DEF 14A: Definitive proxy statements
Published on April 3, 2008
UNITED
STATES
SECURITY
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. ______ )
Filed by
the Registrant [X]
Filed by
a Party other than the Registrant [ ]
Check the
appropriate box:
[
] Preliminary Proxy Statement
[ ] Confidential,
for Use of the Commission Only
(as
permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
[X] Definitive
Proxy Statement
[
] Definitive Additional Materials
[
] Soliciting Material Pursuant to 240.14a-12
TANGER
FACTORY OUTLET CENTERS, INC.
(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):
[X] No
fee required
[
] Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4) 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:
[
] Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
[
] 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:
TANGER
FACTORY OUTLET CENTERS, INC.
3200
NORTHLINE AVENUE, SUITE 360
GREENSBORO,
NORTH CAROLINA 27408
PHONE: 336-292-3010
E-MAIL: tangermail@tangeroutlet.com
NYSE:
SKT
NOTICE
OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
to
be held on May 16, 2008
Dear
Shareholders:
On behalf
of the Board of Directors, I cordially invite you to attend the 2008 Annual
Meeting of Shareholders of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. to be held on
Friday, May 16, 2008 at 10 o'clock a.m. at the Proximity Hotel, 704 Green Valley
Road, Greensboro, North Carolina, (336) 379-8200, for the following
purposes:
1.
|
To
elect directors to serve for the ensuing
year;
|
2.
|
To
ratify the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending
December
31, 2008;
|
3.
|
To
transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or
any adjournment(s) thereof.
|
Only
common shareholders of record at the close of business on March 19, 2008 will be
entitled to vote at the meeting or any adjournment(s)
thereof. Information concerning the matters to be considered and
voted upon at the Annual Meeting is set out in the attached Proxy
Statement.
It is
important that your shares be represented at the Annual Meeting regardless of
the number of shares you hold and whether or not you plan to attend the meeting
in person. Please complete, sign and date the enclosed proxy card and
return it as soon as possible in the accompanying envelope. This will
not prevent you from voting your shares in person if you subsequently choose to
attend the meeting.
Sincerely,
/s/
Stanley K. Tanger
Stanley K. Tanger
Chairman
of the Board and
Chief
Executive Officer
April 4,
2008
TANGER FACTORY OUTLET CENTERS,
INC.
3200
NORTHLINE AVENUE, SUITE 360
GREENSBORO,
NORTH CAROLINA 27408
PHONE: 336-292-3010
E-MAIL: tangermail@tangeroutlet.com
NYSE: SKT
____________
PROXY
STATEMENT
FOR
ANNUAL
MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
to
be held on May 16, 2008
GENERAL
INFORMATION
The Board
of Directors of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (NYSE:SKT) is soliciting
your proxy for use at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Company to be
held on Friday, May 16, 2008.
Unless
the context indicates otherwise, the term “Company” refers to Tanger Factory
Outlet Centers, Inc., the term “Board” refers to our Board of Directors, the
term “meeting” refers to the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Company to be
held on May 16, 2008, and the term “Operating Partnership” refers to Tanger
Properties Limited Partnership. We are a self-administered and
self-managed real estate investment trust (referred to as a
“REIT”). Our factory outlet centers and other assets are held by, and
all of our operations are conducted by, the Operating
Partnership. Accordingly, the descriptions of our business, employees
and properties are also descriptions of the business, employees and properties
of the Operating Partnership. The terms “we”, “our” and “us” refer to
the Company or the Company and the Operating Partnership together, as the text
requires.
Pursuant
to rules recently adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (referred to
as the “SEC"), we are providing access to our Notice of Annual Meeting of
Shareholders, Proxy Statement and proxy card (referred to as the “proxy
materials”) and
Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2007 (referred to as the “Annual
Report”) over the
Internet to our shareholders. We are mailing a Notice Regarding
Availability of Proxy Materials, including a notice of Annual Meeting of
Shareholders, (the “Notice”) to our beneficial owners (as defined
below). The mailing of the Notice to our beneficial owners is
scheduled to begin on or about April 4, 2008. All beneficial holders
will have the ability to access the proxy materials and Annual Report by visiting the website at
http://ww3.ics.adp.com/streetlink/SKT or request to
receive a printed set of the proxy materials. Instructions on how to
access the proxy materials over the Internet or to request a printed copy may be
found on the Notice. In addition, all shareholders may request to receive
proxy materials in printed form by mail or electronically by e-mail on an
ongoing basis.
We are
mailing the proxy materials and Annual Report to our shareholders of record (as
defined below). The mailing of the proxy materials and Annual Report
to our shareholders of record is scheduled to begin on or about April 4,
2008. Any shareholder of record who does not receive a copy of the
proxy materials may obtain a copy at the meeting, by contacting Frank C.
Marchisello, Jr., Secretary of our Company (phone number: 336-834-6834) or by
visiting the website at http://ww3.ics.adp.com/streetlink/SKT. Our
principal executive offices are located at 3200 Northline Avenue, Suite 360,
Greensboro, North Carolina 27408.
IMPORTANT
NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF
SHAREHOLDES TO BE HELD ON MAY 16, 2008:
The
Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders, proxy statement, proxy card and Annual
Report for the year ended December 31, 2007 are available at http://ww3.ics.adp.com/streetlink/SKT.
Date,
Time and Place
We will
hold the meeting on Friday, May 16, 2008 at 10 o'clock a.m. at the Proximity
Hotel, 704 Green Valley Road, Greensboro, North Carolina, (336) 379-8200,
subject to any adjournments or postponements.
Who
Can Vote; Votes per share
All
holders of record of our common shares, par value $.01 per share (referred to as
the “Common Shares”) as of the close of business on the record date, March 19,
2008, are entitled to attend and vote on all proposals at the
meeting. Each Common Share entitles the holder thereof to one
vote. At the close of business on March 1, 2008, 31,539,041 Common
Shares were issued and outstanding.
How
to Vote
Common
Shares represented by a properly executed proxy will be voted as directed on the
proxy card. To be voted, proxies must be filed with the Secretary of
the Company prior to voting.
If your
shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent,
Computershare Trust Company, NA, you are considered, with respect to those
shares, the “shareholder of record”. If your shares are held in a
stock brokerage account or by a bank or other nominee, you are considered, with
respect to those shares, the “beneficial owner” of those shares held in street
name and you have the right to instruct your broker, bank or other nominee how
to vote on your behalf. Brokerage firms and other nominees have the
authority, under New York Stock Exchange rules at the time of this Proxy
Statement, to vote Common Shares for the beneficial owner on certain “routine”
matters for which you do not provide voting instructions.
Proposals
#1 and #2 above are considered routine matters and where no specification is
made on the properly executed and returned form of proxy, the shares will be
voted FOR the election
of all nominees for director and FOR the ratification of
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent registered accounting
firm. When a proposal is not considered a routine matter and where
the broker or nominee has not received specific voting instructions from the
beneficial owner of the shares with respect to that proposal, the brokerage firm
or nominee cannot vote FOR or AGAINST the proposal for the beneficial
owner. This is called a “broker non-vote”.
Quorum
and Voting Requirements
Under our
By-Laws and North Carolina law, shares represented at the meeting by proxy for
any purpose will be deemed present for quorum purposes for the remainder of the
meeting. Directors will be elected by the vote of a plurality of the
votes cast by the Common Shares entitled to vote in the election, provided that
a quorum is present. Accordingly, Common Shares which are present at
the meeting for any other purpose but which are not voted in the election of
directors will not affect the election of the candidates receiving a plurality
of the votes cast by the Common Shares entitled to vote in the election at the
meeting. Approval of Proposal #2 by the holders of Common Shares may
be by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast for or against the
Proposal by the Common Shares. Approval of any other proposal to come
before the meeting requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast
for or against the proposal by the Common Shares unless the North Carolina
Business Corporation Act requires that the proposal be approved by the
affirmative vote of a percentage of the votes entitled to be cast on the
proposal. If a proposal may be approved by the affirmative vote of a
majority of the votes cast on the proposal, abstentions, broker non-votes and
shares which are present at the meeting for any other purpose but which are not
voted on a particular proposal will not affect the outcome of the vote on the
proposal.
Revocation
of Proxies
You may
revoke your proxy at any time before it is voted by filing a notice of such
revocation, by filing a later dated proxy with the Secretary of the Company or
by voting in person at the meeting. You cannot revoke your proxy by
merely attending the meeting. If you dissent, you will not have any
rights of appraisal with respect to the matters to be acted upon at the
meeting.
Proxy
Solicitation
We are
making this solicitation and will pay the entire cost of preparing and
distributing the Notice, proxy materials and Annual Report and soliciting
proxies from the holders of our Common Shares. If you choose to
access the proxy materials and Annual Report and/or vote over the Internet, you
are responsible for any Internet access charges you may incur. Our
directors, officers and employees may, but without compensation other than their
regular compensation, also solicit proxies by telephone, telegraph, fax, e-mail
or personal interview. We will reimburse banks, brokerage firms and
other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for reasonable expenses incurred by
them in sending the Notice, proxy materials and Annual Report to
shareholders.
2
PROPOSAL
1
ELECTION
OF DIRECTORS
Our
By-Laws provide that directors be elected at each Annual Meeting of
Shareholders. Pursuant to such By-Laws, our Board has fixed the
number of directors to be elected at this year’s meeting at six. The
persons named as proxies in the accompanying form of proxy intend to vote in
favor of the election of the six nominees for director designated below, all of
whom are presently directors of the Company, to serve until the next Annual
Meeting of Shareholders and until their successors are elected and shall
qualify. It is expected that each of these nominees will be able to
serve, but if any such nominee is unable to serve for any reason, the proxies
reserve discretion to vote or refrain from voting for a substitute nominee or
nominees. All of our directors serve terms of one year or until the
election of their respective successors.
Information
Regarding Nominees (as of March 1,
2008)
Name
|
Age
|
Present
Principal Occupation or
Employment and Five-Year Employment
History
|
Stanley
K. Tanger
|
84
|
Chairman
of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of the Company since
March 3, 1993. Mr. Tanger opened one of the country's first
outlet shopping centers in Burlington, N.C. in 1981. He was the
founder and Chief Executive of the Company's predecessor formed in 1981
until its business was acquired by the Company in 1993.
|
Steven
B. Tanger
|
59
|
Director
of the Company since May 13, 1993. President and Chief
Operating Officer since January 1995; Executive Vice President from 1986
to 1994. Mr. Tanger joined the Company's predecessor in 1986
and is the son of Stanley K. Tanger.
|
Jack
Africk
|
79
|
Director
of the Company since June 4, 1993. Managing Partner of
Evolution Partners, LLC, a consulting company, since June
1993. Director, since October 1997, and Vice Chairman of the
Board of Directors, since April 2007, of North Atlantic Trading Company,
Inc. (referred to as “NATC”), which, through its subsidiaries
manufactures, distributes and markets tobacco
products. Director, since October 1997, and Vice Chairman of
the Board of Directors, President and Chief Executive Officer, since April
2007, of North Atlantic Holding Company, Inc., (referred to as “NAHC”),
the corporate parent of NATC. Mr. Africk previously served as
President and Chief Operating Officer of both NATC and NAHC from January
1998 to December 1998.
|
William
G. Benton
|
62
|
Director
of the Company since June 4, 1993. Chairman of the Board and
Chief Executive Officer of Salem Senior Housing, Inc., a senior living
facility operator, since May 2002. Chairman of the Board and
Chief Executive Officer of Diversified Senior Services Inc. from May 1996
to May 2002. Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
of Benton Investment Company since 1982. Chairman of the Board
and Chief Executive Officer of Health Equity Properties, Inc. from 1987 to
September 1994.
|
Thomas
E. Robinson
|
60
|
Director
of the Company since January 21, 1994. Managing Director of
Stifel, Nicolaus & Company (formerly Legg Mason Wood Walker, Inc.), a
financial services firm, since June 1997. Director (May 1994 to June
1997), President (August 1994 to June 1997) and Chief Financial Officer
(July 1996 to June 1997) of Storage USA, Inc. Mr. Robinson is
also a director of BRE Properties, Inc.
|
Allan
L. Schuman
|
73
|
Director
of the Company since August 23, 2004. Chairman of the Board of
Ecolab, Inc., a provider of cleaning, food, safety and health protections
products, from January 2000 to May 2006. President and
Chief Executive Officer of Ecolab from March 1995 to July 2004 and
President and Chief Operating Officer from August 1992 to March
1995.
|
3
Vote Required. The
nominees will be elected by the affirmative vote of the holders of a plurality
of those votes cast at the meeting; provided that a quorum is
present. Accordingly, abstentions, broker non-votes and Common Shares
present at the meeting for any other purpose but which are not voted on this
proposal will not affect the outcome of the vote on the nominees unless the
North Carolina Business Corporation Act requires that the nominee be approved by
a greater number of affirmative votes than a plurality of the votes
cast.
