AEROCENTURY
CORP.
NOTICE
OF 2007 ANNUAL MEETING OF
STOCKHOLDERS
TO
BE HELD ON MAY 2, 2007
TO
OUR STOCKHOLDERS:
You
are cordially invited to attend the 2007 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders of AeroCentury Corp. (the "Company"), which will be held at
the
Hiller Aviation Museum, 601 Skyway Road, San Carlos, California at 5:30 p.m.
on
May 2, 2007, for the following purposes:
1.
To
elect
two directors to the Board of Directors;
|
2.
|
To
consider and vote upon a proposal to ratify the selection
of BDO Seidman, LLP as independent auditors for the Company for
the fiscal
year ending December 31, 2007; and
|
|
3.
|
To
act upon such other business as may properly come before
the meeting or any adjournment or postponement
thereof.
|
These
matters are more fully described in the Proxy Statement
accompanying this Notice.
The
Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on March 7,
2007, as the record date for determining those stockholders who will be entitled
to vote at the 2007 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The stock transfer books
will not be closed between the record date and the date of the meeting.
A
quorum comprising the holders of the majority of the outstanding
shares of Common Stock of the Company on the record date must be present
or
represented by proxy for the transaction of business at the Annual Meeting.
Accordingly, it is important that your shares be represented at the 2007
Annual
Meeting of Stockholders. WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE MEETING, PLEASE
COMPLETE, DATE AND SIGN THE ENCLOSED PROXY CARD AND RETURN IT IN THE ENCLOSED
ENVELOPE. Your proxy may be revoked at any time prior to the time it is
voted.
If
you plan to attend the meeting, please call the Company’s
Investor Relations Department at (650) 340-1888, so that your name can be
placed
on the guest list at the Hiller Aviation Museum entrance.
Please
read the proxy material carefully. Your vote is important
and the Company appreciates your cooperation in considering and acting on
the
matters presented.
Sincerely
yours,
/s/
Neal D. Crispin
Neal
D. Crispin
CHAIRMAN
OF THE BOARD
March
22, 2007
Burlingame,
California
PROXY
STATEMENT
FOR
2007
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
OF
AEROCENTURY
CORP.
TO
BE HELD ON MAY 2, 2007
This
Proxy Statement is furnished in connection with the
solicitation by the Board of Directors of AEROCENTURY CORP. (the "Company")
of
proxies to be voted at the 2007 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2007 Annual
Meeting” or the “Annual Meeting”), which will be held at 5:30 p.m. on May 2,
2007, at the Hiller Aviation Museum, 601 Skyway Road, San Carlos, California,
or
at any adjournments or postponements thereof, for the purposes set forth
in the
accompanying Notice of 2007 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. This Proxy Statement
and the proxy card were first mailed to stockholders on or about March 22,
2007.
The Company's 2006 Annual Report was mailed to stockholders concurrently
with
this Proxy Statement. The 2006 Annual Report is not to be regarded as proxy
soliciting material or as a communication by means of which any solicitation
of
proxies is to be made.
VOTING
RIGHTS AND SOLICITATION
The
close of business on March 7, 2007, was the record date for
stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the 2007 Annual Meeting.
As of
that date, the Company had 1,543,257 shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value
(the "Common Stock"), issued and outstanding. The presence at the Annual
Meeting
of a majority of the issued and outstanding Common Stock, or 771,629 shares,
either present in person or represented by proxy, will constitute a quorum
for
the transaction of business at the Annual Meeting. All of the shares of the
Company's Common Stock outstanding on the record date are entitled to vote
at
the 2007 Annual Meeting, and stockholders of record entitled to vote at the
Annual Meeting will have one vote for each share of Common Stock so held
with
regard to each matter to be voted upon. Your proxy may be revoked at any
time
prior to the time it is voted.
If
your shares are registered directly in your name with the
Company’s transfer agent, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Co., you are
considered, with respect to those shares, the “stockholder of record” and these
proxy materials are being sent directly to you by the Company. As the
stockholder of record, you have the right to grant your voting proxy directly
to
the Company or to vote in person at the Annual Meeting. The Company has enclosed
a proxy card for your use, which should be returned to the Company.
If
your shares are held in a stock brokerage account or by a bank
or other nominee, you are considered the “beneficial owner” of shares held “in
street name” and these proxy materials are being forwarded to you by your broker
or nominee who is considered, with respect to those shares, the stockholder
of
record. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker
on how
to vote and are also invited to attend the Annual Meeting. However, since
you
are not the stockholder of record, you may not vote those shares in person
at
the Annual Meeting. Your broker or nominee has enclosed a voting instruction
card for your use, which must be returned to your broker or nominee.
Shares
of the Company's Common Stock represented by proxies in the
accompanying form that are properly executed and returned to the Company
will be
voted at the 2007 Annual Meeting in accordance with the instructions of the
stockholder of record contained therein. In the absence of contrary
instructions, shares represented by such proxies will be voted FOR the election
of each of the directors as described herein under "Proposal 1: Election
of
Directors" and FOR ratification of the selection of accountants as described
herein under "Proposal 2: Ratification of Selection of Independent Auditors."
