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BlueLinx Holdings Inc.
4300 Wildwood Parkway
Atlanta, Georgia 30339

 

April 16, 2010

 

Dear Stockholder:

 

I am pleased to invite you to the 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of BlueLinx Holdings Inc. The meeting will be held at our headquarters at 4300 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339 on Thursday, May 20, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time. The matters to be voted upon at the meeting are listed in the accompanying notice of the Annual Meeting, and are described in more detail in the accompanying proxy statement and proxy card. Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, please complete, date, sign and mail promptly the enclosed proxy card in the envelope provided to ensure that your vote will be counted. If you attend the meeting, you will, of course, have the right to revoke the proxy and vote your shares in person.

 

On behalf of the Board of Directors, management and employees of BlueLinx, I extend our appreciation for your continued support and look forward to meeting with you.

 

Very truly yours,

 

George R. Judd
President and Chief Executive Officer

 

BLUELINX HOLDINGS INC.

 

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

 

To Our Stockholders:

 

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of BlueLinx Holdings Inc. will be held at our headquarters at 4300 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339 on Thursday, May 20, 2010, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time, for the following purposes:

 

1. to elect ten directors to hold office until the 2011 annual meeting of stockholders or until their successors are duly elected and qualified;

 

2. to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2010; and

 

3. to transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof.

 

Stockholders of record at the close of business on April 2, 2010, will be entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting or any postponements or adjournments of the meeting.

 

The Board of Directors unanimously recommends voting FOR the above proposals.

 

Whether or not you expect to be present in person at the meeting, please sign and date the accompanying proxy and return it promptly in the enclosed postage-paid reply envelope. This will assist us in preparing for the meeting.

 

By Order of the Board of Directors,

 

Matthew R. Nozemack,
Secretary

 

April 16, 2010

Atlanta, Georgia

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING AVAILABILITY
OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE 2010 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TO BE HELD ON THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2010

 

BlueLinx Holdings Inc. is providing access to its proxy materials both by sending you this full set of proxy materials and by notifying you of the availability of its proxy materials on the Internet.

 

You may access the following proxy materials as of the date they are first mailed to our stockholders by visiting our website, www.bluelinxco.com, and clicking on the Investor Relations tab.

 

 

These proxy materials are available free of charge and will remain available through the conclusion of the Annual Meeting. In accordance with SEC rules, the proxy materials on the site are searchable, readable and printable and the site does not have “cookies” or other tracking devices which identify visitors.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

The enclosed proxy is being solicited by the Board of Directors of BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (“BlueLinx,” “us,” “we,” “our,” or the “Company”) for the 2010 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or any postponement or adjournment of the meeting, for the purposes set forth in the accompanying “Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders.”

 

Copies of this proxy statement, the form of proxy and the annual report will be mailed to stockholders on or about April 16, 2010. The proxy statement and annual report are also available on the investor relations page of our website at www.bluelinxco.com.

 

Attending the Annual Meeting

 

The Annual Meeting will be held at our headquarters at 4300 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339 on Thursday, May 20, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time. For directions to the meeting please contact our investor relations department at 770-953-7000. Holders of our common stock as of the close of business on April 2, 2010 will be entitled to attend and vote at the meeting.

 

BLUELINX HOLDINGS INC.
4300 Wildwood Parkway
Atlanta, Georgia 30339
770-953-7000

 

 

Why did I receive this proxy statement?

 

This proxy statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies on behalf of our Board of Directors (the “Board”) to be voted at the annual meeting of our stockholders to be held on May 20, 2010, and any adjournment thereof, for the purposes set forth in the accompanying “Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders.” The meeting will be held at our headquarters, 4300 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339, on Thursday, May 20, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time. This proxy statement and accompanying proxy card are being first sent or given to our stockholders on or about April 16, 2010. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 2, 2010, accompanies this proxy statement.

 

Who is soliciting my vote?

 

Our Board is soliciting your vote at the 2010 Annual Meeting of BlueLinx Stockholders.

 

Who is entitled to vote?

 

Only our stockholders of record at the close of business on April 2, 2010, the “Record Date,” are entitled to receive notice of the meeting, attend the meeting and to vote the shares of our common stock that they held on that date at the meeting, or any adjournment thereof. Each outstanding share that you own as of the Record Date entitles you to cast one vote on each matter to be voted upon.

 

Who can attend the meeting?

 

All stockholders of record as of the close of business on the Record Date, or their duly appointed proxies, may attend the meeting. Each stockholder may be asked to present valid picture identification, such as a driver’s license or passport.

 

Please note that if you hold your shares in “street name” (that is, through a broker or other nominee), you will need to bring a copy of a brokerage statement reflecting your stock ownership as of the Record Date. If you are a stockholder of record, your name will appear on our stockholder list.

 

What will I vote on?

 

Two items:

 

 

Will there be any other items of business on the agenda?

 

We do not expect any other items of business at the meeting. Nonetheless, if there is an unforeseen matter raised, your proxy will give discretionary authority to the persons named on the proxy to vote on any other matters that may be brought before the meeting. These persons will use their best judgment in voting your proxy.

 

How many votes must be present to conduct business at the meeting?

 

The presence at the meeting, in person or by proxy, of the holders of a majority of the shares of our common stock outstanding on the Record Date will constitute a quorum, permitting business to be conducted at the meeting. As of the Record Date, we had 32,676,562 shares of common stock outstanding. Proxies received but marked as abstentions or broker non-votes will be included in the calculation of the number of shares considered to be present at the meeting. A broker non-vote occurs when a nominee holding shares for a beneficial owner does not vote on a particular proposal because the nominee does not have discretionary voting power with respect to that item and has not received instructions from the beneficial owner.

 

How do I vote?

 

If you complete and properly sign the accompanying proxy card and return it to us, it will be voted as you direct. If you are a registered stockholder and attend the meeting, you may deliver your completed proxy card in person. “Street name” stockholders who wish to vote at the meeting will need to obtain a proxy form from the institution that holds their shares.

Under recent amendments to the rules of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), the election of directors is no longer a “routine” matter as to which brokerage firms may vote in their discretion on behalf of clients who have not furnished voting instructions (the ratification of Ernst &Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm is considered a routine matter). Therefore, unlike prior Annual Meetings, unless you provide your broker with instructions, your shares will not be voted in connection with the election of the directors to our Board.

 

Can I change my vote after I return my proxy card?

 

Yes. Even after you have submitted your proxy, you may change your vote at any time before the proxy is exercised by filing either a notice of revocation or a duly executed proxy bearing a later date with our secretary, at our principal executive offices, BlueLinx Holdings Inc., attn: Corporate Secretary, 4300 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339. The powers of the proxy holder(s) will be suspended if you attend the meeting in person and so request, although attendance at the meeting will not by itself revoke a previously granted proxy.

 

What are the recommendations of our Board of Directors?

 

Our Board recommends a vote FOR the election of the nominated slate of directors and FOR the ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2010.

 

What vote is required to approve each item?

 

 

Are abstentions and broker non-votes part of the quorum?

 

Abstentions and broker non-votes count as “shares present” at the meeting for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present.

 

What if I don’t vote for some or all of the matters listed on my proxy card?

 

If you are a registered stockholder and you return a signed proxy card without indicating your vote for some or all of the matters, your shares will be voted as follows for any matter you did not indicate a vote on:

 

 

How will proxies be solicited?

