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Preliminary Proxy Statement |
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
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Definitive Proxy Statement |
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Definitive Additional Materials |
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
REOSTAR
ENERGY CORPORATION
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(Name of Registrant as Specified In
Its Charter)
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(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement,
if other than the Registrant)
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x
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No fee required. |
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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 transaction applies: | |
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 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined): | |
4) | Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction: | |
5) | Total fee paid: | |
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: | |
2) | Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.: | |
3) | Filing Party: | |
4) | Date Filed: | |
SEC 1913 (02-02) | Persons who are to respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB control number. |
1. | Elect five (5) directors, each to serve until our next Annual Meeting of Stockholders; | |
2. | Approve the 2008 Long-Term Incentive Plan; | |
3. | Approve a proposal to amend our Articles of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of our outstanding common stock at a ratio of 1-for-10, with any resulting fractional shares being rounded up to the nearest whole share; | |
4. | Ratify the appointment of Killman, Murrell & Company, P.C. as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009; | |
5. | Vote on the adjournment or postponement of the Annual Meeting to another time and date if such action is necessary for the board of directors to solicit additional proxies in favor of proposals 1, 2, 3 or 4; and | |
6. | Consider any other business that properly comes before the meeting. |
By Order of the Board of Directors, Mark S. Zouvas Chief Executive Officer |
ReoStar Energy Corporation 3880 Hulen Street, Suite 500 Fort Worth, Texas 76107 Telephone: (817) 989-7367 Facsimile: (817) 989-7368 Attn: Scott D. Allen, Chief Financial Officer |
M.O. Rife III Age 69 Director since 2007 |
Mr. Rife joined our board of directors in February 2007, and has served as our Chairman of the Board since February 2007. Mr. Rife also serves on our Audit Committee as its chairman and as a member of our Compensation Committee. From August 2003 to February 2007, Mr. Rife was a partner of REO Energy, Ltd., a predecessor company to ReoStar. From November 2003 to February 2007, Mr. Rife was a partner of JMT Resources Ltd., a predecessor company to ReoStar. From 1997 to August 2005, Mr. Rife served as Chairman of Board of Matrix Energy Services Corp., a publicly traded oil and gas exploration company. Mr. Rife has been in the oil and gas industry for 50 years and has been involved in the drilling, completion and operation of over 3,500 wells throughout the mid-continent Region including Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Mr. Rife attended Texas Christian University. |
Mark S. Zouvas Age 46 Director since 2007 |
Mr. Zouvas joined our board of directors in February 2007, and has served as our Chief Executive Officer since February 2007. He has also served as a member of our Audit Committee since February 2007. From August 2003 to February 2007, Mr. Zouvas was a partner of JMT Resources Ltd., a predecessor company to ReoStar, and served as its finance director. From 1998 to August 2005, Mr. Zouvas served as the Chief Financial Officer and as a member of the board of directors of Matrix Energy Services Corp., a publicly traded oil and gas exploration firm. From 1995 to 1997, Mr. Zouvas served as the Chief Financial Officer for a professional services division in a major commodities company, and before that, Mr. Zouvas was a staff auditor at Price Waterhouse where he performed services for clients in the banking and real estate industries. Early in his career, Mr. Zouvas was a licensed broker and an accountant in the state of California. Mr. Zouvas received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California Berkeley. |
H. Grant Swartzwelder Age 45 Director Nominee |
Mr. Swartzwelder is a board of directors' nominee.
In
March
1998, Mr. Swartzwelder founded PetroGrowth Advisors, a corporate
finance company focused on the energy industry, and he has served as its
President
from March 1998 to the present time.
Prior to founding PetroGrowth
Advisors, Mr. Swartzwelder held various positions working in the corporate
finance and energy industries, and he has accumulated over 20 years of experience
working in the energy industry. Mr. Swartzwelder received a Master in Business
Administration degree from Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.
He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering from
Texas A&M University. Mr. Swartzwelder was recommended to the board of directors by the chief executive officer. |
Alan Rae Age 50 Director since 2007 |
Mr. Rae joined our board of directors in February 2007. In July 2003, Mr. Rae founded O2Diesel Corp. (AMEX - OTD), a fuel development company, and he has served as the Chief Executive Officer of O2Diesel from July 2003 to the present time. Mr. Rae has over twenty-five years of diverse commercial experience, in the automotive, financial and service industries as a consultant, business owner and manager. He studied mechanical engineering in Glascow, Scotland. |
Vern Johnson Age 60 Director Nominee |
Mr. Johnson is a board of directors' nominee.
