UNITED
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SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
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Pursuant to Section 240.14a-12
Deer
Consumer Products, Inc.
(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the
Registrant)
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DEER
CONSUMER PRODUCTS, INC.
Area 2,
1/F, Building M-6,
Central
High-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan,
Shenzhen,
China 518057
April 20,
2010
To The
Stockholders of Deer Consumer Products, Inc.:
You are
cordially invited to attend the 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Deer
Consumer Products, Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Company”), commencing at
10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 28, 2010 (China time) at our corporate
offices, Area 2, 1/F, Building M-6, Central High-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan,
Shenzhen, China.
At the
Annual Meeting, you will be asked to vote to elect five directors to serve until
the 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and to ratify the appointment of Goldman
Parks Kurland Mohidin, LLP as our independent registered public accounting
firm.
The
notice of the Annual Meeting and proxy statement accompanying this letter
provide information concerning matters to be considered and acted upon at the
annual meeting. We are also including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009. During the Annual Meeting,
we will provide a report on our operations, followed by a time for questions and
answers.
Whether
or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we encourage you to sign and
return the enclosed proxy card as promptly as possible in the enclosed
postage-paid envelope so that your shares are represented at the meeting.
Regardless of the number of shares you own, your vote is important.
Thank you
for your continued interest and support.
Sincerely,
Mr. Ying
He
Chairman
of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Enclosures
DEER
CONSUMER PRODUCTS, INC.
Area 2,
1/F, Building M-6,
Central
High-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan,
Shenzhen,
China 518057
NOTICE
OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO
BE HELD ON MAY 28, 2010 (China time)
April 20,
2010
NOTICE IS
HEREBY GIVEN that an Annual Meeting of the Stockholders of Deer Consumer
Products, Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Company”), will be held on Friday,
May 28th, 2010 (China time) at our corporate offices, Area 2, 1/F, Building M-6,
Central High-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen, China, commencing at
10:00 a.m. (China time) for the purposes of considering and acting upon the
following proposals:
1. To
elect five directors to the board of directors (the “Board of Directors”) of the
Company to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders held to elect
directors and until their successors are elected and qualified;
2. To
ratify the appointment of Goldman Parks Kurland Mohidin, LLP as the Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending
December 31, 2010; and,
3. To
transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual
Meeting.
A proxy
statement describing the matters to be considered at the Annual Meeting is
attached to this notice. Only stockholders of record at the close of
business on April 13, 2010 are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Annual
Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof.
Whether
or not you plan to be present at the Annual Meeting, we urge you to vote your
shares promptly. You can vote your shares in advance of the meeting
by completing and returning the accompanying proxy card. This notice,
the attached proxy statement, the accompanying proxy card and our Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009 (which is not part of
the proxy soliciting materials) are being mailed to stockholders on or about
April 20, 2010.
By
Order of the Board of Directors,
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Mr.
Ying He
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Chairman
of the Board and Chief Executive
Officer
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April 20,
2010
IMPORTANT
NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF
STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON MAY 28, 2010 (China time)
The Deer
Consumer Products, Inc. notice of Annual Meeting, proxy statement, proxy card
and the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009
are also available to you on the Internet at www.deerinc.com.
DEER
CONSUMER PRODUCTS, INC.
Area 2,
1/F, Building M-6,
Central
High-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan,
Shenzhen,
China 518057
PROXY
STATEMENT
2010
Annual Meeting of Stockholders
May
28, 2010 (China time)
These
proxy materials are being provided in connection with the 2010 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders of Deer Consumer Products, Inc. (the “Company”). This
Proxy Statement, the accompanying proxy card and our Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009 (which is not part of the proxy
soliciting materials) were scheduled to be first mailed to stockholders on or
about April 20, 2010. This Proxy Statement contains important
information for you to consider when deciding how to vote on the matters to be
brought before the Annual Meeting. Please read it
carefully.
ABOUT
THE ANNUAL MEETING
WHO
IS SOLICITING MY VOTE?
The Board
of Directors of the Company is soliciting your vote in connection with the 2010
Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
WHAT
IS THE PURPOSE OF THE ANNUAL MEETING?
The
Annual Meeting will be the Company’s annual meeting of
stockholders. You will be voting on the following matters at the
Annual Meeting:
1. The
election of five directors to the Board of Directors of the Company to serve
until the next annual meeting of stockholders held to elect directors and until
their successors are elected and qualified;
2. The
ratification of the appointment of Goldman Parks Kurland Mohidin, LLP as the
Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year
ending December 31, 2010; and,
3. The
transaction of such other business as may properly come before the Annual
Meeting.
WHY IS THE COMPANY SEEKING STOCKHOLDER APPROVAL FOR
THESE PROPOSALS?
Proposal No. 1: The
Nevada Revised Statutes and rules applicable to the Company as a result of the
listing of our common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market require corporations to
hold elections for directors each year.
Proposal No. 2: The
Company appointed Goldman Parks Kurland Mohidin, LLP to serve as the Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending
December 31, 2010. The Company elects to have its stockholders ratify
such appointment.
HOW
DOES THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMEND I VOTE?
The Board
of Directors recommends a vote:
1. For
the election of Messrs. Ying He, Zongshu Nie, Edward Hua, Arnold Staloff and Qi
Hua Xu as directors; and,
2. For
the ratification of the appointment of Goldman Parks Kurland Mohidin, LLP as the
Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year
ending December 31, 2010.
WHO
MAY ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING?
All
stockholders who held shares of our common stock on April 13, 2010 may
attend. If your stock is held in the name of a broker, bank, or other
holder of record, often referred to as being held in “street name,” just bring a
copy of your brokerage account statement or a proxy card, which you can get from
your broker, bank or other holder of record of your stock.
WHO
CAN VOTE AT THE MEETING?
The
record date for the 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders is April 13, 2010 (the
“Record Date”). Only stockholders of record at the close of business on
the Record Date are entitled to:
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(a)
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receive
notice of the meeting; and,
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(b)
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vote
at the meeting and any adjournment or postponement of the
meeting.
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On the
Record Date, 32,631,748 shares of our common stock, par value $.001 per share,
were outstanding. Each stockholder is entitled to one vote for each share
of common stock held on the Record Date, as described under “Voting Securities”
in this proxy statement. There is no cumulative voting.
HOW
DO I VOTE?
You may
vote in person at the Annual Meeting or you may appoint a proxy, by mail, to
vote your shares. If you return a signed proxy card but do not provide
voting instructions, your shares will be voted FOR all
of the proposals to be voted on at the meeting.
WHAT
ARE THE DIFFERENT METHODS THAT I CAN USE TO VOTE MY SHARES OF COMMON
STOCK?
By Written
Proxy: Stockholders of record can vote by marking, signing and
timely returning the enclosed proxy card. Street name or beneficial
holders must follow the directions provided by their broker, bank or other
nominee in order to direct such broker, bank or nominee how to
vote.
