defa14a
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )
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Filed by the Registrant þ |
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Filed by a Party other than the Registrant
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Check the appropriate box: |
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o 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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o Definitive Proxy Statement |
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þ Definitive Additional Materials |
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
USG CORPORATION
(Name
of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name
of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the
Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
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þ No fee required. |
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Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and
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pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the
filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined): |
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o Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. |
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o Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act
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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. |
USG CORPORATION
2009 LETTER TO
SHAREHOLDERS
BUSINESS OVERVIEW
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Gypsum |
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Ceilings |
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Distribution |
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Businesses |
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United States Gypsum Company
CGC Inc.
USG Mexico, S.A. de C.V. |
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USG Interiors, Inc.
USG International
CGC Inc.
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L&W Supply Corporation |
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Products and Services |
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Manufactures and markets gypsum
wallboard, joint treatments and
textures, cement board, gypsum fiber
panels, plaster, shaft wall systems and
industrial gypsum products
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Manufactures and markets acoustical
ceiling panels, ceiling suspension grid,
specialty ceilings and other building
products
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Sells wallboard, steel studs, ceiling
products and other building materials;
specializes in delivering construction
materials to job sites |
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Best-Known Name Brands |
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SHEETROCK gypsum panels; SHEETROCK
and BEADEX joint compounds; DUROCK
cement board; FIBEROCK gypsum fiber
panels; SECUROCK roof board and
sheathing; LEVELROCK floor underlayment;
HYDROCAL gypsum cement; IMPERIAL
building plasters; DIAMOND building
plasters; SHEETROCK and BEADEX corner
bead products; MOLD TOUGH gypsum
panels; and SHEETROCK tools
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ASTRO, ECLIPSE, FROST, HALCYON,
MARS, OLYMPIA MICRO and RADAR
ceiling panels; DONN DX, FINELINE and
CENTRICITEE ceiling grid; COMPÄSSO
suspension trim; CURVATURA 3-D ceiling
systems; GEOMETRIX ceiling panels;
TOPO 3-dimensional systems; LIBRETTO
ceiling systems; and USG DESIGN STUDIO |
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Geographical Areas Served |
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North America, South America, Middle East |
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United States, Canada, Mexico and
more than 125 other countries worldwide: North, Central and South America, the
Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Pacific Rim, Africa |
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United States |
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Customers |
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purchasers: specialty drywall centers, |
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purchasers: specialty acoustical centers, |
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purchasers and end users: |
distributors, hardware cooperatives, buying
groups, home centers, mass merchandisers;
influencers: architects,
specifiers, building owners;
end users: contractors, builders,
do-it-yourselfers
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distributors, hardware cooperatives,
home centers, contractors;
influencers: architects, interior designers,
building owners, tenants;
end users: contractors, do-it-yourselfers
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contractors, builders |
To Our Fellow Shareholders:
Like other businesses, we began 2009 facing a deepening
global recession and the worst market conditions in
three-quarters of a century.
We believed at the start of the year that market conditions would
again require us to position the company to weather the storm. In
our marketsdomestic and international commercial construction,
residential construction and repair and remodelit was a very
difficult year, like the two before it. Our results reflect the
impact of the storm and our repositioning efforts.
For the year, USG reported an operating loss of $185 million and
a net loss of $787 million. The net loss includes a non-cash tax
valuation allowance.
As challenging as it was for our customers, shareholders and
employees, the global recession was beyond our control. We worked
hard to affect what was within our control. To stay ahead of the
declining market, we resized the business further, reduced costs
and dramatically improved our liquidity.
Throughout 2009, our management team acted decisively and
aggressively to operate in a consistently excellent way, adjust
operations to market needs, reduce costs, improve our liquidity
and fortify the balance sheet.
We accomplished those things and more. We ended the year a
stronger, leaner, more resilient company ... poised to sustain
our industry leadership and increase shareholder value.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE YEAR
The challenges:
The prolonged recession in construction markets persisted.