THE
BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR ALL OF THE NOMINEES SET FORTH
ABOVE.
Director
Independence
Our
Corporate Governance Guidelines and the listing standards of the New York Stock
Exchange require that a majority of our directors must be independent directors
and every member of the Board’s Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee be independent. Generally,
independent directors are those directors who are not concurrently serving as
officers of the Company and who currently have no material relationship to us
that may interfere with the exercise of their independence from management and
the Company. Our Board has affirmatively determined that the
following nominees to our Board are independent, as that term is defined under
our Corporate Governance Guidelines and the general independence standards in
the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange: Jack Africk, William G.
Benton, Thomas E. Robinson and Allan L. Schuman. We presently have
six directors, including these four independent directors.
Attendance
at Board Meetings
The Board
held five regular meetings during 2007. Each of the above directors
attended at least 75% of the meetings held during 2007 by the Board and the
committees of which he was a member. The non-management directors are
required to meet in executive sessions periodically and following each regularly
scheduled quarterly Board meeting. Non-management directors who are
not independent under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange may participate
in these executive sessions but independent directors should meet in executive
session at least once per year. The non-management directors have
designated Mr. Jack Africk to serve as Lead Director for purposes of presiding
at the executive sessions. Our policies for non-management and
independent director executive sessions were adopted with our Corporate
Governance Guidelines in 2004. We do not have a formal policy of
attendance for directors at our Annual Meeting of Shareholders. All
of our directors attended the Annual Meeting of Shareholders in
2007.
Committees
of the Board
The Board
has four standing committees to facilitate and assist the Board in the execution
of its responsibilities. The current committees are the Audit
Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee and the Share and Unit Option Committee. In accordance with
New York Stock Exchange listing standards, all of the committees are comprised
solely of non-employee, independent directors. Charters for audit,
compensation, and nominating and corporate governance committees are available
on the Company’s website at www.tangeroutlet.com
by first clicking on “INVESTOR RELATIONS” and then “CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE”. The table below shows current membership for each of the
standing committees.
Audit
Committee
|
Compensation
Committee
|
Nominating
and Corporate
Governance
Committee
|
Share
and Unit Option
Committee
|
Jack
Africk
|
Jack
Africk (Chair)
|
Jack
Africk
|
Jack
Africk
|
William
G. Benton (Chair)
|
William
G. Benton
|
William
G. Benton
|
William
G. Benton
|
Allan
L. Schuman
|
Thomas
E. Robinson
|
Thomas
E. Robinson (Chair)
|
Allan
L. Schuman (Chair)
|
Allan
L. Schuman
|
Allan
L. Schuman
|
4
Audit
Committee. The Board has established an Audit
Committee consisting of three of our independent directors. The
purpose of the Audit Committee is (i) to assist the Board in fulfilling its
oversight of the integrity of our financial statements, our compliance with
legal and regulatory requirements, the qualifications and independence of our
independent registered public accountants and the performance of our independent
registered public accountants and our internal audit function and (ii) to
prepare any audit committee reports required by the SEC to be included in our
annual proxy statement. The Audit Committee is directly responsible
for the appointment, compensation, retention and oversight of the work of our
independent registered public accountants and approves in advance, or adopts
appropriate procedures to approve in advance, all audit and non-audit services
provided by the independent registered public accountants. The Board
has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is “financially
literate”, as that term is defined in the listing requirements of the New York
Stock Exchange, and that each member of the committee is an “audit committee
financial expert”, as that term is defined in Item 401(h) of Regulation
S-K. During 2007, there were five meetings of the Audit
Committee.
Compensation
Committee. The Board has established a Compensation Committee
consisting of our four independent directors. The Compensation
Committee is charged with determining compensation for our chief executive
officer and making recommendations to the Board with respect to the compensation
of other officers. During 2007, there were two meetings of the
Compensation Committee.
Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee. The Board has established a Nominating and Corporate
Governance Committee consisting of our four independent
directors. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee makes
recommendations to the Board of changes in the size of the Board or any
committee of the Board, recommends individuals for the Board to nominate for
election as directors, recommends individuals for appointment to committees of
the Board, establishes procedures for the Board’s oversight of the evaluation of
the Board and management, and develops and recommends corporate governance
guidelines.
The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee evaluates annually the
effectiveness of the Board as a whole and identifies any areas in which the
Board would be better served by adding new members with different skills,
backgrounds or areas of experience. The Board considers director
candidates based on a number of factors including: whether the Board member will
be “independent” in accordance with our Corporate Governance Guidelines and as
such term is defined by the New York Stock Exchange listing requirements;
personal qualities and characteristics, accomplishments and reputation in the
business community; experience with businesses and other organizations of
comparable size and current knowledge and contacts in the Company’s industry or
other industries relevant to the Company’s business; experience and
understanding of the Company’s business and financial matters affecting its
business; ability and willingness to commit adequate time to Board and committee
matters; the fit of the individual’s skills and personality with those of other
directors and potential directors in building a Board that is effective,
collegial and responsive to the needs of the Company; and diversity of
viewpoints, background, experience and other demographics. It is the
policy of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee to consider nominees
for the Board recommended by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with the
procedures described under “Other Matters- Shareholder Proposals and
Nominations” in this Proxy Statement. Shareholder nominees who are
nominated in accordance with these procedures will be given the same
consideration as nominees for director from other sources. During 2007, there
were three meetings of the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee.
Share and Unit Option
Committee. The Board has established a Share and Unit Option
Committee (referred to as the "Option Committee") consisting of three of our
independent directors. The Option Committee administers our Incentive
Award Plan which provides for the issuance of equity-based awards to the
Company’s employees and directors. The Option Committee selects the employees to
whom equity-based awards under the Incentive Award Plan will be granted and
establishes the terms and conditions of the awards based on recommendations and
advice from the Compensation Committee. During 2007, there was one
meeting of the Option Committee.
Communications
with Directors
Any
shareholder or interested party is welcome to communicate with any director, the
non-management directors as a group or the Board of Directors as a whole by
writing to the directors as follows: Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc.,
Attention Lead Director, c/o the Corporate Secretary, 3200 Northline Drive,
Suite 360, Greensboro, NC 27408.
5
Compensation
of Directors
During
2007, our non-employee directors were paid an annual compensation fee of $20,000
and a per meeting fee of $1,500 ($500 for telephone meetings) for each Board
meeting and each committee meeting attended. In addition, the Lead
Director and the chairman of the Audit Committee were each paid an annual
compensation fee of $10,000 and the chairman of each other committee was paid an
annual compensation fee $7,500. The Board decided not to increase any
of their fees during 2008. Our employees who are also directors will
not be paid any director fees for their services as directors of the Company.
Our non-employee
directors are reimbursed for their expenses incurred in attending Board
meetings.
We may from time to time under the
Incentive Award Plan grant to any non-employee director options, restricted or
deferred shares, dividend equivalents or other awards upon approval of the
entire Board. The Board selects the non-employee directors to whom equity-based
awards under the Incentive Award Plan will be granted and establishes the terms
and conditions of the awards based on recommendations and advice from the
Compensation Committee. Based on the advice and recommendations of an
independent compensation consultant retained by the Compensation Committee, the
Board approved an award to each non-employee director of 2,500 restricted Common
Shares during 2007 and 2006, and 2,000 restricted Common Shares during
2005. The restrictions on the shares shall cease to apply with
respect to one-third of the shares which are the subject of each grant, and
those shares will vest on each December 31st following the date of
grant. Dividends are paid on the restricted Common Shares from the
date of the grant. All future grants of restricted Common Shares to
non-employee directors will be the subject of a separate grant by the
Board.
The
following table shows the total compensation for our non-employee directors for
each of the fiscal years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006:
DIRECTOR
COMPENSATION TABLE
|
||||||
Name
|
Year
|
Fees Earned
or
Paid
In
cash
|
Share
Awards (1)
|
Option
Awards (2)
|
All
Other
Compensation (3)
|
Total
|
Jack
Africk
|
2007
2006
|
$60,000
66,500
|
$74,832
42,943
|
$4,333
4,339
|
$6,016
5,152
|
$145,181
118,934
|
William
Benton
|
2007
2006
|
$56,250
56,500
|
$74,832
42,943
|
$4,333
4,339
|
$6,016
5,152
|
$141,431
108,934
|
Thomas
Robinson
|
2007
2006
|
$42,000
43,500
|
$74,832
42,943
|
$4,333
4,339
|
$6,016
5,152
|
$127,181
95,934
|
Allan
Schuman
|
2007
2006
|
$44,750
35,000
|
$74,832
40,058
|
$3,727
3,727
|
$6,016
4,896
|
$129,325
83,681
|
(1)
|
The
amounts in this column reflect the dollar amount of restricted Common
Shares awards recognized for financial reporting purposes for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2007 and 2006 in accordance with Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 (revised 2004) (referred to as “FAS
123 (R)”) and include awards granted in and prior to 2007 and 2006.
Unvested restricted Common Shares for each director as of December 31,
2007 were as follows: 667 restricted Common Shares granted during 2006
with a grant date fair value of $28.74 per share, 167 restricted Common
Shares granted during 2006 with a grant date fair value of $32.08 per
share and 1,667 restricted Common Shares granted during 2007 with a grant
date fair value of $42.31 per share.
|
(2)
|
The
amounts in this column reflect the dollar amount of option awards
recognized for financial reporting purposes for the fiscal years ended
December 31, 2007 and 2006 in accordance with FAS 123 (R) and thus include
awards granted prior to 2007 and 2006. Options related to the amounts
above were awarded during 2004 and had a grant date fair value of $2.17
per option for Mr. Africk, Mr. Benton and Mr. Robinson and $3.11 per
option for Mr. Schuman. Aggregate options outstanding for each
director as of December 31, 2007 were 30,000 for Mr. Africk; 10,000 for
Mr. Benton; 12,000 for Mr. Robinson and 6,000 for Mr.
Schuman.
|
(3)
|
Represents
dividends paid on unvested restricted Common Share
awards.
|
6
Compensation
Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
The
Compensation Committee of the Board, which is composed entirely of independent
directors, is charged with determining compensation for our Chief Executive
Officer (referred to as the “CEO”) and making recommendations to the Board with
respect to the compensation of our other officers. Mr. Africk, Mr.
Benton, Mr. Robinson and Mr. Schuman currently serve on the Compensation
Committee, with Mr. Africk serving as chairman. No executive officer
of the Company served as a member of the board of directors or compensation
committee of any other entity that has one or more executive officers serving as
a member of the Board or the Compensation Committee.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
Compensation
Discussion and Analysis
The
purposes and responsibilities of the Compensation Committee of the Board include
the following:
·
|
Review
and approve corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of
the CEO, evaluate the CEO’s performance and determine and approve the
CEO's compensation level based on this
evaluation,
|
·
|
Make
recommendation to the Board with respect to the compensation of
non-employee directors and officers other than the
CEO,
|
·
|
Periodically
review the Company’s incentive-compensation and equity-based plans and
approve any new or materially amended equity-based plan,
and
|
·
|
Oversee,
with management, regulatory compliance with respect to compensation
matters including the Company’s compensation policies with respect to
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (referred to as the
“Code”).
|
Compensation
Program Objectives and Rewards
The
objectives of the Company’s compensation program are as follows:
·
|
To
attract, retain and motivate qualified executive management who are
enthusiastic about the Company’s mission and
culture.
|
·
|
Create
a fair, reasonable and balanced compensation program that rewards
management’s performance and contribution to the Company while closely
aligning the interests of management with those of
shareholders.
|
·
|
Provide
total compensation to executive officers which is competitive with total
compensation paid by other REITs, and other private real estate firms
similar to the Company.
|
What
Our Compensation Program is Designed to Reward
The
Company’s compensation program is designed to reward both teamwork and the
individual officer’s contribution to the Company with respect to annual and
longer-term goals. Annual cash performance-based incentives reward
both Company financial and individual performance for the fiscal
year. In measuring an individual executive officer’s and the overall
team’s performance, the Compensation Committee considers numerous factors
including the Company’s growth in funds from operations (referred to as “FFO”)
from the prior year, its dividend payout ratio, the success in renewing a
significant amount of the leases expiring during the year, increases obtained in
tenant base rents upon executing renewals or new leases, overall occupancy rate
maintained at year end, increases in tenant sales and the overall annual total
return to shareholders. While the individual amounts of compensation
incentives paid may vary among officers, the performance targets that are set
are generally the same for all officers, thereby creating an environment where
all officers work together to achieve a common goal. Equity-based
awards provide long-term incentives designed to reward price appreciation of our
Common Shares over a five-year period.
7
Elements
of Compensation
Historically,
the Company’s primary components of compensation for its executive officers have
been base salary, annual incentive cash bonuses and long-term equity-based
incentive compensation. There is no pre-established policy or target for the
allocation between cash and non-cash incentive compensation.
