SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

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Filed by a Party other than the Registrant  ☐

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Preliminary Proxy Statement
Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule14a-6(e)(2))
Definitive Proxy Statement
Definitive Additional Materials
Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12

PCTEL, 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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LOGO

 

(PCTEL LOGO) 

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

 

Tuesday, June 14, 2016
4:

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

3:30 p.m.

 

To Our Stockholders:

The 20162018 annual meeting of stockholders of PCTEL, Inc., a Delaware corporation, will be held on Tuesday, June 14, 20165, 2018 at 4:3:30 p.m. local time at Millennium Broadway Hotel, 145 West 44th Street, New York, New York 10036our headquarters, located at 471 Brighton Drive, Bloomingdale, Illinois 60108, for the following purposes:

1.The election of the two Class II director nominees named in the proxy statement to serve as directors for three-year terms that will expire at the 20191.   The election of the two Class I director nominees named in the proxy statement to serve as directors for three-year terms that will expire at the 2021 annual meeting of stockholders;

2.A non-binding advisory vote to approve the Company’s named executive officer compensation;

3.The ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016; and

2.    Anon-binding advisory vote to approve the Company’s named executive officer compensation;

4.

3.   The ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2018; and

4.   The transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

The foregoing items of business are more fully described in the proxy statement accompanying this notice. Only stockholders of record at the close of business on April 20, 201613, 2018 are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the meeting.

Pursuant to the rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, we have elected to provide access to our proxy materials over the Internet. Accordingly, we will mail, on or about May 4, 2016, a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials to our stockholders of record and beneficial owners at the close of business on April 20, 2016. On the date of mailing of the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, all stockholders and beneficial owners will have the ability to access all of the proxy materials on a website referred to in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials. These proxy materials will be available free of charge.

Your participation in the annual meeting is important. You can vote by telephone, Internet or, if you request that proxy materials be mailed to you, by completing and signing the proxy card enclosed with those materials and returning it in the envelope provided. If you wish to attend the meeting in person, you must bring evidence of your ownership as of April 20, 2016,13, 2018, or a valid proxy showing that you are representing a shareholder.stockholder entitled to vote at the meeting.

 

All stockholders are cordially invited to attend the meeting in person. However, to assure your representation at the meeting, you are urged to deliver your proxy by telephone or the Internet or to mark, sign, date and return the proxy card as promptly as possible. Any stockholder attending the meeting may vote in person, even if he or she has previously returned a proxy.

Sincerely,
 -s- MARTIN H. SINGERLOGO
MARTIN H. SINGERDavid A. Neumann
Chief Executive Officer and
Chairman of the Board of Directors

Bloomingdale, IL

May 4, 2016April 25, 2018

 

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT.

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR PROXY AS PROMPTLY AS POSSIBLE

BY FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS LOCATED ON THE NOTICE OF INTERNET

AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS OR THE PROXY CARD.

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Stockholder Meeting to be held on June 14, 2016:5, 2018: The Proxy Statement and Annual Report to Stockholders for the fiscal year ended December 31, 20152017 are available electronically free of charge athttp://www.proxyvote.comwww.proxyvote.com..

 


PCTEL, INC.

471 Brighton Drive

Bloomingdale, Illinois 60108

 

PROXY STATEMENT FOR THE
2016

PROXY STATEMENT FOR THE

2018 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Board of Directors of PCTEL, Inc. is soliciting proxies for the 20162018 annual meeting of stockholders. This proxy statement contains important information for you to consider when deciding how to vote on the matters brought before the meeting. Please read it carefully.

Our Board of Directors has set April 20, 201613, 2018 as the record date for the meeting. Stockholders of record at the close of business on April 20, 201613, 2018 are entitled to attend and vote at and attend the meeting, with each share entitled to one vote. There were 17,264,58618,291,781 shares of our common stock outstanding on the record date. On the record date, the closing price of our common stock on the NASDAQNasdaq Global Select Global Market was $4.65$7.39 per share.

This proxy statement is being made available on or about May 4, 2016April 25, 2018 to stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting.

In this proxy statement:

 

“We,” “Company”“Company,” and “PCTEL” each means PCTEL, Inc.

 

If you hold shares in “street name,” it means that your shares are held in an account at a brokerage firm, bank, broker dealer or other similar organization and record ownership is not in your name.

 

“SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

“Beneficial ownership” of stock is defined under various SEC rules in different ways for different purposes, but it generally means that, although you (or the person or entity in question) do not hold the shares of record in your name, you do have investment or voting control, and/or an economic or “pecuniary” interest, in the shares through an agreement relationship or the like.relationship.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

 

Q:Q:When and where is the stockholderannual meeting?

 

A:Our annual meeting of stockholders is being held on Tuesday, June 14, 20165, 2018 at 4:3:30 p.m. local time at Millennium Broadway Hotel,our headquarters located at 145 West 44th Street, New York, New York 10036.471 Brighton Drive, Bloomingdale, Illinois 60108.

 

Q:Q:Why did I receive a “Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials”?

 

A:We are furnishing proxy materials to our stockholders primarily via the Internet, instead of mailing printed copies of those materials to each stockholder. By doing so, we save costs and reduce the environmental impact of our annual meeting. On or about May 4, 2016,April 25, 2018, we mailed a Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice of Availability”) to certainour stockholders of our stockholders.record at the close of business on April 13, 2018. The Notice of Availability contains instructions on how to access our proxy materials and vote online or how to vote in person or by mail. The Notice of Availability also contains a control number that you will need to vote your shares.

 

Q:Q:How do I request paper copies of the proxy materials?

 

A:You may request, free of charge, paper copies of the proxy materials for the annual meeting by following the instructions listed on the Notice of Availability. In addition, we will provide you, free of charge, a copy of our Annual Report on Form10-K, upon written request sent to PCTEL, Inc., 471 Brighton Drive, Bloomingdale, Illinois 60108, Attention: John W. Schoen, Corporate Secretary.

 

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Q:Q:What information is included in this proxy statement?

 

A:This proxy statement describes issues on which we would like you, as a stockholder, to vote. It also gives you information on these issues so that you can make an informed decision. This proxy statement also outlines the means by which you can vote your shares.

 

Q:Q:How do proxies work?

 

A:The Board is requesting your proxy. Giving your proxy means that you authorize each of the persons named as proxies therein (Martin H. Singer(David A. Neumann and John W. Schoen) to vote your shares at the annual meeting in the manner you specify in your proxy (or to exercise their discretion as described herein). If you hold your shares as a record holder and submit a proxy but do not specify how to vote on a proposal, the persons named as proxies will vote your shares in accordance with the Board’s recommendations. The Board has recommended that stockholders vote FORBoard’s recommendations are set forth in the electionSummary of each of the director nominees listedProposals on page 6 and are explained in Proposal #1, FOR the non-binding, advisory votegreater detail on pages 6 to approve our named executive officer compensation in Proposal #2; and FOR ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016 in Proposal #3.13. Giving your proxy also means that you authorize the persons named as proxies to vote on any other matter properly presented at the annual meeting in such manner as they determine. We are not aware of any other matters to be presented at the annual meeting as of the date of this proxy statement.

 

Q:Q:What is the difference between holding shares as a beneficial owner in street name and as a stockholder of record?

 

A:If your shares are held in street name through a broker, bank, trustee or other nominee, you are considered the beneficial owner of shares held in street name. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker, bank, trustee or other nominee how to vote your shares. A beneficial owner may also attend the annual meeting and vote in person by following the instructions in the answer to the question “How do I vote?” below.

If your shares are registered directly in your name, you are considered to be a stockholder of record with respect to those shares. As a stockholder of record, you have the right to grant your voting proxy directly to persons designated by the Company (as specified in the answer to the immediately preceding question) or to a third party, or to vote in person at the annual meeting.

Q:What am I voting on?

 

If your shares are registered directly in your name, you are considered to be a stockholder of record with respect to those shares. As a stockholder of record, you have the right to grant your voting proxy directly to the Company or to a third party, or to vote in person at the annual meeting.

Q:What am I voting on?

A:You are being asked to vote on the following proposals:

 

The election of the two Class III director nominees named in this proxy statement to serve as directors for three-year terms that will expire at the 20192021 annual meeting of stockholders (Proposal #1);

 

Anon-binding advisory vote to approve the Company’s named executive officer compensation (Proposal #2); and

 

The ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 20162018 (Proposal #3).

 

Q:Q:How do I vote?

 

A:If you are a stockholder of record, you may vote by proxy or in person at the annual meeting. If you received a paper copy of the proxy materials by mail, you may vote your shares by proxy by doing any one of the following: (1) by voting online at the Internet site address listed on your proxy card; (2) calling the toll-free number listed on your proxy card; or (3) mailing your signed and dated proxy card in the self-addressed envelope provided. If you received only the Notice of Availability by mail, you may vote your shares online at the Internet site address listed on your Notice of Availability or in person at the annual meeting. You will need the control number indicated on the Notice of Availability that you receive in order to vote your shares. You may also request a paper copy of our proxy materials by following the procedures outlined above or in the Notice of Availability. Even if you plan to attend the annual meeting, we recommend that you vote by proxy prior to the annual meeting. You can always change your vote as described below.

 

If you hold your shares in street name, you should follow the voting instructions provided to you by the organization that holds your shares. If you hold your shares in street name and plan to attend the annual meeting and vote in person, you must bring a legal proxy from the stockholder of record indicating that you were the beneficial owner of the shares on the record date in order to vote in person.

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If you hold your shares in street name, you should follow the voting instructions provided to you by the organization that holds your shares. If you hold your shares in street name and plan to attend the annual meeting and vote in person, you must bring a legal proxy from the stockholder of record indicating that you were the beneficial owner of the shares on the record date in order to vote in person.

 

Q:Q:What does it mean if I receive more than one Notice of Availability or set of proxy materials?

 

A:You may receive more than one Notice of Availability or more than one paper copy of the proxy materials, depending on how you hold your shares. For example, if you hold your shares in more than one brokerage account, you may receive a separate Notice of Availability or a separate set of proxy materials for each brokerage account in which you hold your shares. To vote all of your shares by proxy, you must vote at the Internet site address listed on the NoticeNotices of Availability or your proxy card,cards, call the toll-free number listed on your proxy card,cards, or sign, date and return each proxy card that you receive. You will need the control number indicated on each Notice of Availability that you receive in order to vote the shares in the respective accounts.

 

Q:Q:What if I change my mind after I return my proxy?

 

A:You may revoke your proxy (that is, cancel it) and change your vote at any time prior to the voting at the annual meeting by providing written notice to our Corporate Secretary at the following address: 471 Brighton Drive, Bloomingdale, Illinois 60108, Attention: John W. Schoen, Corporate Secretary.

You may also do this by:

You may also change your vote by:

Signing and returning another proxy card with a later date;

 

Voting in person at the meeting; or

 

Voting again via the Internet or by telephone on a date after the date on your proxy (your latest proxy is counted).telephone.

 

Q:Q:What is a “brokernon-vote”?

 

A:Under the rules that govern brokers who have record ownership of shares that are held in “street name” for their clients (who are the beneficial owners of the shares), brokers have the discretion to vote such shares on routine matters (such as the ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm Proposal(Proposal #3)), but not onnon-routine matters (such as the election of directors (Proposal #1) and thenon-binding advisory vote to approve the Company’s named executive officer compensation (Proposal #2)) without specific instructions from their clients. The vote with respect to any non-routine matter is referred to as a “broker non-vote.” Thus, because the proposals to be acted upon at the meeting consist of both routine andnon-routine matters, the broker may turn in a proxy card for uninstructed shares that vote FORvotes on the routine matter, but expressly states that the broker is NOT voting on thenon-routine matters. The vote with respect to anynon-routine matter is referred to as a “brokernon-vote.”A brokernon-vote may also occur with respect to routine matters if the broker expressly instructs on the proxy card that it is not voting on a certain matter.

 

Q:Q:How are brokernon-votes counted?

 

A:Brokernon-votes are counted for the purpose of determining the presence or absence of a quorum, but are not counted for determining the number of votes cast for or against a proposal, whether such proposal is a routine ornon-routine matter.

 

Q:Q:Will my shares be voted if I do not submit a proxy?

 

A:A:Stockholders of record —If you are a stockholder of record and you do not cast your vote, no votes will be cast on your behalf on any of the items of business at the annual meeting.

Beneficial owners — If you hold your shares in street name, it is critical that you cast your vote if you want it to count in the election of directors (Proposal #1) and thenon-binding advisory vote to approve the

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Company’s named executive officer compensation (Proposal #2), both of which are considered“non-routine” matters. If you do not provide specific voting instructions, the broker, trustee or nominee that holds your shares cannot vote on thesenon-routine matters. The broker, trustee or nominee that holds your shares will, however, continue to have discretion to vote any uninstructed shares on the ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm (Proposal #3), which is considered a routine matter.

 

Q:Beneficial owners —If you hold your shares in street name, it is critical that you cast your vote if you want it to count in the election of directors (Proposal #1) and the advisory vote to approve the Company’s named executive officer compensation (Proposal #2), both of which are considered “non-routine” matters. If you do not provide the organization that holds your shares with specific voting instructions, under the rules of the NASDAQ Select Global Market (“NASDAQ”), the organization that holds your shares cannot vote on non-routine matters. This is generally referred to as a “broker non-vote.” The organization that holds your shares will, however, continue to have discretion to vote any uninstructed shares on the ratification of the appointment of our independent registered public accounting firm (Proposal #3), which is considered a “routine” matter.

Q:How do I attend the Annual Meeting?annual meeting?

 

A:The 20162018 annual meeting of stockholders will be held on Tuesday, June 14, 2016,5, 2018, at Millennium Broadway Hotel, 145 West 44th Street, New York, New York 10036our headquarters located at 4:471 Brighton Drive, Bloomingdale, Illinois 60108, at 3:30 p.m. local time. You are entitled to attend the annual meeting only if you were a PCTEL stockholder as of the close of business on Friday, April 13, 2018 or you hold a valid proxy for the annual meeting. You should be prepared to present photo identification for admittance. If you are a stockholder of record, we will verify your name against the list of stockholders of record on the record date prior to admitting you to the Annual Meeting. If you are not a stockholder of record but hold shares through a broker, trustee or nominee (in street name), you should provide proof of beneficial ownership on the record date, such as your most recent account statement prior to April 13, 2018, a copy of the voting instruction form furnished to you, or other similar evidence of ownership. If you do not provide photo identification or comply with the other procedures outlined above upon request, we will not admit you to the annual meeting.

 

Q:Q:How many votes can be cast at the meeting?

 

A:As of the record date, 17,264,58618,291,781 shares of PCTEL common stock were outstanding. Each outstanding share of common stock entitles the holder of such share to one vote on all matters covered in this proxy statement. Therefore, there are a maximum of 17,264,58618,291,781 votes that may be cast at the meeting.

 

Q:Q:What is a “quorum”?

 

A:A “quorum” is the number of shares that must be present, in person or by proxy, in order for business to be transacted at the meeting. The required quorum for the annual meeting is a majority of the shares outstanding on the record date. There must be a quorum present for the meeting to be held. All completed and signed proxy cards, Internet votes, telephone votes and votes cast by those stockholders who attend the annual meeting in person, whether representing a vote FOR, AGAINST, ABSTAIN, or a brokernon-vote, will be counted toward the quorum.

 

Q:Q:What is the required vote for each of the proposals to pass?

A:Election of the two director nominees under Proposal #1 requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a plurality of the common stock present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the annual meeting. Brokernon-votes and proxies marked WITHHOLD AUTHORITY will not be counted toward the election of directors or toward the election of individual nominees and, thus, will have no effect other than that they will be counted for establishing a quorum.

The proposal to approve the resolution regarding the Company’s named executive officer compensation under Proposal #2 requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the common stock present, represented and entitled to vote at the annual meeting. Stockholders may vote FOR, AGAINST or ABSTAIN on Proposal #2. Broker non-votes will not be counted for the purposes of determining whether Proposal #2 has been approved.Thenon-binding advisory vote on the Company’s named executive officer compensation under Proposal #2 requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the common stock present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the annual meeting. Stockholders may vote FOR, AGAINST, or ABSTAIN on Proposal #2. Brokernon-votes will not be counted for the purposes of determining whether Proposal #2 has been approved and, therefore, will have no effect other than that they will be counted for establishing a quorum. Abstentions will be counted as present and entitled to vote for purposes of Proposal #2 and, therefore, will have the same effect as a vote against Proposal #2.

The ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm under Proposal #3 requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the common stock present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the annual meeting. Stockholders may vote FOR, AGAINST, or ABSTAIN on Proposal #3. Brokernon-votes and abstentions will be counted as

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present and entitled to vote for purposes of Proposal #3 and, therefore, will have the same effect as a vote against Proposal #3.

Q:Who is soliciting my vote?

 

The ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm under Proposal #3 requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the common stock present, represented and entitled to vote at the annual meeting. Stockholders may vote FOR, AGAINST or ABSTAIN on Proposal #4. Abstentions will be counted as present and entitled to vote for purposes of Proposal #3 and, therefore, will have the same effect as a vote against Proposal #3.

Q:Who is soliciting my vote?

A:PCTEL is making this proxy solicitation and will bear the entire cost of it, including the preparation, assembly, printing, posting and mailing of proxy materials. PCTEL may reimburse brokerage firms and other custodians for their reasonableout-of-pocket expenses for forwarding these proxy materials to you. PCTEL expects Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. to tabulate the proxies and to act as the inspector of the election.proxies. In addition to this solicitation, proxies may be solicited by the Company’s directors, officers and other employees by telephone, the Internet or fax, in person or otherwise. None of these persons will receive any additional compensation for assisting in the solicitation.

Deadline for Receipt of Stockholder Proposals and Nominations for 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS AND NOMINATIONS FOR 2019 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

Stockholders are entitled to present proposals for action and director nominations at the 20172019 annual meeting of stockholders only if they comply with applicable requirements of the proxy rules established by the SEC and the applicable provisions of our bylaws. Stockholders must ensure that such proposals and nominations are received by our Corporate Secretary at the following address: 471 Brighton Drive, Bloomingdale, Illinois 60108, Attention: John W. Schoen, Corporate Secretary, on or prior to the deadline for receiving such proposals and nominations.

Proposals for the 20172019 annual meeting of stockholders that are intended to be considered for inclusion in the proxy statement and form of proxy relating to such meeting must be received no later than January 4, 2017,December 26, 2018, and must comply with the procedures of Rule14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and the provisions of our bylaws.

If a stockholder intends to submit a proposal or director nomination for consideration at our 20172019 annual meeting of stockholders outside the procedures of Rule14a-8 under the Exchange Act, the stockholder must comply with the requirements of our bylaws. We are not currently required to include such a proposal or nomination in the proxy statement and form of proxy relating to such meeting. Our bylaws contain an advance notice provision that requires stockholders to submit a written notice containing certain information not less than 120 days prior to the date of our proxy statement for the previous year’s annual meeting of stockholders. For purposes of the 20172019 annual meeting of stockholders, this means that such proposals or nominations must also be received by January 4, 2017.December 26, 2018. A copy of the relevant bylaw provision is available upon written request to our Corporate Secretary at the address provided above.

Discretionary Voting Authority

DISCRETIONARY VOTING AUTHORITY

The accompanying proxy card grants the proxy holders discretionary authority to vote on any business raised at the annual meeting. If you fail to comply with the advance notice provisions set forth above in submitting a proposal or nomination for the 2017 annual meeting of stockholders, the proxy holders will be allowed to use their discretionary voting authority if such a proposal or nomination is raised at that meeting.

 

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SUMMARY OF PROPOSALS

The Board of Directors has included three proposals on the agenda for our 20162018 annual meeting of stockholders. The following is a brief summary of the matters to be considered and voted upon by the stockholders.

Proposal #1: Election of Directors

The Company has a classified Board of Directors. Each director serves a three-year term. The first proposal on the agenda for the annual meeting is the election of two Class III directors to serve until the 20192021 annual meeting of stockholders. The Board of Directors has nominated Gina HaspilaireCindy K. Andreotti and M. Jay SinderCynthia A. Keith to serve as the Class III directors. The Company has three classes of directors, with each class serving a staggered three-year term. Additional information about the election of directors and a biography of each nominee begins on page 6.7.

The Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” the election of each of the two nominees.

Proposal #2:Non-binding Advisory Vote to Approve the Company’s Named Executive Officer Compensation(“Say-on-Pay”)

The Companysecond proposal on the agenda for the annual meeting is providing its stockholders with the opportunity to cast anon-binding advisory vote on the Company’s proposed compensation for its named executive officers, as described in this proxy statement, in accordance with SEC rules.statement. The Company’s overall philosophy is to offer competitive compensation opportunities that enable the Company to attract, motivate and retain highly experiencedhighly-experienced executive officers who will provide leadership for the Company’s success and enhance stockholder value. The Company believes that its compensation for named executive officers, which includes short-term and long-term elements, fulfills this goal and is closely aligned with the long-term interests of its stockholders. More information about this proposal begins on page 10.11.

The Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” approval of the Company’s

Named Executive Officer Compensation.

Proposal #3: Ratification of the appointmentAppointment of the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The third proposal on the agenda for the annual meeting is the ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016.2018. More information about this proposal begins on page 11.12.

The Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” the ratification of the appointment
of Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm.

Other Matters

Other than the proposals listed above, the Board of Directors does not currently intend to present any other matters to be voted on at the meeting. The Board of Directors is not currently aware of any other matters that will be presented by others for action at the meeting. However, if other matters are properly presented at the meeting, and you have signed and returned your proxy card or votedsubmitted proxy voting instructions on the Internet or by telephone, the proxies will have discretion to vote your shares on these matters to the extent authorized under the Exchange Act.

 

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PROPOSAL #1

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Classification of Board of Directors

PCTEL has a classified Boardthree classes of Directors,directors. The members of each class are elected to serve staggered three-year terms, with the terms of the classes ending in successive years. There are currently consisting of three classes. At each annual meeting of stockholders, one class of directors is elected for a term of three years to succeed thosetwo Class I directors whose terms expire on theare expiring at this 2018 annual meeting, date. There are currently threetwo Class III directors whose terms will expire at the 2018 annual stockholder meeting, two Class II directors whose terms are expiring at this 2016 stockholder2019 annual meeting, and three Class III directors whose terms are expiringwill expire at the 20172020 annual stockholdermeeting.

Nominees

The Board of Directors has nominated Class I directors Cindy K. Andreotti and Cynthia A. Keith for election at the annual meeting. In order to create continuity onMs. Andreotti joined the Board of Directors in anticipation2013 and currently serves as Chair of a planned retirement at this 2016 annual meetingthe Nominating and Governance Committee. Ms. Keithwasrecommended to the Nominating and Governance Committee by an independent director to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Carl Thomsen, who has served as a Class IIlong-time director, since 2001, in November 2015 the number of directorsMr. Brian Jackman, and she was expandedappointed to eight and the Board of Directors appointed Ms. Gina Haspilaire as the third Class I director.in February 2018. The Board has nominated Ms. Haspilaire to fill the Class II vacancy. The resultbiographies of her nomination is to change Ms. Haspilaire from a Class I director to a Class II director, to reduce the number of directors from eight to seven, and to return the configuration of the Board to two directors in Classes I and II and three directors in Class III. Theboth nominees for Class II directors are indicated in the section “Nominees” immediately below.

Nominees

On the recommendation of the Board of Directors, the nominees for election at the 2016 annual meeting of stockholders as Class II directors are Gina Haspilaire and M. Jay Sinder whose biographies are set forth below in “Directors and Nominees” below.Nominees.” If elected, each of the nominees will continue as a director until the expiration of theher three-year term at the annual meeting of stockholders in 2019.

2021 and until her successor is duly elected and qualified, or until her earlier resignation, removal or death.

The proxy holders may not vote the proxies for a greater number of persons than the number of nominees named.named in this Proxy Statement. Unless otherwise instructed, the proxy holders will vote the proxies received by them for the two Class III director nominees. In the event that either of the nominees is unable or declines to serve as a director at the time of the annual meeting, the proxies will be voted for any nominee who shall be designated by the present Board of Directors to fill the vacancy. We are not aware of any nominee who will be unable or will decline to serve as a director.

Vote Required and Board of Director’s Recommendation

If a quorum is present and voting, the two nominees receiving the highest number of votes will be elected to the Board of Directors. Abstentions and “broker non-votes”brokernon-votes are not counted in the election of directors.

The Board of Directors has approved the director nominees and recommends

that stockholders vote “FOR” the election of each of the Class I director nominees listed above.

