Balchem (NASDAQ: BCPC) details 2026 virtual meeting, pay and governance
Balchem Corporation will hold its 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders virtually on June 18, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. EDT. Shareholders of record as of April 21, 2026 can vote online, by phone, or by mail.
Investors are being asked to elect two Class 3 directors to serve until 2029, ratify RSM US LLP as independent auditor for the 2026 fiscal year, and approve on an advisory basis the compensation of named executive officers. The Board unanimously recommends voting FOR all three proposals.
The proxy highlights a governance framework with six independent directors out of seven, a Lead Director, board retirement at age 70, regular self-assessments, and active risk oversight covering cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and sustainability. Executive pay emphasizes performance, using an Incentive Compensation Plan based on Adjusted EBITDA, revenue, free cash flow, and an ESG modifier. For 2025, Adjusted EBITDA was $274.9 million, revenue was $1,037.2 million, free cash flow was $173.6 million, and ICP payouts were 176.8% of target, reflecting these results.
Positive
- None.
Negative
- None.
Key Figures
Key Terms
Say-on-Pay financial
Incentive Compensation Plan financial
Performance Shares financial
clawback policy regulatory
Lead Director governance
NIST framework technical
TABLE OF CONTENTS
☒ | No fee required. | |||||
☐ | Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. | |||||
☐ | Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11. | |||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS

• | Elect two Class 3 directors to the Board of Directors to serve until the 2029 annual meeting; |
• | Ratify the appointment of RSM US LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026; |
• | Provide advisory approval on the compensation of our named executive officers (“Say-on-Pay”); and |
• | Transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting. |


TABLE OF CONTENTS
Letter to Shareholders | 1 | ||||
Notice of Annual Meeting | 3 | ||||
About Balchem | 4 | ||||
Forward-Looking Information | 4 | ||||
Proxy Summary | 5 | ||||
Proxy Statement of Balchem Corporation | 11 | ||||
Meeting Agenda and Recommendations | 11 | ||||
MANAGEMENT PROPOSALS | 12 | ||||
PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS | 12 | ||||
Directors Standing for Re-Election | 12 | ||||
Vote Required to Elect Directors | 12 | ||||
Nominees’ Biographical Information | 13 | ||||
Continuing Directors’ Biographical Information | 14 | ||||
Board Matrices | 17 | ||||
PROPOSAL 2: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM | 19 | ||||
PROPOSAL 3: ADVISORY VOTE ON THE COMPENSATION OF OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS | 20 | ||||
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE | 21 | ||||
Governance Principles | 21 | ||||
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics | 21 | ||||
Board Committee Charters | 21 | ||||
Director Independence | 21 | ||||
Corporate Risk Oversight | 22 | ||||
Sustainability | 23 | ||||
Cybersecurity | 24 | ||||
Board Structure & Responsibilities | 25 | ||||
Committees of the Board of Directors | 25 | ||||
Audit Committee | 26 | ||||
Compensation Committee | 26 | ||||
Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee | 27 | ||||
Executive Committee | 28 | ||||
Board Chair | 28 | ||||
Lead Director | 29 | ||||
Nominations of Directors | 29 | ||||
Board Refreshment | 30 | ||||
Meeting Attendance | 30 | ||||
Communicating with the Board of Directors and Shareholder Engagement | 31 | ||||
Director Compensation | 31 | ||||
COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS | 34 | ||||
Named Executive Officers | 34 | ||||
Executive Summary | 34 | ||||
2025 Company Performance | 34 | ||||
Key 2025 Business Highlights and Accomplishments | 35 | ||||
Fiscal Year 2025 Compensation Highlights | 35 | ||||
Compensation Objectives and Philosophy | 35 | ||||
What We Do and Don’t Do | 36 | ||||
Consideration of 2025 Shareholder Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation | 37 | ||||
Awards Under Incentive Plan | 37 | ||||
Compensation Committee Methodology | 38 | ||||
2025 ICP Discussion | 41 | ||||
LTIP Awards | 41 | ||||
2023 Performance Share Payout Discussion | 42 | ||||
Stock Ownership Requirements | 43 | ||||
Clawback Policy | 43 | ||||
Executive Severance Policy | 44 | ||||
Balchem Deferred Compensation Plan | 46 | ||||
Risk Considerations in Our Compensation Program | 46 | ||||
Compensation Committee Report | 47 | ||||
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION | 48 | ||||
Summary Compensation Table | 48 | ||||
2025 Grants of Plan-Based Awards | 50 | ||||
Terms and Conditions of Awards | 51 | ||||
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End 2025 | 52 | ||||
Option Exercises and Stock Vested in 2025 | 54 | ||||
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation | 54 | ||||
Potential Post-Employment Payments | 54 | ||||
Related Party Transactions | 57 | ||||
Equity Compensation Plan Information | 57 | ||||
Equity Award Grant Practices | 58 | ||||
CEO Pay Ratio | 58 | ||||
Pay versus Performance Disclosure | 59 | ||||
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and of Management | 63 | ||||
Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports | 64 | ||||
INFORMATION RELATING TO PROPOSAL 2: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM | 65 | ||||
Audit Committee Report | 65 | ||||
Questions and Answers about the Balchem Annual Meeting | 67 | ||||
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS | 71 | ||||
Quorum Required | 71 | ||||
Voting Securities | 71 | ||||
Shareholder Proposals for 2027 Annual Meeting of Shareholders | 71 | ||||
Instructions for the Virtual Annual Meeting | 72 | ||||
APPENDIX A - NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES | A-1 | ||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS FOR BALCHEM CORPORATION | ![]() | ||
DATE AND TIME: | Thursday, June 18, 2026, 8:30 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time (“EDT”) | |||||
PLACE: | Online, at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/BCPC2026 | |||||
ITEMS OF BUSINESS: | 1. | Election of two Class 3 director nominees to the Board of Directors of Balchem Corporation (“Balchem” or the “Company”) to serve until the 2029 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified; | ||||
2. | Ratification of the appointment of RSM US LLP (“RSM”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026; | |||||
3. | Advisory approval of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers (“Say-on-Pay”); and | |||||
4. | To transact such other business as may properly come before the 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) or any postponement or adjournment thereof. | |||||
WHO CAN VOTE: | Shareholders of record at the close of business on April 21, 2026. | |||||
HOW TO VOTE: | Shareholders who receive a printed copy of this Proxy Statement and who do not expect to attend the Annual Meeting are requested to complete, date and sign the enclosed Proxy Card and promptly return the same in the stamped, self-addressed envelope enclosed for your convenience. Shareholders may also submit a Proxy Card over the Internet, at www.proxyvote.com, or by phone. You will need to input the 16-digit control number located on the Proxy Card or Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials if you are submitting a Proxy Card over the Internet or by phone. | |||||
If you hold your shares through a broker, bank or other nominee, please follow the instructions on the voting instruction form that you should receive from your broker, bank or other nominee. | ||||||
2025 ANNUAL REPORT AND DATE OF DISTRIBUTION: | For more complete information, please review the Annual Report to Shareholders and the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 (the “Annual Report”), a copy of which accompanies this Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement. This Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders and Proxy Statement and the Annual Report are first being made available or mailed to shareholders on or about April 27, 2026. | |||||
By order of the Board of Directors, | |||||
Hatsuki Miyata | |||||
April 27, 2026 | Chief Legal Officer and Secretary | ||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
![]() DATE AND TIME: | ![]() PLACE: | ![]() RECORD DATE: | ||||
Thursday, June 18, 2026, 8:30 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time (“EDT”) | Online, at www.virtualshareholder meeting.com/BCPC2026 | April 21, 2026 Shareholders as of the Record Date are entitled to vote. | ||||
VOTING: | Shareholders as of the Record Date are entitled to vote. Each ordinary share is entitled to one vote for each director nominee and each of the other proposals. | |||
ATTENDANCE AND MEETING DETAILS: | All shareholders of record as of the Record Date may attend the meeting. ![]() See Instructions for the Virtual Annual Meeting on page 72 for details. | |||
ITEMS OF BUSINESS: | RECOMMENDATION | SEE PAGE | |||||||||
1 | Election of two Class 3 director nominees to the Board of Directors of Balchem Corporation (“Balchem” or the “Company”) to serve until the 2029 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and until their successors are duly elected and qualified; | FOR each nominee | 12 | ||||||||
2 | Ratification of the appointment of RSM US LLP (“RSM”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026; | FOR | 19 | ||||||||
3 | Advisory approval of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers (“Say-on-Pay”); and | FOR | 20 | ||||||||
4 | To transact such other business as may properly come before the 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) or any postponement or adjournment thereof. | ||||||||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
BOARD COMPOSITION, INDEPENDENCE AND PARTICIPATION | ||||
• Six of our seven directors are independent under Nasdaq listing standards and the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines. • All members of the Board’s four committees, the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, and the Executive Committee are independent. • The Board has an independent Lead Director. • Directors must retire at the conclusion of the term in which the director reaches the age of 70. • Non-employee directors may not serve on the board of more than three other public companies. • Directors who serve as an executive officer of a public company may not serve on the board of more than one other public company. • No member of the Audit Committee serves on more than two other public company audit committees. • The Board has a good balance of new and experienced directors, with the tenure of directors averaging 7 years and 10 months. | • The Board and its committees have the authority to hire independent outside auditors and financial, legal or other advisors, as needed. • Each of the current directors attended at least 75% of the Board meetings and at least 75% of the Committee meetings on which he or she served during 2025. • Independent directors have full access to the CEO, as well as access to management and other employees, as appropriate. • The independent directors meet regularly in executive sessions, presided over by the Lead Director, following each regularly scheduled Board meeting. • Board leadership structure is supported by the active function of a Lead Director, who provides necessary independence in the functioning of the Board. • The Company maintains an Insider Trading Policy that applies to directors, officers and employees. | |||

TABLE OF CONTENTS
BOARD CONDUCT AND OVERSIGHT | |||
![]() | Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applies to all directors, officers and employees. | ||
![]() | The Board, either directly or through its Committees, monitors and oversees various matters, including, overall Company performance, the integrity of the Company’s financial controls, the Company’s strategic plan, the Company’s financial statements, the Company’s management succession plan and human capital management, the Company’s enterprise risk management (including information technology, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence), the Company’s corporate social responsibility and sustainability initiatives, and the Company’s ethical standards and legal compliance programs – and receives regular briefings from management on such matters. | ||
![]() | Our Insider Trading Policy prohibits our directors, officers and employees from holding Balchem securities in a margin account or pledging Balchem securities as collateral for a loan. | ||
![]() | The Board conducts self-assessments of their performance and effectiveness annually. | ||
![]() | Each of the Committees conduct self-assessments of their performance and effectiveness at least every other year. | ||
![]() | Executive sessions of independent directors are generally held at each of the Board and Committee meetings. | ||
![]() | Our Corporate Governance Guidelines and all Committee Charters are reviewed at least annually. | ||
![]() | The Board regularly reviews and conducts succession planning for the Board, CEO and senior management. | ||
![]() | Emerging topics and developments in corporate governance practices are reviewed regularly and on an ongoing basis. | ||