New residential construction and the repair and remodel market
entered a fourth year of decline. Commercial construction, which
had been relatively resilient, experienced a sharp decline in 2009.
Housing starts hit record lows in 2009. U.S. housing starts of
550,000 represented the lowest level since the federal
government began reporting that statistic in 1959.
The repair and remodel market was down for the fourth straight
year. Before the current downturn, this market segment had
never seen a consecutive two-year decline. This is an indication
of just how financially stretched homeowners and other property
owners have been.
The new commercial construction segment also declined sharply.
This segment likewise experienced a drop of more than 40
percent, the third year of decline, which was largely
attributable to tightening within the credit markets.
U.S. industry wallboard shipments fell 27 percent.
Shipments totaled about 18 billion square feet, roughly half
of the peak level achieved only a few years ago, reflecting
the steep declines in the housing market.
Our revenues declined 30 percent. Total sales were $3.2
billion, a $1.4 billion reduction from $4.6 billion in 2008.
Our response:
We continued to anticipate, adapt and act. We proactively
responded by reducing manufacturing capacity, cutting costs, and
improving liquidity. Since the beginning of the recession in
mid-2006, we have closed or idled 3 billion square feet of
wallboard manufacturing capacity, closed approximately 100 of
our L&W Supply distribution centers and reduced employment by
approximately 3,900. We continued those efforts in 2009,
including the closure of 37 L&W centers.
We reduced costs substantially. Since mid-2006, we have
decreased overhead and other costs by more than $400 million.
We pared capital expenditures. Having made substantial
investments in infrastructure and manufacturing capacity in
recent years, we were able to reduce capital expenditures to
less than $50 million in 2009, compared to $238 million in 2008.
We greatly reduced our investment in working capital and
improved cash flow. We reduced our investment in working capital
by approximately $200 million, with about one-third of that
figure representing a permanent structural savings. Cash flow
from operating activities exceeded cash used for capital
spending and other investing activities by about $30 million
last year. Aggressive cost reductions and resizing the business
to the market contributed to this positive cash flow.
The outcome :
Operating losses decreased. Despite a $1.4 billion decline in
sales, we succeeded in reducing our operating loss. Losses are
unacceptable, but in the context of a 30 percent decline in
sales, this was a move in the right direction.
Liquidity increased. We were successful in adding to our
liquidity through financing and other activities, ending 2009
with almost $700 million in cash. Total liquidity, including cash
and available borrowing capacity, was more than $800 million at
the close of the year.
Safety remains paramount. We achieved an all-time record
safety performance. Eleven of our plants have earned the OSHA
Star rating, and 20 others are working toward it.
Customer-service trends are strong. All of our customer
satisfaction measurements were at or near record levels,
reflecting our continued efforts to provide outstanding customer
service with on-time delivery and invoice accuracytop
requirements for our customers. We were rewarded with such
high-visibility projects as the University of Tennessees
Neyland Stadium, NASCARs Hall of Fame complex and Dubais Burj
Khalifa tower, all of which were constructed with our products.
We are extending our international reach. We expanded
operations through joint ventures and other alliances with a
ceiling
tile manufacturing plant in China and a manufacturing and
distribution alliance in Colombia. These add to our other
successful alliances, including those in Canada, Saudi Arabia
and Germany.
Innovation continues. Innovation and product development are
among our core values. We were awarded 31 patents in the U.S.
for new products and concepts such as our Durock®
Cement Board Next Gen® and
Securock® Glass Mat-Sheathing Panels, which are
recognizable by the green skin on buildings under
construction.
We protected our intellectual property. We reached a $105
million settlement in a years-long patent-infringement and
trade-secrets lawsuit against a competitor. Our pursuit of
redress demonstrates the value of our intellectual property
and how serious we are about safeguarding it.