 

Proxies will be solicited by mail. Proxies may also be solicited by our officers and regular employees personally or by telephone or facsimile, but such persons will not be specifically compensated for such services. Banks, brokers, nominees and other custodians and fiduciaries will be reimbursed for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in forwarding soliciting material to their principals, the beneficial owners of our common stock. We will pay the expense of preparing, assembling, printing, mailing and soliciting proxies.

 

Is there electronic access to the proxy materials and annual report?

 

Yes. This proxy statement and our Annual Report on Form 10-K are available on our website at www.bluelinxco.com.

 

Who are our largest stockholders?

 

As of the Record Date, Cerberus ABP Investor LLC, an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., or Cerberus, owned 18,100,000 shares of our common stock, representing approximately 55% of the then outstanding shares of common stock of BlueLinx.

 

Our Board currently consists of ten members. Each of our current directors has been nominated for reelection and has consented to stand for reelection.

 

The terms of all of the members of our Board will expire at the next annual meeting after their election, or until their successors, if any, are elected and appointed. If you do not wish your shares of common stock to be voted for particular nominees, you may so indicate on the enclosed proxy card. If, for any reason, any of the nominees become unavailable for election, the individuals named in the enclosed proxy card may exercise their discretion to vote for any substitutes proposed by the Board. At this time, the Board knows of no reason why any nominee might be unavailable to serve.

 

Our Board unanimously recommends a vote FOR each of the following nominees:

 

 

Biographical and other information about these nominees can be found under “Identification of Executive Officers and Directors” elsewhere in this proxy statement.

 

The Audit Committee of our Board of Directors has selected Ernst & Young LLP to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2010. Ernst & Young LLP has served as our independent registered public accounting firm since our inception. While stockholder ratification of the selection of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm is not required by our bylaws or otherwise, our Board is submitting the selection of Ernst & Young LLP to our stockholders for ratification. If our stockholders fail to ratify the selection, the Audit Committee may, but is not required to, reconsider whether to retain that firm. Even if the selection is ratified, the Audit Committee, in its discretion, may direct the appointment of a different independent auditing firm at any time during the fiscal year if it determines that such a change would be in our best interests and that of our stockholders.

 

Ernst & Young LLP has advised us that it has no direct, nor any material indirect, financial interest in us or any of our subsidiaries. We expect that representatives of Ernst & Young LLP will be present at the meeting to make any statement they may desire and to respond to appropriate questions from our stockholders.

Fees Paid To Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

The following table presents the aggregate fees billed by Ernst & Young LLP for professional services for fiscal years 2009 and 2008, by category as described in the notes to the table:

 

 

 

 

Pre-Approval of Audit and Non-Audit Services

 

The charter of the Audit Committee provides that the Committee is responsible for the pre-approval of all material audit services and non-audit services to be performed for us by our independent registered public accounting firm. All audit and non-audit work described above was pre-approved by the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee may delegate to one or more of its members the authority to grant such pre-approvals. The decisions of any such member shall be presented to the full Audit Committee at each of its scheduled meetings.

 

Our Board unanimously recommends a vote FOR the ratification of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2010.

 

Our Board met seven times during 2009. Each incumbent director attended at least 75% of the total of all Board and committee meetings he was entitled to attend during 2009.

 

Our Board has reviewed the independence of each of its members based on the criteria for independence set forth under applicable securities laws, including the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and applicable rules and regulations of the NYSE. The NYSE Listed Company Manual and corresponding listing standards provide that, in order to be independent, the Board must determine that a director has no material relationship with the Company other than as a director. The Board has reviewed the relationships between each Board member and the Company. Based on its review, the Board has affirmatively determined, by resolution of the Board as a whole, that the following directors have no material relationship with us or any other matter of any kind that would impair their independence for purposes of serving on our Board and, therefore, satisfy the requirements to be considered independent under the NYSE listing standards applicable to the Board as well as satisfying the independence requirements applicable to audit committee membership: Richard S. Grant, Richard B. Marchese and Alan H. Schumacher. Mr. Marchese’s service on the audit committees of three other public companies has been determined by the Board not to impair his ability to serve on the Company’s Audit Committee.

 

As further described under “Controlled Company,” below, because we are a “controlled company,” we are exempt from the requirement that our Board be comprised of a majority of independent directors. Five members of our current Board are current or former employees of, or advisors to, Cerberus, the indirect holder of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock, and as such are not independent.

Our business and affairs are managed by our Board. To assist it in carrying out its responsibilities, our Board has established the two standing committees described below, under “Committees of the Board of Directors.” The charter for each of these committees, as in effect from time to time, may be found on our website, www.bluelinxco.com. Each of these committees has the right to retain its own legal counsel and other advisors. All directors are encouraged to attend the Annual Meeting of Stockholders. While we do not have a formal attendance policy, all of our directors are encouraged to attend our Annual Stockholder Meeting. Nine of our ten directors attended the 2009 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

 

Board Structure and Risk Oversight

 

We have separate persons serving as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Howard S. Cohen is our Chairman and chairs our Board meetings. George R. Judd is our President and Chief Executive Officer. The Chairman of the Board provides general oversight and high level strategic planning for the Company while the Chief Executive Officer manages the business of the organization with a focus on daily operations as they relate to the Company’s long-term strategy. We believe this structure is appropriate for the Company at this time as it keeps board leadership separate from operational management.

 

Our Board monitors our exposure to a variety of risks. Risk may be addressed from time to time by the full Board or by one or more of our Board Committees. Senior management is responsible for identifying and managing material risks faced by the Company and periodically reports on such risks to the full Board or to the appropriate Committee. Our audit committee charter gives the Audit Committee responsibilities and duties that include discussing with management, the internal audit department and the independent auditors our major financial risk exposures and the steps management has taken to monitor, control and minimize such exposures. Liquidity risk, credit risk and risks associated with our debt facilities and cash management are handled primarily by our finance and accounting department, which provides regular reports to our Audit Committee. The Compensation Committee is responsible for reviewing whether our compensation programs encourage excessive risk taking by senior executive management. General business and operational risks are handled primarily by senior executive management, which discusses any such risks as necessary during its regular meetings with the Board. The Company also has established a risk committee, comprised of functional area leaders within the Company, which assists the internal audit group with monitoring and addressing the Company’s risks.

 

Lead Director

 

The lead director’s duties generally include serving as the chairperson for all executive sessions of the non-management directors and communicating to the Chief Executive Officer the results of non-management executive board sessions. Mr. Cohen, the Chairman of the Board, currently serves as the Company’s lead director. Any interested party may contact the lead director by directing such communications to the lead director c/o Corporate Secretary, BlueLinx Holdings Inc., 4300 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339. Any such correspondence received by us will be forwarded to the lead director.

 

Committees of the Board of Directors

 

The Audit Committee

 

Our Board established a separately-designated standing Audit Committee in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act. The purpose of the Audit Committee is to assist our Board in fulfilling its responsibilities to oversee our financial reporting process, including monitoring the integrity of our financial statements and the independence and performance of our internal and external auditors. The Audit Committee is directly responsible for the appointment, compensation, retention and oversight of our independent registered public accounting firm.

