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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No.          )

Filed by the Registrantoý


Filed by a Party other than the Registranto


Check the appropriate box:


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Preliminary Proxy Statement


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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))


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Definitive Proxy Statement


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Definitive Additional Materials


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Soliciting Material Pursuant tounder §240.14a-12



Royal Gold, Inc.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

 

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

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No fee required.

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Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
  (1) Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
         
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Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.

 

 

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ROYAL GOLD, INC.
1660 Wynkoop Street, Suite 1000
Denver, Colorado 80202
303/573-1660
303/595-9385 (Fax)
info@royalgold.com (E-mail)
www.royalgold.com (Website)


NOTICE OF 20112012 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To Be Held November 16, 201114, 2012

* * * *

To the Stockholders of ROYAL GOLD, INC.:

                   NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual Meeting of the Stockholders of Royal Gold, Inc. will be held at 9:30 a.m., on Wednesday, November 16, 2011,14, 2012, at the Four Seasons Hotel, Aspen Room, 1111 Fourteenth Street, Denver, Colorado, USA, to:


                   All stockholders are cordially invited to attend the meeting; however, only stockholders of record as of the close of business on September 22, 2011,17, 2012, are entitled to vote at the meeting and any postponements or adjournments thereof. It is important that your shares are represented and voted at the Annual Meeting. For that reason, whether or not you expect to attend in person, please vote your shares by telephone or by Internet. If this proxy statement was mailed to you, you may also vote by marking, signing and returning the proxy card in the enclosed envelope.


 

 

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
GRAPHIC

Karen P. Gross
Vice President and Corporate Secretary

October 7, 20115, 2012


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PROXY SUMMARY

This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this proxy statement. This summary does not contain all of the information that you should consider and you should read the entire proxy statement before voting. For more complete information regarding the Company's 2012 performance, please review the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K.

2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

Date and Time:

November 14, 2012, 9:30 a.m. local time

Place:

The Four Seasons Hotel
1111 Fourteenth Street
Denver, Colorado

Record Date:

September 17, 2012

Voting:

Stockholders as of the Record Date are entitled to vote. Each share of common stock and each exchangeable share are entitled to one vote for each Director nominee and one vote for each of the other proposals to be voted on.


Meeting Agenda and Voting Matters


Board Vote Recommendation
Page Reference
(For more detail)






Election of 3 DirectorsFOR each Director Nominee7


Other Management Proposals:








Ratification of Ernst & Young LLP as auditor for 2013

FOR

46

Advisory resolution to approve executive compensation

FOR

48

                   Transact other business that properly comes before the meeting


Director Nominees (page 8)

Class I Directors
 Age Director
Since
 Primary Occupation Experience/
Qualifications
 Independent Committee
Membership
 Other Public
Company
Boards
 

Stanley Dempsey

  73  1983 Chairman of the Board
Royal Gold, Inc.
 

Board Service

Leadership

Finance

Industry, Mining, International Business

Law

 X(1)    0 

(1)
The Board of Directors determined in August 2012 that Mr. Dempsey is independent (see page 14).

i


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Class I Directors
 Age Director
Since
 Primary Occupation Experience/ Qualifications Independent Committee
Membership
 Other Public
Company
Boards
 

Tony Jensen

  50  2004 President and CEO
Royal Gold, Inc.
 

Board Service

Leadership

Finance

Industry, Mining, International Business

Operations

Marketing

     1 

Gordon Bogden

  
54
  
2011
 

Corporate Director and retired Investment Banker

 

Board Service

Finance and International Business

Leadership

Industry and mining

  
X
 

Audit

  
3
 

Director Elections:Each Class I Director elected will serve until the 2015 Annual Meeting, or until his successor is elected and qualified.

