prer14c.htm
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE
14C INFORMATION
Information
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(c) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. 2)
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appropriate box:
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Statement
¨ Confidential, for Use
of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14A-6(e)(2))
¨ Definitive Information
Statement
Aspyra,
Inc.
(Name
of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
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below per Exchange Act Rules 14c-5(g) and 0-11.
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of each class of securities to which transaction
applies:___________
(2)
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applies:___________
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forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was
determined):____________
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fee paid:____________
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Aspyra,
Inc.
4360 Park Terrace Drive, Suite
220
Westlake
Village, CA 91361
NOTICE
OF ACTION BY WRITTEN CONSENT OF STOCKHOLDERS
NOTICE
IS HEREBY GIVEN that the holders of more than a majority of the outstanding
common stock of Aspyra, Inc., a California corporation (the “Company”, “Aspyra”,
“we”, “us”, or “our”), have approved the following action without a meeting of
stockholders in accordance with Section 603 of the California General
Corporation Law:
The
approval of an amendment to our articles of incorporation to effect a 101-to-1
reverse stock split. The action will become effective on the 20 th day after the
definitive Information Statement is mailed to our stockholders.
The
enclosed information statement contains information pertaining to the matters
acted upon.
Pursuant
to rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, you may access a
copy of the information statement at www.aspyra.com.
WE ARE NOT ASKING YOU FOR A
PROXY, AND YOU ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SEND US A PROXY
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By
Order of the Board of Directors
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Rodney
Schutt
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Chief
Executive Officer
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November
__ , 2009
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ASPYRA,
INC.
4360
Park Terrace Drive, Suite 220
Westlake
Village, CA 91361
INFORMATION
STATEMENT
Action
by Written Consent of Stockholders
GENERAL
INFORMATION
WE ARE NOT ASKING YOU FOR A
PROXY, AND YOU ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SEND US A PROXY
Neither the Securities and Exchange
Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of
the transaction, passed upon the merits or fairness of the transaction, or
passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of the disclosure in this information
statement. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
This
information statement is being furnished in connection with the action by
written consent of stockholders taken without a meeting of a proposal to approve
the actions described in this information statement. We are mailing this
information statement to our stockholders on or about November ,
2009. No action is requested or required on your part.
SUMMARY
TERM SHEET
The
following summary term sheet highlights selected information from this
information statement and may not contain all of the information that may be
important to you. Accordingly, we encourage you to read this entire information
statement, its appendices and the documents referred to or incorporated by
reference in this information statement. Each item in this summary term sheet
includes a caption reference directing you to a more complete description of
that item.
Action Taken by
Stockholder
We
obtained stockholder consent to the following action:
·
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The
approval of an amendment to our certificate of incorporation to effect a
101-for-1 reverse split of our common stock. See “Amendment to Articles of
Incorporation to Effect 101-to-1 Reverse Stock
Split.”
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Shares of common stock outstanding on
the date that we received stockholder approval (See “Questions
and Answers Concerning the Stockholder Action Taken.”)
On
October 14, 2009, the date we received the consent of the holders of more than a
majority of the outstanding shares, there were 17,201,327 shares of common stock
outstanding.
Effect of the Reverse Split on
Stockholders (See “Questions and Answers Concerning the Stockholder
Action Taken” and “Special Factors – Effects and Tax Consequences of the Reverse
Split on our Other Stockholders”)
As a
result of the reverse split:
·
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Each
share of common stock will automatically become and be converted into
1/101 (or approximately 0.0099) shares of common stock. This
means that each 101 shares of common stock that you own will automatically
become and be converted into one share of common
stock.
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·
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We
will pay cash in lieu of fractional shares based on the last closing price
of the common stock on the date prior to the reverse split, which we
estimate will be approximately $0.13 per share (on a pre-reverse split
basis, or $13.13 on a post-reverse split basis), based on the closing
price of our common stock on November 19,
2009.
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·
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If
you own less than 101 shares of common stock, you will receive cash in
lieu of fractional shares, and you will cease to be a
stockholder.
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·
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If
you hold stock in more than one account and you do not consolidate your
accounts, each account will be treated separately. As a result,
if you own less than 101 shares in each of several accounts but the total
number of shares which you own is more than 101 shares, you will cease to
be a stockholder at the effective time of the reverse split and you will
receive cash in lieu of all of your fractional
shares.
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·
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If
you hold your stock in street name (which is how your stock is held if you
keep your stock in your brokerage or nominee account) you will receive
cash and/or shares based on the number of shares held in the brokerage or
nominee account. The shares, if any, and cash in lieu of
fractional shares, will be determined separately for each account you hold
in street name.
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·
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The
shares and cash in lieu of fractional shares will be separately determined
for each brokerage firm who holds our stock either on its own behalf or on
behalf of its customers. Each account in each brokerage firm
will be treated as a separate account for determining how many shares and
how much cash in lieu of fractional shares will be
paid.
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·
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We
will have fewer than 300 stockholders. As a result we will
terminate our registration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the “Exchange
Act”).
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Action Required by Stockholders
(See “Questions and Answers Concerning the Stockholder Action
Taken.”)
You are
not required to take any action before the reverse split becomes
effective. Once the reverse split becomes effective, you will receive
a transmittal letter for you to receive any shares and cash in lieu of
fractional shares which are due to you as a result of the one-for-101 reverse
split. The form of our letter to you is set forth in Appendix B to
this information statement.
Funds for Payment of the Cash in Lieu
of Fractional Shares (See “Questions and Answers
Concerning the Stockholder Action Taken – Who is paying the cost of this
information statement and the payments for fractional shares in the reverse
split?”)
We
estimate that the total cost to us to purchase fractional shares is
approximately $1,100, which we will pay from our own funds.
Accounting Consequences of the
Reverse Split (See “Amendment to Articles of Incorporation to Effect
101-to-1 Reverse Stock Split.”)
As a
result of the reverse split:
·
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The
number of outstanding shares of common stock will be reduced from
17,201,327 shares, which are outstanding on the date of this information,
to approximately 170,227 shares. The exact number of shares
outstanding after the reverse split will be determined following the
effectiveness of the reverse
split.
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·
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The
purchase of the fractional shares will be treated as the purchase of
treasury stock and will be reflected in the stockholders’ equity section
of our balance sheet as a reduction of additional paid-in capital in the
amount of our payment in lieu of fractional shares, which is estimated at
approximately $1,100.
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Tax Treatment of the Reverse Split
(See “Special Factors – Effects and Tax Consequences of the Reverse Split
to our Other Stockholders” and “Amendment to Articles of Incorporation to Effect
101-to-1 Reverse Stock Split.”)
The
combination and exchange of each 101 shares of the common stock into one share
of new common stock should be a tax-free transaction, and the holding period and
tax basis of the old common stock will be transferred to the new common stock
received in exchange therefore. Provided that the old common stock is
held as a capital asset, the cash paid to for fractional shares will be treated
as a payment in redemption of the fractional shares and the stockholder will
recognize a capital gain or loss, as the case may be, on the difference between
your basis in the fractional share and the payment in lieu of the fractional
share.
This
discussion, which relates to United States residents, should not be considered
as tax or investment advice, and the tax consequences of the reverse split may
not be the same for all stockholders. You should consult your own tax advisors
to know how federal, state, local and foreign tax laws affect
you.
Fairness of the Reverse Split
(See “Special Factors – Reasons for the Reverse Split,” “Special
Factors – Fairness of the Reverse Split” and “Amendment to Articles of
Incorporation to Effect 101-to-1 Reverse Stock Split.”)
Our
board, in approving the reverse split, believes that the reverse split is fair
to us and to our stockholders, regardless of whether they receive cash in lieu
of fractional shares or continue as stockholders.
No Appraisal Rights (See
“Amendment to Articles of Incorporation to Effect 101-to-1 Reverse Stock
Split.”) You will not have any rights of appraisal with respect to the reverse
split, which means that you will not have any procedure to follow for you to
challenge the valuation placed by us on your common stock in paying cash in lieu
of fractional shares.
Effect of the Reverse Split on
Officers, Directors and
Affiliates (See “Special Factors – Effect of the Reverse Split on our
Affiliates” and “Amendment to Articles of Incorporation to Effect 101-to-1
Reverse Stock Split.”)
Rodney
Schutt, our chief executive officer and a director, owns 161,538 shares of
common stock, representing approximately 0.9% of our outstanding common stock.
Following the reverse split, Mr. Schutt will own 1,599 shares of common stock,
which will represent approximately 0.9% of our outstanding common stock after
the reverse split.
The
estate of C. Ian Sym-Smith (a former director of the Company who died in
September 2009) owns 1,560,982 shares, representing approximately 9.1% of our
outstanding common stock. Following the reverse split, the estate of C. Ian
Sym-Smith will own 15,455 shares of common stock, which will represent
approximately 9.1% of our outstanding common stock after the reverse
split.
Bradford
G. Peters, a former director of the Company, owns 2,269,711 shares, representing
approximately 13.2% of our outstanding shares. Following the reverse split, Mr.
Peters will own 22,472 shares of common stock, which will represent
approximately 13.2% of our outstanding common stock after the reverse
split.
James
Shawn Chalmers owns 2,289,660 shares, representing approximately 13.3% of our
outstanding common stock. Following the reverse split, Mr. Chalmers will own
22,669 shares of common stock, which will represent approximately 13.3% of our
outstanding common stock after the reverse split. Mr. Chalmers states that he
does not own any Common Stock directly but he is (i) the sole director and
President and majority shareholder of J&S Ventures, Inc.; (ii) the sole
manager and holder of 75% of the membership interests of Orion Capital
Investments, LLC; and (iii) the sole trustee and sole beneficiary of the J.
Shawn Chalmers Revocable Trust dated August 13, 1996.
No other
officer or director owns any significant number of shares.