 

The Audit Committee met eleven times in 2009. The Audit Committee currently consists of Messrs. Grant, Marchese and Schumacher. As discussed above, our Board has affirmatively determined that Messrs. Grant, Marchese and Schumacher are each “independent,” as such term is defined under the rules of the SEC and the

listing standards of the NYSE applicable to audit committee membership, and each meets the NYSE’s financial literacy requirements. Our Board has determined that Mr. Schumacher is an “audit committee financial expert,” as such term is defined under the applicable rules of the SEC.

 

The Audit Committee operates pursuant to a written charter, a copy of which can be found on our website at www.bluelinxco.com. Additionally, the audit committee charter is available in print to any stockholder who requests it by writing to BlueLinx Holdings Inc., attn: Corporate Secretary, 4300 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339.

 

The Audit Committee has adopted a procedure to receive allegations on any fraudulent accounting issues through a toll-free telephone number as set out in our code of conduct and ethics. See “Corporate Governance Guidelines and Code of Ethics” below.

 

The Compensation Committee

 

The Compensation Committee oversees the determination of all matters relating to employee compensation and benefits and is empowered to: (1) establish a compensation policy for executive officers, including setting base salaries and incentive compensation; (2) review compensation practices and trends and risks that may be created by the design of our compensation programs; (3) make recommendations as to compensation levels for executive officers; (4) approve employment contracts; (5) administer our equity and other incentive plans; and (6) undertake administration of other employee benefit plans. The Compensation Committee currently consists of Messrs. Marchese, Schumacher and Suwyn, and met six times during 2009. As further described under “Controlled Company” below, because we are a “controlled company,” we are exempt from the requirement that the Compensation Committee be comprised solely of independent directors. Mr. Suwyn was formerly an advisor to Cerberus, and as such, is not considered independent.

 

The Compensation Committee has formally engaged Hewitt Associates to serve as an advisor to the Committee on executive compensation issues and to provide recommendations as to executive compensation levels. Hewitt provides ongoing executive compensation advisory services for the Committee as its independent compensation consultant. Although the Committee referred to the compensation benchmarking survey provided by Hewitt in October 2008, Hewitt did not make any specific recommendations to the Committee in 2009. Hewitt did not provide any other services to the Company in excess of $120,000. Pursuant to the terms of its written charter, the Compensation Committee may delegate certain of its duties and responsibilities to a subcommittee consisting of one or more members of the Committee, or to executive officers of the Company. The Compensation Committee operates pursuant to a written charter, a copy of which can be found on our website at www.bluelinxco.com. Additionally, the charter is available in print to any stockholder who requests it by writing to BlueLinx Holdings Inc., attn: Corporate Secretary, 4300 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339.

 

For more information on the role of the Compensation Committee and its processes and procedures for considering and determining executive officer compensation, see “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” beginning on page 12 of this proxy statement.

 

Controlled Company

 

We are a “controlled company” for purposes of the NYSE listing requirements. Our basis for this determination is that Cerberus ABP Investor LLC, an affiliate of Cerberus, owns 18,100,000, or approximately 55% of the outstanding shares of our common stock as of the Record Date. Accordingly, we are exempt from the NYSE listing requirements that would otherwise mandate (1) a majority of independent directors on our Board, (2) a nominating committee of our Board, comprised solely of independent directors, to select or recommend nominees to our Board, and (3) a compensation committee of our Board, comprised solely of independent directors, to determine the compensation of our executive officers.

Nomination Process

 

Because we are a “controlled company,” we do not have a standing nominating committee comprised solely of independent directors or any other committee performing similar functions. Such matters are considered at meetings of our full Board. Due to the size of our Board, we do not foresee an immediate need to establish a separate nominating committee or adopt a charter to govern the nomination process. In addition, because we are a controlled company, we do not have a policy regarding our consideration of nominations or recommendations for director candidates by other stockholders. To the extent we receive any such nominations or recommendations, they will be considered at such time based on such factors as the Board considers relevant.

 

Our Board has generally used an informal process to identify and evaluate director candidates. We believe that identifying and nominating highly skilled and experienced director candidates is critical to our future. Our Board has previously engaged third parties to assist it in identifying qualified independent director candidates. Our Board encourages all directors, independent or otherwise, to identify potential director nominees. As a result, our Board believes that it is presented with a diverse and experienced group of candidates for discussion and consideration.

 

During the evaluation process, our Board seeks to identify director candidates with the highest personal and professional ethics, integrity and values. While it has not adopted a formal diversity policy, in the context of the needs of our Board at any given point in time, our Board will seek candidates with diverse experience in business, finance and other matters relevant to a company such as ours, prominence in their profession, concern for the interests of our stockholders and an understanding of our business. Additionally, our Board requires that director nominees have sufficient time to devote to our business and affairs.

 

The following table contains the name, age and position with our company of each of our executive officers and directors as of April 2, 2010. Their respective backgrounds are described in the text following the table.

 

 

Executive Officers

 

George R. Judd has served as our Chief Executive Officer since November 2008 and as our President since May 2004. Prior to that time, he worked for Georgia-Pacific Corporation in a variety of positions managing both inside and outside sales, national accounts and most recently as Vice President of Sales and Eastern Operations from 2002-2004. From 2000 until 2002, Mr. Judd worked as Vice President of the

North and Midwest regions of the Distribution Division. He served as Vice President of the Southeast region from 1999 to 2000. Mr. Judd serves on the board of the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta and leads its design and construction committee. He graduated from Western Connecticut State University in 1984 with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing.

 

H. Douglas Goforth has served as our Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since February 2008. From November 2006 until February 2008, Mr. Goforth served as Vice President and Corporate Controller for Armor Holdings, Inc. which was acquired by BAE Systems in July 2007. Previously he served as Corporate Controller for BlueLinx from May 2004 until October 2006, where he played a key role in our 2004 IPO. From 2002 until 2004 he served as Controller for the Distribution Division of Georgia-Pacific Corporation. Mr. Goforth has 25 years of combined accounting, finance, treasury, acquisition and management experience with leading distribution and manufacturing companies including Mitsubishi Wireless Communications, Inc., Yamaha Motor Manufacturing, Inc. and Ingersoll-Rand. Mr. Goforth serves on the board of directors for the Arthritis Foundation of Georgia. Mr. Goforth is a North Carolina State Board Certified Public Accountant and earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Mars Hill College in North Carolina.

 

Dean A. Adelman has served as our Chief Administrative Officer since May 2008 and as our Vice President, Human Resources since October 2005. Prior to that time, he served as Vice President Human Resources, Staff Development & Training for Corrections Corporation of America. Previously, Mr. Adelman served as Vice President Human Resources for Arby’s Inc. (formerly RTM Restaurant Group) from 1998 to 2002. From 1991 to 1998, Mr. Adelman served as senior counsel for Georgia-Pacific Corporation. Mr. Adelman received his Masters of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Georgia School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Georgia.

 

Nominees for Election as Director

 

Howard S. Cohen has served as Chairman of our Board since March 2008 and as a member of our Board since September 2007. He is a Senior Advisor to Cerberus. Mr. Cohen served as our Interim Chief Executive Officer from March 2008 through October 2008 and as our Executive Chairman from March 2008 through March 2009. Mr. Cohen possesses 33 years of leadership experience, including service as President and CEO of four publicly-traded companies: GTECH Corporation, from 2001 to 2002; Bell & Howell, from 2000 to 2001; Sidus Systems Inc., from 1998 to 1999; and Peak Technologies Group, Inc., from 1996 to 1998. Mr. Cohen has also managed independent divisions of three Fortune 500 companies. Mr. Cohen serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Albertsons LLC and Equable Ascent Financial, LLC, both of which are Cerberus portfolio companies. Mr. Cohen previously served on the Board of SSA Global Technologies, Inc. from 2005 until 2007.