In Person: All
stockholders of record may vote in person at the Annual
Meeting. Street name or beneficial holders must obtain a legal proxy
from their broker, bank or nominee prior to the Annual Meeting in order to vote
in person.
HOW
MANY VOTES MUST BE PRESENT TO HOLD THE MEETING?
At least
a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock, as of the Record Date,
must be present at the Annual Meeting in order for us to hold the Annual Meeting
and conduct business. This is called a quorum. Shares of
our common stock are counted as present at the Annual Meeting if the holder of
such shares:
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(a)
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is
present and votes in person at the Annual Meeting;
or,
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has
properly submitted a proxy
card.
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Abstentions
are counted as present for the purpose of determining the presence of a
quorum.
CAN
I CHANGE MY VOTE AFTER I RETURN MY PROXY CARD?
Yes. You
may revoke your proxy card at any time before its exercise at the Annual Meeting
by giving our Corporate Secretary written notice revoking your proxy card,
submitting a duly executed proxy card bearing a later date or by your attendance
at the Annual Meeting and electing to vote in person.
WILL
MY STOCK BE VOTED IF I DO NOT PROVIDE MY PROXY?
Your
stock may be voted if it is held in the name of a brokerage firm even if you do
not provide the brokerage firm with voting instructions. Brokerage firms
have the authority under the rules of The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (the
“NASDAQ”) to vote stock for which their customers do not provide voting
instructions on certain “routine” matters. Proposals One and Two are
considered “routine” matters under the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules.
HOW
MANY VOTES ARE NEEDED TO APPROVE OUR PROPOSALS?
Directors
are elected by the affirmative vote of a plurality of the shares of common stock
present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote. Abstentions and broker
non-votes are not counted for purposes of the election of directors and,
therefore, will have no effect on the outcome of such election. The
ratification of the appointment of Goldman Parks Kurland Mohidin, LLP as
the Company’s independent registered public accountants requires the affirmative
vote of a majority of the votes cast on the proposal. Other matters that
may properly come before the annual meeting may require a majority or more than
a majority vote under our By-laws, our Articles of Incorporation, the laws of
the state of Nevada or other applicable laws.
WHO
PAYS FOR THIS PROXY SOLICITATION?
The
Company bears the expense of printing and mailing proxy materials. In
addition to this solicitation of proxies by mail, some of our employees may
solicit proxies by personal interview, telephone, facsimile or
email. These individuals will not be paid any additional compensation
for any such solicitation.
VOTING
SECURITIES
Our $.001
par value common stock is the only class of capital stock authorized by our
Articles of Incorporation. The number of shares of our common stock which
may be voted at the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof is
32,631,748 shares, which was the number of shares outstanding as of April 13,
2010. Each stockholder is entitled to one vote for each share of our
common stock held. There is no cumulative voting. Votes
will be tabulated by an inspector of election appointed by our Board of
Directors.
DELIVERY
OF DOCUMENTS TO STOCKHOLDERS SHARING AN ADDRESS
Only one
annual report and this proxy statement will be delivered to multiple
stockholders sharing an address unless we have received contrary instructions
from one or more of the stockholders. Upon written or oral request,
the Company will deliver a separate copy of the annual report and this proxy
statement to a stockholder at a shared address to which a single copy of the
annual report and proxy statement was delivered. If you wish to
receive a separate copy of the annual report or this proxy statement, please
notify the Company by calling or sending a letter to our Corporate Secretary,
Deer Consumer Products Inc., Area 2, 1/F, Building M-6, Central High-Tech
Industrial Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen, China 518057. The Company’s telephone
number is (86) 755-8602-8285.
If
requested, the Company will also provide such persons with copies of any exhibit
to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 upon the
payment of a fee limited to the Company’s reasonable expenses in furnishing such
exhibits.
PROPOSAL
FOR ACTION AT THE ANNUAL MEETING
Proposal
One:
Election
of Directors
Our
Articles of Incorporation and By-laws provide that the Board of Directors shall
consist of at least one but not more than nine directors, the exact number of
which may be fixed and changed from time to time by ordinary resolution of the
stockholders of the Company. The Board of Directors has adopted a
resolution establishing five (5) as the number of directors of the
Company.
Our
Articles of Incorporation and By-laws provide that the Board of Directors shall
be elected at each annual meeting. Based on the recommendation of the
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, the Board of Directors has
nominated its current members to be re-elected for another term.
Please
see the section entitled “Director Nominees” below for information about the
nominees for election as directors, their respective business experience and
other pertinent information.
The
person named in the accompanying proxy card intends to vote such proxy in favor
of the election of the nominees named below, who are currently directors, unless
authority to vote for the director is withheld in the proxy. Although the
Board of Directors has no reason to believe that the nominees will be unable to
serve as a director, if one of the nominees withdraws or otherwise becomes
unavailable to serve, the person named as proxy will vote for any substitute
nominee designated by the Board of Directors, unless contrary instructions are
given on your proxy.
The
affirmative vote of a plurality of the shares of our common stock present in
person or by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote is required for the
election of directors. Proxies for which authority to vote for the nominee
is withheld and broker non-votes will be tabulated for the purpose of computing
the number of shares of our common stock present for the purpose of determining
the presence of a quorum for the meeting. These proxies and broker
non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of the election of the
directors.
Our
Board of Directors unanimously recommends a vote FOR
the
election
of the nominees listed below as directors.
DIRECTOR
NOMINEES
The
following sets forth biographical information for all nominees for election as
directors.
Name and Business
Experience
Mr.
Ying He, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Age 41
Mr. He
was appointed as our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President on
September 3, 2008 and as of September 28, 2009, serves exclusively as Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. He was one of the original founders
of Winder Electric Group Ltd. (“Winder”) in 2001, which is now a wholly owned
subsidiary of the Company. From June 2006, Mr. He served as the
Director of Winder. From July 2001 to August 2006, Mr. He served as
the Chairman of Winder. Prior to that time, from August 1999 to June
2001, Mr. He worked independently to establish the initial business plan for
Winder including arrangements with future customers, suppliers, vendors, and
site determination. From March 1996 to July 1999, Mr. He served as
CEO of Dongguan Xin Dao Mould. From March 1993 to December 1995, Mr.
He served as the Senior Manager of Hong Kong Dongjiang Group,
Inc. Mr. He obtained his MBA degree from Zhongshan University in
2005. On September 28, 2009, Mr. He voluntarily resigned as President
of the Company.
Mr.
Zongshu Nie, Chief Financial Officer and Director, Age 31
Mr. Nie
was appointed as our Chief Financial Officer on August 20, 2009. Mr.
Nie has been a director of the Company since April 29, 2009. From May
2008 to the present time, Mr. Nie has been the Financial Controller of the
Company. From 1998 to May 2008, Mr. Nie was the Chief Financial
Officer at Xian Tai Plastics Co., Ltd, a manufacturer and exporter of plastics
based materials. Mr. Nie received a bachelor’s degree in accounting
from the ShaanXi College of Finance and Economics in 1998.