Within
the framework of aligning total compensation with corporate and individual
performance, each of the components are evaluated as follows:
·
|
Annual
base salaries are designed to provide the executive with a minimum
compensation level consistent with the individual’s position and duties
relative to his or her peers.
|
·
|
Annual
incentive cash bonuses are designed to reward the executive for the
achievement of strategic and financial goals of the Company during each
fiscal year. In conjunction with the executive’s base salary,
the Company attempts to keep total cash compensation within the Company’s
fiscal year budget while reinforcing its pay-for-performance
philosophy.
|
·
|
Long-term
incentives are designed to closely align the interests of management with
those of shareholders. The long-term incentives granted to
executives are evaluated on an annual basis and the terms of the awards
are considered relevant to the length of the employment contract and/or
performance period.
|
·
|
The
Company seeks to maintain a competitive total compensation package that
aligns the economic interest of the executives with that of shareholders
while maintaining sensitivity to multiple factors including the Company’s
fiscal year budget, annual accounting cost and the impact to share
dilution.
|
Role
of Compensation Consultants and Use of Aggregate Peer Group Data
Since
2004, the Compensation Committee has engaged the services of an outside
compensation consultant, the SMG Advisory Group, LLC, (referred to as “SMG”) to
assist it in determining the proper amounts, types and mix of compensation to
executive officers in order to achieve the overall objectives as described
above. The Compensation Committee, with the help of SMG, annually reviews the
compensation practices of other REITs. The Compensation Committee
uses this data for informational purposes and does not utilize it to set
specific targets or benchmarks. Based in part on this data and
analysis provided by SMG, the Compensation Committee develops a compensation
plan which is intended to maintain the link between corporate performance and
shareholder wealth creation while being generally competitive within our
industry and geographic location.
During
each fiscal year, management prepares tally sheets that set forth the Company’s
total compensation obligations to the CEO and the other
officers. These tally sheets, which include the executive’s realized
compensation from the prior year and targeted compensation for the coming year,
are provided to SMG for the purpose of presenting the Compensation Committee
with an analysis of the compensation of our executives compared to that of our
peer companies. This analysis is then discussed and reviewed by the Compensation
Committee.
The
comparative data is useful in setting and adjusting executive compensation. The
analysis compares both the base salary and incentive cash bonus together as a
total and the total overall compensation to the average, 25th,
50th
and 75th
percentile of the targeted peer group. In general, the aim is to
ensure the target compensation levels are competitive with our peer group, with
an opportunity to earn above-market rewards when shareholders have achieved
above-market returns. In some cases, the Committee has determined that setting
and paying target compensation above this range is justified due to a number of
factors, including the Company’s or individual’s overall performance relative to
the peer group and the unique circumstances associated with any individual
candidate.
8
In
selecting the targeted peer group, the Company considers REITs based upon the
following characteristics: (i) industry sector, (ii) market capitalization,
(iii) peer group continuity from year to year and (iv) peer group utilized for
Common Share performance measurement. The peer group that was
selected for 2007 includes the following REITs:
Acadia
Realty Trust
|
Ramco-Gershenson
Properties Trust
|
CBL
& Associates Properties, Inc.
|
Realty
Income Corporation
|
Developers
Diversified Realty Corporation
|
Regency
Centers Corporation
|
Equity
One, Inc.
|
Simon
Properties Group, Inc.
|
Federal
Realty Investment Trust
|
Taubman
Centers, Inc.
|
Glimcher
Realty Trust
|
The
Macerich Company
|
Kimco
Realty Corporation
|
Urstadt
Biddle Properties, Inc.
|
National
Retail Properties, Inc.
|
Weingarten
Realty Investors
|
Pennsylvania
Real Estate Investment Trust
|
Role
of Management and the Chief Executive Officer in Setting Executive
Compensation
On an
annual basis, management considers market competitiveness, business results,
experience and individual performance in evaluating executive compensation. Our
CEO, Mr. Stanley K. Tanger, is actively engaged in setting compensation for
other executives through a variety of means, including recommending for
Committee approval the financial performance goals for his executive team. He
works closely with our Chief Operating Officer (referred to as the “COO”), Mr.
Steven B. Tanger, in analyzing relevant market data to determine base salary,
annual bonus targets and equity compensation awards for our senior management.
Targets are set in order to drive both annual performance and long-term value
creation for shareholders. The CEO and COO are subject to the same financial
performance goals as the other officers, all of which are approved by the
Compensation Committee. The
Compensation Committee will consider, but is not bound by and does not always
accept, the CEO and COO’s recommendations with respect to executive
compensation.
Determination
of Executive Compensation
A broad
range of facts and circumstances is considered in setting executive
compensation. Among the factors considered for our executives generally, and for
the named executive officers (referred to as the “NEOs”) in particular, are
market competitiveness, company results, internal equity, past practice,
experience and individual performance. The weight given each factor may differ
from year to year, and may differ among individual NEOs in any given
year. In general, when determining year-over-year compensation for
current NEOs, peer company metrics, business results and internal equity
generally factor more heavily into the analysis, particularly when falling
within the peer group range.
Business
results from the most recently completed fiscal year factor heavily in setting
executive compensation. These results are reviewed and discussed by the
Compensation Committee and its compensation consultants. The financial results
against the targets approved by the Compensation Committee under our incentive
compensation plans generally determine payouts under those plans for the fiscal
year just ended. In addition, these results typically form the basis for setting
performance targets for the next fiscal year. Based on the financial results
presented by management, the Committee reviews the individual performance of the
NEOs (other than the CEO) as reported by the CEO and approves their compensation
for the current fiscal year.
In evaluating the performance of the
CEO and setting his compensation, the Compensation Committee takes into account
corporate financial performance, as well as performance on a range of
non-financial factors, including accomplishment of strategic goals, workforce
development and succession planning, and the working relationship with the
Board. Overall, the Compensation Committee and the Board believe that the
Company, under the CEO's leadership in 2007, achieved superior financial
results, as well as significant achievement on a broad
range of non-financial goals.
9
2007
Compensation
When
determining the specific amounts of compensation to be provided to the executive
officers during 2007, in addition to all of the factors and elements described
above, the Compensation Committee noted that the Company had achieved a number
of its specific goals for the 2006 fiscal year. For the year ending
December 31, 2006, our shareholders were rewarded with outstanding returns on
their investment:
·
|
During 2006, our shareholders received a 41.5% total return on their
investment, up from 14.3% in 2005 and 38.1% in
2004
|
·
|
Over the 5 year period ending in 2006, our shareholders received a total
return of 413.50%, representing a compound annual return of approximately
39% per year
|
·
|
We outperformed the S&P 500 for the 7th consecutive year and the
NAREIT All Equity REIT Index for the 5th consecutive
year
|
·
|
We ranked 1st among 9 mall REITs and 5th out of 104 equity REITs in total
return to shareholders during the last five
years
|
During
2006, our FFO for the year, excluding non-recurring charges, increased 14.9% on
a per share basis as compared to the prior year. This compares to an
increase in FFO per share of 11%, excluding non-recurring charges, during 2005
as compared to 2004. FFO represents income before extraordinary items
and gains (losses) on sale or disposal of depreciable operating properties, plus
depreciation and amortization uniquely significant to real estate and after
adjustments for unconsolidated partnerships and joint ventures. For a
further discussion of FFO, please see our 2007 Annual Report under the section
“Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations-Funds from Operations”.
Our
market capitalization increased 24% during 2006 to $2.2 billion, average tenant
sales per square foot, on a comparable basis, increased 4.8% to $338, and
average base rental rates on leases released and renewed during the year
increased 22.9% and 11.4%, respectively. We opened two new outlet
centers during the year, a 352,300 square foot center in Charleston, South
Carolina and a 264,900 square foot outlet center in Wisconsin Dells,
Wisconsin. Our year end occupancy rate was 97.5%, marking the 26th
consecutive year we have achieved a year end occupancy rate at or above
95%.
Base
Salary: Description and Analysis
Consistent
with the Company’s philosophy of tying pay to performance, executives receive a
significant percentage of their overall targeted compensation in a form other
than base pay. Although the Compensation Committee does not determine base
salary levels on any specific percentile of base salaries paid to comparable
officers in the targeted peer group, the NEOs are paid an amount in the form of
base pay within the peer group range, and sufficient to attract competent
executive talent and maintain a stable management team.
For 2007,
the Company provided, in varying degrees, a base pay increase to the vast
majority of its employees; likewise, all of the NEOs received base pay increases
in various degrees in 2007. The amount of the increases, if any, varied
primarily based on market competitiveness, with the base salary increases being
effective January 1, 2007.
Given the
Company’s success during 2006, the Compensation Committee recommended that the
salary of the CEO, be increased during 2007 by 10%, the salary of the COO be
increased by 8%, the salary of the Chief Financial Officer (referred to as the
“CFO”) be increased 7% and that the salaries of all other executive officers be
increased up to 5% at the discretion of the CEO and COO. Based upon
the recommendations of the compensation consultants, the CEO and COO determined
it was appropriate to increase the salaries of each of the other NEOs by 5% in
order to reward these officers uniformly based on the Company’s
performance. The Compensation Committee believes that the base salary
increases for the CEO, COO and CFO reflect the importance and critical nature of
these positions as they relate to the success of the Company. The
difference in the amounts of compensation paid to the CEO and the rest of the
named executive officers is primarily the result of the consideration of
aggregate market data that reflects the differing roles and responsibilities of
the NEOs. The Compensation Committee believed that each executive officer’s base
salary compensation was fair compared to his or her comparable position within
the peer group.
10
Each
of the NEO’s has an employment agreement with the Company that includes a
provision whereby the executive’s base salary shall not be less than certain
previous amounts. See
“Employment
Contracts” in this Proxy Statement.
Annual
Cash Incentives: Description and Analysis
During
2007, all executive officers were eligible for an annual incentive cash bonus
payment based upon achieving certain performance criteria during the
year. The performance criteria were approved and set by the
Compensation Committee at the beginning of the fiscal year. The
annual incentive cash bonus for a fiscal year is typically paid in the first
quarter of the following year once the results for the year have been
completed.
Each
executive’s annual incentive cash bonus amount is based upon Threshold, Target,
Maximum, and in the case of the CEO, COO and CFO, Minimum, percentages of base
salary. See the 2007 Grant of Plan Based Awards on page 16 for the
dollar amounts payable under each of these categories. Generally,
executives must be employed as of the last day of the year to receive payment
under the annual incentive cash bonus plan for that year.
The
Minimum, Threshold, Target and Maximum amounts for 2007 were as follows (as a
percentage of base salary):
Named
Executive Officer
|
Minimum
|
Threshold
|
Target
|
Maximum
|
Stanley
K. Tanger, CEO
|
75%
|
100%
|
125%
|
175%
|
Steven
B. Tanger, COO
|
75%
|
100%
|
125%
|
160%
|
Frank
C. Marchisello, Jr., CFO
|
75%
|
100%
|
125%
|
150%
|
Joseph
H. Nehmen, Senior Vice President – Operations
|
---
|
5%
|
10%
|
20%
|
Lisa
J. Morrison, Senior Vice President – Leasing
|
---
|
5%
|
10%
|
20%
|
The
annual incentive cash bonuses payable to NEOs are based on achievement of
several company performance measures that incentivize such officers to focus on
the achievement of strategic and financial goals of the Company. The corporate
performance measures and the target levels required to achieve the incentive
bonus for 2007 approved by the Compensation Committee included:
Performance
Measure
|
2007
Target Levels
|
%
of
total
award
|
|||
Minimum
|
Threshold
|
Target
|
Maximum
|
||
Growth
in FFO per share
|
7%
|
8%
|
9.5%
|
11%
|
20%
|
Achievement
of Company’s business plan:
· Lease
renewal rate
· Average
increase in base rental rates:
upon lease renewals
leased to new tenants
· Average
year-end occupancy rate
· Average
increase in tenant sales
|
90%
7%
8%
95%
2%
|
92%
8%
10%
96%
3.5%
|
94%
9%
15%
97%
4.5%
|
96%
11%
20%
98%
5%
|
5%
5%
5%
5%
5%
|
Payout
ratios:
· FFO
payout ratio
· Funds
available for distribution (FAD)
payout
ratio
|
61%
85%
|
60%
84%
|
59%
83%
|
58%
82%
|
10%
10%
|
Total
shareholder return:
· Total
return to shareholders
· Total
return relative to NAREIT All
Equity Index
|
8%
equal
to index
|
10%
5%
|
12%
10%
|
14%
20%
|
10%
10%
|
Achievement
of portfolio growth
objectives
|
2
out of 5 objectives
|
3
of 5 objectives
|
4
of 5 objectives
|
5
of 5 objectives
|
15%
|
The
Compensation Committee, at its discretion, may adjust the predetermined FFO
targets to exclude significant non-recurring charges.