In
June
2004, Mr. Johnson founded a management consulting company
that provides
project management services including management of drilling, completion,
production, facilities, and pipeline gathering systems operations.
From
September 2005 to the present time the company provided a variety of services
to DTE Gas Resources. From April 2005 to September 2005, the company
managed
Williams Company's start up of a business unit in the Barnett Shale.
The
company provided project management services for Llano Operating Company
from June 2004 to April 2005. From May 2002 to June 2004, he served as the
Director of Business Development in the Barnett Shale for BSI.
Mr. Johnson
has more than 25 years experience in the oil field services sector with
BJ Services and the BSI Companies.
Mr. Johnson received his Bachelor of
Science degree from North Texas State University. Mr. Johnson was recommended to the board of directors by one of the Company's security holders. |
Jean-Baptiste Heinzer
Age 40 Director since 2007 |
Mr. Heinzer joined our board of directors in February 2007. In July 2002, Mr. Heinzer co-founded Equitys, a project management and corporate finance company and served as the President of Equitys until July 2008. From July 2008 to the present time, Mr. Heinzer has served as an independent financial consultant serving clients in the energy sector. Mr. Heinzer began his career working at Caterpillar from 1993 to 1994. Jean-Baptiste graduated from the University of Lausanne business school, and he received a postgraduate degree in Corporate Finance from the University of Geneva. |
Scott Allen Age 43 Director since 2008 |
Mr. Allen joined our board of directors in June 2008, and has served as our Chief Financial Officer since February 2007. Since July 2002, Mr. Allen has owned and operated Scott Allen CPA, LLC. Mr. Allen is a certified public accountant. He began his career with KPMG Peat Marwick in Midland, Texas. Mr. Allen has more than 18 years of oil and gas industry experience. Mr. Allen received a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Montana State University and a Master in Business Administration degree from Texas Christian University. |
THE AUDIT COMMITTEE M.O. Rife III Mark S. Zouvas Jean-Baptiste Heinzer |
| The 2008 Plan authorizes a total of 8,000,000 shares of common stock issuable pursuant to options and other stock-based awards that may be granted under the plan. The 8,000,000 shares authorized under the 2008 Plan do not reflect the implementation of the reverse stock split described in Proposal Three below and will be correspondingly adjusted by the plan administrator if the reverse stock split is approved and implemented. | |
| The 2008 Plan permits the grant of stock based awards in addition to stock options, including the grant of "full value" awards such as restricted stock, stock units, and performance shares. | |
| The 2008 Plan explicitly prohibits repricing of options without stockholder approval. | |
| The 2008 Plan will permit the qualification of awards under the plan (payable in either stock or cash) as "performance-based compensation" within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code (the "Code"). See "Federal Income Tax Information" below for a more detailed discussion of the application of Section 162(m). |
Before the
Proposed Reverse Split |
After the
Proposed Reverse Split |
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Number of Shares of Common Stock Authorized |
200,000,000
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200,000,000
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||
Number of Shares of Common Stock Issued |
80,181,310
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8,018,131
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A higher stock price, which we would expect as a result of the reverse stock split, could increase the interest of the financial community in our common stock and broaden the pool of investors that may consider investing in our common stock, potentially increasing the trading volume and liquidity of our common stock. As a matter of policy, many institutional investors are prohibited from purchasing stocks below certain minimum price levels. For the same reason, brokers often discourage their customers from purchasing such stocks. To the extent that the price per share of our common stock remains at a higher per share price as a result of the reverse stock split, some of these concerns may be ameliorated. | |
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A higher stock price may help us attract and retain employees and other service providers. Some potential employees and service providers may be less likely to work for a company with a low stock price, regardless of the size of the company's market capitalization. If the reverse stock split successfully increases the per share price of our common stock, this increase may enhance our ability to attract and retain employees and service providers. | |
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The additional available authorized shares of common stock that would result from a reverse stock split may facilitate future capital raising needs and acquisitions of companies or assets. In addition to focusing on the growth of our current business, our board of directors intends, as part of our business plan, to evaluate opportunities for growth through the acquisition of companies in similar or complementary lines of business. We may, from time to time, evaluate financing transactions involving the sale of our common stock or securities convertible into shares of our common stock. While we constantly evaluate the market for opportunities, there are no current proposals or |
agreements written or otherwise, at this time to issue any of the additional available authorized shares of common stock that would result from the reverse stock split. |
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While our board of directors believes that our common stock would trade at higher prices after the consummation of the reverse stock split, there can be no assurance that the increase in the trading price will occur, or, if it does occur, that it will equal or exceed the price that is the product of the market price per share of our common stock prior to the reverse stock split times the reverse stock split ratio. In some cases, the total market capitalization of a company following a reverse stock split is lower, and may be substantially lower, than the total market capitalization before the reverse stock split. | |