Attendance:


In fiscal year 2012, all of our Directors attended at least 75% of the Board and Committee meetings and all of our Directors attended the 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Management Proposals


2012 Business Highlights

                   The following is a summary of our financial performance and other significant achievements during fiscal year 2012:

ii


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2012 Compensation Highlights (page 21)

                   Our compensation program is highly correlated to Company performance and emphasized long-term compensation incentives over cash compensation. For example, 78% of total direct compensation to named executive officers was performance based and not guaranteed. Our compensation program is designed to:

iii


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                   The following graph demonstrates the relative growth of Adjusted EBITDA compared to the growth in Chief Executive Officer Total Compensation. The chart has been indexed to 100 in Fiscal 2009 for comparative purposes. During the period from the end of Fiscal 2009 through the end of Fiscal 2012, Adjusted EBITDA has grown by 285% while Chief Executive Officer Total Compensation has grown by 64%.


Adjusted EBITDA/CEO Total Compensation

GRAPHIC


(1)
Mr. Jensen's total compensation as reported in the 2012 Summary Compensation Table on page 34.

(2)
See Appendix A for a reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to our results as reported under GAAP.

Five-Year Total Stockholder Return

                   The following graph shows how a $100 investment in the Company's common stock on June 30, 2007, would have grown to $343.68 on June 30, 2012, with dividends reinvested quarterly. The chart also compares the total stockholder return on the Company's common stock to the same investment in the S&P 500 Index and the PHLX Gold/Silver Sector IndexSM (XAUSM) over the same period, with dividends reinvested quarterly. As illustrated below, the Company's common stock outperformed both the S&P 500 Index and the XAUSM during this period.

iv


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Five-Year Shareholder Return Comparision

GRAPHIC

 
 Annual Return Percentage For Years Ended June 30 
 
 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 

Royal Gold, Inc. 

  33.16  34.29  16.00  23.02  34.68 

S&P 500 Index

  -13.12  -26.22  14.43  30.69  5.45 

PHLX Gold/Silver Sector

  42.44  -28.02  32.27  14.04  -19.97 


 
 Indexed Returns(1) For Years Ended June 30 
 
 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 

Royal Gold, Inc. 

  100  133.16  178.83  207.44  255.19  343.68 

S&P 500 Index

  100  86.88  64.10  73.35  95.87  101.09 

PHLX Gold/Silver Sector

  100  142.44  102.52  135.61  154.65  123.77 

(1)
Includes dividend reinvestment.

PHLX Gold/Silver Sector IndexSM (XAUSM)

Agnico Eagle Mines Limited

Allied Nevada Gold Corp.

Anglogold Ashanti Limited – ADR

AuRico Gold Inc.(1)

Banro Corporation

Barrick Gold Corporation

Coeur D'Alene Mines Corporation(1)

Compania De Minas Buenaventura – ADR

Eldorado Gold Corporation

Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold

Gold Fields Limited – ADR

Gold Resource Corporation

Goldcorp Inc.

Golden Minerals Company

Harmony Gold Mining Limited – ADR

Hecla Mining Company(1)

IAMGOLD Corporation(1)

Kinross Gold Corporation

McEwen Mining Inc.

New Gold Inc.(1)

Newmont Mining Corporation

NovaGold Resources Inc.

Pan American Silver Corporation(1)

Randgold Resources Limited – ADR

Royal Gold, Inc.

Seabridge Gold Inc.

Silver Standard Resources Inc.

Silver Wheaton Corporation(1)

Tanzanian Royalty Exploration Corporation

Yamana Gold, Inc.


(1)
Member of the Company's compensation peer group (see page 26).

v


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2012 Summary Compensation Table (see the notes accompanying the 2012 Summary Compensation Table on page 34 for more information).