In
addition to the shares owned by officers and directors, four of our directors
hold options to purchase a total of 267,497 shares of common stock at exercise
price ranging from $0.22 per share to $2.48. As a result of the
reverse split, these options will entitle the holders to purchase approximately
2,649 shares of common stock at exercise prices ranging from $22.22 to $250.48
per share.
QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS CONCERNING THE STOCKHOLDER ACTION TAKEN
What
action was taken by written consent?
We
obtained stockholder consent for the approval of an amendment to our articles of
incorporation, to effect a 101-to-1 reverse stock split.
How
many shares of common stock were outstanding on October 14, 2009?
On
October 14, 2009, the date we received the consent of the holders of more than a
majority of the outstanding shares, there were 17,201,327 shares of common stock
outstanding.
What
vote was obtained to approve the amendment to the articles of incorporation
described in this information statement?
We
obtained the approval of the holders of approximately 65% of our outstanding
shares of common stock that were entitled to give such consent. As a result, we
have obtained all stockholder approval necessary under the California General
Corporation Law for the approval of the amendment to our certificate of
incorporation.
What
will be the effects of the reverse stock split?
·
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Each
share of common stock will become 1/101 (or approximately 0.0099) share of
common stock. As a result, if you own less than 101 shares of common
stock, you will cease to be a
stockholder.
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·
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We
will pay cash for fractional
shares.
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·
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We
will have fewer than 300
stockholders.
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·
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We
will terminate our registration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Upon the filing of the notice
of termination of registration under the Exchange Act, we will no longer
be subject to the reporting obligations under the Exchange
Act.
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For more
information on the reverse split, see “Special Factors” and “Amendment to
Articles of Incorporation to Effect 101-to-1 Reverse Stock
Split”.
If
you hold your stock in your brokerage account, who will your shares be
treated?
If you
hold your stock in a brokerage account or otherwise in a nominee account, the
number of shares that you will receive and the cash in lieu of fractional shares
will be based on the number of share in your account, as reported to us by your
broker. If you advised your broker that the broker is not
authorized to provide us with your name, then your broker will not provide us
with your name, but will provide us with the number of shares held in each of
your accounts.
How
will your stock be treated in you hold your common stock in more than one
account?
If you
hold stock in more than one account or more than one name, each account will be
treated separately. For example, if shares are held in the names of
Jon Doe, Jonathan Doe and Jon P. Doe, each account will be treated
separately. If you have less than 101 shares in each of these
accounts, you will receive cash in lieu of fractional shares for all of your
accounts. Similarly, if you have accounts at different brokerage
firms, each account will be treated separately.
Can
you combine your accounts so that all of your shares are in one
account?
You can
combine your accounts either by yourself or through your brokerage
firm.
If you
hold shares in brokerage accounts, you should discuss with your broker the
method of combining your account. If you hold shares in your own
name, you should contact our transfer agent to obtain information as to
combining your accounts.
Can
you divide your accounts so that you will receive cash in respect of all of your
shares?
We will
pay cash in lieu of fractional shares to each stockholder of record and each
stockholder who holds shares in a brokerage or nominee account on the effective
date of the reverse split. Whether you divide or combine your
accounts, each account which is treated as a separate account on the effective
date of the reverse split will be treated separately in determining what shares
or cash in lieu of fractional shares is due to you.
Who
is our transfer agent?
Our
transfer agent is American Stock Transfer and Trust Company, LLC, 6201 15th
Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219, phone: 718-921-8261.
Why
did we choose to adopt a reverse stock split?
Our board
of directors approved the reverse split in order to enable us to reduce the
number of our stockholders and to terminate the registration of our common stock
under the Exchange Act. We have a large number of stockholders who
own small quantities of our common stock.
On the
effective date of the reverse split, each 101 shares of common stock will
automatically be combined and changed into one share of common stock, which
means that each share will be converted into 1/101 (or approximately 0.0099)
shares of common stock. No fractional shares of new common stock will
be issued to any stockholder as a result of the reverse split. We
will pay the holders of fractional shares the value of their fractional shares,
based on the last closing price for our common stock as of the effective date of
the reverse split. On November 19, 2009, the last closing price of our common
stock was $0.13.
As a
result of the reverse split, we will have fewer than 300 stockholders of record,
and we will be able to terminate the registration of our common stock under the
Exchange Act. Upon filing a certification and notice of
termination of registration under the Exchange Act, we will no longer be
required to file the annual, quarterly and current reports which we are
presently required to file and we will not be subject to provisions of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, including those relating to the attestation by our
independent auditor as to our internal controls over financial
reporting.
Who
is paying the cost of this information statement and the payments for fractional
shares in the reverse split ?
We will
pay for preparing, printing and mailing this information statement. Our costs
are estimated at approximately $10,000. In addition, we will be paying our
stockholders who have fractional shares for the value of their fractional
shares, at an estimated cost of $1,100, based on the closing price of our common
stock on November 19, 2009.
How
did we determine the amount that we will pay for fractional
shares?
The
amount that we will pay for fractional shares will be based on the last closing
price of our common stock as of the date of the reverse split. As of November
19, 2009, the last closing price of our common stock was
$0.13.
How
did we determine the ratio for the reverse split?
The
one-for-101 ratio for the reverse split was based on an analysis of our
outstanding stock and was intended to result in our common stock being owned by
less than 300 stockholders in order that we can terminate our registration under
the Exchange Act.
Why
do we want to terminate the registration of our common stock?
The
decision by our board of directors to approve the reverse split was made after
carefully considering our long-term goals and our current operating environment,
including our cash requirements. We estimate that we will realize significant
cost savings, of approximately $750,000 annually, resulting from the elimination
of reporting obligations under the Exchange Act. We believe that continued
reporting pursuant to the Exchange Act does not provide any material benefit to
us or our stockholders, while imposing significant costs of compliance. The
decision was made at this time due to the Company’s current financial condition
(as of September 30, 2009, the Company had cash of $564,862 and a working
capital deficit of $8,367,049 (see “Summary Financial Information”)), which has
made it imperative for the Company to seek ways to reduce expenses, and the
performance of the Company’s common stock (as of November 19, 2009, the last
closing price of the Company’s common stock was $0.13 (see “Market and Market
Price of Our Common Stock”)), which has made it increasingly unlikely that the
Company will obtain material benefits from being a publicly reporting company.
We believe that we and our stockholders are much better served by applying our
financial and management resources to our operations.
Following
termination of the registration of our common stock under the Exchange Act, will
no longer incur external auditor fees, consulting and legal fees related to
being a public company, including expenses related to compliance, planning,
documentation and testing, in connection with the internal controls provisions
of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. We may incur annual
audit fees as a private company although the costs of such services have yet to
be determined. Additionally, such termination will eliminate the
Company’s obligation to publicly disclose sensitive, competitive business
information. In addition to the related direct financial burden from being
a public company, the thin trading market in our common stock has not provided
the desired level of liquidity to our stockholders nor provided a meaningful
incentive for our key employees.
Did
we appoint any representative to act on behalf of stockholders who are not
affiliates of the Company?
The
action described in this information statement was approved by the unanimous
consent of the board of directors and the holders of approximately 65% of our
common stock. The board did not appoint any person to act as
representative for the other stockholders.
Did
we consider other alternatives to the reverse split?
Yes. The
board considered maintaining the status quo as an alternative to the reverse
split. However, due to the significant costs of being a public reporting
company, and other considerations described herein, our board believed that
maintaining the status quo would be detrimental to all stockholders. We would
continue to incur the expenses of being a public company without realizing the
benefits of public company status.
Who
is paying the cost of this information statement and the payments for fractional
shares in the reverse split?
We will
pay for preparing, printing and mailing this information
statement. Only one information statement will be delivered to
multiple stockholders sharing an address, unless contrary instructions are
received from one or more of such stockholders. Upon receipt of a written
request at the address noted above, we will deliver a single copy of this
information statement and future stockholder communication documents to any
stockholders sharing an address to which multiple copies are now
delivered. We estimate our legal, transfer agent, printing, mailing
and related costs associated with this information statement will be
approximately $20,000. In addition, we will be paying our
stockholders who have fractional shares for the value of the fractional shares,
based on the last closing price of our common stock as of the effective date on
the reverse split. We estimate that we will pay out stockholders approximately
$1,100 for their fractional shares. We will pay the costs associated
with this information statement as well as the cash in lieu of fractional shares
from cash available to us.
When
will the reverse split become effective?
This
information statement is first being mailed or furnished to our stockholders on
or about November , 2009 and the reverse split will
become upon the filing of a certificate of amendment to our articles of
incorporation on or about the 20th day
thereafter.
Where
can you get copies of this information statement and any other material that we
have filed with the SEC in connection with the reverse
split?
We make
all of our filings with the SEC, including this information statement and the
Schedule 13E-3 relating to the reverse split, on the SEC’s EDGAR system. This
information is available through the SEC’s website at
www.sec.gov.
We also
maintain copies of our filings with the SEC on our corporate
website. You can obtain access to these filings at
www.aspyra.com.
Purposes,
Alternatives and Effects of the Reverse Split
The
purpose of the reverse split is to reduce the number of record holders of our
common stock so that we will have fewer than 300 stockholders of
record. Following the reverse split, we will have fewer than 300
stockholders of record and we will be able to terminate our registration under
the Exchange Act. As a result of the termination of our registration
under the Exchange Act:
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We
will not be required to file annual reports, quarterly and current reports
which are due after we file the notice of termination of
registration. We currently file annual reports on Form 10-K,
which include our audited year-end financial statements, quarterly reports
on Form 10-Q, which include unaudited quarterly and year-to-date financial
statements, and current reports on Form 8-K, which report significant
matters. If the reverse split becomes effective before March
31, 2010, we will not be required to file a Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2009.
