EnPro Industries, Inc.
SCHEDULE 14A
(Rule 14a-101)
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )
Filed by the Registrant x
Filed by a Party other than the Registrant o
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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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Soliciting Material under Rule 14a-12 |
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EnPro Industries, Inc. |
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On April 2, 2008, EnPro Industries, Inc. (EnPro) commenced mailing the following
correspondence to shareholders entitled to vote at EnPros 2008 annual meeting of shareholders to
be held on April 30, 2008. EnPro has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and
mailed to its shareholders a definitive proxy statement for EnPros 2008 annual meeting
of shareholders. The proxy statement contains important information about EnPro and the 2008
annual meeting of shareholders. EnPros shareholders are urged to read the proxy statement
carefully. Shareholders may obtain additional free copies of the proxy statement and
other relevant documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by EnPro through the
website maintained by the Securities and Exchange Commission at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the
proxy statement are also be available for free at EnPros website, http://www.enproindustries.com,
by calling EnPro at 704-731-1552, by emailing to investor@enproindustries.com, or by writing to
EnPro Industries, Inc., 5605 Carnegie Boulevard, Suite 500, Charlotte, North Carolina 28209,
Attention: Corporate Secretary. In addition, copies of the proxy statement may be requested by
contacting EnPros proxy solicitor, MacKenzie Partners, Inc., by phone toll-free at 1-800-322-2885.
EnPro and its directors, director nominees and executive officers may be deemed to be participants
in the solicitation of proxies for EnPros 2008 annual meeting, and detailed information regarding
the names, affiliations and interests of these individuals is available in EnPros proxy statement
for its 2008 annual meeting of shareholders filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
March 25, 2008. On April 2, 2008, pursuant to his plan
adopted November 24, 2006 in reliance on Rule 10b5-1(c)
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, EnPros President and
Chief Executive Officer, Ernest F. Schaub, sold 6,000 shares of
EnPro common stock at $34.00 per share in connection with his
simultaneous exercise of a stock option for such shares at an exercise
price of $4.10 per share.
* * *
2
5605 Carnegie Boulevard,
Suite 500
Charlotte, North Carolina 28209
April 2, 2008
PLEASE
VOTE THE ENCLOSED WHITE PROXY CARD PROMPTLY!
Dear Fellow EnPro Industries Shareholder:
The upcoming April 30, 2008 annual meeting of shareholders
will be the most important one in our history. This election is
a referendum on the success of our Boards strategy to
build value for all shareholders. Your vote in support of the
companys director nominees will allow our successful
strategy to continue, uninterrupted.
As you may know, the Steel Partners hedge fund has nominated two
individuals for election to our eight-member Board of Directors
and created an agenda for them to follow if they are elected. We
strongly believe that Steel Partners agenda is
self-serving and is not in the best interests of all
shareholders and the company. We urge you to protect your
investment by casting your vote for EnPros director
nominees, who have overseen a strategic plan that has built
outstanding, long-term value for shareholders and is designed to
continue to do so.
ENPRO
INDUSTRIES IS PERFORMING WELL AND CONTINUES
TO SUCCEED IN BUILDING SHAREHOLDER VALUE
EnPros strategic plan has delivered consistent growth and
exceptional returns to shareholders. Over the past six years,
our plan has driven significant increases in sales and
profitability and created returns to shareholders in excess of
300%. This success is the result of a strategy that includes
prudent investments of our capital to improve facilities,
equipment and infrastructure, bolt-on acquisitions to enhance
our existing lines of business, and an asbestos claims
management strategy that is widely recognized for its
effectiveness. Our Board is fully committed to these strategies
and to deploying capital for increased shareholder value.
Since we became a stand-alone public company in 2002, our
returns have exceeded those of the S&P 500 by more than 11
times:
Even Steel Partners acknowledges that our management team has
been effective in driving the operational improvements that led
to this increase in shareholder value. In a letter to our Board
dated and made public on January 30, 2008, Steel Partners
Managing Member Warren Lichtenstein stated:
The management team has done an excellent job of
improving EnPros operations over the last several years,
the most recent example of which is its third quarter operations
performance, which reflected continued revenue growth and
increasing segment operating profits and margins.
We recently announced an exceptional addition to our proven
management team Stephen E. Macadam, who will become
president and CEO on April 14, 2008. Steve is an
experienced and capable successor. He is committed to the sound
management practices we have implemented and to the accretive
growth strategies we have designed to support continued growth
in the value of your shares.
YOUR
BOARD RECENTLY AUTHORIZED A PLAN THAT IS EXPECTED TO
RETURN UP TO $100 MILLION TO SHAREHOLDERS
In their January 30 letter to our Board, Steel Partners said we
should recapitalize the Company through a $150 million
tender at $30 per share and threatened to nominate a
controlling slate of five directors if we did not comply.