 

Mr. Cohen’s past experience as our interim Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman, financial expertise, management advisory expertise, experience as a director and officer of public companies, relationship with our largest stockholder and his performance as one of our Board members led the Board to conclude he should continue to serve as a director of the Company.

 

George R. Judd has served as a member of our Board since October 2008. As an executive officer of our Company, Mr. Judd’s background is described above. Mr. Judd’s experience as our Chief Executive Officer, years of experience with Georgia-Pacific Corporation and BlueLinx in a variety of leadership roles, institutional knowledge, management skills, industry knowledge and his performance as one of our Board members led the Board to conclude he should continue to serve as a director of the Company.

 

Richard S. Grant has served as a member of our Board since December 2005. Previously, Mr. Grant served as a director of The BOC Group plc, until his retirement in 2002. Over 30 years of service with The BOC Group, Mr. Grant held various management positions, most recently as Chief Executive of BOC Process Gas Solutions, Chairman of CNC sa, a Mexican joint venture company, and he had group responsibility for Technology, Latin America and Continental Europe. Previous responsibilities included service as the BOC Regional Director for South Pacific/South Asia, Chairman of Elgas Ltd, an Australian LPG distributor, and before that as President of Ohmeda Medical Devices and Chief Executive Officer of Glasrock Home

Healthcare Inc. Mr. Grant currently serves on the Board of Compass Minerals International Inc, where he is lead director, a member of the audit committee and the nominating corporate governance committee, of which he was previously Chairman. Mr. Grant previously served as a director of Distributed Energy Systems Corporation from 2006 to 2007.

 

Mr. Grant’s experience managing distribution businesses, leadership experience, international board experience, transactional experience, financial expertise, experience as an officer and director of public companies, independence and his performance as one of our Board members led the Board to conclude he should continue to serve as a director of the Company.

 

Richard B. Marchese has served as a member of our Board since May 2005. He served as Vice President Finance, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Georgia Gulf Corporation since 1989 before retiring at the end of 2003. Prior to 1989, Mr. Marchese served as the Controller of Georgia Gulf Corporation, and prior to that he served as the Controller of the Resin Division of Georgia-Pacific Corporation. Mr. Marchese is a member of the board of directors of Nalco Holding Company, Quality Distribution Inc. and Texas Petrochemicals, Inc. and a member of the board of managers of Quality Distribution LLC.

 

Mr. Marchese’s extensive finance and operations experience, experience in the oversight of financial reporting and internal controls, experience as an officer and director of public companies, independence and his performance as one of our Board members led the Board to conclude he should continue to serve as a director of the Company.

 

Steven F. Mayer has served as a member of our Board since May 2004. He has been Managing Director of Cerberus California, LLC and predecessor entities since November 2002 and also serves as Co-Head of Private Equity at Cerberus. Prior to joining Cerberus in 2002 and since 2001, Mr. Mayer was an Executive Managing Director of Gores Technology Group. Prior to joining Gores, from 1996 to 2001, Mr. Mayer was a Managing Director of Libra Capital Partners, L.P. From 1994 until 1996, Mr. Mayer was a Managing Director of Aries Capital Group, LLC, a private equity investment firm that he co-founded. From 1992 until 1994, Mr. Mayer was a principal with Apollo Advisors, L.P. and Lion Advisors, L.P., affiliated private investment firms. Prior to that time, Mr. Mayer was an attorney with Sullivan & Cromwell. Mr. Mayer is a member of the boards of directors of LNR Property Holdings Corp., Decision One Corporation, Spyglass Entertainment Holdings, LLC and Talecris Biotherapeutics Holdings Corp. Mr. Mayer previously served on the board of MAI Systems Corporation from 2001 to 2005. Mr. Mayer received his A.B., cum laude, from Princeton University and his juris doctor degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School.

 

Mr. Mayer’s financial expertise, management advisory expertise, experience as a director of public companies, relationship with our largest stockholder and his performance as one of our Board members led the Board to conclude he should continue to serve as a director of the Company.

 

Charles H. (Chuck) McElrea served as our Chief Executive Officer from May 2004 until his retirement from that position in October 2005, and has served as a member of our Board since May 2004. Prior to that time, Mr. McElrea worked at Georgia-Pacific for 26 years, most recently as President of the Distribution Division for four years and as Vice President of Finance, Information Technology and Strategy of Containerboard and Packaging for one year. Mr. McElrea held several other senior management positions including Vice President of Distribution Division Integrated Business Systems, Vice President of Packaging Division Business Planning & Logistics, Vice President of Pulp & Paper Logistics, Vice President of Purchasing and Vice President of the Bleached Board Division. He also held company positions in both manufacturing and finance/accounting. Mr. McElrea received a Bachelor’s degree in Business from California Polytechnic State University in 1977.

 

Mr. McElrea’s past experience as our Chief Executive Officer, years of experience with Georgia-Pacific Corporation and BlueLinx in a variety of leadership roles, institutional knowledge, industry knowledge and his performance as one of our Board members led the Board to conclude he should continue to serve as a director of the Company.

 

Alan H. Schumacher has served as a member of our Board since May 2004. He is a director of Noranda Aluminum Holding Corporation, Equable Ascent Financial, LLC, North American Bus Industries, Inc., School

Bus Holdings Inc. and Quality Distribution Inc. He is also a member of the board of managers of Quality Distribution LLC. Mr. Schumacher was a director of Anchor Glass Container Inc. from 2003 to 2006. Mr. Schumacher is a member of the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board and has served on that board since 2002. Mr. Schumacher has 23 years of experience working in various positions at American National Can Corporation and American National Can Group, where, from 1997 until his retirement in 2000, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and, from 1988 through 1996, he served as Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer.

 

Mr. Schumacher’s financial expertise (including his qualification as an audit committee financial expert), experience in the oversight of financial reporting and internal controls, experience as an officer and director of public companies, independence and his performance as one of our Board members led the Board to conclude he should continue to serve as a director of the Company.

 

Mark A. Suwyn has served as a member of our Board since May 2005. Mr. Suwyn has served as the Chairman of NewPage Corporation and NewPage Holding Corporation since May 2005. Mr. Suwyn was the interim Chief Executive Officer of NewPage from January 2010 to February 2010, was the Chief Executive Officer of NewPage from March 2006 until March 2009. Previously, he served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Louisiana-Pacific Corporation from 1996 to 2004. From 1992 to 1995, Mr. Suwyn served as Executive Vice President of International Paper Co. Mr. Suwyn has also served as Senior Vice President of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. Mr. Suwyn served on the boards of United Rentals Inc. from 2004 to 2007 and Unocal Corporation from 2004 to 2005. Mr. Suwyn currently serves on the board of Ballard Power Systems Inc. Mr. Suwyn has previously served as a senior member of the operations team of Cerberus and as an advisor to Cerberus. Cerberus is the indirect holder of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock.