![]() | All Board members have access and support for continuing education training, including membership with the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). | ||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Name | Age | Director Since | Other Public Boards | Committee Membership | |||||||||||||
![]() | David Fischer | 63 | 2010 | 1 | Executive Compensation Governance | ||||||||||||
![]() | Daniel Knutson | 69 | 2018 | 0 | Audit, Chair Compensation | ||||||||||||

TABLE OF CONTENTS
What We DO | What We DON’T DO | ||||
Target total direct compensation for our NEOs around relevant market data, while also considering tenure, experience, and other factors. | Allow hedging or pledging of Company securities for any employee (including our NEOs) or director. | ||||
Pay for performance and, accordingly, a significant portion of each NEO’s total compensation opportunity is “at risk” and dependent upon achievement of specific corporate and individual performance goals, resulting in lesser emphasis on fixed base salary. | Encourage unnecessary or excessive risk-taking as a result of our compensation policies and practices. | ||||
Base our short-term incentive plan on explicit and quantifiable corporate and business segment financial performance metrics that are set at the beginning of each year. | Have employment agreements with any of our NEOs other than as described in the section of this Proxy Statement titled “Executive Compensation.” | ||||
Complement our annual compensation to each NEO with time-based and performance-based multi-year vesting schedules and performance cycles for equity incentive awards. | Provide a defined benefit pension plan for our NEOs. | ||||
Have annual base salary adjustments that are based, primarily, on prior-year individual performance. | Provide for “gross ups” for excise taxes imposed with respect to Section 280G (change-in-control payments) or Section 409A (nonqualified deferred compensation) of Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). | ||||
Adopted an Incentive-Based Compensation Recovery Policy, or clawback policy, pursuant to which the Company can seek reimbursement of either cash or equity-based incentive compensation in the event of a financial restatement due to the Company’s material noncompliance with any financial reporting requirement under the securities laws. | Provide for single-trigger vesting acceleration upon a change in control under the Company’s Executive Severance Policy. | ||||
Maintain a Compensation Committee, which is comprised solely of independent directors. | Allow: (i) any repricing of options and Stock Appreciation Rights (“SARs”) without shareholder approval or (ii) for the unlimited transferability of awards. | ||||
Have stock ownership guidelines for our directors and executive officers. | |||||
Subject awards under the Amended 2017 Plan to minimum vesting periods and maximum annual per-person limits. | |||||
Double-trigger vesting acceleration upon a change in control under the Company’s Executive Severance Policy. | |||||
Ensure that a significant portion of our non-employee director compensation consists of long-term equity awards. | |||||
Consult with outside experts to determine the overall competitiveness of the Company’s executive compensation program. | |||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Shareholder Engagement Highlights | ||||||||
Engaged with: Institutional investors Retail shareholders Pension funds Proxy advisory firms Industry associations | Engaged through: Quarterly earnings call Investor conferences Individual investor meetings Annual General Meeting of Shareholders Sustainability Report Data verification process of proxy advisory firms | Engagements include: President, Chairman and CEO CFO and Investor Relations team Executive Officers Independent Directors Head of Global Sustainability | ||||||
In 2025, engaged with shareholders representing: ![]() | Information shared through: • SEC filings including 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K and Proxy Statement • Quarterly earnings call • Press releases • Company website • Media and digital platforms | ||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Proposal | Recommendation | Voting Standard* | Page | |||||||||||
1 | The election of two Class 3 director nominees to the Board of Directors to serve until the Annual Meeting of Shareholders in 2029 and until their successors are duly elected and qualified. | FOR each nominee | Majority present and entitled to vote. | 12 | ||||||||||
2 | The ratification of the appointment of RSM US LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026. | FOR | Majority present and entitled to vote. | 19 | ||||||||||
3 | Advisory approval of the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers. | FOR | Majority present and entitled to vote. | 20 | ||||||||||
* | For all proposals, you have the choice to vote “FOR”, “AGAINST” or “ABSTAIN.” |
![]() By Internet: | ![]() By Phone: | ![]() By Mail: | ||||||
www.proxyvote.com | 1-800-690-6903 (toll free within U.S. and Canada) | Vote Processing c/o Broadridge 51 Mercedes Way Edgewood, NY 11717 | ||||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Name | Class | Next Election Date* | ||||||
Theodore Harris | 1 | 2028 | ||||||
Monica Vicente | 1 | 2028 | ||||||
Matthew Wineinger | 1 | 2028 | ||||||
Kathleen Fish | 2 | 2027 | ||||||
Olivier Rigaud | 2 | 2027 | ||||||
David Fischer | 3 | 2029 | ||||||
Daniel Knutson | 3 | 2029 | ||||||
* | Subject to the Company’s Director Retirement Policy. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
David Fischer Class 3 Director (Term expires 2026) Age: 63 Independent Director since 2010 ![]() | Professional Highlights | |||
• Retired director and President and Chief Executive Officer of Greif, Inc. (NYSE), a supplier of industrial packing systems from November 2011 to October 2015. President and Chief Operating Officer of Greif from 2007 to 2011, and from 2004 to 2007, Senior Vice President and Divisional President, Industrial Packaging & Services - Americas. | ||||
• A co-founder and chairman of the board of directors of 10x Engineered Materials, a manufacturer of high-tech abrasives for industrial applications. | ||||
Committee Assignments | ||||
• Executive | ||||
• Compensation | ||||
• Governance | ||||
Other Current Public Company Directorships | ||||
• Ingredion Incorporated (NYSE) | ||||
Board Qualifications | ||||
Mr. Fischer’s management and leadership skills, developed over years of responsibility for complex, global manufacturing operations, and his intimate knowledge of mergers and acquisitions, position him as a critical component of our Board as we look to grow both organically and by acquisition. | ||||
Daniel Knutson Class 3 Director (Term expires 2026) Age: 69 Independent Director since 2018 ![]() | Professional Highlights | |||
• Mr. Knutson served as the Executive Vice President for Special Projects at Land O’Lakes, Inc., an agribusiness and food co-operative, until his retirement at the end of 2017. | ||||
• From 2000 to 2017, Mr. Knutson served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Land O’Lakes, where he oversaw corporate finance, accounting, treasury, audit, information technology and strategy and played key roles in many of Land O’Lakes’ transactions. In addition, he was responsible for Land O’Lakes’ investment in Moark LLC. | ||||
Committee Assignments | ||||
• Audit, Chair | ||||
• Compensation | ||||
Other Current Public Company Directorships | ||||
• None | ||||
Board Qualifications | ||||
Our Company’s financial compliance programs and policies benefit from Mr. Knutson’s input and skilled guidance. Mr. Knutson’s animal feed and human food industry experience, combined with his financial and international business management experience, makes him a valuable member of our Board. Mr. Knutson has served as Chair of our Audit Committee since June 2018. | ||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Kathleen Fish Class 2 Director (Term expires 2027) Age: 68 Independent Director since 2022 ![]() | Professional Highlights | |||
• Prior to her retirement, Ms. Fish was Chief Research, Development and Innovation Officer for The Procter & Gamble Company (“P&G”) (NYSE) from 2017 to 2020. | ||||
• Chief Technology Officer, P&G from 2014 to 2017. | ||||
Committee Assignments | ||||
• Executive | ||||
• Compensation | ||||
• Governance, Chair | ||||
Other Current Public Company Directorships | ||||
• Origin Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq) | ||||
Board Qualifications | ||||
Ms. Fish’s executive leadership skills along with her expertise in the field of innovation, research, and new product development, including in highly regulated industries and direct to consumer markets provide valuable insights to the Board in driving growth and overseeing governance and risk. Ms. Fish has served as Chair of our Governance Committee since February 2023. | ||||
Theodore Harris Class 1 Director, Chairman of the Board (Term expires 2028) Age: 61 Director since 2015, Chairman since 2017 ![]() | Professional Highlights | |||
• Director, Chief Executive Officer and President of Balchem Corporation since April 2015, and Chairman of the Board of Directors since January 2017. | ||||
• Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Harris was employed by Ashland Global Holdings Inc. (formerly Ashland Inc.) (NYSE), a specialty chemical company. During his tenure at Ashland, he held a number of management positions and ultimately held the position of Senior Vice President/Ashland, President, Performance Materials, from November of 2014 to April 2015. | ||||
Other Current Public Company Directorships | ||||
• Pentair plc (NYSE) | ||||
Board Qualifications | ||||
Mr. Harris has led the Company since April 2015, effectively using his extensive knowledge and deep understanding of the Company’s global business, operations, people and strategic priorities to lead the Company in achieving its vision of “making the world a healthier place.” Mr. Harris’ broad managerial, international, operational and sales experience, as well as his proven track record of developing and implementing strategies for delivering sustainable, profitable growth, make him a valuable member and Chairman of our Board. | ||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Olivier Rigaud Class 2 Director (Term expires 2027) Age: 61 Independent Director since 2023 ![]() | Professional Highlights | |||
• Mr. Rigaud has been Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Management for Corbion N.V., a global food and biochemicals company based in the Netherlands, since August 2019. He also serves as a member of the Executive Committee at Corbion N.V. | ||||
• Chief Executive Officer of Naturex, a global specialty ingredients company for the food & beverage, nutrition & health, and personal care industries. Prior to joining Corbion N.V., Mr. Rigaud successfully finalized the sale of Naturex to Givaudan. | ||||
Committee Assignments | ||||
• Audit | ||||
• Governance | ||||
Other Current Public Company Directorships | ||||
• Corbion N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam) | ||||
Board Qualifications | ||||
Mr. Rigaud brings over thirty years of relevant industry expertise and strong global business acumen, including extensive M&A and strategic experience, to our Board. He is also well-versed on sustainability and corporate social responsibility matters. As CEO at Corbion N.V., he leads an organization of 2,500 employees, 16 industrial sites, and 6 R&D and Innovation centers. Mr. Rigaud is a French national working out of the Netherlands, and brings unique and diverse international perspective, relevant CEO experience, and insights to our Board. | ||||
Monica Vicente Class 1 Director (Term expires 2028) Age: 60 Independent Director since 2023 ![]() | Professional Highlights | |||
• Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., a global agricultural company, since April 2022. | ||||
• Prior to that, she served as Vice President, Corporate Finance at Fresh Del Monte for 19 years. | ||||
Committee Assignments | ||||
• Audit | ||||
• Governance | ||||
Other Current Public Company Directorships | ||||
• None | ||||
Board Qualifications | ||||
Ms. Vicente’s experience as a current CFO for a global public company brings substantial financial expertise to our Board. She has extensive financial expertise across global and regional finance, financial planning and analysis, investor relations and procurement for a global public company. She has experience in SEC reporting and controlling, tax and treasury as well. Ms. Vicente brings these relevant experiences, strategic business acumen, and relevant food industry expertise to our Board. | ||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Matthew Wineinger Class 1 Director and Lead Director (Term expires 2028) Age: 59 Independent Director since 2015 ![]() | Professional Highlights | |||
• Mr. Wineinger served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of United Sugars Producers and Refiners Cooperative (formerly, United Sugars Corporation until October 2023), a privately held, leading marketer of sugar from June 2015 till August 2025. | ||||
• President, Bulk Ingredients of Tate & Lyle PLC (LSE) from June 2010 to November 2014 and prior to that, President, Food and Industrial Ingredients from March 2008 to June 2010. | ||||
Committee Assignments | ||||
• Executive, Chair | ||||
• Audit | ||||
• Compensation, Chair | ||||
Other Current Public Company Directorships | ||||
• None | ||||
Board Qualifications | ||||