Name and Principal Position
 Salary
($)
 Bonus
($)
 Stock
Awards
($)
 Option
Awards
($)
 All Other
Compensation
($)
 Total
($)
 

Tony Jensen
President and Chief Executive Officer

 $540,000 $530,000 $1,472,688 $604,456 $35,427 $3,182,571 

Stefan Wenger
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

 
$

280,000
 
$

240,000
 
$

654,528
 
$

139,006
 
$

25,202
 
$

1,338,736
 

Bruce C. Kirchhoff
Vice President and General Counsel

 
$

275,000
 
$

230,000
 
$

654,528
 
$

139,006
 
$

27,377
 
$

1,325,911
 

William Heissenbuttel
Vice President of Corporate Development

 
$

290,000
 
$

240,000
 
$

654,528
 
$

139,006
 
$

27,977
 
$

1,351,511
 

William M. Zisch
Vice President Operations

 
$

280,000
 
$

240,000
 
$

654,528
 
$

139,006
 
$

21,220
 
$

1,334,754
 

Important dates for 2013 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (page 49)

                   Stockholder proposals submitted for inclusion in our 2013 proxy statement pursuant to SEC Rule 14a-8 must be received by us by June 7, 2013.

                   Notice of stockholder proposals to be raised from the floor of the 2013 Annual Meeting of Stockholders outside of SEC Rule 14a-8 must be received by us by August 16, 2013.

vi


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ROYAL GOLD, INC.
20112012 Proxy Statement
Table of Contents

 
 Page

GENERAL INFORMATION

 1

Stockholders Entitled to Vote

 1

Internet Availability of Proxy Materials

 1

Voting Your Shares

 21

Royal Gold Common Stock

 21

RG Exchangeco Inc. Exchangeable Shares

 2

Revocation of Proxy or Voting Instruction Form

 3

Quorum and Votes Required to Approve Proposals

 3

Tabulation of Votes

 4

Solicitation Costs

 4

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

 5

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF CLASS IIII DIRECTORS

 87

Vote Required for Approval

 87

Board of Directors' Recommendation

 87

DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS INFORMATION

 98

MEETINGS AND COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 1514

DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

 18

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

 20

Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee Report

 20

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

 21

20112012 SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE

 3134

GRANTS OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS IN FISCAL YEAR 20112012

 3336

OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT 20112012 FISCAL YEAR END

 3437

FISCAL YEAR 20112012 OPTION EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED

 3740

POTENTIAL PAYMENTS UPON TERMINATION OR CHANGE OF CONTROL

 3740

EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION

 4144

SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE

 4144

AUDIT COMMITTEE AND RELATED MATTERS

 4145

Audit Committee Report

 4145

PROPOSAL 2: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS

 4346

Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures

 4346

Vote Required for Approval

 4447

Board of Directors Recommendation

 4547

PROPOSAL 3: ADVISORY VOTE ON COMPENSATION OF THE NAMED EXECUTIVE
OFFICERS

 4548

Vote Required for Approval

 4548

Board of Directors Recommendation

 45

PROPOSAL 4: ADVISORY VOTE ON FREQUENCY OF STOCKHOLDERS' VOTES ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

45

Board of Directors Recommendation

4648

OTHER MATTERS

 4649

Stockholder Proposals for the 20122013 Annual Meeting

 4649

vii


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ROYAL GOLD, INC.
1660 Wynkoop Street, Suite 1000
Denver, Colorado 80202
303/573-1660
303/595-9385 (Fax)
info@royalgold.com (E-mail)
www.royalgold.com (Website)


PROXY STATEMENT

20112012 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS


GENERAL INFORMATION

Stockholders Entitled to Vote

                   This Proxy Statement is furnished to holders of:

each in connection with the solicitation of proxies on behalf of the Board of Directors of Royal Gold, Inc. (the "Company" or "Royal Gold") to be voted at the 20112012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company (the "Annual Meeting") to be held on Wednesday, November 16, 2011,14, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. Stockholders of record holding the following Royal Gold securities at the close of business on September 22, 201117, 2012 (the "Record Date") are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting and at all postponements and adjournments thereof:


Internet Availability of Proxy Materials

                   We are taking advantage of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") rules allowing us to furnish proxy materials through a "notice and access" model via the Internet. On or about October 7, 2011,5, 2012, we will furnish a Notice of Internet Availability to our stockholders of record and stockholdersholders of the Exchangeable Shares containing instructions on how to access the proxy materials and to vote. In addition, instructions on how to request a printed copy of these materials may be found on the Notice. For more information on voting your stock, please see "Voting Your Shares" below.