 

Mr. Suwyn’s leadership, extensive managerial experience, management advisory expertise, experience as a director and officer of public companies, industry knowledge and experience, relationship with our largest stockholder and his performance as one of our Board members led the Board to conclude he should continue to serve as a director of the Company.

 

Robert G. Warden has served as a member of our Board since May 2004. Mr. Warden is a Managing Director of Cerberus, which he joined in February 2003. Prior to joining Cerberus, Mr. Warden was a Vice President at J.H. Whitney from May 2000 to February 2003, a principal at Cornerstone Equity Investors LLC from July 1998 to May 2000 and an associate at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette from July 1995 to July 1998. Mr. Warden graduated with an AB from Brown University in 1995. Mr. Warden also serves on the boards of Aercap Holdings N.V., Equable Ascent Financial, LLC and Four Points Media Group LLC.

 

Mr. Warden’s financial expertise, management advisory expertise, experience as a director of public companies, relationship with our largest stockholder and his performance as one of our Board members led the Board to conclude he should continue to serve as a director of the Company.

 

M. Richard Warner has served as a member of our Board since March 2008. Mr. Warner is a consultant for Cerberus. He served as the Interim Chief Financial Officer of Equable Ascent Financial, LLC, a Cerberus portfolio company, from February 2009 until June 2009. Prior to his work with Cerberus, Mr. Warner was employed for more than 20 years in a variety of capacities at Temple-Inland Inc., most recently as a Senior Advisor during 2006, President from 2003 to 2005, Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer from 1999 to 2003 and Vice President & General Counsel from 1994 to 2002. Prior to joining Temple-Inland, Mr. Warner was a commercial lawyer in private practice. Mr. Warner currently serves on the boards of Balcones Resources Inc. and Equable Ascent Financial, LLC. Mr. Warner received his BBA degree, magna cum laude, from Baylor University and his Juris Doctor degree from Baylor University Law School.

 

Mr. Warner’s financial expertise, management advisory expertise, experience as a director and officer of public companies, industry knowledge and experience, relationship with our largest stockholder and his performance as one of our Board members led the Board to conclude he should continue to serve as a director of the Company.

 

Stockholders and other interested parties who wish to send communications, including recommendations for director nominees, to our Board or any individual director may do so by writing to the Board of Directors, in care of our secretary, at our principal executive offices, BlueLinx Holdings Inc., attn: Corporate Secretary, 4300 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339. Your letter should indicate whether you are a stockholder. Depending on the subject matter, our Corporate Secretary will, as appropriate:

 

 

Communications from interested parties that are complaints or concerns relating to financial and accounting methods, internal accounting controls or auditing matters should be sent to the chairman of the Audit Committee, following the procedures set forth above. Director nominations will be reviewed for compliance with the requirements identified under “Submission of Stockholder Proposals” on page 29 of this proxy statement and if they meet such requirements, will be promptly forwarded to the director or directors identified in the communication.

 

All communications will be summarized for our Board on a periodic basis and each letter will be made available to any director upon request.

 

The following table sets forth, as of April 2, 2010 (unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes), certain information with respect to our common stock owned beneficially by (1) each director or director nominee, (2) each named executive officer, (3) all executive officers and directors as a group, and (4) each person known by us to be a beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding common stock. Unless otherwise noted, each of the persons listed has sole investment and voting power with respect to the shares of common stock included in the table. Beneficial ownership has been determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act. Pursuant to the rules of the SEC, shares of our common stock that a beneficial owner has a right to acquire within 60 days pursuant to the exercise of stock options are deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of computing percentage ownership of such owner.

 

 

 

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our directors and executive officers, and persons who own more than 10% of our equity securities, to file initial reports of ownership and reports of changes in ownership with the SEC. Based solely on our review of the copies of such reports received by us with respect to transactions during 2009, or written representations from certain reporting persons, we believe that our directors, executive officers and persons who own more than 10% of our equity securities have complied with all applicable filing requirements for 2009.

 

The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, referred to in this discussion as the Committee, is responsible for reviewing, establishing and approving the compensation of our named executive officers. Compensation paid to our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and the other named executive officers identified in the Summary Compensation Table is set forth under “Compensation of Executive Officers” below. The following discussion and analysis focuses on compensation to our named executive officers for 2009.

 

The Committee regularly consults with management regarding employee compensation matters. Mr. Judd’s compensation was adjusted on November 1, 2008 when he entered into an employment agreement with the Company to serve as our Chief Executive Officer. Our Board of Directors established a Search Committee in March 2008 to lead and coordinate the search for a permanent chief executive officer. The Search Committee included Messrs. Suwyn, Schumacher, Grant, and Cohen. The Search Committee engaged an executive search firm to assist in identifying qualified candidates for the chief executive officer role. The Search Committee members interviewed internal and external candidates for the role before ultimately recommending Mr. Judd for the position. The terms of his employment agreement were established based on a review of the compensation he was receiving in his capacity as our President and Chief Operating Officer, the compensation necessary to hire a qualified chief executive officer from outside of the Company, as well as our review of the

market data for chief executive officer compensation at comparator companies which was provided to the Committee by its outside compensation consultant, Hewitt Associates, in its 2008 compensation benchmarking survey.

 

Our Chief Executive Officer makes compensation recommendations to the Committee for the other named executive officers. The Committee also considers market factors in making decisions about our compensation program. In this regard, in 2005, the Committee retained Hewitt Associates to advise it on executive compensation matters and to provide compensation recommendations as to our executive officers. The Committee and the Company periodically discuss compensation issues and solicit compensation advice and data from Hewitt. At the request of the Committee, Hewitt provided an updated compensation benchmarking study to the Company in October 2008. The following discussion and analysis, which was reviewed and approved by the Committee, analyzes the objectives and results for 2009 of our named executive officer compensation policies and procedures.

 

Compensation Policies and Objectives

 

Our primary goal is to establish a compensation program that serves the long-term interests of the Company and our stockholders by aligning management’s interests with that of our stockholders through equity ownership and by promoting the attainment of certain individual and corporate goals. In addition, our compensation program is designed to attract and retain top quality executives with the qualifications necessary for the long-term financial success of the Company.

 

Our executive compensation program is based on the following principles:

 

 

Compensation programs in which our named executive officers participate are designed to be competitive with the compensation programs of companies with whom we compete for executive talent in order to enhance our ability to attract and retain key executive leadership. In this regard, the Committee directed the Company to engage Hewitt Associates to perform a benchmark study of the Company’s compensation structure in 2008. In evaluating our compensation program, the Committee considered the level of compensation paid to executive officers in comparable executive positions within a comparator group consisting of eighteen distribution companies and two building products companies selected by BlueLinx with annual revenues between $645 million and $10.8 billion. The companies within the group were selected based on size, industry focus and organizational status and we believe as a group they represent the appropriate comparable labor market for executive talent. This group comprised the following companies: Amcon Distributing Company; Andersons Inc.; Applied Industrial Technologies Inc.; Beacon Roofing Supply Inc.; Building Materials Holding Corporation; Builders FirstSource Inc.; Fastenal Company; GATX Corp.; Genuine Parts Company; Huttig Building Products Inc.; Interline Brands Inc.; MSC Industrial Direct; Nash Finch Co.; RSC Holdings Inc.; Rush Enterprises Inc.; United Rentals Inc.; Universal Forest Products; Watsco Inc.; Wesco International Inc.; and WW Grainger Inc.