Mr. Wineinger’s over thirty years of extensive global, operational and strategic industry experience, together with his previous knowledge of manufacturing operations involving many of the Company’s current raw materials, make him a valuable member of our Board, particularly as the Company focuses on development and supply of products to human nutrition markets. Mr. Wineinger has served as Lead Director and Chair of our Compensation Committee and Executive Committee since February 2023. | ||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
• | Balchem’s Governance Guidelines: |
○ | Include corporate governance practices to guide and assist the Board in fulfilling its responsibilities to oversee management in the operation and results of Balchem’s business and affairs. |
○ | Are designed to enhance the necessary authority and practices for the Board to make decisions that are in the best interests of Balchem and independent of Balchem’s management. |
○ | Are intended to align the interests of directors and management with the long-term interests of Balchem’s shareholders. |
○ | The Governance Guidelines are available on the Governance page in the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website, www.balchem.com. |
• | Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (our “Code of Conduct”) |
○ | Our Code of Conduct applies to all Balchem employees, directors and officers. |
○ | Our Code of Conduct is the foundation of Balchem’s Compliance and Ethics Program and embodies the first of Balchem’s Core Values, which is “Always Doing the Right Thing.” |
○ | Our Code of Conduct promotes honest and ethical conduct, compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations, prompt reporting of violations of the code and full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in reports filed with the SEC. |
○ | Our Code of Conduct meets the requirements of a “code of ethics” as defined by Item 406 of Regulation S-K. The Code of Conduct covers topics including, but not limited to, avoiding conflicts of interest, maintaining confidentiality of information, working with suppliers, preventing bribery and corruption, avoiding insider trading, and compliance with laws and regulations. |
○ | Amendments to, or waivers of the provisions of, the Code of Conduct, if any, made with respect to any of our directors or officers will be posted on our website at www.balchem.com. |
○ | Our Code of Conduct is available on the Governance page in the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at www.balchem.com. |
○ | We also have a Supplier Code of Conduct which our suppliers are expected to adhere to. The Supplier Code of Conduct defines our commitment to protecting human rights and ensuring safe work environments throughout our supplier chain. |
• | Board Committee Charters |
○ | Balchem’s Board Committees (Audit, Compensation and Governance) have each adopted a charter defining its respective purposes and responsibilities. These charters are reviewed by the Committees annually. The charters for the Audit, Compensation and Governance Committees are available on the Governance page in the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website, www.balchem.com. |
• | Director Independence |
○ | Each year, each Board member completes a questionnaire to determine the independence of its members. The Board has determined that each of the Company’s directors, other than Mr. Harris, is independent, as defined under the Nasdaq Listing Rules. |
• | Evaluations |
○ | The Board conducts an annual self-evaluation (which includes a director self-assessment) and the Committees conduct a self-evaluation on a biennial basis. The Board will, from time to time as it deems appropriate, conduct a comprehensive evaluation led by a third-party expert, in lieu of the annual self-evaluation. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(1) | The Audit Committee receives, or arranges for the Board to receive, on a no less than annual basis, reports from management on areas of material risk to the Company, including financial, operational, legal, regulatory, information security and cybersecurity and strategic risks (the “Company Risk Reports”). |
(2) | The Audit Committee receives the Company Risk Reports from members of management tasked with the responsibility to understand, manage and mitigate the risks (with the Company’s enterprise risk management effort being facilitated by its Internal Audit function). |
(3) | The Chair of the Audit Committee reports on its discussion of the Company Risk Reports to the full Board during the Committee reports portion of the Board meeting following the receipt of said Company Risk Reports, which enables the Board and its Committees to coordinate the risk oversight role, particularly with respect to cross-discipline risks and interrelated risks. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
• | Reliable, Scalable Systems and Infrastructure |
• | Automation and Artificial Intelligence |
• | Training |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(1) | Internal reporting and review of the incident or development |
(2) | Gathering and assessing information |
(3) | Developing and implementing a communications strategy |
(4) | Monitoring and evaluating a response |
(5) | Debrief and recovery |
(1) | Executive Committee; |
(2) | Audit Committee; |
(3) | Compensation Committee; and |
(4) | Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Name | Audit | Compensation | Governance | Executive | ||||||||||
David Fischer | ||||||||||||||
Kathleen Fish | Chair | |||||||||||||
Daniel Knutson | Chair | |||||||||||||
Olivier Rigaud | ||||||||||||||
Monica Vicente | ||||||||||||||
Matthew Wineinger | Chair | Chair | ||||||||||||
Number of Committee Meetings Held in 2025 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||||||||||
(1) | monitor the integrity of the Company’s financial reporting process and systems of internal controls regarding finance, accounting, and legal compliance; |
(2) | monitor the independence, qualifications, performance and compensation of the Company’s independent auditors; |
(3) | establish policies and procedures with respect to enterprise risk assessment and risk management; |
(4) | review Company procedures for identifying, monitoring, and mitigating risk exposures, including cybersecurity risks; and |
(5) | provide an avenue of communication among the independent auditors, internal audit, management and the Board. |
(1) | ensure that compensation and benefit plans are aligned with the interests of shareholders and meet the needs of the Company and its employees; |
(2) | review, approve and recommend to the Board for approval various aspects of a compensation program, including incentives, for the CEO and senior executives of the Company (the CEO may not be present during deliberations or voting on his compensation); |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(3) | recommend to the Board for approval the compensation of directors; |
(4) | administer the Company’s equity compensation plans; and |
(5) | interpret, construe, and administer the Company’s Incentive-Based Compensation Recovery Policy, including reviewing such policy from time to time and recommending any changes to the Board for adoption. |
(1) | considering and making recommendations to the Board concerning the appropriate size, function and needs of the Board; |
(2) | determining the criteria for Board membership, overseeing searches, and evaluating and recommending candidates for election to the Board; |
(3) | evaluating and recommending to the Board responsibilities of the Board committees; |
(4) | annually reviewing and assessing the adequacy of the Governance Guidelines and recommending any changes to the Board for adoption; |
(5) | annually evaluating its own performance as well as overseeing an annual self-evaluation of the Board (which includes a director self-assessment) and other Board Committees; |
(6) | overseeing compliance with the Company’s Stock Ownership Policies; |
(7) | developing and recommending to the Board for approval a CEO and other key executive succession plan (the “Succession Plan”), reviewing the Succession Plan annually with the CEO and Board, developing and evaluating potential candidates for these positions and recommending to the Board any candidates or changes to previously identified candidates under the Succession Plan; |
(8) | considering matters of corporate social responsibility, including reviewing the Company’s activities and practices regarding sustainability matters that are significant to the Company and periodically reviewing the Company’s sustainability strategy, initiatives and policies; |
(9) | recruiting and evaluating new candidates for nomination by the full Board for election as directors; |
(10) | preparing and updating an orientation program for new directors; |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(11) | evaluating the performance of current directors in connection with the expiration of their term in office and providing advice to the full Board as to their nomination for re-election; and, |
(12) | annually reviewing and recommending policies on director retirement age. |
(1) | the recruitment, evaluation and selection of suitable candidates for the position of CEO, for approval by the full Board; and, |
(2) | the preparation, together with the Compensation Committee, of objective criteria for the evaluation of the performance of the CEO. |
• | Our Corporate Governance Guidelines do not require the Chair to be an independent director and do not require separation of the Chairman and CEO positions. However, per our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the Board appoints a Lead Director who functions to reinforce the independence of the Board of Directors, and is appointed from the independent directors. |
• | The Board and the Governance Committee regularly consider the appropriate leadership structure for the Company and have concluded that the Company and its shareholders are best served by the Board and the Governance Committee retaining discretion to determine whether the same individual should serve as both CEO and Chair. |
• | The Board and the Governance Committee believe it is important to retain the flexibility to make this determination based on what it believes will provide the best leadership structure for the Company at any given time. |
• | The combined Chair and CEO structure promotes decisive leadership, ensures clear accountability and enhances our ability to communicate with a single and consistent voice to shareholders, employees and other stakeholders. |
• | Mr. Harris has an extensive understanding and grasp of our business and operations, competitive pressures and the challenges the Company faces in the current environment, and has demonstrated leadership and management skills, and is best situated to lead and focus discussions on those critical matters affecting the Company, which increases the effectiveness of Board meetings. |
• | Finally, the combination of the Chair and the CEO position succeeds because of the engaged, knowledgeable involvement of our Board in combination with our culture of open communication with the CEO and senior management, enabling the CEO to be an effective conduit between management and the Board. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(1) | working with the Chair and other directors to set agendas for Board meetings; |
(2) | together with the Executive Committee, providing leadership in times of crisis; |
(3) | reviewing the individual performance of each of the directors with the Chair of the Governance Committee; |
(4) | chairing regular meetings of independent Board members without management present (executive sessions); |
(5) | acting as liaison between the independent directors and the Chair; and |
(6) | chairing Board meetings when the Chair is not in attendance. |
(i) | was, during the last completed fiscal year, an officer or employee of the Company, |
(ii) | was formerly an officer of the Company, or |
(iii) | had any relationship requiring disclosure by the Company under Item 404 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(1) | have experience and skills in areas critical to understanding the Company and its business; |
(2) | possess certain personal characteristics, such as integrity and judgment; |
(3) | have a diverse background of experience and perspectives (including business experience, geographic origin, age, gender, and ethnicity); and |
(4) | have sufficient ability to commit the necessary time and effort required to serve on the Board. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
• | Hold annual election of directors |
• | Hold advisory approval by shareholders of executive compensation (“Say-on-Pay” votes) annually |
• | Senior management attends major investor conferences each year |
• | Majority voting in uncontested director elections |
• | Hold “Say-on-Frequency” votes regarding advisory approval of executive compensation at least every six years (Note: Based on the results of the 2023 Say-on-Frequency vote, the Company will hold Say-on-Pay votes annually) |
• | Share information through the Company website, Annual Report, press releases, and SEC filings, including 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K, and Proxy Statement |
(1) | Annual Cash Retainer for each non-executive director –$75,000; |
(2) | Annual Fee for Lead Director –$25,000; |
(3) | Annual Fee for Audit Committee Chair –$20,000; |
(4) | Annual Fee for Compensation Committee Chair –$15,000; and |