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Voting Your Shares

Royal Gold Common Stock

                   Each share of Royal Gold common stock that you own entitles you to one vote. Your proxy card shows the number of shares of Royal Gold common stock that you own. You may elect to vote in one of three methods:




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RG Exchangeco Inc. Exchangeable Shares

                   Holders of Exchangeable Shares are receiving these proxy materials in accordance with the provisions of the Exchangeable Shares and the voting and exchange trust agreement (the "Voting Agreement") dated February 22, 2010, among Royal Gold, RG Exchangeco Inc. and Computershare Trust Company of Canada (the "Trustee"). Each Exchangeable Share has economic rights (such as the right to receive dividends and other distributions) that are, as nearly as practicable, equivalent to the economic rights of shares applicable to Royal Gold common stock. The Exchangeable Shares are exchangeable at any time at the option of the holders into shares of Royal Gold common stock on a one-for-one basis.

                   In accordance with the Voting Agreement, holders of Exchangeable Shares are effectively provided with voting rights for each Exchangeable Share that are nearly equivalent to the voting rights applicable to a share of Royal Gold common stock, and holders are entitled to instruct the Trustee as to how to vote their Exchangeable Shares. The Trustee holds one share of Special Voting Preferred Stock of the Company (the "Royal Gold Special Voting Stock") that is entitled to vote on all matters on which the shares of Royal Gold common stock vote. The Royal Gold Special Voting Stock has a number of votes in respect of the Annual Meeting equal to the number of Exchangeable Shares outstanding on the Record Date. Based upon the foregoing, the Trustee will be entitled to cast up to 815,264763,826 votes at the Annual Meeting. However, the Trustee will exercise each vote attached to the Royal Gold Special Voting Stock only on the basis of instructions received from the holders of record of the Exchangeable Shares. In the absence of instructions from a holder as to voting, the Trustee will not exercise any voting rights with respect to the Exchangeable Shares held by such holder.


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                   If you are a holder of record of Exchangeable Shares, there are two ways to vote your Exchangeable Shares:


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                   Only holders of Exchangeable Shares whose names appear on the records of RG Exchangeco Inc. as the registered holders of Exchangeable Shares on the Record Date are entitled to instruct the Trustee as to how to exercise voting rights in respect of their Exchangeable Shares at the Annual Meeting. If on the Record Date your Exchangeable Shares were held, not in your name, but rather in the name of a Nominee, then you are the beneficial owner of shares held in "street name" and these proxy materials, if you have received them, are being forwarded to you by that Nominee. The Nominee holding your account is considered to be the shareholderstockholder of record for purposes of instructing the Trustee as to how to vote your Exchangeable Shares. As a beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your Nominee on how to instruct the Trustee to vote your Exchangeable Shares.


Revocation of Proxy or Voting Instruction Form

                   If you are a holder of common stock, you may revoke your proxy at any time before the proxy is voted at the Annual Meeting. This can be done by either submitting another properly completed proxy card with a later date, sending a written notice of revocation to the Corporate Secretary of the Company with a later date or by attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person. You should be aware that simply attending the Annual Meeting will not automatically revoke your previously submitted proxy; rather you must notify a Company representative at the Annual Meeting of your desire to revoke your proxy and vote in person. Written notice revoking a proxy should be sent to the Corporate Secretary, Royal Gold, Inc., 1660 Wynkoop Street, Suite 1000, Denver, Colorado 80202.