 

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Directors and Nominees

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the current directors andClass I director nominees to be elected at the 20162018 annual meeting of stockholders: stockholders, as well as the Class II and Class III directors:

 

Name

 Age   

Position with PCTEL

 Since 

Class I director nominees to be elected at the 2018 annual meeting of stockholders whose terms will expire at the 2021 annual meeting of stockholders:

    

Cindy K. Andreotti

  62   Independent Director Nominee  2013 

Cynthia A. Keith

  61   Independent Director Nominee  2018 

Class II directors whose terms will expire at the 2019 annual meeting of stockholders:

    

Gina Haspilaire

  55   Independent Director  2015 

M. Jay Sinder

  51   Independent Director  2014 

Class III directors whose terms will expire at the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders:

    

Steven D. Levy

  61   Independent Chairman of the Board of Directors  2006 

Giacomo Marini

  66   Independent Director  1996 

David A. Neumann

  52   Chief Executive Officer/ Director  2017 

Name Age Position with PCTEL Since
Class I directors whose terms will expire at the 2018 annual meeting of stockholders:      
Cindy K. Andreotti 60 Director 2013
Brian J. Jackman 75 Director 2002
       
Class II director nominees to be elected at the 2016 annual meeting of stockholders whose terms will expire at the 2019 annual meeting of stockholders:      
Gina Haspilaire 53 Director/Nominee 2015
M. Jay Sinder 49 Director/Nominee 2014
       
Class III director nominees whose terms will expire at the 2017 annual meeting of stockholders:      
Steven D. Levy 59 Director 2006
Giacomo Marini 64 Director 1996
Martin H. Singer 64 Chief Executive Officer,
Chairman of the Board
 1999

Class I Directors and Nominees for the 2018 Annual Meeting

Ms. Andreottibecamehas served as a director insince 2013. SheMs. Andreotti is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Andreotti Group LLC, a strategic business advisory firm serving domestic and global enterprise clients, private equity and institutional firms and international investment groups. Prior to launchingfounding The Andreotti Group in 2005, Ms. Andreotti enjoyed a26-year career in the telecommunications industry (12 years with AT&T Inc. and 14 years with MCI Telecommunications Inc.). While at MCI, Ms. Andreottishe managed a $14 billion operation. Inoperation and, in her lastmost recent leadership role, at MCI, she served as President, Enterprise Markets, which included the Global Accounts Segment, Government Markets, the Conferencing Business Unit and MCI Solutions (the managed services division of MCI).Markets. Before joining MCI, Ms. Andreotti managed national accounts atwas with AT&T most notably Dayton-Hudson Corporation (currently Target Corporation). She delivered the first-touch sensitive personal digital assistants or PDAs with related back office systems and network into Dayton Hudson’s retail operation.held various executive leadership positions in sales, marketing and management. Ms. Andreotti has served as Vice Chairman of the Japan American Society since 2007, a member of the Board of Trustees for the Americans in Wartime Museum since 2010, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia since November 2014, and2014. She has also served as a Senior Advisor and Executive Coach for WJM Associates, Inc. since 2009. Ms. Andreotti is also a past member ofserved on the Board of Directors forof DiaXsys Inc., where she served on the Audit and Compensation Committees between from 2011 andto 2014, and a past member of the Board of Directors for APAC Customer Services, Inc., where she served as chair of the Compensation Committee and served on the Audit and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees between 2005 and 2011. She also served on the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of Rivermine Software Inc. betweenfrom 2006 to 2011, and the Board of Directors of APAC Customer Services, Inc. from 2005 to 2011. Ms. Andreotti earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and Women in Management from the College of St. Catherine. She has also attended executive management training at the Aspen Institute, the Menninger Foundation and the Stanford School of Business Executive Leadership Program. Ms. Andreotti’s industry experience in telecommunications sales, marketing, operations and management qualify her to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors. Ms. Andreotti serves as the Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee.

Mr. JackmanMs.has been a director since February 2002. He is currently the President of The Jackman Group, Inc., a management consulting company that he formed in 2005. In September 2001, Mr. Jackman retired from Tellabs Inc., a communications company he had been with since 1982. Mr. Jackman served as President, Global Systems and Technology, and Executive Vice President of Tellabs since 1998 and as President of Tellabs Operations from 1993 Keithwasappointed to 1998. Between 1965 and 1982, Mr. Jackman held various management positions in sales and marketing for IBM. Commencing in January 2003, he joined the Board of Directors in February 2018 to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Open Text, Inc.long-time director, Mr. Brian Jackman. She enjoyed a 25 year career with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (“PwC”), an enterprise content management solutions company, where he currently servesthe world’s largest multinational professional services firm. She joined the firm in 1989 and became a partner in 2000. Throughout her career, she specialized in audits of and consulting

8


with technology and communications clients, including global public companies focused on mergers and acquisitions as well as companies in various stages of growth. From 2010 to her retirement in 2014, Ms. Keith served as Operations Leader for the Compensation Committee. CommencingNational Professional Services Group of PwC, and she previously served as North Texas Technology Team Leader from 2002 to 2010. Ms. Keith was a founding member of Entrepreneurs for North Texas in January 2005 through December 2010, Mr. Jackman2000 and served as Chairman of the Board from 2009 to 2013. She served on the Advisory Council of the University of Texas at Dallas Jindal School of Management from 2002 until 2013, serving as Chair from 2010 to 2013. She also served on the Metroplex Technology Business Counsel Board of Directors of Keithley Instruments Inc., a test and measurement equipment company. In total, Mr. Jackman has served on the boards of eight companies in the technology sector. In addition, Mr. Jackman served on the Board of Trustees of Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania from May 20012009 to May2010. Mr. Jackman holds2013. Ms. Keith earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Gannon University and a Master’s degreeScience in Business Administration from Pennsylvania State University. Mr. Jackman’s specific experience with a testconcentration in Accounting from University of Texas at Dallas in 1988. She obtained certification as a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas in 1993 and measurement equipment companyher license remains active. The depth and breadth of Ms. Keith’s 25 years of experience as a CPA serving technology and communications companies, as well as his extensive experience in sales, marketing and management functionsher leadership positions with telecommunications and high tech companies, and his current and prior service on the board of directors of other companies, make him qualifiedPwC, qualify her to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors and as the Lead Independent Director.its Audit Committee.

Class II Directors/NomineesDirectors

Ms. Haspilairewas appointed to servehas served as a Class I member of the Board of Directors in November 2015, anddirector since 2015. She has been nominated for election at the 2016 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to serve as a Class II member of the Board of Directors. Since January 2015, she has served as Chief Human Resources Officer of Reliance Communications Ltd. (Enterprise) and Global Cloud Xchange, a global data communications service provider, andsince 2015. Ms. Haspilaire is responsible for the company’s global human resources corporate affairs and facilities management. PriorFrom 2013 to that, she2014, Ms. Haspilaire was Vice President of Sales for the Americas atElectronics Segment of Henkel Adhesive Technologies, a division of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA and a leading solution provider for adhesives, sealants and functional coatings worldwide. Betweenand a division of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA. From 2002 andto 2013, she served as Vice President and Managing Director with responsibility for the Americas and European regions at Pacnet Limited, a global telecommunications service provider. Prior to this, Ms. Haspilaire has more than 25 years of experience in general management, global strategy, business development, investor relations, sales and marketing, human resources and customer service. She has heldwas a Principal consultant at the executive and leadership positions atsearch firm Heidrick & Struggles and served for 14 years in various leadership roles at AT&T. Since 1999, sheMs. Haspilaire has served as an Advisory Board Member for PearlNet, Inc. Between 2011 and 2013, she alsosince 1999. She served on the Service Provider Advisory Board of Telx. Also, since 2010 she has beenas a Board Member and Chair of NANOG (North American Network Operators Group) Development Team. InTeam from 2010 to 2014, on the Service Provider Advisory Board of Telx from 2011 Ms. Haspilaire servedto 2013 and on the Advisory Board of SoHo Colo. She earned a Master’s degreeColo in Business Administration2011. Ms. Haspilaire holds an MBA from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics/Computer Science from St. John’s University in New York. Ms. Haspilaire’s telecommunications services experience in general management, global strategy, business development, sales and marketing, human resources and management functionscustomer service, together with extensive operationalher manufacturing sector experience, and industry contacts qualify her to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors. Ms. Haspilaire serves as the Chair of the Compensation Committee.

Mr. Sinderhas beenserved as a director since December 2014. Mr. SinderHe is a telecommunications industry veteran with executive and financial experience at both public and private companies. SinceMr. Sinder has served as Chief Financial Officer of ForeSee Results, Inc., a voice of customer SaaS company, since August 2017. From July 2015 through July 2017, he has served as Chief Financial Officer of ByteGrid Holdings LLC, a data center and managed services company. Since September 2013, he has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Contec, LTD, a cable set-top box repair company based in New York, and since December 2015, as a member of the Board of Directors and the Audit and Compensation Committees of Impact Telecom, Inc., a national telecommunications company. Between 2014 and 2015, Mr. Sinder served on the Board of Directors of TNCI Operating Company, LLC, a national telecommunications company based in California, which merged with Impact Telecom in December 2015. From 2012 to 2013, he served as Chief Executive Officer of CoreLink Data Centers LLC. PriorLLC from 2012 to his promotion to Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sinder2013 and was Chief Financial Officer of CoreLink from 2010 to 2012. Mr. Sinder also served as Chief Financial Officer atof Hostway Corporation from 2009 to 2010 and at Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer ofHu-Friedy Mfg. Co., Inc. from 2005 to 2008. From 1998 to 2004, he served at Focal Communications Corporation in a variety of executive and financial positions, including Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, and Vice President, Corporate Development. Prior to joining Focal, Mr. Sinder held finance positions at Ameritech, MCI Communications, Telephone and Data Systems and IBM. Mr. Sinder serves on the boards of directors of several private companies. Mr. Sinder holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Chicago. Mr. Sinder’sChicago Booth School of Business. His financial knowledge and expertise, and his experience serving in a variety of senior executive and financial positions at various corporations, including as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, make him qualifiedcompanies, qualify Mr. Sinder to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors andDirectors. Mr. Sinder serves as Chair of the Audit Committee.

 

9


Class III Directors

Mr. Levyhas beenserved as a director since March 2006.2006, and he succeeded Martin Singer as the Chairman of the Board of Directors upon Mr. Singer’s retirement effective January 2, 2017. He served as a Managing Director and Global Head of Communications Technology Research at Lehman Brothers from July 1998 until Septemberto 2005. Before joining Lehman Brothers, Mr. Levy was a Director of Telecommunications Research at Salomon Brothers from March 1997 to July 1998, a Managing Director and Head of the Communications Research Team at Oppenheimer & Co. from July 1994 to March 1997, and a senior communications analyst at Hambrecht & Quist from July 1986 to July 1994. As a securities analyst for almost 20 years, Mr. Levy became proficient in analyzing business strategies and financial results, having evaluated well over 100 companies. In November 2015, Mr. Levy joinedhas served on the Board of Directors of Edison Properties a privatelysince 2015 and closely held real estate company. He is also currently a member of the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee and chairs both the Compensation and Governance Committee of Allot Communications, a data communications provider for carriers, and also a member of the Board of Directors of privately held GENBAND Inc., an innovator of IP Infrastructure. From January 2007 to February 2010, heAllot Communications since 2007. He served on the Board of Directors of GENBAND Inc. from 2007 until its merger with Sonus Networks in October 2017, the Board of Directors of Zhone Technologies, Inc., a broadband technology company, from 2007 to 2010 and commencing September 2005 as a board memberthe Board of Directors of Tut Systems, Inc., a technology company providing advanced content processing and distribution products and system integration services, prior to from 2005 until its March 2007 acquisition by Motorola, Inc. In total, Mr. Levy has served on six boards of directors and has been a member of the audit committee of each company. Mr. Levy holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science degree in Materials Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Mr. Levy provides a unique perspective to Company’s Board of Directors, its Compensation Committee, and to its Nominating and Governance Committee which he chairs, as a result of hisLevy’s investment banking experience related to the telecommunications industry, extensive experience analyzing business strategies and his analytical skills. The Company benefits from hisfinancial results, and knowledge of financial markets business strategies and competitive data analysis.analysis qualify him to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors.

Mr. Marinihas beenserved as a director since October 1996. He has been Chairman and Managing Director of Noventi Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based technology investment firm, since he founded the firm in 2002. From 2013 to 2017, Mr. Marini has beenwas Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Neato Robotics, a home robots company, since February 2013. He is also the founder and Managing Director of Noventi Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based early stage technology venture capital firm begun in March 2002.company. Mr. Marini also served as interim Chief Executive Officer of FutureTel a digital video capture company,from 1998 to 1999 and as President and Chief Executive Officer of No Hands Software an electronic publishing software company. Priorfrom 1993 to this,1994. Mr. Marini was theco-founder of Logitech, a personal peripherals company, and served in various executive positions from 1981 to 1992, most recently as its Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Logitech International SA, a computer peripherals company. Previously,Officer. Earlier in his career, he held technical and management positions with Olivetti and IBM. Mr. Marini has extensiveserved on the Board of Directors of Neato Robotics, Inc. since 2006 and broad executive operating experience. At Neato he leads a fast growing company with complex technology productsthe Board of Directors of Velomat S.r.l since 2012. Other past board service includes Ecrio Inc. from 1999 to 2015; Minerva Networks, Inc. from 2003 to 2013; Aurora Algae, Inc. from 2007 to 2012; Windspire Energy, Inc. from 2008 to 2012; and a broad worldwide sales network. At Logitech he managed engineering, operations and finance as the company grewLumenergi, Inc. from inception2008 to over $200M in annual revenues, effected an initial public offering and expanded manufacturing and development in North America, Asia and Europe and sales presence in over 30 countries worldwide. At FutureTel (1998-1999) and No Hands Software (1993-1994) he managed rapid product development, decisive restructuring, new markets and product entries. Over the last 15 years he2013. Mr. Marini has also been managing venture capital investments in technology companies. This activity entails evaluating business plans, making investment decisions, assisting management in the formulation and execution of operating and strategic plans involving all facets of company operations. It also includes continuous evaluation of the performance of management teams, directing management changes and helping in recruiting executives for portfolio companies. Further, it requires the identification, evaluation and execution of exit strategies, such as acquisitions by other companies or initial public offerings. He has directed investments in over 15 companies, some of which have been acquired by market leaders such as BEA Systems, Cisco, HP and Symantec. He currently servesserved on the Board of Trustees of the University of California at Davis

Foundation and on the boards of Neato Robotics, Inc. since December 2006 and Velomat S.r.l since April 2012. Other past board service included Ecrio Inc. from March 1999 through December 2015; TES S.p.A. from September 1994 to January 2012; Minerva Networks, Inc. from May 2003 through March 2013; Aurora Algae, Inc. from January 2007 to August 2012; Cosmo Industrie S.p.A. from December 2007 to December 2011; Windspire Energy, Inc. beginning December 2008 through March 2012; and Lumenergi, Inc. beginning February 2008 to May 2013. Mr. Marini2014. He holds a Computer Science “Laurea” degree from the University of Pisa, Italy. Overall, Mr. Marini bringsMarini’s experience with a wide variety of companybusiness situations both as a generalChief Executive Officer and in other senior management executive androles, as well as an active board member and investor. These qualifications provide a solid basis for servinginvestor, qualify him to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors.

Mr. Neumann succeeded Martin Singer as a director,Chief Executive Officer upon Mr. Singer’s retirement effective January 2, 2017, at which time Mr. Neumann was also appointed to the Board. He served as Senior Vice President and memberGeneral Manager of the Audit CommitteeRF Solutions segment of a technology company, dealing with issuesthe Company from March 2015 to December 2016, as Vice President and General Manager, RF Solutions from January 2013 through March 2015, and as Vice President of growth, product and marketing strategy, international expansion and merger and acquisition activities.

Dr. SingerhasGlobal Sales for RF Solutions from April 2010 to January 2013. From February 2009, when he joined PCTEL, until April 2010, Mr. Neumann served as Senior Director of Sales for RF Solutions. Prior to joining PCTEL, Mr. Neumann served as the Company’s Chief Executive OfficerManaging Director ofE-magine Communications, LLC, from 2006 to 2009, the Vice President of Sales and Chairman ofMarketing forX-TEL Communications, Inc. from 2002 to 2006, the Board since October 2001. From February 2001 until October 2001, he served as the Company’s non-executive Chairman of the Board,Market Development Director for Acterna from 1999 to 2002, and he has been a director of the Company since AugustPrincipal at Intelinet, Inc. from 1997 to 1999. From December1991 to 1997, to August 2000, Dr. SingerMr. Neumann served asin a number of roles, including Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Chief Executive Officer ofSupport and other leadership roles in engineering services, product management and sales at SAFCO Technologies, Inc., a wireless communications company acquired by Agilent Technologies in August, 2000. Prior to SAFCO Technologies, Dr. Singer served as Vice President within the Cellular Infrastructure Group of Motorola, a communications equipment company. He also held senior management and technical positions at Tellabs, AT&T and Bell Labs. Dr. Singer Mr. Neumann holds a Bachelor of ArtsScience degree in PsychologyElectrical Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan and a Master of Arts degree and Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Vanderbilt University. He served on the Standing Advisory Group for the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and on the Advisory Board for the MMM program at KelloggChicago Booth School of Business. From March 2009 until September 2010, he servedMr. Neumann’s roles with the Company, including as Chief Executive Officer, his extensive experience in leadership, sales and marketing roles with other companies, as well as his education in electrical engineering and business administration qualify him to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors of Westell Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of broadband products, gateways and conferencing services, and was Chair of Westell’s Compensation Committee. In 2006, Dr. Singer was appointed to the Board of Directors of ISCO International, a provider of spectrum conditioning solutions to wireless and cellular providers worldwide, where he also chaired the Compensation Committee until he left the board in 2007. In 2012, he was elected to the Board of Directors of Multiband Corporation, and served as Chair of the Compensation Committee until the sale of Multiband in 2013. Dr. Singer is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and now serves on the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Engineering’s Advisory Board. Dr. Singer has nine patents in telecommunications and has written several essays on the telecommunications industry. He provides expertise in business strategy, intellectual property, strategic alliances and communications technology.Directors.

PROPOSAL#2

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PROPOSAL #2

NON-BINDINGADVISORY VOTE TO APPROVE THE COMPANY’S

NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION

As required by Section 14A of the Exchange Act and related SEC rules, theThe Board of Directors is requesting that the stockholders approve on a non-binding, advisory basis, the following resolution relative to the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers:

officer compensation by anon-binding advisory vote, as required by the Dodd-Frank Act. Thisnon-binding advisory vote is commonly referred to asRESOLVED, thatsay-on-pay.” Although the vote is not binding on the Company or the Board of Directors, the vote provides the stockholders hereby APPROVEwith an additional means to express their views about compensation for the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers, as disclosed pursuantofficers. The outcome of each year’s vote has been and will continue to be taken into account by the compensation rulesBoard of the SEC, includingDirectors and the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the compensation tables and related narrative discussion disclosedCommittee in this proxy statement.”

making future determinations about named executive officer compensation.

The compensation of the Company’s named executive officers is described in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, section of this proxy statement, including” commencing on page 22, and in the compensation tables that accompany the narrative.under “Executive Compensation and Other Matters,” commencing on page 33. The Company’s overall objectives of the executive compensation programphilosophy is to offer competitive compensation opportunities that enable the Company to attract, motivate and retain highly experienced executive officers who will provide incentives to motivateleadership for the Company’s executive officerssuccess and key managers to perform to the best of their abilities and to closely align their interests with those of the Company’s stockholders, with the objective of enhancingenhance stockholder value and promoting long-term, sustainable growth. The long-term incentives are also designed to retain executive talent.value. A portion of each named executive officer’s overall compensation is performance-based and tied to the achievement of defined goals. Payments for both2017 short-term incentives are made in cash and payments for long-term incentives will beare made in restricted stock.

The proposal to approvenon-binding advisory vote on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the annual meeting. Accordingly, brokernon-votes will not be relevant tohave no effect on the outcome. Abstentions will be counted as being present and entitled to vote for purposes of Proposal #2 and, therefore, will have the same effect as a vote against Proposal #2. Because this vote is advisory, it will not be binding on the Compensation Committee or the Board of Directors. However, the Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee will carefully evaluate the voting results and take them into account when considering future executive compensation matters.

The Board of Directors recommends a vote “FOR” approval of the Company’s

named executive officer compensation, as disclosed in this proxy statement.

 

PROPOSAL#311


PROPOSAL #3

RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED

PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Audit Committee has appointed Grant Thornton LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm (“Grant Thornton”), to audit and express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016.2018. This appointment is being presented to the stockholders for ratification at the 20162018 annual meeting of stockholders.

Before selecting Grant Thornton LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company forCompany’s 2018 fiscal year2016,year, the Audit Committee carefully considered the firm’s qualifications as independent auditors.auditors and its past performance for the Company. This included a review of the qualifications of the engagement team, the quality control procedures the firm has established, and its reputation for integrity and competence in the fields of accounting and auditing.auditing, its experience withsimilarly-sized companies and similar industries, and its cost effectiveness. The Audit Committee’s review also included matters required to be considered under the SEC’s rules on auditor independence, including the nature and extent ofnon-audit services, to ensure that Grant Thornton LLP’sThornton’s independence will not be impaired. Grant Thornton LLP has been conducting independent audits of the Company’s financial statements since May 2006. The Audit Committee believes that the tenure of Grant Thornton as the Company’s auditor results in higher audit quality due to greater institutional knowledge and familiarity with the industries in which the Company competes and saves management’s time and resources. Grant Thornton conducts periodic internal reviews of its audit work, assesses the adequacy of its partners and other personnel working on the Company’s audit and rotates the lead audit partner consistent with independence requirements. A new audit partner was designated by Grant Thornton for the Company’s 2018 audit. Representatives of Grant Thornton LLP are expected to be available by telephonein person at the 20162018 annual meeting of stockholders to answer appropriate questions from stockholders.

Summary of Fees

The following table summarizes the aggregate fees billed to the Company by Grant Thornton LLP for the Company’s 20142016 and 20152017 fiscal years:

 

Type of Fees Fiscal Year 2015
($)
  Fiscal Year 2014
($)
   Fiscal Year 2017
($)
   Fiscal Year 2016
($)
 
Audit Fees(1)  829,758   682,618    847,297    717,051 
Audit-Related Fees(2)  283,193   216,818    13,910    11,535 
All Other Fees(3)  4,900   5,000    24,160    4,900 
  

 

   

 

 
Total Fees  1,117,851   904,436    885,367    733,486 
  

 

   

 

 

(1)Audit Fees —These are fees for professional services for fiscal years 20152017 and 2014.2016. The professional services provided included auditing the Company’s annual financial statements and internal controls, reviewing the Company’s quarterly financial statements, expressing an opinion on the Company’s financial statements, and providing other services that are normally provided in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements.

 

(2)Audit-Related Fees —These are fees for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of the Company’s financial statements that are not reported as “Audit Fees” above. For fiscal year 2015years 2017 and 2014,2016, these fees included due diligence and consultations related to mergers and acquisitions and auditing the Company’s 401(k) and profit sharing plan.

 

(3)All Other Fees —These are fees for permissible services that do not fall within the above categories.

 

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Pre-Approval of Independent Auditor Services and Fees

The Audit Committee reviewed and pre-approved all audit and non-audit fees for services provided to the Company by Grant Thornton LLP and has determined that the firm’s provision of such services to the Company during fiscal year 2015 is compatible with and did not impair Grant Thornton LLP’s independence. It is the practice of the Audit Committee to consider and approve in advance all auditing andnon-auditing services provided to the Company by the independent registered public accounting firm in accordance with the applicable requirements of the SEC. The Audit Committee reviewed andpre-approved all audit, audit-related andnon-audit fees for services provided to the Company by Grant Thornton during fiscal 2017 and has determined that the firm’s provision of such services to the Company is compatible with, and did not impair, Grant Thornton’s independence.

Vote Required and Recommendation

Stockholder ratification of the selection of Grant Thornton LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company is not required by the Company’s bylaws or other applicable legal requirement. However, the Board of Directors is submitting the selection of Grant Thornton LLP to the stockholders for ratification as a matter of good corporate practice. The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the annual meeting, will constitute ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm under Proposal #3. Abstentions will be counted as present and entitled to vote for purposes of Proposal #3 and, therefore, will have the same effect as a vote against Proposal #3. Notwithstanding the selection by the Audit Committee of Grant Thornton LLP or stockholder ratification of that selection, the Audit Committee may direct the appointment of a new independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if the Audit Committee determines that such a change would be in the best interest of the Company and the stockholders. IfWhile stockholder ratification of Grant Thornton’s appointment is not required by law or otherwise, if the selection of Grant Thornton LLP is not approvedratified at the annual meeting, the Audit Committee will investigate the reason for the rejection and reconsider the appointment.

The Board of Directors recommends that stockholders vote “FOR” the ratification

of Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm.

 

13


CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Board and Committee Meetings

The Board of Directors currently has an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee and a Nominating and Governance Committee. The members of each of the committees are listed in the table below. Each member of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committeethese committees meets the applicable SEC and NASDAQ Global Select Market (“NASDAQ”)Nasdaq independence requirements. The Board of Directors has determined that each of Ms. Keith, Mr. ThomsenLevy and Mr. Sinder qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined under the rules and regulations of the SEC, and that all members of the Audit Committee meet the NASDAQNasdaq financial literacy requirements.

The Board of Directors held a total of eightfour meetings during fiscal 2015, including one meeting of the subcommittee formed to consider the acquisition of Nexgen Wireless, Inc.2017. During 2015,2017, each of the directors other than Ms. Haspilaire who became a director in November 2015, attended at least 75% of the total number of meetings of the Board of Directors and any committee on which such director served. In addition, five directors attended the 2017 annual meeting of stockholders. The Company encourages its directors to attend annual meetings.