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•
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We
will not be required to provide you with an information statement in
connection with a meeting of stockholders or with an information statement
in connection with action taken without a meeting. We would be
required to give you notice of the meeting or notice of action taken
without a meeting under the California General Corporation Law, but we
would not be required to provide you with the information that is required
to be included in a proxy statement or an information
statement.
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•
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We
would not be subject to provisions of the Sarbanes Oxley Act, which, among
other provisions, would require us to obtain attestation by our
independent auditors as to our internal controls over financial
reporting.
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•
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Our
officers, directors and 10% stockholders would not be required to file
beneficial ownership reports on Forms 3, 4 and
5.
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Holders
who beneficially own 5% or more of our common stock would not be required
to file statements of beneficial ownership on Schedules 13D or
13G.
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In
addition, many brokerage firms may have policies which discourage purchases and
sales of stock of companies that are not reporting companies; however, our
common stock is already affected by policies at many brokerage firms that
discourage transactions in low price stocks.
As an
alternative to the reverse split, the board considered maintaining the status
quo as. However, due to the significant costs of being a public reporting
company, and other considerations described herein, our board believed that
maintaining the status quo would be detrimental to all stockholders. We would
continue to incur the expenses of being a public company without realizing the
benefits of public company status.
Prior to
November 16, 2009, our Common Stock traded on the NYSE Amex. On September 24,
2009, the Company received notice from NYSE Amex that the Company does not meet
one of NYSE Amex’s continued listing standards as set forth in Part 10 of the
NYSE Amex LLC Company Guide (the “Company Guide”). The notice received from NYSE
Amex stated that the Company is not in compliance with Section 1003(a)(iv) of
the Company Guide. The Company was afforded the opportunity to submit a plan of
compliance to NYSE Amex by October 26, 2009, addressing how it intends to regain
compliance with Section 1003(a)(iv) of the Company Guide by March 24, 2010.
Because the Company intends to deregister under the Exchange Act, the Company
did not submit such a plan to NYSE Amex. On November 6, 2009, the Company filed
a Form 25 with the SEC for the voluntary delisting of its common stock from NYSE
Amex. The delisting was effective on November 16, 2009. As of November 16, 2009,
our Common Stock is quoted on the Pink Sheets under the symbol APYI. This is
likely to have an adverse impact on the trading and price of our Common
Stock.
The ratio
of one-for-101 was intended to enable us to be satisfied that, following the
reverse split, we would have less than 300 stockholders of records, even if
stockholders who hold shares in street name elected to hold their shares in
their own names.
Reasons for the Reverse
Split
Our board
of directors considered many factors in unanimously approving the reverse split,
including the following:
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The
nature and limited extent of the trading in our common stock as well as
the market value that the public markets are currently applying to
us.
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•
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The
direct and indirect costs associated with the preparation and filing of
our periodic reports with the SEC, which we estimate at approximately
$750,000 annually.
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•
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The
fact that many other typical advantages of being a public company,
including enhanced access to capital and the ability to use equity
securities to acquire other businesses, are not currently sufficiently
available to us, because of both our recent history of losses and the low
price and limited trading volume in our stock, to justify such
costs.
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•
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The
current level of analyst coverage and limited liquidity for our common
stock under current and reasonably foreseeable market
conditions.
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We
believe that continued reporting pursuant to the Exchange Act does not provide
any material benefit to us or our stockholders, while imposing significant costs
of compliance. We believe that we and our stockholders are much better served by
applying our financial and management resources to our operations. Following
termination of the registration of our common stock under the Exchange Act, we
will no longer incur external auditor fees, consulting and legal fees related to
being a public company, including expenses related to compliance, planning,
documentation and testing, in connection with the internal controls provisions
of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. We may incur annual
audit fees as a private company although the costs of such services have yet to
be determined. Additionally, such termination will eliminate the
Company’s obligation to publicly disclose sensitive, competitive business
information. In addition to the related direct financial burden from being
a public company, the thin trading market in our common stock has not provided
the desired level of liquidity to our stockholders nor provided a meaningful
incentive for our key employees.
In
addition to the significant time and cost savings resulting from termination of
our registration under the Exchange Act, the board believes that this action
will allow our management to focus its attention and resources on building
longer-term enterprise value.
The
decision was made at this time due to the Company’s current financial condition
(as of September 30, 2009, the Company had cash of $564,862 and a working
capital deficit of $8,367,049 (see “Summary Financial Information”)), which has
made it imperative for the Company to seek ways to reduce expenses, and the
performance of the Company’s common stock (as of November 19, 2009, the last
closing price of the Company’s common stock was $0.13 (see “Market and Market
Price of Our Common Stock”)), which has made it increasingly unlikely that the
Company will obtain material benefits from being a publicly reporting company.
Based upon our current plans, we believe that our existing cash reserves will
not be sufficient to meet our current obligations and other obligations as they
become due and payable. As of September 30, 2009, our average monthly cash usage
is $265,000. Accordingly, we need to obtain additional debt or equity financing
through a public or private placement of securities, or obtain a credit facility
with a lender. Our ability to meet such obligations will depend on our ability
to sell securities, borrow funds, reduce operating costs, or some combination
thereof. Due to our recent losses, together with the worldwide economic downturn
and the general lack of credit even for companies with strong balance sheets and
positive operating results, our difficulties in obtaining financing are
increasing. We may not be successful in obtaining necessary financing on
acceptable terms, if at all.
The
Company has in the past considered, is currently considering, and may consider
in the future consider, the sale of all or part of the Company’s business.
However, all of our past discussions terminated without any agreement and we
cannot give any assurance that we would be able to sell all or part of the
Company’s business.
The
reasons for the structure of the transaction are as follows:
·
|
The
reverse split will reduce the number of shareholders of record below 300,
and thus allow the Company to terminate the registration of the Company’s
Common Stock under the Exchange Act. The structure of the transaction thus
allows the Company to achieve its objective of deregistering its common
stock under the Exchange
Act.
|
·
|
The
price to be paid for fractional shares will be based on the market price
of the common stock, which the board believes is a readily determinable
and fair price, as it is indicative of the value of the Company on a going
concern basis.
|
·
|
The
one-for-101 ratio for the reverse split was based on an analysis of our
outstanding stock and was intended to result in our common stock being
owned by less than 300 stockholders in order that we can terminate our
registration under the Exchange
Act.
|
Effects
of the Reverse Split on on our Affiliates
Rodney
Schutt, our chief executive officer and a director, owns 161,538 shares of
common stock, representing approximately 0.9% of our outstanding common stock.
Following the reverse split, Mr. Schutt will own 1,599 shares of common stock,
which will represent approximately 0.9% of our outstanding common stock after
the reverse split.
The
estate of C. Ian Sym-Smith (a former director of the Company who died in
September 2009) owns 1,560,982 shares, representing approximately 9.1% of our
outstanding common stock. Following the reverse split, the estate of C. Ian
Sym-Smith will own 15,455 shares of common stock, which will represent
approximately 9.1% of our outstanding common stock after the reverse
split.
Bradford
G. Peters, a former director of the Company, owns 2,269,711 shares, representing
approximately 13.2% of our outstanding shares. Following the reverse split, Mr.
Peters will own 22,472 shares of common stock, which will represent
approximately 13.2% of our outstanding common stock after the reverse
split.
James
Shawn Chalmers owns 2,289,660 shares, representing approximately 13.3% of our
outstanding common stock. Following the reverse split, Mr. Chalmers will own
22,669 shares of common stock, which will represent approximately 13.3% of our
outstanding common stock after the reverse split. . Mr. Chalmers states that he
does not own any Common Stock directly but he is (i) the sole director and
President and majority shareholder of J&S Ventures, Inc.; (ii) the sole
manager and holder of 75% of the membership interests of Orion Capital
Investments, LLC; and (iii) the sole trustee and sole beneficiary of the J.
Shawn Chalmers Revocable Trust dated August 13, 1996.
No other
officer or director owns any significant number of shares.
In
addition to the shares owned by officers and directors, four of our directors
hold options to purchase a total of 269,997 shares of common stock at exercise
price ranging from $0.22 per share to $2.48. As a result of the
reverse split, these options will entitle the holders to purchase approximately
2,674 shares of common stock at exercise prices ranging from $22.22 to $250.48
per share.
Under the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, our affiliates would recognize
capital gain or loss on the cash issued in lieu of fraction shares, based upon
the difference between the proceeds received over the basis of the
shares. Since no affiliate would receive more than the last closing
price of our common stock as of the effective date of the reverse split (as
adjusted for the reverse stock split) (as of November 19, 2009, the last closing
price of our common stock was $0.13, or $13.13 as adjusted for the reverse
split) in lieu of fractional shares, the tax consequences to our affiliates are
not material.
Effects
and Tax Consequences of the Reverse Split on our Other
Stockholders
The
combination and exchange of each 101 shares of the common stock into one share
of new common stock should be a tax-free transaction for federal income tax
purposes to United States persons who hold the shares as capital assets, and the
holding period and tax basis of the old common stock will be transferred to the
new common stock received in exchange therefore, including the fractional
shares. The cash paid for fractional shares will be treated as a
payment in redemption of the fractional shares and the stockholder will
recognize a capital gain or loss, as the case may be, on the difference between
the stockholder’s basis in the fractional share and the payment in lieu of the
fractional share.
Each
United States stockholder who owns 101 shares or an integral multiple of 101
shares will receive one share for each 101 shares owned by the stockholder and
no cash in lieu of fractional shares. If the shares are held as
capital assets, the stockholder’s basis would be transferred to the new shares
and no tax would be payable as a result of the reverse
split.