                   If you are a holder of Exchangeable Shares, you have the right to revoke any instructions previously given to the Trustee by giving written notice of revocation of such instructions to the Trustee or by executing and delivering to the Trustee a later-dated voting instructionby 5:00 p.m. (Calgary time) on November 8, 2012, at anythe address indicated on the voting instruction form or for an adjourned meeting not less than 48 hours before the time up to and includingset for the last business day preceding the dayholding of the Annual Meeting or any adjournment thereof.adjourned meeting.


Quorum and Votes Required to Approve Proposals

                   A majority of the outstanding shares of the Company's common stock and Exchangeable Shares entitled to vote, represented in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum at a meeting of the stockholders. Abstentions and "broker non-votes" will be counted as being present in person for purposes of determining whether there is a quorum. A "broker non-vote" occurs when a Nominee holding shares for a beneficial owner does not vote those shares on a proposal because the Nominee does not have discretionary voting authority and has not received instructions to do so from the beneficial owner with respect to that proposal.

                   With respect to Proposal 1, in an uncontested election of directors,Directors, the election of a directorDirector nominee will require an affirmative vote of the majority of the votes cast with respect to that director


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Director nominee at a meeting at which a quorum is present. This means that the number of votes cast "FOR" a directorDirector nominee must exceed the number of votes cast "AGAINST" that directorDirector nominee in order for a directorDirector to be elected at the Annual Meeting. The Election of Directors is a "non-discretionary" item. Therefore, if you hold your Royal Gold common stock through a Nominee and you do not instruct your Nominee how to vote with respect to the election of directors,Directors, your Nominee cannot vote your shares on this proposal. Abstentions and "broker non-votes" will not be counted as votes "FOR" or "AGAINST" this proposal.

                   With respect to Proposal 2, the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the shares that are represented and entitled to vote at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the


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stockholders. Abstentions have the same effect as a vote "AGAINST" Proposal 2. "Broker non-votes" have no effect on the outcome of Proposal 2.

                   With respect to Proposal 3, the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the shares that are represented and entitled to vote at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the stockholders. However, as discussed in further detail in Proposal 3, this proposal is advisory in nature. Abstentions have the same effect as a vote "AGAINST" Proposal 3. "Broker non-votes" will have no effect on the outcome of Proposal 3.

                   With respect to Proposal 4, the affirmative vote of a majority of the voting power of the shares that are represented and entitled to vote at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be considered the act of the stockholders. However, as discussed in further detail in Proposal 4, this proposal is advisory in nature. Moreover, because stockholders are being given the opportunity to vote on a number of choices, it is possible no one choice will receive a majority vote. Abstentions and "broker non-votes" have no effect on Proposal 4.

Cumulative voting is not permitted for the election of directors.Directors. Under Delaware law, holders of common stock are not entitled to appraisal or dissenters' rights with respect to the matters to be considered at the Annual Meeting.


Tabulation of Votes

                   Votes at the Annual Meeting will be tabulated and certified by Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.


Solicitation Costs

                   In addition to solicitation of proxies by mail or by electronic data transfers, the Company's directors,Directors, officers or employees, without additional compensation, may make solicitations by telephone, facsimile, or personal interview. All costs of the solicitation of proxies will be borne by the Company. The Company will also reimburse the banks and brokers for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in forwarding proxy materials to beneficial owners of shares of common stock.


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SECURITY OWNERSHIP
OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
AND MANAGEMENT

                   The following table shows the beneficial ownership, as of September 22, 2011,17, 2012, of the Company's common stock by each director,Director, the Company's principal executive officer, principal financial officer and the three most highly compensatednamed executive officers in fiscal year 2011 (each a "named executive officer")(see "Compensation Discussion and Analysis" on page 21), persons known to the Company to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock, and by all of the Company's directorsDirectors and executive officers as a group. Unless otherwise noted below, the address of each beneficial owner listed in the table is c/o Royal Gold, Inc. 1660 Wynkoop Street, Suite 1000, Denver, Colorado 80202.