Committee

 

  Members During Fiscal 2017  

 

Committee Functions

 Meetings
Held in
Fiscal
2017
 
Committee

Audit

 Members During Fiscal 2015

M. Jay Sinder (Chair)

Steven D. Levy
Giacomo Marini

 Committee FunctionsDate Current Written
Charter Adopted
Meetings
Held in
Fiscal 2015
AuditCarl A. Thomsen (Chair)
Giacomo Marini
M. Jay Sinder

Selects  Appoints, compensates and oversees the work of the independent auditorsOriginally adopted
August 1999; last
amended September 2010
10

Oversees the internal financial reporting and accounting controls
Consults with and reviews thedisclosure controls

•  Reviews andpre-approves all audit andnon-audit fees for services provided by the independent auditors

  Reviews press releases relating to quarterly and annual earnings reports

•  Reviews the annual audited financial statements and quarterly unaudited financial statements

•  Reviews related party transactions

•  Identifies high-risk behaviors that potentially imperil the underlying value of the Company

  9 

Compensation

 Brian J. Jackman

Gina Haspilaire (Chair)

Cindy K. Andreotti
Gina Haspilaire
Steven D. LevyBrian J. Jackman

 

Reviews and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding the compensation and benefits of the Chief Executive OfficerOriginally adopted
August 1999; last
amended March 2013
8

Reviews and approves compensation and benefits of the named executive officers other than the Chief Executive Officer and reviews compensation and benefits of the other executive officers and key managers

  Reviews and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding the compensation and benefits of the outside directors

•  Establishes and reviews general policies relating to the compensation and benefits of the employees

Balances the portion of executive compensation tied to achievement of performance goals with managing overall enterprise risk

  7

14


Committee

 

Members During Fiscal 2017

 

Committee Functions

 Meetings
Held in
Fiscal
2017
 

Nominating and
Governance

 

Cindy K. Andreotti (Chair) Brian J. Jackman

Steven D. Levy (Chair)
Cindy K. Andreotti
Brian J. Jackman

 

Assists the Board of Directors in identifying and selecting prospective director nominees for the annual meeting of stockholdersOriginally adopted
February 2004; last
amended September 2013
4

Reviews and makes recommendations on matters regarding corporate governance, composition of the Board of Directors, evaluation and nominations, committees of the Board of Directors and conflicts of interest

  Oversees annual production of a management succession plan for the Board of Director’s consideration

•  As requested by the Board of Directors or the Compensation Committee, assists in the performance evaluation of the Chief Executive Officer or any other executive officer of the Company

•  Oversees and coordinates the risk management activities of the Company

•  Oversees and coordinates the annual performance evaluation of the Board of Directors and each of the committees of the Board

•  Establishes, maintains and approves corporate governance guidelines

  
Establishes, maintains and improves corporate governance guidelines5 

A copy of the charter for each of the committees of the Board of Directors is available on our website located at http://investor.pctel.com/documentsdisplay.cfm.documents.cfm. The meetings indicated in the chart above include a joint meeting of the members of the Audit Committee and Compensation Committee in November 2015.2017 focused on risk management, as described in “Risk Management” on page 16.

Board Leadership Structure

The membersIn January 2017, in connection with the retirement of Martin Singer, the Board of Directors believe that their familiarity with the Company, their insight into the industries in which the Company is engaged, and their knowledge of the challenges and opportunities arising in this evolving economy place the Board of Directors in the best position to determine the optimal leadership structure for the Company. The Board of Directors has determined that combiningseparated the roles of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer isin order to allow the optimal structureChief Executive Officer to focus on setting the strategy for the Company, at this time. Mr. Singer, who currently fills both roles, commenced his involvement with the Company as a Director onprovidingday-to-day leadership to the Company’s Board in 1999, becameemployees, driving the non-executiveCompany’s performance and engaging with stockholders while the Chairman of the Board in February 2001, and subsequently becameprovides guidance to the Chief Executive Officer, in October 2001. The Board of Directors believes thatfocuses on corporate governance matters and communication among the stockholders are best served by Mr. Singer fulfilling both roles, thereby unifyingcommittees and the leadershipdirectors, and directionpresides over the meetings of the Board with the managementof Directors. Mr. Levy was elected effective January 2, 2017 to serve as independent Chairman of the Company, and enablingBoard until such time as a successor is elected. In connection with this change, the CompanyBoard determined that it was not necessary to move decisivelycontinue to meet challenges and maximize opportunities for growth. The Board of Directors maintains independent and effective oversight ofhave a Lead Independent Director because the Company’s business through the strong leadership providedduties previously carried out by the Lead Independent Director (as defined inwill be carried out by the immediately succeeding paragraph) and the Board committees, and through the compositionChairman of the Board,Board. In connection with all directors other than the Chairman being independent directors.

his promotion to Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Jackman is currently the lead independent director ofNeumann was elected to the Board of Directors (“Lead Independent Director”). As Lead Independent Director, his principal responsibilities are (i) working with the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and the other members ofeffective January 2, 2017.

Diversity

The Company believes diversity on the Board of Directors better reflects the diversity of the Company’s employees, customers and other stakeholders, and may lead to setimproved employee recruiting and retention. Over the agenda for each meetingpast five years, the Company has diversified its Board in a number of respects. Currently women comprise half of the independent directors and a third of the independent directors have a geographic origin outside the United States. In addition to balancing the gender, ethnicity, and geographical origin of the Board members, the Nominating and Governance Committee has sought diversity in Board members’ skill sets, business experience, financial and accounting experience, educational achievements, and potential contributions with a goal of Directors, (ii) serving as a liaison for communications betweenbringing diverse business experience, knowledge and perspectives to the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer, (iii) acting as the chair for executive sessions held at regularly scheduled meetings of the Board of Directors, and (iv) consulting with the General Counsel regarding communications received from the stockholders.Directors.

Independence

The Board of Directors has determined that thenon-employee directors are “independent directors” based on the NASDAQNasdaq listing standards, and that the members of the Audit and Compensation Committees fulfill

15


additional SEC and Nasdaq independence standards, for independence.as applicable. Only independent directors may serve on the Audit, Compensation and Nominating and Governance Committees. In determining the independence of the directors, the Board of Directors affirmatively determines whether anon-employee director has a relationship that would interfere with that director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of being a director. In coming

Political Contributions; Lobbying

The Company has not made any contributions to that decision,any political party, political action committee, or candidate running for a political office at any level in any country. The Company does not engage in any individual lobbying efforts and does not belong to any organization whose primary function is to lobby for political causes.

Code of Ethics

The Company’s Code of Ethics and Business Conduct (the “Code of Ethics”) applies to the Board of Directors is informedand all employees of the NASDAQCompany and SEC rulesits subsidiaries. It provides guidance and standards for maintaining ethical behavior, requires that disqualifyemployees and directors comply with applicable laws and regulations, and prohibits conflicts of interests. The Code of Ethics was revised by the Board of Directors in 2017 to enhance the anti-bribery provisions and guidance with respect to investments in third parties. The Code of Ethics is posted on the Company’s website at http://investor.pctel.com/documents.cfm. In addition, the Company has made available an ethics hotline for anonymously reporting violations of the Company’s policies and procedures. The Audit Committee, together with the Company’s General Counsel, address all matters submitted pursuant to the ethics hotline.

Compensation Committee Interlocks

During 2017, none of Ms. Andreotti, Ms. Haspilaire, or Mr. Brian Jackman, a person from being considered as independent, considers the responses to an annual questionnaire from each director, and reviews the applicable standards with eachlong-time member of the Board of Directors.Directors who retired effective December 31, 2017, was an officer or employee of the Company while serving as a member of the Compensation Committee. In addition, no executive officer of the Company served as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving as a member of the Company’s Board of Directors or Compensation Committee.

Risk Management

While the Chief Risk Officer and the other executive officers of the Company are responsible for theday-to-day management of the material risks facing the Company, the Board of Directors, as a whole and through its committees, has responsibility for the oversight of risk management. In its oversight role, the Board of Directors has the responsibility to determine whether the risk management processes designed and implemented by management are adequate and functioning as designed. The involvement of the full Board of Directors in setting the Company’s business strategy at least annually is a key part of its oversight of risk management, its assessment of management’s risk appetite, and its determination of what constitutes an appropriate level of risk for the Company. The Board of Directors has assigned to the Nominating and Governance Committee the responsibility of working with Company management to identify, assess, and quantify risks facing the Company in order to create meaningful but cost-effective strategies to manage the Company’s most significant risks. The Chief Risk Officer provides anin-depth report on the Company’s efforts to identify, assess, quantify and mitigate its most significant enterprise risks semi-annually and the Nominating and Governance Committee in turn updates the full Board of Directors semiannually at regularly-scheduled Board meetings regarding its efforts to manage enterprise risks and reports extensively on these efforts at themeetings. In addition, there is an annual joint annual meeting of the Audit and Compensation Committees.Committees focused on management’s efforts to address enterprise risks. The Board also regularly receives updates from management regarding certain of the significant risks facing the Company, including litigation and various operating risks.

In addition to the Nominating and Governance Committee’s overall enterprise risk management efforts, each committee of the Board of Directors oversees certain aspects of enterprise risk management. For example,

16


the Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing risk management of financial matters, financial reporting, the audit process, the adequacy of internal controls over financial reporting, and disclosure controls and procedures. The Compensation Committee oversees risks related to the compensation policies and practices. In its oversight, the Compensation Committee examines whether the compensation practice is consistent with the Compensation Committee’s responsibilities (as set forth in “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Overiew and Responsibilities of the Compensation Committee”) and its philosophy (as set forth in “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Compensation—Compensation Philosophy”) and is aligned with the Company’s goals and risk tolerance. In evaluating the compensation policies and practices, the Compensation Committee seeks advice and data regarding the Company’s peer group from its independent compensation consultant. In addition to its role in working with management in the overall enterprise risk mitigation efforts, the Nominating and Governance Committee oversees governance related risks, such as board independence and conflicts of interest, as well as management and director succession planning. The committees report their findings to the full Board of Directors.

At itsthe most recent joint meeting of the Audit and Compensation Committees, the members of both Committees reviewed risks applicable tofaced by the Company, focusing on (i) identification and evaluation of risks related to the Company’s strategy and objectives, (ii) the results of the enterprise risk survey in which Board members, executives,executive officers and key managers participated, which identified the participants’ viewtheir views of the most significant risks that the Company faces, and (ii)(iii) the resultsrisks faced by the Company in the areas of a security audit performedcompensation, potential fraud, factory disaster recovery, and cyber risk as well as steps taken by a third party, which identified key areas for the Company to focus its efforts relating to cybersecurity. Management discussed with the joint committees cost-effective steps that will improve security and mitigate identifiedthese risks. The NEOs (as identified in “Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Analysis — Named Executive Officers”) and certain other executive officers attend Board of Directors and committee meetings as needed and are available to address any questions or concerns raised by the Board on risk management-related matters.

Director Nomination Process

Stockholder Recommendation and Nominations.    It is the policy of the Nominating and Governance Committee to consider director candidates recommended by the stockholders holding on the date of submission of such recommendation at least 1% of the then-outstanding shares of PCTEL common stock continuously for at least 12 months prior to such date.

Stockholders desiring to recommend a candidate for election to the Board of Directors should send their recommendation in writing to the attention of theJohn W. Schoen, Corporate Secretary, at the Company’s office located at 471 Brighton Drive, Bloomingdale, Illinois 60108. This written recommendation must include the information and materials required by the bylaws as well as the candidate’s name, home and business contact information, detailed biographical data, relevant qualifications, a signed letter from the candidate confirming willingness to serve, information regarding any relationships between the candidate and the Company within the last three years and evidence of the required ownership of PCTEL common stock by the recommending stockholder. A copy of the Company’s bylaws is available upon written request to the Corporate Secretary at the address provided above. For a description of the advance notice provision of the Company’s bylaws, see “Deadline for Receipt of Stockholder Proposals and Nominations for 20172019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders” immediately following the “Questions and Answers” section above.on page 5. Additional information regarding stockholder recommendations for director candidates is set forth in the document entitled “Policies and Procedures for Director Candidates” available at http://investor.pctel.com/documentsdisplay.cfm.documents.cfm.

Identifying and Evaluating Nominees for Director.    The Nominating and Governance Committee uses the following procedures for identifying and evaluating any individual recommended or offered for nomination to the Board of Directors:

The Committee considers candidates recommended by stockholders in the same manner as candidates recommended by other sources; and

The Committee considers the following factors in its evaluation of candidates:

 

The Committee considers candidates recommended by stockholders in the same manner as candidates recommended by other sources; and
The Committee considers the following factors in its evaluation of candidates:

 -The current size and composition of the Board of Directors;

17


 -The needs of the Board of Directors and its committees;

 -The candidate’s judgment, independence, character, integrity, age, education, area of expertise, knowledge of the telecommunications industry, experience with businesses and other organizations of comparable size, diversity, length of service, and potential conflicts of interests;

 -Skills which are complementary to those of the existing members of the Board of Directors; and

 -Other factors that the Committee considers appropriate.

Diversity

In addition to the qualifications set forth above, in evaluating the suitability of candidates for the BoardCompensation of Directors

We structure director compensation to attract and retain qualifiednon-employee directors and to further align the Nominatinginterests of directors with the interests of stockholders. The Compensation Committee periodically reviews surveys ofnon-employee director compensation trends and Governancea competitive analysis of peer company practices prepared by the Independent Compensation Consultant. The Committee considers the diversity of the candidates, and of the Board of Directors as a whole, based on factors such as business background, experience and potential contributionsmakes recommendations to the Board of Directors on cash and stock compensation for ournon-employee directors. Each element of director compensation is described in addition to balancing the gender, ethnicity and racial composition of its members. The Nominating and Governance Committee seeks to ensure that the Board of Directors is comprised of individuals with experience in industries that are complementary to the Company’s business and individuals with financial and accounting experience in order to bring diverse business experience, knowledge and perspectives to the Board of Directors.this section.

TheCompensation of Directorsnon-employee

Cash and Stock Compensation. The non-employee directors received an annual cash retainer of $25,000 and shares of common stock with value equivalent to $35,000$55,000 covering the period from the 20152017 annual meeting until this 20162018 annual meeting. (Commencing with this 2016 annual meeting, in addition to the annual cash retainer, the Thenon-employee directors will receive shares of common stock with value equivalent to $55,000.) The non-employee directors also received $1,500 per Board meeting attended (unless the Board meeting was conducted by teleconference, in which case directors received $1,000 for each telephonic meeting in which they participated) and $1,000 per committee meeting attended. In addition, thenon-employee directors received the following additionalfollowing:

the Chairman of the Board of Directors received a cash retainer of $10,000 and shares of common stock:

stock with value equivalent to $15,000;

 

the chairChair of the Audit Committee received shares of common stock with value equivalent to $10,000;

 

the chairChair of the Compensation Committee received shares of common stock with value equivalent to $10,000;

 

the chairChair of the Nominating and Governance Committee received shares of common stock with value equivalent to $7,000; and

 

each othernon-employee member of any of the foregoing committees received shares of common stock with value equivalent to $5,000; and$5,000.

the Lead Independent Director received shares of common stock with value equivalent to $10,000.

All the grants of common stock to thenon-employee directors, as described above, were awarded on the date of the annual meeting (i.e.i.e., June 10, 2015)21, 2017) and vestvested immediately.Non-employee directors who became Chairman of the Board or chair of a committee since the 2017 annual meeting received apro-rated grant of common stock on their first day of service in such role. The number of shares granted was based on the total dollar value divided by the closing price of PCTEL common stock as presented by NASDAQNasdaq on the date of grant.

In addition to the above-referenced grants, newnon-employee directors receive aone-time grant of restricted sharesstock equivalent to $50,000 based upon the closing price of PCTEL common stock as presented by NASDAQNasdaq as of the first date of service, which vests in equal annual installments over three years.

 

Reimbursements. Each of the non-employee directors is reimbursed for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with his or her service on the Board of Directors.18


Director Compensation

 

Non-Employee Directors’ Compensation for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2015

Name

  Paid in Cash
($)
   Stock Awards(1)
($)
   All Other
Compensation(2)
($)
   Total
($)
 

Cindy K. Andreotti

   42,000    68,011    —      110,011 

Gina Haspilaire

   37,000    65,000    1,370    103,370 

Brian J. Jackman

   26,000    32,500    —      58,500 

Steven D. Levy

   64,750    79,498    —      144,248 

Giacomo Marini

   37,000    60,000    —      97,000 

M. Jay Sinder

   38,000    65,000    420    103,420 

 

 

 

Name

 Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash
($)
 

 

Stock Awards(1)

($)

 

Stock Options
Awards
($)

 All Other
Compensation(2)
($)
 

 

Total

($)

Cindy K. Andreotti 46,000 44,994  651 91,645
Gina Haspilaire(3) 15,000 69,992   84,992
Brian J. Jackman 46,000 59,999     105,999    
Steven D. Levy 45,000 46,994   91,994
Giacomo Marini 42,000 39,999   81,999
M. Jay Sinder 41,000 39,999  1,200 82,199
Carl A. Thomsen 42,000 44,994   86,994

(1)The values shown reflect the fair market value of the award on the grant date.date, computed in accordance with FASB ASC topic 718. For a discussion of the valuation assumptions, see note 10 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements included in the Annual Report on Form10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015.2017. The stock award for Ms. Haspilaire reflects the one-time grantaggregate number of shares of restricted stock outstanding at the end of fiscal 2017 was 3,261 shares equivalent to $50,000 receivedheld by new non-employee directors and partial grants for Board of Director and Committee membership for the current year.Ms. Haspilaire.

 

(2)Ms. AndreottiHaspilaire and Mr. Sinder received dividends on unvested commonrestricted stock awards.

(3)Ms. Haspilaire was appointedgranted to each such director at the commencement of his/her service on the Board of Directors on November 18, 2015.Directors.

Director Stock Ownership Guidelines

The Board of Directors believes that ownership of PCTEL common stock by directors demonstrates to the stockholders their commitment to the Company and optimism for its future. Accordingly, the Board of Directors adopted a policyStock Ownership Guidelines for Directors (“Guidelines”) that requiresrequire each director to achieve ownership of PCTEL common stock with a value equal to three times the annual cash retainer paid by the Company to the Directors for their service on the Board. DirectorsThe directors have five years from their initial date of service to achieve compliance. All of the Directorsdirectors to whom the Guidelines currently apply have achieved compliance with the Guidelines.

Stockholder Communications with the Board of Directors

Stockholders who wish to communicate directly with any of the independent directors may do so by sending ane-mail message to the General Counsel at general.counsel@pctel.com. The General Counsel monitors these communications, consults with the Lead Independent Director,independent Chairman of the Board and provides a summary of messages received to the Board of Directors at its regularly scheduled meetings. Where the nature of the communication warrants, the General Counsel may obtain more immediate attention of the matter from the appropriate committee Lead Independent Director,or the Chairman of the Board, independent advisors, or management. The General Counsel, in consultation with the Lead Independent Director,non-executive Chairman of the Board may decide whether a response to any stockholder communication is necessary.

 

Attendance at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders19


All directors are welcome to attend the 2016 annual meeting of stockholders. At the 2015 annual meeting of stockholders, Mr. Sinder, Mr. Singer, and Mr. Thomsen were in attendance.

Code of Ethics

The Company’s Code of Ethics and Business Conduct (the “Code of Ethics”) applies to all employees and directors of the Company and its subsidiaries. The Code of Ethics, which provides guidance and standards for maintaining ethical behavior, requires that employees and directors comply with applicable laws and regulations, and prohibits conflicts of interests. The Company also has made available an ethics hotline for anonymously reporting violations of the Company’s policies and procedures. The Code of Ethics is posted on the Company’s website at http://investor.pctel.com/documentdisplay.cfm. The Code of Ethics was revised by the Board of Directors in 2015. Any additional approved revisions to the Code of Ethics will be posted on the Company’s website.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

During 2015, none of Ms. Andreotti, Ms. Haspilaire, Mr. Jackman or Mr. Levy was an officer or employee of the Company while serving as a member of the Compensation Committee. In addition, no executive officer of the Company served as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving as a member of the Company’s Board of Directors or Compensation Committee.

Under the Company’s insider trading policy insiders are prohibited from trading in PCTEL common stock while in possession of material non-public information. To obviate the possibility of hedging the economic risk of ownership, this prohibition extends to trading in derivative securities of the Company, including any put or call options.

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the beneficial ownership of PCTEL common stock based on a review of filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission as of

April 20, 201613, 2018 by:

 

Each stockholder known by PCTEL to beneficially own more than 5% of the common stock;

 

Each director, including director nominees;

 

Each Section 16 reportingnamed executive officer; and

 

All of the directors, director nominees and Section 16 reportingnamed executive officers as a group, including director nominees.group.

Beneficial ownership is determined based on the rules of the SEC. Percent of beneficial ownershipshares beneficially owned is based upon 17,264,58618,291,781 shares of common stock outstanding as of April 20, 2016.13, 2018. In addition, options for shares of common stock underlying options or restricted stock that are exercisable or vested as of April 20, 201613, 2018 or that will become exercisable or vested on or before June 19, 201612, 2018 (60 days subsequent to April 20)13, 2018) are treated as outstanding and beneficially owned by the person holding the options for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of such person and are listed below under the “Number of Shares Underlying Options” column, but those option shares underlying options are not treated as outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. Unless otherwise indicated, the Company believes that the stockholders listed below have sole voting or investment power with respect to all shares listed beside each stockholder’s name, subject to applicable community property laws.

 

Shares Outstanding as of 4/20/16 17,264,586      
         
Beneficial Owners Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned
 Number of
Shares
Underlying
Options
 Total Shares
Beneficially
Owned
 Percent of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned (%)
5% Stockholders        
Ariel Investments, LLC , 200 East Randolph Drive, Chicago, IL 60601(1) 2,915,815  2,915,815 16.89%
The Killen Group, 1189 Lancaster Ave., Berwyn, PA 19312(2) 1,668,013  1,668,013 9.66%
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, Palisades West, Building One,        
6300 Bee Cave Road, Austin, TX 78746(3) 1,547,941  1,547,941 8.97%
Renaissance Technologies LLC, 800 Third Street, New York, NY 10022(4) 1,103,599  1,103,599 6.39%
BlackRock Inc., 55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10055(5). 980,300  980,300 5.68%
         
Directors and Section 16 Officers       
Martin H. Singer(6) 410,975 252,844 663,819 3.79%
Rishi Bharadwaj 171,739 27,000 198,739 1.15%
David A. Neumann 165,581 30,031 195,612 1.13%
John W. Schoen(7) 143,445 32,033 175,478 1.01%
Kevin McGowan. 91,464 22,500 113,964 *
Jeffrey A. Miller 89,757 40,041 129,798 *
Brian J. Jackman 77,300 20,000 97,300 *
Giacomo Marini(8) 54,490 20,000 74,490 *
Steven D. Levy(9) 51,391 35,000 86,391 *
Shelley Bacastow 35,768 10,875 46,643 *
Cindy K. Andreotti 20,776  20,776 *
Carl A. Thomsen(10) 17,806 10,000 27,806 *
M. Jay Sinder 13,800  13,800 *
Gina Haspilaire 13,697  13,697 *
All directors, director nominees and current executive officers as a group (14 persons). 1,357,989 500,324 1,858,313 10.46%

Shares Outstanding as of 4/13/2018     18,291,781

        

Beneficial Owners

  Number
of Shares
Beneficially
Owned
   Number
of Shares
Underlying
Options
   Total Shares
Beneficially
Owned
   Percent
of Shares
Beneficially
Owned
(%)
 

5% Stockholders

        

Ariel Investments, LLC(1)

   2,430,032    —      2,430,032    13.28

Chartwell lnvestment Partners(2)

   1,780,485    —      1,780,485    9.73

Dimensional Fund Advisors LLP(3)

   1,490,484    —      1,490,484    8.15

Renaissance Technologies LLC(4)

   1,478,515    —      1,478,515    8.08

Directors and Named Executive Officers

        

David A. Neumann

   231,927    40,041    271,968    1.49

Rishi Bharadwaj

   210,104    36,000    246,104    1.35

John W. Schoen(5)

   165,711    42,711    208,422    1.14

Jeffrey A. Miller

   107,174    53,388    160,562    * 

Steven D. Levy(6)

   77,288    —      77,288    * 

Giacomo Marini(7)

   76,062    —      76,062    * 

Shelley J. Bacastow

   59,244    14,500    73,744    * 

Cindy K. Andreotti

   44,449    —      44,449    * 

M. Jay Sinder

   37,010    —      37,010    * 

Gina Haspilaire

   36,907    —      36,907    * 

Cynthia A. Keith

   13,044    —      13,044    * 

All directors, director nominees and named executive officers as a
group (11 persons)

   1,058,920    186,640    1,245,560    6.81

 

(1)Information with respect to the number of shares of PCTEL common stock beneficially owned is based solely on the Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC by Ariel Investments, LLC (“Ariel”) on February 12, 2016.13, 2018. Ariel a registered investment adviser, possesseshas sole dispositive control over 2,915,815power with respect to 2,430,032 shares, andshared dispositive power with respect to 0 shares, sole voting power over 2,111,309with respect to 2,062,032 shares, and shared voting power with respect to 0 shares. The Schedule 13G/A filed by Ariel contained information as of December 31, 2015 and may not reflect current holdings of PCTEL common stock.Ariel’s address is 200 East Randolph Street, Suite 2900, Chicago, IL 60601.