Each
stockholder who owns less than 101 shares or who owns more than 101 shares in
different accounts, with each account holding less than 101 shares at the
effective date of the reverse split will cease to be a stockholder and will
receive cash in lieu of fractional shares. The stockholder will
receive a payment of less than the last closing price of our common stock as of
the effective date of the reverse split (as of November 19, 2009, the last
closing price of our common stock was $0.13) for each account, depending on the
number of shares of common stock held in the account. This payment,
assuming the stockholder is a United States person and holds the stock as a
capital asset, would be a long or short term capital gain, based on his or her
basis in the stock and holding period. If you receive cash in lieu of
all of your shares, you will not have the opportunity to participate in and
potentially benefit from any future business combination transaction in which we
may engage. However, we cannot give any assurance that any such transaction
would result in any payment to our stockholders.
Each
stockholder who owns 101 or more shares will continue to be a stockholder and
will receive both stock and cash in lieu of fractional shares, if
any. The stockholder’s basis in the shares will be spread over all of
the shares, including fractional shares, that are received in the reverse
split. The stockholder will receive the whole number of shares
issuable as a result of the reverse split and a cash payment of less than the
last closing price of our common stock as of the effective date of the reverse
split for each account for fractional shares (as adjusted for the reverse
split). This payment, assuming the stockholder is a United States
person and holds the stock as a capital asset, would be treated as long or short
term capital gain treatment, based on his or her basis in the fractional shares
stock and stockholder’s holding period.
If you
continue to remain a stockholder, you will still retain the rights of a minority
stockholder under the California General Corporation Law and the directors will
continue to have a fiduciary duty toward you as a
stockholder. However, you would not necessarily receive any financial
or other information on us, except to the limited extend required by the
California General Corporation Law. We believe that the elimination
of the expenses resulting from the reverse split and the consequent termination
of our registration under the Exchange Act will improve our financial condition
and results of operations, and thus improve our chances of completing a sale of
the Company. As a result, if you continue as a stockholder, you would
have the opportunity to participate in any acquisition
transaction. However, we cannot assure you that you would realize any
benefit from such a transaction.
The
discussion relating to taxes is limited to federal income tax consequences to
United States persons who hold the common stock as a capital asset and should
not be considered as tax or investment advice. The tax consequences
of the reverse split may not be the same for all stockholders. You should
consult your own tax advisors to know how federal, state, local and foreign tax
laws affect you.
Fairness
of the Reverse Split
The
Company believes that the reverse split is fair, both substantively and
procedurally, to the stockholders. The amendment to our articles of
incorporation was unanimously approved by all of our directors, most of whom are
independent, do not have a significant equity interest in the Company and would
not receive any significant benefit from the reverse split. In
determining that the reverse split is fair to the stockholders, the directors
considered the factors described under “Special Factors – Reasons for the
Reverse Split.”
In
approving the reverse split, our directors also considered the following other
factors in order that the reverse split is fair to the minority
stockholders:
·
|
The
price paid for fractional shares will be based on the last closing price
of the common stock as of the effective date of the reverse split. The
Company believes the market price of the common stock, rather than the
book value, is fair to stockholders, because the market value because is
indicative of the value of the Company on a going concern basis, whereas
book value is indicative of historical cost. As of September 30, 2009, the
book value per share of the Company’s common stock was approximately
$0.24, based on stockholders’ equity of $4,199,246 and 17,201,327 shares
of common stock outstanding as of September 30,
2009.
|
·
|
The
reverse split provides stockholders who own less than 101 shares with
liquidity in a stock which has a limited trading
market.
|
·
|
Stockholders
who hold 101 or more shares retain an interest in us. If these
stockholders desire to obtain cash for their shares, they have the ability
to divide their stockholdings among different accounts so that all
accounts can be cashed out.
|
In
addition, we believe that the elimination of the expenses resulting from the
reverse split and the consequent termination of our registration under the
Exchange Act will improve our financial condition and results of operations, and
thus improve our chances of completing a sale of the Company. As a
result, stockholders who continue to own shares of the Company would have the
opportunity to participate in any acquisition transaction. However,
we cannot assure you that stockholders would realize any benefit from such a
transaction.
The
amendment to our articles of incorporation has been approved by the holders of
more than 65% of our outstanding common stock. We are not seeking
approval by a majority of unaffiliated stockholders.
Neither
our board nor our independent directors has retained an unaffiliated
representative to act solely on behalf of unaffiliated security holders for
purpose of negotiating the terms of the reverse split. We believe
that it was not necessary to retain an unaffiliated representative to negotiate
the terms of the reverse split because:
•
|
The
price at which fractional interests will be bought will be based on the
market price of the common
stock.
|
•
|
There
is a limited trading market in our common
stock.
|
•
|
A
majority of our directors are independent and will receive no benefit as a
result of the reverse split.
|
•
|
The
amendment to our articles of incorporation which effects the reverse split
was unanimously approved by our
directors.
|
•
|
Under
the California General Corporation Law, the holders of a majority of our
shares of common has the right to take action without the consent of other
stockholders.
|
During
the past two years, we have not received any firm offers relating to the merger
or consolidation of us with or into another company, the sale or other transfer
of all or any substantial part of our assets or a purchase of our securities
that would enable the holder to exercise control of us.
We did
not receive any report, opinion or appraisal from a third party in connection
with the reverse split.
As an
alternative to the reverse split, the board considered maintaining the status
quo. However, due to the significant costs of being a public reporting company,
and other considerations described herein, our board believed that maintaining
the status quo would be detrimental to all stockholders. We would continue to
incur the expenses of being a public company without realizing the benefits of
public company status.
In view
of the foregoing, our board believes that the reverse split is substantively and
procedurally fair to all unaffiliated stockholders, including those who will be
cashed out and those who will continue to own shares of our common
stock.
AMENDMENT TO ARTICLES OF
INCORPORATION TO EFFECT 101-TO-1 REVERSE STOCK SPLIT
Our board
of directors and the holders of a majority of our outstanding shares of common
stock have approved an amendment to our articles of incorporation to effect a
101-to-1 reverse stock split. The reverse split will become effective upon the
filing of the amendment to the articles of incorporation with the Secretary of
State of the State of California. We will file the amendment to our articles of
incorporation to effect the reverse stock split approximately (but not less
than) 20 days after this Information Statement is mailed to
stockholders.
The
amendment to the articles of incorporation will effect a 101-to-1 reverse split
in our common stock, no par value (“Common Stock”). As a result of the reverse
split, each 101 shares of Common Stock (the “Old Shares”) will become and be
converted into one share of Common Stock (the “New Shares”). We will pay cash
for fractional shares. As a result, any shareholder who owns less than 101
shares will cease to be a shareholder.
Our
certificate of incorporation presently authorizes the issuance of 75,000,000
shares of common stock, no par value (“Common Stock”), and 500,000 shares of
preferred stock, no par value (“Preferred Stock”). As of the date of
this information statement, 17,201,327 shares of Common Stock and no shares
of Preferred Stock are outstanding. The number of authorized shares of Common
Stock and Preferred Stock and the par value of our Common Stock and Preferred
Stock will not be affected by the amendment to our articles of
incorporation.
No
fractional shares of common stock will be issued in the reverse
split. We will pay cash in lieu of fractional shares based on the
last closing price of our common stock as of the effective date of the reverse
split.
By
effecting the reverse split and paying cash for fractional shares, we will
reduce the number of record owners of our Common Stock so that we will have
fewer than 300 stockholders of record. When we have fewer than 300
record owners of our Common Stock we will be able to terminate our registration
under the Exchange Act. As a result of the termination of our
registration under the Exchange Act:
·
|
We
will not be required to file annual reports, quarterly and current reports
which are due after we file the notice of termination of
registration. We currently file annual reports on Form 10-K,
which include our audited year-end financial statements, quarterly reports
on Form 10-Q, which include unaudited quarterly and year-to-date financial
statements, and current reports on Form 8-K, which report significant
matters. If the reverse split becomes effective prior to March
31, 2010, we will not be required to file a Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2009.
|
·
|
We
will not be required to provide you with a proxy statement in connection
with a meeting of stockholders or with an information statement in
connection with action taken without a meeting. We will be
required to give you notice of the meeting or notice of action taken
without a meeting under the California General Corporation Law, but we
will not be required to provide you with the information that is required
to be included in a proxy statement or an information
statement.
|
·
|
We
would not be subject to provisions of the Sarbanes Oxley Act, which, among
other provisions, would require us to obtain attestation by our
independent auditors as to our internal controls over financial
reporting.
|
·
|
Our
officers, directors and 10% stockholders will not be required to file
beneficial ownership reports on Forms 3, 4 and
5.
|
·
|
Holders
of 5% of our stock would not be required to file statements of beneficial
ownership on Schedules 13D or 13G.
|
In
addition, many brokerage firms may have policies which discourage purchases and
sales of stock of companies that are not reporting companies.
We
presently have 75,000,000 authorized shares of Common Stock, of which 17,201,327
shares are outstanding, 8,653,078 shares are reserved for issuance upon exercise
of outstanding debentures, 6,797,233 shares are reserved for issuance upon
exercise of outstanding warrants, and 1,865,000 shares are reserved for issuance
under outstanding options.
The
reverse stock split will not change the number of authorized shares of the
Company’s common stock under the Company’s articles of incorporation. Because
the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock will decrease, the
number of shares of Common Stock remaining available for issuance will increase.
The Company does not currently have any plans, proposal or arrangement to issue
any of its authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock.
By
increasing the number of authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock, the
reverse split could, under certain circumstances, have an anti-takeover effect,
although this is not the intent of the board of directors. For example, it may
be possible for the board of directors to delay or impede a takeover or transfer
of control of the Company by causing such additional authorized but unissued
shares to be issued to holders who might side with the board of directors in
opposing a takeover bid that the board of directors determines is not in the
best interests of the Company or its stockholders. The reverse split therefore
may have the effect of discouraging unsolicited takeover attempts. By
potentially discouraging initiation of any such unsolicited takeover attempts
the reverse split may limit the opportunity for the Company’s stockholders to
dispose of their shares at the higher price generally available in takeover
attempts or that may be available under a merger proposal. The
reverse split may have the effect of permitting the Company’s current
management, including the current board of directors, to retain its position,
and place it in a better position to resist changes that stockholders may wish
to make if they are dissatisfied with the conduct of the Company’s
business. However, the board of directors is not aware of any
unsolicited attempt to take control of the Company and the board of directors
has not approved the reverse split with the intent that it be utilized as a type
of anti-takeover device. The Company’s articles of incorporation and by-laws do
not have any anti-takeover provisions.