11
The
Compensation Committee believes that these strategic and financial goals are key
drivers in ultimately increasing the equity value of the Company and thus that
these goals ultimately help align the interests of our NEOs and our
shareholders. If minimum performance measure targets are not met, no
bonuses are paid. If maximum targets are met or exceeded, bonuses may
be substantial but are capped as set forth in the table above.
In 2007,
the Company surpassed some of the minimum target levels but did not surpass all
of the maximum performance targets. With respect to the achievement
of portfolio growth objectives, the Company met 4 of the 5 objectives during
2007. At the time the growth objectives were set, the Compensation
Committee believed the targets would be challenging and difficult, but
achievable with significant effort and skill.
Ms.
Morrison also participates in a separate incentive cash bonus program designed
to reward the Company’s leasing employees for successfully executing new leases
and renewing existing leases with our tenants. Management believes it
is desirable for all leasing employees to participate in this plan in order to
provide incentives for maximizing and growing the Company’s
revenues. Per the terms of her employment contract, Ms. Morrison is
eligible to receive an annual incentive cash bonus equal to the lesser of (1)
75% of her salary or (2) the average of the bonuses received by certain leasing
employees who report directly to her. Ms. Morrison receives the
higher of the bonus as calculated under the Company’s incentive cash bonus plan
for executive officers or the bonus calculated under the terms of her employment
contract, but not both. Ms. Morrison also participated in a
separate bonus program during 2007 where she is eligible to receive a bonus
based on her leasing team reaching certain goals with respect to achieving
minimum overall occupancy rates and minimum average rental rate increases on
existing leases renewed or new leases executed during that year. In
addition, Ms. Morrison is eligible to receive a bonus for leases that were
executed prior to 2007 relating to new development projects, but which the
Company did not consider earned and payable until construction actually began on
those new developments.
The
actual annual bonus payments kept total cash compensation within the Company’s
fiscal year budget and reinforced its pay-for-performance
philosophy.
Long-Term
Incentives: Description and Analysis
Long term
incentives are determined based on peer group compensation practices combined
with recommendations of management and the Compensation Committee. The Company’s
long-term incentive compensation consists of equity-based awards under its
Incentive Award Plan, either in the form of restricted Common Shares or options
to acquire Common Shares at a predetermined price. Equity-based
awards deliver increased value only when the value of our Common Shares
increases.
The
Option Committee administers our Incentive Award Plan, which provides for the
issuance of equity-based awards to our officers and employees. The
Compensation Committee makes recommendations and provides advice and information
to the Option Committee with respect to equity-based awards. The
Option Committee makes the awards and establishes the terms and conditions of
the awards, including voting, as it deems appropriate.
Restricted
Common Share Awards
The
awards of restricted Common Shares focus on aligning the interests of management
with those of our shareholders.
On
February 20, 2007, the Option Committee awarded 72,000 restricted Common Shares
to Mr. Stanley K. Tanger, 48,000 restricted Common Shares to Mr. Steven B.
Tanger and 20,000 restricted Common Shares to Mr. Frank C. Marchisello,
Jr. These awards were identical to the awards made in
2006. In addition, the Compensation Committee recommended that the
Option Committee make awards of restricted Common Shares to other executive
officers based upon the recommendations of the CEO and COO. Based on
such recommendations and consistent with the advice of the Compensation
Committee and its outside compensation consultants, the Option Committee awarded
2,000 restricted Common Shares to each of the other executive
officers.
12
In
setting the amounts and terms of the restricted Common Shares, the Compensation
Committee and the Option Committee consider the value of previous grants of
restricted Common Shares and the total compensation expense recognized in the
Company’s financial statements with respect to all previous grants of restricted
Common Shares. The total annual expense recognized during 2007 for
all such grants is included in the Summary Compensation Table
below. However, the Option Committee does not necessarily limit the
number of shares to be granted based on the total value or annual expense
recognized in the financial statements because the Committees generally consider
grants of restricted Common Shares to represent both an annual reward for
individual and Company performance achieved for the most recently completed
fiscal year as well as a longer-term incentive for future
performance. Restricted Common Shares are generally granted during
the first quarter of the current year once the results from the previous year
are finalized.
The
restricted Common Shares granted to the executive officers during 2007 vest and
the restrictions cease to apply on twenty percent of the award on February 28 of
each year over a five-year period, beginning on February 28, 2008.
Dividends are paid on all restricted Common Shares whether vested or
unvested. The Option Committee believes that restricted Common
Share grants with time-based vesting features provide the desired incentive to
increase the Company’s share price and therefore the wealth of our shareholders
over a 5-year period. If the Company has poor relative performance
that results in poor shareholder returns, then the value of the restricted
Common Shares, and likewise the executive’s total compensation, will be
reduced. If the Company has superior relative performance that
results in superior shareholder returns, then the value of the restricted Common
Shares, and likewise the executive officer’s total compensation, will be
significantly increased.
The
Company measures the fair value under FAS 123(R) of all restricted Common Share
awards with time-based vesting features based on the provisions of the Incentive
Award Plan. Under those provisions, fair value is considered to be
the closing price of our Common Shares on the last trading day prior to the
grant date.
Common
Share Option Awards
During
2007, the Compensation Committee considered a recommendation from the
compensation consultants to grant options to acquire Common Shares to each of
the executive officers. The Compensation Committee decided that no
options should be awarded since all of the executive officers were being awarded
restricted Common Shares.
Options
have not been utilized as a means of executive compensation since
2004. The Compensation Committee does consider them, however, as a
form of compensation and includes them in its annual assessment of executive
compensation.
When
awarded in the past, options were granted with an exercise price equal to the
fair market value of our Common Shares. Under the terms of the
Incentive Award Plan, the fair market value of our Common Shares is considered
to be the closing price on the last trading day prior to the grant
date. The Company does not backdate options, grant options
retroactively, or coordinate grants of options so that they are made before
announcements of favorable information, or after announcements of unfavorable
information.
Retirement
Benefits
The
Company does not provide any retirement benefits to its executive officers,
other than matching a portion of employee contributions to a 401(k)
plan. Employee contributions are matched by us at a rate of
compensation to be determined annually at our discretion. This
benefit is generally available to all employees of the Company.
Employment
Contracts and Change in Control
The
Company’s business is competitive and the Compensation Committee believes that
it is extremely desirable for the Company to maintain employment contracts with
its senior executives. The employment contracts generally provide for
severance pay if the executive terminates his employment for Good Reason or is
terminated by the Company without Cause, as defined in each
agreement. The severance arrangements provided in the contracts are
designed to promote stability and continuity of senior
management. For certain executives, the employment contracts consider
a change in control as Good Reason for an executive to terminate his or her
employment, and thus would entitle him or her to certain severance
pay.
The
Company currently has employment contracts with each of the NEOs on page 19 of
this Proxy Statement. See “Employment Contracts” in this Proxy
Statement.
13
Perquisites
The
Company does not provide significant perquisites or personal benefits to
executive officers, except that Mr. Stanley K. Tanger and Mr. Steven B. Tanger
are each given a monthly car allowance of $800 and the Company pays the premiums
on life insurance polices for each executive which totaled $6,814 for Mr.
Stanley K. Tanger and $12,970 for Mr. Steven B. Tanger during 2007.
The
Company leases a fractional ownership in a corporate aircraft. The
corporate aircraft is made available for the personal use of Mr. Stanley K.
Tanger because the Company believes the security and efficiency benefits clearly
outweigh the expense. However, Mr. Stanley K. Tanger maintains a cash deposit
with the Company which is used to fully reimburse us for all related costs of
his personal use, including costs that are charged based on usage, such as
flight costs and fuel costs, as well as a pro rata portion of any related fixed
costs, such as monthly management fees and lease rental payments. In
addition, depending on seat availability, Mr. Stanley K. Tanger’s family members
occasionally accompany him on the corporate aircraft during business trips, at
no incremental cost to the Company.
Deductibility
of Executive Compensation
Subject
to certain limited exemptions, Section 162(m) of the Code denies an income tax
deduction to any publicly held corporation for compensation paid to a "covered
employee" (which is defined as the CEO and each of the Company’s other four most
highly compensated officers, excluding the CEO) to the extent that such
compensation in any taxable year of the employee exceeds $1
million. In addition to salaries, bonuses payable to the Company’s
executives under their present employment contracts and compensation
attributable to the exercise of options and other share-based awards that may be
granted under the Incentive Award Plan constitute compensation subject to the
Section 162(m) limitation. The Incentive Award Plan permits, but does
not require, share-based awards to qualify as "performance-based compensation"
which is exempt from application of the Section 162(m) limitation. It
is the Company’s policy to take account of the implications of Section 162(m)
among all factors reviewed in making compensation decisions. However,
the Compensation Committee, while considering tax deductibility as one of its
factors in determining compensation, will not limit compensation to those levels
or types of compensation that will be deductible if it determines that such
award is consistent with its philosophy and is in the Company’s and the
shareholders’ best interests, and accordingly, some portion of the compensation
paid to a Company executive may not be tax deductible by the Company under
Section 162(m). The Compensation Committee will, of course, consider alternative
forms of compensation, consistent with its compensation goals, that preserve
deductibility.
Section
280G, Section 4999 and Section 409A of the Code impose certain taxes under
specified circumstances. Section 280G and Section 4999 provides that
any executives, directors who hold significant shareholder interests, and
certain other service providers could be subject to significant additional taxes
if they receive certain payments or benefits in connection with a change in
control of the Company, and that the Company could lose a deduction on the
amounts subject to additional tax. The Company has no policy or
commitment to provide any executive or director with any gross-up or other
reimbursement for tax amounts that such executive might pay pursuant to these
laws. Section 409A imposes additional significant taxes in the event
that an executive, director or other service provider receives deferred
compensation that does not meet the requirements of Section 409A. The
impact of Section 409A of the Code is considered by the Compensation Committee
and the Company’s executive plans and programs are generally designed to comply
with or be exempt from Section 409A in order to avoid potential adverse tax
consequences that may result from noncompliance.
REPORT
OF THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE
We have
reviewed and discussed with management the Compensation Discussion and Analysis
required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K with management and, based on such
review and discussions, we recommended to the Board that the Compensation
Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement.
THE COMPENSATION
COMMITTEE
|
|
Jack
Africk (Chairman)
|
|
William
G. Benton
|
|
Thomas
E. Robinson
|
|
Allan
L. Schuman
|
14
2007 SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE
(1)
The
following table shows information concerning the annual compensation for
services provided by our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and
three other most highly compensated executives for each of the fiscal years
ended December 31, 2007 and December 31, 2006:
Name
and
Principal
position
|
Year
|
Salary
|
Share
Awards (2)
|
Option
Awards (2)
|
Non-equity
Incentive
Plan Compensation(3)
|
All
Other
Compensation
|
Total
|
||
Stanley
K. Tanger
Chairman
and
Chief
Executive Officer
|
2007
2006
|
$597,300
543,000
|
$1,764,843
1,067,009
|
$43,468
43,468
|
$810,387
749,774
|
$313,179(4)
269,223(4)
|
$3,529,177
2,672,474
|
||
Steven
B. Tanger
President
and
Chief
Operating Officer
|
2007
2006
|
$498,960
462,000
|
$1,176,562
711,339
|
$30,428
30,428
|
$632,769
584,084
|
$221,351(5)
184,902(5)
|
$2,560,070
1,972,753
|
||
Frank
C. Marchisello
Executive
Vice President,
Chief
Financial Officer
|
2007
2006
|
$340,260
318,000
|
$354,482
182,286
|
$10,867
10,867
|
$411,417
377,323
|
$62,693(6)
41,274(6)
|
$1,179,719
929,750
|
||
Joseph
H. Nehmen
Senior
Vice President,
Operations
|
2007
2006
|
$281,400
268,000
|
$27,050
10,758
|
$8,694
8,694
|
$40,479
31,852
|
$7,381(7)
4,790(7)
|
$365,004
324,094
|
||
Lisa
J. Morrison
Senior
Vice President,
Leasing
|
2007
2006
|
$220,500
210,000
|
$27,050
10,758
|
$8,694
8,694
|
$192,604
79,271
|
$7,381(7)
4,790(7)
|
$456,229
313,513
|
||
(1)
|
No
bonus was paid to an NEO except as part of the annual incentive cash bonus
plan, a non-equity incentive plan.
|
(2)
|
The
amounts in this column reflect the dollar amount recognized for financial
reporting purposes for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007 and 2006 in
accordance with FAS 123 (R) and thus may include awards granted in and
prior to 2007 and 2006. A discussion of the assumptions used in
calculating these values may be found in Note 12 to our 2007 audited
financial statements on page F-24 of our annual report.
|
(3)
|
Amounts
shown consist of payouts under our annual incentive cash bonus plan earned
during the fiscal year but paid in the first quarter of the following
fiscal year.
|
(4)
|
Mr.