Mr.
Edward Hua, Director, Age 56
Mr. Hua
has held various management positions at the Bank of China from 1994 to the
present time, and is currently the General Manager of the Treasury Department of
the Boc Shenzhen Branch. Mr. Hua holds a master’s degree in World
Economics from Fudan University and a Senior Economist Certificate from the Bank
of China. Mr. Hua has been appointed as the Chairman of our
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and serves as a member of our
Audit Committee and Compensation Committee. Mr. Hua has been a
director of the Company since April 29, 2009.
Mr.
Arnold Staloff, Director, Age 65
Mr.
Staloff has served as the Chairman of Audit Committee for each of Shiner
International, Inc. since 2007, AgFeed Industries, Inc. since 2007 and SmartHeat
Inc. since 2008. From December, 2005 to May, 2007, Mr. Staloff served
as Chairman of the Board of SFB Market Systems, Inc., a New Jersey-based company
that provides technology solutions for the management and generation of options
series data. From March 2003 to December 2005, Mr. Staloff was an
independent consultant. From June 1990 to March 2003, Mr. Staloff
served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Bloom Staloff Corporation, an
equity and options market-making firm and foreign currency options floor
broker. Additionally, Mr. Staloff served on the Board of Directors of
Lehman Brothers Derivative Products Inc. from 1998 until 2008 and Lehman
Brothers Financial Products Inc. from 1994 until 2008. Mr. Staloff
holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of
Miami. Mr. Staloff has been appointed as the Chairman of our Audit
Committee and serves as a member of our Compensation Committee and Nominating
and Corporate Governance Committee. Mr. Staloff has been a director
of the Company since April 29, 2009.
Dr.
Qi Hua Xu, Director, Age 47
Dr. Xu
has been a professor of Aerospace Automation at the China Northwestern
Industrial University for over 20 years. Dr. Hua received a
bachelor’s degree from China Northwestern Industrial University in Aerospace
Automation in July 1980 and a doctorate of Aerospace Automation in July
1987. Dr. Xu has been appointed as the Chairman of our Compensation
Committee and serves as a member of our Audit Committee and Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committee. Dr. Xu has been a director of the
Company since September 28, 2009.
CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE
INDEPENDENCE
OF DIRECTORS
Subject
to certain exceptions, under the listing standards of NASDAQ, a listed company’s
board of directors must consist of a majority of independent
directors. Our Board of Directors has determined that each of Messrs.
Hua, Staloff and Xu are independent
directors for the purposes of the NASDAQ’s listed company standards currently in
effect and approved by the SEC and all applicable rules and regulations of the
SEC. We have established the following standing committees of the
Board of Directors: Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Corporate
Governance. All members of the Audit, Compensation and Nominating and
Corporate Governance Committees satisfy the “independence” standards applicable
to members of each such committee. The Board of Directors made this
affirmative determination regarding these directors’ independence based on
discussions with the directors and on its review of the directors’ responses to
a standard questionnaire regarding employment and compensation history;
affiliations, family and other relationships; and, on transactions by the
directors with the Company, if any. The Board of Directors considered
relationships and transactions between each director, or any member of his
immediate family, and the Company, its subsidiaries and its
affiliates. The purpose of the Board of Directors’ review with
respect to each director was to determine whether any such relationships or
transactions were inconsistent with a determination that the director is
independent under the NASDAQ rules.
MEETINGS
OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Our Board
of Directors held four quarterly meetings and one special meeting during fiscal
year 2009, which does not include actions taken by written consent or committee
meetings. Each director attended at least 75% of the meetings of the Board
of Directors held during the period for which he has been a director and the
meetings of the Board committees on which he served during the periods that he
served in fiscal year 2009. Under our Corporate Governance Guidelines,
directors are expected to attend all meetings of our Board of Directors, all
meetings of any committee of which he is a member and the annual meeting of
stockholders, and to spend the time necessary to discharge properly his
respective duties and responsibilities. All members of the Board of
Directors were in attendance at the Company’s 2009 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders.
BOARD
LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE AND ROLE IN RISK OVERSIGHT
Mr. He
has served as our Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer
since September 28, 2009. Mr. He had served previously as our
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President since his appointment on
September 3, 2008. We continue to believe that our leadership
structure is appropriate because Mr. He is the largest individual stockholder,
takes an active role in board functions, is intimately familiar with the
Company’s operations and was one of the original founders of Winder in 2001,
which is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. Under Mr. He’s
leadership, our management team has executed a strategy that has significantly
improved our earnings growth, cash flow stability, and competitiveness in both
the export market and China domestic market. We do not currently have
a lead independent director because of the size of the Board of
Directors.
As part
of its oversight functions, the Board of Directors is responsible for the
oversight of risk management at the Company. Our Board of Directors
delegates risk oversight to our Audit Committee, which considers and addresses
risk assessment and risk management issues and concerns, and reviews with
management the Company’s major risk exposures and the steps management has taken
to monitor and control such exposures.
COMMITTEES
OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Audit
Committee
We
established our Audit Committee in April 2009. The Audit Committee
consists of Messrs. Hua, Staloff and Xu, each of whom is an independent
director. Mr. Staloff, Chairman of the Audit Committee, is an “audit
committee financial expert,” as defined under Item 407(d) of Regulation
S-K. The purpose of the Audit Committee is to represent and assist
our Board of Directors in its general oversight of our accounting and financial
reporting processes, audits of the financial statements and internal control and
audit functions. The Audit Committee held four meetings during fiscal
year 2009, which does not include actions taken by written
consent. The Board of Directors has adopted a written charter for the
Audit Committee, the current copy of which is available on our website at www.deerinc.com.
As more
fully described in its charter, the functions of the Audit Committee include the
following:
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appointment
of independent auditors, determination of their compensation and oversight
of their work;
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review
the arrangements for and scope of the audit by independent
auditors;
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review
the independence of the independent
auditors;
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consider
the adequacy and effectiveness of the internal controls over financial
reporting;
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pre-approve
audit and non-audit services;
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establish
procedures regarding complaints relating to accounting, internal
accounting controls, or auditing
matters;
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review
and approve any related party
transactions;
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discuss
with management our major financial risk exposures and our risk assessment
and risk management policies; and,
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discuss
with management and the independent auditors our draft quarterly interim
and annual financial statements and key accounting and reporting
matters.
