x
|
Preliminary
Proxy Statement
|
o
|
Confidential,
for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule
14a-6(e)(2))
|
o
|
Definitive
Proxy Statement
|
o
|
Definitive
Additional Materials
|
o
|
Soliciting
Material under Rule 14a-12
|
x
|
No
fee required.
|
o
|
Fee
computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) 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:
|
o
|
Fee
paid previously with preliminary
materials.
|
o
|
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:
|
PROXY
STATEMENT OF RED OAK
|
IN
OPPOSITION TO
|
THE
MANAGEMENT OF FORGENT NETWORKS, INC.
|
(1)
|
Taking
ASUR private is likely to result in severely limited liquidity for
remaining shareholders.
|
|
(2)
|
The
benefits claimed by the Company from implementing this proposal can for
the most part be obtained without depriving the stockholders of a public
market.
|
|
(3)
|
Paying
out $0.36 per share to only certain holders is wasteful and
unfair.
|
•
|
Rightsizing
the Company’s compensation beginning from the top down. The Company should
combine the CEO and COO functions immediately as we firmly believe the
Company does not require a CEO separate from the COO.
|
•
|
According
to the Company’s proxy statement filed in 2008, the CEO/COO and CFO
functions were paid nearly $1 million in FY 2007 and have been paid
salaries nearly equal to the Company’s entire current market
capitalization value since 2003. This level of spending must be reduced to
align with ASUR’s level of profitability. Further, with an
estimated $6 million/year in compensation expense across roughly 55 US
employees and 40 employees in India, we believe the average US Employee
earns more than $90,000/year, an amount we also believe must be managed
better. 1
|
•
|
The
Company should realign service provider costs, including terminating Ernst
& Young as auditor, Winstead PC as legal counsel, and immediately
repricing ASUR’s egregious $360,000/year D&O policy. A
company of ASUR’s size should retain less expensive advisors. We note that
in its Company proxy statement, ASUR claims to pay more than $150,000/year
in legal bills related to being a public company. We are
confident this can be reduced by a significant amount while the Company
remains public.
|
•
|
The
Company should implement a reverse stock split in order to regain NASDAQ
compliance with respect to a $1/share price. We recommend a
10-for-1 split, which would leave ASUR with just over 3 million shares
outstanding and could produce a price above $1/share.
|
•
|
The
Company should adopt a significant share repurchase program which would
offer further liquidity to those shareholders who wish to sell while
simultaneously allowing for accretive purchase transactions for the
benefit of remaining shareholders.
|
•
|
The
Company should hold annual meetings in a timely manner subsequent to each
fiscal year end. We note that with a July fiscal year end,
ASUR’s 2009 annual meeting should have occurred in the March or April time
frame. No such meeting has yet been announced and shareholders
should be granted their rights to such a meeting on a regular – and timely
– basis. We believe it’s in shareholders’ best interests to
hold the 2009 meeting as soon as possible.
|
•
|
The
Company should elect a board comprised of shareholders with vested
interests. The current Board and management team hold a
combined 2.3% of ASUR’s common stock, which is less than numerous
individual shareholders and institutions. We do not believe
that a board with low ownership delaying its annual meetings represents
good corporate governance. As noted above, we do not seek to
control the Board and welcome a board of independent
holders.
|
RED
OAK PARTNERS LLC
|
|
By:
|
/s/
David Sandberg
|
Name: |
David
Sandberg
|
Title: |
Managing
Member
|
PURCHASER
|
TRADE
DATE
|
QUANTITY
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
10/28/2008
|
32300
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
10/29/2008
|
19291
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
10/30/2008
|
3044
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
10/31/2008
|
51600
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
10/31/2008
|
51600
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
11/3/2008
|
12000
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
11/5/2008
|
14000
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
11/5/2008
|
14000
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
11/6/2008
|
8050
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
11/6/2008
|
8050
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
11/7/2008
|
21900
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
11/7/2008
|
21900
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
11/10/2008
|
30000
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
11/10/2008
|
30000
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
11/11/2008
|
27500
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
11/11/2008
|
27500
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
11/12/2008
|
9049
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
11/12/2008
|
9051
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
11/13/2008
|
32493
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
11/13/2008
|
16000
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
11/14/2008
|
5200
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
11/17/2008
|
100
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
11/18/2008
|
38254
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
11/18/2008
|
38256
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
11/19/2008
|
5500
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
11/19/2008
|
5500
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
11/20/2008
|
20791
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
11/20/2008
|
40000
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
11/21/2008
|
10339
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
11/21/2008
|
10338
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
11/24/2008
|
800
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
12/2/2008
|
5000
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
12/3/2008
|
10002
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
12/3/2008
|
10002
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
12/4/2008
|
18774
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
12/4/2008
|
18774
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
12/5/2008
|
4950
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
12/5/2008
|
4950
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
12/12/2008
|
12710
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
12/12/2008
|
12710
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
12/15/2008
|
18525
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
12/15/2008
|
18524
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
12/17/2008
|
35100
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
12/17/2008
|
35100
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
12/18/2008
|
7900
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
12/18/2008
|
7900
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
12/19/2008
|
15600
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
12/19/2008
|
15600
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
12/22/2008
|
4300
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
12/22/2008
|
4300
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
12/23/2008
|
16700
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
12/23/2008
|
16700
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
12/26/2008
|
25650
|
PURCHASER
|
TRADE
DATE
|
QUANTITY
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
12/26/2008
|
25650
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
12/29/2008
|
67900
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
12/29/2008
|
67900
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
12/30/2008
|
31569
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
12/30/2008
|
31569
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
12/31/2008
|
7000
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
12/31/2008
|
7000
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
2/2/2009
|
143998
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
2/2/2009
|
175997
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
2/3/2009
|
45533
|
|
Bear
Fund
|
2/9/2009
|
400
|
|
Bear
Fund
|
2/10/2009
|
1777
|
|
Bear
Fund
|
2/11/2009
|
285300
|
|
Bear
Fund
|
2/12/2009
|
23609
|
|
Bear
Fund
|
2/19/2009
|
80178
|
|
Bear
Fund
|
2/27/2009
|
114405
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
2/27/2009
|
114405
|
|
Bear
Fund
|
3/2/2009
|
700
|
|
Bear
Fund
|
3/3/2009
|
8450
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
3/3/2009
|
8450
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
3/4/2009
|
4600
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
3/5/2009
|
11850
|
|
Bear
Fund
|
3/5/2009
|
11850
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
3/6/2009
|
12500
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
3/6/2009
|
12500
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
3/9/2009
|
2300
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
3/10/2009
|
5144
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
3/11/2009
|
1900
|
|
Pinnacle
Fund
|
3/16/2009
|
23592
|
|
Red
Oak Fund
|
3/16/2009
|
23593
|