(5) | Annual Fee for the Governance Committee Chair –$15,000. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Name | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | Stock Awards ($)(1) | All Other Compensation ($) | Total ($) | ||||||||||
David Fischer | $75,000 | $155,996 | $0 | $230,996 | ||||||||||
Kathleen Fish | $90,000 | $155,996 | $0 | $245,996 | ||||||||||
Daniel Knutson | $95,000 | $155,996 | $0 | $250,996 | ||||||||||
Olivier Rigaud | $75,000 | $155,996 | $0 | $230,996 | ||||||||||
Monica Vicente | $75,000 | $155,996 | $0 | $230,996 | ||||||||||
Matthew Wineinger | $115,000 | $155,996 | $0 | $270,996 | ||||||||||
(1) | On February 12, 2025, each Non-Executive Director, was granted 980 Time-Based Restricted Shares. The Time-Based Restricted Shares vest in full after one year. The grant date fair value per share of each share of restricted stock was $159.18. |
Name | Aggregate Stock Options Outstanding as of 12/31/2025 | Aggregate Unvested Stock Awards as of 12/31/2025 | ||||||
David Fischer | 11,307 | 2,050 | ||||||
Kathleen Fish | 5,267 | 2,050 | ||||||
Daniel Knutson | 17,307 | 2,050 | ||||||
Olivier Rigaud | 1,730 | 1,520 | ||||||
Monica Vicente | 1,730 | 1,520 | ||||||
Matthew Wineinger | 17,307 | 2,050 | ||||||
(A) | 1/12 of the total number of Time-Based Restricted Shares subject to the applicable grant; and |
(B) | the number of full months that the director has served on the Board from the date of the grant to the date of the director’s disability; and all Time-Based Restricted Shares not so vested shall be immediately forfeited. |
(1) | in accordance with the Company’s Director Retiree Program and the combination of the Director’s age and years of service as a member of the Board is equal to or greater than 75; or |
(2) | prior to the conclusion of his or her term in which he or she reaches the age of 70 and the combination of the Director’s age and years of service as a member of the Board is equal to or greater than 75 and he/she has given the Company one (1) year’s prior written notice to the Company of his/her intention to retire; |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(A) | all Stock Options shall continue to vest and become exercisable in accordance with their original vesting schedule; and |
(B) | All Time-Based Restricted Shares (including those granted within one year of the Director’s retirement) shall continue to vest in accordance with their original vesting schedule. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Name | Position | ||||
Theodore L. Harris | Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer | ||||
C. Martin Bengtsson | Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ||||
Frederic Boned | Senior Vice President and General Manager, Human Nutrition and Health | ||||
Hatsuki Miyata | Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary | ||||
M. Brent Tignor | Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer | ||||

TABLE OF CONTENTS
• | Net sales of $1.037 billion, an increase of 8.8% from 2024. |
• | Adjusted EBITDA of $274.9 million, an increase of 9.8% from 2024. |
• | Adjusted net earnings of $167.9 million and adjusted diluted EPS of $5.15, increases of 17.4% and 17.8%, respectively, from 2024. |
• | Growth across all three business segments—Human Nutrition & Health, Animal Nutrition & Health, and Specialty Products. |
• | Operating cash flow of $216.6 million and free cash flow of $173.6 million, with free cash flow conversion of 103% of non-GAAP net earnings. |
• | A net debt leverage ratio of 0.3x trailing twelve-month adjusted EBITDA at year end, reflecting continued balance sheet strength and financial flexibility. |
• | A 10% increase in the annual dividend to $0.96 per share, representing the seventeenth consecutive year of double-digit annual dividend increases. |
• | Continued execution against strategic growth priorities, including investment in specialty nutrients, microencapsulation, nutrient delivery systems for dairy, functional solutions, innovation, and geographic expansion. |
• | Continued progress on sustainability priorities. |
• | Base Salary: All NEOs received (merit or market-based) increases to better align them with market competitive pay levels and recognize strong individual and Company performance. |
• | Cash-Based Incentive Compensation Plan: 2025 Incentive Compensation Plan (“ICP”) payout was earned at 176.78% of target based on achievement of adjusted EBITDA, revenue and free cash flow goals. |
• | Long-Term Incentive Program: 2025 target equity value was delivered 50% in performance shares, 25% in stock options and 25% in restricted shares. Performance shares for the 2025-27 period will be earned based on achievement of EBITDA goals. Relative TSR will also be a factor and applied as a +/- 25% modifier to EBITDA performance. Stock Options have a ten-year term and vest 20% after Year 1, 40% after Year 2 and 40% after Year 3. Restricted shares vest over a 3 year period (25% on the first anniversary of the grant date, 25% on the second anniversary of the grant date, and 50% on the third anniversary of the grant date). |
• | 2023-25 Performance Share Payout: The performance shares granted in 2023 were earned at 155.6% of target based on 3-year EBITDA and relative TSR performance. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What We DO | What We DON’T DO | ||||
Target total direct compensation for our NEOs around relevant market data, while also considering tenure, experience, and other factors. | Allow hedging or pledging of Company securities for any employee (including our NEOs) or director. | ||||
Pay for performance and, accordingly, a significant portion of each NEO’s total compensation opportunity is “at risk” and dependent upon achievement of specific corporate and individual performance goals, resulting in lesser emphasis on fixed base salary. | Encourage unnecessary or excessive risk-taking as a result of our compensation policies and practices. | ||||
Base our short-term incentive plan on explicit and quantifiable Corporate and business segment financial performance metrics that are set at the beginning of each year. | Have employment agreements with any of our NEOs other than as described in the section of this Proxy Statement titled “Executive Compensation.” | ||||
Complement our annual compensation to each NEO with time-based and performance-based multi-year vesting schedules and performance cycles for equity incentive awards. | Provide a defined benefit pension plan for our NEOs. | ||||
Have annual base salary adjustments that are based, primarily, on prior-year individual performance. | Provide for “gross ups” for excise taxes imposed with respect to Section 280G (change-in-control payments) or Section 409A (nonqualified deferred compensation) of Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). | ||||
Adopted an Incentive-Based Compensation Recovery Policy, or clawback policy, pursuant to which the Company can seek reimbursement of either cash or equity-based incentive compensation in the event of a financial restatement due to the Company’s material noncompliance with any financial reporting requirement under the securities laws. | Provide for single-trigger vesting acceleration upon a change in control under the Company’s Executive Severance Policy. | ||||
Maintain a Compensation Committee, which is comprised solely of independent directors. | Allow: (i) any repricing of options and Stock Appreciation Rights (“SARs”) without shareholder approval or (ii) for the unlimited transferability of awards. | ||||
Have stock ownership guidelines for our directors and executive officers. | |||||
Subject awards under the Amended 2017 Plan to minimum vesting periods and maximum annual per-person limits. | |||||
Double-trigger vesting acceleration upon a change in control under the Company’s Executive Severance Policy. | |||||
Ensure that a significant portion of our non-employee director compensation consists of long-term equity awards. | |||||
Consult with outside experts to determine the overall competitiveness of the Company’s executive compensation program. | |||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Shareholder Engagement Highlights | ||||||||
Engaged with: Institutional investors Retail shareholders Pension funds Proxy advisory firms Industry associations | Engaged through: Quarterly earnings call Investor conferences Individual investor meetings Annual General Meeting of Shareholders Sustainability Report Data verification process of proxy advisory firms | Engagements include: President, Chairman and CEO CFO and Investor Relations team Executive Officers Independent Directors Head of Global Sustainability | ||||||
In 2025, engaged with shareholders representing: ![]() | Information shared through: • SEC filings including 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K and Proxy Statement • Quarterly earnings call • Press releases • Company website • Media and digital platforms | ||||
• | Limitation on Shares: The maximum number of shares which may be issued under the Amended 2017 Plan is 2,400,000 shares; |
• | No Repricing of Stock Options or SARs: No repricing (or amendments or replacements related to a repricing) of outstanding Stock Options/SARs is allowed without shareholder approval; |
• | No Discounted Awards: The exercise price per share of stock under a Stock Option or SAR award must be not less than the fair market value of our Common Stock on the date of grant; |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
• | Minimum Vesting: Except for 5% of the shares authorized for grant under the Amended 2017 Plan and other limited exceptions, awards (other than cash performance awards) are generally subject to a minimum vesting period of one year; |
• | Dividends or Dividend Equivalents: Dividends or dividend equivalents otherwise payable on an unvested award will accrue and be paid only when the vesting conditions applicable to the underlying award have been satisfied; |
• | No Liberal Share Recycling: Recycling of shares used to satisfy the exercise price or taxes for any awards is prohibited; |
• | No Liberal Change in Control: The consummation of a merger or similar transaction and a minimum acquisition of 50% of the outstanding shares is required before a change-in-control occurs; |
• | No Automatic “Single-Trigger” Vesting on Change in Control: There is no automatic acceleration of any outstanding awards upon the occurrence of a change in control; |
• | Limitations on Awards to Non-Employee Directors: In the case of awards to non-employee directors, the maximum amount or value that may be granted in any calendar year (inclusive of cash compensation) may not exceed $800,000; and |
• | Compensation Recovery: In the event that the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement of its financial statements due to the Company’s material noncompliance with any financial reporting requirements under the securities laws, the Compensation Committee would have the discretion to require reimbursement or forfeiture of certain excess performance-based awards received by certain executive officers of the Company during the three completed fiscal years immediately preceding the date that the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement. |
• | The CEO recommends to the Compensation Committee the amount of total annual compensation for each of the other NEOs. |
• | The CEO completes an annual performance assessment for each of the other NEOs, which is reviewed and considered by the Compensation Committee. |
• | The Compensation Committee conducts an annual performance appraisal of the CEO using evaluation information solicited from each independent Board member and recommends to the Board the annual compensation package for the CEO. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Ashland Global Corp. | Hain Celestial Group | MGP Ingredients | ||||||
Avient Corp. | H.B. Fuller Co. | Minerals Technologies | ||||||
Azek Company | Hexcel | Quaker Chemical Corp. | ||||||
Cabot Corp. | Ingevity Corp. | Sensient Technologies | ||||||
Celsius Holdings | Innospec Inc. | Stepan Co. | ||||||
CSW Industrials | J&J Snack Foods Corp. | The Simply Good Foods Co. | ||||||
Element Solutions | Lancaster Colony Corp. | Treehouse Foods | ||||||
FMC Corp. | ||||||||
• | experience and industry knowledge; |
• | the quality and effectiveness of their leadership; |
• | performance relative to total compensation; |
• | internal pay equity among the NEOs and other Company senior executives; |
• | historical considerations; |
• | retention factors; and |
• | input from our CEO regarding individual performance. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
• | Company Adjusted EBITDA (defined as earnings before interest, other expense/income, taxes, depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation, acquisition-related expenses and legal settlements, and the fair valuation of acquired inventory); and, |
• | Free Cash Flow (defined as operating cash flow minus capital expenditures). |
NEO | ICP Target as a Percent of Base Salary | ||||
Ted Harris | 115% | ||||
C. Martin Bengtsson | 75% | ||||
Frederic Boned | 70% | ||||
Hatsuki Miyata | 70% | ||||
M. Brent Tignor | 60% | ||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Metric | Weighting | Threshold | Target | Stretch | Maximum | ||||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA | 60% | $250.3 | $262.3 | $270.2 | $280.7 | ||||||||||||
Revenue | 20% | $953.7 | $1,000.1 | $1,020.1 | $1,035.1 | ||||||||||||
Free Cash Flow | 20% | $139.4 | $154.9 | $162.6 | $170.4 | ||||||||||||
ESG Modifier for Executive Officers | +/- 10% | ||||||||||||||||