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The fewer number of shares that will be available to trade might cause the trading market of our common stock to become less liquid, which could have an adverse effect on the price of our common stock. The liquidity of our common stock may also be adversely affected by the increase in the number of stockholders who own "odd lots," which consist of blocks of fewer than 100 shares. Stockholders who hold odd lots may be required to pay higher brokerage commissions when they sell their shares and may have greater difficulty in making sales. |
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Each ten shares of our common stock owned by a stockholder before the reverse stock split would be exchanged for one share of our common stock. | |
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Fractional shares resulting from the reverse stock split will be rounded up to the nearest whole share. | |
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Proportionate adjustments will be made to the per share exercise price and the number of shares issuable upon the exercise of all outstanding options and warrants entitling the holders thereof to purchase shares of our common stock, which will result in approximately the same aggregate price being required to be paid for such options or warrants upon exercise of such options or warrants immediately preceding the reverse stock split. | |
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If you are an employee or director, the number of shares reserved for issuance under our existing equity incentive plans, the number of shares by which the share reserve may increase annually, the number of shares for which awards may be granted to any one individual and the number of shares for which automatic grants are to be made to eligible directors will be reduced proportionately based on the reverse stock split ratio selected by our board of directors. In addition, the number of shares |
issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options and the exercise price for such options will be adjusted based on the reverse stock split ratio. |
2008
|
2007
|
||||||
Audit Fees | $ |
94,953
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$ |
185,185
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Audit-Related Fees | $ |
-
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$ |
-
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Tax Fees | $ |
-
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$ |
-
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All Other Fees | $ |
-
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$ |
-
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NAME
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AGE
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POSITION
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MARK S. ZOUVAS
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46
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CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
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SCOTT D. ALLEN
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42
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CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
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BRETT BENNETT
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42
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VICE PRESIDENT OF
ADMINISTRATION |
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VERN WILSON
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71
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VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS
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Name and Principal
Position |
Year
|
Salary
($) |
Bonus
($) |
Stock Awards ($) |
Option Awards ($) |
All
Other Compen- sation ($) |
Total
($) |
Mark S. Zouvas,
|
2008
|
120,000
|
--
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--
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--
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--
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120,000
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Chief Executive Officer
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2007
|
20,000
|
--
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--
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--
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--
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20,000
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Scott D. Allen, Chief
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2008
|
84,000
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--
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249,525
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--
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4,000
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337,525
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Financial Officer
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2007
|
15,000
|
--
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--
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--
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--
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15,000
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|||||||
Brett Bennett,Vice President
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2008
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84,000
|
--
|
332,691
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--
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16,000
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432,691
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of Administration
|
2007
|
13,500
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
13,500
|
Vern Wilson,Vice President
|
2008
|
60,000
|
--
|
--
|
--
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--
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60,000
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of Operations |
2007
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
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--
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Option Awards
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Stock Awards
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|||||
Name
|
Number of
Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Exercisable (#) |
Option
Exercise Price ($) |
Option
Expiration Date |
Number
of Shares That Have Not Vested |
Market
Value of Shares That Have Not Vested |
|
Mark S. Zouvas, Chief Executive Officer |
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
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|
Scott D. Allen, Chief Financial Officer |
--
|
--
|
--
|
150,000(1)
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$93,000
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|
Brett Bennett, Vice President of Administration |
--
|
--
|
--
|
200,000(2)