 

Hewitt’s comprehensive benchmarking study focused on a number of elements to compare the Company to companies within these comparator groups, including base salaries, target bonuses and actual bonuses paid, actual annual equity awards, total cash compensation, benefits and total compensation. The Company and the Committee reviewed information from these comparator companies and used the data as a reference point to

assist them in establishing the compensation program for the Company, setting our executive officers’ compensation and benefits to be competitive with those of executive officers in similar positions at these comparator companies and to achieve a balance of incentives to help achieve our performance objectives. Although the Committee does not tie executive compensation to a single reference benchmark or target within the comparator group, the Committee generally considers the 50^th and 75^th percentiles of companies within the comparator group. The benchmarking study is used as a comparative tool in the Committee’s evaluation of the Company’s executive compensation in relation to companies believed to represent the appropriate comparable labor market for executive talent.

 

The Committee periodically consults with Hewitt on compensation issues and may periodically engage consultants in the future to advise on the ongoing competitiveness of our compensation programs as warranted. In addition, the Committee periodically reviews and revises salary ranges and total compensation programs to develop compensation ranges that it believes will position us within the same range as market salaries for similar positions in our industry based on market information obtained from consultation with Hewitt, informal market surveys, various trade group publications and other publicly available information.

 

Elements of Compensation

 

Compensation for our named executive officers consists of four general components:

 

 

The appropriate mix and amount of compensation for each executive officer varies based on the level of the executive’s responsibilities, as determined by the Committee in consultation with our Chief Executive Officer. Our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation structure is largely established by his employment agreement. The Committee may increase any component of compensation provided by an employment agreement to any of our named executive officers. There is no established policy or formula for allocating any individual’s total compensation between cash and non-cash, or between short-term and long-term incentives. This approach is designed to provide the Company with flexibility to respond to marketplace and individual factors in attracting and retaining executive talent and encouraging performance.

 

The Committee typically reviews and adjusts base salaries and awards of cash bonuses and equity-based compensation on an annual basis. Our former Chief Executive Officer presented recommendations and proposals on 2009 compensation, which were developed in consultation with our Chief Administrative Officer and other Company representatives, to the Committee, including recommended base salaries, recommended structure, target levels and payout levels for the annual cash bonus program under the Company’s short term incentive plan (“STIP”), and recommended equity awards to executive officers, and management’s rationale for its recommendations. The Compensation Committee considered these recommendations before determining compensation. The named executive officers’ base salaries were not increased or decreased during 2009. As discussed in our prior year Proxy Statement, the Compensation Committee recommended that Mr. Goforth’s base salary be increased to $375,000 beginning in January 2009. Mr. Goforth requested this recommended salary increase be deferred and his annual base salary remained unchanged during 2009. Beginning on January 1, 2010, Mr. Goforth’s annual base salary was adjusted to the $375,000 level previously recommended by the Committee in 2008.

 

Base Salary

 

Base salaries represent a fixed portion of named executive officer compensation and vary by job responsibility. We provide base salary because it is standard in the marketplace and provides a stable part of compensation to encourage retention. Named executive officer salaries generally are reviewed and approved annually by the Committee. Additionally, periodic salary adjustments are considered upon a promotion, change

in job responsibility or when otherwise necessary for equitable reasons. The Chief Executive Officer’s base salary was established in his employment agreement, and the Committee consults with the Chief Executive Officer regarding the salaries of the other named executive officers. The Committee then considers such matters and approves base salary as to the named executive officers. The Committee primarily considers the recommendations of the Chief Executive Officer, market data, a general review of the executive’s compensation (individually and relative to the other executives), and the individual performance of the executive.

 

Annual Bonuses

 

We utilize cash bonuses as an incentive to promote achievement of individual and Company performance goals. This component of compensation places more emphasis on our annual financial performance and the potential rewards associated with future performance of the Company and the individual executive. Annual bonuses are determined based on agreements with the individual executive as well as pursuant to the Company’s STIP. Cash incentives are designed to:

 

 

Under the STIP, an annual bonus pool is established and funded based solely on performance as measured against established business and/or financial goals at different levels of the Company’s operating structure. The Committee establishes the bonus pool based on Company performance. In general, the bonus pool is allocated to each participant based on the participant’s “target bonus percentage” (a percentage of such participant’s current base salary) and the extent to which the Company and/or such participant’s operating group(s) meets the established business and/or financial goals. Each of the named executive officers is a participant in the STIP, and each of their annual bonuses are subject to adjustment by the Committee, in its discretion, based on the executive’s individual performance and contribution to the Company during the year. The threshold, target and maximum bonus percentages for 2009 for each of the named executive officers as a percentage of each executive’s base salary were as follows:

 

 

 

 

In February 2009, the Committee approved the STIP goals for 2009, which provide for cash incentives upon the achievement of pre-established corporate goals. At such time, the Committee established the financial goals used in establishing bonus targets for 2009 under the STIP.

 

Generally, the Committee sets the target levels for financial performance metrics for the STIP in alignment with the Company’s strategic plan. In making the annual determination of the threshold, target and maximum levels, the Committee may consider specific circumstances facing the Company during the year. For 2009, 50% of a named executive officer’s potential STIP award was based on corporate earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) targets and 50% of the potential STIP was based on

corporate free cash flow targets. Each objective is measured separately against a threshold, target and maximum goal. For 2009, these goals were as follows:

 

 

We define EBITDA for these purposes as net earnings plus interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, as adjusted for non-cash items and other items that are allowed at the discretion of the Committee. We define free cash flow as operating cash flow minus capital expenditures.

 

For purposes of STIP calculations, during 2009 the Company achieved EBITDA of $0.2 million and free cash flow of negative $21.7 million. The Committee determined that the Company’s EBITDA achievement fell below the threshold payout levels for the named executive officers and free cash flow achievement fell between the target and maximum payout levels. However, the Company determined that the Company’s free cash flow performance was primarily due to a slower than anticipated sales pace caused by the continued decline in new housing starts during the year. Due to the soft economic environment, the Company did not invest as much as it originally planned to invest in new inventory. Therefore, management made a recommendation to the Committee that it was not appropriate to compensate the named executive officers based on the Company’s free cash flow performance for 2009. The Committee agreed with management’s recommendation and the named executive officers were not awarded any bonus compensation based on the Company’s financial performance in 2009. The table below illustrates how we calculate STIP payments and the fact no such payments were made to our named executive officers in 2009.

 

 

 

 

For 2010, the Committee established the named executive officers’ STIP financial performance objective to be solely based on EBITDA. Due to the continued weak outlook for the housing market, we believe it will be a challenge to achieve the target financial goal in 2010 for funding of the STIP at its target funding level. The maximum financial goals were designed to be difficult to achieve, and we believe they will be.

 

Long Term Equity Incentive Plan

 

The purpose of our Long Term Equity Incentive Plan, or LTIP, is to provide an incentive to our employees to work towards the achievement of our long term performance goals. A further purpose of the LTIP is to provide a means through which we may better attract able individuals to become employees of the Company by providing these individuals with stock ownership. We also consider the program a key retention tool. For all of these reasons, we believe this component of compensation further advances and aligns the interests of the Company and its stockholders. LTIP grants are made annually. On May 29, 2007, the Compensation Committee resolved to set the date on which annual LTIP grants would be made to executive officers to the second Tuesday of each fiscal year. The Committee has the discretion to make additional LTIP grants at any time during the year. Such grants generally will be in connection with new hires or promotions within the Company.