Metric | 2025 Result | Actual vs. Target | Payout Percentage | ||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA | $274.9 million | 104.8% | 161.3% | ||||||||
Revenue | 1,037.2 million | 103.7% | 200% | ||||||||
Free Cash Flow | $173.6 million | 112.1% | 200% | ||||||||
NEO | 2025 Long-Term Incentive Target Value | ||||
Ted Harris | $4,200,000 | ||||
C. Martin Bengtsson | $1,500,000 | ||||
Frederic Boned | $1,000,000 | ||||
Hatsuki Miyata | $1,167,000 | ||||
M. Brent Tignor | $817,000 | ||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
• | 25% of the 2025 Target Equity Value is awarded as Stock Options with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of our Common Stock on the date of grant. Stock Options have a ten-year term and vest 20% after Year 1, 40% after Year 2 and 40% after Year 3. |
• | 25% of the 2025 Target Equity Value is awarded as Time-Based Restricted Shares which are granted at the fair market value of our Common Stock on the date of grant and vest over a 3 year period (25% on the first anniversary of the grant date, 25% on the second anniversary of the grant date, and 50% on the third anniversary of the grant date. |
• | 50% of the 2025 Target Equity Value is awarded as EBITDA performance shares (“EBITDA Performance Shares”). The number of EBITDA Performance Shares that will vest (or not vest) is based upon the attainment of a pre-determined Company EBITDA performance target over the three (3) fiscal years beginning with the fiscal year in which the grant was made (“Performance Period”). The EBITDA Performance Shares will vest (or not vest) at the end of the Performance Period. A TSR modifier of +/- 25% will be applied to EBITDA payout achieved. |
2023 PSU GRANTS EBITDA (50% Weight) | ||||||||||||||||||||
2022 FY EBITDA | 2025 FY EBITDA | Actual EBITDA Growth (2023-2025) | Threshold EBITDA Growth (50% of Target Payout) | Target EBITDA Growth (100% of Target Payout) | Maximum EBITDA Growth (200% of Target Payout) | EBITDA Payout as a % of Target | ||||||||||||||
$196.7 | $254.7 | 29.5% | 10.0% | 24.2% | 31.5% | 172.6% | ||||||||||||||
2023 PSU GRANTS - Relative TSR (50% Weight) | |||||||||||||||||
Balchem TSR | Russell 2000 25th %'ile (50% of Target Payout) | Russell 2000 50th %'ile (100% of Target Payout) | Russell 2000 75th %'ile (200% of Target Payout) | Balchem %'ile Rank | TSR Payout % of Target | ||||||||||||
18.3% | -46.8% | 3.0% | 61.7% | 58.9 | 135.6% | ||||||||||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Director/Officer | Ownership Requirement (as a multiple of the annual cash retainer* or base salary) | ||||
Directors | 5x | ||||
CEO | 5x | ||||
Chief Financial Officer | 3x | ||||
All Other Executive Officers | 2x | ||||
* | The cash retainer is exclusive of any fees received for serving as Lead Director and/or Committee Chair(s). |
• | value of shares owned separately or owned jointly with, or separately by, immediate family members residing in the same household; |
• | value of shares held in trust for the benefit of the Executive Officer or Director and immediate family members; |
• | value of shares purchased on the open market; |
• | value of shares acquired and held by an Executive Officer through the Company’s 401(k) plan; |
• | value of shares obtained through stock option exercise (and not thereafter sold); and |
• | value of shares of restricted stock or performance shares, which have vested free and clear of restrictive legends. |
(i) | non-equity incentive plan awards that are earned solely or in part by satisfying a financial reporting measure performance goal; |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(ii) | bonuses paid from a bonus pool, where the size of the pool is determined solely or in part by satisfying a financial reporting measure performance goal; |
(iii) | other cash awards based on satisfaction of a financial reporting measure performance goal; |
(iv) | restricted stock, stock options and performance share units that are granted or vest solely or in part on satisfying a financial reporting measure performance goal; and |
(v) | proceeds from the sale of shares acquired through an incentive plan that were granted or vested solely or in part on satisfying a financial reporting measure performance goal. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Annualized Base Salary Multiple | Annualized Target Bonus Multiple | COBRA Premiums* | Severance Period (months) | |||||||||||
Chief Executive Officer | 2 | 2 | Yes | 24 | ||||||||||
Chief Financial Officer | 1 | 1 | Yes | 12 | ||||||||||
Other Participants | 1 | 1 | Yes | 12 | ||||||||||
* | If the participant elects to continue coverage through COBRA, the Company will pay COBRA premiums through the Severance Period or, if earlier, the date such participant becomes eligible for group health insurance coverage through a new employer. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Annualized Base Salary Multiple | Annualized Target Bonus Multiple | COBRA Premiums* | Severance Period (months) | |||||||||||
Chief Executive Officer | 3 | 3 | Yes | 36 | ||||||||||
Chief Financial Officer | 2 | 2 | Yes | 24 | ||||||||||
Other Participants | 2 | 2 | Yes | 24 | ||||||||||
* | If the participant elects to continue coverage through COBRA, the Company will pay COBRA premiums through the Severance Period or, if earlier, the date such participant becomes eligible for group health insurance coverage through a new employer. |
• | Our compensation consists of both fixed and variable components. |
— | The fixed (or salary) portion of compensation is designed to provide a steady income regardless of our stock price performance so that executives do not feel pressured to focus exclusively on stock price performance to the detriment of other important business aspects. |
— | The variable portions of compensation (cash bonus and equity) are designed to reward both short- and long-term corporate performance. |
○ | For short-term performance, our cash bonus is awarded based primarily on corporate and business segment performance goals or targets. |
○ | For long-term performance, our Stock Options generally vest ratably over three years and are only valuable if our stock price increases over time. Our Time-Based Restricted Share grants and Performance Share grants generally cliff vest in three years. |
• | The variable elements of compensation are a sufficient percentage of overall compensation to motivate executives to produce superior short- and long-term corporate results, while the fixed element is also sufficient such that executives are not encouraged to take unnecessary or excessive risks in doing so. |
• | The use of Adjusted EBITDA as the contingent factor upon which ICP cash incentive depends, encourages our executives to take a balanced approach that focuses on corporate profitability, rather than other measures such as revenue targets, which may create incentives for management to drive sales without regard to cost structure. No payout is made under the ICP program if we are not sufficiently profitable. |
• | Our ICP and LTIP awards are capped for each participant, which mitigates excessive risk-taking. Even if the Company dramatically exceeds its Adjusted EBITDA target, the awards are limited. Conversely, there is no ICP or LTIP award unless minimum performance levels of applicable goals are achieved. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
• | Because a portion of management’s personal investment portfolio consists of the Company’s stock, we believe that the stock ownership guidelines we have in place provide a considerable incentive for management to consider the Company’s long-term interests in both their short- and long-term decisions. In addition, we prohibit all hedging transactions involving our stock, so our executives and directors cannot insulate themselves from the effects of poor Company stock price performance. |
Name | Fixed Component of Compensation | Variable Component of Compensation | ||||||
Ted Harris | 15.9% | 84.1% | ||||||
C. Martin Bengtsson | 21.7% | 78.3% | ||||||
Frederic Boned | 25.5% | 74.5% | ||||||
Hatsuki Miyata | 23.3% | 76.7% | ||||||
M. Brent Tignor | 26.9% | 73.1% | ||||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Name and Principal Position | Year | Salary | Bonus (1) | Stock Awards (2) | Stock Options (2) | Non-equity Incentive Plan Compensation (3) | Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings (4) | All Other Compensation (5) | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ted Harris, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer | 2025 | $1,198,269 | $0 | $3,150,886 | $1,050,385 | $2,439,154 | $0 | $56,180 | $7,894,874 | ||||||||||||||||||||
2024 | $1,155,000 | $0 | $2,862,289 | $957,241 | $1,843,753 | $0 | $54,486 | $6,872,769 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2023 | $1,155,000 | $0 | $2,601,958 | $867,121 | $1,219,937 | $0 | $45,691 | $5,889,707 | |||||||||||||||||||||
C. Martin Bengtsson, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | 2025 | $614,362 | $0 | $1,126,222 | $376,184 | $818,979 | $0 | $39,150 | $2,974,897 | ||||||||||||||||||||
2024 | $572,149 | $0 | $904,470 | $302,755 | $596,901 | $0 | $32,100 | $2,408,375 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2023 | $527,337 | $0 | $671,295 | $224,961 | $329,433 | $0 | $30,600 | $1,783,626 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Frederic Boned, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Human Nutrition and Health | 2025 | $542,265 | $0 | $752,927 | $254,047 | $671,452 | $0 | $31,800 | $2,252,491 | ||||||||||||||||||||
2024 | $518,125 | $0 | $593,513 | $200,353 | $537,999 | $0 | $32,100 | $1,882,090 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2023 | $432,765 | $50,000 | $319,662 | $106,345 | $198,832 | $0 | $30,600 | $1,138,204 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Hatsuki Miyata, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary | 2025 | $526,168 | $0 | $877,884 | $293,131 | $655,566 | $0 | $39,616 | $2,392,365 | ||||||||||||||||||||
2024 | $471,136 | $0 | $498,706 | $169,187 | $393,215 | $0 | $32,600 | $1,564,844 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2023 | $435,870 | $0 | $319,662 | $106,345 | $209,399 | $0 | $46,147 | $1,117,423 | |||||||||||||||||||||
M. Brent Tignor, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer6 | 2025 | $446,683 | $0 | $615,310 | $205,191 | $476,107 | $0 | $37,350 | $1,780,641 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| | | | | | | | | |||||||||||||||||||||
| | | | | | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(1) | Reflects the value of cash sign-on bonus. |
(2) | The amounts included in the “Stock Awards” and “Stock Options” columns reflect the aggregate grant date fair value as computed in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Codification 718 adjusted to eliminate service-based forfeiture assumptions used for financial reporting purposes. A discussion of the assumptions used in valuation of Stock Options may be found in “Note 3 – Shareholders’ Equity” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, as filed with the SEC on February 20, 2026. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 - 2025, the awards reported in the “Stock Awards” column above consist of Performance Shares and Time-Based Restricted Shares. The grant date fair value of the Performance Shares is reflected at target payout based on the probable outcome of the applicable performance conditions. The maximum value for the Performance Shares is as follows: (i) for 2025: Mr. Harris – $4,420,555; Mr. Bengtsson – $1,515,394; Mr. Boned – $1,012,385; Ms. Miyata – $1,181,116; Mr. Tignor – $827,736; (ii) for 2024: Mr. Harris – $3,376,342; Mr. Bengtsson – $1,067,119; Mr. Boned – $699,938; Ms. Miyata – $588,063; Mr. Tignor – $238,094; and (iii) for 2023: Mr. Harris – $3,189,879; Mr. Bengtsson – $823,016; Mr. Boned – $392,176; Ms. Miyata – $392,176; Mr. Tignor – $336,940, with the foregoing being calculated by multiplying the number of shares that would be granted upon achievement of the highest performance conditions by the price on the grant date. |
(3) | Reflects the value of cash incentive bonuses earned under the Company’s ICP. |
(4) | The Deferred Compensation Plan does not provide above-market or preferential earnings. |
(5) | The amounts listed in the “All Other Compensation” column for fiscal 2025 include actual and estimated matching by the Company under the 401(k) Plan, and other perquisites and personal benefits, and details about these amounts are set forth in the table below. |
(6) | Mr. Tignor was not an NEO in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 or 2023. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Name | Company 401k Plan Matching | Other Perquisites | Total All Other Compensation | ||||||||
Ted Harris | $21,000 | $35,180 | $56,180 | ||||||||
C. Martin Bengtsson | $21,000 | $18,150 | $39,150 | ||||||||
Frederic Boned | $21,000 | $10,800 | $31,800 | ||||||||
Hatsuki Miyata | $21,000 | $18,616 | $39,616 | ||||||||
M. Brent Tignor | $21,000 | $16,350 | $37,350 | ||||||||
Name | Auto Allowance | Executive Physical | Charitable Donation Match | Financial/ Tax Planning Expenses | ||||||||||
Ted Harris | $13,636 | $7,340 | $0 | $14,204 | ||||||||||
C. Martin Bengtsson | $10,800 | $7,350 | $0 | $0 | ||||||||||
Frederic Boned | $10,800 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||||||||||
Hatsuki Miyata | $10,800 | $7,300 | $516 | $0 | ||||||||||
