Vohjesus were fully paid and discharged and the letters of credit expired by
their own terms.
Under terms of a Stockholders’ Agreement entered into as required by the Stock
Purchase Agreement, for a period of two years following the closing, each of
Messrs. Hensley, Hazlett and Vohjesus had the right, subject to
certain limitations, to include or “piggyback” the shares of common stock he
received in the transaction in any registration statement we filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. The Stockholders’ Agreement also
provided that Messrs. Hensley, Hazlett and Vohjesus will not for a
period of three years acquire or agree, offer, seek or propose to acquire
beneficial ownership of any assets or businesses or any additional securities
issued by us, or any rights or options to acquire such ownership; contest any
election of directors by the stockholders of Natural Gas Services Group; or
induce or attempt to induce any other person to initiate any stockholder
proposal or a tender offer for any of our voting securities; or enter into any
discussions, negotiations, arrangements or understandings with any third party
with respect to any of the foregoing. This three year restriction
expired in January 2008.
Procedures
for Reviewing Certain Transactions
On March 7, 2007, we adopted a written
policy for the review, approval or ratification of related party transactions.
All of our officers, Directors and employees are subject to the policy. Under
this policy, the Audit Committee will review all related party transactions for
potential conflict of interest situations. Generally, our policy defines a
"related party transaction" as a transaction in which we are a participant and
in which a related party has an interest. A "related party" is:
·
|
a
Director, officer or employee of Natural Gas Services Group or a nominee
to become a Director;
|
·
|
an
owner of more than 5% of our outstanding common
stock;
|
·
|
certain
family members of any of the above persons;
and
|
·
|
any
entity in which any of the above persons is employed or is a partner or
principal or in which such person has a 5% or greater ownership
interest.
|
Approval Procedures
Before entering into a related party
transaction, the related party or the department within Natural Gas Services
Group responsible for the potential transaction must notify the Chief Executive
Officer or the Audit Committee of the facts and circumstances of the proposed
transaction. If the amount involved is equal to or less than
$100,000, the proposed transaction will be submitted to the Chief Executive
Officer. If the amount involved exceeds $100,000, the proposed
transaction will be submitted to the Audit Committee. Matters to be
submitted will include:
·
|
the
related party's relationship to Natural Gas Services Group and interest in
the transaction;
|
·
|
the
material terms of the proposed
transaction;
|
·
|
the
benefits to Natural Gas Services Group of the proposed
transaction;
|
·
|
the
availability of other sources of comparable properties or services;
and
|
·
|
whether
the proposed transaction is on terms comparable to terms available to an
unrelated third party or to employees
generally.
|
The Chief Executive Officer or the
Audit Committee, as applicable, will then consider all of the relevant facts and
circumstances available, including the matters described above and, if
applicable, the impact on a director's independence. Neither the
Chief Executive Officer nor any member of the Audit Committee is permitted to
participate in any review, consideration or approval of any related party
transaction if such person or any of his or her immediate family members is the
related party. After review, the Chief Executive Officer or the Audit Committee,
as applicable, may approve, modify or disapprove the proposed transaction. Only
those related party transactions that are in, or are not inconsistent with, the
best interests of Natural Gas Services and its shareholders will be
approved.
Ratification
Procedures
If an
officer or Director of Natural Gas Services Group becomes aware of a related
party transaction that has not been previously approved or ratified by the Chief
Executive Officer or the Audit Committee then, if the transaction is pending or
ongoing, the transaction must be submitted, based on the amount involved, to
either the Chief Executive Officer or the Audit Committee and the Chief
Executive Officer or the Audit Committee will consider the matters described
above. Based on the conclusions reached, the Chief Executive Officer or the
Audit Committee, as applicable, will evaluate all options, including
ratification, amendment or termination of the related party transaction. If the
transaction is completed, the Chief Executive Officer or the Audit Committee
will evaluate the transaction, taking into account the same factors as described
above, to determine if rescission of the transaction
or any
disciplinary action is appropriate, and will request that we evaluate our
controls and procedures to determine the reason the transaction was not
submitted to the Chief Executive Officer or the Audit Committee for prior
approval and whether any changes to the procedures are recommended.
PRINCIPAL
SHAREHOLDERS AND SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF MANAGEMENT
The
following table sets forth, as of April 22, 2009, the beneficial ownership of
our common stock by (1) each of our Directors (and nominees for Director); (2)
each of our executive officers; (3) all of our executive officers and Directors
(and nominees) as a group; and (4) each person known by us to beneficially own
more than five percent of our common stock.
Name
and Address of Beneficial Owner
|
|
Amount
and Nature of Beneficial Ownership(1)
|
|
Percent
of Class
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alan
A. Baker
|
|
8,125(2)
|
|
*
|
2702
Briar Knoll Court
|
|
|
|
|
Sugar
Land, Texas 77479
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
John
W. Chisholm
|
|
8,125(3)
|
|
*
|
539
Green Isle Beach
|
|
|
|
|
Montgomery,
Texas 77356
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Charles
G. Curtis
|
|
71,982(4)
|
|
*
|
1
Penrose Lane
|
|
|
|
|
Colorado
Springs, Colorado 80906
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Paul
D. Hensley
|
|
250,000
|
|
2.07%
|
3005
N. 15th
Street
|
|
|
|
|
Broken
Arrow, Oklahoma 74012
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
William
F. Hughes, Jr.
|
|
187,625(5)
|
|
1.55%
|
42921
Normandy Lane
|
|
|
|
|
Lancaster,
California 93536
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gene
A. Strasheim
|
|
19,125(6)
|
|
*
|
165
Huntington Place
|
|
|
|
|
Colorado
Springs, Colorado 80906
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stephen
C. Taylor
|
|
74,333(7)
|
|
*
|
2911
South County Road 1260
|
|
|
|
|
Midland,
Texas 79701
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Richard
L. Yadon
|
|
195,125(8)
|
|
1.61%
|
4444
Verde Glen Ct.
|
|
|
|
|
Midland, Texas
79707
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earl
R. Wait
|
|
34,203(9)
|
|
*
|
508
West Wall Street, Suite 550
|
|
|
|
|
Midland, Texas
79701
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
James
R. Hazlett
|
|
25,000
|
|
*
|
508
West Wall Street, Suite 550
|
|
|
|
|
Midland,
Texas 79701
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Keeley
Asset Management Corp.
|
|
1,820,000(10)
|
|
15.04%
|
401
South LaSalle Street
|
|
|
|
|
Chicago,
Illinois 60605
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Barclays
Global Investors, NA
|
|
704,377(11)
|
|
5.82%
|
Barclays
Global Funds Advisors
|
|
|
|
|
400
Howard Street
|
|
|
|
|
San
Francisco, California 94105
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All
Directors (and nominees) and executive officers as a group (10
persons)
|
|
993,198(12)
|
|
8.13%
|
_________________
* Less
than one percent.
(1)
|
The
number of shares listed includes all shares of common stock owned by, or
which may be acquired within 60 days of April 22, 2009 upon exercise of
warrants and options held by the shareholder (or
group). Beneficial ownership is calculated in accordance with
the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Unless
otherwise indicated, all shares of common stock are held directly with
sole voting and investment powers. As of April 22, 2009, none
of the shares of common stock owned by our officers and Directors had been
pledged as collateral to secure repayment of
loans.
|
|
(2)
|
Includes
5,625 shares of common stock that may be acquired upon exercise of a stock
option granted under our 1998 Stock Option
Plan.
|
|
(3)
|
All
of such shares of common stock may be acquired upon exercise of stock
options granted under our 1998 Stock Option
Plan.
|
|
(4)
|
Includes
18,125 shares of common stock that may be acquired upon exercise of stock
options granted under our 1998 Stock Option
Plan.
|
|
(5)
|
Includes
170,500 shares of common stock indirectly owned by Mr. Hughes through the
William and Cheryl Hughes Family Trust and 15,625 shares that may be
acquired upon exercise of stock options granted under our 1998 Stock
Option Plan. Mr. and Mrs. Hughes are co-trustees of the William
and Cheryl Hughes Family Trust and have shared voting and investment
powers with respect to the shares held by the trust. Mr. and
Mrs. Hughes are beneficiaries of the trust along with their two
children.
|
|
(6)
|
Includes
13,125 shares of common stock that may be acquired upon exercise of stock
options granted under our 1998 Stock Option
Plan.
|
|
(7)
|
Includes
73,333 shares of common stock that may be acquired upon exercise of stock
options granted to Mr. Taylor as an inducement for his employment and
under our 1998 Stock Option Plan.
|
|
(8)
|
Includes
15,625 shares of common stock that may be acquired upon exercise of stock
options granted under our 1998 Stock Option
Plan.
|
|
(9)
|
Includes
15,333 shares of common stock that may be acquired upon exercise of stock
options granted under our 1998 Stock Option Plan.
|
|
|
(10)
|
As
reported in Amendment No. 3 to Schedule 13G filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission on February 12, 2009, Keeley Asset Management Corp.,
an investment adviser, and Keeley Small Cap Value Fund, Inc., an
investment company, have shared voting and dispositive powers with respect
to such shares.
|
|
(11)
|
As
reported in Schedule 13G filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
on February 5, 2009.
|
|
(12)
|
Includes
126,666 shares of common stock that may be acquired upon exercise of stock
options.
|
Section
16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section
16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, requires our Directors
and officers to file periodic reports of beneficial ownership with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. These reports show the Directors
and officers’ ownership, and the changes in ownership, of common stock and other
equity securities of Natural Gas Services Group.
Based on
a review of Section 16(a) filings, all transactions in our equity securities
required to be reported by Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended, were reported on a timely basis, except that Form 4 reports for each
of our outside directors were inadvertently not filed in connection with the
Company’s March 2008 annual grant of stock options for 2,500 shares of Company
common stock to its outside directors. The error was not discovered
until April 2009 and the appropriate Form 4’s were filed in April
2009.
REPORT
OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
Our Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing the integrity of Natural Gas
Services Group's financial statements; financial reporting processes; compliance
with legal and regulatory requirements; the independent auditor’s qualifications
and independence; and the performance of Natural Gas Services Group’s internal
accounting functions and independent auditors.
Our independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for performing
an independent audit of our consolidated financial statements in accordance with
the Standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States)
and to issue a report thereon. The Audit Committee reviews with
management our consolidated financial statements and management’s assessment of
internal controls over financial reporting; reviews with the independent
registered accounting firm their independent report of independent registered
public accounting firm; and reviews the activities of the independent registered
public accounting firm. The Audit Committee selects our independent
registered public accounting firm each year. The Audit Committee also
considers the adequacy of our internal controls and accounting
policies. The chairman and members of the Audit Committee are all
independent Directors of our Board of Directors within the meaning of Section
303A of the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual.
The Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed our audited financial
statements with management of Natural Gas Services Group. The Audit
Committee has discussed with our independent registered public accounting firm
the matters required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61
(Communications with Audit Committees), as amended. In addition, the
Audit Committee has received the written disclosures and the letter from our
independent registered public accounting firm required by Independence Standards
Board Standard No. 1 (Independence Discussions with Audit Committees), and has
discussed with the independent registered public accounting firm matters
pertaining to their independence. Based upon the reviews and
discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of
Directors that the audited financial statements be included in our Annual Report
on Form 10-K for 2008 for filing with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. The Audit Committee and Board of Directors has also
selected Hein & Associates LLP as our independent registered public
accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2009.
|
Respectfully
submitted by the Audit Committee,
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gene
A. Strasheim, Chairman
|
|
Charles
G. Curtis
|
|
William
F. Hughes, Jr.
|
PROPOSAL
2 – APPROVAL OF THE NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP
2009
RESTRICTED STOCK/UNIT PLAN
The
Board of Directors Recommends a VOTE FOR this Proposal
Shareholders
are being asked to approve the Company’s 2009 Restricted Stock/Unit Plan (the
“2009 Plan”). An affirmative vote of a simple majority of the shares represented
at the Annual Meeting, in person or by proxy, is necessary for approval of the
2009 Plan.
The
purpose of the 2009 Plan is to retain employees and directors of the Company
having experience and ability, to attract new employees and directors whose
services are considered valuable, to encourage the sense of proprietorship, and
to stimulate the active interest of such persons in the development and
financial success of the Company. We believe that grants of restricted stock and
restricted stock units are an increasingly important means to retain and
compensate employees and directors. The 2009 Plan became effective upon its
adoption, but its continuance is subject to approval by the Company’s
shareholders. No awards have yet been granted under the 2009
Plan.
If
approved by the shareholders, a total of 300,000 shares of Company common stock
will be initially reserved for issuance under the 2009 Plan, subject to
adjustment as described below.
A general
description of the principal terms of the 2009 Plan as proposed is set forth
below. This description is qualified in its entirety by the terms of the 2009
Plan, a copy of which is attached to this Proxy Statement as Appendix A and is
incorporated herein by reference.
General
Description
Shares Reserved for Issuance under
the 2009 Plan. If approved by the shareholders, a
total of 300,000 shares of Company common stock will be initially reserved for
issuance under the 2009 Plan. The number of shares of Company common stock
available under the 2009 Plan will be subject to adjustment in the event of a
stock split, stock or other extraordinary dividend, or other similar change in
the Company common stock or capital structure of the Company.
Administration. The
Plan is administered by the plan administrator, defined as one or more
committees the Company designates consisting of independent
directors. The draft of the Plan appoints the Company’s Compensation
Committee as the administrator (the “Committee”).
Generally,
the Committee has the authority, in its discretion, (a) to select officers,
directors and employees to whom awards may be granted from time to time, (b) to
determine whether and to what extent, awards are granted, (c) to determine the
number of shares of Company common stock, or the amount of other consideration
to be covered by each award, (d) to approve award agreements for use under the
Plan, (e) to determine the terms and conditions of any award (including the
vesting schedule applicable to the award), (f) to amend the terms of any
outstanding award granted under the Plan, (g) to construe and interpret the
terms of the Plan and awards granted, and (h) to take such other action not
inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Committee deems
appropriate.
Types of Awards;
Eligibility. Awards of
restricted stock and restricted stock units (RSUs) may be granted under the
Plan. Awards of restricted stock are shares of Company common stock that are
awarded subject to such restrictions on transfer as the Committee may establish.
Awards of RSUs are units valued by reference to shares of common stock that
entitle a participant to receive, upon the settlement of the unit, one share of
Company common stock for each unit. Awards may be granted to officers, directors
and employees of the Company and its related entities, if any. Each award
granted under the Plan shall be designated in an award agreement.
Terms and Vesting of
Awards. As noted above,
the Committee determines the terms and conditions of each award granted to a
participant, including the restrictions applicable to shares underlying awards
of restricted stock and the dates these restrictions lapse and the award vests,
as well as the vesting and settlement terms applicable to RSUs. When an award
vests, the Company delivers to the participant a certificate for the number of
shares without any legend or restrictions (except as necessary to comply with
applicable state and federal securities laws.)