The
reverse split will become effective upon the filing with the California
Secretary of State of an amendment to our articles of incorporation which states
that, upon the filing of the articles of amendment, each share of common stock
then issued and outstanding would automatically become and be converted into
1/101 share of common stock, which is approximately 0.0099
shares. Each option or warrant to purchase one share of common stock
will become an option to purchase 1/101 shares of common stock at an exercise
price equal to 101 times the exercise price in effect immediately prior to the
reverse split. The number of shares of common stock underlying convertible
debentures will decrease by a factor of 101 and the conversion of the
convertible debentures will increase by a factor by 101.
As a
result of the reverse split:
·
|
We
will have approximately 170,227 shares of Common Stock
outstanding;
|
·
|
Approximately
18,465 shares of Common Stock will be issuable upon exercise of
outstanding options with exercise prices ranging from $22.22 to
$250.48.
|
·
|
Approximately
85,674 shares of Common Stock will be issuable upon conversion of
outstanding convertible debentures, including approximately 53,735 shares
issuable at a conversion price of $55.55 and approximately 31,939 shares
issuable at a conversion price of
$31.31.
|
·
|
Approximately
67,299 shares of Common Stock will be issuable upon exercise of
outstanding warrants, including approximately 23,144 warrants with an
exercise price of $55.55 and 44,155 warrants with an exercise price of
$31.31.
|
The
reverse split will decrease the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding and
presumably increase the per share market price for the Common Stock. However, we
cannot predict what effect, if any, the reverse split will have on the market
for or the price of our Common Stock. Because we will cease to be a
reporting company, brokers may be reluctant to process trades in our
stock. Stocks that are not listed on a stock exchange or market or
trade for less than $5.00 may be subject to restrictions pursuant to the
internal rules of many brokerage houses. These restrictions tend to
adversely impact a stock’s marketability and, consequently, the stock’s
price. Since our stock price is presently very low, it is possible
that some of these restrictions may already affect our stock.
Moreover,
many leading brokerage firms are reluctant to recommend lower-priced securities,
especially those that are issued by companies that are not reporting companies
and have low stock prices and practices currently tend to discourage individual
brokers within firms from dealing in lower-priced stocks.
Based on
the reduced number of record holders of our common stock our board of directors
has elected to terminate our registration under the Exchange Act following the
effectiveness of the reverse split. We estimate the anticipated cost savings
resulting from the elimination of reporting obligations will be approximately
$750,000 annually. We believe that continued reporting pursuant to the Exchange
Act does not provide any material benefit to us or our stockholders, while
imposing significant costs of compliance. We believe we and our stockholders are
better served to the extent that we can apply our financial and management
resources to our operations.
Principal Effects of the
Reverse Split
As
described above, the total number of shares of common stock that are outstanding
and are issuable upon conversion of convertible debentures and exercise of
options and warrants will be reduced by 100/101 (or approximately
99.01%).
We will
obtain a new CUSIP number and we expect to obtain a new stock symbol for the new
common stock effective at the time of the reverse split. Following the
effectiveness of the reverse split, we will provide each record holder of common
stock with information to enable such holder to obtain new stock
certificates.
Prior to
November 16, 2009, our Common Stock traded on the NYSE Amex. On September 24,
2009, the Company received notice from NYSE Amex that the Company does not meet
one of NYSE Amex’s continued listing standards as set forth in Part 10 of the
NYSE Amex LLC Company Guide (the “Company Guide”). The notice received from NYSE
Amex stated that the Company is not in compliance with Section 1003(a)(iv) of
the Company Guide. The Company was afforded the opportunity to submit a plan of
compliance to NYSE Amex by October 26, 2009, addressing how it intends to regain
compliance with Section 1003(a)(iv) of the Company Guide by March 24, 2010.
Because the Company intends to deregister under the Exchange Act, the Company
did not submit such a plan to NYSE Amex. On November 6, 2009, the Company filed
a Form 25 with the SEC for the voluntary delisting of its common stock from NYSE
Amex. The delisting was effective on November 16, 2009. As of November 16, 2009,
our Common Stock is quoted on the Pink Sheets under the symbol APYI. This is
likely to have an adverse impact on the trading and price of our Common
Stock.
The
certificate of amendment to our articles of incorporation, in the form of
Appendix A hereto, will be filed with the Secretary of State of California and
the reverse split will become effective as of the close of business on the date
of such filing.
Our stockholders will not
have any right of appraisal or any other right with respect to the reverse split
and the deregistration of our common stock under the Exchange Act other than the
right to receive cash for fractional shares as described in this information
statement.
Market
and Market Price for Our Common Stock
As noted above, prior to November 16, 2009, our Common Stock
traded on the NYSE Amex under the symbol APY. On November 6, 2009, the Company
filed a Form 25 with the SEC for the voluntary delisting of its common stock
from NYSE Amex. The delisting was effective on November 16, 2009. As of November
16, 2009, our Common Stock is quoted on the Pink Sheets under the symbol APYI.
The
following table sets forth for the periods indicated, the range of the high and
low sale prices for the common shares. The prices do not include retail markups,
markdowns, or commissions.
|
|
High
|
|
|
Low
|
|
Fiscal
2007 ending December 31
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fir First
Quarter
|
|
$
|
2.45
|
|
|
$
|
1.60
|
|
Sec Second
Quarter
|
|
|
2.45
|
|
|
|
1.64
|
|
Thi Third
Quarter
|
|
|
2.35
|
|
|
|
1.60
|
|
Fou
Fourth Quarter
|
|
|
2.61
|
|
|
|
1.50
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fiscal
2008 ending December 31
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Firs
First Quarter
|
|
|
1.79
|
|
|
|
0.34
|
|
Sec Second
Quarter
|
|
|
0.90
|
|
|
|
0.32
|
|
Thir
Third Quarter
|
|
|
0.82
|
|
|
|
0.18
|
|
Fou Fourth
Quarter
|
|
|
0.71
|
|
|
|
0.01
|
|
Ffff
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Firs
Fiscal 2009 ending December 31
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
F f First
Quarter
|
|
|
2.98
|
|
|
|
0.15
|
|
S
S Second Quarter
|
|
|
0.45
|
|
|
|
0.21
|
|
Thir
Third Quarter
|
|
|
0.30
|
|
|
|
0.16
|
|
Fou Fourth
Quarter (as of November 19, 2009)
|
|
|
0.28
|
|
|
|
0.
08
|
|
On
November 19, 2009, the last reported sales price of our common stock was $0.13
per share.
We did
not declare or pay any cash dividends in 2009, 2008 or 2007, and we do not
anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
Exchange of Certificate and
Elimination of Fractional Share Interests
On the
effective date of the reverse split, each Old Share will automatically be
combined and changed into 1/101 New Share. No additional action on our part or
on the part of any stockholder will be required in order to effect the reverse
split. Stockholders will be requested to exchange their certificates
representing Old Shares held prior to the reverse split for new certificates
representing New Shares issued as a result of the reverse split. Stockholders
will be furnished the necessary materials and instructions to enable them to
effect such exchange promptly after the effective date. Certificates
representing Old Shares subsequently presented for transfer will not be
transferred on our books and records, but we will effect the conversion of the
Old Shares into New Shares. Stockholders should not submit any certificates
until requested to do so.
As
discussed above, no fractional New Shares stock will be issued to any
stockholder. Accordingly, if you would otherwise be entitled to receive
fractional New Shares, you will be paid for your fractional shares based on the
last closing price of our common stock as of the effective date of the reverse
split. In order to receive any fractional shares to which you may be
entitled, you must present your stock certificate for exchange. If
you fail to deliver your stock certificate, the cash payable in respect of your
fractional shares will be held until you deliver your stock
certificate. However, if you have not delivered your stock
certificate prior to the date on which we pay unclaimed cash to a public
official pursuant to relevant abandoned property laws, in which event you will
have to comply with the provisions of the abandoned property laws in order to
receive your cash. We will not pay any interest on amounts due in
lieu of fractional shares.
In the
event any certificate representing Old Shares is not presented for exchange upon
our request, any dividends or other distributions that may be declared after the
effective date of the reverse split with respect to the New Shares represented
by such certificate will be withheld by us until the certificate for the Old
Shares has been properly presented for exchange, at which time all such withheld
dividends which have not yet been paid to a public official pursuant to relevant
abandoned property laws will be paid to the holder thereof or his designee,
without interest.
Possible Transactions
Following Termination of Registration under the Exchange
Act
We have
in the past and are currently engaged in discussions with other companies with
respect to the sale of all or part of our business. These discussions have not
resulted in any agreement. We continue to solicit inquiries from companies in
our industry that are evaluating the possibility of acquiring all or part of our
business. We will negotiate in good faith with respect to proposals that
the board of directors believes are in our best interest. There is no
assurance any agreement for the sale of all or part of our business will be
reached.
Federal Income Tax
Consequences of the Reverse Stock Split
The
combination and change of each 101 Old Shares into one New Share should be a
tax-free transaction, and the holding period and tax basis of the Old Shares
will be transferred to the New Shares received in exchange
therefore. Provided that the Old Shares are held as a capital asset,
the cash paid for fractional shares will be treated as a payment in redemption
of the fractional shares and the stockholder will recognize a capital gain or
loss, as the base may be, on the difference between the stockholder’s basis in
the fractional share and the payment in lieu of the fractional
share.