Name and Address
of Beneficial
Owner

 Number of Shares of
Common Stock
Beneficially Owned

 Percent
of Class

 
  
Stanley Dempsey(1)
Chairman
  81,056  * 

Tony Jensen(2)
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

 

 

200,374

 

 

*

 

Gordon J. Bogden(3)
Director

 

 

4,175

 

 

*

 

M. Craig Haase(4)
Director

 

 

14,835

 

 

*

 

William M. Hayes(5)
Director

 

 

20,175

 

 

*

 

S. Oden Howell, Jr.(6)
Director

 

 

472,905

 

 

*

 

James W. Stuckert(7)
Director

 

 

1,777,095

 

 

3.02

%

William H. Heissenbuttel(8)
Vice President of Corporate Development

 

 

94,707

 

 

*

 

Bruce C. Kirchhoff(9)
Vice President and General Counsel

 

 

85,139

 

 

*

 

Stefan L. Wenger(10)
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

 

 

110,929

 

 

*

 

William M. Zisch(11)
Vice President Operations

 

 

36,462

 

 

*

 

All Directors and Executive Officers as a Group including those named above (12 persons)

 

 

3,033,061

 

 

5.15

%

Van Eck Associates Corporation
335 Madison Avenue, 19th Floor
New York, New York 10017(12)

 

 

3,012,083

 

 

5.12

%

BlackRock, Inc.
40 East 52nd Street
New York, New York 10022(13)

 

 

3,004,381

 

 

5.04

%

Name and Address
of Beneficial
Owner

 Number of Shares of
Common Stock
Beneficially Owned

 Percent
of Class

 
  
Stanley Dempsey(1)
Chairman
1660 Wynkoop Street
Suite 1000
Denver, CO 80202
  135,381  * 

Tony Jensen(2)
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
1660 Wynkoop Street
Suite 1000
Denver, CO 80202

 

 

232,117

 

 

*

 

Gordon Bogden(3)
Director
1660 Wynkoop Street
Suite 1000
Denver, CO 80202

 

 

2,000

 

 

*

 

M. Craig Haase(4)
Director
1660 Wynkoop Street
Suite 1000
Denver, CO 80202

 

 

12,660

 

 

*

 

William Hayes(5)
Director
1660 Wynkoop Street
Suite 1000
Denver, CO 80202

 

 

18,000

 

 

*

 

S. Oden Howell, Jr.(6)
Director
1660 Wynkoop Street
Suite 1000
Denver, CO 80202

 

 

473,730

 

 

*

 

James W. Stuckert(7)
Director
1660 Wynkoop Street
Suite 1000
Denver, CO 80202

 

 

1,778,920

 

 

3.25

%

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Name and Address
of Beneficial
Owner

 Number of Shares of
Common Stock
Beneficially Owned

 Percent
of Class

 
  
Donald Worth(8)
Director
1660 Wynkoop Street
Suite 1000
Denver, CO 80202
  36,250  * 

William Heissenbuttel(9)
Vice President of Corporate Development
1660 Wynkoop Street
Suite 1000
Denver, CO 80202

 

 

89,154

 

 

*

 

Bruce C. Kirchhoff(10)
Vice President and General Counsel
1660 Wynkoop Street
Suite 1000
Denver, CO 80202

 

 

78,903

 

 

*

 

Stefan L. Wenger(11)
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
1660 Wynkoop Street
Suite 1000
Denver, CO 80202

 

 

120,639

 

 

*

 

William M. Zisch(12)
Vice President Operations
1660 Wynkoop Street
Suite 1000
Denver, CO 80202

 

 

28,887

 

 

*

 

All Directors and Executive Officers as a Group including those named above (13 persons)

 

 

3,169,706

 

 

5.79

%


*
Less than 1% ownership of the Company's common stock.