In
addition to time-based vesting requirements, the Committee is also authorized to
establish performance goals in order for awards to vest. For
instance, quantitative performance standards, including, financial measurements
such as (a) increase in share price, (b) earnings per share,
(c) total shareholder return, (d) operating margin, (e) gross
margin, (f) return on equity, (g) return on assets, (h) net
operating income, (i) pre-tax profit, (j) cash flow, (k) revenue,
(l) expenses, (m) EBITDA, and (n) numbers of customers for various
services and products offered by the Company, or other performance goal
requirements may be adopted by the Committee and set forth in the particular
restricted stock or RSU agreement which must be met in order for shares to
vest.
Termination of
Service. Unless otherwise set forth in an individual award
agreement, the Plan and forms of award agreements provide that in the event a
participant’s continuous service with the Company terminates as a result of
death, disability or retirement (an “Acceleration Event”), unvested shares or
RSUs at the time of termination due to an Acceleration Event will immediately
become vested, but only to the extent that such unvested shares or RSUs would
have vested within the 12 months following the Acceleration
Event. However, the Committee may revise this default provision on an
individual basis as it deems advisable. For example, the Committee
could elect to accelerate vesting for all unvested shares and/or RSUs upon the
occurrence of an Acceleration Event, or conversely provide that all unvested
shares and/or RSUs are forfeited upon the occurrence of an Acceleration
Event. In the case of a termination of service other than by an
Acceleration Event, any unvested shares of RSUs will immediately become null and
void, except that with respect to Restricted Stock awards, the Board of
Directors may vest any or all unvested shares in its discretion in the case of
any termination of service.
In
addition, subject to revision by the Committee, the default provisions of the
Plan and form of award agreements provide that a Change of Control triggers
accelerated vesting of all shares or units. Under the 2009 Plan, a
Change in Control Event is generally defined as:
·
|
a
complete liquidation or
dissolution;
|
·
|
acquisition
of 50% or more of the Company’s stock by any individual or entity
including by tender offer or a reverse
merger;
|
·
|
a
merger or consolidation in which the Company is not the surviving entity;
or
|
·
|
during
any period not longer than 12 consecutive months, members of the
Board who at the beginning of such period cease to constitute at least a
majority of the Board, unless the election, or the nomination for election
of each new Board member, was approved by a vote of at least 3/4 of the
Board members then still in office who were Board members at the beginning
of such period.
|
Restricted
Stock. Under an award of restricted stock, the Company
issues shares of Company common stock in the participant’s name; however the
participant's rights in the stock are restricted until the shares
vest. If the vesting requirements are not met prior to the end of the
vesting period, the shares are forfeited. In connection
with an award of restricted stock, since actual shares are issued and
outstanding, the participant is legally entitled to vote the shares and receive
any dividends declared and paid on the Company’s common stock prior to the
satisfaction of the vesting requirements. However, as discussed
above, Participant’s who hold unvested restricted stock may not sell, assign or
transfer such shares until they have vested. The grant of restricted
stock will subject the recipient to ordinary compensation income on the
difference between the amount paid for such stock and the fair market value of
the shares on the date that the restrictions lapse. This income is subject to
withholding for federal income and employment tax purposes. The Company is
entitled to an income tax deduction in the amount of the ordinary income
recognized by the recipient, subject to possible limitations imposed by
Section 162(m) of the Code, and so long as the Company withholds the
appropriate taxes with respect to such income (if required), and the recipient’s
total compensation is deemed reasonable in amount. Any gain or loss on the
recipient’s subsequent disposition of the shares will receive long or short-term
capital gain or loss treatment depending on how long the stock has been held
since the restrictions lapsed. The Company does not receive a tax deduction for
any such gain.
Recipients
of restricted stock may make an election under Section 83(b) of the Code
(“Section 83(b) Election”) to recognize, as ordinary compensation income in the
year that such restricted stock is granted, the amount equal to the spread
between the amount paid for such stock and the fair market value on the date of
the
issuance
of the stock. If such an election is made, the recipient recognizes no further
amounts of compensation income upon the lapse of any restrictions and any gain
or loss on subsequent disposition will be long or short-term capital gain to the
recipient. The Section 83(b) Election must be made within thirty
(30) days from the time the restricted stock is issued.
Restricted Stock Units. Like a
restricted stock award, a restricted stock unit is a grant valued in terms of
Company common stock. Unlike a restricted stock award, no Company common stock
is issued at the time the RSU award is granted. Instead, the award is
a mere promise to deliver shares of Company common stock upon satisfaction of
the vesting requirements. Upon satisfaction of the vesting
requirements of the award, the Company then issues and delivers the number of
shares subject to the award. If the vesting requirements are not
satisfied prior to the end of the vesting period, the units expire and no shares
are issued. Since shares of Company common stock are not issued in
connection with RSUs until such time as the vesting conditions have been
satisfied, participants in the Plan who receive awards of RSUs will not have any
voting rights and will not be entitled to dividends until such time as the units
vest and shares of Company common stock are issued.
Recipients
of RSUs generally should not recognize income until such units are converted
into shares of stock. Upon conversion, the recipient will normally recognize
taxable ordinary income for federal income tax purposes equal to the amount of
the fair market value of the shares. Recipients who are employees will be
subject to withholding for federal income and employment tax purposes with
respect to income recognized upon conversion of the restricted stock units.
Participants will recognize gain upon the disposition of any shares received
upon conversion of the restricted stock units equal to the excess of
(i) the amount realized on such disposition over (ii) the ordinary
income recognized with respect to such shares under the principles set forth
above. That gain will be taxable as long or short-term capital gain depending on
whether the shares were held for more than one year. The Company will be
entitled to a tax deduction to the extent and in the year that ordinary income
is recognized by the recipient, subject to possible limitations imposed by
Section 162(m) of the Code, and so long as the Company withholds the
appropriate taxes with respect to such income (if required), and the recipient’s
total compensation is deemed reasonable in amount.
Restricted
stock units also can be considered non-qualified deferred compensation and
subject to the new Section 409A of the Code. A grant of restricted stock
units that does not meet the requirements of Code Section 409A will result
in an additional 20% tax obligation, plus penalties and interest to such
recipient.
Amendment, Suspension or Termination
of the Plan. The Company may at any time amend,
suspend or terminate the Plan. The Plan will be for a term of ten
(10) years unless sooner terminated. Awards may be granted under the Plan
upon it becoming effective, but awards granted prior to obtaining shareholder
approval will be rescinded if the shareholders do not approve the
Plan. The Company may amend the Plan subject to compliance with
applicable provisions of federal securities laws, state corporate and securities
laws, the Internal Revenue Code, and the rules of the NYSE (or such other stock
exchange as the Company’s common stock may traded upon at the
time.)
Transferability of
Awards. Under the 2009 Plan, awards are
transferable by will and by the laws of descent and distribution, and during the
lifetime of a participant, to the extent and in the manner authorized by the
Committee. The 2009 Plan permits the designation of beneficiaries by
holders of awards.
Section 162(m) of the
Code. Under Code Section 162(m), no deduction is allowed
in any taxable year of the Company for compensation in excess of $1 million paid
to the Company’s “covered employees.” An exception to this rule applies to
compensation paid to a covered employee pursuant to a stock incentive plan
approved by shareholders and that specifies, among other things, the maximum
number of shares with respect to which restricted stock and restricted stock
units may be granted to eligible participants under such plan during a specified
period. In order for restricted stock and restricted stock units to qualify as
performance-based compensation, the Committee must establish a performance goal
with respect to such award in writing not later than 90 days after the
commencement of the services to which it relates and while the outcome is
substantially uncertain. In addition, the performance goal must be stated in
terms of an objective formula or standard.
Under the
current version of Code Section 162(m), a “covered employee” is the
Company’s chief executive officer and the four other most highly compensated
officers of the Company. The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) is expected to
release shortly guidance that may expand the definition of a “covered employee”
to be consistent with recent changes under the reporting and disclosure rules of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The new reporting rules require disclosure
for the chief executive officer, the chief financial officer (regardless of
compensation), and the next three highest paid officers. Therefore, once the IRS
issues the expected guidance, the Company will apply such guidance to its
covered employees for the purposes of Section 162(m).
The
maximum number of shares with respect to which awards of restricted stock and
restricted stock units that are intended to be performance-based compensation
under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
“Code”), that may be granted to a participant during a calendar year is 25,000
shares. The foregoing limitation shall be adjusted proportionately by the
Committee in connection with any change in the Company’s capitalization due to a
stock split, stock dividend, or similar event affecting Company common stock and
its determination shall be final, binding and conclusive.
Change in
Capitalization. Subject to any required action by
the shareholders of the Company, the number of shares of Common Stock covered by
outstanding awards, the number of shares of Common Stock that have been
authorized for issuance under the 2009 Plan, the exercise or purchase price of
each outstanding award, the maximum number of shares of Common Stock that may be
granted subject to awards to any participant in a calendar year, and the like,
shall be proportionally adjusted by the Committee in the event of: (i) any
increase or decrease in the number of issued shares of Common Stock resulting
from a stock split, stock dividend, combination or reclassification or similar
event affecting the Common Stock of the Company; (ii) any other increase or
decrease in the number of issued shares of Common Stock effected without receipt
of consideration by the Company; or (iii) any other transaction with
respect to Common Stock including a corporate merger, consolidation, acquisition
of property or stock, separation (including a spin-off or other distribution of
stock or property), reorganization, liquidation (whether partial or complete),
distribution of cash or other assets to shareholders other than a normal cash
dividend, or any similar transaction; provided, however, that conversion of any
convertible securities of the Company shall not be deemed to have been “effected
without receipt of consideration.” Except as the Committee determines, no
issuance by the Company of shares of any class, or securities convertible into
shares of any class, shall affect, and no adjustment by reason hereof shall be
made with respect to, the number of shares of Common Stock subject to an
award.
New Plan Benefits. Awards under the 2009
Plan are subject to the discretion of the Committee, and no determination has
been made as to the types or amounts of awards that will be granted in the
future to specific individuals pursuant to the 2009 Plan. Therefore,
it is not possible to determine the future benefits that will be received by
participants.
Market Price of the Company's Common
Stock. The closing
market price of our common stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange for
April 22, 2009 was $10.14 per share.
PROPOSAL
3 – AMENDMENT OF THE NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP
1998
STOCK OPTION PLAN
The
Board of Directors Recommends a VOTE FOR this Proposal
History
of the Plan and Description of the Proposed Amendment
On
December 18, 1998, the Board of Directors adopted the 1998 Stock Option Plan of
Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (the "1998 Plan"), and directed that the 1998
Plan be submitted to the shareholders for approval. The 1998 Plan became
effective when it received such approval on December 18, 1998. On May
9, 2006, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors voted to amend the
1998 Plan and the amendments were approved by our shareholders at our 2006
Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The 2006 amendments, among other
things, extended the 1998 Plan until March 1, 2016 and increased the number of
shares of common stock issuable under the Plan from 150,000 to
550,000.
On April 15, 2009, the Compensation
Committee of the Board of Directors voted to further amend the 1998 Plan to add
an additional 200,000 shares of common stock to the Plan, thereby authorizing
the issuance of up to 750,000 shares of common stock under the
Plan.
The
amendment will become effective if a majority of the votes cast are in favor of
the proposal. If the amendment is not approved, the 1998 Plan will
remain in force but limited to the issuance of up to 550,000 shares of common
stock.
The
purposes of the 1998 Plan, which are unchanged by the proposed amendment, are to
attract and retain the best available personnel for positions of substantial
responsibility, to provide additional incentive to employees and consultants and
to promote the success of our business.
Summary
Description of the 1998 Plan
The
following summary of the 1998 Plan, as amended, is qualified in
its entirety by reference to the text of the 1998 Plan, as amended,
which is attached as Exhibit A. The 1998 Plan has been and will
continue to be administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board of
Directors. The Compensation Committee has full and final authority,
in its discretion, to grant incentive stock options or non-statutory
stock options, to select the persons who would be granted stock
options and determine the number of shares subject to each option,
the duration and exercise period of each option and the terms
and conditions of each option granted.
The Major Provisions of the 1998 Plan
as amended are as follows:
Eligibility. The Compensation
Committee is authorized to grant stock options to any person selected by the
Compensation Committee, including employees, officers who are also directors of
Natural Gas Services Group, directors who are not employees of Natural Gas
Services Group and consultants. Incentive stock options may be
granted only to employees of Natural Gas Services Group.
Option Price. The option
exercise price for shares of common stock issued upon exercise of an option is
such price as is determined by the Compensation Committee. However, for
incentive stock options granted to employees the option price will be not less
than 100% of the fair market value of the Company's common stock on the date the
option is granted, except that if an incentive stock option is granted to an
employee who owns more than 10% of our outstanding common stock, the option
price will be not less than 110% of the fair market value of the common stock on
the date of grant. Fair market value for purposes of the 1998 Plan is the
closing price of the common stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange on
the relevant date.
Duration of Options.
Each stock option will terminate on the date fixed by the Compensation
Committee, which shall be not more than ten years after the date of grant.
However, in the case of an incentive stock option granted to an employee who, at
the time the option is granted, owns stock representing more than 10% of the our
outstanding stock, the term of the option will be five years from the date of
grant or such shorter time as may be provided in the stock option
agreement.
Exercise
Period. In the case of incentive stock options, if an
optionee's employment is terminated for any reason, except death or disability,
the optionee has three months in which to exercise an option (but only to the
extent exercisable on the date of termination) unless the option by its terms
expires earlier. If the employment of the optionee terminates by reason of total
and permanent disability, the option may be exercised during the period of
twelve months following termination of employment. If an optionee
dies while an employee or within three months from the date of termination, the
right to exercise shall terminate twelve months from the date of
death. The options terminate immediately prior to the dissolution or
liquidation of Natural Gas Services Group, unless the Compensation Committee
gives each optionee the right to exercise his option as to all or any part of
the option, including shares as to which the option would not otherwise be
exercisable. If we sell all or substantially all of our assets or we
merge with or into another entity in a transaction in which it is not the
survivor, options will be assumed or an
equivalent option will be substituted by the successor corporation, unless the
Compensation Committee determines that the optionee has the right to exercise
the option as to all of the shares, including shares as to which the option
would not otherwise be exercisable. The Compensation Committee has
the right to alter the terms of any option at grant or while outstanding
pursuant to the terms of the 1998 Plan.
Payment. Payment
for stock purchased on the exercise of a stock option must be made in full at
the time the stock option is exercised. The Compensation Committee
may, in its discretion, permit payment for the exercise price to be made in
cash, check, other shares of common stock having a fair market value on the date
of exercise equal to the aggregate exercise price of the shares as to which the
option is exercised, or any combination of such methods of payment, or such
other consideration and method of payment for the issuance of shares as
permitted under the Colorado Business Corporation Act.
Shares That May Be Issued under the
1998 Plan. A maximum of 750,000 shares of our common stock, as
may be adjusted as described below, may be issued upon exercise of stock options
granted under the 1998 Plan. This number includes the number of
shares of Natural Gas' common stock originally authorized in 1998 (150,000
shares) plus the additional shares added in the 2000 amendment (400,000
shares). Consequently, a total of 200,000 additional shares will be
authorized pursuant to this proposed amendment. The 200,000
additional shares available represent approximately 1.65% of our common stock
issued and outstanding on April 28, 2009. At the date of this proxy
statement, 352,931 shares of common stock have already been issued or are
subject to currently outstanding stock options, leaving 197,069 shares of common
stock available from the 550,000 shares originally authorized. The number of
shares available under the 1998 Plan is subject to adjustment in the event of
any stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization, spin-off or other similar
action. If any stock option terminates or is canceled for any reason without
having been exercised in full, the shares of stock not issued will then become
available for additional grants of options.