 

20


(2)Information with respect to the number of shares of PCTEL common stock beneficially owned is based solely on the Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC by The Killen Group, Inc.Chartwell Investment Partners, LLC (“Killen”Chartwell”) on February 10, 2016. Killen possessesJanuary 31, 2018. Chartwell has sole dispositive control andpower with respect to 1,780,485 shares, shared dispositive power with respect to 0 shares, sole voting power over suchwith respect to 0 shares, and shared voting power with respect to 0 shares. The Schedule 13G/A filed by Killen contained information as of December 31, 2015 and may not reflect current holdings of PCTEL common stock.Chartwell’s address is 1205 Westlakes Drive, Suite 100, Berwyn, PA 19312.

 

(3)Information with respect to the number of shares of PCTEL common stock beneficially owned is solely based on the Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (“Dimensional”) on February 9, 2016. According to such Schedule 13G/A, Dimensional, in its capacity as an investment adviser, possesses sole dispositive control over all such shares and sole voting power over 1,528,730 of such shares, which are held of record by its clients. Dimensional disclaims beneficial ownership of all such shares. The Schedule 13G/A filed by Dimensional contained information as of December 31, 2015 and may not reflect current holdings of PCTEL common stock.

(4)Information with respect to the number of shares of PCTEL common stock beneficially owned is solely based on the Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC by Renaissance Technologies LLC and Renaissance Technologies Holdings Corporation (together, “Renaissance”) on February 11, 2016. According to such Schedule 13G/A, Renaissance, in its capacity as an investment adviser, possesses sole dispositive control over 1,102,600 shares and shared dispositive control over 999 shares and sole voting power over 1,101,200 shares. The Schedule 13G filed by Renaissance contained information as of December 31, 2015 and may not reflect current holdings of PCTEL common stock.

(5)Information with respect to the number of shares of PCTEL common stock beneficially owned is based solely on the Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC by BlackRock, Inc.Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (“BlackRock”Dimensional”) on January 28, 2016. BlackRock possessesFebruary 9, 2018. Dimensional has sole dispositive control over 980,300power with respect to 1,490,484 shares, andshared dispositive power with respect to 0 shares, sole voting power over 960,536with respect to 1,465,082 shares, and shared voting power with respect to 0 shares. The Schedule 13G/A filed by BlackRock contained information asDimensional disclaims beneficial ownership of December 31, 2015 and may not reflect current holdings of PCTEL common stock.all such shares. Dimensional’s address is Building One, 6300 Bee Cave Rd., Austin, TX 78746.

 

(4)(6)Includes 133,255Information with respect to the number of shares of PCTEL common stock heldbeneficially owned is based solely on the Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC by the Martin H. Singer Revocable TrustRenaissance Technologies LLC and 19,200Renaissance Technologies Holdings Corporation (together, “Renaissance”) on February 14, 2018. Renaissance has sole dispositive power with respect to 1,406,940 shares, of PCTEL common stock held by the Andrea F. Singer Revocable Trust.shared dispositive power with respect to 71,575 shares, sole voting power with respect to 1,404,214 shares, and shared voting power with respect to 0 shares. Renaissance’s address is 800 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022.

 

(7)(5)Includes 85,00087,000 shares of PCTEL common stock held by the Denise F. Schoen Family Trust and 10,48834,711 shares of PCTEL common stock held by the John W. Schoen III Living Trust.

 

(8)(6)Includes 54,4905,000 shares of PCTEL common stock held by the Giacomo Marini Trust.

(9)Includes 5,000 shares held by Beena M. Levy, spouse of Steven D. Levy.

 

(10)(7)Includes 17,80627,475 shares of PCTEL common stock held by the Thomsen FamilyGiacomo Marini Trust and 48,587 shares of PCTEL common stock held by the Marini-Jamason Community Property Trust.

 

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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Company Overview and Executive Summary

The Company providesPerformanceCriticalTELecom technology solutions to the wireless industry and is a leading global supplier of antennas and wireless network testing solutions. The Company’s precision antennas are deployed in small cells, enterpriseWi-Fi access points, fleet management and transit systems, and in equipment and devices for the Industrial Internet of Things (“IIoT”). We offerin-house design, testing, radio integration, and manufacturing capabilities for our antenna customers. The Company’s test and measurement tools are used to improve the performance of wireless networks globally, with a focus on LTE, public safety, and emerging 5G technologies. Network operators, neutral hosts, and equipment manufacturers rely on our scanning receivers and test solutions to analyze, design, and optimize their networks. The Company focuses its efforts onnon-commodity markets to provide longer product life cycles and greater margin.

The Company enjoyed strong performance in 2017 with improvements over 2016 in revenue, gross profit, EBITDA margin andnon-GAAP earnings per share (“EPS”). Results from continuing operations in 2017 compared to 2016, which excludes the impact of the Company’s 2017 divestiture of its engineering services unit, were as follows: revenue grew 8% to $91.4 million, and Adjusted EBITDA grew 21% to $8.2 million. “Adjusted EBITDA” is anon-GAAP measure defined as operating profit from continuing operations plus depreciation, amortization, impairment of goodwill or intangible assets, and stock-based compensation. The improved results were shared across both the Company’s Connected Solutions and RF Solutions segments. The Connected Solutions segment had a positive performance particularly in its fleet and industrial vertical markets. The RFS segment benefited from the addition of productive new OEM partners and increased demand for its products from U.S.-based operators. Despite our strong year-over-year financial performance, we did not achieve our financial targets set under our 2017 Short-Term Incentive Plan. Accordingly, the payouts under the plan were below target levels.

The most recent publicly-available data collected by the Independent Compensation Consultant indicates that PCTEL’s financial performance in 2017 (based upon its restated financial results after giving effect to the discontinuation of its network engineering services business) as compared with its peer group is the following: the Company’s three-year revenue change is aligned with the 25th percentile, five-year total shareholder return (“TSR”) is aligned with the 50th percentile (median);one-year revenue change, three-year EPS growth, return on assets, andone-year net income margin are between the 50th and 75th percentiles; return on equity andone-year TSR are aligned with the 75th percentile; and three-year TSR is above the 75th percentile.

Named Executive Officers

The purpose of this Compensation Discussion and Analysis is to discuss material information relating to compensation awarded to the following individuals who have been identified by the Compensation Committee as the Company’s “Named Executive Officers” or “NEOs” for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015:2017:

Name

  
Name

Title as of December 31, 20152017

Martin H. Singer

David A. Neumann(1)

  Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

John W. Schoen

  Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary
Rishi Bharadwaj(1)Vice President and General Manager, Connected Solutions

Jeffrey A. Miller

Senior Vice President, Global Sales, RF Solutions
David A. Neumann(2)

  Senior Vice President and General Manager, RF Solutions
John Thakkar(2)

Rishi Bharadwaj

Senior Vice President and General Manager, Connected Solutions

Shelley J. Bacastow

  Vice President and Chief Technology Officer-Network Analytics, RF Solutions

(1)Mr. Bharadwaj became a named executive officer in 2015.General Counsel

 

(1)Mr. Neumann was appointed Chief Executive Officer effective January 2, 2017.
(2)Mr. Thakkar joined PCTEL in connection with the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Nexgen Wireless, Inc. on February 27, 2015Miller was promoted to Senior Vice President and he resignedGeneral Manager, RF Solutions, effective November 10, 2015.January 1, 2017.

 

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Because Mr. SingerNeumann is the Chairmana member of the Board in addition to Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”),of Directors, his biographical information is included under Proposal #1 “Election of Directors — Directors and Nominees.”

Mr. John W. Schoen, 60,62, has been the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, Vice President and Corporate Secretary since November 2001. In September 2013, Mr. Schoen was promoted to Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary. Mr. Schoen served as a Business Development Manager at Agilent Technologies, Inc. from July 2000 to November 2001. From May 1999 to July 2000, Mr. Schoen served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of SAFCO Technologies, Inc. before its acquisition by Agilent Technologies Inc. Prior to this period, Mr. Schoen held various financial positions for over 19 years at Motorola, Inc., including Controller of its Wireless Access and Business Development within Motorola’s Cellular Infrastructure Group. Mr. Schoen received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from DePaul University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Mr. Rishi Bharadwaj, 42, was promoted toJeffrey A. Miller, 62, has been the Company’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of the ConnectedManager–RF Solutions segment of the Company in March 2015. Prior to his promotion,since January 2017. Mr. Bharadwaj served as Vice President, Global Sales – Connected Solutions from March 2014 to March 2015; Vice President, Global Sales and Product Management from January 2014 to March 2014; Vice President, Product Management – Connected Solutions from July 2012 to January 2014; and Vice President, Product Management – Antenna Product Group from April 2010 to July 2012. Between July 2003 and April 2010, Mr. Bharadwaj held other leadership positions in the Connected Solutions segment. Between September 1996 and June 2003, he held several RF and software engineering roles where he developed data collection and data analytics tools for the cellular industry. Mr. Bharadwaj earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Electrical and Computer Engineering degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He also holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He holds a patent for measuring data quality in wireless communication networks.

Mr. Jeffrey A. Miller 60, has served as Senior Vice President, Global Sales--RFSales–RF Solutions sincefrom July 2015.2015 to December 2016. Previously he served as Senior Vice President, Global Sales--ConnectedSales–Connected Solutions from March 2015 to July 2015; Senior Vice President and General Manager, Site Solutions, from November 2014 throughto March 2015; President, Connected Solutions from December 2012 throughJanuary 2013 to November 2014; and prior to that as the Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing of the Company since April 2010. From October 2006 untilfrom April 2010 Mr. Miller wasto December 2012; and Vice President and General Manager of the Company’s Antenna Products Group.Group from October 2006 until April 2010. From November 2001, when he joined PCTEL, until October of 2006, Mr. Miller served in a number of roles, from Vice President of Engineering through leadership roles in product management, new technology and global sales. Prior to joining PCTEL, Mr. Miller was Functional Manager of Wireless Optimization Products, Wireless Network Test Division ofheld various management and technical positions related to the wireless industry with such companies as Agilent Technologies Inc. from July 2000 to November 2001. From January 1998 to July 2000, Mr. Miller served as Vice President of Engineering of, SAFCO Technologies, Inc. and led its Test and Measurement Group before its acquisition by Agilent Technologies Inc. From September 1992 to January 1998, Mr. Miller was a Principal Consultant with, Malcolm, Miller & Associates providing consulting services to wireless network operators and infrastructure suppliers. From 1978 through September of 1992, Mr. Miller held various technical and management positions at Motorola, Inc.’s Cellular Infrastructure Group. Mr. Miller received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois.

Mr. David A. Neumann, 50, was promoted toRishi Bharadwaj, 44, has been the Company’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of the RFManager–Connected Solutions segment of the Companysince November 2016. Mr. Bharadwaj was promoted to Vice President and General Manager–Connected Solutions in March 2015. Prior to his promotion, Mr. NeumannBharadwaj served as Vice President, and General Manager, RFGlobal Sales–Connected Solutions from January 2013 through March 2015, and previously as Global2014 to March 2015; Vice President, ofGlobal Sales for RFand Product Management from January 2014 to March 2014; Vice President, Product Management–Connected Solutions sincefrom July 2012 to January 2014; and Vice President, Product Management–Antenna Product Group from April 2010. From February 2009, when he joined PCTEL, until2010 to July 2012. Between July 2003 and April 2010, Mr. Neumann served as Senior Director of Sales withinBharadwaj held other leadership positions in the Connected Solutions segment. Between September 1996 and June 2003, he held several RF Solutions. Prior to joining PCTEL,and software engineering roles at other companies where he developed data collection and data analytics tools for the cellular industry. Mr. Neumann was the Managing Director of E-magine Communications, LLC, from January 2006 to February 2009. From January 2002 to January 2006, Mr. Neumann served as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for X-TEL Communications, Inc. From July 1999 to January 2002, Mr. Neumann was the Market Development Director for Acterna, which was later purchased by JDSU. From May 1997, to July 1999, Mr. Neumann was a Principal at Intelinet, Inc. From January 1991 to May 1997, Mr. Neumann served in a number of roles from Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Support through leadership roles in engineering services, product management and sales at SAFCO Technologies, Inc. From June 1987 to January 1991, Mr. Neumann served as a Systems Engineer at Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Mr. Neumann holdsBharadwaj earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Electrical and Computer Engineering degree from Illinois Institute of Technology. He also received a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He holds a patent for measuring data quality in wireless communication networks.

Ms. Shelley J. Bacastow, 58, has been the Company’s Vice President and General Counsel since January 2015. Ms. Bacastow served as the Company’s Assistant General Counsel from June 2014 to December 2014; Senior Corporate Counsel from October 2006 to June 2014; and as outside counsel to the Company from April 2003 to October 2006. Prior to joining PCTEL’s legal department, Ms. Bacastow served as Senior Counsel of the Motorola, Inc. law department from June 1996 to June 2002 where she was the head of the Global Finance Group from 1999 to 2002. She served as a Senior Attorney of the MCI Telecommunications, Inc. law department from June 1995 to June 1996. Ms. Bacastow began her career at the Chicago-based law firm Chapman and Cutler from May 1984 to June 1995. Ms. Bacastow received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from University of Chicago Booth School of Business.Wisconsin – Madison and a Juris Doctor from Notre Dame Law School.

 

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Compensation Philosophy

The Compensation Committee’s philosophy in setting compensation policies for the CEO, the other NEOs and certain Vice Presidents (collectively referred to as “executive officers”) and the employees designated as key managers by the CEO based upon their responsibilities and performance (hereinafter referred to as “key managers”) is the following:

 

To closely align the interests of the executive officers and key managers with those of the Company’s stockholders with the objective of enhancing stockholder value and promoting long-term, sustainable growth;

 

To attract and retain the best available personnel for positions of substantial responsibility with the Company;

 

To provide incentives to motivate the executive officers and key managers to perform to the best of their abilities for the Company through increased rewards for superior individual and corporate performance;

 

To promote the success of the Company’s business while minimizing the opportunity for high-risk behaviors that potentially imperil the underlying value of the Company; and

 

To embrace an appropriate balance of work and family life.

Overview and Responsibilities of theDetermining Executive Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors currently consists of Mr. Jackman, Ms. Andreotti, Ms. Haspilaire, and Mr. Levy, each of whom is an independent, non-employee director of the Company. The Compensation Committee reviews its charter on an annual basis and has modified it from time to time, most recently in March 2013. The charter of the Compensation Committee is located on the Company’s website at http://investor.pctel.com/documentdisplay.cfm. The Committee’s primary duties are to (i) provide guidance with respect to general compensation goals and philosophies for the Company’s employees at all levels; (ii) balance the portion of executive compensation at risk and tied to achievement of corporate and business segment financial performance goals established by the Board of Directors with overall enterprise risk; (iii) make recommendations to the Board of Directors with respect to the compensation of the CEO; (iv) review the compensation criteria and proposed total compensation (including salary, bonus, benefits, and incentive compensation) recommended by the CEO for each of the executive officers and key managers of the Company, and approve an appropriate compensation package for each named executive officer which shall be structured consistent with the compensation philosophy (as described in “Compensation Philosophy” above); (v) review the internal pay equity among the CEO, the officers and the key managers; (vi) make recommendations from time to time to the Board of Directors regarding general equity and cash compensation for the outside directors on the Board of Directors; (vii) act as administrator of the Company’s equity incentive plans; and (viii) retain outside consulting, legal or other advisors to assist the Compensation Committee in the execution of its responsibilities.

The Compensation Committee meets at regularly-scheduled quarterly meetings and from time-to-time between quarterly meetings in order to address matters that fall within the Compensation Committee’s responsibilities. Minutes are recorded of all Compensation Committee meetings. The Compensation Committee reports to the Board of Directors regarding recommendations of the Compensation Committee and actions taken by the Compensation Committee pursuant to delegated authority. The Compensation Committee met a total of eight times in 2015, including a joint session with the Audit Committee.

It is the Compensation Committee’s practice to review at least annually all componentselements of compensation for the executive officers and key managers to ensure that the amount and structure of total compensation for each is consistent with its compensation philosophies and objectives.objectives and that the previous year’s advisory vote on named executive officer compensation has been considered. Internal pay equity among the executive officers and key managers is also a factor in the Committee’s assessment of total compensation. With these considerations in mind, the general strategy of the Compensation Committee has been to (i) target total direct compensation for executive compensation betweenofficers and key managers (which includes base salary and short-term and long-term incentive awards) near the median and the 75th percentile of total direct compensation in reference to a peer group of publicly-traded companies and in accordance with other competitive market information in order to attract high-performing executives and key managers who also have opportunities with larger multinational companies, (ii) establish a strong correlation between the level of compensation and the financial performance of the Company compared against its peer group and other companies, and (iii) create incentives that closely align executive compensation with long-term interests of the Company’s stockholders.

Independent Compensation Consultant.    The Compensation Committee relies upon the services of an independent compensation consultant in applyingto inform its judgmentdecisions as to appropriate levels and componentselements of compensation for the named executive officers and key managers.officers. Willis Towers Watson, a global professional services company formerly known as Towers Watson (the “Independent Compensation Consultant”), provides executive compensation consulting services to the Committee, including (i) assistanceassisting with establishing the Company’s compensation goals and objectives, (ii) providing relevant peer group and survey data on the compensation practices of the participating companies, and (iii) advising on industry trends in executive compensation. The Independent Compensation Consultant provides no services to the Company other than the services it provides to the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee’s practice is to invite a representative of the Independent Compensation Consultant to attend substantially all Compensation Committee meetings.

The Independent Compensation Consultant has conducted an internal review and has certified that it is an independent advisor to the Compensation Committee and that no conflict of interest exists. Although the fees ofhas sole authority to retain or replace the Independent Compensation Consultant, are paid byand the Company,Committee annually evaluates the Independentengagement and assesses the consultant’s independence in accordance with Nasdaq listing standards. Most recently, the Committee determined that the engagement did not raise any conflict of interest. In reaching this conclusion, the Compensation Consultant is accountable and has direct reporting responsibilityCommittee considered factors relevant to the Compensation Committee. The Independent Compensation Consultant provides no services toconsultant’s independence from management, including the Company other thanfactors set forth in the services it provides to the Compensation Committee.Nasdaq listing standards.

 

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Survey Data, Peer Groups and Use of Industry Benchmarking Data.    The Compensation Committee uses benchmarking information as one factor to evaluate “total compensation”total direct compensation of the Company’s NEOs (i.e., principally annual salary and short-term and long-term incentive awards).NEOs. The benchmarking information is comprised of survey data which is derived from two independent executive compensation surveys compiled by recognized compensation firms as well as publicly-available data from a peer group of publicly- tradedpublicly-traded companies that are comparable to the Company. The survey data used by the Independent Compensation Consultant is derived from different databases of companies that compare to the Company only in general terms, including broad industry sectors and size of company.

size.

The peer group information is designed to be more specific. The Compensation Committee, with assistance from the Company’s management and guidance from the Independent Compensation Consultant, is responsible for selecting the companies that are included within this peer group and for compiling relevant executive compensation and corporate performance data. Due in part to the lack of small public companies involved in the same combination of industriesactivities as the Company, it is not possible to construct a group of companies with characteristics entirely similar to the Company. The Independent Compensation Consultant therefore compiles data from public companies that, based upon its expertise, are the most similar in terms of industry sector, revenue level, market capitalization, operating and financial characteristics and other relevant factors, and that provide a meaningful comparison for the Compensation Committee.

TheIn order to establish a peer group of companies that wasbetter represents competitors for talent in effect forthe Company’s market and to compare the Company atmore closely with businesses who compete in similar industries and have similar revenue and business complexity, the time whenCommittee adjusted the Compensation Committee setpeer group in September 2017 by omitting three companies (8x8, Inc., CalAmp Corp., and Numerex Corp.) and adding the 2015 executive compensation consists of the 17five companies listed below (the “2015 Peer Group”) with revenues for the most recent publicly available financial information ranging from approximately $44.5 million to $235.9 million and median revenues of approximately $105.7 million:in italics below. The current peer group members are:

 

8 x 8,
Aerohive Networks, Inc.Meru Networks, Inc.Inseego Corp.
CalAmp Corp.Airgain, Inc.Numerex Corp.Intevac, Inc.
Clearfield, Inc.KVH Industries Inc.
ClearOne, Inc.Oplink Communications, Inc.
Cobra Electronics CorporationOrbcommLantronix, Inc.
Communications Systems Inc.Procera Networks,ORBCOMM, Inc.
DASAN Zhone Solutions, Inc.Quantenna Communications, Inc.
Digi International Inc.Westell Technologies, Inc.RELM Wireless Corporation
Frequency Electronics, Inc.EMCORE CorporationXRS Corporation
KVH Industries, Inc.Zhone Technologies, Inc.
Lantronix, Inc.

In September 2015, the Committee revised the peer group to eliminate five companies, each of which was acquired since the establishment of the 2015 Peer Group rendering relevant information for such companies unobtainable. In order to maintain a robust peer group for purposes of comparison, the following three companies were added to the Company’s peer group: Aerohive Networks, Inc., Clearfield, Inc., and Novatel Wireless, Inc. The resulting 15 members of the peer group in effect at the time the Compensation Committee set the 2016 executive compensation (the “2016 Peer Group”) are set forth below:

8x8 Inc.KVH Industries Inc.
Aerohive Networks, Inc.Lantronix, Inc.
CalAmp Corp.Novatel Wireless, Inc.
Clearfield, Inc.Numerex Corp.
ClearOne, Inc.ORBCOMM, Inc.
Communications Systems Inc.Westell Technologies, Inc.
Digi International Inc.Zhone Technologies Inc.

Frequency Electronics Inc.

The compensation data derived from the 2015 Peer Group and the 2016 Peer Grouppeer group consisted of the then-most recent publicly available annual and long-term compensation amounts. The financial performance data derived from the 2015 Peer Group and 2016 Peer Grouppeer group included(i) one-year and three-year revenue change, (ii) net income margin, (iii) change (iii) net profit margin,in earnings per share (“EPS”), (iv) return on assets, equity and invested capital, and(v) one-year, three-year and five-year total stockholder return.return (“TSR”). The Independent Compensation Consultant provided a comprehensive pay-for-performancecompensation assessment analysis in connection with the Compensation Committee’s evaluation of executive compensation, comparing levels of compensation, expressed in dollars and percentages, against both compensation and performance data contained in the survey and peer group information.

Annual Compensation Process

.The Company considered the results of theSay-on-Pay proposal presented to the shareholdersstockholders for approval in 2015.2017. In light of the 96% support the proposal received, the Company’s compensation policies and decisions, explained in detail in this Compensation Discussion and Analysis, continue to beremain focused on long-termsustainable financial performance to drive stockholder value. The Company intends to hold an advisory vote on executive compensation (Say-on-Pay) on an annual basis.

The compensation of the CEO, the other executive officers and the key managers is established prior to the end of the first quarter of the fiscal year. The Compensation Committee has full authority to determine the compensation of the executive officers (other than the CEO) and key managers of the Company. The CEO’s compensation must be approved each year by the non-employee directors of theindependent Board of Directorsmembers based on the recommendation of the Compensation Committee. In making its recommendation with respect to the CEO’s compensation, the

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Compensation Committee takes into consideration, among other factors, the Company’s financial results and the results of a performance evaluation of the CEO for the preceding year. The annual evaluation of the CEO’s performance is based upon evaluation forms circulatedconducted by the Nominating and Governance Committee andthrough an electronic survey completed by allnon-employee directors with respect Board members. It requires each independent Board member to assess the CEO’s performance, as measured by the ability to meet financial performance objectives of the Company, conduct succession planning, execute strategic plans, exhibit leadership, and maintain good relationships with the stockholders, the Board of Directors and other stakeholders of the Company. At the time of this performance evaluation, the Compensation Committee solicits guidance from the Board of Directors as to the general elements that should be addressed in the CEO’s total compensation package for the upcoming year. In addition, theThe Chair of the CompensationNominating & Governance Committee as well asreports the Lead Independent Director, will solicit input fromresults to the CEOother independent Board members in the course of the Compensation Committee’s formulation of its recommendation.

executive session and moderates a discussion thereof.

In formulating its recommendation to the Board of Directors with respect to the CEO’s compensation, the Compensation Committee exercises its judgment, taking into account the results of the Nominating and Governance Committee’s survey and discussion, any investor input that may have been received, and the comparative data and advice of the Committee’s Independent Compensation Consultant (as described in “Overview and Responsibilities of the“Determining Executive Compensation Committee–Independent Compensation Consultant” above). The Compensation Committee’s discussions of the elements of compensation for the CEO are conducted in a closed session, typically with its Independent Compensation Consultant in attendance but with no Company employees present. The Chair of the Compensation Committee solicits input from the CEO in the course of the Compensation Committee’s formulation of its recommendation; however, the CEO is not permitted to participate in the deliberations by the Board of Directors in its evaluation of the Compensation Committee’s recommendation for CEO compensation.