Stanley K. Tanger's other compensation during 2007 and 2006 includes a car
allowance of $9,600 each year and reimbursement of term life insurance
premiums totaling $6,814 in 2007 and $17,500 in 2006, as per the terms of
his employment contract. In addition, Mr. Tanger’s other
compensation includes dividends paid on unvested restricted Common Share
awards of $293,952 during 2007 and $239,373 during 2006, as well as a
company match under an employee 401(k) plan of $2,813 during 2007 and
$2,750 during 2006. Mr. Tanger is allowed to use the corporate aircraft
for his personal use. However, Mr. Tanger fully reimburses us
for all related costs, including costs that are charged based on usage,
such as flight costs and fuel costs, as well as a pro rata portion of any
related fixed costs, such as monthly management fees and lease rental
payments. Mr. Tanger’s family members have occasionally
accompanied him on the corporate aircraft used during business trips, at
no incremental cost to us.
|
(5)
|
Mr.
Steven B. Tanger's other compensation during 2007 and 2006 includes a car
allowance of $9,600 each year and reimbursement of term life insurance
premiums totaling $12,970 each year, as per the terms of his employment
contract. In addition, Mr. Tanger’s other compensation includes
dividends paid on unvested restricted Common Shares of $195,968 during
2007 and $159,582 during 2006 as well as a company match under an employee
401(k) plan of $2,813 during 2007 and $2,750 during
2006.
|
(6)
|
Mr.
Marchisello’s other compensation represents dividends paid on unvested
restricted Common Share awards of $59,880 during 2007 and $38,524 during
2006 as well as a company match under an employee 401(k) plan of $2,813
during 2007 and $2,750 during 2006.
|
15
(7)
|
Mr.
Nehmen’s and Ms. Morrison’s other compensation represent dividends paid on
unvested restricted Common Share awards of $4,568 during 2007 and $2,040
during 2006 as well as a company match under an employee 401(k) plan of
$2,813 during 2007 and $2,750 during
2006.
|
2007 GRANT OF PLAN BASED AWARDS
The
following table summarizes grants of plan-based awards made to named executive
officers in the year ended December 31, 2007:
Name
|
Grant
Date (1)
|
Estimated
Future Payouts
Under
Non-Equity Incentive
Plan
Awards
(2)
|
All
Other Share
Awards:
Number
of
Common Shares
or
Units (#) (3)
|
Grant
Date
Fair
Value of
Equity
Awards ($)
|
|||
Minimum
|
Threshold
|
Target
|
Maximum
|
||||
Stanley
K. Tanger
|
2/20/07
|
$447,975
|
$597,300
|
$746,625
|
$1,045,275
|
72,000
|
$3,046,320
|
Steven
B. Tanger
|
2/20/07
|
$374,220
|
$498,960
|
$623,700
|
$798,336
|
48,000
|
$2,030,880
|
Frank
C. Marchisello
|
2/20/07
|
$255,195
|
$340,260
|
$425,325
|
$510,390
|
20,000
|
$846,200
|
Joseph
H. Nehmen
|
2/20/07
|
---
|
$14,070
|
$28,140
|
$56,280
|
2,000
|
$84,260
|
Lisa
J. Morrison
(4)
|
2/20/07
|
---
|
$11,025
|
$22,050
|
$44,100
$165,375
|
2,000
|
$84,260
|
(1)
|
The
date approved by the Board’s Compensation Committee or Option Committee
with respect to equity-based awards. Under the terms of our
Incentive Award Plan, the grant date fair value is considered to be the
closing price of the Company’s Common Shares on the day prior to the grant
date, which for the 2007 awards was $42.31.
|
(2)
|
These
columns show the range of estimated payouts targeted for 2007 performance
under our annual incentive cash bonus plan for our executive officers as
described in the section titled “Annual Cash Incentives” in the
Compensation Discussion and Analysis. The actual cash bonus
payment made in 2008 for 2007 performance, based on the metrics described,
amounted to 135.68% of base salary for Mr. Stanley K. Tanger, 126.82% for
Mr. Steven B. Tanger, 120.91% for Mr. Marchisello and 14.39% for Mr.
Nehmen.
|
(3)
|
Restricted
Common Shares granted under our Incentive Award Plan are described in the
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End Table
below. Dividends are paid on unvested restricted Common
Shares.
|
(4)
|
Per
the terms of her contract, Ms. Morrison is eligible to receive a cash
bonus equal to the lesser of (1) 75% of her salary or (2) the average of
the bonuses received by certain leasing employees who report directly to
her. Ms Morrison receives the higher of the bonus as
calculated under our annual incentive cash bonus plan for executive
officers or the bonus calculated under the terms of her employment
contract, but not both. During 2007, Ms. Morrison received a
cash bonus based on the terms of her employment contract in the amount of
$158,340. Ms. Morrison also participated in a separate bonus
program during 2007 where she received a $12,000 bonus due to her leasing
team reaching certain goals with respect to achieving minimum overall
occupancy rates and minimum average rental rate increases on existing
leases renewed or new leases executed during that year. In
addition, Ms. Morrison was paid $22,264 as a bonus for leases that were
executed prior to 2007 relating to new development projects, but which the
Company did not consider earned and payable until construction actually
began on those new developments.
|
16
OUTSTANDING
EQUITY AWARDS AT YEAR END 2007
|
The
following table summarizes the number of securities underlying outstanding
plan awards for the named executive officers in the year ended December
31, 2007:
|
Name
|
Option
Awards
|
Share
Awards
|
|||||||||
Number
of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Exercisable
|
Number
of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Unexercisable
|
Option
Exercise
Price
|
Option
Expiration
Date
|
Number
of
Shares
or
Units
That
Have
Not
Vested
(#)
(1)
|
Market
Value
of
Shares
or
Units
That
Have
Not
Vested
($)
(1)(2)
|
Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Number
of
Unearned
Shares,
Units
or
Other
Rights
That
Have
Not
Vested
(#)
|
Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Market
or
Payout
Value
of
Unearned
Shares,
Units
or
Other
Rights
That
Have
Not
Vested
($)
(2)
|
||||
Stanley
K. Tanger
|
---
|
40,000
(3)
|
$19.415
|
4/27/2014
|
24,000
(4)
14,400
(5)
57,600
(7)
72,000
(8)
|
$
905,040
543,024
2,172,096
2,715,120
|
14,400
(6)
|
$543,024
|
|||
Steven
B. Tanger
|
14,000
42,000
|
---
28,000
(3)
|
$9.3125
19.415
|
3/08/2010
4/27/2014
|
16,000
(4)
9,600
(5)
38,400
(7)
48,000
(8)
|
$
603,360
362,016
1,448,064
1,810,080
|
9,600
(6)
|
$362,016
|
|||
Frank
C. Marchisello
|
---
|
10,000
(3)
|
$19.415
|
4/27/2014
|
2,000
(4)
2,000
(5)
16,000
(7)
20,000
(8)
|
$
75,420
75,420
603,360
754,200
|
2,000
(6)
|
$
75,420
|
|||
Joseph
H. Nehmen
|
12,000
|
8,000
(3)
|
$19.415
|
4/27/2014
|
1,600
(7)
2,000
(8)
|
$
60,336
75,420
|
|||||
Lisa
J. Morrison
|
---
|
8,000
(3)
|
$19.415
|
4/27/2014
|
1,600
(7)
2,000
(8)
|
$60,336
75,420
|
|||||
(1)
|
Represents
portion of restricted Common Shares that vest based on rendering service
over a specific period of time.
|
||||||||||
(2)
|
Based
on the closing price of our Common Shares on December 31, 2007 of
$37.71.
|
||||||||||
(3)
|
Options
vest at a rate of 20% per year, with vesting dates on 4/27/2005,
4/27/2006, 4/27/2007, 4/27/2008 and 4/27/2009. Options expire
10 years from grant date.
|
||||||||||
(4)
|
Restricted
Common Shares vest at the following rates per year: 15%, 15%, 15%, 15%,
20% and 20% on 6/15/2004, 12/15/2004, 12/15/2005, 12/15/2006, 12/15/2007
and 12/15/2008, respectively.
|
||||||||||
(5)
|
Restricted
Common Shares vest at a rate of 20% per year, with vesting dates on
12/31/2005, 12/31/2006, 12/31/2007, 12/31/2008 and
12/31/2009.
|
||||||||||
(6)
|
Represents
portion of the restricted Common Shares granted during 2005 that vest upon
the satisfaction of performance criteria. Shares vest at the
rate of 20% per year, subject to satisfaction of performance criteria for
the applicable year, with vesting dates of 12/31/2005, 12/31/2006,
12/31/2007, 12/31/2008 and 12/31/2009.
|
||||||||||
(7)
|
Restricted
Common Shares vest at a rate of 20% per year, with vesting dates on
2/28/2007, 2/28/2008, 2/28/2009, 2/28/2010 and
2/28/2011.
|
||||||||||
(8)
|
Restricted
Common Shares vest at a rate of 20% per year, with vesting dates on
2/28/2008, 2/28/2009, 2/28/2010, 2/28/2011 and
2/28/2012.
|
17
OPTIONS
EXERCISES AND COMMON SHARES VESTED IN 2007
The
following table summarizes the option exercises and the vesting of restricted
share awards for each of our named executive officers for the year ended
December 31, 2007:
Name
|
Option
Awards
|
Share
Awards
|
||
Number of
Shares Acquired
on Exercise (#)
|
Value Realized on
Exercise ($) (1)
|
Number of
Shares Acquired
on Vesting (#)
|
Value Realized
on Vesting ($) (2)
|
|
Stanley
K. Tanger
|
20,000
|
$434,001
|
52,800
|
$2,053,344
|
Steven
B. Tanger
|
---
|
---
|
35,200
|
$1,368,896
|
Frank
C. Marchisello
|
19,000
|
$414,535
|
8,000
|
$
312,540
|
Joseph
H. Nehmen
|
---
|
---
|
400
|
$
15,900
|
Lisa
J. Morrison
|
4,000
|
$
86,852
|
400
|
$
15,900
|
(1)
|
Amounts
reflect the closing market price on the day prior to the exercise date in
accordance with the terms of our Incentive Award Plan.
|
(2)
|
Amounts
reflect the closing market price on the day prior to the vesting date in
accordance with the terms of our Incentive Award Plan.
|
EQUITY
COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION
The
following table provides information as of December 31, 2007 with respect to
compensation plans under which the Company’s equity securities are authorized
for issuance:
Plan
Category
|
(a)
Number of Securities
to be Issued Upon
Exercise of
Outstanding Options,
Warrants and Rights
|
(b)
Weighted Average
Exercise Price of
Outstanding Options,
Warrants and Rights
|
(c)
Number of
Securities Remaining
Available for Future
Issuance Under Equity
Compensation Plans
Excluding Securities
Reflected in Column (a)
|
Equity
compensation plans approved by
security
holders
|
368,155
|
$18.35
|
1,730,610
|
Equity
compensation plans not approved by
security
holders
|
---
|
---
|
---
|
Total
|
368,155
|
$18.35
|
1,730,610
|
18
Employment
Contracts
Each of
Stanley K. Tanger and Steven B. Tanger will receive annual cash compensation in
the form of salary and bonus pursuant to a three-year employment contract
effective as of January 1, 2004. The employment contracts will be
automatically extended for one additional year on January 1 of each year unless
the executive’s employment is terminated, or we give written notice to the
executive within 180 days prior to such January 1 that the contract term will
not be automatically extended. The base salary provided for in such
contracts may be increased but not decreased each year.
Upon
termination of employment, Stanley K. Tanger has agreed not to compete with us
for the remainder of his life. Upon termination of employment, Steven
B. Tanger has agreed not to compete with us for one year (or three years if
severance compensation is received) within a 50 mile radius of the site of any
commercial property owned, leased or operated by us or within a 50 mile radius
of any commercial property which we negotiated to acquire, lease or operate
within the six month period prior to termination. Each executive’s
covenant not to compete mandates that, during the term of his employment
contract and during the effective period of the covenant, such executive direct
his commercial real estate activities through us, with exceptions for
development of properties which were owned collectively or individually by them,
by members of their families or by any entity in which any of them owned an
interest or which was for the benefit of any of them prior to the Company’s
initial public offering (including the one factory outlet center with a total of
64,288 square feet in which Stanley K. Tanger, prior to the sale to a third
party in February 2007, was a 50% partner and a single shopping center in
Greensboro, North Carolina with a total of 24,440 square feet (referred to as
the "Excluded Properties")). In no event will either of the Tangers
engage in the development, construction or management of factory outlet shopping
centers or other competing retail commercial property outside of the Company or
the Operating Partnership during the effective period of the covenant not to
compete (with the exception of the Excluded Properties).
In
addition, the Tanger’s will not engage in any active or passive investment in
property relating to factory outlet centers or other competing retail commercial
property, with the exception of the ownership of up to one percent of the
securities of any publicly traded company.