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Compensation
Committee
We
established our Compensation Committee in April 2009. The
Compensation Committee consists of Messrs. Hua, Staloff and Xu, each of whom is
an independent director. Dr. Xu is the Chairman of the Compensation
Committee. The Compensation Committee is responsible for the design,
review, recommendation and approval of compensation arrangements for our
directors, executive officers and key employees, and for the administration of
our equity incentive plans, including the approval of grants under such plans to
our directors, employees and consultants. The Compensation Committee
also reviews and determines compensation of our executive officers, including
our Chief Executive Officer. The Compensation Committee may delegate
its authority to subcommittees, but may not delegate its responsibilities for
any matters involving executive compensation unless all members of such
subcommittee qualify as independent directors. The Compensation
Committee may consult with the Chief Executive Officer and other members of
management in the exercise of its duties. Notwithstanding such
consultation, the Compensation Committee retains absolute discretion over all
compensation decisions with respect to the executive officers, including the
Chief Executive Officer. The Compensation Committee held no meetings
during fiscal year 2009, which does not include actions taken by written
consent. The Board of Directors has adopted a written charter for the
Compensation Committee, the current copy of which is available on our website
at www.deerinc.com.
The
compensation of our executive officers and other employees is composed of base
salaries and equity compensation. The compensation of our executive
officers appointed prior to the establishment of our Compensation Committee in
April 2009, including our chief executive officer, was determined by our then
existing executive officers. The Compensation Committee has
determined the compensation of all executive officers appointed subsequent to
the establishment of our Compensation Committee in April 2009. The
Compensation Committee will review base salaries of the executive officers,
taking into consideration the Company’s overall financial position and the state
of its business. The Compensation Committee will determine any
increase in compensation, with respect to each officer, based on individual
performance, level of responsibility, and skills and experience, taking into
account the anticipated level of difficulty in replacing such officers and
employees with persons of comparable experience, skill and
knowledge.
Nominating
and Corporate Governance Committee
We
established our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (the “Nominating
Committee”) in April 2009. The Nominating Committee consists of
Messrs. Hua, Staloff and Xu, each of whom is an independent
director. Mr. Hua is the Chairman of the Nominating
Committee. The Nominating Committee assists in the selection of
director nominees, approves director nominations to be presented for stockholder
approval at our annual meeting and fills any vacancies on our Board of
Directors, considers any nominations of director candidates validly made by
stockholders (the process for which is set forth herein under the section
entitled “Stockholder Nominations for Directors”), and reviews and considers
developments in corporate governance practices. The Nominating
Committee held no meetings during fiscal year 2009, which does not include
actions taken by written consent. The Board of Directors has adopted
a written charter for the Nominating Committee, the current copy of which is
available on our website at www.deerinc.com.
The
members of the Nominating Committee, other than incumbent director nominees,
discuss the qualifications of the director nominees and the needs of the
Company. The Nominating Committee will consider nominees recommended by
our directors and officers. In evaluating director candidates, the
Nominating Committee considers factors that are in the best interests of the
Company and its stockholders, including, but not limited to: the
knowledge, experience, integrity and judgment of possible candidates for
nomination as directors; the potential contribution of each candidate to the
diversity of backgrounds, experience and competencies the Nominating Committee
desires to have represented on the Board of Directors, including familiarity
with and experience in our specific industry; the NASDAQ’s requirements for
directors, including any applicable independence standards and other
qualifications and experience; each candidate’s ability to devote sufficient
time and effort to his or her duties as a director of the Company; and, where
applicable, prior service as a director of the Company. There are,
however, no stated minimum criteria for director nominees. The Nominating
Committee recommends candidates to the Board of Directors for election at the
Company’s annual meetings of stockholders.
CODE
OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS
Our Board
of Directors has adopted a Code of Conduct, which applies to all directors,
officers and employees. The purpose of the Code is to promote honest
and ethical conduct. The Code is posted on our website, located
at www.deerinc.com, and
is available in print, without charge, upon written request to our Corporate
Secretary, Deer Consumer Products, Inc., Area 2, 1/F, Building M-6, Central
High-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen, China 518057. We
intend to post promptly any amendments to or waivers of the Code on our
website.
CERTAIN
RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
There are
no family relationships (as that term is defined in Item 401 in Regulation S-K)
between any of our directors, director nominees, executive officers or other key
personnel and any other of our directors, director nominees, executive officers
or other key personnel.
There
were no transactions with any related persons (as that term is defined in Item
404 in Regulation S-K) during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009, or any
currently proposed transaction, in which we were or are to be a participant, the
amount involved was in excess of $120,000 and in which any related person had a
direct or indirect material interest.
We have
adopted a written policy in connection with related party transactions involving
the Company. The policy requires the prior approval by our Audit
Committee for any transaction, arrangement or relationship in which (i) the
aggregate amount involved will or may be expected to reach $50,000 in any
calendar year, (ii) we are a participant and (iii) any related person has or
will have an interest. For the purposes of this proxy statement,
“related persons” include our executive officers, directors, greater than 5%
stockholders or immediate family members of any of the
foregoing. Pursuant to this policy, the Audit Committee, among other
factors, is required to take into account whether the transaction is on terms no
less favorable than terms generally available to an unaffiliated third party
under the same or similar circumstances. In addition, the Chairman of
the Audit Committee has the authority to approve or ratify any interested
transaction with a related person in which the aggregate amount involved is
expected to be less than $25,000.
LEGAL
PROCEEDINGS OF DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
During
the past ten years, none of the Company’s directors or executive officers has
been:
|
§
|
the
subject of any bankruptcy petition filed by or against any business of
which such person was a general partner or executive officer either at the
time of the bankruptcy or within two years prior to that
time;
|
|
§
|
convicted
in a criminal proceeding or is subject to a pending criminal proceeding
(excluding traffic violations and other minor
offenses);
|
|
§
|
subject
to any order, judgment or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or
vacated, of any court of competent jurisdiction, permanently or
temporarily enjoining, barring, suspending or otherwise limiting his
involvement in any type of business, securities or banking
activities;
|
|
§
|
found
by a court of competent jurisdiction (in a civil action), the SEC or the
Commodity Futures Trading Commission to have violated a federal or state
securities or commodities law, that has not been reversed, suspended, or
vacated;
|
|
§
|
subject
of, or a party to, any order, judgment, decree or finding, not
subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, relating to an alleged
violation of a federal or state securities or commodities law or
regulation, law or regulation respecting financial institutions or
insurance companies, law or regulation prohibiting mail or wire fraud or
fraud in connection with any business entity;
or
|
|
§
|
subject
of, or a party to, any sanction or order, not subsequently reversed,
suspended or vacated, of any self-regulatory organization, any registered
entity or any equivalent exchange, association, entity or organization
that has disciplinary authority over its members or persons associated
with a member.
|
No
director, officer or affiliate of the Company, or any beneficial owner of 5% or
more of the Company’s common stock, or any associate of such persons, is an
adverse party in any material proceeding to, or has a material interest adverse
to, the Company or any of its subsidiaries.
STOCKHOLDER
COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
You may
communicate with our directors, individually or as a group, by writing
to: Board of Directors, Deer Consumer Products, Inc., Area 2, 1/F,
Building M-6, Central High-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen, China
518057. All such communications will be forwarded to the relevant
director(s), except for solicitations or other matters not related to the
Company.