In establishing compensation for the executive officers (other than the CEO), the Compensation Committee relies on (i) insights provided by the CEO as to their respectiveeach executive officer’s individual performance, (ii) the compensation data compiled by the Independent Compensation Consultant, and (iii) the Company’s compensation philosophy, as described in “Compensation Philosophy” above. The CEO attended 6five of the 8seven Compensation Committee meetings in 20152017 in order to provide his insight on the contributions made by various executive officers and key managers. After consulting with its Independent Compensation Consultant and the CEO,referenced materials, the Compensation Committee, in its discretion, sets the annual compensation for the executive officers and key managers, including salary, short-term equity incentives and long-term equity incentives.

Summary of Principal Elements of Executive Compensation

The principal elements included in executive compensation for the executive officers and key managers are the following, each of which is briefly described below:

 

1.   Annual salary;

2.   Annual incentive awards administered under the Short-Term Incentive Plan;

3.   Equity awards administered under the Long-Term Incentive Plan;

4.   Change of Control and severance benefits; and

5.   Medical and other standard benefits.

1. Annual Salary. The Compensation Committee uses salary as the principal element of cash compensation which is not “at risk.” In determining the level of annual salary, the Compensation Committee considers the performance, experience and responsibilities of the executive officer or key manager, and seeks to establish an annual
1.Base salary which is the principal element of cash compensation that is not “at risk.” In determining the level of base salary, the Compensation Committee considers the performance, experience and responsibilities of the executive officer or key manager and seeks to establish a base salary that is competitive with those paid to comparable executive officers and key managers based upon benchmarking data.

2.Incentiveawards administered under the Short-Term Incentive Plan which is an annual performance-based incentive plan designed to motivate achievement of specifically-identified, short-term corporate and business segment objectives. The awards are paid in cash, shares or a combination of both.

3.Equity awards administered under the Long-Term Incentive Plan which is designed to encourage sustainable growth, consistent earnings, and management retention through consistency in long-term incentives. These equity awards include shares, options or a combination of both.

4.Change of Controlbenefits which induce certain executive officers to continue to contribute to the success of the Company in connection with an event resulting in the majority of the voting control of the Company being transferred (whether by way of merger, reorganization, acquisition, or sale of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets). These benefits are triggered if the executive officer is involuntarily terminated within twelve months of a change of control (i.e., a “double trigger”).

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5.Severance benefits which compensate certain executive officers in the event of an involuntary termination of his/her employment unrelated to a change of control. The severance benefits include salary continuation and Company-paid healthcare benefits for a specified period of time and vesting of certain restricted stock previously awarded under the Short-Term and Long-Term Incentive Plans.

6.Medical andother standard benefits, including medical, dental, and vision benefits, and term life and long-term disability insurance, a substantial portion of which are paid by the Company. The Company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan allows employees of the Company to participate electively in a plan under which, through individual payroll deductions, they are permitted twice a year to buy shares at prices discounted from the trading price of the stock. In addition, the Company maintains a 401(k) plan for PCTEL employees, administered by an independent plan administrator, which provides a selection of investment alternatives from which plan participants may choose. The Company matches the contribution of a plan participant up to the first 4% of the participant’s compensation. The Company match vests immediately.

Summary of 2017 Compensation Results

Base Salaries.    The base salary of each NEO was increased in 2017 in order to remain competitive with the salaries of comparable executive officers within the peer group. The base salaries of the NEOs for 2017 and key managers at its benchmark companies. A competitive annual salary is essential to the Company’s ability to hire and retain executive officers and key managers.2016 are set forth below:

Base Salaries for Named Executive Officers

 

Name

  2017
($)
   2016(6)
($)
 

David A. Neumann (1)

   350,000    238,500 

John W. Schoen (2)

   300,200    261,000 

Jeffrey A. Miller (3)

   270,000    230,000 

Rishi Bharadwaj (4)

   270,000    227,700 

Shelley J. Bacastow (5)

   250,100    —   

2.

(1)Mr. Neumann was appointed Chief Executive Officer effective January 2, 2017. On such date, his base salary for 2017 was effective.

(2)Mr. Schoen’s base salary was effective April 1, 2017.

(3)Mr. Miller was promoted to Senior Vice President and General Manager for the RF Solutions segment effective January 1, 2017. On such date, his base salary for 2017 was effective. In 2016, Mr. Miller served as the Senior Vice President of Global Sales for the RF Solutions segment and accordingly he participated in a Sales Compensation Plan pursuant to which, in addition to his salary, he earned $92,258 commission based upon the sales revenue of the entire RF Solutions segment.

(4)Mr. Bharadwaj was promoted to Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Connected Solutions segment in November 2016 and his base salary was effective January 1, 2017.

(5)Ms. Bacastow first became a Named Executive Officer for fiscal 2017. Her base salary was effective April 1, 2017.

(6)The 2016 base salary for all Named Executive Officers (other than Mr. Miller) became effective on April 1, 2016.

Awards Under the 2017 Short-Term Incentive Plan.    The Compensation Committee adopted a new structure for the 2017 Short-Term Incentive Plan is an annual performance-based incentive(“2017 STIP”) in order to simplify the plan, increase the effectiveness of the incentives awarded thereunder, enhance consistency across job functions and reward participants based upon achievements of the business segment the participant has the ability to impact. The 2017 STIP was designed to incentivizeprovide incentive awards for the NEOs, other executive officers and key employees based on the achievement of the specifically-identified short-term corporateAdjusted EBITDA goal for the Company or the applicable business segment. The 2017 STIP aligns the participants’ interests directly with those of the stockholders and is a self-adjusting plan given that Adjusted EBITDA for 2017 includes the aggregate incentive award payment.

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“Adjusted EBITDA” is anon-GAAP measure defined as operating profit from continuing operations plus depreciation, amortization, impairment of goodwill or intangible assets, and stock-based compensation. For purposes of Adjusted EBITDA at the business segment objectives. In establishinglevel, corporate costs are not allocated to the objectives and setting the targets under the Short-Term Incentive Plan, the Compensation Committee takes into consideration the following factors:business segments.

Areas of desired improvement in financial and/or operating performance ofThe Adjusted EBITDA goals for the Company and specificfor each of its two segments are set forth below. The target goals reflect the Company’s 2017 financial plan approved by the Board of Directors. The Compensation Committee believed that the target goals for the Company and the two business segments;
segments would be challenging but achievable with significant effort. Incentive awards for achievements between the threshold and target or the target and maximum goals were determined on a straight-line basis. There is no incentive award below the threshold and no increase above the maximum. The percentage of base salary paid as the incentive award at the three levels of achievement is assigned to participants by job category and responsibilities. The 2017 STIP awards were paid in cash.

The table below indicates the potential payments for achievement of threshold, target and maximum goals for Adjusted EBITDA for the Corporate group and for the two segments, as well as the actual payment made.

 

LOGO

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The anticipated payout of awards

Mr. Neumann, Mr. Schoen and Ms. Bacastow were awarded incentives under the 2017 STIP based solely upon achievement of the Corporate goals. Mr. Bharadwaj was awarded an incentive based solely upon the Connected Solutions segment’s achievement of its goal, and Mr. Miller was awarded an incentive based solely upon the RF Solutions segment’s achievement of its goal. The maximum, target and actual awards for the NEOs in 2017, as percentages of base salary, are summarized in the table below:

Awards under the 2017 Short-Term Incentive Plan measured against the likelihood that the Company will be able to achieve the performance goals without taking undue risk; and

The maximum payout of awards under the Short-Term Incentive Plan, as reviewed by the Independent Compensation Consultant.

The Short-Term Incentive Plan allows for the incentive awards to be paid in cash, restricted stock or a combination of both.

 

Name

  Maximum
Award
as a % of
Base Salary
(%)
   Maximum
Award ($)
   Target
Award(1)
($)
   Actual
Award
($)
   Actual
Award
as a % of
Base Salary
(%)
 

David A. Neumann

   130    455,000    227,500    157,931    45 

John W. Schoen

   115    345,230    172,615    119,829    40 

Jeffrey A. Miller

   115    310,500    155,250    132,382    49 

Rishi Bharadwaj

   115    310,500    155,250    128,563    48 

Shelley J. Bacastow

   100    250,100    125,050    86,810    35 

3.

(1)The 2017 target award is equal to 50% of the maximum 2017 award.

Awards Under the 2017 Long-Term Incentive Plan.    The Company also grants long-term equity awards on an annual basis through the grant of restricted stock and/or stock options under the Company’s Stock Plan (as further described in “General Terms of Equity Grants—Stock Plan”). Although the name and structure of the long term incentive plan changes over the years, in general the awards under this plan are made2017 LTIP was designed to encourage long-termsustainable growth, consistent earnings, and management retention through consistency in long-term incentives.

4.Change of Control and Severance Benefits.The Company offers retention benefits to the executive officers in order to induce the executive officers to continue to contribute to the success of the Company in connection with an event resulting in the majority of the voting control of the Company being transferred (whether by way of merger, reorganization, acquisition, or sale of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets). These benefits are contractually available to certain executive officers if such an event occurs and within twelve months after such occurrence, the executive officer is involuntarily terminated (i.e., a “double trigger”). Although the benefits vary among the executive officers participating, the benefits generally include lump sum payment of a specified percentage of annual salary, acceleration of 100% of any then unvested equity incentives, and Company-paid healthcare benefits for a specified period of time.

Certain executive officers are also entitled to severance benefits in connection with the involuntary termination of their employment unassociated with a Change of Control. The severance benefits include salary continuation and Company-paid healthcare benefits for a specified period of time, and vesting of certain restricted shares previously awarded under short-term and long-term incentive programs.

5.Medical and Other Standard Benefits. The Company offers standard benefits to its executives and key managers, including medical, dental, and vision benefits, and term life and long-term disability insurance, a substantial portion of which are paid by the Company. The Company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan allows employees of the Company to participate electively in a plan under which, through individual payroll deductions, they are permitted twice a year to buy shares at prices discounted from the trading price of the stock. In addition, the Company maintains a 401(k) plan for PCTEL employees, administered by an independent plan administrator, which provides a selection of investment alternatives from which plan participants may choose. The Company matches up to the first 4% of compensation contributed by a plan participant, which vests immediately.

23

Summary of 2015 Company Financial Performance and Equity Compensation

2015 Company Financial Performance. Revenues were approximately $106.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, a decrease of 0.5% from the prior year. The RF Solutions segment revenue increased $2.1 million (6%) in 2015 over 2014. Revenue from scanning receivers and in-building engineering services was lower than 2014, but the decrease was offset by the revenue generated from engineering services related to drive testing and staffing resulting from the acquisition of substantially all the assets of Nexgen Wireless, Inc. (“Nexgen”) in the first quarter of 2015. The Connected Solutions segment revenue decreased $2.8 million, or 4%. Within the Connected Solutions segment, revenue declined for cellular kitting and mobile tower products but increased for antenna products. PCTEL sold its mobile tower business assets in July 2015 and is no longer maintaining its mobile tower product portfolio.

Non-GAAP earnings per share of PCTEL common stock were $0.11 for the year ended December 31, 2015, a decrease of $0.37 per share, or 77%, from the prior year. The decrease reflects lower gross profit from lower revenue for scanners, in-building engineering services, cellular kitting and mobile towers, combined with higher operating costs from the acquisition of Nexgen Wireless in 2015 compared to the prior year.

PCTEL’s financial performance in 2015 as compared with its peer group was at the median for net profit margin, three-year total shareholder return and five-year total shareholder return, and between the 25th percentile and median for one-year revenue growth, three-year revenue growth, return on invested capital and one-year total shareholder return, all based upon the most recently publicly-available data collected by the Independent Compensation Consultant.

Awards Under the 2015 Short-Term Incentive Plan. For the purposes of determining the annual incentive award under the 2015 Short-Term Incentive Plan (“2015 STIP”), the Company’s performance was measured by (i) revenue growth in 2015 over 2014 revenue, and (ii) the increase of non-GAAP earnings per share of PCTEL common stock in 2015 over 2014 non-GAAP earnings per share. (The difference between non-GAAP earnings per share and GAAP earnings per share is the exclusion from non-GAAP earnings of stock-based compensation expense, amortization of intangible assets, restructuring charges, impairment charges, gain/ loss on the sale of product lines, non-cash income tax expense, legal settlement income beyond the related costs, and non-cash other income.) As has been the case over the past several years, the Board of Directors adopted a sliding scale on a non-linear basis for determining the incentive award under the 2015 STIP in order to produce no incentive award for low revenue and earnings growth, a small incentive award for average or slightly above-average revenue and earnings growth, and a sharply increasing incentive award for superior revenue and earnings growth. The payout factor (also referred to as the “target award percentage”) for 2015 if the Company achieved both metrics of the 2015 financial plan at target was 20%.

The target award percentages actually achieved by the Company in 2015 were below the threshold established by the aggressive 2015 STIP. Consequently, none of the participants received any payment under the 2015 STIP, as summarized in the table below:

Results of 2015 Short-Term Incentive Plan

Name

 

Maximum 2015

Potential Award
as a % of
Annual Salary
(%)

 

Maximum 2015

Potential Award

($)

 

2015 Target Award(1)
($)

 

Award Paid

($)

 

Award Paid
as a % of
Annual Salary
(%)

Martin H. Singer 130 579,150 115,830  
John W. Schoen 100 261,000 52,200  
Rishi Bharadwaj 90 204,930 40,986  
Jeffrey A. Miller 100 291,000 58,200  
David A. Neumann 100 238,500 47,700  
Jigar Thakkar 80 158,400 31,680  

(1)The 2015 target award under the 2015 STIP for each NEO is calculated by multiplying such NEO’s Maximum 2015 Potential Award by 20% (i.e., the payout upon achievement of the target financial performance).

24

Awards under the 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan. The 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2015 LTIP”) has a four year revenue goal to encourage long-term growth and imposes a penalty for failure to maintain consistent Adjusted EBITDA (as hereinafter defined). The 2015 LTIP is designed so that at the end of the initial two-year interim measuring period, the participants will receive an equity award if the Company’s actual revenue at the conclusion of that interim period exceeds the revenue threshold for such interim period. Because the first interim period for the 2015 LTIP will not end until December 31, 2016, no equity awards have yet been determined under the 2015 LTIP; however, the Company is not recording an expense for future awards under the 20152017 LTIP at this time and the 2015 LTIP does not permit a “catch-up”were shares of restricted stock that vest in their entirety on the second interim measuring period to compensate for a shortfall if there should be one in the first interim period ended on December 31, 2016.

The threshold revenue required for the 2014 LTIP was not reached at the conclusionanniversary of the first two-year measuring period on December 31, 2015, and accordingly the participants did not receive an award thereunder. The participants may receive an award under the 2014 LTIP if the revenue generated by the Company in the second two-year measuring period ending on December 31, 2017 exceeds the threshold; however, the Company is not recording an expense for future awards under the 2014 LTIP at this time. The 2014 LTIP does not permit a “catch-up” in the second interim measuring period to compensate for the shortfall in the first interim period that ended on December 31, 2015.

Other Equity Granted. As previously reported, in September 2015, the Board approved a one-time, serviced-based equity grant of 200,000 restricted shares to Mr. Singer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, not associated with the Company’s short- term or long-term incentive programs. The restricted shares vest on September 10, 2017 if Mr. Singer remains an employee on the date of vesting.

As previously reported, in November 2015 the Board approved a serviced-based equity grant of 75,000 restricted shares to each of Mr. Neumann, Senior Vice President and General Manager, RF Solutions, and Mr. Rishi Bharadwaj, Vice President and General Manager, Connected Solutions not associated with the Company’s short-term or long-term incentive programs. The restricted shares vest over four (4) years, with no restricted shares vesting in the first two years and 50% of the restricted shares vesting on each of the third and fourth anniversaries of the grant. Each recipient must be an employee of the Company on the applicable vesting date in order for his award to vest.

In addition, as previously reported in order to better align compensation incentives with long-term shareholder interest, reduce operating expenses and improve earnings, effective August 31, 2015, the Board of Directors approved a reduction in the base salary of each NEO and concurrently granted shares of the Company’s common stock correlated to the amount of the salary reduction, as further described in “2016 Implementation of the Principal Elements of Executive Compensation—Annual Salaries in 2016.”

2016 Implementation of the PrincipalElementsof ExecutiveCompensation

1.Annual Salaries in 2016.

CEO Salary.The salary of the Chief Executive Officerfor 2016, 2015, and 2014 are set forth below: 

Name 2016
$
 2015
$
 2014
$
Martin H. Singer(1) 445,500 495,000 495,000

(1)As previously reported,inordertobetteraligncompensationincentiveswithlong-termshareholderinterest, reduceoperatingexpensesandimproveearnings, effective August31,2015,theBoardofDirectorsapprovedareductioninthebasesalaryoftheChiefExecutiveOfficerandconcurrentlygrantedtheChief Executive Officer 14,100 shares of the Companys common stock which is correlated to the amount of the salary reduction.

SalariesforOtherNamedExecutiveOfficers.ThesalariesoftheotherNEOsfor2016,2015,and2014aresetforthbelow:

Salaries forOtherNamed Executive Officers

 

Name

 2016
$
 2015
$
 2014
$
JohnW. Schoen(1) 261,000 290,000 290,000
Rishi Bharadwaj(1)(2) 227,700 230,000 
Jeffrey A. Miller(1)(3) 230,000 300,000 300,000
DavidA. Neumann(1) 235,500 265,000 251,000
JigarThakkar(1)(4)  220,000 

(1)As previously reported,inordertobetteraligncompensationincentiveswithlong-termshareholderinterest, reduceoperatingexpensesandimproveearnings, effective August31,2015,the BoardofDirectorsapprovedareductioninthe basesalariesofthe NEOs,and concurrentlygrantedtoeachNEOsharesofthe Companys commonstock inan amountcorrelated tothe salaryreduction. Mr. Schoen received8,300 shares for a10% reduction in salary;Mr. Bharadwaj received700sharesfora1%reductioninsalary;Mr. Millerreceived2,600sharesfora3%reductioninsalary;Mr.Neumannreceived7,600sharesfora10% reductioninsalary;andMr.Thakkarreceived6,300 shares for a10% reduction insalary.

(2)Mr. Bharadwaj became a named executive officerin 2015.

(3)In addition tothereductiondescribedinfootnote(1),Mr. Millers salarywasalsoreducedasofJanuary1,2016because,astheSeniorVice PresidentofGlobal SalesfortheRFSolutionssegment,hewillparticipateinaSalesCompensationPlanpursuanttowhichinadditiontohissalaryhewillearncommissionbased uponthesalesoftheentireRFSolutionssegment.Ifhereacheshisquota,Mr.Millerwillearncommissionof$125,000.Themaximumamountofcommission that Mr. Miller could earn under his Sales Compensation Plan at 200% of his quota is $312,500.

(4)Mr. ThakkarjoinedPCTELinconnectionwiththeacquisitionofsubstantiallyalloftheassetsofNexgenWireless,Inc.onFebruary27,2015andheresigned effective November10, 2015.

2.2016Short-TermIncentivePlan.ThemetricsusedbytheCompanytomeasureitsfinancialperformancewillbe:(1) 2016revenue,and(2)theincreaseofnon-GAAPearningspershareofPCTELcommonstockin2016overactual2015non-GAAP earningspershare,whichisconsistentwiththe2015 STIP.

Inordertodriveandrewardhighergrowthinrevenueandearningspershare,forseveralyearstheCompensationCommittee hasusedaslidingscaleonanon-linearbasisfordeterminingtheincentiveawardunderShort-TermIncentivePlan.Asisevidenced bythelackofawardsearnedunderthe2015STIP,thenon-linearnatureofthepayoutfactorsassuresthatthere willbenoincentive award for low revenue and earnings growth, a small incentive award for average or slightly above-average revenue and earnings growth anda sharplyincreasingincentive awardfor superior revenueandearnings growth.

For2016,theCompensationCommitteecontinuedthedifferentiationamongtheNEOsbaseduponachievementofspecific businesssegmentgoals.ThoseNEOswithbusinesssegmentresponsibilitieswillcontinuetohaveachievementofbusinesssegment goalsweightedmoreheavilythanachievementofcorporategoals,andnon-GAAPoperatingprofit willcontinuetobeweighted moreheavilythanrevenuegeneration.(Non-GAAP earningspersharediffersfromGAAP earningspersharebytheexclusionof stock-basedcompensationexpense, amortization of intangible assets, restructuring charges,impairmentcharges,gain/loss on the sale ofproductlines,non-cashincometaxexpense,legalsettlement incomebeyondtherecoveryofrelated costs,and non-cashother income.Thedifferencebetweennon-GAAPearningspershareatthecorporatelevelandnon-GAAPoperatingprofit atthebusiness segmentlevelis(i) corporate expenses, (ii) otherincome and expenses, and (iii) income taxes.)

Thechartbelowdepictstheresultingpayoutfactorsatvariousachievementlevelsofrevenueandnon-GAAPearnings pershareoftheCompanyforthecorporategoalsofMr.SingerandMr.Schoen.Aswasthecasefor2015,in2016thesecorporate goalswillbeweighted100%forMr.SingerandMr.Schoen,andcorporatenon-GAAP earningspersharewillbeweighted80% withcorporaterevenueweighted20%.

Corporate— Mr.Singer& Mr.Schoen

  Weight 20%     Weight 80%     
  Revenue $ Millions  % Earned  Non-GAAP EPS  % Earned  
  113.0  20.0%  $0.47  80.0%  
  112.0  17.0%  $0.45  68.0%  
  111.0  15.0%  $0.43  60.0%  
  110.0  13.0%  $0.41  52.0%  
  109.0  11.0%  $0.39  44.0%  
  108.0    9.0%  $0.37  36.0%  
Target 107.0    7.0%  $0.35  28.0% Target
  <107.0       0.0%  $0.24  24.0%  
        $0.20  20.0%  
        $0.15    8.0%  
        $0.11    0.0%  

Thechartbelow depictstheresultingpayout factors which areapplicabletoMr.Neumannatvariousachievementlevels of(i)revenueandnon-GAAPearningspershareatthecorporateleveland(ii)revenueandnon-GAAPoperatingprofit forthe CompanysRFSolutionsbusinesssegment.TheRFSolutionsbusinesssegmentsgoals willbe weighted70%(rather than60% as was the case in 2015) with the corporate goals weighted 30%; however, the weighting of the business segments non-GAAP operating profit goal has remained 80% with its revenue goal weighted 20%.

RF Solutions Segment — Mr.Neumann 

                          
  Total PCTEL  RF Solutions Segment  
  Weight 6%  Weight 24%  Weight 14%  Weight 56%  
  Revenue
$ Millions
  %
Earned
  Non-GAAP
EPS
  %
Earned
  Revenue
$ Millions
  %
Earned
  Non-GAAP
Op. Profit($M)
  %
Earned
  
  113.0  6.0%  $0.47  24.0%  41.2  14.0%  8.3  56.0%  
  112.0  5.1%  $0.45  20.4%  40.8  11.9%  7.9  47.6%  
  111.0  4.5%  $0.43  18.0%  40.5  10.5%  7.6  42.0%  
  110.0  3.9%  $0.41  15.6%  40.1    9.1%  7.2  36.4%  
  109.0  3.3%  $0.39  13.2%  39.7    7.7%  6.9  30.8%  
  108.0  2.7%  $0.37  10.8%  39.4    4.0%  6.5  25.2%  
Target 107.0  2.1%  $0.35    8.4%  39.0    2.8%  6.2  19.6% Target
  <107.0     0.0%  $0.24    7.2%  <39.0      0.0%  4.2  16.8%  
    0.0%  $0.20    6.0%      0.0%  3.5  14.0%  
    0.0%  $0.15    2.4%      0.0%  2.6  5.6%  
    0.0%  $0.11    0.0%      0.0%  1.9  0.0%  

The chart below depicts the resulting payout factors which are applicable to Mr. Bharadwaj at various achievement levels of (i) revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share at the corporate level and (ii) revenue and non-GAAP operating profit for the Company’s Connected Solutions business segment. The weighting of Connected Solutions business segment’s goals will be weighted 70% (rather than 60% as was the case in 2015) with the corporate goals weighted 30%; however, the weighting of the business segment’s non-GAAP operating profit goal has remained 80% with its revenue goal weighted 20%.