Management does not know of any matters to be presented at the Annual Meeting
other than those set forth in this Proxy Statement and in the Notice
accompanying this Proxy Statement. If other matters should properly come
before
the Annual Meeting, the proxy holders will vote on such matters in accordance
with their best judgment. Proxies will confer upon the proxy holders
discretionary authority to vote upon matters that may properly be raised
at the
Annual Meeting, but which, as of the date hereof, are unknown to the Board
of
Directors. In addition, the Proxies confer upon the proxy holders the authority
to adjourn or postpone the Annual Meeting in order to assure that all
stockholders who wish to vote on the matters will be able to cast their votes
and to act upon the matters incident to the conduct of the meeting. Any
stockholder of record has the right to revoke his or her proxy at any time
before it is voted at the Annual Meeting. Election of directors by stockholders
shall be determined by a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders
of
record entitled to vote at the election present in person or represented
by
proxy. Ratification of the selection of accountants shall be determined by
a
majority of the votes cast by the stockholders of record entitled to vote
at the
Annual Meeting.
Abstentions
and broker non-votes are each included in the
determination of the number of shares present for quorum purposes. Abstentions
are counted in tabulations of the votes cast on proposals presented to
stockholders and have the same effect as a negative vote. Broker non-votes
are
not counted for purposes of determining whether a proposal has been approved
and
therefore, do not have the same effect as votes in opposition to a specific
proposal.
The
entire cost of soliciting proxies will be borne by the
Company. Proxies will be solicited principally through the use of the mails,
but, if deemed desirable, may be solicited personally or by telephone, telegraph
or special letter by officers and regular Company employees for no additional
compensation. Arrangements may be made with brokerage houses and other
custodians, nominees and fiduciaries to send proxies and proxy material to
the
beneficial owners of the Company's Common Stock, and such persons may be
reimbursed for their expenses.
HOUSEHOLDING
OF ANNUAL MEETING MATERIALS
Some
brokers and other nominee record holders may be participating
in the practice of “householding” proxy statements and annual reports. This
means that only one copy of the proxy statement and annual report may have
been
sent to multiple stockholders in a stockholder’s household. The Company will
promptly deliver a separate copy of either document to any stockholder who
contacts the Company’s Investor Relations Department at (650) 340-1888 or by
mail to 1440 Chapin Avenue, Suite 310, Burlingame, California 94010, requesting
such copies. If a stockholder is receiving multiple copies of the proxy
statement and annual report at the stockholder’s household and would like to
receive only a single copy of the proxy statement and annual report for a
stockholder’s household in the future, stockholders should contact their broker,
other nominee record holder, or the Company’s Investor Relations Department to
request mailing of a single copy of the proxy statement and annual report.
PROPOSAL
1
ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
Two
of the Company’s six directors will be elected at the 2007
Annual Meeting. The nominees for the Board of Directors are set forth below.
The
proxy holders intend to vote all proxies received by them in the accompanying
form FOR the nominees for director listed below, unless
instructions to the contrary are marked on the proxy. In the event that a
nominee is unable or declines to serve as a director at the time of the 2007
Annual Meeting, the proxies will be voted for any nominee who shall be
designated by the present Board of Directors to fill the vacancy. In the
event
that additional persons are nominated for election as directors, the proxy
holders intend to vote all proxies received by them for the nominees listed
below. As of the date of this Proxy Statement, the Board of Directors is
not
aware of any nominee who is unable or will decline to serve as a director.
The
term of office of each person elected as a director at the Annual Meeting
will
continue until the 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or until the director's
successor has been elected.
Nominees
To Board Of Directors
The
following directors have terms expiring at the Company’s 2007
Annual Stockholder Meeting:
Mr.
Neal D. Crispin, age 61. Mr. Crispin is
Chairman of the Board and President of the Company. He is a member of the
Executive Committee of the Board and has served on the Board since its inception
in 1997. He has also serves as President and Chairman of the Board of JetFleet
Management Corp. ("JMC"), the management company for AeroCentury Corp. since
JMC’s founding in 1997. Since 1983, he has been President and Chairman of CMA
Consolidated, Inc. (CMA”) and since 2005, President of Structured Funding, Inc.
Since 2005 he has also served as Secretary and Director of Taimen Holdings,
Inc.
Prior to forming CMA in 1983, Mr. Crispin spent two years as Vice
President-Finance of an oil and gas company. Previously, Mr. Crispin was
a
manager with Arthur Young & Co., Certified Public Accountants. Prior to
joining Arthur Young & Co., Mr. Crispin served as a management consultant,
specializing in financial consulting. Mr. Crispin is the husband of Toni
M.
Perazzo, a Director and Officer of JMC and the Company. He received a Bachelor’s
Degree in Economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara and
a
Master’s Degree in Business Administration (specializing in Finance) from the
University of California at Berkeley. Mr. Crispin, a CPA, is a member of
the
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the California Society
of
Certified Public Accountants.