EXECUTIVE
OFFICERS
The
following sets forth biographical information for all our executive officers.
Such information with respect to our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ying He,
and our Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Zongshu Nie, is set forth above in
the section entitled “Director Nominees.”
Mr.
Walter Zhao, President, Age 46
Mr. Zhao
was the President of Kaito Electronics, Inc., an electronics design and
manufacturer, from December 1997 to September 2009. From 1989 to
1997, Mr. Zhao was a Department Manager of CEIEC Shenzhen, an education
equipment and instrument company. Mr. Zhao received a master’s degree
in electrical engineering from the University of Science and Technology in China
in 1989 and a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Shandong
University in 1985. Mr. Zhao was a director of the Company from April
29, 2009 to September 28, 2009. Upon Mr. Zhao’s voluntary resignation
as director on September 28, 2009, he was appointed President of the Company by
the Board of Directors.
Mr.
Man Wai James Chiu, Head of Asia Pacific, Age 48
Mr. Chiu
serves as our Head of Asia Pacific Operations. Mr. Chiu was appointed
as our Chief Operating Officer and Head of Asia Pacific on September 3,
2008. From September 3, 2008 until April 29, 2009, Mr. Chiu served as
a director of the Company. Mr. Chiu was appointed Chief Operating
Officer of Winder and its subsidiary in May 2007. Prior to that time,
from January 2001 to May 2007, Mr. Chiu served as the Sourcing Director for
Hamilton Beach Proctor-Silex, Inc. in China. Mr. Chiu obtained his
B.S. in Accounting & Economics from Hong Kong University, his MBA from
Australia Charles Stuart University in 2001, and his bachelor’s degree in law
from the University of London in 2006.
Mrs.
Yongmei Wang, Corporate Secretary, Age 34
Mrs. Wang
was appointed as our Corporate Secretary on September 3, 2008. Mrs.
Wang joined Winder upon its inception in 2001 as Assistant General
Secretary. Mrs. Wang obtained her bachelor’s degree in International
Trade from Xian Foreign Language Institute in July 1995.
EXECUTIVE
COMPENSATION
Summary
Compensation Table
As a
“smaller reporting company,” as defined under Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K,
we have elected to follow the scaled disclosure obligations for smaller
reporting companies with respect to the disclosures required by Items 402 and
407 of Regulation S-K, under which the Company is not required to provide a
Compensation Discussion and Analysis, statement on Compensation Committee
Interlocks and Insider Participation, Compensation Committee Report and certain
other tabular and narrative disclosures relating to executive
compensation.
The
following table sets forth information concerning the compensation of certain of
our executive officers for the years ended December 31, 2009 and
2008.
Summary Compensation Table
|
|
|
|
Fiscal
|
|
Salary
|
|
|
Bonus
|
|
|
Stock
Awards
|
|
|
Option
Awards
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Name and principal position
|
|
Year
|
|
($)
|
|
|
($)
|
|
|
($)
|
|
|
($)
|
|
|
($)
|
|
Ying
He
|
|
2009
|
|
|
24,660 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
24,660 |
|
Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer
|
|
2008
|
|
|
24,660 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
24,660 |
|
Walter Zhao
(1)
|
|
2009
|
|
|
50,000 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
230,760 |
|
|
|
280,760 |
|
President
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) Mr.
Zhao was appointed President of the Company on September 28,
2009. Mr. Zhao was a director of the company from April 29, 2009 to
September 28, 2009. The options were valued using the Black-Scholes
pricing model with the following assumptions: risk-free interest rate
– 2.25%; expected life – 3 years; volatility – 80% and dividend yield –
0%.
Narrative
Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table.
Employment
Agreements
We have
entered into a standard China domestic labor contract with Mr. Ying He, which
does not contain provisions prohibiting competition by Mr. He following his
employment with us. Mr. He’s labor contract expires March 2,
2013.
The
Company and Mr. Zhao have agreed that he will be compensated with a salary of
$50,000 per annum for one year of service, subject to renewal.
Change-In-Control
Agreements
We do not
have any existing arrangements providing for payments or benefits in connection
with the resignation, severance, retirement or other termination of any of our
named executive officers, or a change in control of the Company or a change in
the named executive officer's responsibilities following a change in
control.
Equity
Incentive Plans
On
November 6, 2009, our stockholders approved the Company’s 2009 Equity Incentive
Plan authorizing the issuance of up to 500,000 shares of our common
stock. The Company can grant awards under the Plan to officers,
directors and employees of the Company pursuant to the guidelines set forth in
the Plan.
On
December 22, 2009, the Company granted options under the 2009 Equity Incentive
Plan to Mr. Zhao to purchase an aggregate of 80,000 shares of common stock, with
options to purchase 40,000 shares vesting immediately and the remainder to vest
on December 31, 2010. The options may be exercised at the price of
$10.96 per share, which was the closing price of the Company’s common stock on
the NASDAQ Global Market on December 21, 2009. The options are
exercisable for five years from the date of grant.
Outstanding
Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
This
table provides information about the outstanding equity awards held by each of
our named executive officers as of December 31, 2009.
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End – 2009
|
|
|
|
Option Awards
|
|
|
|
Number of Securities Underlying
Unexercised Options
|
|
|
Option
Exercise Price
|
|
|
Option
Expiration
|
|
Name
|
|
(#) Exercisable
|
|
|
(#) Unexercisable
|
|
|
($)
|
|
|
Date
|
|
Ying
He
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Walter
Zhao
|
|
|
40,000 |
|
|
|
40,000 |
(1)
|
|
|
10.96 |
|
|
12/22/2014
|
|
(1)
Consists of options vesting on December 31, 2010.
DIRECTOR
COMPENSATION
Director
Compensation Table
The
following table sets forth information concerning the compensation of our
directors for the year ended December 31, 2009.
Director Compensation Table – 2009
|
|
|
|
Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash
|
|
|
Stock
Awards
|
|
|
Option
Awards
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Name and principal position
|
|
($)
|
|
|
($)
|
|
|
($)
|
|
|
($)
|
|
Ying
He, Chairman
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Zongshu
Nie
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Edward
Hua
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Arnold
Staloff
|
|
|
25,833 |
(1)
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
102,628 |
(2)
|
|
|
128,461 |
|
Qi
Hua Xu
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Walter Zhao(3)
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Man Wai James
Chiu(4)
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
(1) Mr.
Staloff was compensated at $20,000 per annum from April 29, 2009 until December
21, 2009, and at $50,000 per annum from thereon.