In making decisions regarding long-term equity incentive awards for named executive officers, the Committee reviews the comparable equity award data for similar positions in our industry, market data and data from our compensation consultant, and also considers other relevant factors.

 

On January 13, 2009, the Committee awarded a total of 651,150 shares of restricted stock to the Company’s executives, which included the following grants to the named executive officers: Mr. Judd (236,782 restricted shares); Mr. Goforth (138,123 restricted shares); and Mr. Adelman (118,391 restricted shares). The restricted stock awards vest three years from the date of the grant. The value of these awards was based on the market price of our common stock at the date of the grant. The Committee considered the total dollar value of each executive officer’s award when approving each grant.

 

Further information on equity ownership can be found below in “Compensation of Executive Officers.”

 

Defined Contribution Plan

 

The Company historically provides retirement benefits to the named executive officers, including matching contributions, under the terms of its tax-qualified 401(k) defined contribution plan. In 2009, the Company suspended its matching contributions to the 401(k) plan for all employees until business conditions improve. The named executive officers participate in the plan on substantially the same terms as our other participating employees. We believe that these benefits are comparable to those provided by comparable companies. The Company does not maintain any defined benefit or supplemental retirement plans for its executive officers.

 

Perquisites and Other Personal Benefits

 

The Company provides the named executive officers with perquisites and other personal benefits that the Company believes are reasonable, competitive in the market and consistent with its overall compensation program to better enable the Company to attract and retain superior employees for key positions. The named executive officers are generally provided a car allowance, payment of certain club dues, life insurance and reimbursement for relocation expenses, if applicable. The Committee periodically reviews the levels of perquisites and other personal benefits provided to named executive officers.

 

Costs of the perquisites and personal benefits described above for the named executive officers for 2009 that meet the threshold established by SEC regulations are included in the Summary Compensation Table in this Proxy Statement in the “All Other Compensation” column. See “Compensation of Executive Officers.”

 

Employment Agreements

 

We use employment agreements to attract and/or retain executive officers to BlueLinx. We primarily serve the housing and remodeling industries which are historically cyclical industries. Employment agreements enhance our ability to attract and retain top executive talent by providing some degree of certainty in light of these major cycles. The Committee, with assistance from our human resources department and legal counsel both inside and outside of the Company, establish and negotiate the terms of the employment agreements. The Committee believes multi-year employment agreements are necessary to secure executive talent for the long-term benefit of the Company and our shareholders. The Committee further believes that not utilizing employment agreements would put us at a competitive disadvantage to our peers in recruiting executives. Our employment agreements also include confidentiality, non-competition and non-solicitation provisions, all for the benefit of the Company. Consistent with our compensation philosophy, the employment agreements provide for a significant component of each executive’s annual compensation to be variable, as cash bonuses under our STIP are awarded based on Company performance against pre-established financial or operational goals. For example, no cash bonuses were paid to our named executive officers based on our 2009 financial performance. Additionally, the value of annual equity compensation is determined by our common stock price so our executives’ interests are aligned with those of our shareholders in this regard.

Employment Agreement with Chief Executive Officer

 

We entered into an employment agreement with George R. Judd to serve as our Chief Executive Officer effective November 1, 2008. The Employment Agreement expires on November 1, 2010, except that it will be renewed automatically for an additional one-year period unless ninety days prior written notice is given by either party in advance of any one-year period. The Employment Agreement provides that Mr. Judd will receive a base salary at the rate of $600,000 per year. Mr. Judd shall also be eligible to receive an annual bonus pursuant to the terms of our annual bonus plan, with the annual bonus potential to be a target of 100% of his base salary up to a maximum of 200% of base salary, based upon satisfaction of performance goals and bonus criteria to be defined and approved by the Compensation Committee in advance for each fiscal year in accordance with the terms of the applicable bonus plan. In addition, the Employment Agreement provides that Mr. Judd is eligible to participate in all benefit programs for which senior executives are generally eligible. The Committee reviewed the Hewitt Associates benchmark study and considered the level of compensation paid to chief executive officers within the comparator group of companies as a factor in establishing his compensation.

 

Under his Employment Agreement, the Company may terminate Mr. Judd’s employment for cause or without cause. If Mr. Judd’s employment is terminated without cause or he resigns for good reason, the Employment Agreement provides Mr. Judd with, among other things, payment equal to one time his annual base salary in effect immediately prior to the date of termination, plus one time the cash bonus amount received by Mr. Judd for the fiscal year prior to the year of the termination of his employment, payable in twelve equal monthly installments commencing six months after the date of termination. The Employment Agreement also contains confidentiality provisions, as well as a covenant not to compete during the employment term and continuing for a period of eighteen months following his date of termination in the event executive is terminated without cause, he voluntarily resigns or resigns for good reason, or the employment period ends.

 

Employment Agreement with Chief Financial Officer

 

Mr. Goforth’s employment agreement with BlueLinx was effective February 18, 2008. The Agreement is scheduled to expire on February 18, 2011, except that it will be renewed automatically for one additional year unless either party provides prior written notice of non-renewal thirty days in advance of the original expiration date. The employment agreement provides that Mr. Goforth’s annual base salary shall be paid at the rate of $375,000 per year, prorated for the portion of any partial year during which he is employed by the Company. Mr. Goforth shall also be eligible to receive an annual bonus pursuant to the terms of the Company’s annual bonus plan, with the annual bonus potential to be a target of 65% of his base salary up to a maximum of 130% of base salary, based upon satisfaction of performance goals and bonus criteria to be defined and approved by the Committee in advance for each fiscal year in accordance with the terms of the bonus plan. In addition, the Agreement provides that Mr. Goforth is eligible to participate in all benefit programs for which senior executives are generally eligible.

 

Mr. Goforth also received 60,000 restricted shares of the Company’s common stock on February 18, 2008 as part of his incentive package to join the Company. The shares were issued pursuant to the Company’s 2004 Long Term Equity Incentive Plan. The shares vest over a three-year period, but if Mr. Goforth’s employment is terminated without cause or if he resigns for good reason within the first three years, these 60,000 shares will immediately vest. Mr. Goforth’s compensation under the Agreement was structured and negotiated to recruit him to join our Company. Additionally, the Committee reviewed the Hewitt Associates benchmark study and considered the level of compensation paid to executive officers in comparable executive positions to Mr. Goforth within the comparator group of companies to establish his compensation under the Employment Agreement.

Under his Agreement, the Company may terminate Mr. Goforth’s employment for cause or without cause. If Mr. Goforth’s employment is terminated without cause or he resigns for good reason, the Agreement provides Mr. Goforth with, among other things, payment equal to one time his annual base salary in effect immediately prior to the date of termination, plus one time the cash bonus amount equal to the target bonus amount Mr. Goforth was eligible to receive for the fiscal year prior to the year of the termination of his employment. Such sum is payable in twelve equal monthly installments commencing six months after the date of termination. The Employment Agreement also contains confidentiality provisions, as well as a covenant not to compete during the employment term and continuing for a period of eighteen months following his date of termination.