The future :
We are facing another challenging year in 2010. Some segments of
the market, including residential construction, seem to have
stabilized. Market forecasts for 2010 U.S. housing starts range
from 600,000 to 900,000 units, which are very low by historical
standards. We are projecting starts to be near the low end of
that range, which would still be an improvement for the first
time in four years.
The residential repair and remodel market, which is driven by
sales of existing homes, appears to have stabilized as well,
with some analysts forecasting that spending will begin to
increase in 2010. We are estimating that overall repair and
remodel spending will increase approximately 3 percent in 2010.
Commercial construction starts are expected to remain weak, but
not as weak as in 2009. Our international business has seen
signs of recovery in areas such as China,SouthAmerica and
Canada.
Our actions throughout the recession have positioned the
company to capture the returns inherent in a market recovery.
We are a much leaner company today. Despite the many
actions we have taken in recent years to resize the company and
reduce costs, we have preserved our ability to serve customers,
innovate and remain a leader in our markets. We have managed our
assets wisely and benefited from the strategic decisions we have
made.
We will continue to control the controllables, operating
safely ... focusing on operational excellence ... balancing our
operations to match market realities ... pleasing customers ...
innovating ... and maintaining a strong balance sheet. We will
continue to position the company to capitalize on the eventual
market recovery in the U.S. and abroad.
Put another way, we will stay the course. We have the
abilityand, just as important, the resolveto anticipate,
adapt and act in the long-term interests of USG.
In closing :
Prepared. Confident. Optimistic. Given the fierce challenges of the
past few years and the expectation that 2010 will bring new ones,
these words might seem naïve or even disingenuous to describe our
state of mind, but we are all of those things.
We are well-prepared for a range of near-term possibilities, and
we are confident in our ability to handle challenges. We are
optimistic about long-term demographics, the advanced age of the
U.S. housing stock and the anticipated growth in emerging markets.
All of these augur well for our company and the products and
services we provide.
We are also humble and realistic. One hundred and eight years of
leadership in the building materials industry have taught us that
things can change unexpectedly ... and that the best strategies
sometimes need to be adapted to address new realities. We are
prepared to do that.
This has been both a lengthy and severe market contraction by
historical standards. We are beginning to see signs of stability
in some key market segments and evidence of recovery in key
international markets.
We are ready for the inevitable rebound. We have maintained
excellent customer relationships. We have preserved our broad
footprint
in North America and found ways to expand internationally. We have
continued to innovate, introducing products that are important to
our customers. We have a leading presence in our markets, with
brands and service that are among the best in the industry.
We are grateful for the outstanding work of our employees, many of
whom have been with us for decades and have guided this company
through past market downturns. There is no finer group of people
anywhere. They truly have found the better way to navigate
through this market.
We also want to thank our shareholders for the loyalty, confidence
and support they continue to show us. We are more determined than
ever to keep our company strong, with a secure financial future and
a leadership position that endures.
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William C. Foote
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James S. Metcalf |
Chairman and
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President and |
Chief Executive Officer
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Chief Operating Officer |
DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE OFFICERS
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Board of Directors |
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Corporate Officers |
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Jose Armario (1, 2)
Group President,
McDonalds Canada
and Latin America,
McDonalds Corporation
Robert L. Barnett (2*, 4)
Former Executive
Vice President,
Motorola, Inc.
Lawrence M. Crutcher (3, 4*)
Member, Board of Advisors,
Veronis Suhler Stevenson
William C. Foote
Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer
W. Douglas Ford (1, 4)
Former Chief Executive,
Refining and Marketing,
BP Amoco p.l.c.
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William H. Hernandez (2, 3)
Former Senior Vice President,
Finance, and Chief Financial
Officer, PPG Industries, Inc.
Richard P. Lavin (2, 3)
Group President,
Caterpillar Inc.
Steven F. Leer (1*, 3)
Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer,
Arch Coal, Inc.
Marvin E. Lesser (1, 2)
Managing Partner,
Sigma Partners, L.P.