(2) On
December 22, 2009, the Company granted options under the 2009 Equity Incentive
Plan to Mr. Staloff to purchase an aggregate of 50,000 shares of common stock,
with options to purchase 16,666 shares vesting immediately and the remainder to
vest in increments of 16,667 shares on each subsequent annual anniversary of the
grant date. The options may be exercised at the price of $10.96 per
share. The options are exercisable for five years from the date of
grant. The options were valued using the Black-Scholes pricing model
with the following assumptions: risk-free interest rate – 2.25%;
expected life – 3.5 years; volatility – 80% and dividend yield –
0%.
(3) Mr.
Zhao was appointed President of the Company on September 28, 2009 and
voluntarily resigned as a director of the Company effective September 28,
2009. Mr. Zhao was appointed a director on April 29,
2009.
(4) Mr.
Chiu voluntarily resigned as a director of the Company effective April 29,
2009. Mr. Chiu was appointed a director on September 3,
2008.
Narrative
Disclosure to Director Compensation Table.
We have
not compensated, and will not compensate, our non-independent directors, such as
Messrs. He and Nie, for serving as our directors, although they are entitled to
reimbursements for reasonable expenses incurred in connection with attending our
board meetings.
Messrs.
Hua, Staloff and Xu, as independent directors, are eligible to receive grants of
options to purchase the Company’s common stock under the 2009 Equity Incentive
Plan.
Mr.
Staloff was compensated at $20,000 per annum from April 29, 2009 until December
21, 2009. As of December 22, 2009, the Company and Mr. Staloff have
agreed that he will be compensated at $50,000 per annum.
We do not
maintain a medical, dental or retirement benefits plan for our
directors.
SECURITIES
OWNERSHIP
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The
following table provides information concerning beneficial ownership of our
common stock as of April 13, 2010 by (i) each person that we know beneficially
owns more than 5% of our outstanding common stock, (ii) each of our named
executive officers, (iii) each of our directors and (iv) all of our named
executive officers and directors as a group.
The
amounts and percentages of common stock beneficially owned are reported on the
basis of regulations of the SEC governing the determination of beneficial
ownership of securities. Under the rules of the SEC, a person is
deemed to be a “beneficial owner” of a security if that person has or shares
“voting power,” which includes the power to vote or to direct the voting of such
security, or “investment power,” which includes the power to dispose of or to
direct the disposition of such security. A person is also deemed to
be a beneficial owner of any securities for which that person has the right to
acquire beneficial ownership within 60 days of April 13, 2010. Under
these rules, more than one person may be deemed a beneficial owner of the same
securities and a person may be deemed to be a beneficial owner of securities as
to which such person has no economic interest. As of April 13, 2010,
there were 32,631,748 shares of our common stock issued and
outstanding.
Unless
otherwise indicated, each of the stockholders named in the table below, or his
or her family members, has sole voting and investment power with respect to such
shares of common stock. Except as otherwise indicated, the address of
each of the stockholders listed below is: c/o Deer Consumer Products,
Inc., Area 2, 1/F, Building M-6, Central High-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan,
Shenzhen, China 518057.
Name of beneficial owner
|
|
Number of shares
|
|
|
Percent of class
|
|
5%
Stockholders
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Futmon
Holding, Inc.(1)
Akara
Building, 24 De Castro Street, Wickhams Cay I,
Road
Town, Tortola, BVI
|
|
|
2,600,000 |
|
|
|
7.82
|
% |
Sino
Unity Limited(2)
|
|
|
1,687,284 |
|
|
|
5.17
|
% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Directors
and Named Executive Officers
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mr.
Ying He(3)
|
|
|
8,200,240 |
|
|
|
25.13
|
% |
Mr.
Zongshu Nie(4)
|
|
|
1,569,566 |
|
|
|
4.81
|
% |
Mr.
Edward Hua
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
* |
|
Mr.
Arnold Staloff(5)
|
|
|
16,666 |
|
|
|
* |
|
Mr.
Qi Hua Xu
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
* |
|
Mr.
Walter Zhao(6)
|
|
|
40,000 |
|
|
|
* |
|
All
Directors and Named Executive Officers as a Group (6
Persons)
|
|
|
9,770,546 |
|
|
|
30.06
|
% |
(1)
Consists of 2,000,000 shares of common stock and 600,000 shares of common stock
issuable upon exercise of warrants. Dogan Erbek has sole investment
and voting power over the securities held by Futmon Holding, Inc.
(2) Sino
Unity Limited is 100% owned by YuHai Deng, our Manager of
Purchasing.
(3) Mr.
Ying He, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, holds his shares through
Achieve On Limited, which is 100% owned by him.
(4) Mr.
Zongshu Nie, our Chief Financial Officer, holds his shares through True Olympic
Limited, which is 100% owned by him.
(5)
Consists of options to purchase 16,666 shares of common stock that are presently
exercisable.
(6)
Consists of options to purchase 40,000 shares of common stock that are presently
exercisable.
*
Represents less than 1% of shares outstanding.
SECTION 16
(A) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
Section
16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”),
requires our officers, directors and persons who own more than ten percent (10%)
of our common stock to file with the SEC reports regarding ownership of, and
transactions in, our common stock and to provide us with copies of those
filings. Based solely on our review of the copies received by us and
on the written representations of certain reporting persons, we believe that
during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009, the following reporting persons
have failed to file such reports on a timely basis:
Name and principal position
|
|
Number of
late reports
|
|
|
Transactions not
timely reported
|
|
|
Known failures to
file a required form
|
|
Zongshu
Nie, Chief Financial Officer and Director
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
Edward
Hua, Director
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
Arnold
Staloff, Director
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
Qi
Hua Xu, Director
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
Walter
Zhao, President
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
0 |
|
PROPOSAL
FOR ACTION AT THE ANNUAL MEETING
Proposal
Two:
Ratification
of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Audit
Committee of the Board of Directors has appointed Goldman Parks Kurland Mohidin,
LLP (“GPKM”) as our independent registered public accounting firm for its fiscal
year ending December 31, 2010. GPKM has acted in such capacity
since its appointment on September 3, 2008. The Company has been
advised by GPKM that the firm has no relationship with the Company or its
subsidiaries other than that arising from the firm’s engagement as
auditors. The Audit Committee is directly responsible for the
appointment, retention, compensation and oversight of the work of our
independent auditors (including resolution of disagreements between management
and the independent auditors regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of
preparing or issuing an audit report or related work. In making its
determination regarding whether to appoint or retain a particular firm of
independent auditors, the Audit Committee takes into account the views of
management. A representative of GPKM is expected to be available
telephonically at the annual meeting, with the opportunity to make a statement
if the representative desires to do so, and is expected to be available to
respond to appropriate questions.
Stockholder
Ratification
We are
not required to submit the appointment of GPKM as the Company’s independent
registered public accounting firm for ratification by our
stockholders. However, we are doing so as a matter of good corporate
practice. If the stockholders fail to ratify the appointment, the
Audit Committee will reconsider whether or not to retain that
firm. Even if the selection is ratified, the Audit Committee, in its
discretion, may direct the appointment of a different independent registered
public accounting firm at any time during the fiscal year if they determine that
such an appointment would be in our best interests and that of our
stockholders.
