GCP Applied Technologies Sends Letter to Shareholders Highlighting Strength and Commitment of Its 10 Director Nominees
GCP Applied Technologies issued a letter to shareholders urging support for its director nominees at the 2020 Annual Meeting, scheduled for May 28, 2020. The company highlighted its improved performance with the best first-quarter earnings since 2016 and emphasized the importance of stability amid the COVID-19 pandemic. GCP expressed a commitment to board refreshment, noting significant experience among its nominees. The board criticized Starboard for demanding changes that could disrupt business momentum, urging shareholders to vote ‘FOR’ all 10 candidates on the BLUE proxy card.
- Best first-quarter earnings since 2016.
- Commitment to board refreshment with 5 of 9 directors joining in the past 3 years.
- Independent and highly qualified slate of director nominees.
- Concerns over disruption if Starboard's demands are met.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GCP Applied Technologies Inc. (NYSE:GCP) (“GCP” or the “Company”), a leading global provider of construction products technologies, today issued the following open letter to shareholders regarding the election of the Company’s director nominees – Elizabeth Mora, Randall Dearth, Gerald Colella, Janice Henry, Clay Kiefaber, James Kirsch, Philip Mason, Danny Shepherd, Armand Lauzon and John McPherson – at its 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (“2020 Annual Meeting”), scheduled to be held on May 28, 2020:
Dear Fellow Shareholders:
GCP’s highly qualified, independent Board has demonstrated its commitment to significant Board refreshment and ability to deliver performance improvement. We are confident that our refreshed Board has helped drive significantly improved performance, most recently demonstrated by our best first quarter earnings results since 2016. This stability, continuity and sure-footed execution have only become more critical to the business in light of the volatility and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Board is working with urgency to take prudent steps to protect the business.
We encourage you to protect the value of your investment in GCP and vote “FOR” ALL 10 of the Company’s director candidates listed on the BLUE proxy card. A vote on the BLUE proxy card is a vote FOR:
| Right Skills and Experience |
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| 5%; width: | 19%; width: Experienced, Independent Slate of Directors | 19%; width:
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Clay H. Kiefaber
| James F. Kirsch
| Phillip J. Mason
| Danny R. Shepherd
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Armand F. Lauzon
| John R. McPherson
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| Strong Commitment to Refreshment |
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Starboard’s Unreasonable Demands
GCP’s Board is focused on shareholders’ best interests, which is why we have attempted numerous times to settle this proxy contest, including an enhanced proposal to Starboard just several days ago. We strongly believe replacing a supermajority of the Board would be highly disruptive and place at risk the Company’s demonstrated business progress and momentum. We believe Starboard’s continued unwillingness to consider reasonable proposals for a consensual resolution on Board representation underscores Starboard’s self-serving agenda at GCP. We also believe independent shareholders should be concerned with allowing Starboard and 40 North to take creeping control of the Company.
VOTE “FOR” ALL OF GCP’S NOMINEES ON THE BLUE PROXY CARD TODAY
We are confident that the GCP Board and our 2020 nominees possess the expertise, operational and industry experience, knowledge, and skills to support the continued execution of GCP’s strategy.
We strongly urge shareholders to vote the BLUE proxy card or voting instruction form and support ALL 10 of GCP’s refreshed, highly qualified, independent slate of director nominees.
Sincerely,
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| Independent Chairman of the Board of Directors | President and Chief Executive Officer |
GCP reminds shareholders that every vote is important, no matter how many or how few shares they hold. The Company urges all shareholders to use the BLUE proxy card to vote “FOR” the Company’s ten highly qualified and experienced director nominees TODAY.
About GCP Applied Technologies
GCP is a leading global provider of construction products technologies that include additives for cement and concrete, the VERIFI® in-transit concrete management system, high-performance waterproofing products, and specialty systems. GCP products have been used to build some of the world’s most renowned structures. More information is available at www.gcpat.com.
Investors:
GCP
investors@gcpat.com
D.F. King & Co., Inc.
Tom Germinario +1 212.493.6922
Geoffrey Weinberg +1.212.493.6969
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
Nick Lamplough / Andrew Squire
212-355-4449
Additional Information
GCP has filed a definitive proxy statement and BLUE proxy card with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in connection with its solicitation of proxies for its 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. GCP STOCKHOLDERS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO READ THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT (AND ANY AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND ACCOMPANYING PROXY CARD, AS THEY CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN (IN THE CASE OF AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS) IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Stockholders may obtain the definitive proxy statement (and any amendments or supplements thereto) and other documents filed by GCP with the SEC without charge from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
Certain Information Regarding Participants
GCP, its directors and certain of its executive officers may be deemed to be participants in connection with the solicitation of proxies from GCP’s stockholders in connection with the matters to be considered at the 2020 Annual Meeting. Information regarding the ownership of GCP’s directors and executive officers in GCP stock is included in their SEC filings on Forms 3, 4 and 5, which can be found through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. More detailed and updated information regarding the identity of potential participants, and their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is set forth in the definitive proxy statement (and any amendments and supplements thereto) filed with the SEC. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.
Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This announcement contains “forward-looking statements,” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the context of the statement and generally arise when GCP or its management is discussing its beliefs, estimates or expectations. Such statements generally include the words “believes,” “plans,” “intends,” “targets,” “will,” “expects,” “estimates,” “suggests,” “anticipates,” “outlook,” “continues,” or similar expressions. These statements are not historical facts or guarantees of future performance but instead represent only the beliefs of GCP and its management at the time the statements were made regarding future events, which are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are outside GCP’s control. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from what is expressed or forecast in such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements about expected financial positions; results of operations; cash flows; financing plans; business strategy; operating plans; strategic alternatives; capital and other expenditures; competitive positions; growth opportunities for existing products; benefits from new technology and cost reduction initiatives, plans and objectives; and markets for securities. Like other businesses, we are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from our projections or that could cause other forward-looking statements to prove incorrect. Factors that could cause actual results to materially differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, or that could cause other forward-looking statements to prove incorrect, include, without limitation, risks related to: the cyclical and seasonal nature of the industries that GCP serves; foreign operations, especially in emerging regions; changes in currency exchange rates; the cost and availability of raw materials and energy; the effectiveness of GCP’s research and development, new product introductions and growth investments; acquisitions and divestitures of assets and gains and losses from dispositions; developments affecting GCP’s outstanding liquidity and indebtedness, including debt covenants and interest rate exposure; developments affecting GCP’s funded and unfunded pension obligations; warranty and product liability claims; legal proceedings; the inability to establish or maintain certain business relationships and relationships with customers and suppliers or the inability to retain key personnel; the handling of hazardous materials and the costs of compliance with environmental regulations; extreme weather events, natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic. These and other factors are identified and described in more detail in GCP's Annual Report on Form 10-K, which has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and is available online at www.sec.gov, and subsequent quarterly reports. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on GCP’s projections and other forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date thereof. GCP undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revision to its projections and other forward-looking statements contained in this announcement, or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this announcement.
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¹ Marran Ogilvie, who joined the Board last year pursuant to an agreement with Starboard, is not being re-nominated by the Company.
FAQ
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