Mr.
Evan M. Wallach, age 52. Mr.
Wallach is a Managing Director at Guggenheim Capital Markets, LLC. Prior
to that
he served as Managing Director, Fixed Income Institutional Sales, at Piper
Jaffray LLC from 2001 to 2005 and as Vice President, Finance of C-S Aviation
from 1998 to 2001. Mr. Wallach is a member of the Audit Committee and has
served
on the Board since 1997. From 1996 to 1998, he was President and Chief Executive
Officer of Global Airfinance Corporation. He has specialized in aircraft
and
airline financing for over twenty years, having held senior level positions
with
The CIT Group, Bankers Trust Company, Kendall Capital Partners, Drexel Burnham
Lambert, and American Express Aircraft Leasing. Mr. Wallach received a
Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from State University of New York at
Stony Brook and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University
of Michigan.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR"
THE NOMINEES LISTED ABOVE.
PROPOSAL
2
RATIFICATION
OF SELECTION OF
INDEPENDENT
AUDITORS
The
firm of BDO Seidman, LLP served as independent auditors for
the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006. The Board of Directors
desires the firm to continue in this capacity for the current fiscal year.
Accordingly, a proposal will be presented at the Annual Meeting to ratify
the
selection of BDO Seidman, LLP by the Board of Directors as independent auditors
to audit the accounts and records of the Company for the fiscal year ending
December 31, 2007, and to perform other appropriate services. In the event
that
stockholders fail to ratify the selection of BDO Seidman, LLP, the Board
of
Directors would reconsider such selection.
A
representative of BDO Seidman, LLP will be present at the Annual
Meeting, will have the opportunity to make a statement if he or she so desires
and will be available to respond to appropriate questions.
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR"
THE RATIFICATION OF THE SELECTION OF BDO SEIDMAN, LLP AS INDEPENDENT
AUDITORS.
INFORMATION
REGARDING AUDITORS
Audit
and Audit-Related Fees. BDO Seidman,
LLP (the "Auditor") was engaged as the Company's auditors on October 10,
2006. The aggregate fees accrued by the Company as payable to the Auditor
for professional services rendered for the audit of the Company's financial
statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, and for the reviews
of
the third quarter financial statements included in the Company's Forms 10-QSB
during the 2006 fiscal year was $137,000. In addition, the Company
accrued $0 in fees payable to the Auditor for audit-related services during
the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 and $0 in fees related to Sarbanes-Oxley
internal controls compliance review for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2006.
Prior
to the Company's engagement of BDO Seidman, LLP, the
Company's auditor was PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. (the "Former Auditor").
The Company paid the Former Auditor $126,000 for professional services rendered
for the audit of the Company's financial statements for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2005 and for the review of the financial statements included
in the
Company's Forms 10-QSB during the 2005 fiscal year. The Company
paid the Former Auditor $48,000 for professional services rendered for the
review of the financial statements included in the Company's Forms 10-QSB
during
the period of engagement in 2006. In addition, the Company paid $19,000
and $9,000 in fees to the Former Auditor for audit-related services during
the
fiscal years ended December 31, 2005, and 2006, respectively. Fees of
$15,000 and $0 related to Sarbanes-Oxley internal controls compliance review
were also paid by the Company to the Former Auditor for the fiscal years
ended
December 31, 2005 and 2006, respectively.
Tax
Fees. In connection with their review
of the Company’s tax returns, the Company paid the Former Auditor $8,000 and $0
in the fiscal years ended December 31, 2005 and 2006, respectively.
The Company also paid the Former Auditor $2,000 and $0 tax-related services
in
2005 and 2006, respectively.
All
Other Fees. No other fees were paid to
the Auditor or Former Auditor in the fiscal years ended December 31, 2005
and
2006.
Audit
Committee Approval. The retainer agreements
between the Company and the Auditors, and between the Company and the Former
Auditors, containing the terms and conditions and estimated fees to be paid
to
the Auditors and Former Auditors for 2006 for audit and tax return preparation
services were pre-approved by the Audit Committee at the beginning of their
respective engagements. The Audit Committee’s policy is to
pre-approve all audit and non-audit services provided by the independent
auditors. These services may include audit services, audit-related services,
tax
services and other services. Pre-approval is generally provided for up to
one
year and any pre-approval is detailed as to the particular service or category
of services and is generally subject to a specific budget. The Audit Committee
has delegated pre-approval authority to its Chair when expedition of services
is
necessary. One hundred percent of the audit-related fees and tax fees paid
in
the fiscal years ended December 31, 2005, and 2006 were pre-approved by the
Audit Committee. The independent auditors and management are required to
periodically report to the full Audit Committee regarding the extent of services
provided by the independent auditors in accordance with this pre-approval,
and
the fees for the services performed to date. None of the services rendered
by
the independent auditors were rendered pursuant to the de minimis
exception established by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
AUDIT
COMMITTEE REPORT
Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary set forth in
any of the Company’s previous filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that might
incorporate future filings, including this Proxy Statement, in whole or in
part,
the following Report of the Audit Committee shall not be deemed to be
“soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, nor shall such information be incorporated by reference into
any
such filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
The
Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company
serves as the representative of the Board for general oversight of the Company's
financial accounting and reporting process, internal controls, audit process
and
process for monitoring compliance with laws and regulations. The Audit Committee
is responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work
of
the Auditors. The members of the Audit Committee are independent (as defined
in
Section 121(A) of the American Stock Exchange Company Guide). The Company's
management has primary responsibility for preparing the Company's financial
statements and the Company's financial reporting process. The Company's
Auditors, BDO Seidman, LLP, are responsible for expressing an opinion on
the
fairness and conformity of the Company's audited financial statements to
generally accepted accounting principles. In this context, the Audit Committee
hereby reports as follows:
1.