Because we agree with Steel and many other of our
shareholders that there are times when its
appropriate to return capital to you, we regularly evaluate the
benefits of repurchasing our own shares. We were making that
evaluation once again when Steels letter arrived, and as a
result, we were well prepared to analyze their demand. With the
assistance of our financial advisors, we determined that
conducting an immediate tender for $150 million would
undercut our strong financial position, create excessive risk,
and jeopardize our ability to execute our long-term strategies
for growth and management of asbestos claims. We could not in
good conscience and in accordance with our fiduciary
responsibilities comply with Steels
recommendation despite their threats.
On the other hand, our authorization is a prudent approach that
we believe strikes the right balance for our shareholders. The
first phase of our program allowed us to retire approximately
$50 million worth of our shares immediately and has already
been substantially completed. We expect to complete the
remaining $50 million through open market purchases to take
place over the next year. Our program allows us to retire shares
at an attractive price while continuing to execute on our
profitable growth strategy.
Although Steel subsequently scaled back its proposed slate from
five nominees to two, the hedge fund continues to question the
way we manage our capital. We believe their criticism of the
actions of a strong, independent board who has already acted to
protect the interests of ALL shareholders reflects only
Steels agenda of self-interest.
EnPros capital management policy is designed for
flexibility, especially in todays volatile markets. The
Company will always consider appropriate returns of capital to
shareholders as long as we can maintain sufficient liquidity to
pursue our strategies for improving our operations and to
protect the Company from unexpected adverse judgments related to
our asbestos liabilities.
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PUTTING
THE COMPANY UP FOR SALE NOW
AS STEEL HAS PROPOSED SIMPLY DOESNT MAKE SENSE
Steel Partners demand for a sale of the Company is also
misguided. Your Board with assistance from our
financial advisors gave this demand serious
consideration and determined that pursuing a sale in
todays weak and volatile markets is not likely to bring
full value to our shareholders. Furthermore, it would deny you
the benefit of the gains our strategic plan is designed to
deliver.
Steel Partners has stated publicly that its nominees, if
elected, intend to lobby the Board to pursue a potential sale of
EnPro. Furthermore, the fund says it would like to participate
in any sale process initiated by the Company. We think this
poses a clear conflict for Steels nominees, dont you?
Your Board is committed to enhancing value for ALL EnPro
shareholders. Steel Partners interest is in making the
best deal possible for Steel Partners.
WE ARE
CONFIDENT THAT EXECUTING OUR STRATEGIC PLAN OFFERS THE
BEST OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD SHAREHOLDER VALUE
EnPros record of creating shareholder value is a direct
result of the ongoing successful execution of our four, proven
corporate strategies:
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Increasing operational efficiency;
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Offering new products and entering new markets;
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Strengthening the mix of our business; and
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Effectively managing asbestos settlements and cash flows.
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We are confident in our ability to continue to execute these
strategies. Theyve proven effective over the past six
years and they are designed to continue to improve our financial
performance and our shareholder returns into the future.
ENPROS
DIRECTOR NOMINEES ARE HIGHLY QUALIFIED AND CAPABLE
WITH THE RIGHT BALANCE OF INDEPENDENCE,
EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
EnPros Board is properly constituted of seasoned senior
executives, each with substantial and relevant experience
serving as leaders in public companies in a broad range of
industries. Seven of our eight director nominees are independent
outsiders, and five have served as chief executive officers of
public companies. These are exactly the type of highly qualified
and experienced directors that we believe our shareholders want
to represent them. Your Board has played an integral role in the
design and execution of our strategic plan. We believe that,
together with Steve Macadam, our incumbent director
nominees Bill Holland, J.P. Bolduc, Peter Browning,
Joe Ford, Gordon Harnett, David Hauser, and Bill
Prezzano are better qualified to continue to deliver
value for all shareholders. They are engaged, experienced
individuals who seek to represent the interests of all
shareholders. By contrast, Steel has presented you with two
hand-picked nominees who have pledged to promote Steels
agenda. Are you willing to trust that they will act in your
interests, too?
3
YOUR VOTE
IS IMPORTANT WE URGE ALL SHAREHOLDERS TO VOTE FOR
ENPROS NOMINEES BY VOTING THE WHITE PROXY CARD
TODAY
Your vote is important, no matter how many or how few shares you
own. It will allow you to support a Board and management that
has proven its effectiveness and delivered outstanding value to
shareholders. To vote your shares, please sign, date and return
the enclosed WHITE proxy card by mailing it in the enclosed
pre-addressed, stamped envelope. For your convenience, you may
also vote by phone or Internet by following the instructions on
the enclosed proxy card or voting form. If you have any
questions or need any assistance voting your shares, please
contact MacKenzie Partners, Inc., who is assisting the Company
in this matter, toll-free at
(800) 322-2885
or proxy@mackenziepartners.com. We urge you to DISCARD any GOLD
proxy card you may receive from Steel Partners.
We will continue to keep you informed of developments. We thank
you for your continued support of EnPro Industries.
On behalf of
the Board of Directors,
Sincerely,
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William R. Holland
Chairman
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Ernest F. Schaub
President and Chief Executive Officer
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If you have any questions, require assistance with voting
your WHITE proxy card,
or need additional copies of proxy material, please call
MacKenzie Partners
at the phone numbers listed below.