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(1)
Includes 2,0001,087 shares of restricted stock and 6,393 shares beneficially owned by certain members of Mr. Dempsey's immediate family. Mr. Dempsey disclaims beneficial ownership of these 6,393 shares of common stock.


(2)
Includes 61,33342,999 shares of restricted stock.

(3)
Includes 1,087 shares of restricted stock.

(4)
Includes 1,087 shares of restricted stock.

(5)
Includes 1,087 shares of restricted stock.

(6)
Includes 1,087 shares of restricted stock, 34,74220,000 shares beneficially owned by a member of stock-settled stock appreciation rights ("SARs"), and options to purchase 13,937 shares of common stock that were exercisable as of September 22, 2011, or which become exercisable within 60 days from such date.


(3)
Includes 1,000 shares of restricted stock.


(4)
Includes 2,000 shares of restricted stock.


(5)
Includes 2,000 shares of restricted stock.


(6)
Includes 2,000 shares of restricted stock and options to purchase 22,500 shares of common stock that were exercisable as of September 22, 2011, or which become exercisable within 60 days from such date.


(7)
Includes 2,000 shares of restricted stockMr. Howell's immediate family, and options to purchase 17,500 shares of common stock that were exercisable as of September 22, 2011,17, 2012, or which become exercisable within 60 days from such date.


(8)(7)
Includes 2,0001,087 shares of restricted stock and 168,835 shares beneficially owned by a member of Mr. Stuckert's immediate family.

(8)
Includes 41,333 shares of restricted stock, 12,921 Stock Appreciation Rights ("SARs") and options to purchase 12,50017,914 shares of common stock that were exercisable as of September 22, 2011,17, 2012, or which become exercisable within 60 days from such date.


(9)
Includes 41,83339,667 shares of restricted stock, 11,74212,921 SARs and options to purchase 17,42517,014 shares of common stock that were exercisable as of September 22, 2011, or which become exercisable within 60 days from such date.

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(10)
Includes 48,501 shares of restricted stock, 11,742 SARs and options to purchase 16,525 shares of common stock that were exercisable as of September 22, 2011,17, 2012, or which become exercisable within 60 days from such date.


(11)(10)
Includes 48,50143,001 shares of restricted stock, 11,74212,921 SARs and options to purchase 21,3757,654 shares of common stock that were exercisable as of September 22, 2011,17, 2012, or which become exercisable within 60 days from such date.


(12)(11)
Includes 18,50023,000 shares of restricted stock, 4,7425,921 SARs and options to purchase 1,9252,414 shares of common stock that were exercisable as of September 22, 2011,17, 2012, or which become exercisable within 60 days from such date.

(12)
As reported by Van Eck Associates Corporation on Form 13G/A with the SEC on February 14, 2012. Van Eck Associates Corporation has sole dispositive power and sole voting power over 3,012,083 shares of common stock.

(13)
As reported by BlackRock, Inc. on Form 13G with the SEC on February 9, 2012. BlackRock, Inc. has sole dispositive power and sole voting power over 3,004,381 shares of common stock.

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PROPOSAL 1.


ELECTION OF CLASS IIII DIRECTORS

                   The Company's Board of Directors consists of three classes of directors,Directors, with each class of directorsDirectors serving for a three-year term ending in a successive year. The Company's current Class I Directors are Messrs. Dempsey, Bogden and Jensen; the Class II Directors are Messrs. Hayes and Stuckert; and the Class III Directors are Messrs. Haase Howell and Worth. Donald Worth will serve as a Class III director until his retirement from the Board of Directors at the end of his current term, which expires upon the election of directors at the Annual Meeting.Howell.

