UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. )
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Airgas, 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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News Release | Airgas, Inc. 259 N. Radnor-Chester Road Suite 100 Radnor, PA 19087-5283 www.airgas.com |
| Media Contact: | Investor Contact: | |||
| Jay Worley | Joele Frank / Dan Katcher / James Golden | Barry Strzelec | ||
| jay.worley@airgas.com | Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher | barry.strzelec@airgas.com | ||
| (610) 902-6206 | (212) 355-4449 | (610) 902-6256 | ||
For release: Immediately
JOHN C. VAN RODEN, JR. NAMED CHAIRMAN OF AIRGAS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Peter McCausland Reappointed as Airgas Director
RADNOR, PA – September 23, 2010 – Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG) today announced that the Company’s Board of Directors has unanimously appointed John C. van Roden, Jr. to serve as Chairman. Mr. van Roden has served as an Airgas director since October 2006 and brings over 20 years of experience in strategic and financial management from his senior leadership positions at P.H. Glatfelter, Conectiv and Lukens.
The Company also announced that the independent directors of the Board have unanimously reappointed Peter McCausland, Airgas’ Chief Executive Officer, to serve as a director of the Company.
Separately, IVS Associates, Inc., the independent Inspector of Elections, certified the results of the stockholder vote at Airgas’ 2010 Annual Meeting. Accordingly, John P. Clancey, Robert L. Lumpkins and Ted B. Miller, Jr. have joined the Airgas Board of Directors.
The Inspector of Elections’ certified results show that less than 50% of all outstanding shares, but a slight majority of votes cast, voted in favor of Air Products’ By-Law Amendment proposal to require that a Meeting of Stockholders be held on January 18, 2011. Airgas continues to believe that the January proposal is invalid under both Delaware law and Airgas’ Certificate of Incorporation. The Company also believes that the proposal has not been approved because it received the affirmative vote of less than 67% of the shares entitled
to vote. Airgas has filed suit in the Delaware Chancery Court to invalidate the proposed By-Law Amendment.
BofA Merrill Lynch and Goldman, Sachs & Co. are serving as financial advisors, and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is serving as legal counsel to Airgas and its Board of Directors.
About Airgas, Inc.
Airgas, Inc. (NYSE: ARG), through its subsidiaries, is the largest U.S. distributor of industrial, medical, and specialty gases, and hardgoods, such as welding equipment and supplies. Airgas is also one of the largest U.S. distributors of safety products, the largest U.S. producer of nitrous oxide and dry ice, the largest liquid carbon dioxide producer in the Southeast, and a leading distributor of process chemicals, refrigerants, and ammonia products. More than 14,000 employees work in approximately 1,100 locations, including branches, retail stores, gas fill plants, specialty gas labs, production facilities and distribution centers. Airgas also distributes its products and services through eBusiness, catalog and telesales channels. Its national scale and strong local presence offer a competitive edge to its diversified customer base. For more information, please visit www.airgas.com.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This communication does not constitute an offer to buy or solicitation of an offer to sell any securities. In response to the tender offer commenced by Air Products Distribution, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Airgas has filed a solicitation/recommendation statement on Schedule 14D-9 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF AIRGAS ARE URGED TO READ THESE AND OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY IN THEIR ENTIRETY BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of these documents and other documents filed with the SEC by Airgas through the web site maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Also, materials related to Air Products’ Unsolicited Proposals are available in the “Investor Information” section of the Company’s website at www.airgas.com, or through the following web address: http://investor.shareholder.com/arg/airgascontent.cfm.
Airgas has filed a definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A with the SEC on July 23, 2010 in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the 2010 annual meeting of Airgas stockholders. Airgas may file an additional proxy statement with the SEC. Any definitive proxy statement will be mailed to stockholders of Airgas. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF AIRGAS ARE URGED TO READ THESE AND OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of these documents (when available) and other documents filed with the SEC by Airgas through the web site maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.
CERTAIN INFORMATION REGARDING PARTICIPANTS
Airgas and certain of its directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants under the rules of the SEC. Security holders may obtain information regarding the names, affiliations and interests of Airgas’ directors and executive officers in Airgas’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2010, which was filed with the SEC on May 27, 2010, and its proxy statement for the 2010 Annual Meeting, which was filed with the SEC on July 23, 2010. To the extent holdings of Airgas securities have changed since the amounts printed in the proxy statement for the 2010 Annual Meeting, such changes have been or will be reflected on Statements of Change in Ownership on Form 4 filed with the SEC. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above. Additional information regarding the interests of these participants in any proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will also be included in any proxy statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC if and when they become available.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This communication contains statements that are forward looking. Forward-looking statements include the statements identified as forward-looking in the Company’s press release announcing its quarterly earnings, as well as any statement that is not based on historical fact, including statements containing the words “believes,” “may,” “plans,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “estimates,” “continues,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “expects” and similar expressions. All forward-looking statements are based on current expectations regarding important risk factors and should not be regarded as a representation by us or any other person that the results expressed therein will be achieved. Airgas assumes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements for any reason, except as required by law. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement include the factors identified in the Company’s press release announcing its quarterly earnings, as well as other factors described in the Company’s reports, including its March 31, 2010 Form 10-K, subsequent Forms 10-Q, and other forms filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company notes that forward-looking statements made in connection with a tender offer are not subject to the safe harbors created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company is not waiving any other defenses that may be available under applicable law.