CADIZ INC
For the period ended Jun 12, 2025. Filed Apr 25, 2025.
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What shareholders are asked to vote on at a company's meeting. It is where to find what directors and top executives are paid, and who owns the most shares.
Jun 12, 2025 · Filed Apr 25, 2025
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. )
Filed by the Registrant ☒
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)) |
| ☒ | Definitive Proxy Statement |
| ☐ | Definitive Additional Materials |
| ☐ | Soliciting Material under § 240.14a-12 |
Cadiz 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):
| ☒ | No fee required. |
|---|
| ☐ | Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. |
|---|
| ☐ | Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11. |
|---|
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON JUNE 12, 2025
Dear Cadiz Inc. Stockholders:
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2025 Annual Meeting”) of Cadiz, Inc., a Delaware corporation, will be held virtually on Thursday, June 12, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., Pacific Time, via the Internet at https://www.cstproxy.com/cadiz/2025 to consider and act upon the following matters:
| (1) | The election of eight members of the Board of Directors, each to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders or until their respective successors have been elected and qualified; |
| (2) | The approval of an amendment to the Cadiz Inc. 2019 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended, to increase the total number of shares reserved for issuance under the Plan; |
| (3) | Ratification of the selection by the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Company’s independent certified public accountants for fiscal year 2025; |
| (4) | The approval of a non-binding advisory resolution regarding the compensation of our named executive officers; and |
| (5) | The transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting and any adjournments thereof. |
Only stockholders of record at the close of business on April 17, 2025 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the 2025 Annual Meeting. In order to constitute a quorum for the conduct of business at the 2025 Annual Meeting, holders of a majority of all outstanding voting shares of our common stock and preferred stock must be present through virtual attendance or be represented by proxy. Holders of our common stock and our preferred stock will vote together as a single class on each proposal. Holders of our depositary shares representing interests in our Series A Preferred Stock currently have no voting rights.
To provide access for our stockholders regardless of their location, our 2025 Annual Meeting will be held virtually online. There will not be a physical location to attend the 2025 Annual Meeting in person. However, the virtual 2025 Annual Meeting will provide substantially the same opportunities to participate as you would have at an in-person meeting, including the ability to submit questions and vote your shares. Detailed instructions on how to vote and participate at the 2025 Annual Meeting may be found in the proxy statement and online athttps://www.cstproxy.com/cadiz/2025. To be able to access the virtual 2025 Annual Meeting, you must have your 12-digit control number. The control number is provided on the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials you received in the mail, on your proxy card, or through your broker or other nominee if you hold your shares in “street name”.
Whether or not you expect to attend the virtual annual meeting, we encourage you to submit your proxy as soon as possible so that your shares will be represented at the meeting. Your proxy is revocable and will not affect your right to vote at the 2025 Annual Meeting if you chose to attend virtually.
If your brokerage firm, bank, broker-dealer or other similar organization is the holder of record of your shares (i.e*.*, your shares are held in “street name”), you will receive a voting instruction form from the holder of record. You must provide voting instructions to your brokerage firm, bank, broker-dealer or other similar organization by filling out the voting instruction form in order for your shares to be voted. We recommend that you instruct your broker or other nominee to vote your shares as promptly as possible.
If your shares are held in street name and you would like to attend the virtual annual meeting to vote your shares, you will need to contact your brokerage firm, bank, broker-dealer or other similar organization to obtain a legal proxy. Once you have your legal proxy, contact Continental Stock Transfer to have a control number generated. Continental Stock Transfer’s contact information is as follows: 917-262-2373, or email proxy@continentalstock.com.
We are pleased to utilize the Securities and Exchange Commission rules that allow us to furnish these proxy materials, including an electronic proxy card for the meeting and our 2024 Annual Report to Stockholders, which is our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, to stockholders via the internet. On or about April 30, 2025, we will mail to our stockholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials containing instructions on how to access our proxy statement and 2024 Annual Report and how to vote. Utilizing these rules allows us to lower the cost of delivering annual meeting materials to our stockholders and reduce the environmental impact of printing and mailing these materials.
By Order of the Board of Directors
/s/ Stanley Speer
Stanley Speer
Secretary
Los Angeles, California
April 25, 2025
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Stockholder Meeting to be held on June 12, 2025. ** **
Our proxy statement and the 2024 Annual Report to Stockholders on Form 10-K are available at
https://www.cstproxy.com/cadiz/2025**.**
Annual Meeting of Stockholders
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Page | |
|---|---|
| INFORMATION ABOUT SOLICITATION AND VOTING | 1 |
| Record Date, Voting Securities and Quorum | 1 |
| Revocability of Proxies | 2 |
| Cost of Solicitation | 2 |
| QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THIS PROXY MATERIAL AND VOTING | 3 |
| PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS | 6 |
| DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS | 8 |
| Director Biographical Information and Highlights | 9 |
| Executive Officer Biographical Information and Highlights | 17 |
| THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS | 18 |
| Director Independence | 18 |
| Independence of Committee Members | 19 |
| Communications with the Board of Directors | 19 |
| Attendance of Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting | 19 |
| Meetings of the Board of Directors | 19 |
| Committees of the Board of Directors | 20 |
| Audit and Risk Committee | 20 |
| Compensation Committee | 20 |
| Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee | 21 |
| Equity, Sustainability and Environmental Justice Committee | 22 |
| Board Skills & Experience | 23 |
| CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICS | 26 |
| ANTI-BRIBERY AND ANTI-CORRUPTION POLICY | 26 |
| WHISTLEBLOWER POLICY | 26 |
| ANTI-HEDGING AND PLEDGING POLICY | 26 |
| CLAWBACK AND FORFEITURE POLICY | 27 |
| EQUITY GRANT POLICIES AND PRACTICES | 27 |
| SECURITIES TRADING POLICIES AND LIMITATIONS/INSIDER TRADING POLICIES | 27 |
| COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS | 28 |
| Overview | 28 |
| Compensation Philosophy | 29 |
| Elements of Compensation | 29 |
| Use of Peer Group | 30 |
| Benchmarking | 31 |
| Performance Objectives | 31 |
| Elements of 2024 Compensation | 31 |
| Severance and Change in Control Provisions | 33 |
| COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT | 33 |
| EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION | 34 |
| Summary Compensation Table | 34 |
| Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End | 34 |
| Pension Benefits | 35 |
| Nonqualified Deferred Compensation | 35 |
| EMPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS | 35 |
| POTENTIAL PAYMENTS UPON TERMINATION OR CHANGE OF CONTROL | 37 |
| DIRECTOR COMPENSATION | 39 |
| DIRECTOR COMPENSATION POLICY | 40 |
| DIRECTOR STOCK OWNERSHIP POLICY | 40 |
| EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION | 40 |
| PAY VERSUS PERFORMANCE | 41 |
| SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT | 44 |
| DELINQUENT SECTION 16(A) REPORTS | 46 |
| AUDIT AND RISK COMMITTEE REPORT | 46 |
| PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES | 47 |
| CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS | 48 |
| PROPOSAL 2: APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT TO CADIZ INC. EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN | 49 |
| PROPOSAL 3: APPROVAL OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM | 61 |
| PROPOSAL 4: ADVISORY VOTE ON COMPENSATION OF NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS | 62 |
| OTHER MATTERS | 63 |
| STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS | 63 |
| ADDITIONAL INFORMATION | 63 |
550 S. Hope Street, Suite 2850
Los Angeles, California 90071
PROXY STATEMENT
For
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON JUNE 12, 2025
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.