The
Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed the
audited financial statements with the Company's management.
2.
The
Audit Committee has discussed with the
Auditors the matters required to be discussed by SAS 61 (Codification of
Statements on Auditing Standards, AU 380).
3.
The
Audit Committee has received the written
disclosures and the letter from the independent accountants required by
Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1 (Independence Standards Board
Standards No. 1, Independence Discussions with Audit Committees) and has
discussed with the Auditors their independence.
4.
Based
on the review and discussion referred
to in paragraphs (1) through (3) above, the Audit Committee recommended to
the
Board of Directors of the Company, and the Board has approved, that the audited
financial statements be included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, for filing with the Securities
and
Exchange Commission.
The
Audit Committee
held eight meetings during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006.
Submitted
by the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors:
Thomas
W. Orr, Chair
Evan
M. Wallach
INFORMATION
REGARDING THE COMPANY’S
DIRECTORS
AND OFFICERS
Current
Board Of Directors
The
following directors have terms expiring at the Company’s 2007
Annual Stockholder Meeting: Neal D. Crispin and Evan M. Wallach. They have
been
nominated for election to the Board of Directors. For their biographical
information, see “PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS,” above.
The
following directors have terms expiring at the Company’s 2008
Annual Stockholder Meeting:
Mr.
Thomas G. Hiniker, age 69. Mr. Hiniker has
served on the Board since his appointment in 2004. Mr. Hiniker is President
and
Chairman of AIRFUND Corporation, an international aircraft lessor and marketing
agent he founded in 1984. His career spans forty years in the aviation industry
and includes positions at General Electric Company, Bankers Leasing Group
and
Arlington Leasing. His educational background includes a Bachelor's Degree
in
Nuclear Physics from the University of Minnesota and a Master’s Degree in
Business Administration from Union College. He is Vice-Chairman of the Board
of
Trustees of the ISTAT Foundation (International Society of Transport Aircraft
Trading Foundation).
Ms.
Toni M.
Perazzo, age 60. Ms. Perazzo is a member of the Executive Committee of
the Board of Directors and has served on the Board since its inception in
1997.
She is the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, Senior Vice
President-Finance and Secretary and has held these same positions with JetFleet
Management Corp ("JMC") since 1994, and CMA Consolidated, Inc. ("CMA") since
1990. Since 2005, she has also been Senior Vice President-Finance at Structured
Funding, Inc. Prior to joining CMA in 1990, she was Assistant Vice President
for
a savings and loan, controller of an oil and gas syndicator and a senior
auditor
with Arthur Young & Co., Certified Public Accountants. Ms. Perazzo is the
wife of Neal D. Crispin, a director and officer of JMC and the Company. She
received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California at Berkeley,
and her Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of
Southern California. Ms. Perazzo, a CPA, is a member of the California Society
of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants.
The
following directors have terms expiring at the Company’s 2009
Annual Stockholder Meeting:
Mr.
Marc J. Anderson, age 70. Mr. Anderson is a
member of the Executive Committee of the Board and has served on the Board
since
its inception in 1997. Mr. Anderson is the Company’s Chief Operating Officer and
Senior Vice President. He holds the same officer positions with JetFleet
Management Corp. ("JMC"). Prior to joining JMC in 1994, Mr. Anderson was
an
aviation consultant for three years and prior to that spent seven years as
Senior Vice President-Marketing for PLM International (“PLM”), a transportation
equipment leasing company where he was responsible for the acquisition,
modification, leasing and remarketing of all aircraft. Prior to PLM, Mr.
Anderson served as Director-Contracts for Fairchild Aircraft Corp.; Director
of
Aircraft Sales for Fairchild SAAB Joint Venture; and Vice President, Contracts
for SHORTS Aircraft USA, Inc. Prior to that, Mr. Anderson was employed with
several airlines in various roles of increasing responsibility beginning
in
1959.
Mr.
