dfan14a.htm
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE
14A
(Rule
14a-101)
INFORMATION
REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT
SCHEDULE
14A INFORMATION
Proxy
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934
(Amendment
No. _____)
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Definitive
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Definitive
Additional Materials
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Soliciting
Material Under Rule 14a-12
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TEAM
FINANCIAL, INC.
(Name of
Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
KEITH B.
EDQUIST
JEFFREY
L. RENNER
LLOYD A.
BYERHOF
(Name of
Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other then the Registrant)
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Keith B.
Edquist, together with the other participants named herein, is filing materials
contained in this Schedule 14A with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) in connection with the anticipated solicitation of proxies for the
election of three nominees as Directors at the next Annual Meeting of
Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Team Financial, Inc. Keith B.
Edquist, and the other participants named herein, today filed their Preliminary
Proxy Statement with the SEC with regard to the Annual Meeting.
Item
1: The following press release was issued and the letter set forth
therein was mailed to the shareholders of Team Financial, Inc., on May 23,
2008:
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KEITH
B. EDQUIST ISSUES LETTER
TO
SHAREHOLDERS OF TEAM FINANCIAL, INC.
OMAHA, NE
(May 23, 2008) – Keith B. Edquist, former member of the Board of Directors of
Team Financial, Inc., (NASDAQ: TFIN) issued the following letter
today to the shareholders of Team Financial, Inc:
Dear
Fellow Shareholders:
I was a member of Team Financial’s (the
Company) Board of Directors until my resignation on May 20, 2008. The
reasons for my resignation from the Board can be summarized as
follows:
I am
opposed to the current corporate governance culture. I alone, of all
of the then-members of the Company’s Compensation Committee, voted against the
increased compensation for the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. I
opposed increased compensation for mediocre performance when I was a member of
the Committee and I oppose the current compensation package in light of current
performance. When I objected to the Compensation Committee’s
procedures, I was not nominated by the Chairman to serve on any
Committees. Following that action, I was the only member of the Board
of Directors that did not serve on any Committee, and I was not nominated for
re-election to the Board at this year’s Annual Meeting. This same fate befell
former Board member Lloyd Byerhof when he opposed unwarranted executive pay
packages.
The
recent performance of the Company is simply abysmal. The Office of
the Comptroller of the Currency recently announced that the Bank is considered
to be a “troubled institution” and imposed restrictions on operations as a
result. The Company released its first quarter earnings, reflecting a
loss of $6,400,000. It is ironic, and indicative of my concern over
corporate governance, that at the same time the Company filed its Form 10-Q
announcing the loss it also filed as an exhibit the recently approved Employment
Agreement with the Chairman and CEO, Mr. Weatherbie. The new
Employment Agreement reflects a salary increase as well as a new “golden
parachute” for Mr. Weatherbie’s benefit, which I oppose. Also of
interest is the statement in the Company’s proxy statement that its executive
compensation philosophy “links pay to performance” and “aligns executive
compensation to shareholder value.” Had Mr. Weatherbie received
the same increases in “value” that the shareholders received his 2007
compensation would have been approximately $229,000; instead he was paid
$568,000. For the years 2000 through 2007 the Company’s net income
has increased by an average of only 4% per year while Mr. Weatherbie’s
compensation has increased by 31% per year. Accordingly, the
Company’s stated compensation philosophy rings hollow.
I am not
alone in my disenchantment as others have expressed a similar degree of
disappointment. Consequently, I believe that NOW is a critical period
for the Company, so critical that a change in Board leadership is
warranted.
Toward
this end, I will nominate three independent persons, Lloyd A. Byerhof, Jeffrey
L. Renner, and myself, for election to the Board at the upcoming 2008 Annual
Meeting. Together we own approximately 4% of the outstanding common
stock of the Company.
I will
not be seeking control of the Board of Directors at the Annual
Meeting. However, I hope that this election contest sends a strong
message to the remaining incumbent Directors and management that shareholders
are not satisfied with the Company’s operating performance and
management.
The three
of us have chosen this pro-active approach because we see the abject absence of
forward-looking leadership. We believe that our presence on the Board
will help fill the void. Moreover, we have the experience to serve
knowledgeably and impartially. We are tenacious by nature and would
commit ourselves to work tirelessly to change the present insular culture and
ensure that the Board explores all paths to maximize shareholder
value.
Over the
next several weeks we will communicate further with you regarding our
nomination. Most importantly, we will provide you with our proxy
materials which will tell you, among other things, how to vote for
us. We urge you not to make a decision on this very important issue
until you have a chance to review our proxy statement.
We look forward to serving in YOUR best
interests.
Yours very
truly,
Keith B.
Edquist
CERTAIN
INFORMATION CONCERNING THE PARTICIPANTS
THIS
COMMUNICATION IS NOT A SOLICITATION OF A PROXY WHICH MAY BE DONE ONLY PURSUANT
TO A DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT. STOCKHOLDERS ARE ADVISED TO READ THE
PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER DOCUMENTS RELATED TO THE SOLICITATION OF PROXIES BY
MESSRS. EDQUIST, BYERHOF AND RENNER, FOR USE AT ITS NEXT ANNUAL MEETING OF
STOCKHOLDERS WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT
INFORMATION. WHEN COMPLETED, A DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND FORM OF
PROXY WILL BE MAILED TO STOCKHOLDERS OF TEAM FINANCIAL, INC., AND WILL BE
AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE AT THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION’S WEBSITE AT
WWW.SEC.GOV. IN
ADDITION, COPIES OF THE PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER DOCUMENTS WILL BE PROVIDED
WITHOUT CHARGE UPON REQUEST. REQUEST FOR COPIES SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO
KEITH B. EDQUIST AT THE ABOVE ADDRESS OR BY E-MAIL TO: teamedquist@gmail.com. THE
PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROXY SOLICITATION ARE ANTICPATED TO BE KEITH B. EDQUIST,
LLOYD A. BYERHOF AND JEFFREY L. RENNER (THE
“PARTICIPANTS”). INFORMATION REGARDING THE PARTICIPANTS, INCLUDING
THEIR DIRECT OR INDIRECT INTERESTS, BY SECURITY HOLDINGS OR OTHERWISE, WILL BE
CONTAINED IN THEIR DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT. AS OF MAY 23,
2008, EACH OF THE PARTICIPANTS MAY BE DEEMED TO BENEFICIALLY OWN
154,660 SHARES OF COMMON STOCK OF TEAM FINANCIAL, INC., 101,260 SHARES
BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY KEITH B. EDQUIST, 7,000 SHARES BENEFICIALLY
OWNED BY LLOYD A. BYERHOF AND 46,400 SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY
JEFFERY L. RENNER. EACH OF THE PARTICIPANTS DISCLAIMS
BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SUCH SHARES EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT OF HIS PECUINIARY
INTEREST THEREIN.
Contact:
Keith B.
Edquist
teamedquist@gmail.com