M. Brent Tignor | $9,000 | $7,350 | $0 | $0 | ||||||||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Name | Grant Date | Grant Type | Estimated Future Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards(1) | Estimated Future Payouts Under Equity Incentive Plan Awards(2) | All Other Stock Awards: Number of Shares of Stock or Units (#) | All Other Option Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Options (#) | Exercise or Base Price of Option Awards(3) ($/Share) | Grant Date Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards(4) ($) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Threshold ($) | Target ($) | Maximum ($) | Threshold (#) | Target (#) | Maximum (#) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ted Harris | ICP | $0 | $1,378,010 | $2,756,019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
02/12/2025 | Performance Shares | 6,660 | 13,320 | 26,640 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
02/12/2025 | Time-Based Restricted Shares | 6,600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
02/12/2025 | Stock Options | 21,500 | $159.18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
$4,201,270 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
C. Martin Bengtsson | ICP | $0 | $460,771 | $921,543 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
02/12/2025 | Performance Shares | 2,380 | 4,760 | 9,520 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
02/12/2025 | Time-Based Restricted Shares | 2,360 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
02/12/2025 | Stock Options | 7,700 | $159.18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
$1,502,406 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Frederic Boned | ICP | $0 | $379,585 | $759,170 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
02/12/2025 | Performance Shares | 1,590 | 3,180 | 6,360 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
02/12/2025 | Time-Based Restricted Shares | 1,580 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
02/12/2025 | Stock Options | 5,200 | $159.18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
$1,006,973 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hatsuki Miyata | ICP | $0 | $368,318 | $736,636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
02/12/2025 | Performance Shares | 1,855 | 3,710 | 7,420 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
02/12/2025 | Time-Based Restricted Share Awards | 1,840 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
02/12/2025 | Stock Options | 6,000 | $159.18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
$1,171,015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
M. Brent Tignor | ICP | $0 | $268,010 | $536,019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
02/12/2025 | Performance Shares | 1,300 | 2,600 | 5,200 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
02/12/2025 | Time-Based Restricted Shares | 1,290 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
02/12/2025 | Stock Options | 4,200 | $159.18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
$820,502 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(1) | The maximum amounts equal 200% of target. Additional information regarding the design of the ICP is included in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis. |
(2) | The target number of shares shown in the table reflects the number of shares of our Common Stock earned if performance is achieved at target levels. All shares will be awarded net of applicable tax withholding. Dividend equivalents accrue during the performance cycle and will be paid out in shares, net of applicable tax withholding, based on the actual number of shares earned for the performance cycle, if any. |
(3) | The exercise price equals the closing price of our Common Stock on the grant date except as otherwise indicated. |
(4) | The amounts represent the grant date fair value of the awards as computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. | Officers and other employees of the Company may be granted Stock Options which qualify as incentive stock options (“ISOs”) under Section 422(b) of the Code; |
2. | Directors, officers and employees may be granted Stock Options which do not qualify as ISOs (“Non-Qualified Options”); and |
3. | Directors, officers and employees may be granted Time-Based Restricted Shares and Performance Shares. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Name | Option Awards | Stock Awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Grant Date | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Exercisable (1) (#) | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Unexercisable (1) (#) | Option Exercise Price ($) | Option Expiration Date | Number of Shares or Units of Stock that Have Not Vested (2) (#) | Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock that Have Not Vested(3) $ | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights that Have Not Vested (2) $ | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Market or Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights that Have Not Vested (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Ted Harris | 2/21/2017 | 25,930 | 0 | 85.40 | 2/21/2027 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2/15/2018 | 18,800 | 0 | 74.57 | 2/15/2028 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2/13/2019 | 28,300 | 0 | 84.09 | 2/13/2029 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2/13/2020 | 24,500 | 0 | 111.94 | 2/13/2030 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2/11/2021 | 21,900 | 0 | 119.13 | 2/11/2031 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2/10/2022 | 20,500 | 0 | 138.07 | 2/10/2032 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
9/15/2022 | 32,500 | 0 | 125.71 | 9/15/2032 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
9/15/2022 | 0 | 32,500 | 138.28 | 9/15/2032 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
9/15/2022 | 0 | 32,500 | 144.57 | 9/15/2032 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
9/15/2022 | 0 | 32,500 | 150.85 | 9/15/2032 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2/8/2023 | 12,720 | 8,480 | 138.09 | 2/8/2033 | 6,280 | $963,101 | 11,550 | $1,771,308 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2/8/2024 | 4,300 | 17,200 | 143.43 | 2/8/2034 | 6,650 | $1,019,844 | 11,770 | $1,805,047 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2/12/2025 | 0 | 21,500 | 159.18 | 2/12/2035 | 6,600 | $1,012,176 | 13,320 | $2,042,755 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Martin Bengtsson | 2/4/2019 | 15,000 | 0 | 85.33 | 2/4/2029 | | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2/13/2019 | 6,000 | 0 | 84.09 | 2/13/2029 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2/13/2020 | 4,800 | 0 | 111.94 | 2/13/2030 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2/11/2021 | 5,300 | 0 | 119.13 | 2/11/2031 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2/10/2022 | 5,000 | 0 | 138.07 | 2/10/2032 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2/8/2023 | 3,300 | 2,200 | 138.09 | 2/8/2033 | 1,620 | $248,443 | 2,980 | $457,013 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2/8/2024 | 1,360 | 5,440 | 143.43 | 2/8/2034 | 2,100 | $322,056 | 3,720 | $570,499 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2/12/2025 | 0 | 7,700 | 159.18 | 2/12/2035 | 2,360 | $361,930 | 4,760 | $729,994 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Frederic Boned | 2/8/2023 | 1,560 | 1,040 | 138.09 | 2/8/2033 | 770 | $118,087 | 1,420 | $217,771 | ||||||||||||||||||||
2/8/2024 | 900 | 3,600 | 143.43 | 2/8/2034 | 1,380 | $211,637 | 2,440 | $374,198 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2/12/2025 | 0 | 5,200 | 159.18 | 2/12/2035 | 1,580 | $242,309 | 3,180 | $487,685 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Hatsuki Miyata | 2/8/2023 | 1,560 | 1,040 | 138.09 | 2/8/2033 | 770 | $118,087 | 1,420 | $217,771 | ||||||||||||||||||||
2/8/2024 | 760 | 3,040 | 143.43 | 2/8/2034 | 1,160 | $177,898 | 2,050 | $314,388 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2/12/2025 | 0 | 6,000 | 159.18 | 2/12/2035 | 1,840 | $282,182 | 3,710 | $568,966 | |||||||||||||||||||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Name | Option Awards | Stock Awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Grant Date | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Exercisable (1) (#) | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Unexercisable (1) (#) | Option Exercise Price ($) | Option Expiration Date | Number of Shares or Units of Stock that Have Not Vested (2) (#) | Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock that Have Not Vested(3) $ | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights that Have Not Vested (2) $ | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Market or Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights that Have Not Vested (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||
M. Brent Tignor | 2/21/2017 | 4,200 | 0 | 85.40 | 2/21/2027 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2/15/2019 | 2,800 | 0 | 74.57 | 2/15/2028 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2/13/2019 | 3,100 | 0 | 84.09 | 2/13/2029 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2/13/2020 | 2,800 | 0 | 111.94 | 2/13/2030 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2/11/2021 | 2,200 | 0 | 119.13 | 2/11/2031 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2/10/2022 | 2,100 | 0 | 138.07 | 2/10/2032 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2/8/2023 | 1,380 | 920 | 138.09 | 2/8/2033 | 660 | $101,218 | 1,220 | $187,099 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2/8/2024 | 580 | 2,320 | 143.43 | 2/8/2034 | 900 | $138,024 | 1,590 | $243,842 | |||||||||||||||||||||
2/12/2025 | 0 | 4,200 | 159.18 | 2/12/2035 | 1,290 | $197,834 | 2,600 | $398,736 | |||||||||||||||||||||
(1) | Stock Options granted under the Amended 2017, the 2017 Plan, and the 1999 Plan have a term of ten years from the grant date and become exercisable 20% after 1 year, 60% after 2 years and 100% after 3 years, beginning on the first anniversary of the grant date. |
(2) | Time-Based Restricted Shares vest three years from the date of grant. Performance Shares vest in three years and are reflected at target payout based on the probable outcome of the performance conditions. The following table provides information with respect to the final vesting dates of each outstanding restricted stock award (both Time-Based Restricted Shares and Performance Shares) held by each NEO as of December 31, 2025. |
(3) | Value is computed based on the closing price of our Common Stock on December 31, 2025, which was $153.36 per share. |
Final Vesting Date | Ted Harris | Martin Bengtsson | Frederic Boned | Hatsuki Miyata | M. Brent Tignor | ||||||||||||
Jan. 1, 2026 | 11,550 | 2,980 | 1,420 | 1,420 | 1,220 | ||||||||||||
Feb. 8, 2026 | 6,280 | 1,620 | 770 | 770 | 660 | ||||||||||||
Feb. 12, 2026 | 1,650 | 590 | 395 | 460 | 322 | ||||||||||||
Jan. 1, 2027 | 11,770 | 3,720 | 2,440 | 2,050 | 1,590 | ||||||||||||
Feb. 8, 2027 | 6,650 | 2,100 | 1,380 | 1,160 | 900 | ||||||||||||
Feb. 12, 2027 | 1,650 | 590 | 395 | 460 | 323 | ||||||||||||
Jan. 1, 2028 | 13,320 | 4,760 | 3,180 | 3,710 | 2,600 | ||||||||||||
Feb. 12, 2028 | 3,300 | 1,180 | 790 | 920 | 645 | ||||||||||||
Total | 56,170 | 17,540 | 10,770 | 10,950 | 8,260 | ||||||||||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Option Awards | Stock Awards | |||||||||||||
Name | Number of Shares Acquired on Exercise (#) | Value Realized on Exercise ($)(1) | Number of Shares Acquired on Vesting (#) | Value Realized on Vesting ($) | ||||||||||
Ted Harris | 0 | N/A | 28,344(1) | $4,601,615 | ||||||||||
C. Martin Bengtsson | 0 | N/A | 6,882(1) | $1,117,292 | ||||||||||
Frederic Boned | 0 | N/A | 3,000(2) | $460,170 | ||||||||||
Hatsuki Miyata | 0 | N/A | 1,334(3) | $198,526 | ||||||||||
M. Brent Tignor | 0 | N/A | 2,797(1) | $454,090 | ||||||||||
(1) | Reflects the vesting of (a) Performance Shares granted in 2022 under the Fiscal 2022 – 2024 Performance Share awards including dividend equivalent shares; and (b) Time-based Restricted Shares granted in 2022, subject to a three-year vesting requirement. The Performance Shares were subject to performance goals for the performance period ended December 31, 2024, with the number of TSR Performance Shares vesting representing 154.7% of the target shares and the EBITDA Performance Shares vesting representing 192.4% of the target shares. Awards vested on February 13, 2025. See “LTIP Awards” beginning at Page 41 above). Values realized for Performance Shares earned are based on the closing share prices $163.14 on February 13, 2025, the date the Compensation Committee determined that the performance targets for the performance period ended December 31, 2023 had been met. |
(2) | Reflects the vesting of Time-based Restricted Shares which cliff vest three years after the grant date (October 31,2022). |
(3) | Reflects the vesting of Time-based Restricted Shares which vest ratably over three years after the grant date (July 27, 2022), with one third vesting each year beginning in 2023. These Time-Based Restricted Shares were granted in part in recognition of the value in unvested equity and other benefits from Ms. Miyata’s prior employer that she forfeited. |
Name | Executive Contributions in Last Fiscal Year(1) ($) | Registrant Contributions in Last Fiscal Year | Aggregate Earnings in Last Fiscal Year ($) | Aggregate Withdrawals/ Distributions ($) | Aggregate Balance at Last Fiscal Year End ($) | ||||||||||||
Ted Harris | $0 | $0 | $560,200 | $0 | $5,363,892 | ||||||||||||
C. Martin Bengtsson | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||||||||||||
Frederic Boned | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||||||||||||
Hatsuki Miyata | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||||||||||||
M. Brent Tignor | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | ||||||||||||
(1) | NEO contributions include any deferrals of annual compensation, including earned awards under the ICP. These amounts are included in the NEO’s compensation under either “Salary” or “Non-Equity Incentive Compensation”. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Retirement ($) | Termination Without Cause ($) | Involuntary Termination within a Change in Control Period ($) | Disability ($) | Death ($) | |||||||||||||
Ted Harris* | |||||||||||||||||
Base Salary(a) | $0 | $2,396,538 | $3,594,807 | $0 | $0 | ||||||||||||
ICP Bonus(b) | $0 | $4,878,308 | $7,317,462 | $0 | $0 | ||||||||||||
PSU Award Payout(c) | $5,619,110 | $0 | $5,619,110 | $3,655,591 | $3,655,291 | ||||||||||||
Value of Unvested Equity Awards(d) | $4,152,756 | $0 | $4,152,756 | $4,152,756 | $4,152,756 | ||||||||||||
Health Insurance Premiums(e) | $0 | $66,336 | $99,504 | $0 | $0 | ||||||||||||
Total | $9,771,866 | $7,341,182 | $20,783,639 | $7,808,347 | $7,808,347 | ||||||||||||
C. Martin Bengtsson | |||||||||||||||||
Base Salary(a) | $614,362 | $1,228,724 | $0 | $0 | |||||||||||||
ICP Bonus(b) | $818,979 | $1,637,958 | $0 | $0 | |||||||||||||
PSU Award Payout(c) | $0 | $1,757,506 | $1,080,677 | $1,080,677 | |||||||||||||
Value of Unvested Equity Awards(d) | $0 | $1,020,042 | $1,020,042 | $1,020,042 | |||||||||||||
Health Insurance Premiums(e) | $33,168 | $66,336 | $0 | $0 | |||||||||||||
Total | $1,466,509 | $5,710,566 | $2,100,719 | $2,100,719 | |||||||||||||
Frederic Boned | |||||||||||||||||
Base Salary(a) | | $542,265 | $1,084,530 | $0 | $0 | ||||||||||||
ICP Bonus(b) | $671,452 | $1,342,904 | $0 | $0 | |||||||||||||
PSU Award Payout(c) | $0 | $1,079,654 | $629,798 | $629,798 | |||||||||||||
Value of Unvested Equity Awards(d) | $0 | $623,662 | $623,662 | $623,662 | |||||||||||||
Health Insurance Premiums(e) | $28,797 | $57,593 | $0 | $0 | |||||||||||||
Total | $1,242,514 | $4,188,343 | $1,253,460 | $1,253,460 | |||||||||||||
Hatsuki Miyata | |||||||||||||||||
Base Salary(a) | $526,168 | $1,052,336 | $0 | $0 | |||||||||||||
ICP Bonus(b) | $655,566 | $1,311,132 | $0 | $0 | |||||||||||||
PSU Award Payout(c) | $0 | $1,101,125 | $617,018 | $617,018 | |||||||||||||
Value of Unvested Equity Awards(d) | $0 | $624,235 | $624,235 | $624,235 | |||||||||||||
Health Insurance Premiums(e) | $9,271 | $18,543 | $0 | $0 | |||||||||||||
Total | $1,191,005 | $4,107,371 | $1,241,253 | $1,241,253 | |||||||||||||
M. Brent Tignor | |||||||||||||||||
Base Salary(a) | | $446,683 | $893,366 | $0 | $0 | ||||||||||||
ICP Bonus(b) | $476,107 | $952,214 | $0 | $0 | |||||||||||||
PSU Award Payout(c) | $0 | $829,678 | $482,573 | $482,573 | |||||||||||||
Value of Unvested Equity Awards(d) | $0 | $474,162 | $474,162 | $474,162 | |||||||||||||
Health Insurance Premiums(e) | $33,269 | $66,538 | $0 | $0 | |||||||||||||
Total | $956,059 | $3,215,958 | $956,735 | $956,735 | |||||||||||||
(a) | Please refer to the description of how severance is calculated under the section titled Executive Severance Policy on page 44 of this Proxy Statement. |
(b) | The amounts shown represent the actual ICP bonus earned in fiscal year 2025. |
(c) | The amounts shown are based on $153.36 per share, the closing market price of our shares on December 31, 2025. |
(d) | The amounts shown represent: (i) the value of eligible unvested RSUs, which is calculated based on the number of unvested RSUs multiplied by $153.36 per share, the closing market price of our shares on December 31, 2025; and (ii) the intrinsic value of the unvested stock options, which is calculated based on the difference between the closing market price on December 31, 2025, and the relevant exercise price. For purposes of the Involuntary Termination within a Change in Control Period, we assume that the vesting of the time-based equity awards immediately accelerated in full, and that the vesting of all outstanding performance-based equity award immediately accelerated in full, with performance deemed achieved at target levels. |
(e) | Represents our cost for COBRA premiums for the duration of the Severance Period as calculated under the section titled Executive Severance Policy on page 44 of this Proxy Statement. Under the Officer Retiree Program, the Company charges the retiree (or his/her spouse) that portion of the coverage premiums that the Company would have paid if the retiree were an active employee. |
* | With regard to the Company’s Officer Retiree Program, Mr. Harris is the only NEO that meets the rule of 70 (age and years of service is at least seventy, provided the officer has at least ten years of service) as of December 31, 2025. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Under the Harris Agreement (as described below), a voluntary termination by Mr. Harris would result in a payment by the Company to Mr. Harris equal to 200% of his then current annual salary which would be $2,396,538. Further, a termination by the Company for other than Cause (as defined under the Harris Agreement), Mr. Harris’ death or in response to a notice from Mr. Harris that he intends to terminate his employment with the Company for Good Reason, then the Company will pay Mr. Harris 200% of his then current annual salary which would be $2,396,538. Under the Harris Agreement, “Good Reason” will have occurred if Mr. Harris terminates his employment within twelve months after he has been demoted from his position as President and Chief Executive Officer or shall otherwise have suffered by reason of the Company’s intentional actions regarding the terms and nature of his employment such a fundamental change in his employment as to effectively amount to a “constructive termination” of his employment with the Company (but he shall not in fact have been discharged from such employment), including a reduction of his base annual salary, or a diminution of his duties or responsibilities. This amount does not reflect the ICP bonus that Mr. Harris would have earned in fiscal year 2025. |
Further, under the Harris Agreement, a voluntary termination by Mr. Harris prior to the second anniversary of a Change in Control event (as defined in the Harris Agreement), would result in a payment by the Company to Mr. Harris equal to 100% of his then current annual salary which would be $1,198,269. This amount does not reflect the ICP bonus that Mr. Harris would have earned in fiscal year 2025. Further, under the Amended 2017 Plan, the Compensation Committee has discretionary authority to determine the treatment of awards thereunder and the Amended 2017 Plan calls for the acceleration of equity grants as described in the narrative above in the event of a Change in Control (as defined in the Amended 2017 Plan). Amounts are calculated by: (i) multiplying the number of shares subject to accelerated vesting (all Time-Based Restricted Shares being accelerated, and the target level of Performance Shares being accelerated) by $153.36, which is the closing market price per share of our Common Stock on December 31, 2025, and (ii) the difference between (x) the per share grant price of the accelerated Stock Options and (y) $153.36, which is the closing market price per share of our Common Stock on December 31, 2025. The acceleration of equity grants would result in payment by the Company to Mr. Harris of $9,971,866. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Plan Category | Number of Shares to be Issued Upon Exercise of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights | Weighted-Average Exercise Price Per Share of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights | Number of Shares Remaining Available for Future Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans (Excluding Shares Reflected in Column)(1) | ||||||||
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders | 900,065 | 120.48 | 680,970 | ||||||||
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | |||||||||||
Total | 900,065 | 120.48 | 680,970 | ||||||||
(1) | 12,300 shares of unvested Time-Based Restricted Shares granted to non-employee directors and 103,690 shares of unvested Time-Based Restricted Shares granted to NEOs are excluded from this table. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Year | Summary Compensation Table Total for PEO(1) $ | Compensation Actually Paid to PEO(2)(2a) $ | Average Summary Compensation Table Total for Non-PEO Named Executive Officers(3) $ | Average Compensation Actually Paid to Non-PEO Named Executive Officers(2)(2a)(3) $ | Value of Initial Fixed $100 investment Based On(4): | Net Income(5) (in millions) $ | Adjusted EBITDA(6) (in millions) $ | |||||||||||||||||||
Total Shareholder Return $ | Peer Group Total Shareholder Return $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(1) | The PEO for all five fiscal years is |
(2) | CAP for the PEO and average CAP for our other NEOs in each of 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021 reflect the respective amounts set forth in the table above, adjusted as set forth in the table below, as determined in accordance with SEC rules. CAP values reflected in the table above do not reflect the actual amount of compensation earned by or paid to the PEO and our other NEOs during the applicable year. For information regarding the decisions made by our Executive Compensation Committee in regard to the PEO’s and our other NEOs’ compensation for fiscal year 2025, see the section titled “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” of this Proxy Statement. The amounts reflected for fiscal year 2024 have been revised from the amounts previously reported in last year’s Proxy Statement in order to incorporate administrative corrections. |
2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Harris, Ted | Average Non-CEO NEOs | Harris, Ted | Average Non-CEO NEOs | Harris, Ted | Average Non-CEO NEOs | Harris, Ted | Average Non-CEO NEOs | Harris, Ted | Average Non-CEO NEOs | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Total Compensation from Summary Compensation Table | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Adjustments for Equity Awards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Adjustment for grant date values in the Summary Compensation Table | $( | $( | $( | $( | $( | $( | $( | $( | $( | $( | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Year-end fair value of unvested awards granted in the current year | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Year-over-year difference of year-end fair values for unvested awards granted in prior years | $( | $( | $ | $ | $ | $ | $( | $( | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Fair values at vest date for awards granted and vested in current year | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Harris, Ted | Average Non-CEO NEOs | Harris, Ted | Average Non-CEO NEOs | Harris, Ted | Average Non-CEO NEOs | Harris, Ted | Average Non-CEO NEOs | Harris, Ted | Average Non-CEO NEOs | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Difference in fair values between prior year-end fair values and vest date fair values for awards granted in prior years | $( | $( | $( | $( | $ | $ | $( | $( | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Forfeitures during current year equal to prior year-end fair value | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $( | $( | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Dividends or dividend equivalents not otherwise included in total compensation | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Total Adjustments for Equity Awards | $( | $( | $ | $ | $ | $ | $( | $( | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Compensation Actually Paid (as calculated) | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(2a) | The following summarizes the valuation assumptions used for stock option awards included as part of Compensation Actually Paid: |
- | Expected life of each stock option is based on the “simplified method” using an average of the remaining vest and remaining term, as of the vest/FYE date. |
- | Strike price is based on each grant date closing price and asset price is based on each vest/FYE closing price. |
- | Risk free rate is based on the Treasury Constant Maturity rate closest to the remaining expected life as of the vest/FYE date. |
- | Historical volatility is based on daily price history for each expected life (years) prior to each vest/FYE date. Closing prices provided by S&P Capital IQ are adjusted for dividends and splits. |
- | Represents annual dividend yield on each vest/FYE date. |
(3) | Non-CEO NEOs reflect the average Summary Compensation Table total compensation and average Compensation Actually Paid for the following executives by year: |
(4) | TSR is cumulative (assuming $100 was invested on December 31, 2020) for the measurement periods beginning on December 31, 2020 and ending on December 31 of each of 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively, calculated in accordance with Item 201(e) of Regulation S-K. The peer group for purposes of this table is the Dow Jones U.S. Specialty Chemicals Index. Historic stock price performance is not necessarily indicative of future stock performance. |
(5) | Reflects “Net Earnings” in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Earnings included in the Company’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K for each of the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021. |
(6) |
Company Performance Metrics(1) | |||||
(1) | For further information regarding these company performance metrics and their function in the Company’s executive compensation program, please see the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section of this Proxy Statement. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS


TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner | Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership | Beneficially Owned(1) | Percent of Class(2) | ||||||||
BlackRock, Inc. 50 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001 | (3) | 4,688,457 | 14.59% | ||||||||
The Vanguard Group, Inc. 100 Vanguard Blvd., Malvern, PA 19355 | (4) | 3,791,512 | 11.8% | ||||||||
APG Asset Management US Inc. 666 Third Ave, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10017 | (5) | 1,201,674 | 3.74% | ||||||||
Ted Harris | (6) | 285,339 | * | ||||||||
C. Martin Bengtsson | (7) | 68,847 | * | ||||||||
M. Brent Tignor | (8) | 31,293 | * | ||||||||
Matthew Wineinger | (9) | 23,217 | * | ||||||||
Daniel Knutson | (10) | 22,104 | * | ||||||||
David Fischer | (11) | 18,064 | * | ||||||||
Hatsuki Miyata | (12) | 11,160 | * | ||||||||
Frederic Boned | (13) | 10,421 | * | ||||||||
Kathleen Fish | (14) | 6,594 | * | ||||||||
Olivier Rigaud | (15) | 2,018 | * | ||||||||
Monica Vicente | (16) | 2,018 | * | ||||||||
Directors and Executive Officers as a Group (14 people) | 529,324 | 1.65% | |||||||||
Shares Outstanding as of April 21, 2026 | 32,129,836 | ||||||||||
* | Less than 1% |
(1) | Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC and generally includes voting or investment power with respect to securities. In accordance with SEC rules, shares which are vesting within 60 days of the Record Date or which may be acquired upon exercise of stock options which are currently exercisable, or which become exercisable within 60 days after the date of the information in the table are deemed to be beneficially owned. Except as indicated by footnote, and subject to community property laws where applicable, to the Company’s knowledge, the persons or entities named in the table above are believed to have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of Common Stock shown as beneficially owned by them. |
(2) | The ownership percentages set forth in this column are based on the Company’s outstanding shares on the Record Date and assumes that each of the beneficial owners continued to own the number of shares reflected in the table above on such date. |
(3) | Based upon information provided in a Schedule 13G/A for such entity filed with the SEC on July 18, 2025, reporting beneficial ownership as of June 30, 2025, with sole dispositive power as to all shares and sole voting power as to 4,625,783 shares. |
(4) | Based upon information provided in a Schedule 13G/A for such entity filed with the SEC on February 13, 2024, reporting beneficial ownership as of December 29, 2023, with sole dispositive power as to 3,698,113 shares, shared dispositive power |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(5) | Based upon information provided in a Schedule 13G/A for such entity filed with the SEC on May 14, 2025, reporting beneficial ownership as of March 31, 2025, with shared dispositive and voting powers as to all shares. |
(6) | Consists of 210,830 shares such person has the right to acquire pursuant to Stock Options, 2,086 shares held in such person’s Company 401(k) retirement account, and 72,423 shares held directly. |
(7) | Consists of 47,220 shares such person has the right to acquire pursuant to Stock Options, 1,181 shares held in such person’s Company 401(k) retirement account and 20,446 shares held directly. |
(8) | Consists of 22,080 shares such person has the right to acquire pursuant to Stock Options, 1,558 shares held in such person’s Company 401(k) retirement account and 7,655 shares held directly. |
(9) | Consists of 16,615 shares such person has the right to acquire pursuant to Stock Options, and 6,602 shares held directly. |
(10) | Consists of 16,615 shares such person has the right to acquire pursuant to Stock Options, and 5,489 shares held directly. |
(11) | Consists of 10,615 shares such person has the right to acquire pursuant to Stock Options, and 7,449 shares held directly. |
(12) | Consists of 6,080 shares such person has the right to acquire pursuant to Stock Options 585 shares held in such person’s Company 401(k) retirement plan account and 4,495 shares held directly. |
(13) | Consists of 6,340 shares such person has the right to acquire pursuant to Stock Options, 538 shares held in such person’s Company 401(k) retirement plan account and 3,543 shares held directly. |
(14) | Consists of 4,575 shares such person has the right to acquire pursuant to Stock Options and 2,019 shares held directly. |
(15) | Consists of 1,038 shares such person has the right to acquire pursuant to Stock Options and 980 shares held directly. |
(16) | Consists of 1,038 shares such person has the right to acquire pursuant to Stock Options and 980 shares held directly. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
2025 | 2024 | |||||||
Audit fees(1) | $1,397,207 | $1,342,431 | ||||||
Audit-related fees(2) | $5,000 | $40,950 | ||||||
Tax fees(3) | $6,000 | — | ||||||
All other fees(4) | — | $66,000 | ||||||
Total fees | $1,408,207 | $1,449,381 | ||||||
(1) | Audit fees relate to audit of the annual consolidated financial statements and quarterly reviews, including out of pocket disbursements and administrative charges, and fees related to foreign statutory audits. |
(2) | Audit-related fees for 2025 were related to assurance advisory services and audit-related fees for 2024 were related to fees paid for the employee benefit plan audit |
(3) | Tax fees for 2025 were for tax return preparation services. |
(4) | All other fees for 2024 relate to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) pre-assurance advisory services. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
• | sending a written statement revoking your proxy to the Secretary of the Company, provided such statement is received no later than 11:59 p.m., EDT on June 17, 2026; |
• | voting again via the Internet or by telephone at a later time before the closing of those voting facilities at 11:59 p.m., EDT on June 17, 2026; |
• | submitting a properly signed proxy card with a later date that is received no later than 11:59 p.m., EDT on June 17, 2026; or |
• | attending the Annual Meeting (virtually) and voting at the Annual Meeting. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
/s/ Hatsuki Miyata | |||||
Hatsuki Miyata Chief Legal Officer and Secretary | |||||
April 27, 2026 | |||||
Montvale, New Jersey | |||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
2025 | 2024 | |||||||
Reconciliation of adjusted net earnings | ||||||||
GAAP net earnings | $154,845 | $128,475 | ||||||
Amortization of intangible assets and finance lease(1) | 17,490 | 19,763 | ||||||
Transaction and integration costs(2) | 1,242 | 1,393 | ||||||
Restructuring costs(3) | (192) | 521 | ||||||
Impairment charge(4) | — | 255 | ||||||
Income tax adjustment(6) | (5,487) | (7,442) | ||||||
Adjusted net earnings | $167,898 | $142,965 | ||||||
Adjusted net earnings per common share - diluted | $5.15 | $4.37 | ||||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
2025 | 2024 | |||||||
Net earnings - as reported | $154,845 | $128,475 | ||||||
Add back: | ||||||||
Provision for income taxes | 44,185 | 37,978 | ||||||
Interest and other expenses | 10,296 | 16,456 | ||||||
Depreciation and amortization | 45,402 | 47,686 | ||||||
EBITDA | 254,728 | 230,595 | ||||||
Add back: | ||||||||
Non-cash compensation expense related to equity awards | 18,057 | 16,676 | ||||||
Transaction and integration costs(2) | 1,242 | 1,393 | ||||||
Restructuring costs(3) | (192) | 521 | ||||||
Impairment charge(4) | — | 255 | ||||||
Nonqualified deferred compensation plan expense (income)(5) | 1,019 | 908 | ||||||
Adjusted EBITDA | $274,854 | $250,348 | ||||||
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
2025 | Effective Tax Rate | 2024 | Effective Tax Rate | |||||||||||
GAAP Income Tax Expense | $44,185 | 22.2% | $37,978 | 22.8% | ||||||||||
Impact of ASU 2016-09(7) | 1,254 | 2,154 | ||||||||||||
Adjusted Income Tax Expense | $45,439 | 22.8% | $40,132 | 24.1% | ||||||||||
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
2025 | 2024 | |||||||
Net cash provided by operating activities | $216,556 | $181,999 | ||||||
Capital expenditures and proceeds from the sale of assets | (42,919) | (34,789) | ||||||
Free cash flow | $173,637 | $147,210 | ||||||
(1) | Amortization of intangible assets and finance lease: Amortization of intangible assets and finance leases consists of amortization of customer relationships, trademarks and trade names, developed technology, regulatory registration costs, patents and trade secrets, capitalized loan issuance costs, other intangibles acquired primarily in connection with business combinations, and finance leases. We record expense relating to the amortization of these intangibles and finance leases in our GAAP financial statements. Amortization expenses for our intangible assets and finance leases are inconsistent in amount and are significantly impacted by the timing and valuation of acquisitions. Consequently, our non-GAAP adjustments exclude these expenses to facilitate an evaluation of our current operating performance and comparisons to our past operating performance. |
(2) | Transaction and integration costs: Transaction and integration costs related to acquisitions and divestitures are expensed in our GAAP financial statements. Management excludes these items for the purposes of calculating adjusted EBITDA and other non-GAAP financial measures. We believe that excluding these items from our non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors because these are items associated with transactions that are inconsistent in amount and frequency causing comparison of current and historical financial results to be difficult. |
(3) | Restructuring costs: Restructuring costs related to a reorganization of the business are recorded in our GAAP financial statements. Management excludes these items for the purposes of calculating adjusted EBITDA and other non-GAAP financial measures. We believe that excluding these items from our non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors because these are items associated with transactions that are inconsistent in amount and frequency causing comparison of current and historical financial results to be difficult. |
(4) | Impairment charge: An asset impairment charge in 2024 was related to the write off of an equity method investment. The impairment charge is included in our GAAP financial statements. Management excludes this item for the purposes of calculating Adjusted EBITDA and other non-GAAP financial measures. We believe that excluding this item from our non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors because it is inconsistent in amount of frequency causing comparison of current and historical financial results to be difficult. |
(5) | Nonqualified deferred compensation plan expense (income): Gains and losses on rabbi trust assets related to our nonqualified deferred compensation plan are recorded in other expense (income) while the offsetting increases or decreases to the deferred compensation liability are recorded within earnings from operations. The increases and decreases in the deferred compensation liability are driven by market volatility and are not a true reflection of company performance. We believe excluding these amounts from our non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors because these items are inconsistent in amount based on market conditions causing comparison of current and historical financial results to be difficult. |
(6) | Income tax adjustment: For purposes of calculating adjusted net earnings and adjusted diluted earnings per share, we adjust the provision for (benefit from) income taxes to tax effect the taxable and deductible non-GAAP adjustments described above as they have a significant impact on our income tax (benefit) provision. Additionally, the income tax adjustment is adjusted for the impact of adopting ASU 2016-09, “Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting” and uses our non-GAAP effective rate applied to both our GAAP earnings before income tax expense and non-GAAP adjustments described above. See Table 3 for the calculation of our non-GAAP effective tax rate. |
(7) | Impact of ASU 2016-09: The primary impact of ASU No. 2016-09, “Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting” (“ASU 2016-09”), was the recognition during the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, of excess tax benefits as a reduction to the provision for income taxes and the classification of these excess tax benefits in operating activities in the consolidated statement of cash flows instead of financing activities. Management excludes this item for the purpose of calculating adjusted Income Tax Expense. We believe that excluding the item in our non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors because it is inconsistent in amount and frequency causing comparison of current and historical financial results to be difficult. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS




