This
discussion should not be considered as tax or investment advice, and the tax
consequences of the reverse split may not be the same for all stockholders.
Stockholders should consult their own tax advisors to know their individual
federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences.
No Appraisal
Rights
An
appraisal right is a right granted by the laws of the state of a corporation’s
incorporation which provide dissenting stockholders who follow a procedure set
forth in the statute to seek to obtain value for their shares. A
reverse split is not a transaction which gives stockholders any rights of
appraisal. As a result, you will not have any rights of appraisal
with respect to the reverse split, or any other right with respect to the
reverse split and the deregistration of our common stock under the Exchange Act
other than the right to receive cash for fractional shares as described in this
information statement.
Accounting Consequences of
the Reverse Stock Split
As
a result of the reverse split:
·
|
The
number of outstanding shares of common stock will be reduced from
17,201,327 shares, which are outstanding on the date of this information,
to approximately 170,227 shares. The exact number of shares
outstanding after the reverse split will be determined following the
effectiveness of the reverse
split.
|
·
|
The
purchase of the fractional shares will be treated as the purchase of
treasury stock and will be reflected in the stockholders’ equity section
of our balance sheet as a reduction of additional paid-in capital in the
amount of our payment in lieu of fractional shares, which is estimated at
approximately $1,100.
|
The par
value of the Common Stock will remain unchanged at no par value after the
reverse stock split. Also, the capital account of the Company will remain
unchanged, and the Company does not anticipate that any other accounting
consequences will arise as a result of the reverse stock split.
SUMMARY
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The
following tables set forth certain selected consolidated financial information
derived from our unaudited financial statements for the nine months ended
September 30, 2009 and 2008, which are included in our Form 10-Q quarterly
report for the nine months ended September 30, 2009, and our financial
statements for the years ended December 31, 2008 and 2007, which are included in
our Form 10-K annual report for the year ended December 31, 2008. Our
Form 10-Q quarterly report for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 and our
Form 10-K annual report for the year ended December 31, 2008, accompany
this information statement and the financial statements, including the notes
thereto, are incorporated by reference into this information
statement.
The
summary financial information does not include the ratio of earnings to fixed
charges since we did not have earnings in any period.
Pro forma
financial information is not presented since the reverse split will not have any
effect on our financial condition or the results of our
operations.
Our book
value per share, as of September 30, 2009, is approximately $0.34, based on
stockholders’ equity of $4,293,245 and 12,598,688 shares of common stock
outstanding as of September 30, 2009.
Statement
of Operations Information
|
|
Three Months
Ended
September 30, 2009
|
|
|
Three Months
Ended
September 30, 2008
|
|
|
Nine Months
Ended
September 30, 2009
|
|
|
Nine Months
Ended
September 30, 2008
|
|
Revenues:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
System
sales
|
|
|
14.2
|
% |
|
|
21.6
|
% |
|
|
16.0
|
% |
|
|
23.3
|
% |
Service
revenues
|
|
|
85.8 |
|
|
|
78.4 |
|
|
|
84.0 |
|
|
|
76.7 |
|
Total
revenues
|
|
|
100.0 |
|
|
|
100.0 |
|
|
|
100.0 |
|
|
|
100.0 |
|
Cost
of products and services sold:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
System
sales
|
|
|
29.2 |
|
|
|
21.4 |
|
|
|
27.6 |
|
|
|
25.2 |
|
Service
revenues
|
|
|
33.2 |
|
|
|
27.3 |
|
|
|
29.3 |
|
|
|
27.8 |
|
Total
cost of products and services
|
|
|
62.4 |
|
|
|
48.7 |
|
|
|
56.9 |
|
|
|
53.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross
profit
|
|
|
37.6 |
|
|
|
51.3 |
|
|
|
43.1 |
|
|
|
47.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Selling,
general and administrative
|
|
|
78.0 |
|
|
|
64.2 |
|
|
|
76.4 |
|
|
|
68.4 |
|
Research
and development
|
|
|
15.8 |
|
|
|
18.1 |
|
|
|
22.6 |
|
|
|
20.6 |
|
Total
operating expenses
|
|
|
93.8 |
|
|
|
82.3 |
|
|
|
99.0 |
|
|
|
89.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
loss
|
|
|
(56.2
|
) |
|
|
(31.0
|
) |
|
|
(55.9
|
) |
|
|
(42.0
|
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loss
before provision for income taxes
|
|
|
(82.7
|
) |
|
|
(33.1
|
) |
|
|
(77.6
|
) |
|
|
(46.8
|
) |
Provision
for income taxes
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
|
(82.7
|
) |
|
|
(33.1
|
) |
|
|
(77.6
|
) |
|
|
(46.8
|
) |
Deemed
Dividend
|
|
|
(12.5
|
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(3.8
|
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss applicable to common shareholders
|
|
|
(95.2
|
) |
|
|
(33.1
|
) |
|
|
(81.4
|
) |
|
|
(46.8
|
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fiscal Year Ended
December 31, 2008
|
|
Fiscal Year Ended
December 31, 2007
|
Revenues:
|
|
|
|
|
System
sales
|
|
|
20.6
|
%
|
31.5
|
Service
revenues
|
|
|
79.4
|
|
68.5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
revenues
|
|
|
100.0
|
|
100.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost
of products and services sold:
|
|
|
|
|
|
System
sales
|
|
|
25.3
|
|
24.9
|
Service
revenues
|
|
|
28.8
|
|
27.7
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
cost of products and services
|
|
|
54.1
|
|
52.6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross
profit
|
|
|
45.9
|
|
47.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Selling,
general and administrative
|
|
|
72.9
|
|
65.4
|
Impairment
of goodwill
|
|
|
6.8
|
|
—
|
Research
and development
|
|
|
21.4
|
|
22.9
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
operating
expenses
|
|
|
101.1
|
|
88.3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
loss
|
|
|
(55.2
|
)
|
(40.9
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loss
before provision for income taxes
|
|
|
(60.8
|
)
|
(41.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Provision
for income
taxes
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss
|
|
|
(60.9
|
)
|
(41.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deemed
dividend
|
|
|
—
|
|
(7.7
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss applicable to common shareholders
|
|
|
(60.9
|
)
|
(48.7
|
Balance
Sheet Information
|
|
September
30,
|
|
|
December
31,
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
2007
|
|
Working
capital (deficiency)
|
|
$ |
(8,367,049 |
) |
|
$ |
(3,874,415 |
) |
|
$ |
(4,007,912 |
)) |
Total
assets
|
|
|
14,632,753 |
|
|
|
15,164,558 |
|
|
|
16,770,507 |
|
Total
current liabilities
|
|
|
10,348,136 |
|
|
|
5,714,370 |
|
|
|
5,908,457 |
|
Long-term
liabilities
|
|
|
85,371 |
|
|
|
2,658,048 |
|
|
|
348,285 |
|
Stockholders’
equity
|
|
|
4,199,246 |
|
|
|
6,792,140 |
|
|
|
10,513,765 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BENEFICIAL
OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES AND SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF MANAGEMENT
The
following table provides information about shares of common stock beneficially
owned as of November 19, 2009 by:
|
▪
|
each
of our directors, executive officers and our executive officers and
directors as a group; and
|
|
▪
|
each
person owning of record or known by us, based on information provided to
us by the persons named below, to own beneficially at least 5% of our
common stock;
|
Name
and Position (15)
|
|
Shares
of Common Stock Beneficially Owned
|
|
Percentage
|
Rodney
Schutt
Chief
Executive Officer and Director
|
|
161,538
(1)
|
|
*
|
Lawrence
S. Schmid
Director
|
|
39,166
(2)
|
|
*
|
Robert
S. Fogerson, Jr.
Director
|
|
35,666
(3)
|
|
*
|
Norman
R. Cohen
Director
|
|
14,166
(4)
|
|
*
|
James
Zierick
Chairman
|
|
231,666
(5)
|
|
1.33%
|
Jeffrey
Tumbleson
Director
|
|
16,665
(6)
|
|
*
|
All
officers and directors as a group (six
individuals)
|
|
498,867
|
|
2.86%
|
Estate
of C. Ian Sym-Smith (7)
|
|
2,433,966 (8)
|
|
13.47%
|
Bradford
G. Peters (9)
|
|
2,647,513
(10)
|
|
15.06%
|
Bicknell
Family Holding Co. LLC (11)
|
|
1,909,135
(12)
|
|
9.99%
|
Potomac
Capital Management (13)
|
|
946,000
|
|
5.50%
|
James
Shawn Chalmers (14)
|
|
2,289,660
|
|
13.31%
|
*
less than 1%.
(1)
Does not include 700,000 shares issuable under currently non-exercisable options
held by Mr. Schutt.
(2)
Includes 14,166 shares of common stock issuable under currently exercisable
stock options and options that may be exercisable within 60 days of November 19,
2009 held by Mr. Schmid, but excludes 25,834 shares of common stock issuable
under currently non-exercisable stock options held by Mr. Schmid.
Mr. Schmid’s address is c/o Strategic Directions International, Inc.,
6242 Westchester Parkway, Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90045.
(3)
Includes 14,166 shares of Common Stock issuable under currently exercisable
stock options and options that may be exercisable within 60 days of November 19,
2009 held by Mr. Fogerson but excludes 25,834 shares of common stock issuable
under currently non-exercisable stock options held by Mr. Fogerson.
Mr. Fogerson’s address is 2111 Austrian Pine Lane, Minnetonka, MN
55305.
(4)
Includes 14,166 shares of common stock issuable under currently exercisable
stock options and options that may be exercisable within 60 days of November 19,
2009 held by Mr. Cohen but excludes 25,834 shares of common stock issuable under
currently non-exercisable stock options held by Mr. Cohen.