Estimate of
Benefits. Generally, awards under the 1998 Plan are subject to
the discretion of the Committee, and, except as discussed below, no
determination has been made as to the types or amounts of awards that will be
granted in the future to specific individuals pursuant to the 2009
Plan. Therefore, it is not possible to determine the future benefits
that will be received by all potential participants. However, under
our employment agreement with Stephen C. Taylor, our Chief Executive Officer, we
are obligated to award to Mr. Taylor stock options exercisable to acquire a
minimum of 30,000 shares of common stock, or equivalent equity awards, each
year on the anniversary of his employment. In addition, historically,
each of our non-employee Directors have receives an annual stock option award
covering 2,500 shares of our common stock for their services as a
Director. These options granted to our non-employee Directors have
been granted in the past under our 1998 Stock Option Plan. However,
the Board of Directors is free to modify this annual grant as it deems
advisable. Information regarding awards to our Chief Executive
Officer and each of our other named executive officers in 2008 is provided on
pages 22 and 24 of this proxy statement. In addition, stock options
to purchase a total of 15,000 shares were granted to directors who are not
employees for 2008.
Federal
Income Tax Consequences
Incentive Stock
Options. Some of the options granted under the 1998 Plan may
constitute "incentive stock options" ("ISOs") within the meaning of Section 422
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). Under present
federal tax regulations, there will be no federal income tax consequences to us
or an optionee upon the grant of an ISO, nor will an optionee's exercise of an
ISO result in federal income tax consequences to Natural Gas Services Group.
Although an optionee will not realize ordinary income upon his exercise of an
ISO, the excess of the fair market value of the common stock acquired at the
time of exercise over the option price may constitute an adjustment in computing
alternative minimum taxable income under Section 56 of the Code and, thus, may
result in the imposition of the "alternative minimum tax" pursuant to Section 55
of the Code on the optionee. If an optionee does not dispose of
common stock acquired through an ISO within one year of the ISO's date of
exercise, any gain realized upon a subsequent disposition of common stock will
constitute long-term capital gain to the optionee. If an optionee
disposes of the common stock within such one-year period, an amount equal to the
lesser of (i) the excess of the fair market value of the common stock on the
date of exercise over the option price or (ii) the actual gain realized upon
such disposition will constitute ordinary income to the optionee in the year of
the disposition. An additional gain upon such disposition will be
taxed as short-term capital gain. We will receive a deduction in the
amount equal to the amount constituting ordinary income to an
optionee.
Non-statutory
Options. Certain stock options which do not constitute ISOs
("non-statutory options") may also be granted under the 1998 Plan. Under present
federal income tax regulations, there will be no federal income tax consequences
to us or the optionee upon the grant of a non-statutory
option. However, the optionee will realize ordinary income upon the
exercise of a non-statutory option in an amount equal to the excess of the fair
market value of the common stock acquired upon the exercise of such option over
the option price, and we will receive a corresponding deduction. The gain, if
any, realized upon a subsequent disposition of such common stock will constitute
short- or long-term capital gain, depending on the optionee's holding
period.
The
federal income tax consequences described in this section are based on laws and
regulations in effect on the date of this proxy statement, and there is no
assurance that the laws and regulations will not change in the future and affect
the tax consequences of the matters discussed in this section.
Termination
of and Amendments to the 1998 Plan
The
Board of Directors may terminate or amend the 1998 Plan from time to time in any
manner permitted by applicable laws and regulations, except that no additional
shares of our common stock may be allocated to the 1998 Plan and no change in
the class of employees eligible to receive incentive stock options or any other
material amendment to the 1998 Plan may be made without the approval of the
shareholders.
Market
Price of the Company's Common Stock
The closing market price of our common stock as reported on the New York Stock
Exchange for April 22, 2009 was $10.14 per share.
PROPOSAL
4 – RATIFICATION OF REAPPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING
FIRM
The Audit Committee has reappointed the firm of Hein & Associates LLP as our
independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending
December 31, 2009. If the shareholders do not ratify this
appointment, the Audit Committee may consider other independent registered
public accounting firms or continue the appointment of Hein & Associates
LLP. Shareholder ratification of the appointment is not required
under the laws of the State of Colorado, but the Board believes it is important
to allow the shareholders to vote on this proposal.
Representatives of Hein &
Associates LLP are expected to be present at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders
and will have an opportunity to make a statement at the Annual Meeting if they
desire to do so. It is expected that such representatives will be available to
respond to appropriate questions.
The Board of Directors recommends that
the shareholders vote "for" the ratification of the reappointment of Hein &
Associates LLP as Natural Gas Services Group’s independent registered public
accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2009.
Principal
Accountant Fees
Our principal accountant for the fiscal
years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006 was Hein & Associates
LLP.
The aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by Hein &
Associates LLP for the audit of our financial statements for our fiscal years
ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006 and the review of the financial
statements on Forms 10-Q for the fiscal quarters in such fiscal years were
approximately $288,000, $312,000 and $265,000, respectively. These
fees also include update audit procedures performed by Hein & Associates LLP
for the issuance of consents for the inclusion of audit opinions in various
registration statements we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
during these years and consultation regarding Sarbanes-Oxley internal controls
implementation.
During the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, there were no audit related
fees. The aggregate fees billed for assurance and related services by
Hein & Associates LLP during our fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 was
approximately $50,000. These fees were mainly related to the
procedures performed in connection with a registration statement on Form S-1
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Tax Fees
We were not billed by Hein & Associates LLP for any tax services during the
years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 or 2008.
All Other Fees
No other fees were billed by Hein &
Associates LLP, during our fiscal years ended December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008,
other than as described above.
Audit
Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
As of the date of this proxy statement, our Audit Committee has not established
general pre-approval policies and as of December 31, 2008, our Audit Committee
had not established pre-approval policies and procedures for the engagement of
our principal accountant to render audit or non-audit
services. However, in accordance with Section 10A(i) of the Exchange
Act, our Audit Committee, as a whole, approves the engagement of our principal
accountant prior to the accountant rendering audit or non-audit
services.
Certain rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission provide that an auditor
is not independent of an audit client if the services it provides to the client
are not appropriately approved, subject, however, to a de minimus exception
contained in the rules. The Audit Committee pre-approved all services
provided by Hein & Associates LLP in 2008 and the de minimus exception was not
used.
SHAREHOLDER
PROPOSALS
Under SEC
Rule 14a-8, if a shareholder wants us to include a proposal in our proxy
statement and form of proxy for presentation at our 2010 Annual Meeting of
Shareholders, the proposal must be received by us at our principal executive
offices at 508 West Wall Street, Suite 550, Midland, Texas 79701 by December 29,
2009, unless the date of our 2010 Annual Meeting of Shareholders is more than 30
days from the anniversary date of our 2009 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, in
which case the deadline is a reasonable time before we print and mail our proxy
materials for the 2010 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The proposal should be
sent to the attention of the Secretary of Natural Gas Services
Group.
The SEC
also sets forth procedures under which shareholders may make proposals outside
of the process described above in order for a shareholder to introduce an item
of business at an Annual Meeting of Shareholders. A proposal
may not be presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting and no persons may be nominated
for election to the Board at that meeting unless we receive notice of the
proposal or nomination no later than March 14, 2010. Your notice should be
addressed to President, Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., 508 West Wall Street,
Suite 550, Midland, Texas 79701. Your notice must comply with the requirements
set forth in our bylaws, a copy of which may be obtained from the Secretary of
Natural Gas Services Group.
In order
to curtail controversy as to the date on which a proposal was received by us, it
is suggested that proponents submit their proposals by certified mail-return
receipt requested. Such proposals must also meet the other
requirements established by the SEC for shareholder proposals.
COMMUNICATIONS
WITH THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Because
of Natural Gas Services Group’s small size, to date we have not developed formal
processes by which shareholders or other interested parties may communicate
directly with Directors. Until formal procedures are developed and
posted on our website (www.ngsgi.com), any
communication to one or more members of our Board of Directors may be made by
sending them in care of Investor Relations, Natural Gas Services Group, Inc.,
508 West Wall Street, Suite 550, Midland, Texas 79701. Shareholders
should clearly note on the mailing envelope that the letter is a
"Shareholder-Board Communication." All such communications will be
forwarded to the intended recipients.
Our Board
of Directors does not know of any matters to be presented at the meeting other
than the matters set forth herein. If any other business should come before the
meeting, the person’s named in the enclosed proxy card will vote such proxy
according to their judgment on such matters.
New York Stock
Exchange Certification. We listed our common stock on the New York Stock
Exchange in October 2008. The certification of our Chief Executive
Officer required by the NYSE Listing Standards, Section 303A.12(a), relating to
our compliance with the NYSE Corporate Governance Listing Standards, was
submitted to the NYSE in connection with our listing on the exchange. The
certifications of our Chief Executive Officer and Principal Accounting Officer
required by the SEC in connection with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2008 were submitted to the SEC on March 9, 2009 with our
Annual Report on Form 10-K.
You may obtain our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December
31, 2008 without charge upon written request to Stephen C. Taylor, President, at
Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., 508 West Wall Street, Suite 550, Midland,
Texas 79701. In addition, the exhibits to the Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 may be obtained by any
shareholder upon written request to Mr. Taylor.
In addition, we use our website as a
channel of distribution for company information. We make available
free of charge on the Investor Relations section of our website (www.ngsgi.com) our
Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports
on Form 8-K. We also make available through our website other reports
filed with or furnished to the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, including our proxy statements and reports filed by officers and
directors under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, as well as our Code of
Business Ethics and the charters to our various Committees of our Board of
Directors. We do not intend for information contained in our website
to be part of this proxy statement.
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BY
ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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/s/ Stephen
C. Taylor
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Stephen
C. Taylor
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Midland,
Texas
May
4, 2009
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Chairman
of the Board, President and
Chief
Executive Officer
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FORM OF
PROXY CARD
Important Notice Regarding the
Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting: The
Notice and Proxy Statement, Form 10-K and Annual
Report is/are available at www.proxyvote.com.
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_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
NATURAL
GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
THIS
PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
OF
DIRECTORS
ANNUAL
MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS June 16, 2009
The
shareholder(s) hereby appoint(s) Stephen C. Taylor and Gene A. Strasheim,
or either of them, as proxies, each with the power to appoint his
substitute, and hereby authorizes them to represent and to vote, as
designated on the reverse side of this ballot, all of the shares of Common
Stock of NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC. that the shareholder(s) is/are
entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting of Shareholder(s) to be held
at
9:00
AM, CDT on June 16, 2009, at the Hilton Hotel at 117 West Wall Street,
Midland TX 79701,
and
any adjournment or postponement thereof.
THIS
PROXY, WHEN PROPERLY EXECUTED WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED BY THE
SHAREHOLDER(S). IF NO SUCH DIRECTIONS ARE MADE, THIS PROXY WILL
BE VOTED FOR THE ELECTION OF THE NOMINEES LISTED ON THE REVERSE SIDE FOR
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND FOR EACH PROPOSAL.
PLEASE
MARK, SIGN, DATE AND RETURN THIS PROXY CARD PROMPTLY USING THE ENCLOSED
REPLY ENVELOPE.
CONTINUED
AND TO BE SIGNED ON REVERSE SIDE
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NGSG
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VOTE
BY INTERNET – www.proxyvote.com
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NATURAL
GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.Use the Internet to transmit your voting
instructions and for electronic delivery of information up until 11:59
P.M. Eastern
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NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP,
INC.Time the day before the cut-off date or meeting date.
Have
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508 WEST WALL STREET, SUITE
550your proxy card in hand when you access the web site
and
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MIDLAND,
TX 79701
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follow
the instructions to obtain your records and to create an
electronic
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VOTE
BY PHONE – 1-800-690-6903
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Use
any touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions up until
11:59 P.M. Eastern Time the day before the cut-off date or meeting date.
Have your proxy card in hand when you call and then follow the
instructions.
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|
Mark,
sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope
we have provided or return it to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51
Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717.
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TO VOTE,
MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS: KEEP THIS PORTION FOR
YOUR RECORDS
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_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
DETACH
AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY
THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED.
The
Board of Directors recommends that you vote FOR the
following:
1.Election
of Directors
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For
Withhold For
All
All
All Except
¨
¨ ¨
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To
withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee(s), mark “For All
Except” and write the number(s) of the nominee(s) on the line
below.
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Nominees
01 Alan
A.
Baker 02 William
F. Hughes, Jr.
The Board of Directors
recommends you vote FOR the following proposal(s):
2. Proposal
to approve the 2009 Restricted Stock/Unit Plan.
3.Proposal
to amend the Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. 1998 Stock Option Plan to
increase the number of shares authorized for issuance thereunder from
550,000 to 750,000 shares of common stock.
4.Ratification
of the reappointment of Hein & Associates LLP as the Company’s
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for 2009.
NOTE: In
their discretion, upon such other matters that may properly come before
the meeting or any adjournment or adjournments thereof. The shares
represented by this proxy when properly executed will be voted in the
manner directed herein by the undersigned Stockholder(s). If no direction
is made, this proxy will be voted FOR Items 1, 2, 3 and 4. If any other
matters properly come before the meeting, the person named in this proxy
will vote in their discretion.
Yes No
Please
indicate if you plan to attend this
meeting ¨
¨
Please
sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s) hereon. When signing as
attorney, executor, administrator, or other fiduciary, please give full
title as such. Joint owners should each sign personally. All holders must
sign. If a corporation or partnership, please sign in full corporate or
partnership name, by authorized officer.
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For Against Abstain
¨
¨ ¨
¨
¨ ¨
¨ ¨ ¨
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Signature
Date
[PLEASE
SIGN WITHIN BOX]
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Signature
(JointOwners)
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Date
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APPENDIX
A
NATURAL
GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
2009
RESTRICTED STOCK/UNIT PLAN
1. Purposes of the
Plan. The purpose of this 2009 Restricted Stock/Unit Plan is
to promote the success of Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. (the “Company”) by
providing additional incentives to attract, motivate, retain and reward
qualified and competent Employees, Officers and independent Directors of the
Company upon whose efforts and judgment the success of the Company is largely
dependent, through the encouragement of stock ownership in the Company by such
individuals.
2. Definitions. The
following definitions shall apply as used herein and in the individual Award
Agreements except as defined otherwise in an individual Award
Agreement. In the event a term is separately defined in an individual
Award Agreement, such definition shall supercede the definition contained in
this Section 2.
(a) “Administrator”
means the Compensation Committee of the Board.
(b) “Applicable
Laws” means the legal requirements relating to the Plan and the Awards under
applicable provisions of federal securities laws, state corporate and securities
laws, the Code, the rules and listing requirements of any established stock
exchange or national market system on which the Common Stock is traded, and the
rules of any non-U.S. jurisdiction applicable to Awards granted to residents
thereof.
(c) “Award”
means the grant of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units under the
Plan.
(d) “Award
Agreement” means the written Restricted Stock Agreement or the Restricted Stock
Unit Agreement evidencing the grant of an Award setting forth the terms and
conditions of such Award executed by the Company and the Participant, including
any amendments thereto.