Connected Solutions Segment — Mr. Bharadwaj

 Total PCTEL - Corporate  Connected Solutions Segment 
 Weight 6%  Weight 24%  Weight 14%  Weight 56% 
 Revenue  %  Non-GAAP  %  Revenue  %  Non-GAAP  % 
 $ Millions  Earned  EPS  Earned  $ Millions  Earned  Op. Profit ($M)  Earned 
 113.0  6.0%  $0.47  24.0%  73.9  14.0%  13.8  56.0% 
 112.0  5.1%  $0.45  20.4%  73.3  11.9%  13.2  47.6% 
 111.0  4.5%  $0.43  18.0%  72.6  10.5%  12.7  42.0% 
 110.0  3.9%  $0.41  15.6%  72.0  9.1%  12.1  36.4% 
 109.0  3.3%  $0.39  13.2%  71.3  7.7%  11.5  30.8% 
 108.0  2.7%  $0.37  10.8%  70.7  6.3%  10.9  25.2% 
Target107.0  2.1%  $0.35  8.4%  70.0  4.9%  10.3  19.6%Target
 <107.0     0.0%  $0.24  7.2%  <70.0    0.0%  7.1  16.8% 
       $0.20  6.0%        5.9  14.0% 
       $0.15  2.4%        4.4  5.6% 
       $0.11  0.0%        3.2  0.0% 

The 2016 financial plan results in a 35% payout factor at the targeted 0.4% revenue growth and $0.24 non-GAAP earnings per share growth over 2015 revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share. This compares to the 2015 STIP that provided for a payout factor of 20% for achieving targeted 27.8% revenue growth and $0.12 non-GAAP earnings per share growth over 2014. The change in the payout factor was made to reflect the aggressive 218% increase in targeted non-GAAP earnings per share in 2016 over non-GAAP earnings per share in 2015. The Compensation Committee believes that the financial plan targets are challenging, but achievable with significant effort. The financial plan is determined by management and the Compensation Committee based upon recent performance levels, sales expectations, technology and industry factors, and overall economic conditions. It is approved by the Board of Directors.

In order to determine the actual incentive award amount received by any participant in the 2016 Short-Term Incentive Plan (“2016 STIP”), the payout factor determined by the tables above are weighted as applicable and multiplied by the participant’s maximum percentage of salary that can be earned as an incentive award (as determined by the Compensation Committee on an individual basis based upon performance and job responsibilities) and then multiplied by such participant’s annual salary. The Compensation Committee increased the maximum percentage of salary that can be earned as an incentive award in 2016 by 10% for Mr. Bharadwaj. The participation in the 2016 STIP by the NEOs is summarized in the table below:

    2016 Maximum Potential Award 2016 Target Award Upon Full
Achievement of Financial Plan(1)
Name 2016 Salary
($)
 As a %
of Salary
 ($) As a %
of Salary
 ($)
Martin H. Singer 445,500 130 579,150 46 202,703
John W. Schoen 261,000 100 261,000 35 91,350
Rishi Bharadwaj 227,700 100 227,700 35 79,695
David A. Neumann 238,500 100 238,500 35 83,475

(1)The 2016 target award for each NEO under the 2016 STIP is calculated by multiplying such NEO’s maximum potential incentive award by 35% (i.e.,the payout factor at target).

The incentive award amount under the 2016 STIP will be paid to the participants in restricted shares. The number of shares granted will be based on the total dollar value of the award divided by the closing price of PCTEL common stock as presented by NASDAQ on the date of grant.

4.2016 Long-Term Incentive Plan. Under the respective long-term incentive plans adopted in 2014 (“2014 LTIP”) and 2015 (“2015 LTIP”), a four-year revenue goal was set with two-year interim measuring periods at which awards based upon revenue attainment would be granted. The interim measuring periods under the 2014 LTIP end on December 31, 2015 and 2017, and the interim measuring periods for the 2015 LTIP end on December 31, 2016 and 2018. By design, no awards were available in the first year of the 2014 LTIP or the 2015 LTIP. Primarily as a result of the unexpected loss of the principal customer of its newly-acquired analytics and services business in 2015, as well as unanticipated declines in network engineering services due to reduced capital spending by telecommunications carriers, slower than expected capital spending in China, and the weakened demand for mobile towers resulting from the drop in oil prices, the Company did not reach its 2015 revenue goals. As a result, there was no payment to any participant under the 2014 LTIP at the end of the first interim period on December 31, 2015. The Company is not recording any expense under GAAP in connection with the second interim period of the 2014 LTIP or the 2015 LTIP at this time.

In addition to no payments being made in 2014 or 2015 under the LTIP programs, there were no payments under the 2015 Short-Term Incentive Plan (see “Summary of 2015 Company Financial Performance and Equity Compensation—Awards under the 2015 Short-Term Incentive Plan) and no salary increases in 2016 (see “2016 Implementation of the Principal Elements of Executive Compensation—Annual Salaries in 2016”). Accordingly, the Compensation Committee has adopted a new design for the 2016Long-Term Incentive Plan (“2016 LTIP”). While the Compensation Committee has continued to set aggressive revenue and non- GAAP earnings goals for the 2016 Short-Term Incentive Plan, the Compensation Committee focused on (i) simplifying and creating consistency in the Company’s long-term incentives, (ii) eliminating the overlap with the Short-Term Incentive Plan metrics, and (iii) retaining executive talent important to the Company’s future. The 2016 LTIP adopted by the Committee is service-based with the incentives vesting in equal annual increments over a four-year period.date. Each NEO must be an employee of the Company on the respective vesting datesdate in order for him to receive the vested portion ofshares.

Awards under the incentive.

20162017 Long-Term Incentive Plan

 

Name

  # of Shares
Martin H. Singer

David A. Neumann

  
John W. Schoen 20,000
Rishi Bharadwaj 30,000
Jeffrey A. Miller

John W. Schoen

20,000
David A. Neumann30,000
   100,00014,000

Jeffrey A. Miller

14,000

Rishi Bharadwaj

14,000

Shelley J. Bacastow

10,000

72,000

Overall, the total long-term equity to be granted by the Company to Mr. Bharadwaj and Mr. Neumann, general managersThe value of the respective segments of the Company, under the 20162017 LTIP awards is between the median25th percentile and the 75th percentilemedian for long-term incentives based on survey data provided by the Compensation Committee’s Independent Compensation Consultant. The total long- term equity to be granted by the Company to Mr. Schoen and Mr. Miller under the 2016 LTIP is at or near the 25th percentile forregarding long-term incentives based on survey data provided by the Compensation Committee’s Independent Compensation Consultant. See “Responsibilities of the“Determining Executive Compensation Committee—Survey Data, Peer Groups and the Use of Industry Benchmarking Data.Data. Mr. Singer is not participating in the 2016 LTIP, but received an equity grant in 2015 which will vest in 2017 upon satisfaction of the condition pertaining thereto. (See “Summary of 2015 Company Financial Performance and Equity Compensation—Other Equity Granted”.)

5.Change of Control and Severance Arrangements. The Company offers retention benefits to its NEOs and certain of its other executive officers upon the occurrence of certain events surrounding a Change of Control in order to induce the executives to continue to contribute to the success of the Company in the transition period and the post-acquisition period to the extent permitted by the successor or acquirer. A “Change of Control” is any merger, reorganization or acquisition of the Company (including by way of sale of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets) in which a majority of the voting control of the Company is transferred. The retention benefits offered by the Company to certain executive officers in connection with a Change of Control are based on a “double trigger” structure requiring both (i) a completed Change of Control event, and (ii) either (x) an involuntary termination of such executive officer’s employment within 12 months following such Change of Control event other than as a result of cause, disability or death (an “Involuntary Termination”), or (y) a termination by the executive officer of his or her employment pursuant to a Voluntary Termination for Good Reason (as such capitalized terms are defined in the applicable Management Retention Agreement). The principal retention benefits available to the participating executive officers upon satisfaction of both triggers are a lump sum payment of a specified percentage of annual salary, acceleration of 100% of any then unvested equity incentives, and Company-paid healthcare benefits for a specified period of time, all as indicated in the table below. The Compensation Committee believes that the level of these benefits would not, in the aggregate, represent a financial deterrent to a buyer or successor entity in considering a combination transaction with the Company.

Under their employment and/or severance benefit agreements with the Company, the NEOs and certain other executive officers are also entitled to severance and related benefits in connection with (i) the Involuntary Termination of their employment, and (ii) a termination by the NEO of his or her employment pursuant to a Voluntary Termination for Good Reason (as defined in the applicable Management Retention Agreement) in each case, unassociated with a Change of Control. The principal severance benefits include salary continuation, acceleration of the vesting of certain equity awards, and Company-paid healthcare benefits for a specified period of time. In addition, upon the occurrence of an involuntary termination (or, with respect to the CEO, death or disability), severance benefits include vesting of any equity awards which are scheduled to vest within the following 12 months.

In the case of the CEO, severance benefits resulting from involuntary termination also include payment of the maximum potential incentive award under the Short-Term Incentive Plan; in the event of death or disability, the amount of the incentive award that would be paid under the Short-Term Incentive Plan would be based on the actual amount of the incentive award determined for the year in which death or disability occurred, pro-rated for such year based on the date of death or disability. The Company’s current employment agreement with Mr. Singer also imposes a non-competition and non-solicitation covenant for a period of 12 months from his termination date in connection with his separation from the Company, including in the event of a Change of Control that is followed by the involuntary termination of his employment.

The table below and the summary of retention arrangements related to benefits associated with severance or a Change of Control of the Company should be read in conjunction with the tables entitled “Potential Payments Upon Termination as of December 31, 2015” and “Potential Payments Upon Change of Control as of December 31, 2015” in “Executive Compensation and Other Matters” on page 39.

  Severance Benefits ( i.e., Involuntary Termination Change of Control Benefits (i.e., Involuntary Termination
  Not Related to a Change of Control) Within 12 Months of a Change of Control)
      Acceleration Acceleration Multiple of     Acceleration
      of Unvested of Unvested Annual Salary   Acceleration of Unvested
  Salary Healthcare Options Restricted Shares (Paid in Healthcare of Unvested Restricted
Name Continuation (in months) (in months) (in months)(2) Lump Sum) (in months) Options Shares(3)
Martin H. Singer     12 months(1) Up to 18 months 12 months 12 months 2.75x Up to 12 months 100% 100%
John W. Schoen 12 months Up to 12 months 12 months 12 months 2x Up to 12 months 100% 100%
Rishi Bharadwaj 12 months Up to 12 months 12 months 12 months 2x Up to 12 months 100% 100%
Jeffrey A. Miller 12 months Up to 12 months 12 months 12 months 2x Up to 12 months 100% 100%
David A. Neumann 12 months Up to 12 months 12 months 12 months 2x Up to 12 months 100% 100%
Jigar Thakkar(4) NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

(1)Includes both annual salary and 100% of the maximum potential incentive award payable under the Short-Term Incentive Plan in the year of termination.

(2)The occurrence of an involuntary termination (other than for cause) during an annual performance period will result in an immediate vesting of all unvested service-based equity awards. With respect to performance-based equity awards, an involuntary termination of an NEO will result in the immediate vesting of his performance-based equity awards established for the period in which the termination occurred (including the then-current Interim Period under the 2014 LTIP and 2015 LTIP), but he loses the right to earn any performance-based equity for any future performance periods.

(3)Upon the occurrence of a Change of Control, performance-based equity awards will automatically convert into service-based equity awards with no performance contingencies, but the vesting requirements (as stated in the applicable management retention agreement) will continue to pertain to the equity award; however, in the event of the involuntary termination of any NEO within 12 months following a Change of Control, such NEO’s equity award will immediately vest.

(4)Mr. Thakkar joined PCTEL in connection with the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Nexgen Wireless, Inc. on February 27, 2015 and he resigned effective November 10, 2015.

6.Other Benefits. No material changes have been made to the medical benefits or other standard benefits received by NEOs to date in 2016. See “Summary of Principal Elements of Executive Compensation—Medical and Other Standard Benefits” for additional information.

CEO Total Direct Compensation

.    Mr. Singer’sNeumann’s total targetdirect compensation for 20162017 (consisting solely of base salary, target awardcash incentives granted under the 20162017 STIP and target awardthe grant date fair value of the restricted stock granted under the 20162017 LTIP) equatesequated to $648,203, representing a decrease from 2015 target$696,900 in his first year as CEO. Mr. Neumann’s total compensation of $843,700 and an increase from actual total compensation of $559,293 received in 2015 as salary and short-term and long-term incentives. In addition to the compensation referenced in the preceding sentence, the CEO received an additional equity grant in 2015, as described in “Summary of 2015 Company Financial Performance and Equity Compensation—Other Equity Awards”. The CEO’s total targetdirect compensation for 2016 (inclusive of the elements listed above) if the Company achieves the financial plan targets for revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share2017 at target performance is below the 25th25th percentile of comparable companiesexecutive officers based on the market consensus data gathered by the Independent Compensation Consultant from survey and peer group executive compensation information. If the

Change of Control and Severance Arrangements.    The Company

exceeds the target growth offers Change of Control and severance benefits to its NEOs and certain of its other executive officers. A description of these benefits is provided in revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share, then as a result of the sliding scale of the 2016 STIP (as described in “2016 Implementation of the Principal Elements of Executive Compensation—2016 Short-Term Incentive Plan”), the CEO could achieve total compensation above the median. The Committee believes that Mr. Singer’s total direct target compensation for 2016 is appropriate.

 

29


“Executive Compensation and Other Matters – Summary of Other Potential Payments” and the tables “Potential Payments Upon Termination Related to Change of Control” and “Potential Payments Upon Termination Unrelated to Change of Control” on pages 37 through 40.

General Terms of Equity Grants

Stock Plan.    All equity issued by the Company (whether as restricted stock or stock options, and whether granted under the Short-Term Incentive Plan, the Long-Term Incentive Plan or otherwise) is issued under the PCTEL, Inc. Stock Plan.Plan (the “Stock Plan”). The Stock Plan was originally approved by the stockholders in 1997 as the “1997 Stock Plan,” and was amended and restated in 2010 to replace the then current 1997 Stock Plan and the 1998 Director Stock Option Plan. It was further amended and restated at the 2015 annual meeting and was renamed the “PCTEL, Inc. Stock Plan.”

Material Terms of Restricted Stock Grants.    Restricted stock grants have the vesting terms established in the applicable Short-Term and Long-Term Incentive Plans. They may earn and receive distribution of dividends on the same terms as the “Stock Plan”.

dividends paid on our common stock.

Material Terms of Stock Option Grants.    While the Compensation Committee could issue stock options under the Stock Plan, no stock options are grantedhave been issued to non-executive new hires from time to time.NEOs since 2013. The Compensation Committee has neverre-priced previously granted stock options where the trading price of the Company’s stock is less than the exercise price of the stock options, and the Stock Plan expressly prohibits suchre-pricing of previously granted stock options.

Administrative Protocols in Stock Option and Restricted Stock Grants.    The Company adopted a Statement of Administrative Policy in November 2006, codifying approved procedures in respect of award grants under the Stock Plan. This policy is administered by the Compensation Committee and will also be applicable to the Stock Plan.Committee. The key elements of the policy are as follows:

 

The meeting date of the Compensation Committee or the Board of Directors, as the case may be, is the grant date of any approved award, unless the Compensation Committee or Board of Directors expressly identifies a future date as the grant date of the award (discussed below).

 

Where a written consent of the Compensation Committee or the Committee Chair is used to approve an equity award, the date of the last signature required on the consent, or the date of the signature of the Committee Chair, as applicable, constitutes the grant date of the award unless the Compensation Committee or Board of Directors expressly identifies a future date as the grant date of the award.

 

Award grant documentation is dated as of the grant date.

 

Where a stock option or restricted stock award is required to be priced at the fair market value of the underlying Company stock, the closing price of the stock as reported by NASDAQNasdaq on the grant date is selected to represent that value.

 

Neither the Compensation Committee nor the Board of Directors will authorize a grant of stock options or other equity incentive awards (with the exception noted in the paragraph below) to executive officers or key managers during a quarterly “quiet period.” A “quiet period” is the time during which the executive officers and key managers of the Company may be presumed to be in possession ofnon-public information concerning the financial performance of the Company, beginning with the close of the market on the last trading day of the first full week of the last month of each fiscal quarter (but no later than the close of the tenth calendar day of such month), and continuing until the opening of the market on the third trading day following the date of the Company’s public release of earnings and other financial information for a particular fiscal quarter or year end. If stock options or other equity incentive awards (with the exception noted in the paragraph below) for individuals in this group are authorized by the Compensation Committee or the Board of Directors during such a “quiet period”, the Compensation Committee or Board of Directors will identify a future date as the grant date of the award, and will identify the reported closing price of PCTEL common stock on the future grant date as the fair market value of the award. This future grant date typically falls on the third day following the Company’s earnings release for the financial period.

30


Committee or Board of Directors will identify a future date as the grant date of the award, and will identify the reported closing price of PCTEL common stock on the future grant date as the fair market value of the award. This future grant date typically falls on the third day following the Company’s earnings release for the financial period.

 

Where performance shares or restricted stock awards that are not dollar-denominated are approved, a grant date during a quarterly “quiet period” is permitted, since these awards are not price-sensitive on the date of grant. When the Company pays incentive awards to executive officers and key managers under the Short-Term Incentive Plan in shares of stock rather than cash, these grants are dollar-denominated, and, therefore, have been awardedare subject to a future grant date corresponding with“quiet period” deferred issuance as described in the third day following the Company’s quarterly earnings release.preceding paragraph.

Stock Ownership Guidelines

In order to align further the interests of the Company’s NEOs with the interests of the stockholders, the Board of Directors adopted a policy that prescribes ownership levels of PCTEL common stock. The CEO is required to maintain PCTEL common stock with a value equal to twice his annual salary and each other NEO is required to maintain PCTEL common stock with a value equal to his annual salary. All of the NEOs are in compliance with the Stock Ownership Guidelines.

Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code

Under Section 162(m) of the Code, the Company is able for federal tax purposes to deduct compensation paid to the NEOs only if the compensation for each such executive officer is less than $1 million during the fiscal year or is “performance-based” as defined under Section 162(m). Although it is the objective of the Compensation Committee to seek to qualify all executive compensation as deductible, in order to provide flexibility and to ensure that the executive compensation programs remain competitive, the Compensation Committee has not adopted a policy with this objective. In June 2015, the Board of Directors adopted and the stockholders approved an Amended and Restated Stock Plan governing the equity awards granted thereunder for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Code. In 2015, all compensation paid to the NEOs of the Company was below $1 million threshold under Section 162(m) for purposes of corporate tax deductibility.

Adjustment of Awards

The Company’s financial statements and the related financial performance goals and measures used by the Compensation Committee as the basis for executive compensation have not been subject to subsequent revision or restatement.restatement (except for a restatement to reflect discontinued operations in 2017). As a result, the Compensation Committee has never been required to consider an adjustment of an award. However, if such a circumstance were to occur, the Compensation Committee and the Board of Directors would consider all appropriate remedial measures, which may include the recovery of amounts that were inappropriately awarded to an individual executive officer or key manager.

Stock Retention Guidelines

In order to align further the interests of the Company’s NEOs with the interests of the stockholders, the Board of Directors adopted a stock retention policy that prohibits (i) the CEO from selling or otherwise disposing of PCTEL common stock unless, after giving effect to the sale, he holds shares with a market value equal to twice his annual base salary, and (ii) the other NEOs and Section 16 officers from selling or otherwise disposing of PCTEL common stock unless, after giving effect to the sale, he/she holds shares with a market value equal to his/her annual base salary.

Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code

Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code disallows a tax deduction to publicly held companies for compensation paid to certain covered officers to the extent such compensation exceeds $1.0 million per covered officer in any year. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminates the current exception to the deduction limit for qualified performance-based compensation and broadens the application of the deduction limit to certain current and former executive officers who previously were exempt from such limit, effective for taxable years beginning on and after January 1, 2018. We believe that in establishing the Short-Term and Long-Term Incentive Plans for our NEOs, the potential deductibility of the compensation payable under those Plans should be only one of a number of relevant factors taken into consideration, and not the sole governing factor. For that reason, we may deem it appropriate to provide one or more NEOs with the opportunity to earn incentive compensation, which together with base salary in the aggregate may be in excess of the amount deductible by reason of Section 162(m) or other provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. In 2017, all compensation paid to the NEOs of the Company was below the $1.0 million threshold under Section 162(m) for purposes of corporate tax deductibility.

31


COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT

The following report shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the federal securities laws by virtue of any general incorporation of this proxy statement by reference and shall not otherwise be treated as filed under the federal securities laws.

The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors has reviewed and discussed with management the Compensation Discussion and Analysis required by Item 402(b) of RegulationS-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as amended, and, based on such review and discussions, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this proxy statement and incorporated by reference into the Company’s 20152017 Annual Report on Form10-K.

THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE

GINA HASPILAIRE (CHAIR)

CINDY ANDREOTTI

GIACOMO MARINI

 

The Compensation Committee

Brian J. Jackman (Chair)

Cindy K. Andreotti

Gina Haspilaire

Steven D. Levy

32


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND OTHER MATTERS

CEO Pay Ratio

The following pay ratio and supporting information compares the annual total compensation of the Company’s employees other than the CEO and the annual total compensation of the CEO, as required by Section 953(b) of the Dodd-Frank Act. The pay ratio is a reasonable estimate calculated in a manner consistent with Item 402(u) of RegulationS-K.

For 2017, our last completed fiscal year:

The median of the annual total compensation of all employees of the Company (other than the CEO) was $19,352; and

The annual total compensation of our CEO, as reported in the Summary Compensation Table included in this Proxy Statement, was $780,967.

Based on this information, the ratio of the annual total compensation of our CEO to the median of the annual total compensation of all other employees was 40 to 1. To determine the pay ratio, we took the following steps:

The employee population used to identify the median employee is all worldwide employees of PCTEL, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries as of December 31, 2017, our determination date, including full-time, part-time, temporary and seasonal employees and those contractors for whom the Company has significant input in determining their compensation. In determining the number of employees on the determination date, we used actual data from our employee and payroll records. We made no exclusions of any employee based upon geography or as a result of acquisitions. We determined that as of the determination date we employed 448 individuals in addition to our CEO.

To identify the median employee, we compared the gross amount paid by the Company to each of the 448 employees in 2017, including salary, bonus, vested equity awards (if any) and taxable reimbursements (“gross payroll”). In determining the gross payroll of our employees, we did not annualize gross payroll for any employee, make any estimates or adjustments, or rely on any sampling. We selected the determination date and measurement period specified above because they are recent periods for which employee census and compensation information are readily available. We selected gross payroll as the consistently applied compensation measure because the necessary information can be gathered for each employee from existing payroll systems in a timely and reliable manner, and because the measure is a reasonable reflection of total compensation for purposes of identifying the median employee. All compensation paid in currency other than United States dollars was converted to United States dollars at the average exchange rate for 2017. On this basis, our median employee is a purchasing engineer located in our Tianjin, China facility.

Once we identified our median employee, we calculated such employee’s annual total compensation for 2017 in accordance with the requirements of Item 402(c)(2)(x) of RegulationS-K, resulting in annual total compensation of $19,352. The median employee’s annual total compensation includes salary, bonus and Company-paid benefits (including statutory and voluntary contributions, allowances and subsidies).

With respect to the CEO, we used the amount reported as total compensation in the Summary Compensation Table included in this Proxy Statement. We note that although the CEO received aone-time allowance and reimbursement of $96,991 related to his relocation to the Chicagoland area when he became the CEO in January 2017, we did not exclude that amount when calculating his total compensation for the purpose of calculating the CEO pay ratio.

 

33


Summary of Total Compensation

The following table presents the compensation of the NEOs for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2015, 20142017, 2016 and 2013:2015:

Summary Compensation Table

 

Name Year Salary(1)
($)
 Bonus
($)
 Stock
Awards(2)
($)
 Option
Awards(3)
($)
 Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation(4)
($)
 All Other Compensation(5)
($)
 Total
($)
Martin H. Singer 2015 478,500  1,512,793   38,446 2,029,739
  2014 491,500  223,826  28,958 27,924 772,208
  2013 478,250   252,737 368,428 36,704 1,136,119
John W. Schoen 2015 280,333  179,559   27,644 487,536
  2014 290,000  111,913  12,398 27,205 441,516
  2013 273,750  43,300 122,689 159,933 27,236 626,908
Rishi Bharadwaj(6) 2015 224,233  519,261   26,245 769,739
Jeffrey A. Miller  2015  297,000  —  146,898  —  —  31,540  475,438
  2014 300,000  143,886  5,940 31,276 481,102
  2013 300,000   153,360 193,023 31,605 677,988
David A. Neumann 2015 252,667  602,798   29,239 884,704
  2014 247,000  183,852  49,359 29,063 509,274
  2013 235,000  23,520 115,019 115,201 27,252 515,992
Jigar Thakkar(6) 2015 149,177  846,099   36,186 1,031,462

Name and Principal Position

  Year   Salary(1)
($)
   Stock
Awards(2)
($)
   Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation(3)
($)
   All Other
Compensation(4,5)
($)
   Total
($)
 

David A. Neumann(6)

   2017    350,000    119,400    157,931    153,636    780,967 

Chief Executive Officer

   2016    238,500    168,300    34,764    50,663    492,227 
   2015    252,667    602,798    —      29,239    884,704 

John W. Schoen

   2017    290,400    83,580    119,829    30,653    524,462 

Senior Vice President &

   2016    261,000    112,200    50,947    31,930    456,077 

Chief Financial Officer

   2015    280,333    179,559    —      27,664    487,556 

Jeffrey A. Miller

   2017    270,000    83,580    132,382    29,810    515,772 

Senior Vice President &

   2016    230,000    112,200    —      125,448    467,648 

General Manager RF Solutions

   2015    297,000    146,898    —      31,540    475,438 

Rishi Bharadwaj

   2017    270,000    83,580    128,563    52,630    534,773 

Senior Vice President &

   2016    227,700    168,300    55,470    46,737    498,207 

General Manager Connected Solutions

   2015    224,233    519,261    —      26,245    769,739 

Shelley J. Bacastow(7)

   2017    244,575    59,700    86,810    34,502    425,587 

Vice President & General Counsel

            

 

(1)The amounts shown reflect the actual amounts paid as salary during fiscal years 2015, 20142017, 2016 and 2013.2015.