Thomas
W. Orr, age 73. Mr. Orr has served on the Company’s Board of Directors
since 1997, and was also, during that time, Chair of the Audit Committee
of the
Board of Directors. Mr. Orr is currently a self-employed consultant on
accounting matters. From 1992 until 2002, he was a partner at the accounting
firm of Bregante + Company LLP. Prior to that, beginning in 1986, Mr. Orr
was
Vice President, Finance, at Scripps League Newspapers, Inc. Beginning in
1958,
Mr. Orr was in the audit department of Arthur Young & Co., Certified Public
Accountants, where he retired as a partner in 1986. Mr. Orr received his
Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, with distinction (Accounting
major), from the University of Minnesota. He is a member of the American
Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the California Society of Certified
Public Accountants, and a former member of the California State Board of
Accountancy.
Board
Meetings and Committees
The
Board of Directors of the Company held a total of five
meetings during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 (the "2006 fiscal
year"). Each director attended every meeting of the Board and every meeting
held
by all committees of the Board on which the director served.
The
Company has an Audit Committee and an Executive Committee of
the Board of Directors. The Audit Committee operates under a Charter approved
by
the Board of Directors. The Audit Committee meets with the Company's financial
management and its independent auditors to review internal financial
information, audit plans and results, and financial reporting procedures.
This
committee currently consists of Thomas W. Orr, Chair, and Evan M. Wallach.
The
Board has determined that Mr. Orr and Mr. Wallach are independent within
the
meaning of "independence" as set forth in the rules of the American Stock
Exchange Company Guide.
The
Board of Directors has determined that at least one member of
the Audit Committee is a “financial expert” within the meaning of Item 401(e)(1)
of Regulation S-B of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
“Exchange Act”). Mr. Orr is both a “financial expert” within the meaning of such
regulation and is also “independent” within the meaning of Item 7(d)(3)(iv) of
Schedule 14A of the Exchange Act. Mr. Orr is a self-employed accounting
consultant and former partner of the accounting firms Bregante + Co. LLP
and
Arthur Young & Company, Certified Public Accountants. In the course of his
career, Mr. Orr acquired (i) an understanding of generally accepted accounting
principles and financial statements, (ii) the ability to assess the general
application of such principles in connection with the accounting for estimates,
accruals and reserves, (iii) experience preparing, auditing, analyzing or
evaluating financial statements that present a breadth and level of complexity
of accounting issues that are generally comparable to the breadth and complexity
of issues that can reasonably be expected to be raised by the Company’s
financial statements, (iv) an understanding of internal control over financial
reporting, and (v) an understanding of audit committee functions. The Audit
Committee held eight meetings during the 2006 fiscal year, and has held two
meetings in the 2007 fiscal year to date.
The
Executive Committee has the authority to acquire, dispose of
and finance investments for the Company and execute contracts and agreements,
including those related to the borrowing of money by the Company, and generally
exercises all other powers of the Board of Directors except for those which
require action by all of the directors or the independent directors under
the
Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws of the Company, or under applicable
law. The Executive Committee currently consists of three directors, Neal
D.
Crispin, Chairman, Toni M. Perazzo and Marc J. Anderson.
The
Company does not have a formal Nominating Committee. The
independent directors separately consider and make recommendations to the
full
Board of Directors regarding any candidate being considered to serve on the
Board of Directors. The full Board of Directors reviews potential candidates
for
the Board of Directors. While the Board of Directors does not have a specific
policy for considering nominees recommended by Stockholders, this does not
mean
that a recommendation would not be considered if received from a Stockholder.
The Board has not yet considered a procedure for considering nominees
recommended by Stockholders in addition to the procedures already set forth
in
the Bylaws of the Company. It believes that the current informal consideration
process has been adequate in light of the historical absence of stockholder
proposals. In any event, there would be no difference between the manner
in
which the Board would evaluate a nominee for director whether recommended
by a
Stockholder or recommended by a member of the Board or one of the Company
executive officers. The Company does not pay any third party to identify
or
assist in identifying or evaluating potential nominees.
In
reviewing potential candidates for the Board, the Board of
Directors considers the individual's experience in the Company's industry,
the
general business or other experience of the candidate, the needs of the Company
for an additional or replacement director, the personality of the candidate,
the
candidate's interest in the business of the Company, as well as numerous
other
subjective criteria. Of greatest importance is the individual's integrity,
willingness to actively participate and ability to bring to the Company his
or
her experience and knowledge in areas that are most beneficial to the Company.
The Board intends to continue to evaluate candidates for election to the
Board
on the basis of the foregoing criteria.
Since
the Company receives management services from JMC, the
Company has no employees and does not pay any compensation to its officers.
As a
result, the Company has no compensation committee.
Communication
between Stockholders and Directors
The
Company’s Board of Directors currently does not have a formal
process for Stockholders to send communications to the Board of Directors
and
does not believe such procedures are necessary at this time because it believes
that informal communications are sufficient to communicate questions, comments
and observations that could be useful to the Board.
Director
Attendance at Annual Meeting
It
is the policy of the Company and Board of Directors that
directors attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders and be available for
questions from the Stockholders. Two sitting directors nominated for election
were in attendance at the 2006 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. It is anticipated
that both directors nominated for election at the 2007 Annual Meeting also
will
be in attendance at that meeting.