James S. Metcalf
President and
Chief Operating Officer
Judith A. Sprieser (1, 3*, 4)
Former Chief Executive Officer,
Transora, Inc.
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William C. Foote
Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer
James S. Metcalf
President and
Chief Operating Officer
Stanley L. Ferguson
Executive Vice President
and General Counsel
Richard H. Fleming
Executive Vice President
and Chief Financial Officer
Brian J. Cook
Senior Vice President,
Human Resources
D. Rick Lowes
Senior Vice President
and Controller
Dominic Dannessa
Senior Vice President and
Chief Technology Officer |
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Brendan J. Deely
Senior Vice President;
President and Chief
Executive Officer,
L&W Supply Corporation
Christopher R. Griffin
Senior Vice President;
President, USG International
Fareed A. Khan
Senior Vice President;
President, USG Building
Systems
Karen L. Leets
Vice President and Treasurer
Mary A. Martin
Vice President and
Associate General Counsel
Ellis A. Regenbogen
Vice President, Associate
General Counsel and
Corporate Secretary |
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Committees of the Board of
Directors
1 Compensation and
Organization Committee
2 Audit Committee
3 Finance Committee
4 Governance Committee
* Denotes Chair
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Jeffrey P. Rodewald
Vice President, Employee
Benefits, Safety and
Corporate Services
Jennifer F. Scanlon
Vice President and Chief
Information Officer |
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A special note of thanks to
Keith A. Brown, James C.
Cotting and Donald S.
Mueller. Their contributions,
dedication and leadership
during their tenures with USG
are greatly appreciated. |
SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION
Annual Meeting of Stockholders
The 2010 annual meeting of stockholders of USG Corporation will be
held at 9:00 am, Wednesday, May 12, at USG Corporation, 550 West
Adams Street, Chicago, IL.
Available Information
Financial and other information about the Corporation can be
accessed at its Web site: www.usg.com. The Corporation has made
available at its Web site its annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly
reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and all
amendments to those reports as soon as possible after such material
is electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and
Exchange Commission. If you wish to receive a paper copy of any
exhibit to the Corporations reports filed with or furnished to the
Securities and Exchange Commission, such exhibit may be obtained,
upon payment of reasonable expenses, by writing to: Corporate
Secretary, USG Corporation, P.O. Box 6721, Chicago, IL 60680-6721.
General Offices
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 6721
Chicago, IL 60680-6721
Street Address:
550 West Adams Street
Chicago, IL 60661-3676
Telephone:
312.436.4000
Stock Transfer Agent and Registrar
Computershare Investor Services LLC
877.360.5385
For Regular Mail:
P.O. Box 43078
Providence, RI 02940-3078
The Street Address for Overnight Delivery is:
250 Royall Street, Mail Stop 1A
Canton, MA 02021
The Lockbox Address for Voluntary Contributions is:
P.O. Box 6006
Carol Stream, IL 60197-6006
Stock Listings
USG Corporation common stock is listed on
the New York and Chicago stock exchanges and is traded under the symbol USG.
Inquiries
Investment Community:
Investor Relations
312.436.4125
News Media:
Corporate Communications
312.436.4356
The following trademarks used herein are owned by USG Corporation or its subsidiaries:
ASTRO, BEADEX, CENTRICITEE, COMPÄSSO, CURVATURA, DIAMOND, DONN DX, DUROCK,
ECLIPSE, FIBEROCK, FINELINE, FROST, GEOMETRIX, HALCYON, HYDROCAL, IMPERIAL,
LEVELROCK, LIBRETTO, MARS, MOLD TOUGH, NEXT GEN, OLYMPIA MICRO, RADAR, SECUROCK,
SHEETROCK, TOPO, USG.
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USG Corporation 550 West Adams Street Chicago, IL 60661 |
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X2788/3-10 © 2010, USG Corporation
Printed in U.S.A.
Printed on Recycled Paper
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