If the
employment of either of the Tangers terminates without Cause, as defined in the
agreement, or such employment is terminated by the executive with Good Reason,
as defined in the agreement, the terminated executive shall receive a severance
benefit equal to 300% of the sum of (a) his annual base salary, (b) the higher
of (i) the prior year's annual bonus or (ii) the average annual bonus for the
preceding three years, and (c) his automobile allowance for the current
year. Share based awards under our Incentive Award Plan are included
in the calculation of the prior year’s annual bonus and average annual
bonus. If employment terminates by reason of death or disability, the
executive or his estate shall receive a lump sum amount equal to (a) his annual
base salary that would have been paid for the remaining contract term if
employment had not terminated, plus (b) the executive's annual bonus which would
have been paid during the year of termination had employment not terminated,
multiplied by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of days in the
year prior to termination and the denominator of which is 365.
The
employment contracts with Stanley K. Tanger and Steven B. Tanger also grant them
certain registration rights with respect to the Common Shares that they
beneficially own.
Frank C.
Marchisello, Jr. has a three-year employment contract effective January 1,
2004. Mr. Marchisello’s contract will be automatically extended for
one additional year on January 1 of each year unless the executive’s employment
is terminated, or we give written notice to the executive within 180 days prior
to such January 1 that the contract term will not be automatically
extended. The base salary provided for in Mr. Marchisello’s contract
may be increased but not decreased each year.
If Mr.
Marchisello’s employment is terminated by reason of death or disability, he or
his estate will receive as additional compensation an amount equal to his annual
base salary and a pro rata portion of the annual bonus earned for the contract
year in which the termination occurs. Further, if Mr. Marchisello’s employment
is terminated by us without Cause, or by Mr. Marchisello for Good Reason, as
those terms are defined in the agreement, Mr. Marchisello will receive a
severance payment equal to 300% of the sum of (a) his annual base salary for the
current contract year and (b) the higher of (i) the prior year's annual bonus or
(ii) the average annual bonus for the preceding three years, to be paid monthly
over the succeeding 36 months. Share based awards under our Incentive
Award Plan are included in the calculation of the prior year’s annual bonus and
average annual bonus.
19
Joseph H.
Nehmen has a three year employment contract effective January 1,
2003. Mr. Nehmen’s contract will be automatically extended for one
additional year on January 1 of each year unless the executive’s employment is
terminated, or we give written notice to the executive within 180 days prior to
such January 1 that the contract term will not be automatically
extended. Mr. Nehmen’s base salary for subsequent years in no event
may be less than his annual base salary for the previous contract
year.
If Mr.
Nehmen’s employment is terminated by reason of death or disability, he or his
estate will receive as additional compensation an amount equal to his annual
base salary for the contract year in which the termination occurs. Further, if
Mr. Nehmen’s employment is terminated by us without Cause, or by Mr. Nehmen for
Good Reason, as those terms are defined in the agreement, Mr. Nehmen will
receive a severance payment equal to 300% of his annual base salary for the
current contract year, to be paid monthly over the succeeding 36
months.
Lisa J.
Morrison’s employment contract expired December 31, 2007. Ms.
Morrison’s contract may be extended for additional one year periods by written
agreement by both parties prior to the end of the initial term or any extended
term. We are currently negotiating, but we have not finalized, a
renewal of Ms. Morrison’s employment contract. The contract
established a base salary for calendar year 2006 of $210,000. Ms.
Morrison’s base salary for subsequent years shall not be less than
$210,000. In addition, Ms. Morrison will be paid a bonus each year
equal to the lesser of (i) seventy-five percent (75%) of her base salary in
effect on the last day of such calendar year and (ii) the average bonus, as
defined in the agreement, paid to our employees who are leasing
representatives.
During
the respective term of employment and for a period of one year thereafter (three
years in the case of Mr. Marchisello and Mr. Nehmen if the executive receives a
severance payment of 300% of his annual base salary), each of Mr. Marchisello
and Mr. Nehmen is prohibited from engaging directly or indirectly in any aspect
of the factory outlet business within a radius of 50 miles of, or in the same
state as, any factory outlet center owned or operated by us. Ms.
Morrison, during the term of her employment and for a period of three months
thereafter, is prohibited from engaging in any activities involving developing
or operating a factory outlet shopping facility within a radius of 50 miles of
any retail shopping facility owned, operated or managed by us at any time during
her employment.
Stanley
K. Tanger, Steven B. Tanger and, effective January 1, 2008, Frank C.
Marchisello, Jr., are employed and compensated by both the Operating Partnership
and the Company. The Compensation Committee believes that the
allocation of such persons' compensation between the Company and the Operating
Partnership reflects the services provided by such persons with respect to each
entity. All other employees are employed solely by the Operating
Partnership.
Potential
Payments on Termination or Change in Control
The table
below reflects the amount of compensation payable to each of our named executive
officers in the event of termination of such executive’s
employment. The amount of compensation payable to each named
executive officer is shown in the table below (1) upon termination by the
Company without Cause or by the executive for Good Reason, (2) termination as a
result of a Change in Control, (3) termination as a result of death, (4)
termination as result of Disability, and (5) termination by the Company for
Cause or by the executive without Good Reason. The terms “Cause”,
“Change in Control”, “Disability” and “Good Reason” are defined in the
employment contracts of Mr. Stanley K. Tanger, Mr. Steven B. Tanger, Mr.
Marchisello and Mr. Nehmen, and are generally as stated below.
“Cause” -
The Company shall have “Cause” to terminate the executive's employment upon the
executive’s (i) causing material harm to the Company through a material act of
dishonesty in the performance of his or her duties, (ii) conviction of a felony
involving moral turpitude, fraud or embezzlement, or (iii) willful failure to
perform his or her material duties (other than a failure due to disability)
after written notice and a reasonable opportunity to cure.
“Change of Control” -
shall mean (A) the sale, lease, exchange or other transfer (other than pursuant
to internal reorganization) by the Company or the Operating Partnership of more
than 50% of its assets to a single purchaser or to a group of associated
purchasers; (B) a merger, consolidation or similar transaction in which the
Company or the Operating Partnership does not survive as an independent,
publicly owned corporation or the Company ceases to be the sole general partner
of the Partnership; or (C) the acquisition of securities of the Company or the
Operating Partnership in one or a related series of transactions (other than
pursuant to an internal reorganization) by a single purchaser or a group of
associated purchasers (other than the executive or any of his or her lineal
descendants, lineal ancestors or siblings) which results in their ownership of
twenty-five (25%) percent or more of the
20
number of
Common Shares of the Company (treating any Operating Partnership Units or
Preferred Shares acquired by such purchaser or purchasers as if they had been
converted to Common Shares) that would be outstanding if all of the Operating
Partnership Units and Preferred Shares were converted into Common Shares; (D) a
merger involving the Company if, immediately following the merger, the holders
of the Company's shares immediately prior to the merger own less than fifty
(50%) of the surviving company's outstanding shares having unlimited voting
rights or less than fifty percent (50%) of the value of all of the surviving
company's outstanding shares; or (E) a majority of the members of the Company's
Board of Directors are replaced during any twelve month period by directors
whose appointment or election is not endorsed by a majority of the members of
the Board prior to the date of the appointment or election.
“Disability” - shall
mean the absence of the executive from the executive's duties to the Operating
Partnership and/or the Company on a full-time basis for a total of 16
consecutive weeks during any 12 month period as a result of incapacity due to
mental or physical illness which is determined to be total and permanent by a
physician selected by the Partnership or the Company and acceptable to the
executive or the executive's legal representative.
“Good Reason” - The
executive shall have Good Reason to terminate his or her employment upon the
occurrence of any of the following events:
·
|
any
material adverse change in job titles, duties, responsibilities,
perquisites, or authority without his or her
consent;
|
·
|
if,
after a Change of Control, either (i) the principal duties of the
executive are required to be performed at a location other than the
Greensboro, North Carolina metropolitan area (or New York, New York in the
case of Mr. Steven B. Tanger) without his or her consent or (ii) in the
case of Mr. Stanley K. Tanger and Mr. Steven B. Tanger, the executive no
longer reports directly to the Board of
Directors;
|
·
|
a
material breach of the employment agreement by the Operating Partnership
or Company, including without limitation, the failure to pay compensation
or benefits when due if such failure is not cured within 30 days after
written demand for payment thereof;
|
·
|
the
executive’s election to terminate employment within the 180 day period
following a Change of Control; or
|
·
|
in
the case of Mr. Stanley K. Tanger and Mr. Nehmen, the relocation of
the Company and/or the Operating Partnership headquarters outside of the
Greensboro, North Carolina metropolitan area without his
consent;
|
·
|
in the case of Mr. Stanley K.
Tanger and Mr. Steven B. Tanger, if the executive is removed, or is not
re-elected as a Director of the
Company.
|
The
employment contracts of Mr. Stanley K. Tanger, Mr. Steven B. Tanger, Mr.
Marchisello and Mr. Nehmen consider a change in control as Good Reason for an
executive to terminate his or her employment, and thus would entitle him to
certain severance benefits. For purposes of the table below, however,
we consider the caption representing the termination by the Company without
Cause or by the executive for Good Reason to exclude an event of a change in
control. In addition, any severance benefits or additional
compensation that these four executives are eligible to receive upon termination
will be reduced to the extent necessary to prevent the executive from having any
liability for the federal excise tax levied on certain “excess parachute
payments” under section 4999 of the Code. The amounts shown in the
table below show the maximum amounts the executives would be eligible to receive
upon termination assuming no such reduction in compensation or benefits would be
required.
The
amounts shown below assume that such termination was effective December 31,
2007, and thus amounts earned through such time are estimates of the amounts
which would be paid out to the executives upon termination. In
addition, the amounts shown below assume that the annual incentive cash bonus
each executive was eligible to receive for the 2007 fiscal year would have been
earned but unpaid at December 31, 2007. The actual amounts to be paid
can only be determined at the time of such executive’s separation from the
Company.
21
Name
|
Cash
Severance
Payment (1)
|
Share
Awards (2)
|
Continuation
of
Benefits (3)
|
All Other
Comp.
(4)
|
Total
|
|||
Stanley
K. Tanger
· Without
Cause or
For
Good Reason
· Change
in Control
· Death
· Disability
· For
Cause or without
Good Reason
|
$11,711,346
11,711,346
4,491,482
4,491,482
810,387
|
$6,869,184
7,600,984
6,869,184
6,869,184
---
|
$133,351
133,351
---
---
---
|
$13,628
13,628
---
13,628
---
|
$18,727,509
19,459,309
11,360,666
11,374,294
810,387
|
|||
Steven
B. Tanger
· Without
Cause or
For Good Reason
· Change
in Control
· Death
· Disability
· For
Cause or without
Good Reason
|
$7,530,675
7,530,675
2,999,585
2,999,585
632,769
|
$4,579,456
5,091,716
4,579,456
4,579,456
---
|
$15,033
15,033
---
---
---
|
$25,940
25,940
---
25,940
---
|
$12,151,104
12,663,364
7,579,041
7,604,981
632,769
|
|||
Frank
C. Marchisello
· Without
Cause or
For Good Reason
· Change
in Control
· Death
or Disability
· For
Cause or without
Good Reason
|
$4,430,475
4,430,475
1,476,825
411,417
|
$1,581,720
1,764,670
1,581,720
---
|
---
---
---
---
|
---
---
---
---
|
$6,012,195
6,195,145
3,058,545
411,417
|
|||
Joseph
H. Nehmen
· Without
Cause or
For Good Reason
· Change
in Control
· Death
or Disability
· For
Cause or without
Good Reason
|
$844,200
844,200
321,879
40,479
|
$135,576
281,936
135,576
---
|
---
---
---
---
|
---
---
---
---
|
$979,776
1,126,136
457,455
40,479
|
|||
Lisa
J. Morrison
· Without
Cause or
For Good Reason
· Change
in Control
· Death
or disability
· For
Cause or without
Good Reason
|
$192,604
192,604
192,604
192,604
|
$135,576
281,936
135,576
---
|
---
---
---
---
|
---
---
---
---
|
$328,180
474,540
328,180
192,604
|
|||
(1)
|
The
terms of the cash severance payments due each officer under each scenario
are more fully described elsewhere in this proxy statement under the
caption “Employment Contracts”.
|
|||||||
(2)
|
Amounts
shown in this column include the value of the unvested restricted Common
Shares which would immediately vest upon termination of employment based
on the closing price of our Common Shares on December 31, 2007 of
$37.71. This column also includes, upon a change in control as
defined in the Incentive Award Plan, the value of any unvested options
that would become immediately exercisable calculated as the difference of
the price of our Common Shares on December 31 2007 and the exercise price
of each unvested option.
|
|||||||
(3)
|
Includes
estimated costs of continuation of benefits for the remainder of each
executive’s employment contract for group medical and dental coverage,
disability insurance and life insurance premiums on $100,000 of
coverage.
|
|||||||
(4)
|
Represents
premiums on term life insurance polices for each executive to be paid for
the remainder of each executive’s employment
contract.
|
22
Security
Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management
The
following table sets forth certain information as of March 1, 2008, or such
other date as indicated in the notes thereto, available to us with respect to
our Common Shares, and of units of partnership interests in the Operating
Partnership (referred to as the “Units”) (i) held by those persons known by us
to be the beneficial owners (as determined under the rules of the SEC) of more
than 5% of such shares, (ii) held individually by the directors and our
executive officers named elsewhere in this Proxy Statement, and (iii) held by
our directors and all of our executive officers as a group.