Board
Independence
If
all of the nominees to the Board of Directors are elected,
“independent directors,” as that term is used in the American Stock Exchange
Company Guide, will constitute 50% of the entire Board of Directors of the
Company, consisting of Messrs. Hiniker, Orr and Wallach.
Involvement
in Legal Proceedings.
No
director or associate of a director is involved in a material
proceeding as a party adverse to the Company or any of its subsidiaries or
with
a material interest adverse to the Company or any of its subsidiaries.
The
table on the next page provides the compensation of our directors for the
fiscal
year ended December 31, 2006:
FISCAL
YEAR 2006 DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
Name
|
Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash
($)(1)
|
Stock Awards
($)
|
Option Awards
($)
|
Non-Equity
Incentive
Plan
Compensation
($)
|
Change
in
Pension
Value
and
Nonqualified
Deferred
Compensation
Earnings
($)
|
All
Other
Compensation
($)
|
Thomas
G. Hiniker
|
14,000
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Thomas
W. Orr
|
15,000
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Evan
M. Wallach
|
15,000
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
(1)
|
Messrs.
Anderson and Crispin and Ms. Perazzo are also officers of the
Company and,
therefore, did not receive any compensation for Board or committee
membership. Mr. Hiniker earned $14,000 as a non-employee member
of the
Board. Mr. Orr earned $14,000 as a non-employee member of the
Board and an
additional $1,000 for his membership on the Audit Committee.
Mr. Wallach
earned $14,000 as a non-employee member of the Board and an
additional
$1,000 for his membership on the Audit Committee. Outside
director fees were increased to the levels set forth in the
preceding
paragraph for the 2007 fiscal
year.
|
Officers
And Key Employees
For
biographies of Neal D. Crispin, President & Chairman of the Board, Marc J.
Anderson, Chief Operating Officer & Senior Vice President, and Toni M.
Perazzo, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, Senior Vice President - Finance,
& Secretary, see “Board of Directors” above.
Listed
below are the other officers of the Company who are also key officers and
employees of JetFleet Management Corp. ("JMC"), the Company’s management
company, and are responsible for the management of various aspects of the
Company’s business:
Mr.
Brian J. Ginna, Vice President, Corporate Development, age 38.
Mr. Ginna is responsible for all corporate communications, investor relations
and public relations of the Company and JMC. Mr. Ginna joined the Company
and
JMC in 2001 and he is also Controller for CMA Consolidated, Inc., which he
joined in 1991 and where he has held various positions of increasing
responsibility. Mr. Ginna received a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Babson
College.
Mr.
Jack Humphreys, Vice President, Maintenance,
age 59. Mr. Humphreys is responsible for portfolio
aircraft maintenance and acts as a liaison with
manufacturers and the technical departments of lessees. Mr. Humphreys has
over
thirty-five years of experience in aviation and has been with the Company
and
JMC since July 2002. He has held several positions in the industry in the
areas
of aviation maintenance management, quality assurance, aviation safety and
training development. Before joining the Company, Mr. Humphreys was an Aviation
Quality Control Manager for Raytheon-Range Systems Engineering-Raytheon
Corporation from 1992 to 2002, where he was responsible for maintaining
airworthiness for a fleet of airplanes and helicopters. Mr. Humphreys holds
a
degree in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University,
a
Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Columbia College, and an FAA
Airframe and Powerplant certification.
Harold
M. Lyons - Vice President, Finance, age
48. Mr. Lyons is responsible for overseeing tax accounting and tax analysis
as
well as Sarbanes-Oxley internal controls compliance review. Mr. Lyons joined
the
Company and JMC in October 2003. Mr. Lyons is also Senior Vice President
of
Structured Funding, Inc. (since 2005) and CMA Consolidated, Inc. ("CMA"),
(since
1992). Before joining CMA in 1992, Mr. Lyons was a Manager in the Tax Department
of Coopers & Lybrand, Certified Public Accountants and, before that, Mr.
Lyons was a Manager in the Tax Department of Arthur Young & Co., Certified
Public Accountants. He received a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration
(specializing in Accounting and Applied Economics) and a Masters Degree in
Business Administration (specializing in finance and management science)
from
the University of California, Berkeley. Mr. Lyons is a Certified Public
Accountant, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants (and a member of the Tax Section) and of the California Society
of
Public Accountants.
Mr.
John S. Myers, Senior Vice President, age 61.
Mr. Myers is responsible for the administration of aircraft leases, marketing
agreements and vendor agreements for the Company and JMC. Mr. Myers joined
the
Company and JMC in March 2001. From 1991 to 2001, Mr. Myers was Vice President
of Raytheon Aircraft Credit Corporation, where he was responsible for the
management of a $1.3 billion commuter airline portfolio, customer financing
transactions, credit risk analysis, and structuring, negotiating, and
documentation of aircraft financing transactions. From 1976 until 1991, he
was
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Air Midwest, Inc., a
regional airline. Mr. Myers received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business
Administration from Wichita State University.