(e) “Board”
means the Board of Directors of the Company.
(f) “Cause”
means (i) a material act of theft, misappropriation or conversion of corporate
funds committed by the Participant or (ii) the Participant’s demonstrably
willful, deliberate and continued failure to follow reasonable directives of the
Board or the Chief Executive Officer of the Company which are within the
Participant’s ability to perform. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for
the 24-month period following a Change in Control, the Participant shall not be
deemed to have been terminated for Cause unless and until: (x) there shall have
been delivered to the Participant a copy of a resolution duly adopted by the
Board in good faith at a meeting of the Board called and held for such purpose
(after reasonable notice to the Participant and an opportunity for the
Participant, together with his or her counsel, to be heard before the Board),
finding that the Participant was guilty of conduct set forth above and
specifying the particulars thereof in reasonable detail; and (y) if the
Participant contests such finding (or a conclusion that he or she has failed to
timely cure the performance in response thereto), the arbitrator, by final
determination in an arbitration proceeding pursuant to Section 17, below, has
concluded that the Participant’s conduct met the standard for termination for
Cause above and that the Board’s conduct met the standards of good faith and
satisfied the procedural and substantive conditions of this Section 2(f)
(collectively, the “Necessary Findings”). The Participant’s costs of
the arbitration shall be advanced by the Company and shall be repaid to the
Company if the arbitrator makes the Necessary Findings.
(g) “Change
in Control Event” means any of the
following:
(i) The
dissolution or liquidation of the Company, other than in the context of a
transaction that does not constitute a Change in Control Event under clause (ii)
below.
(ii) A
merger, consolidation, or other reorganization, with or into, or the sale of all
or substantially all of the Company’s business and/or assets as an entirety to,
one or more entities that are not Subsidiaries or other affiliates (a “Business
Combination”), unless (A) as a result of the Business Combination at least 50%
of the outstanding securities voting generally in the election of directors of
the surviving or resulting
entity
or a Parent thereof (the “Successor Entity”) immediately after the
reorganization are, or will be, owned, directly or indirectly, by shareholders
of the Company immediately before the Business Combination; and (B) at least 50%
of the members of the board of directors of the entity resulting from the
Business Combination were members of the Board at the time of the execution of
the initial agreement or of the action of the Board approving the Business
Combination. The shareholders before and after the Business
Combination shall be determined on the presumptions that (x) there is no change
in the record ownership of the Company’s securities from the record date for
such approval until the consummation of the Business Combination; and (y) record
owners of securities of the Company hold no securities of the other parties to
such reorganization.
(iii) Any
“person” (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act),
other than an Excluded Person, becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rule
13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the
Company representing more than 50% of the combined voting power of the Company’s
then outstanding securities entitled to then vote generally in the election of
Directors of the Company, other than as a result of (A) an acquisition directly
from the Company, (B) an acquisition by the Company, (C) an acquisition by any
employee benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the Company
or a Successor Entity, or an acquisition by any entity pursuant to a transaction
which is expressly excluded under clause (ii) above.
(iv) During
any period not longer than twelve consecutive months, individuals who at the
beginning of such period constituted the Board cease to constitute at least a
majority thereof, unless the election, or the nomination for election by the
Company’s shareholders, of each new Board member was approved by a vote of at
least three-quarters of the Board members then still in office who were Board
members at the beginning of such period (including for these purposes, new
members whose election or nomination was so approved), but excluding, for this
purpose, any such individual whose initial assumption of office occurs as a
result of an actual or threatened election contest with respect to the election
or removal of directors or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or
consents by or on behalf of a person other than the Board.
(h) “Code”
means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
(i) “Committee”
means the Compensation Committee of the Board. The Committee shall be appointed
by the Board and shall consist of two or more outside, disinterested members of
the Board. The Committee, in the judgment of the Board, shall be qualified to
administer the Plan as contemplated by (i) Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange
Act (or any successor rule), (ii) Section 162(m) of the Code and the
regulations thereunder (or any successor Section and regulations), and
(iii) any rules and regulations of a stock exchange on which the Common
Stock is traded. Any member of the Committee who does not satisfy the
qualifications set out in the preceding sentence may recuse himself or herself
from any vote or other action taken by the Committee. The Board may, at any time
and in its complete discretion, remove any member of the Committee and may fill
any vacancy in the Committee.
(j) “Common
Stock” means the common stock of the Company.
(k) “Company”
means Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., a Colorado corporation, or any
successor entity that adopts the Plan in connection with a Change in
Control.
(l) “Continuous
Service” means that your employment relationship is not interrupted or
terminated by you, the Company or any Related Entity. Your employment
relationship will not be considered interrupted in the case of: (i) any
leave of absence approved in accordance with the Company’s written personnel
policies, including sick leave, family leave, military leave or any other
personal leave; or (ii) transfers between locations of the Company or
between the Company and any Related Entity or successor; provided, however,
that, unless otherwise provided in the Company’s written personnel policies, in
this Agreement or under Applicable Laws, rules or regulations or unless the
Committee has otherwise expressly provided for different treatment with respect
to this Agreement, (x) no such leave may exceed ninety (90) days, and
(y) any vesting shall cease on the ninety-first (91 st)
consecutive date of any leave of absence during which your employment
relationship is deemed to continue and will not recommence until such date, if
any, upon which you resume service with the Company, Related Entity or
successor. If you resume such service in accordance with the terms of the
Company’s military leave policy, upon resumption of service you will be given
vesting credit for the full duration of your leave of
absence.
Continuous employment will be deemed interrupted and terminated for an Employee
if the Participant’s weekly work hours change from full time to part time.
Part-time status for the purpose of vesting continuation will be determined in
accordance with policies adopted by the Company from time to time.”
(m) “Covered
Employee” means an Employee who is a “covered employee” under
Section 162(m)(3) of the Code.
(n) “Director”
means a non-Employee member of the Board or the board of directors of any
Related Entity.
(o) “Disability”
means any physical or mental impairment which qualifies an Employee for
disability benefits under any applicable long-term disability plan maintained by
the Company, provided the definition of disability applied under such disability
insurance plan complies with the requirements of Treasury Regulation Section
1.409A-3(i)(4)(i) or, if no such plan is in place or applies or if the
definition of “disability” under such disability insurance plan does not comply
with the requirements of Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-3(i)(4)(i), any
physical or mental impairment which would be determined to be totally disabled
by the Social Security Administration or the Railroad Retirement Board. If
the Company or the Related Entity to which the Participant provides service does
not have a long-term disability plan in place, “Disability” means that a
Participant is unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of
any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to
result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less
than twelve months.
(p) “Employee”
means any person, including an Officer or member of the Board of the Company or
the board of directors of a Related Entity, who is in the employ of the Company
or any Related Entity, subject to the control and direction of the Company or
any Related Entity as to both the work to be performed and the manner and method
of performance. The payment of a director’s fee by the Company or a
Related Entity shall not be sufficient to constitute “employment” by the
Company.
(q) “Exchange
Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
(r) “Excluded
Person” means (i) any person described in and satisfying the conditions of Rule
13d-1(b)(1) under the Exchange Act, (ii) the Company or (iii) an employee
benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the Company or the
Successor Entity.
(s) “Maximum
Aggregate Number of Shares” to be issued under the Plan means the total number
of Shares which may be issued pursuant to all Awards of Restricted Stock and
Restricted Stock Units under the Plan which is 300,000 Shares. The
Shares to be issued pursuant to Awards may be authorized, but unissued, or
reacquired Shares.
(t) “Officer”
means a person who is an officer of the Company or a Related Entity within the
meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder.
(u) “Parent”
means a “parent corporation,” whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in
Section 424(e) of the Code.
(v) “Participant”
means an Employee or Director who receives an Award under the Plan.
(w) “Performance-Based
Compensation” means compensation qualifying as “performance-based compensation”
under Section 162(m) of the Code.
(x) “Plan”
means this 2009 Restricted Stock/Unit Plan.
(y) “Related
Entity” means any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company.
(z) “Restricted
Stock” means Shares issued under the Plan to the Participant for such
consideration, if any, and subject to such restrictions on transfer, rights of
first refusal, repurchase provisions, forfeiture provisions, and other terms and
conditions as established by the Administrator.
(aa) “Restricted
Stock Units” or “Units” means an Award which may be earned in whole or in part
upon the passage of time or the attainment of performance criteria established
by the Administrator and which may be settled for Shares or other securities or
a combination of Shares or other securities as established by the
Administrator.
(bb) “Retirement”
means:
(i) with
respect to Employees, termination of an Employee’s employment in accordance with
the Company’s retirement policies, as in effect from time to time, if on the
date of such termination (A) the Employee is at least 55 years old and
his or her Continued Service has extended for at least five years, and
(B) the number of full years in the Employee’s age and his or her number of
full years of Continued Service total at least 65. By way of illustration, if an
Employee terminates his or her employment in accordance with the Company’s
retirement policies on his or her 63rd birthday after six years of Continued
Service, the Employee’s total would be 69 and his or her termination would be
treated as a Retirement; if the Employee’s Continued Service had extended for
only four years, his or her total would be 67 but the termination would not be
treated as a Retirement since he or she would not have met the minimum of five
years of Continued Service.
(ii) with
respect to non-Employee Directors, termination of membership on the Company’s
Board of Directors at the expiration of the Director’s term of office (unless
the Director is then elected for another term of office), or under such other
circumstances as the Board may determine to constitute retirement.
(cc) “Rule 16b-3”
means Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act or any successor
thereto.
(dd) “Share”
means a share of the Common Stock.
(ee) “Specified
Employee” means an Employee defined in Treasury Regulation Section
1.409A-1(i).
(ff) “Subsidiary”
means a “subsidiary corporation,” whether now or hereafter existing, as defined
in Section 424(f) of the Code.
(hh) “Term”
means the ten (10) year period following the approval of the Plan by the
Company’s shareholders.
3. Shares Subject to the
Plan.
(a) Subject
to the provisions of Section 9 below,
the maximum aggregate number of Shares which may be issued pursuant to all
Awards of Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units is 300,000
Shares. The Shares to be issued pursuant to Awards may be authorized,
but unissued, or reacquired Common Stock.
(b) Shares
that actually have been issued under the Plan pursuant to an Award shall not be
returned to the Plan and shall not become available for future issuance under
the Plan and shall be deemed to have been issued for purposes of determining the
Maximum Aggregate Number of Shares, except (i) any Shares covered by an Award
(or portion of an Award) which are forfeited, canceled or expired (whether
voluntarily or involuntarily) shall be deemed not to have been issued for
purposes of determining the maximum aggregate number of Shares which may be
issued under the Plan and (ii) during the ten (10) year period
following approval of the Plan by the Company’s shareholders and to the extent
not prohibited by Applicable Law, any Shares covered by an Award, which are
surrendered in satisfaction of tax withholding obligations incident to the
vesting of an Award, shall be deemed not to have been issued for purposes of
determining the maximum number of Shares which may be issued under the Plan,
unless otherwise determined by the Administrator.
4. Administration of the
Plan.
(a) Plan
Administrator. The Plan shall be administered by the
Committee.
(b) Powers of the
Administrator. Subject to Applicable Laws and the provisions
of the Plan (including any other powers given to the Administrator hereunder),
and except as otherwise provided by the Board, the Administrator shall have the
authority, in its discretion:
(i)
to select the Employees and Directors to whom Awards may be granted from
time to time hereunder;
(ii)
to determine whether and to what extent Awards are granted
hereunder;
(iii)
to determine the number of Shares or Restricted Stock Units to be covered
by each Award granted hereunder;
(iv)
to approve forms of Award Agreements for use under the Plan;
(v)
to determine the terms and conditions of any Award granted
hereunder;
(vi)
to amend the terms of any outstanding Award granted under the Plan, provided
that any amendment that would adversely affect the Participant’s rights under an
outstanding Award or which would subject the Participant to the tax and other
negative impacts of Section 409A shall not be made without the Participant’s
written consent;
(vii)
to construe and interpret the terms of the Plan and Awards, including without
limitation, any Award or Award Agreement, granted pursuant to the Plan; and
(viii)
to take such other action, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the
Administrator deems appropriate.
(c) Interpretation of
Plan. The Committee
shall have full power and authority to administer and interpret the Plan and to
adopt or establish such rules, regulations, agreements, guidelines, procedures
and instruments, which are not contrary to the terms of the Plan and which, in
its opinion, may be necessary or advisable for the administration and operation
of the Plan. The Committee’s interpretations of the Plan, and all actions taken
and determinations made by the Committee pursuant to the powers vested in it
hereunder, shall be conclusive and binding on all parties concerned, including
the Company, its stockholders and any Participant.
(d) Indemnification.
In addition to such other rights of indemnification as they may have as members
of the Board or as Officers or Employees of the Company or a Related Entity,
members of the Board and any Officers or Employees of the Company or a Related
Entity to whom authority to act for the Board, the Administrator or the Company
is delegated shall be defended and indemnified by the Company to the extent
permitted by law on an after-tax basis against all reasonable expenses,
including attorneys’ fees, actually and necessarily incurred in connection with
the defense of any claim, investigation, action, suit or proceeding, or in
connection with any appeal therein, to which they or any of them may be a party
by reason of any action taken or failure to act under or in connection with the
Plan, or any Award granted hereunder, and against all amounts paid by them in
settlement thereof (provided such settlement is approved by the Company) or paid
by them in satisfaction of a judgment in any such claim, investigation, action,
suit or proceeding, except in relation to matters as to which it shall be
adjudged in such claim, investigation, action, suit or proceeding that such
person is liable for gross negligence, bad faith or intentional misconduct;
provided, however, that within thirty (30) days after the institution of such
claim, investigation, action, suit or proceeding, such person shall offer to the
Company, in writing, the opportunity at the Company’s expense to defend the
same.
5. Eligibility. Awards
may be granted to full-time, permanent Employees and Directors. An
Employee or Director who has been granted an Award may, if otherwise eligible,
be granted additional Awards. Notwithstanding, non-employee Directors
shall not be eligible for an award of a Restricted Stock Unit.
6. Terms and Conditions of
Awards.
(a) Designation of
Award. Each Award shall be designated in the Award
Agreement.
(b) Conditions of
Award. Subject to the terms of the Plan, the Administrator
shall determine the provisions, terms and conditions of each Award including,
but not limited to, the Award vesting schedule (if any), resale restrictions
applicable to the Shares issued pursuant to Awards, forfeiture provisions and
satisfaction of any performance criteria.
(e) Individual Limit for
Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units. For awards of
Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units that are intended to be
Performance-Based Compensation, the maximum number of Shares with respect to
which such Awards may be granted to any Participant in any calendar year shall
be 25,000 Shares. The foregoing limitation shall be adjusted
proportionately in connection with any change in the Company’s capitalization
pursuant to Section 9 below.
(f) No
Transferability of
Awards. Awards may not be sold, pledged, assigned, transferred
or disposed of in any manner. Any attempted sale, pledge, assignment,
transfer or disposal shall be null and void.
(g) Date of Grant of
Award. The date of grant of an Award shall for all purposes be
the date on which the Administrator approves the grant of such
Award.