(5)
Includes 231,166 shares of common stock issuable under currently exercisable
stock options and options that may be exercisable within 60 days of November 19,
2009 held by Mr. Zierick but excludes 23,334 shares of Common Stock issuable
under currently non-exercisable stock options held by Mr.
Zierick. (7) C.
Ian Sym-Smith was a director of the Company from November 2005 until his death
on September 18, 2009. Edd H. Hyde is the executor of the estate of Mr.
Sym-Smith and has voting and dispositive powers over the shares of the Company
owned by the estate.
6)
Includes 16,665 shares of common stock issuable under currently exercisable
stock options and options that may be exercisable within 60 days of November 19,
2009 held by Mr. Tumbleson but excludes 53,335 shares of common stock issuable
under currently non-exercisable stock options held by Mr.
Tumbleson. Mr. Tumbleson’s address is 2107 Ipswitch Ct, Thompson’s
Station, TN 37179.
(7) C.
Ian Sym-Smith was a director of the Company from November 2005 until his death
on September 18, 2009. Edd H. Hyde is the executor of the estate of Mr.
Sym-Smith and has voting and dispositive powers over the shares of the Company
owned by the estate.
(8)
Includes 14,166 shares of Common Stock issuable under stock options that may be
exercisable within 60 days of November 19, 2009, but excludes 25,834 shares
of Common Stock issuable under currently non-exercisable stock options held by
the estate of Mr. Sym-Smith. Also includes 423,753 shares of Common Stock
issuable upon conversion of convertible debentures held by the estate of Mr.
Sym-Smith and 433,065 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of warrants
held by the estate of Mr. Sym-Smith.
(9)
Bradford G. Peters was a director of the Company from November 2005 to January
2008.
(10)
Includes 14,166 shares of Common Stock issuable under stock options that may be
exercisable within 60 days of November 19, 2009, but excludes 25,834 shares of
Common Stock issuable under currently non-exercisable stock options held by Mr.
Peters. Also includes 363,636 shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of
convertible debentures held by Mr. Peters. Mr. Peters’s address is 21 Grove
Lane, Greenwich, CT 06831.
(11)
Martin C. Bicknell is the manager of Bicknell Family Holding Co., LLC and in
accordance with Rule 13d-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, may be deemed a control person, with voting and investment power
(directly or with others), of the securities of the Company owned by Bicknell
Family Holding Co., LLC. Mr. Bicknell disclaims beneficial ownership of
these securities. Bicknell Family Holding Co., LLC’s address is 7400 College
Blvd., Suite 205, Overland Park, Kansas 66210.
(12) The
holder owns convertible notes convertible into an aggregate of 3,563,050 shares
of Common Stock and warrants to purchase an aggregate of 4,582,404 shares of
Common Stock. The notes and warrants owned by the holder provide that they
cannot be converted or exercised, as applicable, to the extent such conversion
or exercise, as applicable, would result in the holder and its affiliates
beneficially owning more than 9.99% of our outstanding common stock on the date
of such conversion or exercise, as applicable. The number and percentage of
common stock deemed beneficially owned is limited
accordingly.
(13)
Potomac Capital Management LLC’s address is 825 Third Avenue, 33rd Floor, New
York, NY 10022. Based on information contained in Schedule 13G/A filed with the
SEC on May 6, 2009 by Potomac Capital Management LLC, Potomac Capital Management
Inc. and Paul J. Solit as joint filers. Paul J. Solit is the Managing Member of
Potomac Capital Management LLC and President of Potomac Capital Management Inc.
All of the joint filers state that they have shared voting and shared
dispositive power over 946,000 shares. The joint filers state that they own an
aggregate of 946,000 shares of Common Stock.
(14) Mr.
James Shawn Chalmers’ address is 705 South 10th Street, Blue Springs, Missouri
64015. Mr. Chalmers states that he does not own any Common Stock directly but he
is (i) the sole director and President and majority shareholder of J&S
Ventures, Inc.; (ii) the sole manager and holder of 75% of the membership
interests of Orion Capital Investments, LLC; and (iii) the sole trustee and sole
beneficiary of the J. Shawn Chalmers Revocable Trust dated August 13,
1996.
(15) The
address and phone number of each person, and of all other officers and directors
of the Company set forth under “Management” below, unless otherwise indicated,
is c/o Aspyra, Inc., 4360 Park Terrace Drive, Suite 220, Westlake Village, phone
number 818-880-6700.
Except as
otherwise indicated each person has the sole power to vote and dispose of all
shares of common stock listed opposite his name. Each person is deemed to own
beneficially shares of common stock which are issuable upon exercise of warrants
or upon conversion of convertible securities if they are exercisable or
convertible within 60 days of November 19, 2009. None of the persons named in
the table own any options or convertible securities.
MANAGEMENT
Set forth
below is information regarding our current directors and executive
officers.
Rodney
W.
Schutt
|
|
44
|
|
Chief
Executive Officer and Director
|
Anahita
Villafane
|
|
39
|
|
Chief
Financial Officer and Secretary
|
Ademola
Lawal
|
|
33
|
|
Chief
Operating Officer
|
James
Zierick
|
|
52
|
|
Chairman
|
Lawrence
S. Schmid
|
|
67
|
|
Director
|
Robert
S. Fogerson, Jr.
|
|
56
|
|
Director
|
Norman
R. Cohen
|
|
72
|
|
Director
|
Jeffrey
Tumbleson
|
|
41
|
|
Director
|
Rodney W.
Schutt has
served as Chief Executive Officer and as a director of Aspyra since
November 2008. Prior to becoming the Chief Executive Officer at
Aspyra, Mr. Schutt served, between July 2007 and July 2008, as the Chief
Operating Officer for Luminetx, a provider of bioscience technologies based in
Memphis, TN. Prior to his position with Luminetx, between August 2004
and May 2007, Mr. Schutt served as Vice President of Business Development and
Global Commercial Operations for Smith and Nephew Orthopaedics, a public medical
device company, and prior to this held various positions at GE Healthcare. Mr.
Schutt holds a B.A. degree in Business Administration from Marion
College.
Anahita
Villafane has served as the Chief
Financial Officer of Aspyra since June 2005 and secretary since
November 2005. Ms. Villafane also served as Aspyra’s controller and
Chief Accounting Officer from April 2000 to June 2005. Prior to
April 2000, Ms. Villafane was an audit manager with BDO Seidman, LLP
since 1996. Ms. Villafane received a B.S. in Accounting from California
State University at Northridge, and is a Certified Public
Accountant.
Ademola Lawal
has
served as the Chief Operating Officer of Aspyra since April 2009. Mr.
Lawal also served as Aspyra’s Vice President of Strategy and Business
Development from June 2008 to April 2009. Prior to Aspyra, he spent
six years at GE Healthcare where he was a Director of Service. Mr.
Lawal earned his Six Sigma Black Belt certification at GE Healthcare. Prior to
GE, he was at KPMG Consulting where he conducted various reorganization,
valuation and benchmarking projects. Mr. Lawal holds an MBA from Harvard
Business School and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Virginia with
concentration in Accounting and Management Information Systems. He is a
Certified Public Accountant.
James
Zierick has
served as director of Aspyra since September 2007. Since January
2009, Mr. Zierick has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Nirvanix, a
company in the storage delivery business. Mr. Zierick was Aspyra’s interim Chief
Executive Officer from February 2008 to November 2008. In 2007,
Mr. Zierick served as Chief Executive Officer of Logicalapps, a provider of
embedded controls software for enterprise applications. From 2004 to
2006, Mr. Zierick was Executive Vice President of Worldwide Field
Operations for Peregrine Systems, where he led 350 person sales, alliance,
customer support and professional services organization. From 1989 to
2003, Mr. Zierick was a partner with McKinsey & Company, where he
helped lead the company’s Southern California technology and operational
effectiveness practices. Mr. Zierick earned a M.B.A. from Dartmouth
College, Amos Tuck School of Business, a B.S. in Engineering from Dartmouth
College, Thayer School of Engineering, and a B.A. in Engineering Sciences from
Dartmouth College.
Lawrence S.
Schmid has
served as a director of Aspyra since November 1991. Since
November 1990, Mr. Schmid has served as the President and Chief
Executive Officer of Strategic Directions International, Inc., a management
consulting firm specializing in technology companies. Mr. Schmid received a
BSME from General Motors Institute and a M.B.A. from the Graduate School of
Management at the University of California Los Angeles.
Robert S.
Fogerson, Jr. has
served as a director of Aspyra since May 1992. Since January 1998,
Mr. Fogerson has served as the general manager of ViroMED Labcorp, a
laboratory providing clinical testing services. Mr. Fogerson had previously
served in various capacities at PharmChem Laboratories since 1975.
Mr. Fogerson received a B.A. from Stanford University.
Norman R.
Cohen has
served as a director of Aspyra since October 2003. Mr. Cohen is a
retired attorney. Prior to his retirement in June 2003, Mr. Cohen had
been in private practice for more than 40 years, primarily in the areas of
corporate and securities law. Mr. Cohen received a B.S. in Economics from
the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an LL.B from the Law
School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Jeffrey
Tumbleson has
served as a director of Aspyra since January 2008. Since
December 2004, Mr. Tumbleson has served as Vice President of
Information Technology of Outpatient Imaging Affiliates, LLC, a company which
partners with local healthcare providers to develop, own and operate outpatient
diagnostic imaging and positron emission tomography centers. From
November 2002 to December 2004, Mr. Tumbleson was owner and
President of JT Consulting, a consulting company providing information
technology related services for the healthcare industry. From January 2001
to November 2002, Mr. Tumbleson was Chief Information Officer and Vice
President of Spheris Inc., a provider of clinical documentation technology and
services to health systems, hospitals and group practices throughout the United
States. Mr. Tumbleson received a B.A. and a B.S. from the University of
Kansas.
FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
As noted
above, our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, and
our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended September 30, 2009,
are incorporated by reference into this information statement. Copies of these
reports, without exhibits, are being mailed with this information statement.
Stockholders are referred to these reports for financial and other information
about us.
ADDITIONAL
AVAILABLE INFORMATION
We
are subject to the information and reporting requirements of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 and in accordance with such act we file periodic reports,
documents and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission
relating to our business, financial statements and other matters. Such reports
and other information may be inspected and are available for copying at the
public reference facilities of the Securities and Exchange Commission at 100 F
Street, N.E., Washington D.C. 20549. or may be accessed at www.sec.gov
..
|
By Order of the Board of Directors
|
|
Rodney Schutt
|
|
|
November , 2009
|
|
Appendix
A
CERTIFICATE
OF AMENDMENT
OF
ARTICLES
OF INCORPORATION
OF
ASPYRA,
INC.
Rodney
Schutt and Anahita Villafane hereby certify that:
FIRST:
They are the Chief Executive Officer and Secretary, respectively, of Aspyra,
Inc., a California corporation (the “Corporation”).
SECOND:
The Articles of Incorporation shall be amended as follows:
Upon
the filing of this certificate of amendment, the corporation shall effect a
one-for-101 reverse split whereby each share of common stock, no par value per
share shall, without any action on the part of the holder, become and be
converted into 1/101 shares of common stock, no par value per share. In
connection with the reverse split, no fractional shares shall be issued. In lieu
of fractional shares, each holder who would otherwise be entitled to receive
fractional shares of new common stock, will, upon surrender of the certificates
representing shares of old common stock, receive cash in lieu of such fractional
shares.
THIRD:
The foregoing amendment of the Articles of Incorporation has been duly approved
by the Board of Directors.
FOURTH: The
foregoing amendment of the Articles of Incorporation has been duly approved by
the required vote of the shareholders in accordance with Section 902 of the
California General Corporation Law. The total number of outstanding
shares of Common Stock of the Corporation, as of the record date for such
shareholder vote, is 17,201,327. The number of shares voting in favor
of the amendment equaled or exceeded the vote required. The
percentage vote required was more than 50% of the total number of outstanding
shares of Common Stock.
Dated: ,
2009
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By:
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/s/ Rodney
W. Schutt
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Rodney
W. Schutt
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Chief
Executive Officer
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By:
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/s/ Anahita
Villafane
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Anahita
Villafane
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Secretary
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Appendix
B
Form
of Transmittal Letter
ASPYRA,
INC.
Dear
Aspyra, Inc. Stockholder:
A reverse stock split of the common
stock of Aspyra, Inc. (“Aspyra”) occurred effective as of the close of business
on ___________. Pursuant to this reverse stock split, each one
hundred one (101) shares of common stock of Aspyra issued and outstanding as of
the date following the reverse stock split was converted into one (1) share of
Aspyra common stock. As a result of the reverse stock split, holders
of certificates representing pre-split shares of Aspyra common stock have the
right to receive, upon surrender of their certificates representing such
pre-split shares of Aspyra common stock, new certificates representing
post-split shares of Aspyra common stock at the ratio of one (1) share of
post-split Aspyra common stock for every one hundred one (101) shares of
pre-split Aspyra common stock. Thus, you will receive 1/101
post-split shares for each share of pre-split Aspyra common
stock.
Fractional shares of post-split Aspyra
common stock will not be issued as a result of the reverse stock split; instead,
holders of pre-split shares of Aspyra common stock who otherwise would have been
entitled to receive a fractional share as a result of the reverse stock split
will receive an amount in cash equal to $_____ per post-split share for such
fractional interests upon the surrender to American Stock Transfer and Trust
Company, the Exchange Agent, of certificates representing such
shares.
All Aspyra Stockholders must
complete, date, sign and return the enclosed Letter of Transmittal to American
Stock Transfer and Trust Company, along with all of your certificates
representing pre-split shares of Aspyra common stock. We suggest that you mail
the shares in a traceable manner (e.g. registered mail, overnight courier,
etc.) Any
person holding more than one certificate representing pre-split shares of Aspyra
common stock must surrender all such certificates registered in such person’s
name in order to receive payment for fractional interests and/or a new
certificate representing the number of shares of post-split Aspyra common stock
to which such person is entitled.
Only upon receipt of your properly
completed Letter of Transmittal and your certificate(s) representing pre-split
shares of Aspyra common stock will American Stock Transfer and Trust Company
forward you your new certificates and/or payment. Additionally, holders of pre-split
certificates who are entitled to receive post-split shares of Aspyra common
stock will not become a shareholder of record until the pre-split certificates
are sent to American Stock Transfer and Trust Company with a properly completed
Letter of Transmittal. Please read and follow all instructions
on the Letter of Transmittal, and direct any questions you might have to
American Stock Transfer and Trust Company at (718) 921-8261.
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By order of the
Board of Directors |
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Anahita
Villafane |
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Secretary |
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Appendix
C Form of Letter Transmittal
LETTER
OF TRANSMITTAL
To
Accompany Certificates Formerly Representing
Shares of
Common Stock of
Aspyra,
Inc.
(Reverse
Split Ratio 1:101)
DESCRIPTION
OF SURRENDERED CERTIFICATES
Names(s)
and Address(es) of Registered Owner(s)
(Please
fill in, if blank, exactly as name(s) appear(s) on
certificate(s))
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Certificate(s)
Surrendered
(Attach
additional list if necessary)
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Certificate
Number(s)
______________
______________
______________
______________
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Total
Number of Shares
Represented
By
Certificate(s)
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
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[ ] If
any certificate(s) representing shares of stock that you own have been lost or
destroyed, check this box and see Instruction 9. Please fill out the
remainder of this Letter of Transmittal and indicate here the number of shares
of stock represented by the lost or destroyed certificates. _________
(Number of Shares)
SPECIAL
PAYMENT/ISSUANCE INSTRUCTIONS
(See
Instructions 1, 4, and 5)
To be completed ONLY if the
check and/or new shares for surrendered Certificates is to be issued in
the name of someone other than the undersigned.
Issue
certificate to:
Name:
(Please
Print)
Address:
(Include Zip
Code)
(Tax
Identification or Social Security
No.)
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SPECIAL
DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS
(See
Instructions 1, 4 and 5)
To be completed ONLY if the
check and/or new shares for surrendered Certificates is to be sent to
someone other than the undersigned or to the undersigned at an address
other than that shown above.
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IMPORTANT
— STOCKHOLDERS SIGN HERE
(U.S.
Holders Also Please Complete Substitute Form W-9 Below)
(Non-U.S.
Holders Please Obtain and Complete Form W-8BEN or Other Form
W-8)
(Must be signed by
former registered holder(s) exactly as name(s) appear(s) on stock certificate(s)
or on a security position listing or by
person(s) authorized to become registered holder(s) as evidenced by certificates
and documents transmitted herewith. If signature is by trustees, executors,
administrators, guardians, attorneys-in-fact, officers of corporations or others
acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, please set forth full title
and see Instruction 4.)
Name(s): _________________________
Area Code and Telephone
Number: _______________________
Dated: _______________ , 2009
GUARANTEE
OF SIGNATURE(S)
(See
Instructions 1 and 4)
Complete
ONLY if required by Instruction 1.
FOR
USE BY FINANCIAL INSTITUTION ONLY.
PLACE
MEDALLION GUARANTEE IN SPACE BELOW.
Firm: _______________________________________________________________
By: _______________________________________________________________
Title: _______________________________________________________________
Address:
_______________________________________________________________
TO
BE COMPLETED BY ALL SURRENDERING U.S. HOLDERS
(See
Instruction 6)
PAYER: CONTINENTAL
STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY
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SUBSTITUTE
Form
W-9
Department
of the Treasury
Internal
Revenue Service
Request
for Taxpayer
Identification
Number (TIN)
And
Certification
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Name:
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Address:
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Check
appropriate box:
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Part I . Please
provide your taxpayer identification number in the space at
right. If awaiting TIN, write "Applied For" in space at right
and complete the Certificate of Awaiting Taxpayer Identification Number
below.
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SSN:
OR
EIN:
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Part
II . For
Payees exempt from backup withholding, see the enclosed “Guidelines for
Certification of Taxpayer Identification Number on Substitute Form W-9”
and complete as instructed therein.
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Part
III. Certification
Under
penalties of perjury, I certify that:
(1)The
number shown on this form is my correct Taxpayer Identification Number
(or, as indicated, I am waiting for a number to be issued to
me):
(2)I
am not subject to backup withholding because: (a) I am exempt from backup
withholding, or (b) I have not been notified by the IRS that I am subject
to backup withholding as a result of a failure to report all interests or
dividends, or (c) the IRS has notified me that I am no longer subject to
backup withholding; and
(3)I
am a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien).
Certification
Instructions— You
must cross out item (2) above if you have been notified by the IRS that
you are subject to backup withholding because you have failed to report
all interest or dividends on your tax return. However, if after being
notified by the IRS that you were subject to backup withholding you
received another notification from the IRS that you are no longer subject
to backup withholding, do not cross out item (2).
Signature: Date: ,
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You
must complete the following certificate if you wrote “applied for” in part I of
this substitute form W-9
CERTIFICATE
OF AWAITING TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER
I
certify under penalties of perjury that a taxpayer identification number
has not been issued to me, and either (a) I have mailed or delivered an
application to receive a taxpayer identification number to the appropriate
Internal Revenue Service Center or Social Security Administration Office
or (b) I intend to mail or deliver an application in the near future. I
understand that, notwithstanding the information I provided in Part III of
the Substitute Form W-9 (and the fact that I have completed this
Certificate of Awaiting Taxpayer Identification Number), all reportable
payments made to me hereafter will be subject to backup withholding tax
until I provide a properly certified taxpayer identification number within
60 days of the date of this Substitute Form W-9.
Signature: Date:
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