The
ratification of the appointment of GPKM as the Company’s independent registered
public accounting firm requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes
cast on the proposal.
The
Board of Directors unanimously recommends a vote FOR the
ratification of the
appointment
of Goldman Parks Kurland Mohidin, LLP as the Company’s independent
registered
public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31,
2010.
REPORT
OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
The
information set forth in this Report of the Audit Committee shall not be deemed
incorporated by reference to any general statement incorporating by reference
this Proxy Statement into any filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange
Act, except to the extent that the Company specifically incorporates this
information by reference, and otherwise shall not be deemed “soliciting
materials” or to be “filed” with the SEC or subject to Regulations 14A or 14C of
the SEC or subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange
Act.
The Audit
Committee of the Board of Directors is comprised of the three directors named
below. Each member of the Audit Committee is an independent director as
defined by NASDAQ rules. A written charter adopted by the Board of
Directors governs the Audit Committee’s activities. The Audit Committee
has reviewed and discussed our audited financial statements with management,
which has primary responsibility for the financial statements.
Goldman
Parks Kurland Mohidin, LLP (“GPKM”), our independent registered public
accounting firm, is responsible for expressing an opinion on the conformity of
our audited financial statements with accounting principles generally accepted
in the United States of America. The Audit Committee has discussed with
GPKM the matters required to be discussed by the statement on Auditing Standards
No. 61, “Communication with Audit Committees,” as amended, which includes,
among other items, matters relating to the conduct of an audit of our financial
statements. The Audit Committee has received the written disclosures and
the letter from GPKM required by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
regarding GPKM’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence
and has discussed with GPKM their independence from the Company. Based on
the reviews and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended
to the Board of Directors that the audited financial statements be included in
our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2009 and in our fiscal year 2009 Annual Report to Stockholders.
Submitted
by the members of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors,
Mr.
Arnold Staloff, Chair
Mr.
Edward Hua
Dr. Qi
Hua Xu
AUDITOR
INFORMATION
Change
in Company’s Accountant
On
September 3, 2008, we dismissed Dale Matheson Carr-Hilton Labonte LLP (“DMCHL”)
as our independent accountant. DMCHL previously had been engaged as
the principal accountant to audit our financial statements. The
reason for the dismissal of DMCHL was that, following the consummation of the
share exchange on September 3, 2008, (i) the former stockholders of Deer owned a
significant amount of the outstanding shares of our common stock and (ii) our
primary business became the business previously conducted by
Deer. The independent registered public accountant of Deer for U.S.
accounting purposes was GPKM. We believed that it was in our best
interests to have GPKM continue to work with our business, and we therefore
retained GPKM as our new principal independent registered accounting firm,
effective as of September 3, 2008. The decision to change accountants was
approved by our Board of Directors on September 3, 2008. GPKM is
located at 16133 Ventura Blvd., Suite 880, Encino, CA 91436.
During
our two most recent fiscal years and any subsequent interim period through to
the date of our engagement of GPKM, neither we, nor anyone on our behalf, has
consulted with GPKM or any other auditor regarding any accounting or audit
concerns, including, without limitation, those stated in Item 304(a)(2) of
Regulation S-K.
The
report of DMCHL on our financial statements for the period from July 8, 2006
(inception) through our fiscal year ended September 30, 2007, did not contain an
adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion, nor was it qualified or modified as to
uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principles, except that the report was
qualified as to our ability to continue as a going concern.
From our
inception through September 3, 2008, there were no disagreements with DMCHL on
any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement
disclosure, or auditing scope or procedure which, if not resolved to the
satisfaction of DMCHL, would have caused it to make reference to the matter in
connection with its reports.
From our
inception through September 3, 2008, we did not consult GPKM regarding either:
(i) the application of accounting principles to a specific completed or
contemplated transaction, or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on
our financial statements; or (ii) any matter that was the subject of a
disagreement as described in Item 304(a)(1)(iv) of Regulation S-K.
FEES
PAID TO INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Audit
Fees
The
aggregate fees billed for each of the last two fiscal years for professional
services rendered by the principal accountant for our audit of annual financial
statements and review of financial statements included in our Quarterly Reports
on Form 10-Q or services that are normally provided by the accountant in
connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for those fiscal
years were:
Year
|
|
Fees
|
|
Name
|
2009
|
|
$ |
137,500 |
|
Goldman
Parks Kurland Mohidin, LLP
|
2008
|
|
$ |
107,500 |
|
Goldman
Parks Kurland Mohidin, LLP
|
2008
|
|
$ |
5,000 |
|
Dale
Matheson Carr-Hilton Labonte
LLP
|
Audit-Related
Fees
The
aggregate fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for assurance and
related services by the principal accountants that are reasonably related to the
performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not
reported in the preceding paragraph were:
Year
|
|
Fees
|
|
Name
|
2009
|
|
$ |
30,000 |
(1)
|
Goldman
Parks Kurland Mohidin, LLP
|
2008
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
Goldman
Parks Kurland Mohidin, LLP
|
2008
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
Dale
Matheson Carr-Hilton Labonte
LLP
|
(1)
Audit-related fees in 2009 relate to assurance and related professional services
rendered in connection with the underwriting agreement entered into by the
Company on December 10, 2009, relating to the Company’s registered public
offering of its common stock, as reported on our Current Report on Form-8K,
dated December 10, 2009, as filed with the SEC on December 11,
2009.
Tax
Fees
The
aggregate fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for professional
services rendered by the principal accountants for tax compliance, tax advice
and tax planning were:
Year
|
|
Fees
|
|
Name
|
2009
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
Goldman
Parks Kurland Mohidin, LLP
|
2008
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
Goldman
Parks Kurland Mohidin, LLP
|
2008
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
Dale
Matheson Carr-Hilton Labonte
LLP
|
All
Other Fees
The
aggregate fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for products and
services provided by the principal accountants, other than the services reported
in the preceding paragraphs, were:
Year
|
|
Fees
|
|
Name
|
2009
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
Goldman
Parks Kurland Mohidin, LLP
|
2008
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
Goldman
Parks Kurland Mohidin, LLP
|
2008
|
|
$ |
0 |
|
Dale
Matheson Carr-Hilton Labonte
LLP
|
Audit
Committee’s Pre-Approval Policy
It is the
Audit Committee’s policy to approve in advance the types and amounts of audit,
audit-related, tax and any other services to be provided by our independent
auditors. In situations where it is not possible to obtain full Audit
Committee approval in advance, the Audit Committee has delegated authority to
the Chairman of the Audit Committee to grant pre-approval of auditing,
audit-related, tax and all other services to be provided by our independent
auditors. Any pre-approved decisions by the Chairman are required to
be reviewed with the Audit Committee at its next scheduled
meeting. The Audit Committee approved all audit and audit-related
services provided by GPKM during the fiscal year ended December 31,
2009.