7. Taxes. No
Shares shall be delivered under the Plan to any Participant or other person
until such Participant or other person has made arrangements acceptable to the
Administrator for the satisfaction of any federal, state, local or non-U.S.
income and employment tax withholding obligations, including, without
limitation, obligations incident to the receipt of Shares. Upon
the issuance of Shares, the Company shall withhold or collect from
Participant an amount sufficient to satisfy such tax obligations, including, but
not limited to, by surrender of Shares covered by the Award sufficient to
satisfy the minimum applicable tax withholding obligations incident to the
vesting of an Award. Participant shall in all instances be liable for
any personal taxes related to any Award and/or vesting of an Award, whether said
taxes have been withheld by the Company or not.
8. Conditions Upon Issuance of
Shares.
(a) If
at any time the Administrator determines that the delivery of Shares pursuant to
an Award is or may be unlawful under or contrary to Applicable Laws, the vesting
of an Award or to otherwise receive Shares pursuant to the terms of an Award
shall be suspended until the Administrator determines that such delivery is
lawful and shall be further subject to the approval of counsel for the Company
with respect to such compliance.
(b) The
Company shall have no obligation to effect any registration or qualification of
the Shares under federal or state laws.
(c) As
a condition to the exercise or issuance of an Award, the Company may require the
person exercising or receiving such Award to represent and warrant at the time
of issuance that the Shares are being purchased only for investment and without
any present intention to sell or distribute such Shares if, in the opinion of
counsel for the Company, such a representation is required by any Applicable
Laws.
9. Adjustments Upon Changes in
Capitalization. In the event of a subdivision of the
outstanding Stock, a declaration of a dividend payable in Shares, a combination
or consolidation of the outstanding Stock into a lesser number of Shares, a
reclassification, or any other increase or decrease in the number of issued
shares of Stock effected without receipt of consideration by the Company,
proportionate adjustments shall automatically be made in each of (i) the number
of Shares available for future grants under Section 3(a), (ii) the number of
Shares covered by each outstanding Award and (iii) the maximum number of Shares
with respect to which Awards may be granted to any Participant in any calendar
year.
10. Change in
Control. Except as provided otherwise in an individual Award
Agreement, in the event of a Change in Control, each unvested portion of any
Award which, at the time, is outstanding under the Plan automatically (i)
shall become fully vested and be released from any repurchase, forfeiture
or transfer restrictions and (ii) with respect to unvested Restricted Stock
Units, shall vest and be converted into Shares, immediately prior to the
date of such Change in Control.
11. Effective Date and Term of
Plan. The Plan shall become effective upon its adoption by the
Board. It shall continue in effect for a term of ten (10) years
unless sooner terminated. Continuance of the Plan shall be subject to
approval by the shareholders of the Company. Such shareholder
approval shall be obtained in the degree and manner required under Applicable
Laws. Awards may be granted under the Plan upon its becoming
effective, but any Award granted before shareholder approval is obtained shall
be rescinded if shareholders fail to approve the Plan at the next shareholder
meeting that occurs after the Plan is adopted by the Board.
12. Amendment, Suspension or
Termination of the Plan.
(a) The
Board may at any time amend, suspend or terminate the Plan for any reason;
provided, however, that:
(i) no
such amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan may be implemented if such
amendment, suspension or termination causes any Award granted prior to such
amendment, suspension or termination to be subject to the tax and penalty
provisions of Section 409A of the Code without the explicit approval of the
Participants impacted by such amendment, suspension or termination;
and
(ii) no
such amendment shall be made without the approval of the Company’s shareholders
to the extent such approval is required by Applicable Laws;
(b) No
Award may be granted during any suspension of the Plan or after termination of
the Plan.
(c) No
suspension or termination of the Plan shall adversely affect any rights under
Awards already granted to a Participant.
13. Reservation of
Shares.
(a) The
Company, during the term of the Plan, will at all times reserve and keep
available such number of Shares as shall be sufficient to satisfy the
requirements of the Plan.
(b) The
inability of the Company to obtain authority from any regulatory body having
jurisdiction, which authority is deemed by the Company’s counsel to be necessary
to the lawful issuance and sale of any Shares hereunder, shall relieve the
Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such Shares
as to which such requisite authority shall not have been obtained.
14. No Effect on Terms of
Employment. The Plan shall not confer upon any Participant any
right with respect to the Participant’s Continuous Service, nor shall it
interfere in any way with his or her right or the right of the Company or any
Related Entity to terminate the Participant’s Continuous Service at any time,
with or without Cause, and with or without notice. The ability of the
Company or any Related Entity to terminate the employment of a Participant who
is employed at will is in no way affected by its determination that the
Participant’s Continuous Service has been terminated for Cause for the purposes
of the Plan.
15. No Effect on Retirement and
Other Benefit Plans. Except as specifically provided in a
retirement or other benefit plan of the Company or a Related Entity, Awards
shall not be deemed compensation for purposes of computing benefits or
contributions under any retirement plan of the Company or a Related Entity, and
shall not affect any benefits under any other benefit plan of any kind or any
benefit plan subsequently instituted under which the availability or amount
of benefits is related to level of compensation. The Plan is not a
“Retirement Plan” or “Welfare Plan” under the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974, as amended.
16. Construction. Captions
and titles contained herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the
meaning or interpretation of any provision of the Plan. Except when
otherwise indicated by the context, the singular shall include the plural and
the plural shall include the singular. Use of the term “or” is not
intended to be exclusive, unless the context clearly requires
otherwise.
17. Arbitration and
Litigation.
(a) Any
dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or in respect to this Plan (or its
validity, interpretation or enforcement) or the subject matter hereof must be
submitted to and settled by arbitration conducted before a single arbitrator
(chosen from a list of arbitrators provided by the American Arbitration
Association with each party hereto taking alternate strikes and the remaining
arbitrator hearing the dispute). The arbitration will be conducted in
Midland, Texas, or the then current location of the Company’s headquarters, in
accordance with the then current rules of the American Arbitration Association
or its successor. The arbitration of such issues, including the
determination of any amount of damages suffered, will be final and binding upon
the parties to the maximum extent permitted by law. The arbitrator in
such action will not be authorized to change or modify any provision of the
Plan. Judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrator may be
entered by any court having jurisdiction thereof. The arbitrator will
award reasonable legal fees and expenses (including arbitration costs) to the
prevailing party upon application therefor. The parties consent to
the venue and jurisdiction of the state court or federal district court where
the Company’s headquarters are then located for all purposes in connection with
arbitration, including the entry of judgment of any award.
(b) Except
as may be necessary to enter judgment upon the award or to the extent required
by applicable law, all claims, defenses and proceedings (including, without
limiting the generality of the foregoing, the existence of the controversy and
the fact that there is an arbitration proceeding) shall be treated in a
confidential manner by the arbitrator, the parties and their counsel, and each
of their agents and employees, and all others acting on behalf or in concert
with them. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, no one
shall divulge to any third party or person not directly involved in the
arbitration, the contents of the pleadings, papers, orders, hearings, trials, or
awards in the arbitration, except as may be necessary to enter judgment upon an
award as required by applicable law. Any court proceedings relating
to the arbitration hereunder, including, without limiting the generality of the
foregoing, to prevent or compel arbitration to perform, correct, vacate or
otherwise enforce an arbitration award, shall be filed under seal with the
court, to the extent permitted by law. Violation of the aforesaid
confidentiality shall result in the forfeiture of any resulting
award.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the Board of Directors of the Company approved this Natural Gas
Services Group, Inc. 2009 Restricted Stock/Unit Plan on the 15th day of
April 2009 and the Company has executed this Plan Document effective the ____
day of June 2009.
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NATURAL
GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
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By:
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Stephen
C. Taylor, President and CEO
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NATURAL
GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
2009
RESTRICTED STOCK/UNIT PLAN
RESTRICTED
STOCK AGREEMENT
NOTICE OF AWARD OF
RESTRICTED STOCK
Award # RS
Participant’s
Name and Address:
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Natural
Gas Services Group, Inc. (the “Company”) hereby grants you,
(the “Participant”), the number of shares of restricted stock indicated below
(the “Restricted Stock” or “Restricted Shares”) under the Company’s 2009
Restricted Stock/Unit Plan (the “Plan”). The date of this Agreement is (the
“Grant Date”). Subject to the provisions of this Agreement and of the Plan, the
principal features of this Restricted Stock award are as follows:
Number of Shares of
Restricted Stock:
_________.
Vesting
Schedule:
Thirty-three
percent (33%) of the shares of Restricted Stock shall vest on each of the first
three anniversaries of the date hereof (each a “Vesting Date” and collectively,
the “Vesting Dates”), subject to Participant’s Continued Service through each
such date and the terms of this Agreement and the Plan.
Your signature below indicates your
agreement and understanding that this Award is subject to all of the terms and
conditions contained in the Plan and this Restricted Stock Agreement (the
“Agreement”), which includes this Notice of Award of Restricted Stock and the
Terms and Conditions of Restricted Stock Award. PLEASE BE SURE TO READ ALL OF THIS
AGREEMENT AND THE PLAN, WHICH CONTAINS THE SPECIFIC TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS
RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD.
Award
Number: RS-__________
NATURAL
GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
2009
RESTRICTED STOCK/UNIT PLAN
TERMS
AND CONDITIONS OF RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD
1. Award of Restricted
Stock. Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., a Colorado
corporation (the “Company”), hereby issues to the Participant under the Natural
Gas Services Group, Inc. 2009 Restricted Stock/Unit Plan, as amended from time
to time (the “Plan”), an award (the “Award”) of the number of shares of
restricted stock (the “Restricted Shares”) set forth in this Restricted Stock
Agreement (the “Agreement”), which consists of the attached Notice of Award of
Restricted Stock (the “Notice”) and these Terms and Conditions of Restricted
Stock Award. Unless otherwise provided herein, the terms in this
Agreement shall have the same meaning as those defined in the Plan.
2. Vesting
Schedule.
(a) Except as
otherwise provided in this Agreement or in the Plan, the shares of Restricted
Stock awarded by this Agreement are scheduled to vest in accordance with the
vesting schedule set forth in the Notice. Shares of Restricted Stock
scheduled to vest on a Vesting Date will vest only if the Participant remains in
Continued Service through such Vesting Date. Should the Participant’s
Continued Service end at any time (the “Termination Date”), any unvested
Restricted Stock will be immediately cancelled; provided, however, that if
termination of Continued Service is the result of the Participant’s death,
Disability or Retirement, then any unvested Restricted Stock that would have
vested by their terms within twelve (12) months after the Termination Date
had the Participant remained in Continued Service will be deemed to be vested on
the Termination Date. In addition, the Board of Directors may, in its
discretion, vest any unvested Restricted Stock upon termination of Continued
Service.
(b) All
unvested Restricted Stock which is not vested on the Termination Date pursuant
to the provisions of paragraph 2(a) held by the Participant shall be deemed
forfeited and reconveyed to the Company. Participant hereby appoints
the Company, or any escrow agent the Company may appoint, with full power of
substitution, as Participant’s true and lawful attorney-in-fact with irrevocable
power and authority in Participant’s name and behalf to take any action an
execute all documents and instruments, including without limitation, stock
powers which may be necessary to transfer the stock certificate or certificates
evidencing such unvested Restricted Shares to the Company upon the forfeiture of
such shares. Participant will receive no payment for forfeited shares
of unvested Restricted Stock.
3. Delivery of Restricted
Stock; Stockholder Rights. The unvested shares of Restricted
Stock set forth in the Notice portion of this Agreement will be issued and
delivered to a book entry account maintained by the Company’s transfer
agent. Thereafter, subject to the forfeiture provisions referenced in
this Agreement, Participant shall be entitled to the rights and privileges of a
stockholder of the Company in respect to such shares of Restricted Stock,
including the right to vote and receive dividends (subject to applicable tax
withholding obligations) during the vesting period on the same basis as all
other issued and outstanding shares of Company common stock.
4 . Taxes.
(a) Tax
Liability. The Participant is ultimately liable and
responsible for all taxes owed by the Participant in connection with the Award,
regardless of any action the Company or any Related Entity takes with respect to
any tax withholding obligations that arise in connection with the
Award. Neither the Company nor any Related Entity makes any
representation or undertaking regarding the treatment of any tax withholding
in
connection
with the grant or vesting of the Award or the subsequent sale of vested
Restricted Stock issuable pursuant to the Award. The Company does not
commit and is under no obligation to structure the Award to reduce or eliminate
the Participant’s tax liability.
(b) Payment of Withholding
Taxes. No stock certificates will be released to the
Participant unless the Participant has made acceptable arrangements to pay any
withholding taxes that may be due as a result of this award or the vesting of
shares of Restricted Stock. The Company, in its sole discretion and
pursuant to such procedures as it may specify from time to time, may permit you
to satisfy such tax withholding obligation, in whole or in part (without
limitation) by (i) paying cash, (ii) electing to have the Company withhold
otherwise then deliverable vested shares of Restricted Stock having a fair
market value equal to the minimum amount required to be withheld, and
(iii) delivering to the Company of vested and owned shares of our common
stock having a fair market value equal to the amount required to be withheld or
(iv) through any other lawful manner.
The
Company shall withhold from any dividends paid during the restricted period only
the amounts the Company is required to withhold to satisfy any applicable tax
withholding requirements with respect to such dividends based on minimum
statutory withholding rates for federal and state tax purposes, including any
payroll taxes.
The
Participant agrees to indemnify and hold the Company harmless from any losses,
costs, damages, or expenses relating to inadequate
withholding. Accordingly, the Participant agrees to pay to the
Company or any Related Entity as soon as practicable, including through
additional payroll withholding, any amount of the tax withholding obligation
that is not satisfied by the withholding methods described
above. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company or a Related Entity
also may satisfy any tax withholding obligation by offsetting any amounts
(including, but not limited to, salary, bonus, and severance payments) payable
to the Participant by the Company and/or a Related Entity.
(c) Consequences of 83(b)
Election. The provisions of paragraph 5(b) will not apply
if the Participant chooses to make the election under Section 83(b) of the
Internal Revenue Code Section (see paragraph 6 of this
Agreement.) Upon such an election, the Participant shall remit to the
company in cash any and all taxes which the Company may be required to withhold
with respect to such election.
5. Section 83(b) Election for
Shares. Participant understands that under Section 83(a)
of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”), the excess of the fair market value
of the Restricted Shares on the date the forfeiture restrictions lapse over the
purchase price, if any, paid for such Restricted Shares will be taxed, on the
date such forfeiture restrictions lapse, as ordinary income subject to payroll
and withholding tax and tax reporting, as applicable. For this purpose, the term
“forfeiture restrictions” means the right of the Company to receive back any
unvested Restricted Shares upon termination of your employment with the Company
or any Related Entity. You understand that you may elect under
Section 83(b) of the Code (an “83(b) Election”) to be taxed at the time the
Restricted Shares are awarded, rather than when and as the Restricted Shares
cease to be subject to the forfeiture restrictions. An 83(b)
Election must be filed with the Internal Revenue Service within 30 days from the
Date of Award as set forth above in the Notice.
Participant
understands that (a) he or she will not be entitled to a deduction for any
ordinary income previously recognized as a result of the 83(b) Election if the
Restricted Shares are subsequently forfeited to the Company and (b) the
83(b) Election may cause Participant to recognize more ordinary income than he
or she would have otherwise recognized if the value of the Restricted Shares
subsequently declines.