Mr.
Glenn Roberts, Vice President, Controller,
age 42. Mr. Roberts is responsible for financial accounting and analysis.
Mr.
Roberts joined JMC in 1994 and the Company in 1997. He has been employed
by
affiliates of the Company for seventeen years in various capacities of
increasing responsibility.
Mr.
Christopher B. Tigno, General
Counsel, age 45. Mr. Tigno is responsible for all legal matters of the
Company and JMC and its related companies, including supervision of outside
counsel, documentation of aircraft asset acquisition transactions and corporate
and securities matters. He is also General Counsel of Structured Funding,
Inc.,
(since 2005) and of CMA Consolidated, Inc. ("CMA") (since 1996). He joined
the
Company in 1997 and joined JMC and CMA in 1996. He was also Senior Counsel
with
the firm of Wilson, Ryan & Campilongo (1992 to 1996), and prior to that was
associated with Fenwick & West (1988 to 1992) and Morrison & Foerster
(1986 to 1988). Mr. Tigno received his Juris Doctor Degree from the University
of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, and was admitted to
the
California Bar in 1986. He also holds a Bachelor's Degree in Chemical
Engineering from Stanford University.
Mr.
Steven H. Wallace, Vice President, Aircraft
Remarketing, age 61. Mr. Wallace is responsible for remarketing of the
Company's portfolio of aircraft assets. Prior to joining the Company and
JMC in
June 2002, Mr. Wallace was an aviation consultant (June 2000 to June 2002),
and
prior to that was Aviation Services Manager for Raytheon Aircraft Services
(January 1995 to June 2000). Prior to his tenure at Raytheon Aircraft Services,
Mr. Wallace served in the U.S. Army, where he attained the rank of Major.
Mr.
Wallace graduated from Troy State University with a Bachelor's Degree in
1971,
and received a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine
University in 1975.
Employee
Compensation
Since
the Company receives management services from JMC, the
Company has no employees and does not pay any compensation to its
officers. The cash compensation received from JMC in 2006 by the executive
officers of JMC was as follows (i) Mr. Crispin, President and Chairman, received
$1, including bonuses; (ii) Marc J. Anderson, Senior Vice President & Chief
Operating Officer, received $290,000, including bonuses; and (iii) Toni M.
Perazzo, Senior Vice President, Finance, CFO, Treasurer and Secretary, received
$181,000, including bonuses. The cash compensation expected to be received
from
JMC in 2007 by those same officers is as follows: (i) Mr. Crispin is expected
to
receive $1, including bonuses; (ii) Mr. Anderson is expected to receive
$250,000, including bonuses; and (iii) Ms. Perazzo is expected to receive
$172,000, including bonuses.
Compensation
Committee Interlocks And Insider
Participation
Neal
D. Crispin and Toni M. Perazzo are executive officers and
directors of both the Company and JMC. Marc J. Anderson is an executive officer
and director of the Company and an executive officer of JMC. As described
above
under “Employee Compensation,” the Company has no employees and does not pay any
compensation to its executive officers. No executive officers of the Company
currently serve on the compensation committee (or any other committee of
the
board of directors performing similar functions) of another entity.
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The
following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership
of the
Company's Common Stock as of March 7, 2007, by: (i) each person or entity
that
is known to the Company to own beneficially more than five percent of the
outstanding shares of the Company's Common Stock; (ii) each director; and
(iii)
all directors and executive officers as a group.
Name,
Position, & Address
|
No.
of
Shares (1)
|
Percentage
of
Ownership
of
Common
Stock (2)
|
Neal
D. Crispin
Chairman
of the Board,
President
and Principal
Stockholder
(3)(4)
|
336,505
|
21.80%
|
Toni
M. Perazzo
Director,
Senior Vice President - Finance,
Secretary
and Principal
Stockholder
(3)(5)
|
336,505
|
21.80%
|
Marc
J. Anderson
Director,
Senior Vice President
and
Chief Operating Officer (3)
|
11,430
|
1.84%
|
Thomas
W. Orr,
Director
(3)
|
1,700
|
*
|
Evan
M. Wallach,
Director
(3)
|
675
|
*
|
Thomas
G. Hiniker,
Director
(3)
|
200
|
*
|
JetFleet
Holding Corp.
Principal
Stockholder (6)
|
198,067
|
12.83%
|
All
directors and executive officers as a group (6 persons)
|
350,510
|
22.71%
|
Footnotes
to Security Ownership:
(1) Except
as indicated in the footnotes to this table, the stockholders named in
the table
are known to the Company to have sole voting and investment power with
respect
to all shares of Common Stock shown as beneficially owned by them, subject
to
community property laws where applicable.
(2) For
purposes of calculating percentages, total outstanding shares consists
of
1,543,257 shares of outstanding Common Stock, which excludes shares held
by the
Company as treasury stock.
(3) The
mailing address is c/o AeroCentury Corp., 1440 Chapin Avenue Suite 310,
Burlingame, California 94010.