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION
STOCKHOLDER
NOMINATIONS FOR DIRECTORS
Nominations
for the election of directors may only be made by the Board of Directors in
consultation with its Nominating Committee. A stockholder of record
may recommend to the Nominating Committee a candidate for consideration as a
nominee, however. The Nominating Committee will consider a
stockholder nominee only if a stockholder provides written notice
to: Deer Consumer Products, Inc., Area 2, 1/F, Building M-6, Central
High-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen, China 518057,
Attention: Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee.
In order
to provide sufficient time to enable the Nominating Committee to evaluate
candidates recommended by stockholders in connection with its selection of
candidates for nomination at the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders, the
Chairman of the Nominating Committee must receive the stockholder’s
recommendation not less than sixty (60) days nor more than ninety
(90) days prior to the anniversary of the mailing of the proxy statement
for the annual meeting of stockholders for the preceding year. Each
such notice must include the following information about the candidate for
nomination:
|
§
|
Business
and current residence addresses, as well as residence addresses for the
past 20 years;
|
|
§
|
Principal
occupation or employment and employment history (name and address of
employer and job title) for the past 10 years (or such shorter period as
the candidate has been in the
workforce);
|
|
§
|
Educational
background;
|
|
§
|
Permission
for the Company to conduct a background investigation, including the right
to obtain education, employment and credit
information;
|
|
§
|
The
number of shares of the common stock of the Company beneficially owned by
the candidate, if any;
|
|
§
|
The
information that would be required to be disclosed by the Company about
the candidate under the rules of the SEC in a proxy statement soliciting
proxies for the election of such candidate as a director (which currently
includes information required by Items 401, 404 and 405 of Regulation
S-K); and
|
|
§
|
A
signed consent of the nominee to serve as a director of the Company, if
elected.
|
The
Nominating Committee will evaluate nominees properly proposed by eligible
stockholders in the same manner as nominees identified by the Nominating
Committee. To date, no stockholder or group of stockholders has put
forth any director nominees.
STOCKHOLDER
PROPOSALS
The
rules of the SEC govern when a company must include a stockholder’s
proposal in its proxy statement and identify the proposal in its form of proxy
when the company holds an annual or special meeting of stockholders. Under
these rules, proposals that stockholders would like to submit for inclusion in
our proxy statement for our 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders should be
received by our Corporate Secretary no later than December 21, 2010 (which is
not more than 120 days prior to the anniversary of the mailing date of this
proxy statement), assuming that the date of the annual meeting to be held in
2011 is not changed by more than 30 days from the date of this Annual
Meeting. In such event, we will provide notice of the date by which
such proposals must be received in order to be included in our proxy statement
in Item 5 of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Our determination of
whether we will oppose inclusion of any proposal in our proxy statement and
proxy will be made on a case-by-case basis in accordance with our judgment and
the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC.
In
addition, if a stockholder wishes to present a proposal at the 2011 Annual
Meeting of Stockholders that will not be included in our proxy statement and the
Company is not notified prior to March 4, 2010 (which is 47 days prior to the
anniversary of the mailing date of this proxy statement), then the proxies
solicited by our management for the 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders will
include discretionary authority to vote on the proposal in the event that it is
properly brought before the meeting.
As of the
date of this proxy statement, the Board of Directors is not aware of any matters
to come before the Annual Meeting other than those set forth on the notice
accompanying this proxy statement. If any other matters come before
the Annual Meeting, the proxy card, if executed and returned, gives
discretionary voting authority to the person named as proxy holder, Mr. Ying He,
our Chief Executive Officer, with respect to such matters.
ANNUAL
REPORT AND FORM 10-K
The proxy
statement is accompanied by the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2009. Stockholders are referred to
such Annual Report for information about our business and
activities.
Copies of
our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC pursuant to
Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, will be
provided without charge to record or beneficial owners of shares of our common
stock entitled to vote at the meeting. Written requests for copies of said
report should be directed to our Corporate Secretary, Deer Consumer Products,
Inc., Area 2, 1/F, Building M-6, Central High-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan,
Shenzhen, China 518057.
OTHER
MATTERS
The
Nevada Revised Statutes, which govern the Company, do not provide for either
appraisal rights or dissenter rights in connection with the passage of Proposal
One, Election of Directors, or Proposal Two, Ratification of Appointment of
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
By Order
of the Board of Directors,
Mr. Ying
He
Chairman
of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
April 20,
2010
ANNUAL
MEETING OF THE STOCKHOLDERS OF DEER CONSUMER PRODUCTS, INC.
TO
BE HELD ON MAY 28, 2010 (China time)
THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS
A
VOTE FOR
ALL OF THE PROPOSALS
The
undersigned stockholder of Deer Consumer Products, Inc., a Nevada corporation
(the “Company”), acknowledges receipt of the Notice of Annual Meeting of
Stockholders and Proxy Statement, dated April 20, 2010, and hereby constitutes
and appoints Mr. Ying He, with full power to act alone and with power of
substitution and revocation, to represent the undersigned and to vote with the
same force and effect as the undersigned all shares of the Company’s Common
Stock that the undersigned is entitled to vote at the 2010 Annual Meeting of
Stockholders to be held on May 28, 2010 (China time), and at any adjournment or
postponement thereof, hereby revoking any proxy or proxies heretofore given and
ratifying and confirming all that said proxies may do or cause to be done by
virtue thereof with respect to the following matters:
The
undersigned hereby instructs said proxies or their substitutes to:
1.
|
Elect
as Directors the nominees listed below: FOR ALL
o
|
(1)
Ying
He
(4) Arnold Staloff
(2) Zongshu
Nie
(5) Qi Hua Xu
Withhold
authority for the following:
|
o
|
Ying
He o Arnold
Staloff
|
|
o
|
Zongshu
Nie o Qi Hua
Xu
|
2.
|
Approve
the ratification of Goldman Parks Kurland Mohidin, LLP as the Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending
December 31, 2010.
|
FOR
¨ AGAINST
¨ ABSTAIN ¨
Note: The
proxy is authorized to vote in accordance with his judgment on any matters
other than those referred to herein that are properly presented for
consideration and action at the Annual Meeting.
PLEASE
MARK, SIGN AND DATE THIS PROXY CARD AND PROMPTLY RETURN IT IN THE ENVELOPE
PROVIDED.
Please
sign exactly as your name appears hereon. Joint owners should each sign.
Executors, administrators, trustees, guardians or other fiduciaries should give
full title as such. If signing for a corporation, please sign in full corporate
name by a duly authorized officer.
If the
envelope provided with these proxy materials is lost, please return this proxy
card to the Corporate Secretary, Deer Consumer Products, Inc., Area 2, 1/F,
Building M-6, Central High-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen, China
518057.