THE
FORM FOR MAKING AN 83(b) ELECTION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE INTERNAL REVENUE
SERVICE OR A TAX PROFESSIONAL. YOU UNDERSTAND THAT FAILURE TO FILE
SUCH AN ELECTION WITHIN THE 30-DAY PERIOD MAY RESULT IN THE RECOGNITION OF
ORDINARY INCOME BY YOU AS THE FORFEITURE RESTRICTIONS LAPSE. You
further understand that an additional copy of such election form should be filed
with your federal income tax return for the calendar year in which the date of
this Award falls. You acknowledge that the foregoing is only a summary of the
federal income tax laws that apply to the purchase of the Restricted Shares
under this Award and does not purport to be complete.
YOU
FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE COMPANY HAS DIRECTED YOU TO SEEK INDEPENDENT ADVICE
REGARDING THE APPLICABLE PROVISIONS OF THE CODE AND THE INCOME TAX LAWS OF ANY
MUNICIPALITY OR STATE IN WHICH YOU MAY RESIDE.
You agree
to deliver to the Company a copy of the 83(b) Election if you choose to make
such an election.
INDEPENDENT
TAX ADVICE. Participant acknowledges that determining the actual tax
consequences of receiving or disposing of the Restricted Shares may be
complicated. These tax consequences will depend, in part, on Participant’s
specific situation and may also depend on the resolution of currently uncertain
tax law and other variables not within the control of the Company. Participant
is aware that he or she should consult a competent and independent tax advisor
for a full understanding of the specific tax consequences of receiving or
disposing of the Restricted Shares. Prior to executing this Award, Participant
has either consulted with a competent tax advisor independent of the Company or
Related Entity to obtain tax advice concerning the Restricted Shares in light of
Participant’s specific situation or has had the opportunity to consult with such
a tax advisor but chose not to do so.
6. No Effect on Employment or
Service. The Participant’s employment with the Company or any
Related Entity is on an at-will basis only, subject to the provisions of
applicable law. Accordingly, subject to any written, express employment contract
with the Participant, nothing in this Agreement or the Plan shall confer upon
the Participant any right to continue to be employed by the Company or any
Related Entity or shall interfere with, or restrict in any way, the rights of
the Company or the employing Related Entity, which are hereby expressly
reserved, to terminate the employment of the Participant at any time for any
reason whatsoever, with or without good cause. Such reservation of
rights can be modified only in an express written contract executed by a duly
authorized officer of the Company or Related Entity employing the
Participant.
7. Address for
Notices. Any notice to be given to the Company under the terms
of this Agreement shall be addressed to the Company, in care of Earl R. Wait,
Vice President -- Accounting at the Company’s headquarters, 508 West Wall
Street, Suite 550, Midland, Texas 79701, or at such other address as the Company
may hereafter designate in writing.
8. Award is Not
Transferable. This grant and the rights and privileges
conferred hereby shall not be transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated in
any way (whether by operation of law or otherwise) and shall not be subject to
sale under execution, attachment or similar process. Upon any attempt
to transfer, assign, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of this grant, or
of any right or privilege conferred hereby, or upon any attempted sale under any
execution, attachment or similar process, this grant and the rights and
privileges conferred hereby immediately shall become null and void.
9. Restrictions on Sale of
Securities. The Restricted Shares awarded under this Agreement
will be registered under the federal securities laws and will be freely tradable
upon receipt unless the Participant is an “affiliate” under rules of the
Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), in which case the shares will be
subject to the volume and manner of sale provisions of Rule 144 of the
SEC. However, the Participant’s subsequent sale of the shares
received upon the vesting of Restricted Stock will be subject to any market
blackout-period that may be imposed by the Company and must comply with the
Company’s insider trading policies and any other applicable securities
laws.
10. Binding
Agreement. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to
the benefit of the heirs, legatees, legal representatives, successors and
assigns of the parties hereto.
11. Conditions for Issuance of
Stock. The Company shall not be required to transfer on its
books or list in street name with a brokerage company or otherwise issue any
certificate or certificates for Restricted Shares hereunder prior to fulfillment
of all the following conditions: (a) the admission of such Restricted
Shares to listing on all stock exchanges on which such class of stock is then
listed; and (b) the completion of any registration or other qualification
of such Restricted Shares under any state or federal law or under the rulings or
regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission or any other governmental
regulatory body, which the Committee shall, in its absolute discretion, deem
necessary or advisable; and (c) the obtaining of any approval or other
clearance from any
state or
federal governmental agency, which the Committee shall, in its absolute
discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable.
12. Plan
Governs. This Agreement is subject to all terms and provisions
of the Plan. In the event of a conflict between one or more
provisions of this Agreement and one or more provisions of the Plan, the
provisions of the Plan shall govern. Capitalized terms used and not defined in
this Agreement shall have the meaning set forth in the Plan.
13.
Committee
Authority. The Committee shall have the power to interpret the
Plan and this Agreement and to adopt such rules for the administration,
interpretation and application of the Plan as are consistent therewith and to
interpret or revoke any such rules (including, but not limited to, the
determination of whether or not any shares of Restricted Stock have
vested.) All actions taken and all interpretations and determinations
made by the Committee shall be final and binding upon the Participant, the
Company and all other persons, and shall be given the maximum deference
permitted by law. No member of the Committee shall be personally
liable for any action, determination or interpretation made in good faith with
respect to the Plan or this Agreement.
14. Captions. Captions
provided herein are for convenience only and are not to serve as a basis for
interpretation or construction of this Agreement.
15. Agreement
Severable. In the event that any provision in this Agreement
shall be held invalid or unenforceable, such provision shall be severable from,
and such invalidity or unenforceability shall not be construed to have any
effect on, the remaining provisions of this Agreement.
16. Entire
Agreement. This Agreement and the Plan constitutes the entire
understanding of the parties on the subjects covered. The Participant
expressly warrants that he or she is not executing this Agreement in reliance on
any promises, representations or inducements other than those contained herein
and in the Plan.
17. Modifications to the
Agreement. This Agreement and the Plan constitute the entire
understanding of the parties on the subjects covered. The Participant
expressly warrants that he or she is not accepting this Agreement in reliance on
any promises, representations or inducements other than those contained herein
and the Plan. Modifications to this Agreement can be made only in an
express written contract executed by the Participant and a duly authorized
officer of the Company.
18. Amendment, Suspension or
Termination of the Plan. By accepting this award, the Participant
expressly warrants that he or she has received an award under the Plan, and has
received, read and understood a description of the Plan. The Participant
understands that the Plan is discretionary in nature and may be modified,
suspended or terminated by the Company at any time.
19. Governing
Law. This award of Restricted Stock shall be governed by, and
construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Colorado, without regard
to its conflict of law provisions.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company and the Participant have executed this Agreement,
and agree that the Award is to be governed by the terms and conditions of this
Agreement and the Plan.
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Natural
Gas Services Group, Inc.,
a
Colorado corporation
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By:
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Title:
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THE
PARTICIPANT ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THE SHARES SHALL VEST, IF AT ALL, ONLY
DURING THE PERIOD OF THE PARTICIPANT’S CONTINUOUS SERVICE (NOT THROUGH THE ACT
OF BEING GRANTED THIS AWARD OR ACQUIRING SHARES HEREUNDER). THE
PARTICIPANT FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT NOTHING IN THIS NOTICE, THE
AGREEMENT NOR THE PLAN SHALL CONFER UPON THE PARTICIPANT ANY RIGHT WITH RESPECT
TO CONTINUATION OF THE PARTICIPANT’S CONTINUOUS SERVICE.
Participant
Acknowledges and Agrees:
The
Participant acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Plan and represents that he or
she is familiar with the terms and provisions thereof, and hereby accepts the
Award subject to all of the terms and provisions hereof and
thereof. The Participant has reviewed this Agreement and the
Plan in their entirety, has had an opportunity to obtain the advice of counsel
prior to executing this Agreement and fully understands all provisions of this
Agreement and the Plan.
The
Participant further acknowledges that, from time to time, the Company may be in
a “blackout period” and/or subject to applicable federal securities laws that
could subject the Participant to liability for engaging in any transaction
involving the sale of the Company’s vested Restricted Shares. The
Participant further acknowledges and agrees that, prior to the sale of any
vested Restricted Shares acquired under this Award, it is the Participant’s
responsibility to determine whether or not such sale of such shares will subject
the Participant to liability under insider trading rules or other applicable
federal securities laws.
By
signing below (or by providing an electronic signature) and accepting the grant
of the Award, the Participant: (i) consents to access electronic copies (instead
of receiving paper copies) of this Notice, the Agreement, the Plan and the Plan
prospectus (collectively, the “Plan Documents”) via the Company’s intranet; (ii)
represents that the Participant has access to the Company’s intranet; (iii)
acknowledges receipt of electronic copies, or that the Participant is already in
possession of paper copies of the Plan Documents; and (iv) acknowledges that the
Participant is familiar with and accepts the Award subject to the terms and
provisions of the Plan Documents.
The
Participant hereby agrees that all questions of interpretation and
administration relating to this Agreement and the Plan shall be resolved by the
Committee (acting as the Administrator under the Plan) in accordance with
Section 13 of the Agreement. The Participant further agrees to the
arbitration and venue selection provisions in Section 17 of the
Plan. The Participant further agrees to notify the Company upon any
change in his or her residence address indicated in this Agreement.
Date:
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Participant’s
Signature
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Participant’
Printed Name
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Address
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City,
State & Zip
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NATURAL
GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
2009
RESTRICTED STOCK/UNIT PLAN
RESTRICTED
STOCK UNIT AGREEMENT
NOTICE OF AWARD OF
RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS
Award # RSU-
Participant’s
Name and Address:
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Natural
Gas Services Group, Inc. (the “Company”) hereby grants you,
(the “Participant”), the number of restricted stock units indicated below (the
“Restricted Stock Units”) under the Company’s 2009 Restricted Stock/Unit Plan
(the “Plan”). The date of this Agreement is (the
“Grant Date”). Subject to the provisions of this Agreement and of the Plan, the
principal features of this Restricted Stock Unit award are as
follows:
Target Number of Restricted
Stock Units:
_________.
Vesting
Schedule:
Thirty-three
percent (33%) of the Restricted Stock Units shall vest on each of the first
three anniversaries of the date hereof (each a “Vesting Date” and collectively,
the “Vesting Dates”), subject to Participant’s Continued Service through each
such date and the terms of this Agreement and the Plan.
Your signature below indicates your
agreement and understanding that this Award is subject to all of the terms and
conditions contained in the Plan and this Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (the
“Agreement”), which includes this Notice of Award of Restricted Stock Units and
the Terms and Conditions of Restricted Stock Units Award. PLEASE BE SURE TO READ ALL OF THIS
AGREEMENT AND THE PLAN, WHICH CONTAINS THE SPECIFIC TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS
RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AWARD.
Award
Number: RSU-__________
NATURAL
GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
2009
RESTRICTED STOCK/UNIT PLAN
AGREEMENT
TERMS
AND CONDITIONS OF RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS AWARD
1. Award or Restricted Stock
Units. Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., a Colorado
corporation (the “Company”), hereby issues to the Participant under the Natural
Gas Services Group, Inc. 2009 Restricted Stock/Unit Plan, as amended from time
to time (the “Plan”), an award (the “Award”) of the number of restricted stock
units (the “Restricted Stock Units”) set forth in this Restricted Stock Unit
Agreement (the “Agreement”), which consists of the attached Notice of Award of
Restricted Stock Units (the “Notice”) and these Terms and Conditions of
Restricted Stock Award. Unless otherwise provided herein, the terms
in this Agreement shall have the same meaning as those defined in the
Plan.
2. Company’s Obligation to
Pay. Each Restricted Stock Unit represents one (1) share of
the Company’s Common Stock (a “Share”). Upon the vesting of each
Restricted Stock Unit, the Company will issue to the Participant one Share to
the Participant. Unless and until the vesting of the Restricted Stock
Units as set forth in paragraph 3, below, the Participant shall have no right to
the issuance of any Share underlying the unvested Restricted Stock
Unit. Prior to the vesting of the Restricted Stock Units and the
issuance of the Shares for vested Restricted Stock Units, the Restricted Stock
Unit will represent an unfunded and unsecured obligation of the
Company.
3. Vesting
Schedule. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement or in
the Plan, the Restricted Stock Units awarded by this Agreement are scheduled to
vest in accordance with the Vesting Schedule set forth in the
Notice. Restricted Stock Units scheduled to vest on a Vesting Date
will vest only if the Participant remains in Continued Service through the
Vesting Date. Should the Participant’s Continued Service end at any
time (the “Termination Date”), any unvested Restricted Stock Units will be
immediately cancelled;
provided, however, that if termination of Continued Service results from
the Participant’s death, Disability or Retirement, then any unvested Restricted
Stock Units that would have vested by their terms within twelve (12) months
from the Termination Date had the Participant remained in Continued Service will
be deemed vested on the Termination Date (the “Acceleration”).
4. Share Issuances after
Vesting of RSUs.
(a) Upon
the vesting of Restricted Stock Units, the Shares underlying such vested
Restricted Stock Units shall be issued to the Participant (or, in the event of
the Participant’s death, to his or her estate) as soon as practicable following
the Vesting Date, subject to the provisions of paragraph 7, below, but in no
event later than two (2) months and fifteen (15) days after the Vesting
Date.
(b) If,
in connection with an Acceleration of the vesting of Restricted Stock Units as
set forth in section 3 above, the Shares underlying vested Restricted Stock
Units are inadvertently not issued within the two and one-half months period
specified in section 4(a) above and the Participant
is a Specified Employee on the Termination Date, then any Shares to be issued to
the Participant as a result of the Acceleration shall not be issued to the
Participant until six (6) months and one (1) day following the Termination Date
(the “Cooling Period”), unless, (i) the Participant’s Continuous Service be
terminated as a result of the Participant’s death or (ii) if the Participant
dies during the Cooling Period, then the Shares to be issued to the Participant
as a result of the Acceleration shall be issued to the Participant’s Estate no
later than two (2) months and fifteen (15) days after the date of the
Participant’s death, subject to paragraph 7, below.
5. Forfeiture. Notwithstanding
any contrary provision of this Agreement, the balance of the Restricted Stock
Units that have not vested pursuant to paragraph 3 as of the Termination Date
will be forfeited and automatically transferred to and reacquired by the Company
at no cost to the Company. The Participant shall not be entitled to a refund of
any amounts paid for such forfeited Restricted Stock Units.
6. Death of
Participant. Any distribution or delivery to be made to the
Participant under this Agreement will, if the Participant is then deceased, be
made to the administrator or executor of the Participant’s estate (or such other
person to whom the Restricted Stock Units are transferred pursuant to the
Participant’s will or in accordance with the laws of descent and distribution).
Any such transferee must furnish the Company (a) written notice of his or
her status as a transferee, (b) evidence satisfactory to the Company to
establish the validity of the transfer of these Restricted Stock Units and
compliance with any laws or regulations pertaining to such transfer, and
(c) written acceptance of the terms and conditions of this Restricted Stock
Unit grant as set forth in this Agreement.
7. Taxes
(a) Tax
Liability. The Participant is ultimately liable and
responsible for all taxes owed by the Participant in connection with the Award,
regardless of any action the Company or any Related Entity takes with respect to
any tax withholding obligations that arise in connection with the
Award. Neither the Company nor any Related Entity makes any
representation or undertaking regarding the treatment of any tax withholding in
connection with the grant or vesting of the Award or the subsequent sale of
Shares issuable pursuant to the Award. The Company does not commit
and is under no obligation to structure the Award to reduce or eliminate the
Participant’s tax liability.
(b) Payment of Withholding
Taxes. No stock certificates will be released to the
Participant unless the Participant has made acceptable arrangements to pay any
withholding taxes that may be due as a result of this award or the vesting of
Restricted Stock Units. The Company, in its sole discretion and
pursuant to such procedures as it may specify from time to time, may permit you
to satisfy such tax withholding obligation, in whole or in part (without
limitation) by (i) paying cash, (ii) electing to have the Company withhold
otherwise then deliverable vested shares of Restricted Stock Units having a fair
market value equal to the minimum amount required to be withheld, and
(iii) delivering to the Company of vested and owned shares of our common
stock having a fair market value equal to the amount required to be withheld or
(iv) through any other lawful manner.
(c) Indemnification;
Offset. The Participant agrees to indemnify and hold the
Company harmless from any losses, costs, damages, or expenses relating to
inadequate withholding. Accordingly, the Participant agrees to pay to
the Company or any Related Entity as soon as practicable, including through
additional payroll withholding, any amount of the tax withholding obligation
that is not satisfied by the withholding methods described
above. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company or a Related Entity
also may satisfy any tax withholding obligation by offsetting any amounts
(including, but not limited to, salary, bonus, and severance payments) payable
to the Participant by the Company and/or a Related Entity.
8. Rights as
Stockholder. The Participant shall not have any of the rights
or privileges of a stockholder of the Company in respect of any Shares
deliverable upon the vesting of Restricted Stock Units hereunder unless and
until certificates representing such Shares (which may be in book entry form)
shall have been issued, recorded on the records of the Company or its transfer
agents or registrars, and delivered to the Participant (including through
electronic delivery to a brokerage account). After such issuance,
recordation and delivery, the Participant will have all the rights of a
stockholder of the Company with respect to voting such Shares and receipt of
dividends and distributions on such Shares.
9. No Effect on Employment or
Service. The Participant’s employment with the Company and any
Related Entity is on an at-will basis only, subject to the provisions of
applicable law. Accordingly, subject to any written, express employment contract
with the Participant, nothing in this Agreement or the Plan shall confer upon
the Participant any right to continue to be employed by the Company or Related
Entity or shall interfere with or restrict in any way the rights of the Company
or the employing Related Entity, which are hereby expressly reserved, to
terminate the employment of the Participant at any time for any reason
whatsoever, with or without good cause. Such reservation of rights
can be modified only in an express written contract executed by a duly
authorized officer of the Company or Related Entity employing the
Participant.
10. Address for
Notices. Any notice to be given to the Company under the terms
of this Agreement shall be addressed to the Company, in care of Earl R. Wait,
Vice President -- Accounting at the Company’s headquarters, 508 West Wall
Street, Suite 550, Midland, Texas 79701, or at such other address as the Company
may hereafter designate in writing.
11. Award is Not
Transferable. This Award and the rights and privileges
conferred hereby shall not be transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated in
any way (whether by operation of law or otherwise) and shall not be subject to
sale under execution, attachment or similar process. Upon any attempt
to transfer, assign, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of this grant, or
of any right or privilege conferred hereby, or upon any attempted sale under any
execution, attachment or similar process, this Award and the rights and
privileges conferred hereby immediately shall become null and void.
12. Restrictions on Sale of
Securities. The Shares issued as payment for vested Restricted
Stock Units awarded under this Agreement will be registered under the federal
securities laws and will be freely tradable upon receipt. However, the
Participant’s subsequent sale of the Shares will be subject to any market
blackout-period that may be imposed by the Company and must comply with the
Company’s insider trading policies, and any other applicable securities
laws.
13. Binding
Agreement. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to
the benefit of the heirs, legatees, legal representatives, successors and
assigns of the parties hereto.
14. Conditions for Issuance of
Stock. The shares of stock deliverable to the Participant may
be either previously authorized but unissued shares or issued shares which have
been reacquired by the Company. The Company shall not be required to
transfer on its books or list in street name with a brokerage company or
otherwise issue any certificate or certificates for Shares hereunder prior to
fulfillment of all the following conditions: (a) the admission of such
Shares to listing on all stock exchanges on which such class of stock is then
listed; and (b) the completion of any registration or other qualification
of such Shares under any state or federal law or under the rulings or
regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission or any other governmental
regulatory body, which the Committee shall, in its absolute discretion, deem
necessary or advisable; and (c) the obtaining of any approval or other
clearance from any state or federal governmental agency, which the Committee
shall, in its absolute discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable; and
(d) the lapse of such reasonable period of time following the date of
vesting of the Restricted Stock Units as the Committee may establish from time
to time for reasons of administrative convenience.
15. Plan
Governs. This Agreement is subject to all terms and provisions
of the Plan. In the event of a conflict between one or more
provisions of this Agreement and one or more provisions of the Plan, the
provisions of the Plan shall govern. Capitalized terms used and not defined in
this Agreement shall have the meaning set forth in the Plan.
16. Committee
Authority. The Committee shall have the power to interpret the
Plan and this Agreement and to adopt such rules for the administration,
interpretation and application of the Plan as are consistent therewith and to
interpret or revoke any such rules (including, but not limited to, the
determination of whether or not any Restricted Stock Units have
vested. All actions taken and all interpretations and determinations
made by the Committee shall be final and binding upon the Participant, the
Company and all other persons, and shall be given the maximum deference
permitted by law. No member of the Committee shall be personally
liable for any action, determination or interpretation made in good faith with
respect to the Plan or this Agreement.
17. Captions. Captions
provided herein are for convenience only and are not to serve as a basis for
interpretation or construction of this Agreement.
18. Agreement
Severable. In the event that any provision in this Agreement
shall be held invalid or unenforceable, such provision shall be severable from,
and such invalidity or unenforceability shall not be construed to have any
effect on, the remaining provisions of this Agreement.
19. Entire
Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding
of the parties on the subjects covered. The Participant expressly
warrants that he or she is not executing this Agreement in reliance on any
promises, representations or inducements other than those contained herein and
in the Plan.
20. Modifications to the
Agreement. This Agreement and the
Plan constitute the entire understanding of the parties on the subjects
covered. The Participant expressly warrants that he or she is not
accepting this Agreement in reliance on any promises, representations or
inducements other than those contained herein and the
Plan. Modifications to this Agreement can be made only in an express
written contract executed by the Participant and a duly authorized officer of
the Company.
21. Amendment, Suspension or
Termination of the Plan. By accepting this award, the Participant
expressly warrants that he or she has received an award under the Plan, and has
received, read and understood a description of the Plan. The Participant
understands that the Plan is discretionary in nature and may be modified,
suspended or terminated by the Company at any time.
22. Governing
Law. This grant of Restricted Stock Units shall be governed
by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Colorado, without
regard to its conflict of law provisions.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company and
the Participant have executed this Agreement and agree that the Award is to be
governed by the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the
Plan.
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Natural
Gas Services Group, Inc.,
a
Colorado corporation
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By:
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Title:
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THE
PARTICIPANT ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT THE SHARES SHALL VEST, IF AT ALL, ONLY
DURING THE PERIOD OF THE PARTICIPANT’S CONTINUOUS SERVICE (NOT THROUGH THE ACT
OF BEING GRANTED THIS AWARD OR ACQUIRING SHARES HEREUNDER). THE
PARTICIPANT FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT NOTHING IN THIS NOTICE, THE
AGREEMENT NOR THE PLAN SHALL CONFER UPON THE PARTICIPANT ANY RIGHT WITH RESPECT
TO CONTINUATION OF THE PARTICIPANT’S CONTINUOUS SERVICE.
Participant
Acknowledges and Agrees:
The
Participant acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Plan and the Agreement and
represents that he or she is familiar with the terms and provisions thereof, and
hereby accepts the Award subject to all of the terms and provisions hereof and
thereof. The Participant has reviewed this Notice, the
Agreement and the Plan in their entirety, has had an opportunity to obtain
the advice of counsel prior to executing this Notice and fully understands all
provisions of this Notice, the Agreement and the Plan.
The
Participant further acknowledges that, from time to time, the Company may be in
a “blackout period” and/or subject to applicable federal securities laws that
could subject the Participant to liability for engaging in any transaction
involving the sale of the Company’s Shares. The Participant further
acknowledges and agrees that, prior to the sale of any Shares acquired under
this Award, it is the Participant’s responsibility to determine whether or not
such sale of Shares will subject the Participant to liability under insider
trading rules or other applicable federal securities laws.
By
signing below (or by providing an electronic signature) and accepting the grant
of the Award, the Participant: (i) consents to access electronic copies (instead
of receiving paper copies) of this Notice, the Agreement, the Plan and the Plan
prospectus (collectively, the “Plan Documents”) via the Company’s intranet; (ii)
represents that the Participant has access to the Company’s intranet; (iii)
acknowledges receipt of electronic copies, or that the Participant is already in
possession of paper copies of the Plan Documents; and (iv) acknowledges that the
Participant is familiar with and accepts the Award subject to the terms and
provisions of the Plan Documents.
The
Participant hereby agrees that all questions of interpretation and
administration relating to this Agreement and the Plan shall be resolved by the
Committee (acting as the Administrator under the Plan) in accordance with
Section 16 of the Agreement. The Participant further agrees to the
arbitration and venue selection provisions in Section 17 of the
Plan. The Participant further agrees to notify the Company upon any
change in his or her residence address indicated in this Notice.
Date:
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Participant’
Printed Name
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Address
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City,
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APPENDIX
B
NATURAL
GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
1998
STOCK OPTION PLAN
(as
amended by the Board of Directors on May 9, 2006 (approved by the Stockholders
on June 20, 2006) and as amended by the Board of Directors on April 15, 2009,
subject to Stockholder approval)
1. Purposes of this
Plan. The purposes of this 1998 Stock Option Plan are to
attract and retain the best available personnel for positions of substantial
responsibility, to provide additional incentive to Employees and Consultants and
to promote the success of the Company's business. Options granted hereunder may
be either "incentive stock options," as defined in Section 422 of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or "nonstatutory stock options," at the
discretion of the Board and as reflected in the terms of the written stock
option agreement.
2. Definitions. As
used herein, the following definitions shall apply:
a. "Board"
shall mean the Committee, if one has been appointed, or the Board of Directors
of the Company if no Committee is appointed.
b. "Code"
shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
c. "Common
Stock" shall mean the $0.01 par value common stock of the Company.
d. "Company"
shall mean Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., a Colorado
corporation.
e. "Committee"
shall mean the Committee appointed by the Board in accordance with paragraph (a)
of Section 4 of this Plan, if one is appointed, or the Board if no committee is
appointed.
f. "Consultant"
shall mean any person who is engaged by the Company or by any Parent or
Subsidiary to render consulting services and is compensated for such consulting
services, but does not include a director of the Company who is compensated for
services as a director only with the payment of a director's fee by the
Company.
g "Continuous
Status as an Employee" shall mean the absence of any interruption or termination
of service as an Employee. Continuous Status as an Employee shall not be
considered interrupted in the case of sick leave, military leave, or any other
leave of absence approved by the Board, provided that such leave is for a period
of not more than 90 days or reemployment upon the expiration of such leave is
guaranteed by contract or statute.
h. "Employee"
shall mean any person, including officers and directors, employed by the Company
or by any Parent or Subsidiary. The payment of a director's fee by the Company
shall not be sufficient to constitute "employment" by the Company.
i. "Incentive
Stock Option" shall mean an Option which is intended to qualify as an incentive
stock option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code and which shall be
clearly identified as such in the written Stock Option Agreement provided by the
Company to each Optionee granted an Incentive Stock Option under this
Plan.
j. "Non-Employee
Director" shall mean a director who:
(i) Is
not currently an officer (as defined in Section 16a-1(1) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) of the Company or of a Parent or Subsidiary or
otherwise currently employed by the Company or by a Parent or
Subsidiary.
(ii) Does
not receive compensation, either directly or indirectly, from the Company or
from a Parent or Subsidiary, for services rendered as a Consultant or in any
capacity other than as a director, except for an amount that does not exceed the
dollar amount for which disclosure would be required pursuant to Item 404(a) of
Regulation S-K adopted by the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission.
(iii) Does
not possess an interest in any other transaction for which disclosure would be
required pursuant to Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K adopted by the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission.
k. "Nonstatutory
Stock Option" shall mean an Option granted under this Plan which does not
qualify as an Incentive Stock Option and which shall be clearly identified as
such in the written Stock Option Agreement provided by the Company to each
Optionee granted a Nonstatutory Stock Option under this Plan. To the extent that
the aggregate fair market value of Optioned Stock to which Incentive Stock
Options granted under Options to an Employee are exercisable for the first time
during any calendar year (under this Plan and all plans of the Company or any
Parent or Subsidiary) exceeds $100,000, such Options shall be treated as
Nonstatutory Stock Options under this Plan. The aggregate fair market value of
the Optioned Stock shall be determined as of the date of grant of each Option
and the determination of which Incentive Stock Options shall be treated as
qualified incentive stock options under Section 422 of the Code and which
Incentive Stock Options exercisable for the first time in a particular year in
excess of the $100,000 limitation shall be treated as Nonstatutory Stock Options
shall be determined based on the order in which such Options were granted in
accordance with Section 422(d) of the Code.
l.
"Option" shall mean an Incentive Stock Option, a Nonstatutory Stock
Option or both as identified in a written Stock Option Agreement representing
such stock option granted pursuant to this Plan.
m. "Optioned
Stock" shall mean the Common Stock subject to an Option.
n.
"Optionee" shall mean an Employee or other person who is
granted an option.
o.
"Parent" shall mean a "parent corporation" of the Company, whether
now or hereafter existing, as defined in Section 424(e) of the
Code.
p.
"Plan" shall mean this 1998 Stock Option Plan.
q.
"Share" shall mean a share of the Common Stock of the Company, as
adjusted in accordance with Section 11 of this Plan.
r.
"Stock Option Agreement" shall mean the agreement to be entered into
between the Company and each Optionee which shall set forth the terms and
conditions of each Option granted to each Optionee, including the number of
Shares underlying such Option and the exercise price of each Option granted to
such Optionee under such agreement.
s.
"Subsidiary" shall mean a "subsidiary corporation" of the Company, whether
now or hereafter existing, as defined in Section 424(f) of the
Code.
3.
Stock Subject to this
Plan. Subject to the provisions of Section 11 of this
Plan, the maximum aggregate number of Shares which may be optioned and sold
under this Plan is 750,000 shares of Common Stock. The Shares may be authorized,
but unissued, or reacquired Common Stock. If an Option should expire or become
unexercisable for any reason without having been exercised in full, the
unpurchased Shares which were subject thereto shall, unless this Plan shall have
been terminated, become available for future grant under this Plan.
4. Administration of this
Plan.
a. Procedure. This
Plan shall be administered by the Board or a Committee appointed by the Board
consisting of two or more Non-Employee Directors to administer this Plan on
behalf of the Board, subject to such terms and conditions as the Board may
prescribe.
(i) Once
appointed, the Committee shall continue to serve until otherwise directed by the
Board (which for purposes of this paragraph (a)(i) of this Section 4 shall be
the Board of Directors of the Company). From time to time the Board may increase
the size of the Committee and appoint additional members thereof, remove members
(with or without cause) and appoint new members in substitution therefor, fill
vacancies however caused, or remove all members of the Committee and thereafter
directly administer this Plan.
(ii) Members
of the Board who are granted, or have been granted, Options may vote on any
matters affecting the administration of this Plan or the grant of any Options
pursuant to this Plan.
b. Powers of the
Board. Subject to the provisions of this Plan, the Board shall
have the authority, in its discretion:
(i) To
grant Incentive Stock Options, in accordance with Section 422 of the Code, and
Nonstatutory Stock Options or both as provided and identified in a separate
written Stock Option Agreement to each Optionee granted such Option or Options
under this Plan; provided however, that in no event shall an Incentive Stock
Option and a Nonstatutory Stock Option granted to any Optionee under a single
Stock Option Agreement be subject to a "tandem" exercise arrangement such that
the exercise of one such Option affects the Optionee's right to exercise the
other Option granted under such Stock Option Agreement;
(ii) To
determine, upon review of relevant information and in accordance with Section
8(b) of this Plan, the fair market value of the Common Stock;
(iii) To
determine the exercise price per Share of Options to be granted, which exercise
price shall be determined in accordance with Section 8(a) of this
Plan;
(iv) To
determine the Employees or other persons to whom, and the time or times at
which, Options shall be granted and the number of Shares to be represented by
each Option;
(v)
To interpret this Plan;
(vi) To
prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to this
Plan;
(vii) To
determine the terms and provisions of each Option granted (which need not be
identical) and, with the consent of the holder thereof, modify or amend each
Option;
(viii) To
accelerate or defer (with the consent of the Optionee) the exercise date of any
Option, consistent with the provisions of Section 7 of this Plan;
(ix) To
authorize any person to execute on behalf of the Company any instrument required
to effectuate the grant of an Option previously granted by the Board;
and
(x) To
make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable for the
administration of this Plan.
c. Effect of Board's
Decision. All decisions, determinations and interpretations of
the Board shall be final and binding on all Optionees and any other permissible
holders of any Options granted under this Plan.
5.
Eligibility.
a. Persons
Eligible. Options may be granted to any person selected by the
Board. Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to Employees. An
Employee, who is also a director of the Company, its Parent or a Subsidiary,
shall be treated as an Employee for purposes of this Section 5. An
Employee or other person who has been granted an Option may, if he is otherwise
eligible, be granted an additional Option or Options.
b. No Effect on
Relationship. This Plan shall not confer upon any Optionee any
right with respect to continuation of employment or other relationship with the
Company nor shall it interfere in any way with his right or the Company's right
to terminate his employment or other relationship at any time.
6. Term of Plan. This
Plan, as amended, became effective on June 21, 2006. It shall continue in effect
until March 1, 2016, unless sooner terminated under Section 13 of this
Plan.
7. Term of Option. The term of
each Option shall be 10 years from the date of grant thereof or such shorter
term as may be provided in the Stock Option Agreement. However, in the case of
an Option granted to an Optionee who, at the time the Option is granted, owns
stock representing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all
classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, if the Option is an
Incentive Stock Option, the term of the Option shall be five years from the date
of grant thereof or such shorter time as may be provided in the Stock Option
Agreement.
8.
Exercise Price and
Consideration.
a.
Exercise
Price. The per Share exercise price for the Shares to be
issued pursuant to exercise of an Option shall be such price as is determined by
the Board, but the per Share exercise price under an Incentive Stock Option
shall be subject to the following:
(i) If
granted to an Employee who, at the time of the grant of such Incentive Stock
Option, owns stock representing more than 10% of the voting power of all classes
of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, the per Share exercise
price shall not be less than 110% of the fair market value per Share on the date
of grant.
(ii) If
granted to any other Employee, the per Share exercise price shall not be less
than 100% of the fair market value per Share on the date of grant.
b. Determination of Fair Market
Value. The fair market value per Share on the date of grant
shall be determined as follows:
(i) If
the Common Stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock
Exchange or such other securities exchange designated by the Board, or admitted
to unlisted trading privileges on any such exchange, or if the Common Stock is
quoted on a National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. system that reports
closing prices, the fair market value shall be the closing price of the Common
Stock as reported by such exchange or system on the day the fair market value is
to be determined, or if no such price is reported for such day, then the
determination of such closing price shall be as of the last immediately
preceding day on which the closing price is so reported;
(ii) If
the Common Stock is not so listed or admitted to unlisted trading privileges or
so quoted, the fair market value shall be the average of the last reported
highest bid and the lowest asked prices quoted on the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc. Automated Quotations System or, if not so quoted, then
by the National Quotation Bureau, Inc. on the day the fair market value is
determined; or
(iii) If
the Common Stock is not so listed or admitted to unlisted trading privileges or
so quoted, and bid and asked prices are not reported, the fair market value
shall be determined in such reasonable manner as may be prescribed by the
Board.
c. Consideration and Method of
Payment. The consideration to be paid for the Shares to be
issued upon exercise of an Option, including the method of payment, shall be
determined by the Board and may consist entirely of cash, check, other shares of
Common Stock having a fair market value on the date of exercise equal to the
aggregate exercise price of the Shares as to which said Option shall be
exercised, or any combination of such methods of payment, or such other
consideration and method of payment for the issuance of Shares to the extent
permitted under the Colorado Business Corporation Act.
9. Exercise of
Option.
a. Procedure for Exercise: Rights as a
Shareholder. Any Option granted hereunder shall be exercisable at such
times and under such conditions as determined by the Board, including
performance criteria with respect to the Company and/or the Optionee, and as
shall be permissible under the terms of this Plan.
An
Option may not be exercised for a fraction of a Share.
An
option shall be deemed to be exercised when written notice of such exercise has
been given to the Company in accordance with the terms of the Stock Option
Agreement by the person entitled to exercise the Option and full payment for the
Shares with respect to which the Option is exercised has been received by the
Company. Full payment, as authorized by the Board, may consist of a
consideration and method of payment allowable under Section 8(c) and this
Section 9(a) of this Plan. Until the issuance (as evidenced by the appropriate
entry on the books of the Company or of the duly authorized transfer agent of
the Company) of the stock certificate evidencing such Shares, no right to vote
or receive dividends or any other rights as a shareholder shall exist with
respect to the Optioned Stock, notwithstanding the exercise of the Option. No
adjustment will be made for a dividend or other right for which the record date
is prior to the date the stock certificate is issued, except as provided in
Section 11 of this Plan.
Exercise
of an Option in any manner shall result in a decrease in the number of Shares
which thereafter may be available, both for purposes of this Plan and for sale
under the Option, by the number of Shares as to which the Option is
exercised.
b. Termination of Status as an
Employee. In the case of an Incentive Stock Option, if any
Employee ceases to serve as an Employee, he may, but only within such period of
time not exceeding three months as is determined by the Board at the time of
grant of the Option after the date he ceases to be an Employee of the Company,
exercise his Option to the extent that he was entitled to exercise it at the
date of such termination. To the extent that he was not entitled to exercise the
Option at the date of such termination, or if he does not exercise such Option
(which he was entitled to exercise) within the time specified herein, the Option
shall terminate.
c. Disability of Optionee. In
the case of an Incentive Stock Option, notwithstanding the provisions of Section
9(b) above, in the event an Employee is unable to continue his employment with
the Company as a result of his total and permanent disability (as defined in
Section 22(e)(3) of the Code), he may, but only within such period of time not
exceeding 12 months as is determined by the Board at the time of grant of the
Option from the date of termination, exercise his Option to the extent he was
entitled to exercise it at the date of such termination. To the extent that he
was not entitled to exercise the Option at the date of termination, or if he
does not exercise such Option (which he was entitled to exercise) within the
time specified herein, the Option shall terminate.
d. Death of Optionee. In the
case of an Incentive Stock Option, in the event of the death of the
Optionee:
(i) During
the term of the Option if the Optionee was at the time of his death an Employee
and had been in Continuous Status as an Employee or Consultant since the date of
grant of the Option, the Option may be exercised, at any time within 12 months
following the date of death, by the Optionee's estate or by a person who
acquired the right to exercise the Option by bequest or inheritance, but only to
the extent that the right to exercise would have accrued had the Optionee
continued living and remained in Continuous Status as an Employee 12 months
after the date of death; or
(ii) Within
such period of time not exceeding three months as is determined by the Board at
the time of grant of the Option after the termination of Continuous Status as an
Employee, the Option may be exercised, at any time within 12 months following
the date of death, by the Optionee's estate or by a person who acquired the
right to exercise the Option by bequest or inheritance, but only to the extent
that the right to exercise had accrued at the date of termination.
10. Nontransferability of
Options. Unless permitted by the Code, in the case of an
Incentive Stock Option, the Option may not be sold, pledged, assigned,
hypothecated, transferred, or disposed of in any manner other than by will or by
the laws of descent and distribution and may be exercised, during the lifetime
of the Optionee, only by the Optionee.
11. Adjustments Upon Changes in
Capitalization or Merger. Subject to any required action by
the shareholders of the Company, the number of Shares covered by each
outstanding Option, and the number of Shares which have been authorized for
issuance under this Plan but as to which no Options have yet been granted or
which have been returned to this Plan upon cancellation or expiration of any
Option, as well as the price per Share covered by each such outstanding Option,
shall be proportionately adjusted for any increase or decrease in the number of
issued Shares resulting from a stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend,
combination or reclassification of the Common Stock, or any other increase or
decrease in the number of issued shares of Common Stock effected without receipt
of consideration by the Company; provided, however, that conversion of any
convertible securities of the Company shall not be deemed to have been "effected
without receipt of consideration." Such adjustment shall be made by the Board,
whose determination in that respect shall be final, binding and conclusive.
Except as expressly provided herein, no issuance by the Company of shares of
stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class,
shall affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to,
the number or price of Shares subject to an Option.
In the event of the proposed dissolution or liquidation of the Company,
the Option will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such proposed
action, unless otherwise provided by the Board. The Board may, in the exercise
of its sole discretion in such instances, declare that any Option shall
terminate as of a date fixed by the Board and give each Optionee the right to
exercise his Option as to all or any part of the Optioned Stock, including
Shares as to which the Option would not otherwise be exercisable. In the event
of the proposed sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company,
or the merger of the Company with or into another entity in a transaction in
which the Company is not the survivor, the Option shall be assumed or an
equivalent option shall be substituted by such successor corporation or a parent
or subsidiary of such successor corporation, unless the Board determines, in the
exercise of its sole discretion and in lieu of such assumption or substitution,
that the Optionee shall have the right to exercise the Option as to all of the
Optioned Stock, including Shares as to which the Option would not otherwise be
exercisable. If the Board makes an Option fully exercisable in lieu of
assumption or substitution in the event of such a merger or sale of assets, the
Board shall notify the Optionee that the Option shall be fully exercisable for a
period of 30 days from the date of such notice, and the Option will terminate
upon the expiration of such period.
12. Time of Granting
Options. The date of grant of an Option shall, for all
purposes, be the date on which the Board makes the determination granting such
Option. Notice of the determination shall be given to each Employee or other
person to whom an Option is so granted within a reasonable time after the date
of such grant. Within a reasonable time after the date of the grant of an
Option, the Company shall enter into and deliver to each Employee or other
person granted such Option a written Stock Option Agreement as provided in
Sections 2(r) and 16 hereof, setting forth the terms and conditions of such
Option and
separately
identifying the portion of the Option which is an Incentive Stock Option and/or
the portion of such Option which is a Nonstatutory Stock Option.
13. Amendment and Termination of this
Plan.
a. Amendment and
Termination. The Board may amend or terminate this Plan from
time to time in such respects as the Board may deem advisable; provided that,
the following revisions or amendments shall require approval of the shareholders
of the Company in the manner described in Section 17 of this Plan:
(i) Any
change in the designation of the class of Employees eligible to be granted
Incentive Stock Options; or
(ii) Any
material amendment under this Plan that would have to be approved by the
shareholders of the Company for the Board to continue to be able to grant
Incentive Stock Options under this Plan.
b. Effect of Amendment or
Termination. Any such amendment or termination of this Plan
shall not affect Options already granted and such Options shall remain in full
force and effect as if this Plan had not been amended or terminated, unless
mutually agreed otherwise between the Optionee and the Board, which agreement
must be in writing and signed by the Optionee and the Company.
14. Conditions Upon Issuance of
Shares. Shares shall not be issued pursuant to the exercise of
an Option unless the exercise of such Option and the issuance and delivery of
such Shares pursuant thereto shall comply with all relevant provisions of law,
including, without limitation, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder, applicable state securities laws, and the requirements
of any stock exchange upon which the Shares may then be listed, and shall be
further subject to the approval of legal counsel for the Company with respect to
such compliance.
As
a condition to the existence of an Option, the Company may require the person
exercising such Option to represent and warrant at the time of any such exercise
that the Shares are being purchased only for investment and without any present
intention to sell or distribute such Shares and such other representations and
warranties which in the opinion of legal counsel for the Company, are necessary
or appropriate to establish an exemption from the registration requirements
under applicable federal and state securities laws with respect to the
acquisition of such Shares.
15. Reservation of
Shares. The Company, during the term of this Plan, will at all
times reserve and keep available such number of Shares as shall be sufficient to
satisfy the requirements of this Plan. Inability of the Company to obtain
authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction, which authority is
deemed by the Company's legal counsel to be necessary for the lawful issuance
and sale of any Share hereunder, shall relieve the Company of any liability
relating to the failure to issue or sell such Shares as to which such requisite
authority shall not have been obtained.
16. Stock Option
Agreement. Each Option granted to an Employee or other persons
shall be evidenced by a written Stock Option Agreement in such form as the Board
shall approve.
17. Shareholder Approval.
Continuance of this Plan, as amended, shall be subject to approval by the
shareholders of the Company on or before July 31, 2006.
18.
Information to
Optionees. The Company shall provide to each Optionee, during
the period for which such Optionee has one or more Options outstanding, copies
of all annual reports and other information which are provided to all
shareholders of the Company. The Company shall not be required to provide such
information if the issuance of Options under this Plan is limited to key
employees whose duties in connection with the Company assure their access to
equivalent information.
19. Gender. As used herein, the
masculine, feminine and neuter genders shall be deemed to include the others in
all cases where they would so apply.
20. CHOICE OF LAW. ALL
QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE CONSTRUCTION, VALIDITY AND INTERPRETATION OF THIS PLAN
AND THE INSTRUMENTS EVIDENCING OPTIONS WILL BE GOVERNED BY THE INTERNAL LAW, AND
NOT THE LAW OF CONFLICTS, OF THE STATE OF COLORADO.
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Stephen
C. Taylor, Chairman of the Board,
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President
and Chief Executive Officer
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