Name
and Business Address (where required) of Beneficial Owner
|
Number of
Common
Shares
Beneficially
Owned (1)
|
Percent
of
All
Common
Shares
|
Number of
Common
Shares
Exchangeable
For Units
Beneficially
Owned (2)
|
Percent
of
All
Common
Shares
and
Units
|
Stanley
K. Tanger
(3)
Tanger Factory Outlet Centers,
Inc.
3200 Northline Avenue, Suite
360
Greensboro,
NC 27408
|
911,991
|
2.9%
|
6,086,610
|
18.5%
|
Steven
B. Tanger (4)
Tanger Factory Outlet Centers,
Inc.
110 East 59th
Street
New York,
NY 10022
|
308,595
|
1.0%
|
63,000
|
1.0%
|
Deutsche
Bank AG (5)
RREEF
America, L.L.C.
Deutsche
Bank Trust Corp. Americas
Deutsche
Investment Management Americas
Theodor-Heuss-Allee
70
60468 Frankfurt am
Main
Federal Republic of
Germany
|
4,367,535
|
13.9%
|
---
|
11.6%
|
FMR
LLC
(6)
82
Devonshire Street
Boston, MA 02109
|
3,968,850
|
12.6%
|
---
|
10.6%
|
The
Vanguard Group, Inc. (7)
100 Vanguard Blvd.
Malvern, PA 19355
|
2,356,777
|
7.5%
|
---
|
6.3%
|
Capital
Growth Management LP (8)
One
International Place, 45th
Floor
Boston,
MA 02110
|
1,880,000
|
6.0%
|
---
|
5.0%
|
Barclays
Global Investors, NA. (9)
Barclays
Global Fund Advisors
Barclays
Global Investors, LTD
Barclays
Global Investors Japan Limited
45
Fremont Street
San
Francisco, CA 94105
|
1,864,361
|
5.9%
|
---
|
5.0%
|
Jack
Africk
(10)
|
68,250
|
*
|
---
|
*
|
William
G. Benton
(11)
|
29,048
|
*
|
---
|
*
|
Thomas
E. Robinson
(12)
|
33,450
|
*
|
---
|
*
|
Allan
L. Schuman (13)
|
13,100
|
*
|
---
|
*
|
Frank
C. Marchisello
(14)
|
88,192
|
*
|
5,000
|
*
|
Joseph
H. Nehmen
(14)
|
9,435
|
*
|
16,000
|
*
|
Lisa
J. Morrison (14)
|
6,002
|
*
|
4,000
|
*
|
Directors
and Executive Officers as a Group
(13
persons) (15)
|
1,457,446
|
4.7%
|
6,207,210
|
20.4%
|
* Less
than 1%
23
(1)
|
The
ownership of Common Shares reported herein is based upon filings with the
SEC and is subject to confirmation by us that such ownership did not
violate the ownership restrictions in the Company’s Articles of
Incorporation.
|
(2)
|
Represents
Common Shares that may be acquired upon the exchange of Units beneficially
owned for Common Shares. Each Unit held by the Tanger Family
Limited Partnership (referred to as the “TFLP”) and each Unit that may be
acquired upon the exercise of options to purchase Units may be exchanged
for two of our Common Shares.
|
(3)
|
Includes
278,062 Common Shares owned by the TFLP, of which Stanley K. Tanger is the
general partner and may be deemed to be the beneficial owner, and
6,066,610 Common Shares which may be acquired upon the exchange of Units
owned by TFLP. Also includes 631,929 Common Shares owned by
Stanley K. Tanger individually and 20,000 Common Shares which may be
acquired upon the exercise of presently exercisable options to purchase
Units owned by Stanley K. Tanger individually and 2,000 Common Shares
owned by Stanley K. Tanger’s spouse. Does not include 20,000
Common Shares which may be acquired upon the exercise of options to
purchase Units, which are presently unexercisable, owned by Stanley K.
Tanger individually.
|
(4)
|
Includes
63,000 Common Shares which may be acquired upon the exercise of presently
exercisable options to purchase Units. Does not include 278,062
Common Shares owned by TFLP and 6,066,610 Common Shares which may be
acquired upon the exchange Units owned by the TFLP (Steven B. Tanger is a
limited partner of the Tanger Investments Limited Partnership, which is a
limited partner of TFLP) for Common Shares. Does not include
14,000 Common Shares which may be acquired upon the exercise of options to
purchase Units which are presently unexercisable. Does not
include 631,929 Common Shares actually owned or 280,062 Common Shares
which may be deemed beneficially owned by Steven B. Tanger's father,
Stanley K. Tanger. Includes 131,995 Common Shares which Mr.
Steven B. Tanger has pledged as security for certain personal
loans.
|
(5)
|
We
have received a copy of Schedule 13G as filed with the SEC by Deutsche
Bank AG (“DB”), RREEF America, L.L.C. (“RREEF”), Deutsche Bank Trust Corp.
Americas (“DBTC”) and Deutsche Investment Management Americas (“DIMA”)
reporting ownership of these shares as of December 31, 2007. As
reported in said Schedule 13G, (i) DB has sole dispositive power for
4,367,635 of such shares, and sole voting power for 2,917,535 of such
shares; (ii) RREEF has sole dispositive power for 4,162,485 of such
shares, and sole voting power for 2,722,385 of such shares; (iii) DBTC has
sole dispositive power for 12,900 of such shares, and sole voting power
for 2,900 of such shares; and (iv) DIMA has sole dispositive power for
192,250 of such shares, and sole voting power for 192,250 of such
shares.
|
(6)
|
We
have received a copy of Schedule 13G as filed with the SEC by FMR LLC
(“FMR”) and Edward C. Johnson 3rd
reporting ownership of these shares as of December 31, 2007. As
reported in said Schedule 13G, FMR and Edward C. Johnson 3rd
has sole dispositive power for 3,968,850 of such shares, and sole voting
power for 768,050 of such shares.
|
(7)
|
We
have received a copy of Schedule 13G as filed with the SEC by The Vanguard
Group, Inc. (“VG”) reporting ownership of these shares as of December 31,
2007. As reported in said Schedule 13G, VG has sole dispositive
power for 2,356,777 of such shares, and sole voting power for 28,991 of
such shares.
|
(8)
|
We
have received a copy of Schedule 13G as filed with the SEC by Capital
Growth Management LP (“CGM”) reporting ownership of these shares as of
December 31, 2007. As reported in said Schedule 13G, CGM has
shared dispositive power for 1,880,000 of such shares, and sole voting
power for 1,880,000 of such
shares.
|
24
(9)
|
We
have received a copy of Schedule 13G as filed with the SEC by Barclays
Global Investors, NA. (“BGI”), Barclays Global Fund Advisors (“BGFA”),
Barclays Global Investors, LTD (“BGIL”) and Barclays Global Investors
Japan Limited (“BGIJL”) reporting ownership of these shares as of December
31, 2007. As reported in said Schedule 13G, (i) BGI has sole
dispositive power for 916,161 of such shares, and sole voting power for
682,206 of such shares; (ii) BGFA has sole dispositive power for 896,522
of such shares, and sole voting power for 635,778 of such shares; (iii)
BGIL has sole dispositive power for 36,827 of such shares, and sole voting
power for 4,764 of such shares; and (iv) BGIJL has sole dispositive power
for 14,851 of such shares, and sole voting power for 14,851 of such
shares.
|
(10)
|
Includes
18,000 presently exercisable options to purchase our Common
Shares.
|
(11)
|
Includes
8,000 presently exercisable options to purchase our Common
Shares.
|
(12)
|
Includes
10,000 presently exercisable options to purchase our Common
Shares.
|
(13)
|
Includes
3,600 presently exercisable options to purchase our Common
Shares.
|
(14)
|
Amounts
shown as Common Shares exchangeable for Units represent Common Shares
which may be acquired upon the exercise of presently exercisable options
to purchase Units.
|
(15)
|
Includes
180,200 Common Shares which may be acquired upon the exercise of presently
exercisable options to purchase Common Shares or Units. Does
not include 70,400 Common Shares which may be acquired upon the exercise
of options to purchase Common Shares or Units which are presently
unexercisable.
|
Certain
Relationships and Related Party Transactions
The
Company, through its majority owned subsidiaries, owns the majority of the units
of partnership interest issued by the Operating Partnership and controls the
Operating Partnership as its general partner. The Tanger Family
Limited Partnership (referred to as “TFLP”) holds a limited partnership interest
in and is the minority owner of the Operating Partnership. Stanley K.
Tanger, the Company’s Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, is the
sole general partner of TFLP. During 2007, the Operating Partnership
made quarterly distributions to TFLP totaling $8.6 million. Such distributions
were made on the same pro rata basis as distributions made by the Operating
Partnership to the Company.
In 2004, the Company adopted a Code of
Business Conduct and Ethics (the “Code of Conduct”), which is posted on the
Company’s website at www.tangeroutlet.com and is available by clicking on
“INVESTOR RELATIONS”, then “CORPORATE GOVERNANCE” and then “CODE OF
BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS” or by writing to our Director of Administration at
our principal executive offices. The Code of Conduct states that
conflicts of interest should be avoided wherever possible. Conflicts
of interest are broadly defined to include any situation where a person’s
private interest interferes in any way with the interests of the
Company. Any material transaction or relationship that could
reasonably be expected to give rise to a conflict of interest should be
discussed with the applicable Code of Ethics Contact Person.
25
PROPOSAL
2
RATIFICATION
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
The Audit
Committee has appointed the firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP to audit the
accounts of the Company for the fiscal year ending on December 31, 2008 and to
perform such other services as may be required. The submission of
this matter for approval by shareholders is not legally required; however, the
Board of Directors believes that such submission is consistent with best
practices in corporate governance and is an opportunity for shareholders to
provide direct feedback to the Board of Directors on an important issue of
corporate governance. If the shareholders do not approve the
selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the selection of such firm as our
independent registered public accounting firm will be
reconsidered. Should the firm be unable to perform these services for
any reason, the Audit Committee will appoint other independent registered public
accountants to perform these services.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP served as our independent registered public accountants for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2007. There are no affiliations between the
Company and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, its partners, associates or employees,
other than its engagement as an independent registered public accounting firm
for the Company. Representatives of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP are
expected to be present at the meeting, will have an opportunity to make a
statement if they desire to do so and will be available to respond to
appropriate questions from shareholders. See the Report of the Audit
Committee, included below, for information relating to the fees billed to the
Company by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for the fiscal years ended December 31,
2007 and 2006.
Vote
Required. Approval of the ratification of the appointment of
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Company’s independent registered accounting
firm requires approval by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of
those votes cast at the meeting; provided that a quorum is
present. Accordingly, abstentions, broker non-votes and Common Shares
present at the meeting for any other purpose but which are not voted on this
proposal will not affect the outcome of the vote on the proposal.
THE
BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE FOR THE RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF
PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP AS THE COMPANY’S INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC
ACCOUNTING FIRM
REPORT
OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
The Audit
Committee has provided the following report:
During
2007, we reviewed with the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, Director of
Internal Audit and the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm,
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (referred to as “PwC”), the scope of the annual audit
and audit plans, the results of internal and external audit examinations, the
evaluation by the auditors of the Company’s system of internal control, the
quality of the Company’s financial reporting and the Company’s process for legal
and regulatory compliance. We also monitored the progress and results
of the testing of internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section
404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
Management
is responsible for the Company’s system of internal control, the financial
reporting process and the assessment of the effectiveness of internal control
over financial reporting. PwC is responsible for performing an
integrated audit and issuing reports and opinions on the following:
1.
|
the
Company’s consolidated financial statements;
and
|
2.
|
the
Company’s internal control over financial
reporting.
|
As
provided in our Charter, our responsibilities include monitoring and overseeing
these processes.
Consistent
with this oversight responsibility, PwC reports directly to us. We
appointed PwC as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm and
approved the compensation of the firm. We reviewed and approved all
non-audit services performed by PwC during 2007 and determined that the
provision of the services was compatible with maintaining PwC’s independence.
Each year we pre-approve certain specific non-audit services and associated fees
to be performed by PwC, including certain tax consulting services for which any
one service would be $30,000 or less, or for all such services which would be
less than $200,000 in the aggregate. In addition, we have delegated
to the chairman of the Audit Committee the authority to pre-approve other
non-audit services to be performed by PwC and associated fees, provided that the
chairman reports all such decisions at the Audit Committee’s next regularly
scheduled meeting.