105 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
proxy@mackenziepartners.com
(212) 929-5500 (Call Collect)
Or
TOLL-FREE (800) 322-2885
4
ANNUAL
MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS OF
ENPRO
INDUSTRIES, INC.
On April 30, 2008
Please
vote your shares electronically or by phone, or
please
date, sign and mail your WHITE proxy card in the
envelope
provided as soon as possible.
IMPORTANT: PLEASE
VOTE THIS WHITE PROXY CARD PROMPTLY!
WHITE
PROXY CARD
ENPRO
INDUSTRIES, INC.
Proxy
Solicited on Behalf of the Board of Directors
for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders on April 30,
2008.
The undersigned
hereby appoint(s) William Dries and Richard L. Magee, and each
of them singularly, attorneys and agents with full power of
substitution and revocation to each, for and in the name of the
undersigned with all the powers the undersigned would possess if
personally present, to vote the shares of the undersigned in
EnPro Industries, Inc. Common Stock as indicated on the
proposals referred to on the reverse side hereof at the annual
meeting of its shareholders to be held on April 30, 2008
and at any postponements and adjournments thereof, and in their
or his discretion upon any other matter which may properly come
before said meeting. The undersigned hereby revokes any other
proxy or proxies heretofore given to vote or act with respect to
the shares of EnPro Industries, Inc. Common Stock held by the
undersigned.
This card also
constitutes your voting Instructions for any and all shares held
by The Bank of New York for your account and will be considered
to be voting instructions to the plan trustee(s) with respect to
shares held in accounts under the EnPro Industries, Inc.
Retirement Savings Plan for Salaried Employees and the EnPro
Industries, Inc. Retirement Savings Plan for Hourly Employees.
If you are a participant under any of these plans, please vote
your shares electronically or return your proxy no later than
Monday, April 28, 2008.
(Continued and to
be signed on the reverse side.)
ENPRO INDUSTRIES,
INC.
YOUR VOTE IS
IMPORTANT
VOTE BY INTERNET
/ TELEPHONE
24 HOURS A DAY, 7
DAYS A WEEK
You
may vote by phone or internet up until 11:59 PM
Eastern
Time on April 29, 2008.
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INTERNET
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TELEPHONE
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MAIL
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www.cesvote.com
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1-888-693-8683
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Go to the website address listed above.
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Use any touch-tone telephone.
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Mark, sign and date your WHITE
PROXY CARD.
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Have your WHITE PROXY CARD ready.
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Have your WHITE PROXY CARD ready.
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Detach your WHITE PROXY CARD.
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Follow the simple instructions that appear on your
computer screen.
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Follow the simple recorded instructions.
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Return your WHITE PROXY CARD
in the postage-paid envelope provided.
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Please
Vote, Sign, Date and Return Promptly in the Enclosed
Envelope.
(continued
from other side)
êDETACH
PROXY CARD HERE IF YOU ARE NOT VOTING BY TELEPHONE OR
INTERNETê
The
Board Recommends a Vote FOR all Nominees and FOR
Proposals 2 and 3.
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WITHHOLD
AUTHORITY
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FOR ALL
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FOR ALL
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NOMINEES
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NOMINEES
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EXCEPTIONS
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1. Election Of Directors:
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Nominees:
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01 William R. Holland,
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02 Stephen E. Macadam,
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03 J.P. Bolduc,
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04 Peter C. Browning,
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05 Joe T. Ford,
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06 Gordon D. Harnett,
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07 David L. Hauser,
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08 Wilbur J. Prezzano, Jr.
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(INSTRUCTIONS:
To withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee, strike
a line through that nominees name and check the
Exceptions box above.)
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2.
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Approve an amendment to EnPro Industries, Inc.s articles
of incorporation to clarify the provision restricting the
repurchase of shares by revising Article 9(a) thereof to
read as set forth in Appendix B to the proxy statement of
EnPro Industries, Inc. dated March 24, 2008:
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FOR
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AGAINST
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ABSTAIN
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Votes
must be indicated (x) in Black or Blue
ink. x
This proxy, when
properly executed, will be voted as directed by the undersigned
shareholder(s). If no direction is made, this proxy will be
voted FOR election of the Directors and FOR proposals 2 and
3, or if this card constitutes voting instructions to a savings
plan trustee, the trustee will vote as described in the proxy
statement.
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3.
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Ratify the selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our
independent registered public accounting firm for 2008:
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FOR
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AGAINST
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ABSTAIN
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4.
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Transact such other business as may properly come before the
meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof.
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To change your
address please mark this
box. o
INSTRUCTIONS
Signatures should correspond exactly with the name or names of
Shareholders as they appear on this proxy. Persons signing as
Attorney, Executor, Administrator, Trustee or Guardian should
give their full titles. Execution on behalf of corporations
should be by a duly authorized officer and on behalf of
partnerships by a general partner or in the firm name by another
duly authorized person.
Date:
,
2008
Share
owner sign
here:
Title
or
Authority:
Co-owner
sign
here: