Enerpac Tool Group (NYSE: EPAC) outlines 2026 meeting, director slate, pay
Enerpac Tool Group Corp. is asking shareholders to vote at its virtual annual meeting on February 4, 2026, on electing eight directors, ratifying Ernst & Young LLP as independent auditor, and approving on an advisory basis the compensation of its named executive officers.
The meeting will be held online at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/EPAC2026 for holders of its Class A common stock as of the December 1, 2025 record date, when 52,773,605 shares were outstanding. The board is majority independent, with separate Chair and CEO roles and three standing committees overseeing audit, governance and sustainability, and talent and compensation, including cybersecurity, environmental and human capital matters.
Executive pay is heavily performance-based, using metrics such as organic sales growth, adjusted EBITDA, margin and free cash flow conversion. For fiscal 2025, annual bonuses paid out at 100.7% of target, and long-term performance share awards for the three-year period ended August 31, 2025 paid at 186% of target, driven by 23% return on invested capital and strong relative total shareholder return. A prior say‑on‑pay vote in February 2025 received approximately 97% support.
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Filed by the Registrant ☒ | Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ☐ | ||
☐ | Preliminary Proxy Statement |
☐ | Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) |
☒ | Definitive Proxy Statement |
☐ | Definitive Additional Materials |
☐ | Soliciting Material under Rule 14a-12 |
☒ | 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 |
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1. | To elect eight directors from the nominees described in the accompanying Proxy Statement; |
2. | To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s independent auditor for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2026; |
3. | To hold an advisory (non-binding) vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers; and |
4. | To transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment thereof. |
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General Information | 1 | ||
Proposal 1: Election of Directors | 4 | ||
Proposal 2: Ratification of Appointment of Independent Auditors | 7 | ||
Proposal 3: Advisory Vote to Approve Compensation of Our Named Executive Officers | 8 | ||
Certain Beneficial Owners | 9 | ||
Corporate Governance Matters | 11 | ||
Board Election and Leadership Structure | 11 | ||
Board Committees, Charters, Functions and Meetings | 11 | ||
Executive Sessions of Non-Management Directors | 12 | ||
Independence of Directors; Financial Expertise of Audit Committee | 13 | ||
Key Areas of Board Oversight | 13 | ||
Director Selection Procedures | 15 | ||
Summary of Director Nominee Skills, Competencies and Attributes | 16 | ||
Director Resignation Policy | 17 | ||
Communications with Directors | 17 | ||
Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions | 17 | ||
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation | 17 | ||
Information Available Upon Request | 17 | ||
Report of the Audit Committee | 18 | ||
Executive Compensation (Compensation Discussion and Analysis) | 19 | ||
Executive Summary | 19 | ||
Alignment of Compensation to Performance | 20 | ||
Shareholder Input on Executive Compensation Program | 20 | ||
Executive Compensation Practices | 20 | ||
Oversight of the Executive Compensation Program | 20 | ||
Assessing Competitive Compensation Practices | 21 | ||
Target Level Compensation Determination | 22 | ||
Components of Executive Compensation | 22 | ||
Stock Ownership Requirements | 29 | ||
Anti-Hedging and Insider Trading Policies | 29 | ||
Compensation Clawback Policies | 29 | ||
Changes for the Fiscal 2026 Executive Compensation Program | 30 | ||
Talent Development and Compensation Committee Report | 30 | ||
Summary Compensation Table | 31 | ||
Grants of Plan-Based Awards | 33 | ||
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End | 34 | ||
Equity Awards Vested in Fiscal 2025 | 35 | ||
Employee Deferred Compensation | 36 | ||
Equity Compensation Plan Information | 37 | ||
Senior Officer Severance Plan and Executive Agreements | 37 | ||
Change In Control Payments | 39 | ||
CEO Pay Ratio | 40 | ||
Pay Versus Performance | 42 | ||
Non-Employee Director Compensation | 46 | ||
Other Information | 47 | ||
Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports | 47 | ||
Independent Public Accountants | 47 | ||
Shareholder Proposals | 47 | ||
Householding of Annual Meeting Materials | 47 | ||
Forward-Looking Statements | 48 | ||
Additional Matters | 48 | ||
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![]() | J. Palmer Clarkson Former President and Chief Executive Officer of Bridgestone HosePower LLC INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR Age: 68 Director since: 2018 | Other Current Public Company Directorships: • CNX Resources Corporation | Enerpac Board Committees: • Talent Development and Compensation • Governance and Sustainability Other Directorships within the Last Five Years: • None | ||||||||
Mr. Clarkson retired from his position as President and Chief Executive Officer of Bridgestone HosePower LLC, a Florida-based industrial hose service company in 2022. Founded by Mr. Clarkson in 1990 and acquired by Bridgestone Hose in 2014, HosePower is the largest U.S. based service provider of hydraulic and industrial hoses used in construction machinery, mining, oil field equipment and general industrial applications. Mr. Clarkson is the chair of the environmental, safety and corporate responsibility committee and the compensation committee and serves on the nominating and corporate governance committee of CNX Resources Corporation. Mr. Clarkson’s areas of expertise include financial and operational management, distribution and dealer channel management, business development and capital allocation. Mr. Clarkson brings a significant understanding of the Company’s tools business and sales channels to the Board, as well as strong financial and accounting experience. | |||||||||||
![]() | Danny L. Cunningham Former Partner and Chief Risk Officer of Deloitte & Touche, LLP INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR Age: 70 Director since: 2016 | Other Current Public Company Directorships: • WEC Energy Group, Inc. | Enerpac Board Committees: • Audit, Chair • Governance and Sustainability Other Directorships within the Last Five Years: • None | ||||||||
Mr. Cunningham is a retired Partner and former Chief Risk Officer of Deloitte & Touche, LLP, a multinational public accounting firm. He has more than 30 years of experience serving public audit clients in a broad array of industries, including manufacturing. He has practiced in both the United States and China. He is the chair of the audit and oversight committee and a member of the executive committee of WEC Energy Group, Inc. Mr. Cunningham possesses expertise in the areas of financial reporting, auditing, accounting and risk management and also brings a strong knowledge of corporate transactions and a global perspective to the Board. | |||||||||||
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![]() | E. James Ferland Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR NON-EXECUTIVE CHAIR OF THE BOARD Age: 59 Director since: 2014 | Other Current Public Company Directorships: • None | Enerpac Board Committees: • Governance and Sustainability, Chair Other Directorships within the Last Five Years: • None | ||||||||
Mr. Ferland is the retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. (“B&W”), a provider of energy and environmental products and services for power and industrial markets worldwide. He held those positions from July 2015, when B&W was spun-off from the Babcock & Wilcox Company (now known as BWX Technologies, Inc.), until March 2018. Mr. Ferland was Chief Executive Officer of Babcock & Wilcox Company from 2012 through the date of the spin-off. He previously held various leadership roles with Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC and PNM Resources, Inc. With more than 25 years of senior management and engineering experience in diversified industries, Mr. Ferland brings to the Board extensive operations, financial and acquisition experience, knowledge of the energy markets and valuable perspectives from leading a global public company. | |||||||||||
![]() | Colleen M. Healy Former Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer of SailPoint Technologies Holdings, Inc. INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR Age: 54 Director since: 2023 | Other Current Public Company Directorships: • None | Enerpac Board Committees: • Audit • Governance and Sustainability Other Directorships within the Last Five Years: • None | ||||||||
Ms. Healy is the retired Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer of SailPoint Technologies Holdings, Inc. (“SailPoint”), an identity and access management software company. She held those positions from March 2022 until the sale of SailPoint in August 2022. From October 2019 until December 2020, Ms. Healy served as the Chief Financial Officer of Basis Global Technologies, Inc. (formerly, Centro, Inc.), a provider of workflow automation and business intelligence software for marketing and advertising functions within enterprises. Prior to 2018, Ms. Healy served as Vice President, Finance of Hillrom Holdings, Inc., Vice President, Investor Relations of TransUnion and in various positions of increasing responsibility over nearly 20 years at Microsoft Corporation, including as General Manager of U.S. Industry for Financial Services, Head of Investor Relations, and in senior roles within treasury, business development and corporate development. Ms. Healy has extensive experience in financial and strategic leadership, including serving as chief financial officer of a public company. She has deep experience in investor relations, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and digital technologies, and brings strong leadership to the Board. | |||||||||||
![]() | Richard D. Holder Chief Executive Officer of Loparex LLC INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR Age: 62 Director since: 2017 | Other Current Public Company Directorships: • Armstrong World Industries, Inc. | Enerpac Board Committees: • Audit • Talent Development and Compensation, Chair Other Directorships within the Last Five Years: • None | ||||||||
Mr. Holder currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Loparex LLC. Loparex is a leading supplier of engineered release liner solutions, enabling sustainable performance for customers around the globe through in-depth material science expertise and industry-leading technology. Prior to his current role, from January 2021 through January 2024, Mr. Holder served as President and CEO of HZO Inc., a provider of thin-film nanocoatings for electronics. From June 2013 to September 2019, Mr. Holder served as President and CEO of NN, Inc., a diversified industrial manufacturing company. He also held a variety of leadership positions during his twelve-year tenure at Eaton Corporation, where he last served as President of Eaton Electrical Components Group, a unit of Eaton’s Electrical sector. Prior to joining Eaton, he held leadership roles at US Airways, Allied Signal and Parker Hannifin. As a current and former chief executive officer and a seasoned executive with nearly 30 years of international experience across a diverse set of industries and disciplines, Mr. Holder brings to the Board a unique perspective from leading global public companies, along with extensive business, financial and industry experience. | |||||||||||
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![]() | Lynn C. Minella Former Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer of Johnson Controls International plc INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR Age: 67 Director since: 2022 | Other Current Public Company Directorships: • None | Enerpac Board Committees: • Talent Development and Compensation • Governance and Sustainability Other Directorships within the Last Five Years: • None | ||||||||
Ms. Minella is an accomplished human resources executive with more than 40 years of global experience across a diverse set of industries. She served as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of Johnson Controls International plc from June 2017 until her retirement in December 2021. Prior to joining Johnson Controls, she served as Group Human Resources Director at London-based BAE Systems plc from June 2012 to June 2017 and served on its Executive Committee. Prior to BAE Systems, she was with Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. from 2004 until 2012 where she was the Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Communications. Earlier in her career she also held a variety of human resources roles of increasing responsibility at International Business Machines Corporation. Ms. Minella serves on the board of directors of Kent, a privately owned global energy services provider. Ms. Minella brings extensive global experience in human resources management and human capital development across hardware and software development, services, and industrial and manufacturing organizations. She has significant experience in organization development; talent strategy development; employee engagement, development and learning; compensation and benefits management; and succession planning and leadership development. With her executive and board experience, she brings a firm understanding of corporate governance matters. | |||||||||||
![]() | Sidney S. Simmons Corporate Attorney INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR Age: 67 Director since: 2018 | Other Current Public Company Directorships: • None | Enerpac Board Committees: • Audit • Governance and Sustainability Other Directorships within the Last Five Years: • None | ||||||||
Mr. Simmons is a seasoned corporate and transactional attorney with over 40 years of experience. He provides legal counseling to a range of corporate clients, assisting them with mergers and acquisitions, business planning and structuring, and negotiating and implementing complex business transactions, among other matters. He has a long history of volunteer service with various national and local organizations, some of which include serving as chairman of the Audit Committee and as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities USA and as Chairman of the Board of Directors of St. Vincent’s Health System, Inc., in Jacksonville, Florida. In addition to his deep and broad knowledge and his experience in executing commercial transactions, he brings experience in corporate governance and legal and regulatory compliance to the Board’s deliberations, as well as experience in recruiting and retaining executive talent. | |||||||||||
![]() | Paul E. Sternlieb President and Chief Executive Officer, Enerpac Tool Group Corp. MANAGEMENT Age: 53 Director since: 2021 | Other Current Public Company Directorships: • Kennametal Inc. | Enerpac Board Committees: • None Other Directorships within the Last Five Years: • None | ||||||||
Mr. Sternlieb was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and a member of the Board effective October 2021. He joined Enerpac from John Bean Technologies Corporation (“JBT”), where he served since October 2017 as Executive Vice President and President of its Protein business. Prior to joining JBT, Mr. Sternlieb was Group President, Global Cooking in the Food Equipment Group at Illinois Tool Works Inc. from 2014 to 2017 and a Vice President and General Manager with Danaher Corporation from 2011 to 2014. Earlier in his career, he held management roles with H.J. Heinz Company and was a consultant with McKinsey & Company. Mr. Sternlieb also serves on the board of directors of Kennametal Inc., an industrial technology company traded on the NYSE. He holds an M.B.A. from, and was a Palmer Scholar at, the Wharton School and dual undergraduate degrees in Economics and Computer Science from the Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology at the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Sternlieb brings extensive operational and international experience to the Company and Board and has an established record of using a systematic approach to delivering growth and margin expansion at industrial businesses. As the only member of Enerpac management to serve on the Board, Mr. Sternlieb also contributes a level of understanding of our Company not easily attained by an outside director. | |||||||||||
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• | Executive compensation is aligned with our overall business strategy for driving growth opportunities; improving operating metrics; focusing on sales growth, margin expansion, earnings, cash flow generation and return on invested capital; and promoting a values-driven business culture that emphasizes respect for all employees, and a culture of belonging, safety, and ethical behavior. |
• | Base pay levels and incentive compensation opportunities provide an appropriate mix of compensation elements, are aligned with each executive’s role and responsibilities, and are regularly benchmarked to market practice for peer companies. |
• | Key executives responsible for establishing and executing our business strategy have incentive compensation opportunities that align with both annual commitments to investors and long-term shareholder value creation. The annual bonus program, performance equity awards, compensation clawback policies, stock ownership requirements, anti-hedging policy, and multi-year vesting periods on equity awards are important components of that alignment. |
• | Signing bonuses and initial equity awards are offered to compensate for compensation forfeited by new hires when leaving prior employment to the extent necessary to attract executive talent to join the Company in senior executive positions. |
• | Equity awards represent a significant portion of compensation for key executives to provide long-term retention incentives, with at least 50% of the target level of shares for annual equity awards vesting based on the achievement of performance goals (for Mr. Sternlieb, the proportion was 60%). |
• | Our overall compensation targets, not including initial awards to attract executive talent to join the Company, reflect our intent to pay executive “Total Direct Compensation” (base salary, annual bonus opportunity and the value of share-based awards) at approximately the 50th percentile of pay for our peer group. The Talent Development and Compensation Committee retains discretion to consider factors such as individual performance, tenure, experience and responsibility to ensure an executive’s compensation is competitively positioned and thereby to attract and retain top talent reflective of our communities, industry, customers and values. |
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Beneficial Owner(1) | Amount and Nature | Percent of Class | ||||
More Than Five Percent Shareholders: | ||||||
BlackRock, Inc. 50 Hudson Yards New York, New York 10001 | 7,721,968(2) | 14.5% | ||||
The Vanguard Group, Inc. 100 Vanguard Boulevard Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355 | 6,337,517(3) | 11.9% | ||||
Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management, LLC et al. 2000 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1110 Los Angeles, California 90067 | 4,643,081(4) | 8.7% | ||||
Capital International Investors 333 South Hope Street, 55th Floor Los Angeles, California 90071 | 4,347,380(5) | 8.2% | ||||
Neuberger Berman Group LLC et al. 1290 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10104 | 3,310,897(6) | 6.2% | ||||
Officers and Directors: | ||||||
Alfredo Altavilla, Director | 30,542 | * | ||||
Judy L. Altmaier, Director | 24,028(7) | * | ||||
P. Shannon Burns, Former Interim Principal Financial Officer | 1,393(8) | * | ||||
Eric T. Chack, Executive Vice President, Operations | 13,746(9) | * | ||||
J. Palmer Clarkson, Director | 41,351(10) | * | ||||
Danny L. Cunningham, Director | 68,517(11) | * | ||||
James P. Denis, Former Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary and Chief Compliance Counsel | 21,438(12) | * | ||||
E. James Ferland, Non-Executive Chair of the Board of Directors | 98,787(13) | * | ||||
Colleen M. Healy, Director | 6,874 | * | ||||
Richard D. Holder, Director | 38,251(14) | * | ||||
Darren M. Kozik, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | 1,645(15) | * | ||||
Lynn C. Minella, Director | 25,500(16) | * | ||||
Noah N. Popp, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary | —(17) | * | ||||
Sidney S. Simmons, Director | 49,678(18) | * | ||||
Paul E. Sternlieb, Director, President and Chief Executive Officer | 335,156(19) | * | ||||
Benjamin J. Topercer, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer | 43,936(20) | * | ||||
All Directors and Executive Officers employed as of October 31, 2025 as a group (14 persons) | 778,011(21) | 1.5% |
* | Less than 1%. |
(1) | Unless otherwise noted, the specified person has sole voting power and/or dispositive power over the shares shown as beneficially owned. |
(2) | This information is based on a Schedule 13G amendment filed with the SEC on October 17, 2025 by BlackRock, Inc. reporting beneficial ownership as of September 30, 2025. BlackRock, Inc. reports beneficial ownership of 7,721,968 shares, with sole voting power over 7,628,805 shares and sole dispositive power over 7,721,968 shares. The Schedule 13G/A reports that it was filed by Blackrock, Inc. and that it reflects the securities beneficially owned, or deemed to be beneficially owned, by certain business units (collectively, the “Reporting Business Units”) of BlackRock, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. It further reports that it does not include securities, if any, beneficially owned by other business units whose beneficial ownership of securities are disaggregated from that of the Reporting Business Units. The Schedule 13G/A reports that iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF beneficially owns more than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Company’s Class A common stock. |
(3) | This information is based on a Schedule 13G amendment filed with the SEC on February 13, 2024 by The Vanguard Group, Inc. reporting beneficial ownership as of December 29, 2023. The Vanguard Group, Inc. reports beneficial ownership of 6,337,517 shares, with shared voting power over 100,919 shares, sole dispositive power over 6,184,017 shares and shared dispositive power over 153,500 shares. |
(4) | This information is based on a Schedule 13G amendment filed with the SEC on August 13, 2025 by Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management, LLC, Virtus Investment Advisers, Inc. and Virtus Equity Trust on behalf of Virtus KAR Small Cap Growth Fund reporting beneficial ownership as of June 30, 2025. The address of Virtus Investment Advisers, Inc. is One Financial Plaza, Hartford, Connecticut 06103 and the address of Virtus Equity Trust on behalf of Virtus KAR Small Cap Growth Fund is 101 Munson Street, Greenfield, Massachusetts 01301. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management, LLC reports beneficial ownership of 4,643,081 shares, with sole voting power over 1,567,896 shares, shared voting power over 3,009,510 shares, sole dispositive power over 1,633,571 shares and shared dispositive power over 3,009,510 shares. Virtus Investment Advisers, Inc. reports beneficial ownership of 2,614,254 shares, with shared voting power and shared dispositive power over all such shares. Virtus Equity Trust on behalf of Virtus KAR Small Cap Growth Fund reports beneficial ownership of 2,510,438 shares, with shared voting power and shared dispositive power over all such shares. |
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(5) | This information is based on a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 9, 2024 by Capital International Investors reporting beneficial ownership as of December 31, 2023. Capital International Investors reports beneficial ownership of 4,347,380 shares, with sole voting and dispositive power over all such shares. The Schedule 13G reports that (i) Capital International Investors (“CII”) is a division of Capital Research and Management Company (“CRMC”), as well as its investment management subsidiaries and affiliates Capital Bank and Trust Company, Capital International, Inc., Capital International Limited, Capital International Sarl, Capital International K.K., Capital Group Private Client Services, Inc., and Capital Group Investment Management Private Limited (together with CRMC, the “CII investment management entities”), (ii) CII’s divisions of each of the CII investment management entities collectively provide investment management services under the name “Capital International Investors,” and (iii) SMALLCAP World Fund, Inc. beneficially owns 5% or greater of the outstanding shares of the Company’s Class A common stock. |
(6) | This information is based on a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on April 4, 2025 by Neuberger Berman Group LLC and Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC reporting beneficial ownership as of March 31, 2025. According to the Schedule 13G, Neuberger Berman Group LLC, Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers Holdings LLC, Neuberger Trust Holdings LLC, Neuberger Berman Trust Co N.A., Neuberger Berman Asia Ltd., Neuberger Berman Canada ULC, Neuberger Berman Trust Co of Delaware N.A. and Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC and certain affiliated persons may be deemed to beneficially own the securities covered by the Schedule 13G. The Schedule 13G reports that Neuberger Berman Group LLC has shared voting power over 3,128,049 shares and shared dispositive power over 3,310,897 shares and Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC has shared voting power over 3,002,345 shares and shared dispositive power over 3,157,883 shares. |
(7) | Includes 14,633 phantom stock units held in the Outside Directors’ Deferred Compensation Plan, which are settled in the Company’s Class A common stock, generally within 60 days following the director’s termination of service. |
(8) | Mr. Burns ceased serving as Interim Principal Financial Officer on October 28, 2024 and ceased serving as an employee of the Company on July 23, 2025. |
(9) | Includes 987 shares issuable pursuant to the vesting of restricted stock units within 60 days of October 31, 2025. |
(10) | Includes 8,963 phantom stock units held in the Outside Directors’ Deferred Compensation Plan, which are settled in the Company’s Class A common stock, generally within 60 days following the director’s termination of service. |
(11) | Includes 2,930 shares issuable pursuant to options exercisable currently or within 60 days of October 31, 2025. Also includes 41,557 phantom stock units held in the Outside Directors’ Deferred Compensation Plan, which are settled in the Company’s Class A common stock, generally within 60 days following the director’s termination of service. |
(12) | Mr. Denis ceased serving as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary and Chief Compliance Counsel effective July 14, 2025. |
(13) | Includes 2,930 shares issuable pursuant to options exercisable currently or within 60 days of October 31, 2025. Also includes 6,532 phantom stock units held in the Outside Directors’ Deferred Compensation Plan, which are settled in the Company’s Class A common stock, generally within 60 days following the director’s termination of service. |
(14) | Includes 14,633 phantom stock units held in the Outside Directors’ Deferred Compensation Plan, which are settled in the Company’s Class A common stock, generally within 60 days following the director’s termination of service. |
(15) | Mr. Kozik joined the Company on October 28, 2024. Includes 1,645 shares issuable pursuant to the vesting of restricted stock units within 60 days of October 31, 2025. |
(16) | Includes 10,899 phantom stock units held in the Outside Directors’ Deferred Compensation Plan, which are settled in the Company’s Class A common stock, generally within 60 days following the director’s termination of service. |
(17) | Mr. Popp joined the Company on July 14, 2025. |
(18) | Includes 29,574 phantom stock units held in the Outside Directors’ Deferred Compensation Plan, which are settled in the Company’s Class A common stock, generally within 60 days following the director’s termination of service. |
(19) | Includes 10,795 shares issuable pursuant to the vesting of restricted stock units within 60 days of October 31, 2025. |
(20) | Includes 1,316 shares issuable pursuant to the vesting of restricted stock units within 60 days of October 31, 2025. |
(21) | Includes 5,860 shares issuable pursuant to options exercisable currently or within 60 days of October 31, 2025 and includes 14,744 shares issuable pursuant to the vesting of restricted stock units within 60 days of October 31, 2025. Also includes 126,791 phantom stock units held in the Outside Directors’ Deferred Compensation Plan, which are settled in the Company’s Class A common stock, generally within 60 days following the director’s termination of service. |
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Committees | Committee Functions | ||||
AUDIT Danny L. Cunningham, Chair Alfredo Altavilla Judy L. Altmaier Colleen M. Healy Richard D. Holder Sidney S. Simmons Fiscal 2025 Meetings—8 | • Manages oversight responsibilities related to accounting policies, internal control, financial reporting practices, and compliance with the financial code of conduct | ||||
• Provides oversight of cyber and information security risks and legal and regulatory compliance | |||||
• Oversees the preparation of the Company’s financial statements | |||||
• Reviews the independent auditor’s qualifications and independence | |||||
• Reviews the performance of the Company’s internal audit function and the Company’s independent auditors | |||||
• Maintains lines of communication between the Board and the Company’s financial and senior management, internal auditors and independent accountants | |||||
• Prepares the Audit Committee report to be included in the Company’s annual proxy statement | |||||
• Conducts an annual evaluation of the performance of the Audit Committee | |||||
GOVERNANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY E. James Ferland, Chair J. Palmer Clarkson Danny L. Cunningham Colleen M. Healy Lynn C. Minella Sidney S. Simmons Fiscal 2025 Meetings—3 | • Responsible for assessing the mix of skills and experiences of the members of the Board and for evaluating and nominating prospective members to serve on the Board | ||||
• Exercises a leadership role in developing, maintaining and monitoring the Company’s corporate governance policies and procedures | |||||
• Provides oversight of the Company’s corporate environmental and social responsibility | |||||
• Oversees the annual self-evaluations of the Board and its committees, including the performance and contributions of individual directors | |||||
• Conducts an annual evaluation of the performance of the Governance and Sustainability Committee | |||||
TALENT DEVELOPMENT AND COMPENSATION Richard D. Holder, Chair Alfredo Altavilla Judy L. Altmaier J. Palmer Clarkson Lynn C. Minella Fiscal 2025 Meetings—6 | • Determines the compensation of executive officers and makes recommendations to the independent directors of the Board regarding Chief Executive Officer compensation | ||||
• Administers and establishes performance objectives for the Company’s annual (short-term) incentive compensation plans and equity-based (long-term) compensation programs | |||||
• Makes recommendations to the Board with respect to the amendment, termination or replacement of incentive compensation plans and equity-based compensation programs | |||||
• Reviews leadership development and succession plans for senior management and makes recommendations on succession plans to the Board | |||||
• Exercises oversight of the Company’s talent management, development and retention and related strategies, programs and risks | |||||
• Exercises oversight of the Company’s community engagement and culture and related strategies, programs and risks | |||||
• Recommends to the Board the compensation for Board members | |||||
• Conducts an annual evaluation of the performance of the Talent Development and Compensation Committee | |||||
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• | the strategic objectives and needs of the Company with respect to the particular talents and experience of its directors; |
• | the knowledge, skills and experience of nominees, including operational, leadership and board experience; |
• | familiarity with the Company’s markets, including international business experience; |
• | financial literacy and expertise with accounting rules and practices; |
• | the desire to balance the considerable benefit of continuity with the periodic injection of the fresh perspective provided by new members; and |
• | the appropriate size of the Company’s Board. |
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Clarkson | Cunningham | Ferland | Healy | Holder | Minella | Simmons | Sternlieb | |||||||||||||||||||
Years on the Board of Directors | 7.8 | 9.8 | 11.4 | 2.5 | 8.8 | 3.9 | 7.8 | 4.3 | ||||||||||||||||||
Independent Director | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||
Financially Literate | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||
Audit Committee Financial Expert | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Governance and Board Experience | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||
CEO and Leadership | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||
Operations, Manufacturing and Logistics | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Finance, Capital Markets and Accounting | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||
Sales, Marketing and Brand Management | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Innovation and New Product Development | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Strategy Development and M&A | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||
International Business | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||
Cybersecurity and Data Privacy | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||
Risk Management | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||
Human Resources, Compensation and Benefits | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||
Legal and Regulatory | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||
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• | forward the communication to the director or directors to whom it is addressed; |
• | attempt to handle the inquiry directly, for example, where it is a request for information about the Company; or |
• | not forward the communication if it is primarily commercial in nature or if it relates to an improper or irrelevant topic. |
• | a member of the compensation committee (or equivalent) of any other entity, one of whose executive officers served as one of our directors or was an immediate family member of a director, or served on the Talent Development and Compensation Committee of the Board; or |
• | director of any other entity, one of whose executive officers served on the Talent Development and Compensation Committee. |
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• | discussed with Ernst & Young LLP the overall scope and plans for its audit; |
• | met with Ernst & Young LLP, with and without management present, to discuss the results of its examinations, the evaluation of the Company’s internal controls, and the overall quality of the Company’s financial reporting; |
• | reviewed and discussed the audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2025 with the Company’s management and Ernst & Young LLP; |
• | discussed with Ernst & Young LLP the matters required to be discussed by the applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and the Securities and Exchange Commission; and |
• | received the written disclosures and the letter from Ernst & Young LLP required by the applicable requirements regarding the independent accountant’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence and discussed with Ernst & Young LLP its independence. |
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• | Paul E. Sternlieb, President and Chief Executive Officer; |
• | Darren M. Kozik, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; |
• | Eric T. Chack, Executive Vice President, Operations; |
• | Benjamin J. Topercer, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer; |
• | Noah N. Popp, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary; |
• | P. Shannon Burns, Former Interim Principal Financial Officer; and |
• | James P. Denis, Former Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary and Chief Compliance Counsel. |
• | attract and retain highly experienced and committed executives who have the skills, education, business acumen and background to successfully lead an industrial company; |
• | motivate executives to demonstrate exceptional personal performance and consistently perform at or above expected levels during different business cycles; and |
• | provide balanced incentives for the achievement of near-term and long-term objectives, without incentivizing executives to take excessive risk. |
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What the Company Does | What the Company Does Not Do | ||
• Uses performance metrics to align pay with performance • Caps payouts under our annual cash bonus plan and performance share plans at 200% • Grants at least 50% of target annual equity awards as performance-based awards • Has robust stock ownership guidelines for our CEO and other current NEOs • Applies mandatory clawback provisions to annual cash bonus and equity awards for executives in case of financial restatements • Applies discretionary clawback provisions for incentive compensation for other management employees in case of financial restatements and for executives and other management employees in the event of misconduct • Engages an independent compensation consultant that reports to the Committee • Prohibits short sales, hedging or pledging of our stock by our executive officers and directors | • Offer gross-ups of related excise taxes on executive severance agreements • Otherwise provide tax gross-ups in the event of a change in control • Pay dividends on unearned and unvested performance shares • Pay dividends on unvested restricted stock units • Reprice stock options | ||
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Badger Meter, Inc. Brady Corporation Columbus McKinnon Corporation Enpro Inc. ESCO Technologies Inc. | Franklin Electric Co., Inc. Helios Technologies, Inc. Kadant Inc. Lindsay Corporation Mueller Water Products, Inc. | Proto Labs, Inc. RBC Bearings Incorporated Standex International Corporation Tennant Company Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. | TriMas Corporation Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation | |||||||
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Annual Bonus Opportunity as a % of Base Salary | Weighting of Components of Target Annual Bonus | |||||||||||||||||||||||
NEO | Threshold | Target | Maximum | Organic Sales Growth | Adjusted EBITDA | Adjusted EBITDA Margin | Free Cash Flow Conversion | Personal Performance | ||||||||||||||||
Paul E. Sternlieb | 0% | 100% | 200% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | — | ||||||||||||||||
Darren M. Kozik | 0% | 65% | 130% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | — | ||||||||||||||||
Eric T. Chack | 0% | 55% | 110% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | — | ||||||||||||||||
Benjamin J. Topercer | 0% | 55% | 110% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | — | ||||||||||||||||
Noah N. Popp | 0% | 50% | 100% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | — | ||||||||||||||||
P. Shannon Burns* | 0% | 35% | 70% | 20% | 20% | 20% | 20% | 20% | ||||||||||||||||
James P. Denis* | 0% | 50% | 100% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | — | ||||||||||||||||
* | Mr. Burns and Mr. Denis, whose service with the Company ceased on July 23, 2025 and August 1, 2025, respectively, each received an annual bonus equal to the amount that would have been payable to him based on achievement of financial goals at “target” levels pursuant to the Company’s Senior Officer Severance Plan, described below beginning on page 37. |
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Fiscal 2025 Bonus Scale | Fiscal 2025 Bonus Achievement | ||||||||||||||||||||
(dollars in millions) | Threshold 0% | 50% | Target 100% | Maximum 200% | Result | Bonus Payout % for Measure | Bonus Payout % of Target | ||||||||||||||
Organic Sales Growth(1) | (2.50)% | (0.25)% | 2.00% | 6.50% | 1.0% | 79.2% | 19.8% | ||||||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA(2) | $146.9 | $156.9 | $166.9 | $186.9 | $161.4 | 72.6% | 18.1% | ||||||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA Margin(3) | 25.3% | 26.1% | 26.9% | 28.5% | 26.4% | 67.9% | 17.0% | ||||||||||||||
Free Cash Flow Conversion(4) | 92% | 96% | 100% | 108% | 106.5% | 183.0% | 45.8% | ||||||||||||||
100.7% | |||||||||||||||||||||
(1) | Organic sales growth represents the net sales change between years excluding the impact of foreign exchange rates, acquisitions and divestitures, which we discuss in our earnings releases and quarterly and annual reports and which we previously referred to as “core sales growth.” Organic sales is calculated in a manner consistent with organic sales as presented by the Company in its quarterly and annual earnings announcements. |
(2) | Adjusted EBITDA is the Company’s earnings before interest, income tax, depreciation and amortization expenses, adjusted by adding selected expenses that the Committee believes do not reflect normal operating conditions and subtracting certain selected income items that the Committee believes do not reflect normal operating conditions. Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin are calculated in a manner consistent with adjusted EBITDA as presented by the Company in its quarterly and annual earnings announcements, with additional adjustments to exclude annual incentive compensation expense and for certain items selected by the Committee that it believes do not reflect normal operating conditions, such as the impact of acquisitions and divestitures that were not identified in the process of setting the adjusted EBITDA targets. Actual adjusted EBITDA performance is adjusted to exclude the impact of foreign exchange rates as compared to target levels. |
(3) | Adjusted EBITDA margin is adjusted EBITDA as defined above divided by net sales. Actual net sales is adjusted to exclude the impact of foreign exchange rates as compared to target levels and to exclude the impact of acquisitions and divestitures that were not identified in the process of setting the adjusted EBITDA margin targets. |
(4) | Free cash flow conversion is cash flow from operations for a period reduced by capital expenditures, consistent with the presentation of free cash flow presented by the Company in its quarterly and annual earnings announcements, increased by interest paid, proceeds from the exercise of stock options and the cash portion of certain non-operational items (e.g., mergers and acquisitions or restructuring charges) and with certain other adjustments, with the total divided by adjusted net income (net income adjusted for certain items selected by the Committee that it believes do not reflect normal operating conditions, generally comprising the same non-operational items as selected for adjusted EBITDA, including the tax effect of such items). |
NEO | Annual Bonus Payout for Fiscal 2025 ($) | ||
Paul E. Sternlieb | 951,332 | ||
Darren M. Kozik | 266,934 | ||
Eric T. Chack | 252,896 | ||
Benjamin J. Topercer | 232,548 | ||
Noah N. Popp | 23,167 |
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• | Relative TSR is the Company’s total shareholder return relative to the total shareholder return of the S&P SmallCap 600 Industrials Index (approximately 90 companies); |
• | ROIC is adjusted EBITDA, calculated in a manner consistent with adjusted EBITDA as presented by the Company in its quarterly and annual earnings announcements, which may be further adjusted for certain items selected by the Committee that it believes do not reflect normal operating conditions, divided by the sum of shareholder’s equity and net debt, with net debt defined as the total of long-term and current debt less cash. Such measures in the calculation of ROIC may be further adjusted to reflect the impact of any acquisitions and dispositions effected during the three-year measurement period. |
• | Adjusted earnings per share is calculated in a manner consistent with adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations as presented by the Company in its quarterly and annual earnings announcements, with adjustments for certain items selected by the Committee that it believes do not reflect normal operating conditions. |
Measure | Threshold | Target | Maximum | ||||||
Vesting Scale (as a percentage of Target) | 50% | 100% | 200% | ||||||
Relative TSR Percentile | 25th | 50th | 75th |
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Fiscal 2025 Performance Shares Grants | |||||||||
NEO | Threshold | Target | Maximum | ||||||
Paul E. Sternlieb | 24,289 | 48,578 | 97,156 | ||||||
Darren M. Kozik | 2,468 | 4,936 | 9,872 | ||||||
Eric T. Chack | 1,481 | 2,962 | 5,924 | ||||||
Benjamin J. Topercer | 1,975 | 3,949 | 7,898 | ||||||
Noah N. Popp* | — | — | — | ||||||
P. Shannon Burns** | 275 | 549 | 1,098 | ||||||
James P. Denis** | 528 | 1,056 | 2,112 | ||||||
* | Mr. Popp joined the Company on July 14, 2025 and did not receive any Performance Shares in fiscal 2025. |
** | For each of Mr. Burns and Mr. Denis, the amounts presented reflect the proration of his Performance Share awards for his period of service during the three-year period ending August 31, 2027 pursuant to the Company’s Senior Officer Severance Plan, described below beginning on page 37. |
Restricted Stock Unit Awards | ||||||
NEO | Number of Shares (#) | Grant Date Fair Value ($) | ||||
Paul E. Sternlieb | 32,385 | 1,639,976 | ||||
Darren M. Kozik(1) | 14,660 | 724,879 | ||||
Eric T. Chack(2) | 8,907 | 394,989 | ||||
Benjamin J. Topercer | 3,949 | 199,977 | ||||
Noah N. Popp(3) | — | — | ||||
P. Shannon Burns(4) | 1,974 | 100,003 | ||||
James P. Denis(4) | 3,455 | 174,961 | ||||
(1) | Includes the restricted stock units for 9,724 shares awarded to Mr. Kozik on December 15, 2024 in connection with his hiring. These restricted stock units vest, subject to his continued employment, as to 4,606 shares on the second anniversary of the grant date and as to 5,118 shares on the third anniversary of the grant date. |
(2) | Includes the restricted stock units for 5,945 shares awarded to Mr. Chack on September 15, 2024 in connection with his hiring. These restricted stock units vest, subject to his continued employment, on the second anniversary of the grant date. |
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(3) | Mr. Popp joined the Company on July 14, 2025 and did not receive an award of restricted stock units in fiscal 2025. In connection with the commencement of his employment and in recognition of certain equity awards of his prior employer that would be forfeited upon his joining the Company, Mr. Popp was granted a sign-on award of restricted stock units on September 15, 2025, with a grant date value of approximately $110,000, that vest, subject to his continued employment, on the second anniversary of the grant date. |
(4) | Pursuant to the Company’s Senior Officer Severance Plan, described below beginning on page 37, the restricted stock units granted to Mr. Burns and Mr. Denis vested upon the cessation of their respective employment on July 23, 2025 and August 1, 2025, respectively. |
Threshold* (50%) | Target (100%) | Maximum (200%) | Actual Performance | Vesting for Actual Performance | |||||||||||
ROIC | 10.5% | 11.0% | 12.0% | 23.0% | 200% | ||||||||||
Relative TSR Percentile | 25th | 50th | 75th | 73rd | 192% |
* | For ROIC, performance below the “threshold” level would still result in a payout with respect to such metric, with performance below “threshold” resulting in payout between 0% and 50% of target based on straight-line interpolation. To achieve any payout with respect to ROIC, ROIC for the performance must have been at least 10.0%. For relative TSR percentile, performance below the threshold amount would result in no payment for such metric. |
Adjusted Earnings Per Share for Fiscal Year: | Minimum (0%) | Threshold (50%) | Target (100%) | Maximum (200%) | Actual Performance | Vesting for Actual Performance | ||||||||||||
2023 | $0.88 | $1.05 | $1.18 | $1.38 | $1.45 | 200% | ||||||||||||
2024 | $1.10 | $1.32 | $1.48 | $1.73 | $1.72 | 196% | ||||||||||||
2025 | $1.34 | $1.60 | $1.80 | $2.10 | $1.81 | 103% | ||||||||||||
Overall Adjusted Earnings Per Share Performance for the Performance Period: | 167% | |||||||||||||||||
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Type of Benefit | NEOs | Certain Other Executives and High Level Managers | Most Other Full Time Employees | ||||||
401(k) Retirement Plan | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||||
Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (SERP) | ![]() | Selectively | Not Offered | ||||||
Employee Deferred Compensation Plan | ![]() | ![]() | Selectively | ||||||
Employee Stock Purchase Plan | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||||
Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||||
Annual Physical | ![]() | Selectively | Not Offered | ||||||
Life and Disability Insurance | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||||
Supplemental Long-Term Disability Insurance | ![]() | Selectively | Not Offered | ||||||
Tuition Reimbursement Plan | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ||||||
Automobile Allowance/Leased Vehicle | ![]() | Selectively | Selectively | ||||||
Financial Planning Services | ![]() | Selectively | Not Offered | ||||||
Personal Use of Company Aircraft | ![]() | Not Offered | Not Offered |
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Position | Multiple of Base Salary Required to be held in Company Stock | ||
CEO | 5X | ||
Other NEOs | 3X |
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Name & Principal Position | Year | Salary ($) | Bonus ($)(1) | Stock Awards ($)(2) | Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($)(3) | Change in Pension Value and Non-qualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($)(4) | All Other Compensation ($)(5) | Total ($) | ||||||||||||||||
Paul E. Sternlieb President and Chief Executive Officer | 2025 | 929,423 | — | 4,520,634 | 951,332 | — | 146,883 | 6,548,272 | ||||||||||||||||
2024 | 891,346 | — | 4,098,164 | 877,500 | — | 176,425 | 6,043,435 | |||||||||||||||||
2023 | 774,519 | — | 6,999,985 | 1,466,325 | — | 367,677 | 9,608,506 | |||||||||||||||||
Darren M. Kozik(6) Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | 2025 | 401,058 | 318,000 | 1,017,575 | 266,934 | — | 47,780 | 2,051,347 | ||||||||||||||||
Eric T. Chack Executive Vice President, Operations | 2025 | 454,413 | — | 570,627 | 252,896 | — | 55,512 | 1,333,448 | ||||||||||||||||
2024 | 43,269 | 180,000 | — | 26,445 | — | 5,758 | 255,472 | |||||||||||||||||
Benjamin J. Topercer Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer | 2025 | 413,077 | — | 434,144 | 232,548 | — | 90,378 | 1,170,147 | ||||||||||||||||
2024 | 407,692 | — | 381,319 | 214,500 | — | 64,776 | 1,068,287 | |||||||||||||||||
2023 | 358,635 | — | 275,005 | 353,780 | — | 60,689 | 1,048,109 | |||||||||||||||||
Noah N. Popp(7) Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary | 2025 | 40,385 | 214,000 | — | 23,167 | — | 3,710 | 281,262 | ||||||||||||||||
P. Shannon Burns(8) Former Interim Principal Financial Officer | 2025 | 244,269 | — | 217,022 | — | — | 406,922 | 868,213 | ||||||||||||||||
2024 | 262,333 | — | 198,982 | 104,451 | — | 9,687 | 575,453 | |||||||||||||||||
James P. Denis(9) Former Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary and Chief Compliance Counsel | 2025 | 346,959 | — | 379,825 | — | — | 640,998 | 1,367,782 | ||||||||||||||||
2024 | 357,415 | — | 354,136 | 174,720 | — | 63,680 | 949,951 | |||||||||||||||||
2023 | 315,769 | — | 175,012 | 268,128 | — | 55,141 | 814,050 | |||||||||||||||||
(1) | In fiscal 2025, in connection with the commencement of their respective employments, Mr. Kozik and Mr. Popp received a signing bonus of $318,000 and $214,000, respectively. In fiscal 2024, in connection with the commencement of his employment, Mr. Chack received a signing bonus of $180,000. Each of these executive officers is required to repay all or some of the signing bonus in the event he voluntarily terminates his employment with the Company before certain specified dates other than for good reason, with the amount of the required repayment being based on the length of service prior to departure. The full amount of signing bonus received by Mr. Kozik, Mr. Chack and Mr. Popp are reported as “Bonus” in this table. |
(2) | Equity compensation awards granted in fiscal 2025 consisted of restricted stock units and Performance Shares. These equity awards are reported at a value, developed solely for purposes of disclosure in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC, equal to the “grant date fair value” thereof under ASC Topic 718 of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) for financial reporting purposes, except that the reported value does not reflect any adjustments for risk of forfeiture. The reported amounts for any award do not reflect any adjustments for restrictions on transferability. See Note 15 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in our Form 10-K for the year ended August 31, 2025 for a discussion of the methods applied in determining the grant date fair values in this column for fiscal 2025. For the Performance Shares, the amount reported is based on the number of shares issuable upon achievement of the target level of performance. As described on pages 25 and 27, the payout for Performance Shares range from 0% to 200% of the target level based on the actual performance level achieved. Assuming maximum payouts for the Performance Shares at 200% of the target level, the amounts reported above for the restricted stock units and Performance Shares for fiscal 2025 would be as follows: Mr. Sternlieb, $7,401,293; Mr. Kozik, $1,310,272; Mr. Topercer, $668,311; Mr. Chack, $501,272; Mr. Burns, $334,080 and Mr. Denis $584,690. Mr. Popp did not receive awards of restricted stock units and Performance Shares in fiscal 2025. Under the terms of his initial employment arrangement, on December 15, 2024, Mr. Kozik received an initial award of restricted stock units that vest, subject to continued employment, with respect to 4,606 shares, on the second anniversary of the grant date of the award and with respect to 5,118 shares, on the third anniversary of the grant date, which restricted stock units had a grant date value of $474,920. Under the terms of his initial employment arrangement, on September 15, 2024, Mr. Chack received an initial award of 5,945 restricted stock units that vest, subject to continued employment, on the second anniversary of the grant date of the award, which restricted stock units had a grant date value of $244,993. For Mr. Burns and Mr. Denis, pursuant to the Company’s Senior Officer Severance Plan, all of their restricted stock units vested as of the respective dates of the cessation of their employment (July 23, 2025 for Mr. Burns and August 1, 2025 for Mr. Denis) and payment of their Performance Shares will be prorated for the portion of their respective employment in the three-year period ending August 31, 2027. The amounts reported in the table for Mr. Burns and Mr. Denis do not reflect the impact of such proration of their Performance Shares. |
(3) | Reflects amounts earned under the annual bonus plan. Annual bonus plan amounts are paid in the first quarter of the subsequent fiscal year. Pursuant to the Senior Officer Severance Plan, Mr. Denis and Mr. Burns each received an annual bonus payment equal to the annual bonus payable based on achievement of goals at “target” levels, which amount was paid within 60 days of the termination of his respective employment. This amount is reported under the column “All Other Compensation.” |
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(4) | Reflects the portion of interest earned in the Employee Deferred Compensation Plan and Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan to the extent that it exceeds the SEC benchmark “market” rate of 5.36%, 4.93% and 4.99% in fiscal 2023, 2024 and 2025, respectively (120% of the applicable federal long-term rate). See page 28 for information on the Employee Deferred Compensation Plan, and page 36 for NEO activity in this plan. |
(5) | For fiscal 2025, these amounts consist of the following: |
Name | 401(k) Core and Match ($) | SERP(a) ($) | Automobile Allowance ($) | Supplemental Disability Insurance ($) | Executive Physical ($) | Personal Use of Company Plane(b) ($) | Financial Planning(c) ($) | Severance(d) ($) | Total ($) | ||||||||||||||||||
Paul E. Sternlieb | 11,750 | 72,300 | 18,000 | 3,069 | 4,600 | 30,966 | 6,198 | — | 146,883 | ||||||||||||||||||
Darren M. Kozik | 17,814 | 12,238 | 13,708 | 2,062 | — | 1,958 | — | 47,780 | |||||||||||||||||||
Eric T. Chack | 20,427 | 14,428 | 18,069 | 2,588 | — | — | — | — | 55,512 | ||||||||||||||||||
Benjamin J. Topercer | 9,304 | 25,113 | 16,200 | 2,798 | 5,329 | 25,436 | 6,198 | — | 90,378 | ||||||||||||||||||
Noah N. Popp | — | 1,841 | 1,869 | — | — | — | — | — | 3,710 | ||||||||||||||||||
P. Shannon Burns | 11,000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 395,922 | 406,922 | ||||||||||||||||||
James P. Denis | 10,957 | — | 14,954 | 3,011 | — | — | — | 612,076 | 640,998 |
(a) | Represents Company contribution to the SERP as described on page 28. |
(b) | The income for personal use of the Company plane was determined by calculating the incremental cost including fuel, pilot and other variable costs. |
(c) | Amounts listed in this column include tax gross-up payments made to the applicable NEO with respect to such benefits. |
(d) | Pursuant to the Company’s Senior Officer Severance Plan, Mr. Burns and Mr. Denis received the following payments in connection with his termination of employment with the Company: a lump-sum payment equal to the sum of (i) one year’s base salary at his regular salary rate (Mr. Burns: $272,685; Mr. Denis: $376,320), (ii) the annual bonus that would have been payable to Mr. Burns and Mr. Denis under the Company’s annual bonus plan for fiscal 2025 based on achievement of financial and other goals at “target” levels (Mr. Burns: $109,074; Mr. Denis: $188,160), and (iii) the portion of the monthly premium that the Company would normally pay for 12 months of medical, dental and vision coverage at Mr. Burns’s and Mr. Denis’s same level for such benefits immediately prior to the termination of employment (Mr. Burns: $7,763; Mr. Denis: $22,596). Mr. Burns and Mr. Denis also received outplacement services in fiscal 2025 pursuant to the Company’s Senior Officer Severance Plan, for a total cost of $6,400 and $25,000, respectively, which amounts are included in the totals shown in the table above. The amount does not include any value associated with the acceleration of vesting upon the cessation of Mr. Burns’s and Mr. Denis’s employment, pursuant to the Company’s Senior Officer Severance Plan, of equity awards that were then outstanding. |
(6) | Mr. Kozik was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective October 28, 2024. |
(7) | Mr. Popp was appointed Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary effective July 14, 2025. |
(8) | Mr. Burns was appointed as Interim Executive Vice President and Interim Principal Financial Officer effective on March 1, 2024 and ceased serving as Interim Principal Financial Officer on October 28, 2024. Mr. Burns’s employment with the Company ceased effective July 23, 2025. |
(9) | Mr. Denis’s employment with the Company ceased effective August 1, 2025. |
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Estimated Future Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards(1) | Estimated Future Payouts Under Equity Incentive Plan Awards(2) | All Other Stock Awards: Number of Shares or Units(3) (#) | Grant Date Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards(4) ($) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Name | Grant Date | Threshold ($) | Target ($) | Maximum ($) | Threshold (#) | Target (#) | Maximum (#) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Paul E. Sternlieb | 11/7/2024 | — | — | — | 24,288 | 48,578 | 97,156 | — | 2,880,658 | ||||||||||||||||||
11/7/2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 32,385 | 1,639,976 | |||||||||||||||||||
n/a | — | 945,000 | 1,890,000 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||
Darren M. Kozik | 11/7/2024 | — | — | — | 2,467 | 4,936 | 9,872 | — | 292,696 | ||||||||||||||||||
11/7/2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4,936 | 249,959 | |||||||||||||||||||
12/15/2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4,606(5) | 224,957 | |||||||||||||||||||
12/15/2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5,118(6) | 249,963 | |||||||||||||||||||
n/a | — | 265,157 | 530,314 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||
Eric T. Chack | 9/15/2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5,945(5) | 244,993 | ||||||||||||||||||
11/7/2024 | — | — | — | 1,481 | 2,962 | 5,924 | — | 175,638 | |||||||||||||||||||
11/7/2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2,962 | 149,996 | |||||||||||||||||||
n/a | — | 251,213 | 502,425 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||
Benjamin J. Topercer | 11/7/2024 | — | — | — | 1,974 | 3,949 | 7,898 | — | 234,167 | ||||||||||||||||||
11/7/2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3,949 | 199,977 | |||||||||||||||||||
n/a | — | 231,000 | 462,000 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||
Noah N. Popp | n/a | — | 23,012 | 46,024 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
P. Shannon Burns(7) | 11/7/2024 | — | — | — | 987 | 1,974 | 3,948 | — | 117,058 | ||||||||||||||||||
11/7/2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,974 | 99,963 | |||||||||||||||||||
n/a | — | 97,708 | 195,415 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||
James P. Denis(8) | 11/7/2024 | — | — | — | 1,727 | 3,455 | 6,910 | — | 204,864 | ||||||||||||||||||
11/7/2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3,455 | 174,961 | |||||||||||||||||||
n/a | — | 188,160 | 376,320 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||
(1) | These columns show the range of cash payouts with respect to awards under the fiscal 2025 annual bonus plan described beginning on page 23. The actual bonuses earned under this plan are included in the Summary Compensation Table on page 31. |
(2) | Reflects Performance Shares granted in fiscal 2025 under the Company’s 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan, as amended (the “2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan”). Refer to “Equity Compensation Granted in Fiscal 2025—Performance Based Restricted Stock Units” beginning on page 25 for further details on these awards. |
(3) | Reflects restricted stock units granted in fiscal 2025 under the 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan. Unless otherwise noted by footnotes in this column, each of the awards of restricted stock units vests in three equal annual installments, commencing on the first anniversary of the date of grant. Vesting of the restricted stock units is subject to continued employment through the vesting date. |
(4) | The grant date fair value of restricted stock unit awards is based on the market price of the shares on the grant date and the grant date fair value of Performance Shares with market vesting conditions is based on a Monte Carlo simulation model, which was applied in fiscal 2025 for valuing such awards for financial reporting purposes. See Note 15 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in our Form 10-K for the year ended August 31, 2025 for a discussion of the methods applied in determining the grant date fair values in this column. |
(5) | Vests on the second anniversary of the grant date, subject to continued employment through the vesting date. |
(6) | Vests on the third anniversary of the grant date, subject to continued employment through the vesting date. |
(7) | Upon his termination of service on July 23, 2025, pursuant to the Senior Officer Severance Plan, all restricted stock units granted to Mr. Burns vested and, for the Performance Shares, the requirement that Mr. Burns remain employed during the performance period was waived, and Mr. Burns is entitled to receive, following the completion of the performance period, a pro rata payout (based on the portion of the three-year performance period during which Mr. Burns was employed) to the extent Performance Shares are earned based on the level of achievement of performance goals. The amount reported in the table for Mr. Burns does not reflect proration of the payout of his Performance Shares based on his period of service. |
(8) | Upon his termination of service on August 1, 2025, pursuant to the Senior Officer Severance Plan, all restricted stock units granted to Mr. Denis vested and, for the Performance Shares, the requirement that Mr. Denis remain employed during the performance period was waived, and Mr. Denis is entitled to receive, following the completion of the performance period, a pro rata payout (based on the portion of the three-year performance period during which Mr. Denis was employed) to the extent Performance Shares are earned based on the level of achievement of performance goals. The amount reported in the table for Mr. Denis does not reflect proration of the payout of his Performance Shares based on his period of service. |
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Option Awards | Stock Awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Name | Grant Date | Number of Securities Underlying Options (#) Exercisable | Option Exercise Price ($) | Option Expiration Date | Number of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested (#) | Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested ($)(1) | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested (#)(2) | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Market or Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested ($)(1) | ||||||||||||||||
Paul E. Sternlieb | 10/24/2022 | — | — | — | — | — | 121,458 | 5,142,532 | ||||||||||||||||
10/24/2022 | — | — | — | 13,498 | 571,505(3) | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
8/30/2023 | — | — | — | — | — | 55,617 | 2,354,823 | |||||||||||||||||
10/20/2023 | — | — | — | 34,319 | 1,453,066(3) | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
10/20/2023 | — | — | — | — | — | 154,434 | 6,538,736 | |||||||||||||||||
11/7/2024 | — | — | — | 32,385 | 1,371,181(3) | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
11/7/2024 | — | — | — | — | — | 97,156 | 4,113,585 | |||||||||||||||||
Darren M. Kozik | 11/7/2024 | — | — | — | 4,936 | 208,990(3) | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
11/7/2024 | — | — | — | — | — | 9,872 | 417,980 | |||||||||||||||||
12/15/2024 | — | — | — | 4,606 | 195,018(4) | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
12/15/2024 | — | — | — | 5,118 | 216,696(5) | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
Eric T. Chack | 9/15/2024 | — | — | — | 5,945 | 251,711(4) | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
11/7/2024 | — | — | — | 2,962 | 125,411(3) | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
11/7/2024 | — | — | — | — | — | 5,924 | 250,822 | |||||||||||||||||
Benjamin J. Topercer | 10/24/2022 | — | — | — | 1,856 | 78,583(3) | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
10/24/2022 | — | — | — | — | — | 11,134 | 471,413 | |||||||||||||||||
10/19/2023 | — | — | — | 4,057 | 171,816(3) | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
10/19/2023 | — | — | — | — | — | 12,172 | 515,362 | |||||||||||||||||
11/7/2024 | — | — | — | 3,949 | 167,201(3) | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
11/7/2024 | — | — | — | — | — | 7,898 | 334,401 | |||||||||||||||||
Noah N. Popp(6) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
P. Shannon Burns(7) | 10/19/2023 | — | — | — | — | — | 958 | 40,562 | ||||||||||||||||
11/7/2024 | — | — | — | — | — | 1,098 | 46,489 | |||||||||||||||||
James P. Denis(8) | 10/24/2022 | — | — | — | — | — | 6,888 | 291,638 | ||||||||||||||||
10/19/2023 | — | — | — | — | — | 7,224 | 305,864 | |||||||||||||||||
11/7/2024 | — | — | — | — | — | 2,112 | 89,422 | |||||||||||||||||
(1) | Market value of restricted stock unit awards and Performance Shares is based on the $42.34 closing price on the NYSE of the Company’s Class A common stock on August 29, 2025, the last trading day of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2025. |
(2) | Represents awards of Performance Shares (at target) that include a three-year performance period (except for the Performance Shares awarded to Mr. Sternlieb on August 30, 2023) and vest based on achievement of performance measures subject to continued employment. Performance Shares granted in fiscal 2023, 2024 and 2025, other than the award to Mr. Sternlieb on August 30, 2023, vest based on the Company’s TSR percentile relative to the S&P SmallCap 600 Industrial Index, achievement of an ROIC target and achievement of an adjusted earnings per share target. Grants of Performance Shares in fiscal 2023, other than the Performance Shares awarded to Mr. Sternlieb on August 30, 2023, are presented at the maximum level, grants of Performance Shares in fiscal 2024 are presented at the maximum level and grants of Performance Shares in fiscal 2025 are presented at the maximum level. The Performance Shares awarded to Mr. Sternlieb on August 30, 2023 vest based on achievement of net revenue and adjusted EBITDA margin targets for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2026, subject to Mr. Sternlieb’s continued employment, and are presented at the target level. Subsequent to August 31, 2025 and the completion of the three-year performance period then ended, the fiscal 2023 Performance Share grants (granted on October 24, 2022) vested at 186% of the target level. See “Equity Compensation Granted in Fiscal 2025—Performance Equity Awards Vesting in Fiscal 2025” beginning on page 27 for additional details. |
(3) | Restricted stock units vest in equal annual installments over a three-year period, subject to continued employment, commencing on the first anniversary of the date of grant. The amount presented reflects the remaining unvested balance. |
(4) | Restricted stock units vest on the second anniversary of the grant date, subject to continued employment. |
(5) | Restricted stock units vest on the third anniversary of the grant date, subject to continued employment. |
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(6) | Mr. Popp joined the Company on July 14, 2025 and did not receive any equity awards in fiscal 2025. Under the terms of his initial employment arrangement, on September 15, 2025, Mr. Popp received an initial award of restricted stock units for 2,589 shares that vest, subject to his continued employment, on the second anniversary of the grant date of the award. |
(7) | All restricted stock units granted to Mr. Burns that were unvested as of his July 23, 2025 departure from the Company were vested at such time pursuant to the Company’s Senior Officer Severance Plan. In addition, for Performance Shares granted to Mr. Burns that were outstanding on July 23, 2025, the requirement that Mr. Burns remain employed during the performance period was waived as provided in the Senior Officer Severance Plan, and Mr. Burns is entitled to receive, following the completion of the performance period, a pro rata payout (based on the portion of the applicable performance period during which Mr. Burns was employed) to the extent Performance Shares are earned based on the level of achievement of performance goals. The amount reported in the table for Mr. Burns reflects this proration of his Performance Shares. The Senior Officer Severance Plan is described in “Executive Compensation—Senior Officer Severance Plan and Executive Agreements—Senior Officer Severance Plan,” beginning on page 37. |
(8) | All restricted stock units granted to Mr. Denis that were unvested as of his August 1, 2025 departure from the Company were vested at such time pursuant to the Company’s Senior Officer Severance Plan. In addition, for Performance Shares granted to Mr. Denis that were outstanding on August 1, 2025, the requirement that Mr. Denis remain employed during the performance period was waived as provided in the Senior Officer Severance Plan, and Mr. Denis is entitled to receive, following the completion of the performance period, a pro rata payout (based on the portion of the applicable performance period during which Mr. Denis was employed) to the extent Performance Shares are earned based on the level of achievement of performance goals. The amount reported in the table for Mr. Denis reflects this proration of his Performance Shares. The Senior Officer Severance Plan is described in “Executive Compensation—Senior Officer Severance Plan and Executive Agreements—Senior Officer Severance Plan,” beginning on page 37. |
Stock Awards | ||||||
Name | Number of Shares Acquired on Vesting (#) | Value Realized on Vesting ($)(1) | ||||
Paul E. Sternlieb | 263,348 | 11,237,925 | ||||
Darren M. Kozik | — | — | ||||
Eric T. Chack | — | — | ||||
Benjamin J. Topercer | 30,155 | 1,344,234 | ||||
Noah N. Popp | — | — | ||||
P. Shannon Burns(2) | 7,129 | 270,546 | ||||
James P. Denis(2) | 12,592 | 499,429 | ||||
(1) | Value realized on the vesting of restricted stock units and Performance Share awards reflects the number of shares vested multiplied by the market price of the stock on the vest date. |
(2) | Includes shares acquired in connection with the acceleration of vesting upon the cessation of Mr. Burns’s and Mr. Denis’s employment, pursuant to the Company’s Senior Officer Severance Plan, of restricted stock unit awards that were then outstanding. |
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Name | Executive Contributions in Last Fiscal Year(1) ($) | Registrant Contributions in Last Fiscal Year(2) ($) | Aggregate Earnings in Last Fiscal Year(3) ($) | Aggregate Withdrawals/ Distributions ($) | Aggregate Balance at Last FYE(4) ($) | ||||||||||
Paul E. Sternlieb | |||||||||||||||
Deferred Compensation | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
Supplemental Executive Retirement | — | 72,300 | 24,307 | — | 291,917 | ||||||||||
Darren M. Kozik | |||||||||||||||
Deferred Compensation | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
Supplemental Executive Retirement | — | 12,238 | — | — | 12,238 | ||||||||||
Eric T. Chack | |||||||||||||||
Deferred Compensation | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
Supplemental Executive Retirement | — | 14,428 | 60 | — | 15,967 | ||||||||||
Benjamin J. Topercer | |||||||||||||||
Deferred Compensation | — | — | 19,635 | — | 191,519 | ||||||||||
Supplemental Executive Retirement | — | 25,113 | 4,459 | — | 72,206 | ||||||||||
Noah N. Popp | |||||||||||||||
Deferred Compensation | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
Supplemental Executive Retirement | — | 1,841 | — | — | 1,841 | ||||||||||
P. Shannon Burns | |||||||||||||||
Deferred Compensation | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
Supplemental Executive Retirement | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
James P. Denis | |||||||||||||||
Deferred Compensation | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
Supplemental Executive Retirement | — | — | 4,707 | — | 53,063 | ||||||||||
(1) | NEO contributions include employee elective deferrals of base salary or annual bonus (in accordance with the 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan). Accordingly, all amounts in this column are included in the Summary Compensation Table on page 31 in one or more of the following columns for fiscal 2025: “Salary,” “Stock Awards” or “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation.” |
(2) | These amounts for fiscal 2025 appear in the “All Other Compensation” column of the Summary Compensation Table on page 31 (see footnote 5 to that table). |
(3) | Represents aggregate earnings (loss) on investments of deferred compensation deemed invested in a mix of options similar to the 401(k) Plan, a company stock account (although the plan no longer permits investment of contributions into the company stock account other than the deferral of restricted stock units) and, for amounts in the SERP, an interest bearing account. Interest on the interest bearing account was paid at rate of 4.24% in fiscal 2025. |
(4) | The aggregate balance of August 31, 2025 represents the balance in each NEO’s participant account. |
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Plan Category | Number of Securities to be Issued Upon Exercise of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights(1) | Weighted-Average Exercise Price of Outstanding Options, Warrants, and Rights(2) | Number of Securities Remaining Available for Future Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans (Excluding Securities Reflected in First Column)(3) | ||||||
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders(1) | 783,894 | $33.33 | 2,577,263 | ||||||
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | — | — | — | ||||||
Total | 783,894 | $33.33 | 2,577,263 |
(1) | The number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights comprises shares issuable with respect to 126,171 stock options at a weighted average exercise price of $26.42 (the number of actual shares issued will vary based on the stock price on the date of exercise), which options were granted under the Company’s 2009 Omnibus Incentive Plan, as amended, and 311,996 restricted stock units and 345,727 Performance Shares (at target), which were granted under the 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan. |
(2) | The weighted average exercise price does not take into account awards of Performance Shares or restricted stock units. |
(3) | The number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans include 2,436,623 shares under the 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan, 17,287 shares under the Company’s Deferred Compensation Plan and 123,353 shares under the Company’s 2010 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. |
• | the Senior Officer would be entitled to receive a lump-sum payment equal to the sum of (i) one year’s (one and one-half year’s for Mr. Sternlieb) base salary at the Senior Officer’s regular salary rate, (ii) the annual bonus (one and one-half times the annual bonus for Mr. Sternlieb) that would have been payable to the Senior Officer under the Company’s annual bonus plan for the fiscal year in which such termination of employment occurs based on achievement of financial and other goals at “target” levels, and (iii) the portion of the monthly premium that the Company would normally pay for 12 months (18 months for Mr. Sternlieb) of medical, dental and vision coverage at the Senior Officer’s same level for such benefits immediately prior to the termination of employment (including dependent coverage, if applicable); |
• | outstanding unvested stock options granted by the Company to the Senior Officer would become vested upon the termination of employment and each outstanding unexercised stock option, including previously vested stock options, would remain exercisable until the earlier of (i) the date such stock option would have expired by its original terms (disregarding any provision for early expiration of the stock option upon termination of employment) or (ii) 10 years after the date such stock option was granted; |
• | outstanding restricted stock units granted by the Company to the Senior Officer would become vested upon termination of employment; |
• | with respect to any outstanding Performance Shares awarded by the Company to the Senior Officer, the requirement for the Senior Officer to remain employed during the relevant period would be waived, and the Senior Officer would be entitled to receive, following the completion of the relevant performance period, a pro rata pay out (based on the portion of the performance period during which the Senior Officer was employed) to the extent Performance Shares are earned based on the level of achievement of performance goals; |
• | the Senior Officer would be entitled to receive benefits under the retirement plans of the Company in which the Senior Officer participates based on the terms of such plans; and |
• | the Senior Officer would be entitled to receive outplacement services in a form, manner and with a scope of benefits as determined by the Talent Development and Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors, or any successor administrator appointed under the Senior Officer Severance Plan. |
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Name | Base Salary ($) | Annual Bonus ($) | Stock Awards(1) ($) | Benefits(2) ($) | Total ($) | ||||||||||
Paul E. Sternlieb | 1,417,500 | 1,417,500 | 3,395,753 | — | 6,230,753 | ||||||||||
Darren M. Kozik | 485,000 | 315,250 | 620,704 | 22,538 | 1,443,492 | ||||||||||
Eric T. Chack | 456,750 | 251,213 | 377,122 | 22,538 | 1,107,623 | ||||||||||
Benjamin J. Topercer | 420,000 | 231,000 | 417,599 | 22,538 | 1,091,137 | ||||||||||
Noah N. Popp | 350,000 | 175,000 | — | 22,538 | 547,538 |
(1) | Represents market value of unvested restricted stock units based on the closing price on the NYSE of the Company’s Class A common stock on August 29, 2025, the last trading day of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2025 ($42.34), but does not include any amount with respect to the vesting of unvested Performance Shares as the amount of shares to be issued under such awards is dependent on the level of performance achieved for the full three-year performance period and accordingly is not known. |
(2) | Represents the portion of the monthly premium that the Company would pay for 12 months of medical, dental and vision insurance coverage, but does not include an estimate of the cost of outplacement services because such amount is not presently determinable (under the Senior Officer Severance Plan, the form, manner and scope of such services is subject to the discretion of the Talent Development and Compensation Committee). |
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• | the acquisition by a person or group of more than 50% of the Company’s common stock; |
• | the acquisition by a person or group of assets of the Company that have a total gross fair market value equal to or more than 40% of the total gross market value of all of the assets of the Company immediately before such acquisition; |
• | the acquisition by a person or group of 30% or more of the total voting power of the stock of the Company; or |
• | a change in the majority of the Board of Directors without the endorsement of the existing Board members. |
• | a material reduction in the base salary or annual bonus opportunity, or material reduction in the total value of the fringe benefits received by the executive from the Company from prior levels received at the time of a change in control or during the six-month period prior to the change in control; |
• | a material reduction in authority and responsibility or a material decrease in the same for the supervisor to whom the executive reports, from the levels existing at the time of a change in control or the six month period prior to the change in control; |
• | a change in the location or headquarters where the executive is expected to work that is 40 or more miles from the previous location existing at the time of the change in control or during the six month period preceding the change in control; or |
• | in the agreement with Mr. Sternlieb, a material breach of his change-in-control agreement by the Company. |
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Name | Base Salary ($) | Annual Bonus(1) ($) | Stock Awards(2) ($) | Benefits(3) ($) | Total ($) | ||||||||||
Paul E. Sternlieb | 2,825,550 | 2,691,000 | 11,059,801 | — | 16,576,351 | ||||||||||
Darren M. Kozik | 970,000 | 630,500 | 829,695 | 45,075 | 2,475,270 | ||||||||||
Eric T. Chack | 913,500 | 502,425 | 502,533 | 45,075 | 1,963,534 | ||||||||||
Benjamin J. Topercer | 840,000 | 462,000 | 842,481 | 45,075 | 2,189,557 | ||||||||||
Noah N. Popp | 700,000 | 350,000 | — | 45,075 | 1,095,075 |
(1) | Actual payout will be based on the highest annual bonus target or highest annual paid bonus paid during the previous three years, multiplied by two. |
(2) | Represents market value of unvested restricted stock units and unvested Performance Shares (at the target level of performance) based on the closing price on the NYSE of the Company’s Class A common stock on August 29, 2025, the last trading day of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2025 ($42.34). |
(3) | Represents estimated costs to provide the welfare benefits and perquisites provided to the current NEOs as described on page 39. |
• | the Annual Total Compensation of our median-compensated employee was $44,425; and |
• | the Annual Total Compensation of Mr. Sternlieb, who served as our CEO throughout fiscal 2025, was $6,548,272. |
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• | the total compensation of each individual serving as principal executive officer (“PEO”) of the Company, as calculated in accordance with the presentation of Total compensation in the Summary Compensation Table, appearing on page 31, with separate columns for each individual who served as PEO during this period (Randal W. Baker, identified as First PEO in the table and elsewhere in this section of the proxy statement, served as Enerpac’s principal executive officer until October 8, 2021, and Mr. Sternlieb, identified as Second PEO in the table and elsewhere in this section of the proxy statement, has served as our principal executive officer since then); |
• | the amount of “Compensation Actually Paid” as determined in accordance with the SEC rule for each PEO, with footnotes describing and quantifying the adjustments from Total compensation as reported in accordance with the presentation of such amounts required for the Summary Compensation Table to derive Compensation Actually Paid; |
• | the average total compensation, as calculated in accordance with the presentation of Total compensation in the Summary Compensation Table, of the individuals, other than the PEO, listed as named executive officers in our proxy statement for the annual meeting held in the year following each such year (the “Non-PEO NEOs”), with a footnote to the table identifying the individuals comprising the Non-PEO NEOs in each year; |
• | the average amount of “Compensation Actually Paid” as determined in accordance with the SEC rule for the Non-PEO NEOs, with footnotes describing and quantifying the adjustments from Total compensation as reported in accordance with the presentation of such amounts required for the Summary Compensation Table to derive such average Compensation Actually Paid; |
• | Enerpac’s cumulative total shareholder return (“TSR”) for the period beginning on the last trading day of the year preceding the earliest year presented in the table and ending the last trading day of the year presented in the table (for example, for fiscal 2024, the period from August 31, 2020 through August 31, 2024), assuming the investment of $100 in Enerpac common stock on the first day of such period; |
• | the cumulative TSR for each such period of the peer group of companies identified in a footnote to the table calculated on the same basis as Enerpac’s TSR, but assuming an investment on the first day of such period of $100 in the common stock of such companies, allocated among such companies based on their respective market capitalization at August 31, 2020; |
• | the net income of Enerpac and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis as presented in our consolidated statement of operations included in the accompanying annual report; and |
• | Adjusted EBITDA, a measure selected by us for presentation in this table as the most important financial performance measure linking Compensation Actually Paid to the NEOs for the most recent fiscal year to company performance. |
Value of Initial Fixed $100 Investment Based on: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fiscal Year | Summary Compensation Table Total for First PEO(1) ($) | Summary Compensation Table Total for Second PEO(2) ($) | Compensation Actually Paid to First PEO(3) ($) | Compensation Actually Paid to Second PEO(3) ($) | Average Summary Compensation Table Total for Non-PEO NEOs(4) ($) | Average Compensation Actually Paid to Non-PEO NEOs(3) ($) | Total Shareholder Return(5) ($) | Peer Group Total Shareholder Return(6) ($) | Net Income(7) (h) | Adjusted EBITDA(8) (i) | ||||||||||||||||||||
(a) | (b) | (b) | (c) | (c) | (d) | (e) | (f) | (g) | ($ in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||||
2025 | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2024 | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2023 | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2022 | ( | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2021 | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(1) |
(2) |
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(3) | “Compensation Actually Paid” to our Named Executive Officers represents the “Total” compensation reported in the Summary Compensation Table for fiscal 2025, as adjusted per SEC rules as follows: |
Adjustments | For Fiscal 2025 | |||||||
Second PEO | Average Non-PEO NEOs | |||||||
($) | ($) | |||||||
Deduction for Amounts Reported under the “Stock Awards” and “Option Awards” Columns in the Summary Compensation Table | ( | ( | ||||||
Increase based on ASC 718 Fair Value of Awards Granted during Fiscal Year that Remain Unvested as of Fiscal Year End, Determined as of Fiscal Year End | ||||||||
Increase based on ASC 718 Fair Value of Awards Granted during the Fiscal Year that Vested during the Fiscal Year, determined as of Vesting Date | ||||||||
Increase/deduction for Awards Granted during Prior Fiscal Year that were Outstanding and Unvested as of Fiscal Year End, determined based on change in ASC 718 Fair Value from Prior Fiscal Year End to Fiscal Year End | ( | |||||||
Increase/deduction for Awards Granted during Prior Fiscal Year that Vested During Fiscal Year, determined based on change in ASC 718 Fair Value from Prior Fiscal Year End to Vesting Date | ||||||||
Deduction of ASC 718 Fair Value of Awards Granted during Prior Fiscal Year that were Forfeited during the Fiscal Year, determined as of Prior Fiscal Year End | ||||||||
Increase Based on Dividends or Other Earnings Paid during the Fiscal Year prior to Vesting Date | ||||||||
Increase Based on Incremental Fair Value of Options/SARs Modified During Fiscal Year | ||||||||
Deduction for Change in the Actuarial Present Values Reported under the “Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings” Column of the Summary Compensation Table for Fiscal Year | ||||||||
TOTAL ADJUSTMENTS | ( | ( | ||||||
(4) | This amount is the average of the total compensation, as calculated in accordance with the presentation of Total compensation in the Summary Compensation Table appearing on page 31, of the Non-PEO NEOs in each year. The following table lists the individuals who comprise the Non-PEO NEOs in each of the covered years: |
Fiscal 2025 | Fiscal 2024 | Fiscal 2023 | Fiscal 2022 | Fiscal 2021 | |||||||||
Darren M. Kozik | P. Shannon Burns | Anthony P. Colucci | Anthony P. Colucci | Rick T. Dillon | |||||||||
Eric T. Chack | Benjamin J. Topercer | Benjamin J. Topercer | Benjamin J. Topercer | John Jeffrey Schmaling | |||||||||
Benjamin J. Topercer | James P. Denis | James P. Denis | Rick T. Dillon | Fabrizio Rasetti | |||||||||
Noah N. Popp | Eric T. Chack | Markus Limberger | John Jeffrey Schmaling | Barbara G. Bolens | |||||||||
P. Shannon Burns | Anthony P. Colucci | Barbara G. Bolens | Barbara G. Bolens | ||||||||||
James P. Denis | Scott M. Vuchetich | ||||||||||||
Bryan R. Johnson | |||||||||||||
Fabrizio Rasetti | |||||||||||||
(5) | Represents the company’s TSR for the period beginning on the last trading day of the year preceding the earliest year presented in the table and ending the last trading day of the covered year, which includes the reinvestment of dividends paid on our common stock during the relevant period. |
(6) | Represents the TSR for the period beginning on the last trading day of the year preceding the earliest year presented in the table and ending the last trading day of the covered year, which includes dividends paid during the relevant period, of the common stock of the companies included in the S&P SmallCap 600 Industrials index. |
(7) | Represents net income of Enerpac and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, which includes the results of discontinued operations in each of the periods presented. |
(8) | The Company selected measure is |
• |
• |
• |
• |
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Relationship of Executive Compensation Actually Paid to TSR |

Relationship of Executive Compensation Actually Paid to Net Income |

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Relationship of Executive Compensation Actually Paid to Adjusted EBITDA |

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Committee | Member Fee | Additional Chair Fee | ||||
Audit | $15,000 | $15,000 | ||||
Talent Development and Compensation | 10,000 | 12,000 | ||||
Governance and Sustainability | 10,000 | 10,000 |
Name | Annual Retainer ($) | Committee Fees ($) | Chair Fee ($) | Stock Awards ($)(1) | Total ($) | Outstanding Stock Options at Fiscal Year End (#) | Non-vested Restricted Stock at Fiscal Year End (#) | ||||||||||||||
Alfredo Altavilla | 70,000 | 25,000 | — | 120,000 | 215,000 | — | 2,624 | ||||||||||||||
Judy L. Altmaier | 70,000 | 25,000 | — | 120,000 | 215,000 | — | 2,624 | ||||||||||||||
J. Palmer Clarkson | 70,000 | 20,000 | — | 120,000 | 210,000 | — | 2,624 | ||||||||||||||
Danny L. Cunningham | 70,000 | 25,000 | 15,000 | 120,000 | 230,000 | 2,930 | 2,624 | ||||||||||||||
E. James Ferland, Jr. | 70,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 220,000 | 310,000 | 2,930 | 4,811 | ||||||||||||||
Colleen M. Healy | 70,000 | 25,000 | — | 120,000 | 215,000 | — | 2,624 | ||||||||||||||
Richard D. Holder | 70,000 | 25,000 | 12,000 | 120,000 | 227,000 | — | 2,624 | ||||||||||||||
Lynn C. Minella | 70,000 | 20,000 | — | 120,000 | 210,000 | — | 2,624 | ||||||||||||||
Sidney S. Simmons | 70,000 | 25,000 | — | 120,000 | 215,000 | — | 2,624 |
(1) | Amounts represent the aggregate grant date fair value. The amounts do not correspond to the actual value that may be realized by non-employee directors, as that is dependent on the long-term appreciation in the Company’s common stock. |
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Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2025 | Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2024 | |||||
Audit Fees | $1,509,240 | $1,230,000 | ||||
Audit-Related Fees | — | — | ||||
Tax Compliance Fees | 46,655 | 32,328 | ||||
Tax Consulting Fees | 228,866 | 316,475 | ||||
All Other Fees | — | — | ||||
$1,784,761 | $1,578,803 |
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FAQ
What is Enerpac Tool Group (EPAC) asking shareholders to vote on in this proxy?
Shareholders are being asked to vote on three main items: (1) the election of eight directors for one-year terms, (2) ratification of Ernst & Young LLP as independent auditors for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2026, and (3) an advisory vote to approve the compensation of Enerpac’s named executive officers as described in the proxy statement.
When and how will Enerpac Tool Group (EPAC) hold its 2026 annual shareholder meeting?
The annual meeting will be held February 4, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Central Time, solely by means of remote communication at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/EPAC2026. Shareholders can attend, vote and ask questions online, using the 16‑digit control number on their proxy card or voting instruction form.
Who is entitled to vote at Enerpac Tool Group’s 2026 annual meeting and how many shares are outstanding?
The record date is December 1, 2025. As of that date, there were 52,773,605 shares of Enerpac’s Class A common stock outstanding, with each share entitled to one vote on all matters at the meeting.
How is executive compensation structured for Enerpac Tool Group’s named executive officers?
Executive pay includes base salary, an annual cash bonus, and long-term equity awards in the form of restricted stock units and performance shares. Annual bonuses are based on organic sales growth, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, and free cash flow conversion, while long-term awards use metrics such as return on invested capital, relative total shareholder return and adjusted earnings per share.
What were Enerpac’s fiscal 2025 incentive compensation outcomes for executives?
For fiscal 2025, the annual bonus for the named executive officers, other than two former officers, paid at 100.7% of target, reflecting performance across organic sales growth, adjusted EBITDA, margin and free cash flow conversion. Long‑term performance share awards for the three-year period ended August 31, 2025 paid at 186% of target, driven by 23% return on invested capital, strong relative total shareholder return at the 73rd percentile, and adjusted earnings per share results above or between target and maximum levels.
How did shareholders previously vote on Enerpac Tool Group’s executive compensation (say-on-pay)?
At the annual meeting held in February 2025, approximately 97% of the Enerpac common stock that voted either for or against the advisory proposal approved the compensation of the named executive officers as disclosed in that year’s proxy statement.
What are some key corporate governance and oversight practices at Enerpac Tool Group?
Enerpac’s board is largely independent, has a separate non‑executive Chair and CEO, and operates three standing committees: Audit, Governance and Sustainability, and Talent Development and Compensation. The board oversees strategy, capital allocation, risk management, cybersecurity, environmental sustainability and human capital. The company has Corporate Governance Guidelines, a Code of Conduct, a Code of Financial Ethics and a Supplier Code of Conduct, all reviewed regularly by board committees.