 

(2)The amounts shown do not reflect compensation actually received by the NEO in the year indicated. Instead, the amounts shown represent the aggregate fair value (determined on the grant date) of the restricted stock granted in the year indicated, calculated pursuant to the Statement of Financial Account Standards Codification Topic 718. For a discussion of the valuation assumptions, see Note 10 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements included in the Annual Report on Form10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015.2017.

The stock awards include: (i) restricted stock granted concurrently with the reduction in each NEO’s salary in August 2015, as described in footnote (1) of each of the tables under “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — 2016 Implementation of the Principal Elements of Executive Compensation —Annual Salaries in 2016” above; (ii) restricted stock granted as set forth in “Compensation Discussion and Analysis – Summary of 2015 Company Financial Performance and Equity Compensation –Other Equity Granted” above, (iii)include restricted stock granted pursuant to the Long-Term Incentive Plan in effect for the year indicated;indicated. In addition, the amount shown for 2015 includes restricted stock that was granted concurrently with, and (iv)in an amount correlated to, the reduction in each NEO’s salary which occurred in August 2015 in order to better align compensation incentives with respect to Mr. Thakkar, 100,000 restricted shares granted in connection with his employment with the Company following the acquisition of Nexgen Wireless, Inc.long-term shareholder interests, reduce operating expenses and improve earnings. The actual value that may be realized from the restricted stock awards described in subsections (i) through (iv) is contingent upon the NEO remaining an employee of the Company on the vesting date. The actual value that may be realized from the restricted stock awards under each of the 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan (“2015 LTIP”) and the 2014 Long-Term Incentive Plan (“2014 LTIP”), as mentioned in subsection (iii), is also contingent upon satisfaction of the conditions to vesting in that award.

The amounts shown in the table below include the value of performance-based restricted shares granted under the 2015 LTIP in Long-Term Incentive Plan (“2015 and underLTIP”) which vest based on the 2014 LTIP in 2014.Company’s performance against a revenue target with a penalty if the Company’s Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenue falls below specified levels. The table indicates various valuesthe number of the performance shares at different levels of achievement (i.e., at threshold and target)target (without penalty), and corresponding values using the closing price of a share of PCTEL common stock on the grant date, as well asdate. No additional shares would be granted under the estimated value2015 LTIP for performance exceeding the target performance goals.

Name

  Year   Threshold in
Shares #
   Value @
Threshold
($)
   Target in
Shares

#
   Value
@
Target

($)
   Estimated
Value as of
12/31/2017
($)
 

David A. Neumann

   2015    7,500    66,000    20,000    176,000    —   

John W. Schoen

   2015    5,625    49,500    15,000    132,000    —   

Jeffrey A. Miller

   2015    5,625    49,500    15,000    132,000    —   

Rishi Bharadwaj

   2015    5,625    49,500    15,000    132,000    —   

Shelley J. Bacastow

   2015    5,625    49,500    15,000    132,000    —   

34


The first interim performance period for the 2015 LTIP ended on December 31, 2016 and the second interim performance period will end on December 31, 2018. There was no payment to participants under the 2015 LTIP at the end of the share grants based uponfirst interim performance conditions.period. The amounts reflected areCompany does not indicativeexpect to make any payment and is not recording any expense under GAAP in connection with the second interim performance period of the compensation actually received in such years:2015 LTIP at this time.

Name Year Threshold in
Shares
#
 Value @ Threshold
($)
 Target in
Shares
#
 Value @
Target
($)
 Estimated
Value as of
12/31/2015
($)
Martin H. Singer   2015 9,375 82,500 25,000 220,000 
  2014 10,500 88,935 28,000 237,160 
John W. Schoen 2015 5,625 49,500 15,000 132,000 
  2014 5,250 44,468 14,000 118,580 
Rishi Bharadwaj 2015 5,625 49,500 15,000 132,000 
Jeffrey A. Miller 2015 5,625 49,500 15,000 132,000 
  2014 6,750 57,173 18,000 152,460 
David A. Neumann 2015 7,500 66,000 20,000 176,000 
  2014 8,625 73,054 23,000 194,810 
Jigar Thakkar 2015     
             
34

 

(3)AmountsThe amounts shown do not reflect compensation actually received by the NEO in the year indicated. Instead, the amounts shown represent the aggregate fair value (determined on the grant date) of the options granted in the year indicated, calculatedawarded pursuant to the Statement2017 STIP, the details of Financial Account Standards Codification Topic 718. For a discussion of the valuation assumptions, see Note 10 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015. The actual value that may be realized from an option award is contingent upon the satisfaction of the conditions to vesting in that award. The amounts shown include the value of performance-based, service-vesting options granted in fiscal year 2013 at the grant date based upon the probable outcome of the performance conditions. The table below summarizes various values of performance options at different payout levels using the Black Sholes Model on the grant date and are not indicative of the compensation actually received in such year:

Name

Year 

Service Based

Options

# 

 Value $ 

Performance 

Based Options

@ Target

#

 

Value

@ Target

($) 

 

Additional Value

@ Maximum 

Payout

($) 

Martin H. Singer   2013   80,000 222,568 55,642
John W. Schoen 2013 20,000 57,451 20,000 57,451 14,363
Jeffrey A. Miller 2013 25,000 71,814 25,000 71,814 17,953
David A. Neumann 2013 18,750 53,860 18,750 53,860 13,467

(4)The values shown for 2014 and 2013 reflect that the incentive awards were paid in cash under the Short-Term Incentive Plans in 2014 and 2013. The details ofthe 2015 STIPwhich are discussed under “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Summary of 2015 Company Financial Performance and Equity2017 Compensation Results Awards Under the 20152017 Short-Term Incentive Plan.” above.No incentive was earned under the 2015 Short-Term Incentive Plan.

 

(4)Included in this column for Mr. Miller is $92,258 earned pursuant to his 2016 Sales Compensation Plan. As the Senior Vice President, Global Sales–RF Solutions, in addition to his salary Mr. Miller earned commission under this plan based upon the sales of the RF Solutions segment. The maximum amount of commission that Mr. Miller could have earned under his 2016 Sales Compensation Plan at 200% of his quota was $312,500.

(5)The values shown represent payments by the Company for each NEO of matching contributions under 401(k) plan, group life insurance premiums, healthcarepremiums, reimbursement of certain expenses and dividends on unvested restricted sharesstock of PCTEL common stock. The contributions exceeding $10,000 are (i) healthcare premiums of $16,165, $15,819 and $14,191 for Mr. Singer in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively; $11,311 and $11,071 for Mr. Schoen in 2015 and 2014, respectively; $15,296 for Mr. Bharadwaj in 2015; $16,165, $15,819 and $14,191 for Mr. Miller in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively; and $16,165, $15,819 and $13,403 for Mr. Neumann in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively; $12,407 for Mr. Thakkar in 2015; (ii) total dividends on unvested restricted sharesstock of PCTEL common stock of $10,705$24,125 and $11,408$20,990 for Mr. SingerNeumann in 20152017 and 2014,2016, respectively, and $15,315$23,090 and $19,730 for Mr. ThakkarBharadwaj in 2015;2017 and (iii)2016, respectively, (ii) 401(k) match of $10,800 for Messrs. Neumann, Schoen, Bharadwaj and Miller in 2015 of2017, respectively; $10,600 for Mr. Miller and $10,440 for Mr. Schoen in 2016; and $10,600 for Messrs. Singer,Neumann, Schoen, Miller and Neumann. Except as noted above, none of the benefits included in the column entitled “All Other Compensation” exceeded $10,000 individually for a NEOMiller in 2015, 2014 or 2013.respectively; and (iii) $96,991 for relocation costs for Mr. Neumann’s move to Chicagoland in 2017.

 

(6)Mr. Bharadwaj and Mr. Thakkar eachNeumann was appointed Chief Executive Officer effective January 2, 2017.

(7)Ms. Bacastow first became an NEO in 2015. Mr. Thakkar joined PCTEL in connection witha Named Executive Officer for the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Nexgen Wireless, Inc. on February 27, 2015 and he resigned effective November 10, 2015. Mr. Thakkar was not a participant in the 2015 LTIP and he will not satisfy the conditions for vesting in the other stock awards.2017 fiscal year.

Summary of Equity Compensation

The following table provides information on equity awards granted in fiscal 20152017 to each of the NEOs:

Grants of Plan-Based Awards for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2015

                      
                      
                All Other
Stock;
Number of
Shares of
Stock or
Units
#
 Exercise or
Base Price
of Option
Awards
($)
 Grant Date
Fair Value
of Stock
and Option
Awards
($)

$
 
                
                
                
                
    Estimated Future Payouts Under
Non-Equity Incentive
Plan Awards(1)
 Estimated Future Payouts Under Equity Incentive Plan Awards(2) 
Name Grant
Date(3)
 Threshold
($)
 Target
($)
 Maximum
($)
 Threshold
($)
 Target
($)
 Maximum
($)
 
Martin H. Singer 3/19/2015 11,583 115,830 579,150       
  3/19/2015    82,500 220,000 220,000    
  9/1/2015       14,100  80,793 
  9/10/2015       200,000  1,212,000 
                      
John W. Schoen 3/19/2015 5,220 52,200 261,000       
  3/19/2015    49,500 132,000 132,000    
  9/1/2015       8,300  47,559 
                      
Rishi Bharadwaj 3/19/2015 1,230 40,986 204,930       
  3/19/2015    49,500 132,000 132,000    
  9/1/2015       700  4,011 
  11/19/2015       75,000  383,250 
                      
Jeffrey A. Miller 3/19/2015 1,746 58,200 291,000       
  3/19/2015    49,500 132,000 132,000    
  9/1/2015       2,600  14,898 
                      
David A. Neumann 3/19/2015 1,506 47,700 238,500       
  3/19/2015    66,000 176,000 176,000    
  9/1/2015       7,600  43,548 
  11/19/2015       75,000  383,250 
                      
Jigar Thakkar(4) 2/27/2015       100,000  810,000 
  3/19/2015 950 31,680 158,400       
  9/1/2015       6,300   36,099 

 

     Estimated Possible Payouts
Under Non-Equity Incentive
Plan Awards(1)
  Estimated Possible Payouts
Under Equity Incentive Plan
Awards
  All Other
Stock;

Number of
Shares of
Stock or

Units(2)
#
  Exercise or
Base Price
of Option

Awards
($)
  Grant Date
Fair Value
of Stock
and Option

Awards
$
 

Name

 Grant
Date(3)
  Threshold
($)
  Target
($)
  Maximum
($)
  Threshold
($)
  Target
($)
  Maximum
($)
    

David A. Neumann

  3/15/2017   113,750   227,500   455,000   —     —     —     20,000   —     119,400 

John W. Schoen

  3/15/2017   86,308   172,615   345,230   —     —     —     14,000   —     83,580 

Jeffrey A. Miller

  3/15/2017   77,625   155,250   310,500   —     —     —     14,000   —     83,580 

Rishi Bharadwaj

  3/15/2017   77,625   155,250   310,500   —     —     —     14,000   —     83,580 

Shelley J. Bacastow

  3/15/2017   62,525   125,050   250,100   —     —     —     10,000   —     59,700 

(1)The amounts shown represented potentialrepresent possible payments based on the various levels of achievement of certain goals under the 20152017 STIP. The principal terms of the 20152017 STIP are discussed under “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Summary of 2015 Company Financial Performance and Equity2017 Compensation Results Awards Under the 20152017 Short-Term Incentive Plan.Plan. Actual payments are described in the Summary Compensation Table above.

 

(2)The amounts shown represented potential paymentsrestricted stock was granted under the 20152017 LTIP. The principal terms of the 20152017 LTIP are discussed under “Compensation Discussion and Analysis Summary of 2015 Company Financial Performance and Equity2017 Compensation Results —Awards Under the 20152017 Long-Term Incentive Plan.” The values shown reflect thegrant date fair market value of these awards is included in the shares on the grant date calculated pursuant to Statement of Financial Accounting Codification Topic 718. The assumptions the Company uses in calculating these amounts are discussed in Note 10 to the financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 which were filed with the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015.Summary Compensation Table above.

 

35

(3)Grant dates are the date the applicable grant was approved by the Compensation Committee and the Board of Directors.

(4)Mr. Thakkar joined PCTEL in connection with the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Nexgen Wireless, Inc. on February 27, 2015 and he resigned effective November 10, 2015.

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End December 31, 2015

 

 Option Awards Stock Awards
                   Equity
                   Incentive
                   Plan
                 Equity Awards:
                 Incentive Market
                 Plan or Payout
       Equity         Awards: Value of
       Incentive       Market Unearned Unearned
       Plan Awards:     Number Value of Shares Shares,
 Number of Number of   Number of     of Shares Shares Units or Units or
 Securities Securities   Securities     or Units or Units Other Other
 Underlying Underlying   Underlying     of Stock of Stock Rights Rights
 Unexercised Unexercised   Unexercised Option   That That That That That
 Options Options   Unearned Exercise Option Have Not Have Not Have Not Have Not
 (Exercisable) (Unexercisable) Grant Options Price Expiration Vested(1) Vested(2) Vested(3) Vested(2) Option Awards Stock Awards 
Name (#) (#) Date (#) ($) Date (#) ($) (#) ($) Grant Date Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(Exercisable)

(#)
 Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised

Options
(Unexercisable)
(#)
 Option
Exercise
Price
($)
 Option
Expiration
Date
 Number of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested(1)
(#)
 Market
Value of
Shares
or Units
of Stock
That
Have
Not
Vested(2)
($)
 Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Unearned
Shares,
Units or
Other
Rights
That
Have Not
Vested(3)
(#)
 Equity
Incentive
Plan
Awards:
Market
or Payout
Value of
Unearned
Shares,
Units, or
Other
Rights
That
Have Not
Vested(2)
($)
 
Martin H. Singer 90,844  4/9/2013  7.16 4/9/2020    
 30,000  5/1/2006  10.56 5/1/2016    
 132,000  8/1/2006  9.16 8/1/2016    

David A. Neumann

 4/9/2013  40,041   —    7.16  4/9/2020   —     —     —     —   
            214,100 974,155 53,000 241,150   —     —      117,500  865,975  5,000  36,850 
John W. Schoen 32,033 10,678 4/9/2013  7.16 4/9/2020     4/9/2013  42,711   —    7.16  4/9/2020   —     —     —     —   
            27,957 125,839 29,000 131,950   —     —      29,000  213,730  3,750  27,638 

Jeffery A. Miller

 4/9/2013  53,388   —    7.16  4/9/2020   —     —     —     —   
   —     —      29,000  213,730  3,750  27,638 
Rishi Bharadwaj 27,000 9,000 4/9/2013  7.16 4/9/2020     4/9/2013  35,000   —    7.16  4/9/2020   —     —     —     —   
            75,700 344,435 30,000 136,500 4/23/2013  1,000   —    6.84  4/23/2020   —     —     —     —   
Jeffrey A. Miller 40,041 13,347 4/9/2013  7.16 4/9/2020    
            19,757 89,894 33,000 150,150   —     —      111,500  821,755  3,750  27,638 
David A. Neumann 30,031 10,010 4/9/2013  7.16 4/9/2020    

Shelley J. Bacastow

 4/9/2013  12,000   —    7.16  4/9/2020   —     —     —     —   
             84,100 382,655 43,000 195,650 4/23/2013  2,500   —    6.84  4/23/2020   —     —     —     —   
Jigar Thakkar(4)            
   —     —      25,000  184,250  3,750  27,638 

 

(1)For Mr. Singer, 14,100Neumann, 7,500 shares vest on September 1, 2016 and 200,000February 11, 2018; 37,500 shares vest on September 10, 2017.November 19, 2018; 27,500 shares vest on February 11, 2019; 37,500 shares vest on November 19, 2019; and 7,500 shares vest on February 11, 2020. For Mr. Schoen 8,300and Mr. Miller, 5,000 shares vest on September 1, 2016, 17,157February 11 of each of 2018 and 2020; and 19,000 shares vest on January 2, 2017, and the remaining 2,500 shares vest one-fourth each year commencing one year after the grant date.February 11, 2019. For Mr. Bharadwaj, 7007,500 shares vest on September 1, 2016 andFebruary 11, 2018; 37,500 vest on each of November 19, 2018 and November 19, 2019. For Mr. Miller, 2,600 shares vest on September 1, 2016 and 17,157November 19, 2018; 21,500 shares vest on January 2, 2017. For Mr. Neumann, 7,600February 11, 2019; 37,500 shares vest on September 1, 2016, 37,500November 19, 2019; and 7,500 shares vest on February 11, 2020. For Ms. Bacastow, 5,000 shares vest on February 11 of each of November 19, 2018 and November 19, 2019,2020; and the remaining 1,50015,000 shares vest one-fourth each year commencing one year after the grant date.on February 11, 2019.

 

(2)The market value is calculated by multiplying the number of shares that have not vested by $4.55,$7.37, the closing price per share of PCTEL common stock price as ofon December 31, 2015.29, 2017.

 

(3)Reflects the number of performance shares that would be paid out based on achievement of threshold performance goals. The shares granted under the Long-Term Incentive Plans for 20152014 and 20142015 vest in two interim periods.performance periods, the second of which ends on December 31, 2017 and 2018, respectively. Such Long-Term Incentive Plans are designed so that at the end of the initialtwo-year interim measuringperformance period, the participants will receive an equity award if the Company’s actual revenue at the conclusion of the interim performance period exceeds the interim revenue threshold.threshold; however, there is a penalty if the Company’s Adjusted EBITDA falls below specified levels. The equity award received by participants increases in a linear progression as the Company’s revenue for the interim period increases above the threshold up to the target revenue goal. At the end of the second interim performance period, the participants will receive an equity award if the Company’s actual revenue for the entire four-year period exceeds the revenue threshold for such period.

(4)Mr. Thakkar joined PCTELperiod; however, there is a penalty if the Company’s Adjusted EBITDA falls below specified levels. The Company does not expect to make any payment and is not recording any expense under GAAP in connection with the acquisition of substantially allsecond interim performance period of the assets of Nexgen Wireless, Inc. on February 27, 2015 and he resigned effective November 10, 2015.LTIP at this time.

 

36


The table below shows the number of shares of PCTEL common stock acquired during fiscal 20152017 by the NEOs upon the exercise of stock options or the vesting of stock awards:

Option Exercises and Stock Vested at Fiscal Year End December 31, 2015

 

 Option Awards Stock Awards
 Number of   Number of  
 Shares Acquired Value Realized Shares Acquired Value Realized
 on Exercise on Exercise on Vesting on Vesting(1)  Option Awards   Stock Awards 
Name (#) ($) (#) ($)  Number of
Shares Acquired

on Exercise
(#)
   Value Realized
on Exercise
($)
   Number of
Shares Acquired

on Vesting
(#)
   Value Realized
on Vesting(1)
($)
 
Martin H. Singer    

David A. Neumann

   —      —      14,536    85,362 
John W. Schoen   5,984 45,542   —      —      32,619    183,463 

Jeffrey A. Miller

   —      —      22,157    120,755 
Rishi Bharadwaj   6,959 55,811   —      —      17,530    102,554 
Jeffrey A. Miller   4,734 37,967
David A. Neumann   5,597 44,415
Jigar Thakkar    

Shelley J. Bacastow

   —      —      13,036    75,245 

 

(1)The value represents the closing price of PCTEL common stock as represented by the NASDAQ Global Select MarketNasdaq as of the vesting date multiplied by the number of shares that vested on such date.

Summary of Other Potential Payments

Nonqualified DeferredThe Company provides retention benefits to its NEOs and certain of its other executive officers upon the occurrence of certain events surrounding a Change of Control in order to induce the executive officers to continue to contribute to the success of the Company in the transition period and the post-acquisition period to the extent permitted by the successor or acquirer. A “Change of Control” is any merger, reorganization or acquisition of the Company (including by way of sale of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets) in which a majority of the voting control of the Company is transferred. The retention benefits offered by the Company to certain executive officers in connection with a Change of Control are based on a “double trigger” requiring both (i) a completed Change of Control event, and (ii) either (x) an involuntary termination of such executive officer’s employment within 12 months following such Change of Control event other than as a result of Cause, disability or death (an “Involuntary Termination”), or (y) a termination by the executive officer of his or her employment pursuant to a Voluntary Termination for Good Reason (as such capitalized terms are defined in the applicable Management Retention Agreement). The principal retention benefits available to the participating executive officers upon satisfaction of both triggers are a lump sum payment of a specified percentage of base salary, acceleration of 100% of any then unvested equity incentives, and Company-paid healthcare benefits for a specified period of time, all as indicated in the table below. The Compensation Committee believes that the level of these benefits would not, in the aggregate, represent a financial deterrent to a buyer or successor entity in considering a combination transaction with the Company.

Under their employment and/or severance benefit agreements with the Company, the NEOs and certain other executive officers are also entitled to severance and related benefits in connection with (i) the Involuntary Termination of their employment, and (ii) a termination by the NEO or executive officer of his or her employment pursuant to a Voluntary Termination for Good Reason (as defined in the applicable Management Retention Agreement) in each case, unassociated with a Change of Control. The principal severance benefits include salary continuation, acceleration of the vesting of certain equity awards, and Company-paid healthcare benefits for a specified period of time. The CEO would also receive a short-term incentive or other bonus based upon the Company’s actual performance for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2015performance periodpro-rated for the period of employment.

 

        Aggregate  
  Executive Company   Withdrawals/ Aggregate Balance
  Contributions Contributions Aggregate Earnings Distributions as of
  in 2015 in 2015 in 2015 in 2015 December 31, 2015
Name ($) ($) ($) ($) ($)
Martin H. Singer   (7,960) 764,723 
John W. Schoen    31,896 
Rishi Bharadwaj     
Jeffrey A. Miller   (785) 41,132 
David A. Neumann   (2,389) 126,307 
Jigar Thakkar     

37


The table below summarizes the severance and Change of Control benefits for our Named Executive Officers:

 

The Executive Deferred Compensation Plan terminated in December 2013 and was liquidated in January 2015.

  Severance Benefits ( i.e., Involuntary Termination
Unrelated Related to a Change of Control)
  Change of Control Benefits (i.e., Involuntary Termination Within
12 Months of a Change of Control)
 

Name

 Salary
Continuation
  Healthcare
(in months)
  Acceleration
of Unvested
Options
  Acceleration
of Unvested
Restricted
Shares(1)
  Multiple of
Annual
Salary
(Paid in
Lump Sum)
  Healthcare
(in months)
  Acceleration
of Unvested
Options
  Acceleration
of Unvested
Restricted
Shares(2)
 

David A. Neumann

  12 months   Up to 12 months   100%   100%   2.25x   Up to 12 months   100  100

John W. Schoen

  12 months   Up to 12 months   12 months   12 months   2x   Up to 12 months   100  100

Jeffrey A. Miller

  12 months   Up to 12 months   12 months   12 months   2x   Up to 12 months   100  100

Rishi Bharadwaj

  12 months   Up to 12 months   12 months   12 months   2x   Up to 12 months   100  100

Shelley J. Bacastow

  12 months   Up to 12 months   12 months   12 months   2x   Up to 12 months   100  100

 

(1)Amounts IncludedAmounts IncludedThe occurrence of an involuntary termination (other than for cause) in
2017 during an annual performance period would have resulted in Both NonqualifiedNonqualified Deferred
Deferred CompensationCompensation Table
Table and Summarypreviously Reportedan immediate vesting of all unvested service-based equity awards. With respect to performance-based equity awards, an involuntary termination of an NEO would have resulted in
Compensation TablePrior Years’ Summary
the immediate vesting of his/her performance-based equity awards established for the period in which the termination occurred (including the then-current Interim Period under the 2015Compensation Table
Name($)($)
Martin H. Singer772,683
John W. Schoen31,896
Rishi Bharadwaj
Jeffrey A. Miller41,917
David A. Neumann128,696
Jigar Thakkar LTIP), but he/she would have lost the right to earn any performance-based equity for any future performance periods.

 

(2)Upon the occurrence of a Change of Control, performance-based equity awards will automatically convert into service-based equity awards with no performance contingencies, but the vesting requirements (as stated in the applicable management retention agreement) will continue to pertain to the equity award; however, in the event of the involuntary termination of any NEO within 12 months following a Change of Control, all such NEO’s equity awards will immediately vest.