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$124,000
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|
Vern Wilson, Vice President of Operations |
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
(1)
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Mr. Allen was granted restricted stock awards equal to 300,000 shares. These shares were granted on April 1, 2007 and vest over a two-year period with 50% of the award having vested on March 31, 2008 and the remaining 50% vesting on March 31, 2009. |
(2)
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Mr. Bennett was granted a restricted stock award equal to 400,000 shares. These shares were granted on April 1, 2007 and vest over a two-year period with 50% of the award having vested on March 31, 2008 and the remaining 50% vesting on March 31, 2009. |
Name
|
Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash ($) |
Option Awards
($) |
Total ($)
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||
M.O. Rife III |
--
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--
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--
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||
Mark S. Zouvas |
--
|
--
|
--
|
||
Scott D. Allen |
--
|
--
|
--
|
||
Alan Rae |
13,000
|
19,692
(2)
|
32,692
|
||
Jean-Baptiste Heinzer |
13,000
|
19,692
(2)
|
32,692
|
||
Joe Bill Bennett(1) |
--
|
--
|
--
|
||
Brett Bennett |
--
|
--
|
--
|
(1)
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Mr. Joe Bill Bennett resigned from our board of directors effective June 9, 2008. |
(2)
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We granted to each of our outside directors, Alan Rae and Jean-Baptiste, options to purchase 50,000 common shares each at an exercise price of $1.11 per share. At our fiscal year ended March 31, 2008, each such director has outstanding options to purchase 50,000 common shares. |
Plan Category |
(a) Number of
securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options |
|
(b) Weighted
average exercise price of outstanding options |
|
(c) Number of
securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) |
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Equity compensation plans approved by security holders | ||||||
None |
--
|
--
|
--
|
|||
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | ||||||
Options Issued to Directors |
100,000
|
$1.11
|
--
|
|||
Total
|
100,000
|
$1.11
|
--
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Name of
Beneficial Owner |
Amount and Nature of
Beneficial Ownership |
Percent of
Class |
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5% or Greater Stockholders: | ||||||
JMT Resources Ltd.(1) |
15,822,750(1)
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19.7%
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||||
Benco Operating, Inc.(2) |
16,041, 750(2)
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20.0%
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||||
REO Energy Ltd.(2) |
22,855, 500(2)
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28.5%
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||||
SG Private Banking (Suisse) SA(3) |
8,000,000
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10.0%
|
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Directors and Officers | ||||||
Mark S. Zouvas(1) |
15,822,750(1)
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19.7%
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||||
M.O. Rife III(2) |
38,897,250(2)
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48.5%
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Scott D. Allen |
150,000 (5)
|
*
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Alan Rae |
16,667 (4)
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*
|
||||
Jean-Baptiste Heinzer |
16,667 (4)
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*
|
||||
Brett Bennett |
200,000 (5)
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*
|
||||
Directors and executive officers as a group (6 persons) |
55,103,334
|
68.7%
|
(1)
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Mr. Zouvas is a Managing Partner of JMT Resources Ltd. and has voting power and dispositive power with respect to the shares. He also has an ownership interest in the partnership. |
(2)
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Mr. Rife is a Managing Partner of REO Energy Ltd. and has voting power and dispositive power with respect to the 22,855,500 shares held of record by REO Energy Ltd. He also has an ownership interest in the partnership. Pursuant to a contractual arrangement between Benco Operating and Mr. Rife, Mr. Rife has voting and dispositive power with respect to the 16,041,750 shares held of record by Benco Operating. |
(3)
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Alexandrie Orloff is the deputy Vice President of SG Private Bank and has voting power and dispositive power with respect to the shares. |
(4)
|
These shares represent the number of options exercisable pursuant to options granted in connection with service on our board. The options were granted in July 2007, and one-third vested on March 31, 2008, one-third will vest on March 31, 2009, and one-third will vest on March 31, 2010, at an exercise price of $1.11. |
(5)
|
These shares represent the number of vested shares issued under employment agreements dated April 1, 2007. |
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mark S. Zouvas, Chief Executive Officer |
OPTIONEE | REOSTAR ENERGY CORPORATION |
_____________________________________ | _____________________________________ |
Signature | By |
_____________________________________ | _____________________________________ |
Print Name | Title |
_____________________________________ | |
_____________________________________ | |
Residence Address |
THE SHARES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT TO RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER FOR A PERIOD NOT TO EXCEED 180 DAYS FOLLOWING THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE UNDERWRITTEN PUBLIC OFFERING OF THE COMPANY'S SECURITIES AND MAY NOT BE SOLD OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF BY THE HOLDER WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF THE COMPANY OR THE MANAGING UNDERWRITER. |
OPTIONEE | REOSTAR ENERGY CORPORATION |
_____________________________________ | _____________________________________ |
Signature | By |
_____________________________________ | _____________________________________ |
Print Name | Title |
_____________________________________ | |
_____________________________________ | |
Residence Address |
DATED:_____________________________________ | |
______________________________________ | |
(Print Full Name of Stockholder | |
______________________________________ | |
(Signature of Stockholder) | |
______________________________________ | |
(Signature if held jointly) |