                   If the proxy is properly completed and received in time for the Annual Meeting, and if the proxy does not indicate otherwise, the represented shares will be votedFOR M. Craig HaaseStanley Dempsey, Gordon J. Bogden and S. Oden Howell, Jr.Tony Jensen as Class IIII Directors of the Company. Mr. Worth is retiring and will not stand for re-election, and upon his retirement the size of the Board of Directors will be reduced to seven directors. If eitherany of the nominees for election as a Class IIII Director should refuse or be unable to serve (an event that is not anticipated), the proxy will be voted for a substitute nominee who is designated by the Board of Directors. Each Class IIII Director elected shall serve until the 20142015 Annual Meeting, or until his successor is elected and qualified.


Vote Required for Approval

                   The Company's Amended and Restated Bylaws ("bylaws") require that each directorDirector be elected by the majority of votes cast at a meeting at which a quorum is present with respect to such directorDirector in uncontested elections (the number of shares voted "for" a directorDirector nominee must exceed the votes cast "against" that directorDirector nominee). In a contested election (a situation in which the number of nominees exceeds the number of directorsDirectors to be elected), the standard for election of directorsDirectors would be a plurality of the shares represented in person or by proxy at any such meeting and entitled to vote on the election of directors.Directors. This year's election is expected to be an uncontested election, and the majority vote standard will apply. If a nominee who is serving as a directorDirector is not elected at the Annual Meeting, Delaware law provides that the directorDirector would continue to serve on the Board as a "holdover director.Director." Under the Company's bylaws, each directorDirector nominee who is serving as a directorDirector has submitted a conditional resignation that becomes effective if such directorDirector is not elected and the Board accepts the resignation. In that situation, the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee would make a recommendation to the Board of Directors on whether to accept or reject the resignation, or whether to take other action. The Board of Directors will act on the Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee's recommendation and publicly disclose its decision and the rationale behind it within 90 days from the date of the certification of the election results. Absent a determination by the Board that it is in the best interest of the Company for a directorDirector who has failed to be elected to remain on the Board, the Board will accept the resignation. The directorDirector who tenders his resignation will not participate in the decision of the Board of Directors. If a nominee who was not already serving as a directorDirector fails to receive a majority of votes cast with respect to his election at the Annual Meeting, Delaware law provides that the nominee does not serve on the Board as a "holdover director.Director." All of the Class III directorI Director nominees are currently serving on the Board of Directors.

                   Information concerning the nominees for election as directorsDirectors is set forth below under "Directors and Officers."


THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR"
EACH OF THE CLASS IIII DIRECTOR NOMINEES.


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DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

                   The following is information regarding the directorsDirectors and executive officers of the Company related to their names, position with the Company, periods of service and experience. The persons who are nominated for election as directorsDirectors at the Annual Meeting are indicated with an asterisk. Each Director brings a strong and unique background and set of skills to the Board such as board service, leadership experience, finance experience and industry experience in the areas of mining, operations, manufacturing, marketing, law and international business.


                   *Stanley Dempsey, 72,73, Class I Director (term expires in 2012), Chairman of the Board of Directors since 1988 and a Director since 1983.

                   Chairman of the Board of Directors since August 1988. Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors from July 2006 through December 2008. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company from August 1988 until June 2006. President of the Company from May 2002 until August 2003. President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company from July 1987 to July 1988. From 1983 through June 1986, Mr. Dempsey was a partner in the law firm of Arnold & Porter and a principal in Denver Mining Finance Company, a firm that provides financial, management, and advisory services to the mining industry. From 1964 through 1983, Mr. Dempsey was employed by AMAX, Inc., formerly a major international mining firm, serving in various managerial and executive capacities. Mr. Dempsey holds a Bachelor of Science degree in geology, a J.D. from the University of Colorado and completed the Program for Management Development at the Harvard Business School. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Engineering degree by the Colorado School of Mines in 2006, received the 2007 William Lawrence Saunders Gold Medal Award from the Society of Mining Engineers and the 2008 Colorado Section Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Metallurgy and Exploration. Mr. Dempsey served as a director of Taranis Resources, Inc., an exploration company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, from January 2006 to August 10, 2010, when his term expired.

                   Director Qualifications:


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