Potential Payments Upon Termination
as Related to Change of December 31, 2015

Control

The following table estimates amounts payable to the NEOs as if an involuntary termination within 12 months of a Change of Control had occurred on the last business day of fiscal 2017, December 31, 2015: 29, 2017:

             
Severance Benefits(1)(6) (i.e., Involuntary Termination Not Related to a Change of Control or Occurring More Than 12 Months After a Change of Control)
  Salary(3) Short
Term
Incentive
Plan(3)
 Healthcare(4) Option
Acceleration
 Restricted
Shares
Acceleration(5)
 Total
Name ($) ($) ($) ($) ($) ($)
Martin H. Singer(2) 445,500 579,150 23,535  64,155 1,112,340
John W. Schoen 261,000  10,992  43,453 315,445
Rishi Bhardawaj 227,700  14,820  3,185 245,705
Jeffrey A. Miller 291,000  15,690  11,830 318,520
David A. Neumann 238,500  15,690  37,993 292,183
Jigar Thakkar(7) NA NA NA NA NA NA

Change Of Control Benefits(1,5)

 

 

  Salary
Continuation(2)
($)
   Healthcare
Continuation(3)
($)
   Restricted
Stock
Acceleration(4)
($)
   Total
($)
 

David A. Neumann

   785,500    18,058    902,825    1,706,383 

John W. Schoen

   600,400    12,565    241,368    854,333 

Jeffrey A. Miller

   540,000    11,826    241,368    793,194 

Rishi Bharadwaj

   540,000    17,254    849,393    1,406,647 

Shelley J. Bacastow

   500,200    18,058    184,250    702,508 

(1)The amounts set forth in the table assume that termination of the NEO’s employment occurred unrelated to, or more thanas of December 29, 2017, within 12 months after,of a Change of Control of the Company as a result of (i) an involuntary termination by the Company of the NEO’s employment other than for “Cause, Death” death, or Disability” as such capitalized terms are defined in the applicable Management Retention Agreement“Disability” (an “Involuntary Termination”) or (ii) a “Voluntary Termination for Good Reason.Reason,If an NEO’s employment (other than the CEO’s employment) were terminated for reasons other than the foregoing,as such NEO wouldcapitalized terms not be entitled to receive any severance benefit. The material terms of the severance benefits set forthdefined herein are defined in the agreements that the Company has with each NEO are described in greater detail under “Compensation Discussion and Analysis–Change of Control and Severance Arrangements” above.
(2)If the CEO’s employment were terminated for cause, he would not be entitled to receive any severance benefit. If the CEO’s employment were terminated as a result of death or disability which occurred unrelated to, or more than 12 months after, a Change of Control, he would be entitled to the amounts set forth in this table.
(3)The amount set forth as salary represents 12 months of annual base salary paid on a continuing basis in accordance with normal payroll procedures. In addition, Mr. Singer is entitled to payment of 100% of his maximum potential incentive award under the 2015 STIP.
(4)The amount set forth for healthcare represents the current Company contribution rate of 80% paid by the Company for healthcare coverage for up to 12 months (or in case of Mr. Singer for up to 18 months.)
(5)Except in the event of a termination for cause, service-based restricted shares partially accelerate as if the NEO had continued to be employed for 12 months. The value represents the number of shares accelerated (assuming vesting through December 31, 2016) multiplied by $4.55, the closing price of PCTEL common stock as of December 31, 2015.
(6)The Company has calculated the impact of Section 280G of the Code as applied to payments made in connection with a Change of Control (“parachute” payments). No excise tax under Sections 280G and 4999 of the Code applies. The assumptions used to determine whether an excise tax was required were based on a Change of Control date of December 31, 2015. All equity which was assumed accelerated in such calculation was valued at $4.55 per share.
(7)Mr. Thakkar joined PCTEL in connection with the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Nexgen Wireless, Inc. on February 27, 2015 and he resigned effective November 10, 2015.

Potential Payments Upon Change of Control
as of December 31, 2015

The following table estimates amounts payable to the NEOs as if a Change of Control had occurred on December 31, 2015: 

           
Change Of Control Benefits(1)(5)
(i.e., Involuntary Termination Within 12 Months of a Change of Control)
  Salary(2) Healthcare(3) Option
Acceleration
 
Restricted

Shares
Acceleration(4)
 Total
Name ($) ($) ($) ($) ($)
Martin H. Singer 1,225,125 15,690  1,151,605 2,392,420
John W. Schoen 522,000 10,992  227,304 760,296
Rishi Bharadwaj 455,400 14,820  446,810 917,030
Jeffrey A. Miller 582,000 15,690  199,094 796,784
David A. Neumann 477,000 15,690  525,980 1,018,670
Jigar Thakkar(6) NA NA NA NA NA

(1)The amounts set forth in the table assume that termination of the NEO’s employment occurred within 12 months of a Change of Control of the Company for one of the reasons listed in footnote (1) to the table captioned “Potential Payments Upon Termination as of December 31, 2015–Severance Benefits.”applicable Management Retention Agreement. If an NEO’s employment were terminated for reasons other than the foregoing, such NEO would not be entitled to receive payments under any Change of Control arrangements with the Company. The material terms of the severance and Change of Control benefits set forth in the agreements that the Company has entered into with each of the NEOs are described in greater detail above under “Compensation Discussion Analysis–Changethis section “Summary of Control and Severance Arrangements” above.Other Potential Payments.”

(2)The amount set forth as salary represents 200% of annualbase salary for NEOs (other than the CEO) and is paid in a lump sum after both (i) the completion of a Change of Control and (ii) within twelve months thereafter either an Involuntary Termination (as defined in footnote (1) of the table captioned “Potential Payments Upon Termination as of December 31, 2015–Severance Benefits) by the Companyabove) of the NEO’s employment, or a termination by the NEO of hishis/her employment pursuant to a Voluntary Termination for Good Reason (as defined in the applicable Management Retention Agreement). The amount set forth as salary for Mr. SingerNeumann represents 275%225% of his annualbase salary and is paid in a lump sum based on the same criteria as stated above. See “Compensation Discussion and Analysis–Change of Control and Severance Arrangements” above.in the preceding sentence.

(3)The amount set forth for healthcare continuation represents the current contribution rate paid by the Company for healthcare coverage for up to 12 months.

38


(4)Under the terms of the Management Retention Agreements providing for Change of Control benefits, all then unvested service-based restricted shares veststock vests upon the occurrence of an Involuntary Termination within 12 months of a Change of Control. Performance-basedUpon a Change of Control, performance-based restricted sharesstock automatically convertconverts into service-based restricted sharesstock with no performance contingencies, but the vesting requirements (as stated in the applicable management retentionaward agreement) will continue to pertain to the restricted shares;stock; however, in the event of an Involuntary Termination or a Voluntary Termination for Good Reason within 12 months of a Change of Control, the restricted sharesstock will immediately vest. The value represents the number of shares that will vestwould have vested multiplied by $4.55,$7.37, the closing price of PCTEL common stock on December 31, 2015.29, 2017.

(5)The Company has calculated the impact of Section 280G of the Code as applied to payments made in connection with a Change of Control (“parachute” payments). No excise tax under Section 280G and 4999 of the Code applies. The assumption used to determine whether an excise tax was required was based on a Change of Control date of December 31, 2015.29, 2017. All equity which was assumed accelerated in such calculation was valued at $4.55$7.37 per share.

Potential Payments Upon Termination Unrelated to Change of Control

The following table estimates amounts payable to the NEOs as if an involuntary termination unrelated to a Change of Control, or occurring more than 12 months after a Change of Control, had occurred on the last business day of fiscal 2017, December 29, 2017:

Severance Benefits(1,6)

Name

  Salary
Continuation(2)
($)
   Short-Term
Incentive
Plan
($)
   Healthcare
Continuation(3)
($)
   Restricted
Stock
Acceleration(4)
($)
   Total
($)
 

David A. Neumann(5)

   350,000    113,750    18,058    902,825    1,384,633 

John W. Schoen

   300,200    —      12,565    36,850    349,615 

Jeffrey A. Miller

   270,000    —      11,826    36,850    318,676 

Rishi Bharadwaj

   270,000    —      17,254    331,650    618,904 

Shelley J. Bacastow

   250,100    —      18,058    36,850    305,008 

(1)The amounts set forth in the table assume that termination of the NEO’s employment occurred in 2017 unrelated to, or more than 12 months after, a Change of Control as a result of (i) an involuntary termination by the Company of the NEO’s employment other than for “Cause,” death, or “Disability” (an “Involuntary Termination”) or (ii) a “Voluntary Termination for Good Reason,” as such capitalized terms not defined herein are defined in the applicable severance benefits letter or in the case of the CEO, his employment agreement. If the employment of an NEO (other than the CEO) were terminated voluntarily by the NEO (other than as specified in clause (ii) above) or by the Company for Cause, death or Disability, such NEO would not be entitled to receive the severance benefits reflected in the table. The material terms of the severance benefits set forth in the agreements that the Company has with each NEO are described in greater detail above under this section “Summary of Other Potential Payments.”

(2)The amount set forth as salary represents 12 months of base salary paid on a continuing basis by the Company in accordance with normal payroll procedures.

(3)The amount set forth for healthcare represents the current contribution rate paid by the Company for healthcare coverage for up to 12 months.

(4)Except in the event of a termination for Cause, death or Disability, service-based restricted stock partially accelerates as if the NEO (other than the CEO) had continued to be employed for 12 months. Except in the event of termination of the CEO for Cause, all restricted stock held by the CEO will accelerate. The value represents the number of shares accelerated (assuming vesting through December 29, 2017) multiplied by $7.37, the closing price per share of PCTEL common stock as of December 29, 2017.

(5)If Mr. Neumann’s employment were terminated in 2017 unrelated to, or more than 12 months after, a Change of Control as a result of an involuntary termination by the Company of his employment other than for “Cause,” death, or “Disability” or a “Voluntary Termination for Good Reason” (as such terms are defined in that certain David A. Neumann Employment Agreement), the short-term incentives received by Mr. Neumann would be determined in accordance with the 2017 STIP based upon the Company’s actual performance (amount shown at threshold in the table). If his employment were terminated as a result of death or Disability, Mr. Neumann would be entitled to receive salary continuation as reflected in the table, short-term incentives at target under the 2017 STIP (i.e., $227,500) and acceleration of all unvested equity incentives. If Mr. Neumann’s employment were terminated for Cause, he would not be entitled to receive the severance benefits reflected in the table.

39


(6)Mr. Thakkar joined PCTELThe Company has calculated the impact of Section 280G of the Code as applied to payments made in connection with the acquisitiontermination of substantially allan NEO. No excise tax under Sections 280G and 4999 of the assetsCode applies. The assumptions used to determine whether an excise tax was required were based on a Change of Nexgen Wireless, Inc. on February 27, 2015 and he resigned effective November 10, 2015.
Control date of December 29, 2017. All equity which was assumed accelerated in such calculation was valued at $7.37 per share.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table provides information as of December 31, 20152017 about PCTEL common stock that may be issued upon the exercise of outstanding options and rights under all of the former and existing equity compensation plans, including the PCTEL, Inc. Stock Plan, 1997 Stock Plan, 1998 Director Stock Option Plan, Employee Stock Purchase Plan and the 2001 Stock Plan:

       
  Securities to be
Issued Upon
Exercise of
Outstanding
Options, Warrants
and Rights
 Weighted-Average
Exercise Price
of Outstanding
Options, Warrants
and Rights
 Securities
Remaining
Available for
Future Issuance
Under Equity
Compensation
Plans (Excluding
Securities Reflected
in the First Column)
  (#) ($) (#)
Plan Category      
Equity compensation plans approved by stockholders(1) 1,192,637(3)      $7.61(3) 4,179,822
Equity compensation plans not approved by stockholders(2) 50,530 $9.42 
Total 1,243,167 $7.68 4,179,822

 

Plan Category

  Securities
to be Issued
Upon Exercise of
Outstanding Options,
Warrants and Rights
(#)
  Weighted-Average
Exercise Price of
Outstanding Options,
Warrants and Rights
($)
   Securities
Remaining Available for
Future Issuance
Under Equity
Compensation Plans
(Excluding Securities
Reflected in the
First Column)
(#)
 

Equity compensation plans approved by stockholders(1)

   482,684(3)   7.03    5,174,917(3) 

Equity compensation plans not approved by stockholders(2)

   19,600   9.48    —   
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   502,284   7.12    5,174,917 
  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

 

 

(1)The 1997 Stock Plan, 1998 Director Stock Option Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Plan were approved by stockholders. The stockholders approved an amendment and restatement of the 1997 Stock Plan at the 2010 annual meeting (which replaced the prior 1997 Stock Plan and the 1998 Director Stock Option Plan), and a further amendment and restatement of the 1997 Stock Plan (renaming it as the “Stock Plan”) at the 2015 annual meeting.meeting renaming it the “PCTEL, Inc. Stock Plan.” No further awards will be madeoptions remain outstanding under the 1998 Director Stock Option Plan, but it will continue to govern awards previously granted thereunder.Plan.

(2)The referenced plan is the 2001 Stock Plan which terminated inwas created to grant options tonon-executive employees. No new awards have been issued under this plan since August 2011.

(3)The Company is unable to ascertain with specificityIncludes 4,823,308 shares available for issuance under the number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding rightsPCTEL, Inc. Stock Plan and 351,609 shares available for issuance under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan or the weighted average exercise price of outstanding rights under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan. The Employee Stock Purchase Plan provides that shares of PCTEL common stock may be purchased at a per share price equal to 85% of the fair market value of PCTEL common stock at the beginning of the offering period or a purchase date applicable to such offering period, whichever is lower.

 

40


40 

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PERSON TRANSACTIONS

Since January 1, 2015,In 2017, the Company hasdid not enteredenter into any transaction, and it is not aware of any currently proposed transaction, in which the amount involved exceeds $120,000, and in which any director, NEO, nominee for election as a director, holder of more than 5% of PCTEL common stock, or any member of the immediate family of any of the foregoing persons had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.

Policy Regarding Related Party Transactions

The Company’s Audit Committee adopted a written policy which governs the review and approval of related party transactions in which (i) the aggregate amount of such transaction involves $120,000 or more, (ii) the Company is a party, and (iii) any related person is a party. Related persons include directors, NEOs, stockholders holding in excess of 5% of PCTEL common stock, or any such individual’s immediate family members. Under the policy, all proposed related party transactions involving one or more of the Company’snon-officer employees must be reviewed and approved by the Audit Committee, and all proposed related party transactions involving one or more of the related persons listed above must be reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors. If a proposed related party transaction involves a member of the Board of Directors, such related party transaction must be reviewed and approved by all disinterested members of the Board of Directors.

The Company properly and accurately reports all material related party transactions in accordance with applicable accounting rules, federal securities law, SEC rules and regulations and securities market rules. In determining the materiality of related party transactions, the Audit Committee or Board of Directors primarily considers the significance of the information regarding such related party transactions to the stockholders. All related party transactions involving one of the related persons listed above are presumed material, unless:

the aggregate amount does not exceed $120,000;

the rates or charges are determined by competitive bids;

the transaction involves the rendering of services as a common or contract carrier or a public utility at rates fixed in conformity with law or governmental authority;

the transaction involves services as a bank depository of funds, transfer agent, registrar, trustee under a trust indenture, or similar services;

the transaction involves indebtedness resulting solely from ordinary business and expense payments, purchase of goods and/or services subject to usual trade terms, and other transactions in the ordinary course of business; or

the interest of the related person in the transaction arises solely from such person’s

 

the aggregate amount does not exceed $120,000;
the rates or charges are determined by competitive bids;
the transaction involves the rendering of services as a common or contract carrier or a public utility at rates fixed in conformity with law or governmental authority;
the transaction involves services as a bank depository of funds, transfer agent, registrar, trustee under a trust indenture, or similar services;
the transaction involves indebtedness resulting solely from ordinary business and expense payments, purchase of goods and/or services subject to usual trade terms, and other transactions in the ordinary course of business; or
the interest of the related person in the transaction arises solely from such person’s
 -ownership of PCTEL common stock, if all stockholders received the same benefit on a pro rata basis;

 -position as a director of another corporation or organization that is a party to the transaction;

 -ownership of another entity which is a party to the transaction, if all related persons, in the aggregate, own less than 10% of the entity; or

 -position as a limited partner in a partnership that is a party to the transaction, if such related person (i) is not a general partner of the partnership, (ii) together with all other related persons owns less than 10% of such partnership in the aggregate, and (iii) does not hold any other position in such partnership.

 

41


SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires the Company’s officers and directors, and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of the Company’s equity securities to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC. Officers, directors, and greater than 10% stockholders are also required by SEC regulations to furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file. Based solely on the Company’s review of the copies of such forms received from, and/or written representations from, such reporting persons, the Company believes that during fiscal year 20152017 all of the Company’s officers, directors and greater than 10% stockholders complied with all applicable filing requirements, except that one Form 44s, each reporting one transaction by Mr. Singer wasRishi Bharadwaj, Shelley J. Bacastow, Kevin McGowan, Jeffrey A. Miller, David A. Neumann, and John W. Schoen, were due on September 14, 2015March 15, 2017 and waswere filed on September 15, 2015.March 16, 2017.

42


REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Notwithstanding any statement to the contrary in any of our previous or future filings with the SEC, this report of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors shall not be deemed “filed” with the SEC or “soliciting material” under the Exchange Act, and shall not be incorporated by reference into any such filings.

TheDuring the Company’s 2017 fiscal year, the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors currently consistsconsisted of Mr. Thomsen,Sinder (Chair), Mr. MariniLevy and Mr. Sinder,Marini, each of whom meets the NASDAQNasdaq independence and experience requirements. In January 2018, Mr. Marini transitioned to the Compensation Committee, and in February 2018 Ms. Keith joined the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee. Ms. Keith also meets Nasdaq independence and experience requirements. The Audit Committee operates under a written charter. Upon the recommendation of the Audit Committee,charter originally adopted by the Board of Directors adoptedat the original charter forrecommendation of the Audit Committee in August 1999, and last amended the charter for the Audit Committee on September 21, 2010.most recently in November 2017. A current version of the Audit Committee charter is available on our website at http://investor.pctel.com/documentdisplay.cfm.

documents.cfm.

The Audit Committee reviews the procedures of management for the design, implementation, and maintenance of a comprehensive system of disclosure controls and procedures focused on the accuracy of our financial statements and the integrity of our financial reporting systems and disclosures contained in our periodic reports. As part of this review, the Audit Committee discusses with management and Grant Thornton LLP (“Grant Thornton”), our independent auditors registered public accounting firm,their evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, including improvements to our internal control that may be warranted. The Audit Committee provides our Board of Directors with the results of the Committee’s examinations and recommendations and reports to the Board of Directors as the Committee may deem necessary to make the Board of Directors aware of significant financial matters that require the Board of Directors’ attention.

The Audit Committee does not conduct auditing reviews or audit procedures. The Audit Committee relies on management’s representation that our financial statements have been prepared accurately and in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles, and on the representations of the independent auditorsGrant Thornton included in theirits report on our financial statements, and on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. The Audit Committee has also adopted a written policy that is intended to encourage our employees to bring to the attention of management and Audit Committee any complaints regarding the integrity of our internal financial controls or the accuracy or completeness of financial or other information related to our financial statements.

The Audit Committee reviews reports and provides guidance to our independent registered public accounting firmGrant Thornton with respect to their annual audit and approves in advance all audit andnon-audit services provided by our independent registered public accounting firmGrant Thornton in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements. The Audit Committee also considers, in advance of the provision of anynon-audit services by our independent registered public accounting firm,Grant Thornton, whether the provision of such services is compatible with maintaining theGrant Thornton’s independence of the external auditors.

as our independent public accounting firm.

In accordance with its responsibilities, the Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed with management the audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 20152017 and the process designed to achieve compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The Audit Committee has also discussed with Grant Thornton LLP the matters required to be discussed byAuditing Standard No. 1301, Communications with Audit Committees,as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Standard 16, Communications with Audit Committees (AS16)(the “PCAOB”). The Audit Committee has received the written disclosures and the letter from Grant Thornton LLP required by Rule 3526, Communication with Audit Committees Concerning Independence, required by the Public Company Accounting Oversight BoardPCAOB and has discussed with Grant Thornton LLP its independence.

 

43


Based on these reviews and discussions, the Audit Committee recommended to our Board of Directors that our audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 20152017 be included in our Annual Report on Form10-K.

Respectfully submitted by:
The Audit Committee
Carl A. Thomsen (chair)
Giacomo Marini
M. Jay Sinder

Respectfully submitted by:

THE AUDIT COMMITTEE

M. JAY SINDER (CHAIR)

STEVEN D. LEVY

GIACOMO MARINI

44


OTHER MATTERS

We know of no further matters to be submitted at the meeting. If any other matters properly come before the meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the enclosed form of proxy to vote the shares they represent as the Board of Directors may recommend.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dated: April 25, 2018

45


PCTEL, INC.

471 BRIGHTON DRIVE

BLOOMINGDALE, IL 60108

VOTE BY INTERNET -www.proxyvote.com

Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of information until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time the day before the cut-off date or meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you access the web site and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronic voting instruction form.

ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF FUTURE PROXY MATERIALS

If you would like to reduce the costs incurred by our company in mailing proxy materials, you can consent to receiving all future proxy statements, proxy cards and annual reports electronically via e-mail or the Internet. To sign up for electronic delivery, please follow the instructions above to vote using the Internet and, when prompted, indicate that you agree to receive or access proxy materials electronically in future years.

VOTE BY PHONE - 1-800-690-6903

Use any telephone to transmit your voting instructions until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time the day before the cut-off date or meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you call and then follow the instructions.

VOTE BY MAIL

Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope we have provided or return it to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717.

 

Dated: May 4, 2016





PCTEL,   INC.
471 BRIGHTON DRIVE
BLOOMINGDALE,   IL   60108

VOTE BY INTERNET - www.proxyvote.com

Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of information up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time the day before the cut-off or meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you access the web site and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronic voting instruction form.

ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF FUTURE PROXY MATERIALS

If you would like to reduce the costs incurred by our company in mailing proxy materials, you can consent to receiving all future proxy statements, proxy cards and annual reports electronically via e-mail or the Internet. To sign up for electronic delivery, please follow the instructions above to vote using the Internet and, when prompted, indicate that you agree to receive or access proxy materials electronically in future years.

VOTE BY PHONE - 1-800-690-6903

Use any touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time the day before the cut-off or meeting date. Have your proxy card in hand when you call and follow the instructions.

VOTE BY MAIL

Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope we have provided or return it to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717.




TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS:

TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS:
E45963-P06052                    KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS

 

DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY

THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED.

THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED.

PCTEL, INC.

For

Withhold

For All

 Withhold  All

For All ExceptTo withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee(s), mark “For All Except” and write the number(s) of the nominee(s) on the line below.

 


The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following:

All

All

Except

1.

Election of Directors

o

o

o

Nominees

01    Gina Haspilaire                           02  M. Jay Sinder

          

1.   Election of Directors

 

Nominees:
01)      Cindy K. Andreotti
02)      Cynthia A. Keith
The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR proposals 2 and 3.

the following proposals:

For

Against

Against

Abstain

2.

2.

Non-binding advisory vote to approve the Company’s named executive officer compensation.

o

o

o

   
3.The ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016.2018.
 

o

o

o

NOTE: Giving your proxy also means that you authorize the persons named as proxies to vote in their discretion on any other matter properly presented at the meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof.

 

Yes
No

Yes

No

 Please indicate if you plan to attend this meeting

o

o

meeting.
    

Please sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s) hereon. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, or other fiduciary, please give full title as such. Joint owners should each sign personally. All holders must sign. If a corporation or partnership, please sign in full corporate or partnership name by authorized officer.

 



Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX]

Date

Date

Signature (Joint Owners)

Date

Date

0000285495_1     R1.0.1.25






Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting:

The Notice &and Proxy Statement and Annual Report is/on Form 10-K are available atwww.proxyvote.com www.proxyvote.com.

E45964-P06052    


PCTEL, INC.
Annual Meeting of Stockholders
June 14, 2016 at 4:30 PM
This proxy is solicited by the Board of Directors

The stockholders hereby appoint Martin H. Singer and John W. Schoen, or either of them, as proxies, each with the power to appoint his substitute, and hereby authorizes them to represent and to vote, as designated on the reverse side of this ballot, all of the shares of common stock of PCTEL, INC. that the stockholders are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held at 4:30 PM, EDT on June 14, 2016, at the Millennium Broadway Hotel, 145 West 44th Street, New York, New York 10036, and any adjournment or postponement thereof.

This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted in the manner directed herein. If no such direction is made, this proxy will be voted in accordance with the Board of Directors’ recommendations.

Continued and to be signed on reverse side

0000285495_2     R1.0.1.25 

 

    

PCTEL, INC.

Annual Meeting of Stockholders

June 5, 2018 at 3:30 PM, CDT

This proxy is solicited by the Board of Directors

The stockholders hereby appoint David A. Neumann and John W. Schoen, or either of them, as proxies, each with the power to appoint his substitute, and hereby authorizes them to represent and to vote, as designated on the reverse side of this ballot, all of the shares of common stock of PCTEL, INC. that the stockholders are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held at 3:30 PM, CDT on June 5, 2018 at the PCTEL headquarters, located at 471 Brighton Drive, Bloomingdale, IL 60108, and any adjournment or postponement thereof.

This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted in the manner directed herein. If no such direction is made, this proxy will be voted in accordance with the Board of Directors’ recommendations.

Continued and to be signed on reverse side