26
PwC
provided to us the written disclosures required by Independence Standards Board
Standard No. 1 (Independence Discussions with Audit Committees), and we
discussed with PwC its independence.
We
reviewed and discussed the 2007 consolidated financial statements and
management’s assessment of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control
over financial reporting with management and PwC. We also discussed
the certification process with the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer. Management represented to us that the Company’s consolidated
financial statements were prepared in accordance with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America and that the Company’s
internal control over financial reporting was effective. We discussed
with PwC the matters required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards
No. 61 (Communication with Audit Committees).
Based on
these discussions and reviews, we recommended to the Board of Directors that the
audited consolidated financial statements be included in the Company’s Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 for filing with the
SEC.
The
following is a summary of the fees billed to the Company by PwC for the fiscal
years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006:
2007
|
2006
|
|||
Audit
fees
|
$355,500
|
$389,529
|
||
Audit-related
fees
|
14,333
|
32,169
|
||
Tax
fees-tax compliance and preparation fees
|
265,930
|
342,086
|
||
Subtotal
|
635,763
|
763,784
|
||
Tax
Fees-other
|
42,407
|
187,353
|
||
All
other fees
|
---
|
---
|
||
Subtotal
|
42,407
|
187,353
|
||
Total
|
$678,170
|
$951,137
|
The audit
fees for the years ended December 31, 2007 and 2006, respectively, were for
professional services rendered for the integrated audits of our consolidated
financial statements and internal controls over financial
reporting. Also included for the year ended December 31, 2007 are
services rendered for the separate audits of a small wholly owned subsidiary and
the previously consolidated real estate joint venture. Also
included for the year ended December 31, 2006 are services related to the
issuance of comfort letters, assistance with the review of documents filed with
the SEC and the audit of the previously consolidated real estate joint
venture.
The
audit-related fees for the year ended December 31, 2007 were for consultations
on accounting standards and derivative transactions. The
audit-related fees for the year ended December 31, 2006 were for consultation
and special audit work for a potential acquisition and for accounting standards
consultations.
The tax
fees for the year ended December 31, 2007 and 2006 were for tax compliance and
preparation including tax return preparation and review.
The tax
fees – other for the year ended December 31, 2007 and 2006 were for tax
planning, advice, and consulting.
The
percentage of tax fees and tax fees-other approved pursuant to the pre-approved
policies was 9% during 2007 and 24% during 2006.
THE
AUDIT COMMITTEE
|
|
William
G. Benton (Chairman)
|
|
Jack
Africk
|
|
Allan
L. Schuman
|
27
OTHER
MATTERS
Reference
is hereby made to the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2007 and the Company’s Annual Report delivered together with this
Proxy Statement, and such documents incorporated herein by reference for
financial information and related disclosures required to be include
herein.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership
Reports.
Section
16(a) of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), requires our
officers and directors, and persons who own more than ten percent of a
registered class of our equity securities, to file reports of the ownership and
changes in the ownership (Forms 3, 4 and 5) with the SEC and the New York Stock
Exchange. Officers, directors and beneficial owners of more than ten
percent of our Common Shares are required by the SEC’s regulations to furnish us
with copies of all such forms which they file.
Based
solely on our review of the copies of Forms 3, 4 and 5 and the amendments
thereto received by us for the period ended December 31, 2007, or written
representations from certain reporting persons, we believe that no Forms 3, 4 or
5 were filed delinquently, with the exception of: one late filing by Mr. Africk
of a report on Form 4 reporting the exercise of options to acquire 10,000 Common
Shares and the one late filing by Mr. Benton of a report on Form 4
reporting the exercise of options to acquire 2,000 Common Shares and
the sale of those 2,000 Common Shares.
Shareholder Proposals and
Nominations.
This
Proxy Statement and form of proxy will be sent to shareholders of record in an
initial mailing and posted on the Internet on or about April 4,
2008. Proposals of shareholders pursuant to Regulation 14a-8 of the
Exchange Act intended to be presented at our Annual Meeting of Shareholders to
be held in 2009 must be received by us no later than December 5,
2008. Such proposals must comply with the requirements as to form and
substance established by the SEC for such proposals in order to be included in
the proxy statement. A shareholder who wishes to make a proposal
pursuant to Regulation 14a-8 of the Exchange Act at our Annual Meeting of
Shareholders to be held in 2009 without including the proposal in the Company’s
proxy statement and form of proxy relating to that meeting must notify the
Company in writing no later than February 13, 2009. If a shareholder
fails to give notice by February 13, 2009, then the persons named as proxies in
the proxies solicited by the Board for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be
held in 2009 may exercise discretionary voting power with respect to any such
proposal. Pursuant to the Company's By-Laws, to be properly
considered at our Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held in 2009, all
shareholder proposals, generally, must be received by our Corporate Secretary
not earlier than 120 days and not later than 90 days prior to the anniversary of
this year's meeting.
Shareholders
may nominate an individual for election as a director of the Company in
conformity with the requirements of the Company’s By-Laws. Generally,
to be properly considered at our Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held in
2009, written notice of the nomination must be delivered to the corporate
secretary not earlier than 120 days and not later than 90 days prior to the
anniversary of this year’s meeting. Such shareholder's notice shall
set forth as to each person whom the shareholder nominates for election or
reelection as a director all information relating to such person that is
required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of directors
in an election contest, or is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to
Regulation 14A under the Securities Exchange Act (including such person's
written consent to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to
serving as a director if elected). In addition, such shareholder notice must
provide, as detailed in the Company’s By-Laws, information about the
shareholder’s beneficial ownership of our Common Shares.
28
Board Committee Charters, Corporate
Governance Guidelines and Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.
Each of
the Board’s Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate
Governance Committee operate under written charters adopted by the
Board. The Board has also adopted written Corporate Governance
Guidelines in accordance with listing requirements of the New York Stock
Exchange and a written Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to
directors, management and employees of the Company. We have made
available copies of our Board Committee Charters, Corporate Governance
Guidelines and Code of Business Conduct and Ethics on our website at www.tangeroutlet.com
by first clicking on “INVESTOR RELATIONS” and then “CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE”. Copies of these documents may also be obtained by
sending a request in writing to Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc., 3200
Northline Avenue, Suite 360, Greensboro, North Carolina 27408, Attn: Corporate
Secretary.
Documents
Incorporated by Reference.
This
Proxy Statement incorporates documents by reference which are not presented
herein or delivered herewith. These documents (except for certain exhibits to
such documents, unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated herein) are
available upon request without charge. Requests may be oral or written and
should be directed to the attention of the Secretary of the Company at our
principal executive offices. In addition, our website is located at
http://www.tangeroutlet.com. On our website you can obtain, free of charge, a
copy of our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current
reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant
to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable
after we file such material electronically with, or furnish it to, the
SEC.
All
documents filed by the Company pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of
the Exchange Act subsequent to the date hereof and prior to the date of the
Meeting shall be deemed incorporated by reference into this Proxy Statement and
shall be deemed a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Any
statement contained in a document incorporated by reference herein shall be
deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Proxy Statement to the
extent that a statement contained herein (or subsequently filed document which
is also incorporated by reference herein) modifies or supersedes such statement.
Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed to constitute a part
of this Proxy Statement, except as so modified or superseded.
Householding
The SEC
permits a single set of annual reports, proxy statements, and Notice of Internet
Availability of Proxy Materials to be sent to any household at which two or more
shareholders reside, if it is believed the shareholders are members of the same
family. Each shareholder continues to receive a separate proxy card. This
procedure, referred to as householding, reduces the volume of duplicate
information shareholders receive and reduces mailing and printing costs. A
number of brokerage firms have instituted householding. Only one copy
of the Notice will be sent to certain beneficial shareholders who share a single
address, unless any shareholder residing at that address gave contrary
instructions.
Depending
upon the practices of your broker, bank or other nominee, you may be required to
contact them directly to discontinue duplicate mailings to your
household. If you wish to revoke your consent to householding, you
must contact your broker, bank or other nominee. If you hold Common
Shares in your own name as a shareholder of record, householding will not apply
to you. Extra copies of any annual report, proxy statement, information
statement or Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials may be obtained
free of charge by calling our Investor Relations Department at
(336) 834-6825 or sending your request to the attention of the Secretary of
the Company at 3200 Northline Avenue, Suite 360, Greensboro, NC 27408.
Other Business.
All
Common Shares represented by the accompanying proxy will be voted in accordance
with the proxy. We know of no other business which will come before
the meeting for action. However, as to any such business, the persons
designated as proxies will have authority to act in their
discretion.
29
[FRONT SIDE OF CARD]
|
TangerOutlets
|
|
[NAME AND ADDRESS APPEAR
HERE] Electronic Voting
Instructions
|
|
You
can vote by Internet or telephone!
|
|
Available
24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
|
Instead of mailing your
proxy, you may choose one of the
two voting methods
outlined below to vote your proxy.
VALIDATION DETAILS
ARE LOCATED BELOW IN THE TITLE
BAR.
Proxies submitted by
the Internet or telephone must be received by
1:00 a.m., Central
Time, on May 16, 2008.
Vote by
Internet
·
|
Log
on to the Internet and go to
|
www.investorvote.com
·
|
Follow
the steps outlined on the secured
website.
|
Vote by telephone
·
|
Call
toll free 1-800-652-VOTE (8683) within the United Sates, Canada &
Puerto Rico
any
time on a touch tone telephone. There is NO CHARGE to you for the
call.
|
·
|
Follow
the instructions provided by the recorded
message.
|
Using a
black ink pen, mark your votes with an X as shown in
this
example. Please do not write outside the designated
areas. [X]
Annual
Meeting Proxy Card
|
IF
YOU HAVE NOT VOTED VIA THE INTERNET OR TELEPHONE, FOLD
ALONG THE PERFORATION, DETACH AND RETURN THE BOTTOM PORTION IN THE ENCLOSED
ENVELOPE.
A Proposals
– The Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR all the nominees
listed in Proposal 1 and FOR Proposals
2.
1.
|
Election
of Directors:
|
For
|
Withhold
|
For
|
Withhold
|
For
|
Withhold
|
|
01 - Stanley K. Tanger [ ] [ ] | 02 - Steven B. Tanger [ ] [ ] | 03 - Jack Africk [ ] [ ] | ||||
04 - William G. Benton [ ] [ ] | 05 - Thomas E. Robinson [ ] [ ] | 06 - Allan L. Schuman [ ] [ ] | ||||
2.
|
To
ratify the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Company’s
independent registered public accountant firm for the fiscal year ending
December 31, 2008.
|
For
|
Against
|
Abstain
|
[ ]
|
[ ]
|
[ ]
|
3.
|
To
transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or
any adjournment(s) thereof.
|
B Non-Voting
Items
Change of Address – Please
print new address below.
|
C
Authorized Signatures – This section must be completed for your vote to
be counted. – Date and Sign Below
Please
sign exactly as name(s) appears hereon. Joint owners should each
sign. When signing as an attorney, executor, administrator, corporate
officer, trustee, guardian, or custodian, please give full title.
Date
(mm/dd/yyyy) – Please print date below.
|
Signature 1- Please keep signature within box. |
Signature
2 – Please keep signature within box .
|
|||||
|
[BACK SIDE OF
CARD]
IF
YOU HAVE NOT VOTED VIA THE INTERNET OR TELEPHONE, FOLD
ALONG THE PERFORATION, DETACH AND RETURN THE BOTTOM PORTION IN THE ENCLOSED
ENVELOPE.
|
TangerOutlets
|
Proxy
– Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc.
|
Appointment
of Proxy for Annual Meeting on May 16, 2008
THIS
PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The
undersigned shareholder of TANGER FACTORY OUTLET CENTERS, INC., a North Carolina
corporation, hereby constitutes and appoints Stanley K. Tanger and Frank C.
Marchisello, Jr., and each of them, proxies with full power of substitution to
act for the undersigned and to vote the shares which the undersigned may be
entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting of the Shareholders of such corporation
on May 16, 2008, and at any adjournment or adjournments thereof, as
instructed on the reverse side upon the proposals which are more fully set forth
in the Proxy Statement of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. dated April 4,
2008 (receipt of which, or access to, is acknowledged) and in
their discretion upon any other matters as may properly come before the meeting,
including but not limited to, any proposal to adjourn or postpone the
meeting. Any appointment of proxy heretofore made by the undersigned
for such meeting is hereby revoked.
The
shares represented hereby will be voted in accordance with the directions given
in this appointment of proxy. If not otherwise directed herein,
shares represented by this proxy will be voted FOR all nominees listed in
Proposal 1 and FOR Proposal 2.
PLEASE
SIGN, DATE AND MAIL PROMPTLY IN THE POSTAGE-PAID ENVELOPE ENCLOSED.
CONTINUED
AND TO BE SIGNED ON REVERSE
SIDE.