(4) Includes
198,067 shares owned by JetFleet Holding Corp. of which Mr. Crispin is
an
officer, director and/or principal shareholder and 99,100 shares of a trust
of
which Mr. Crispin is a beneficial owner.
(5) Includes
198,067 shares owned by JetFleet Holding Corp., of which Ms. Perazzo is
an
officer, director and/or principal shareholder and 99,100 shares of a trust
of
which Ms. Perazzo is a beneficial owner.
(6) Consists
of 109,767 shares owned directly and 88,300 shares owned by a wholly-owned
subsidiary.
RELATED
PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Management
Agreement. JMC acts as the
management company for the Company under the Management Agreement, dated
December 31, 1997, as amended on February 3, 1998, between JMC and the Company.
The officers of the Company are also officers of JMC and two members of JMC’s
Board of Directors are on the Board of Directors of the Company.
Under
the Management Agreement, the Company pays a monthly
management fee to JMC equal to 0.25% of the net book value of the Company’s
assets as of the end of the month for which the fee is due. In addition,
JMC may
receive an acquisition fee for locating assets for the Company, provided
that
the aggregate purchase price including chargeable acquisition costs and any
acquisition fee does not exceed the fair market value of the asset based
on
appraisal, and a remarketing fee in connection with the sale or re-lease
of the
Company’s assets. The management fees, acquisition fees and remarketing fees may
not exceed the customary and usual fees that would be paid to an unaffiliated
party for such services. During 2005 and 2006, the Company recognized as
expense
$2,339,750 and $2,750,010, respectively, of management fees payable to JMC.
In
connection with aircraft purchases during 2005 and 2006, the Company paid
JMC a
total of $954,900 and $198,000, respectively, in acquisition fees, which
are
included in the capitalized cost of the aircraft. Remarketing fees accrued
to
JMC were $73,250 in 2005 and $44,000 in 2006.
Office
Space. The Company maintains its principal
office at the offices of JMC at 1440 Chapin Avenue, Suite 310, Burlingame,
California, without reimbursement to JMC.
COMPLIANCE
WITH SECTION 16(A) OF THE
SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Section
16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,
requires the Company's directors and executive officers and persons who own
more
than ten percent of a registered class of the Company's equity securities,
to
file with the Securities and Exchange Commission initial reports of ownership
and reports of changes in ownership of Common Stock and other equity securities
of the Company. Officers, directors and greater than ten percent stockholders
are required by Securities and Exchange Commission regulation to furnish
the
Company with copies of all Section 16(a) reports they file.
Based
solely upon review of the copies of such reports furnished
to the Company and written representations that no other reports were required,
the Company believes that there was compliance for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2006 with all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to
the
Company's officers, directors and greater than ten percent beneficial
owners.
STOCKHOLDER
PROPOSALS
Requirements
for Stockholder Proposals to be Brought
Before 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (“2008 Annual Meeting”). For
stockholder proposals to be considered properly brought before an annual
meeting
by a stockholder, the stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in
writing to the Secretary of the Company. For the 2008 Annual Meeting, to
be
timely, notice of stockholder proposals must be delivered to, or mailed and
received by, the Secretary of the Company at the principal executive offices
of
the Company between January 8, 2008, and February 7, 2008. A stockholder's
notice to the Secretary must set forth as to each matter the stockholder
proposes to bring before the annual meeting (i) a brief description of the
business desired to be brought before the Annual Meeting and the reasons
for
conducting such business at the Annual Meeting, (ii) the name and record
address
of the stockholder proposing such business, (iii) the number of shares of
the
Company’s Common Stock which are beneficially owned by the stockholder, and (iv)
any material interest of the stockholder in such business.
Requirements
for Stockholder Proposals to be Considered
for Inclusion in the Company's Proxy Materials. Stockholder proposals
submitted pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act and intended to be
presented at the Company's 2008 Annual Meeting must be received by the Company
not later than November 24, 2007 in order to be considered for inclusion
in the
Company's proxy materials for that meeting.
ANNUAL
REPORT ON FORM 10-KSB
A
copy of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 is available without charge to each person
solicited by this Proxy upon the written request of such person to Investor
Relations, AeroCentury Corp., 1440 Chapin Avenue, Suite 310, Burlingame
California.
OTHER
MATTERS
Management
does not know of any matters to be presented at this
Annual Meeting other than those set forth herein and in the Notice accompanying
this Proxy Statement.
It
is important that your shares be represented at the Annual
Meeting, regardless of the number of shares that you hold. YOU ARE, THEREFORE,
URGED TO EXECUTE PROMPTLY AND RETURN THE ACCOMPANYING PROXY IN THE ENVELOPE
THAT
HAS BEEN ENCLOSED FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE. Stockholders who are present at the
Annual Meeting may revoke their proxies and vote in person or, if they prefer,
may abstain from voting in person and allow their proxies to be voted.
By
Order of the Board of Directors,
/s/
Neal D. Crispin
Neal
D. Crispin, President
March
22, 2007
Burlingame,
California