 

Employment Agreement with Chief Administrative Officer

 

Mr. Adelman’s employment agreement with BlueLinx was effective June 4, 2009. The Agreement is scheduled to expire on June 4, 2011, except that it will be renewed automatically for an additional one-year period unless ninety days prior written notice is given by either party in advance of any one-year period. Mr. Adelman’s annual base salary shall be paid at the rate of $315,000 per year. Mr. Adelman shall also be eligible to receive an annual bonus pursuant to the terms of our annual bonus plan, with the annual bonus potential to be a target of 50% of his base salary up to a maximum of 100% of base salary, based upon satisfaction of performance goals and bonus criteria to be defined and approved by the Compensation Committee in advance for each fiscal year in accordance with the terms of the applicable bonus plan. In addition, the Employment Agreement provides that Mr. Adelman is eligible to participate in all benefit programs for which senior executives are generally eligible. The Committee reviewed the Hewitt Associates benchmark study and considered the level of compensation paid to executive officers in comparable executive positions to Mr. Adelman within the comparator group of companies to establish his compensation under the Employment Agreement.

 

Under his Employment Agreement, the Company may terminate Mr. Adelman’s employment for cause or without cause. If Mr. Adelman’s employment is terminated without cause or he resigns for good reason, the Employment Agreement provides Mr. Adelman with, among other things, payment equal to one time his annual base salary in effect immediately prior to the date of termination, plus one time the annual target bonus amount for Mr. Adelman for the fiscal year prior to the year of the termination of his employment, payable in twelve equal monthly installments commencing six months after the date of termination. The Employment Agreement also contains confidentiality provisions, as well as a covenant not to compete during the employment term and continuing for a period of eighteen months following his date of termination in the event executive is terminated without cause, he voluntarily resigns or resigns for good reason, or the employment period ends.

 

Risk Analysis of Compensation Program

 

The Committee has reviewed our compensation program to determine if the elements encourage excessive or unnecessary risk taking that reasonably could have a material adverse effect on the Company. There is no objective way to measure risk resulting from a company’s compensation program; therefore, such analysis is subjective in nature. After reviewing our compensation program, the Committee believes that the only elements that could incentivize risk taking are the annual cash incentives under the STIP and awards made under the LTIP with payouts dependent on the achievement of certain performance levels by the Company. Since base salaries are fixed, they do not encourage risk taking. The same is true of awards under the LTIP that include only time-based vesting. Based upon the value of each of these elements to the overall compensation mix and the relative value each has to the other, the Committee believes that the Company’s compensation program is appropriately balanced. The Committee believes that the mix of short- and long-term awards minimizes risks that may be taken, as any risks taken for short-term gains could ultimately jeopardize the Company’s ability to meet the long-term performance objectives and appreciation in the Company’s stock price. In addition, the Committee believes that the establishment of reasonable performance goals, the capping of payouts and the avoidance of any steep payout changes at the various payout levels of the performance based STIP and LTIP compensation components further reduce any risk-taking incentive that may be

associated with these compensation elements. As a result, the Committee does not believe that our compensation program incentivizes unreasonable risk taking.

 

Internal Revenue Code Section 162(m)

 

In making compensation decisions, the Committee also considers the potential impact of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Section 162(m)”). Section 162(m) disallows a tax deduction for any publicly held corporation for individual compensation exceeding $1 million in any taxable year for the Chief Executive Officer and the other executive officers, other than compensation that is performance-based under a plan that is approved by the stockholders of the Company and meets other technical requirements. However, the Committee reserves the right to provide for compensation to executive officers that may not be deductible if it believes such compensation is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.

 

The Compensation Committee reviewed and discussed the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” set forth above with management. Based on such review and discussions, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board that such Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement and incorporated by reference into the Company’s 2009 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Mark Suwyn, Chairman
Alan Schumacher
Richard Marchese

 

The following table sets forth the cash and non-cash compensation for 2009, 2008 and 2007, awarded or earned by our Chief Executive Officer, our Chief Financial Officer, and our two other named executive officers during 2009. We refer to these individuals as our “named executive officers.”

 

 

 

 

 

GRANTS OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS FOR 2009

 

The table below sets forth information regarding all grants of awards made to the named executive officers during 2009. For further information regarding the terms of certain of these grants pursuant to employment agreements with the named executive officers, see “Compensation Discussion and Analysis — Employment Agreements and Change in Control Agreements.”

 

 

 

2009 OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT YEAR END

 

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to unexercised stock options and unvested shares of restricted stock held on January 2, 2010 by each of our named executive officers.

 

 

 

 

OPTION EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED

 

 

Payments upon Certain Events of Termination or Change-in-Control

 

As described above under “Employment Agreements,” certain of our named executive officers are entitled to receive payments in connection with the termination of their employment by the Company for certain

reasons or in connection with a change in control of the Company. Additionally, our named executive officers hold equity awards issued pursuant to our 2004 LTIP and our 2006 LTIP. Options and restricted stock issued pursuant to these plans generally vest automatically upon a change in control of the Company.

 

The following table describes the estimated present value of unvested stock options, restricted stock awards and performance shares that would have immediately vested in the event that the named executive officer’s employment was terminated by reason of death or disability on January 2, 2010 or if a change in control of the Company occurred on such date.

 

 

 

 

In addition to accelerated vesting of outstanding equity awards, our named executive officers are entitled to receive certain other payments in connection with certain termination events. In the case of Messrs. Judd, Goforth and Adelman, any of the Company’s obligations to make cash payments following the termination of their respective employment is contingent upon the executive complying with the restrictive covenants contained in their respective agreements. These restrictive covenants prohibit, during periods defined in the agreements and subject to certain limited exceptions, (i) competing with the Company, (ii) employing or soliciting Company employees, (iii) interfering with Company relationships with its customers or vendors and (iv) disclosing or using in an unauthorized manner any of the Company’s confidential or proprietary information. These restrictive covenants generally limit the employee’s competitive activities for a period of eighteen months to two years following the later of the expiration or termination of employment under the agreement.

 

In the event that any of the named executive officers’ employment is terminated by the Company “for cause”, we are only obligated to pay the executive his salary and provide the executive with fringe benefits through the date of termination.

 

As described above under “Employment Agreements and Change in Control Agreements,” certain of our named executive officers are entitled to receive payments in connection with their termination by the Company. The following table describes the estimated present value of payments that would have been due to the named executive officers in the event that certain termination events described below had occurred on January 2, 2010. Such amounts would be payable pursuant to the terms of their agreements with the Company as described in the footnotes to the table as well as above under “Employment Agreements and Change in Control Agreements”.

 

 

 

 

EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION

 

The following table provides information about the shares of our common stock that may be issued upon the exercise of options and other awards under our existing equity compensation plans as of January 2, 2010. Our shareholder-approved equity compensation plans are the 2004 Equity Incentive Plan and the 2006 Long-Term Equity Incentive Plan. We do not have any non-shareholder approved equity compensation plans.

 

 

DIRECTOR COMPENSATION FOR 2009

 

Shown below is information concerning the compensation for each member of the Board for 2009. Messrs. Cohen and Judd’s compensation is reported above in the 2009 Summary Compensation Table.

 

 

 

 

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

 

Messrs. Marchese, Schumacher and Suwyn are the current members of the Compensation Committee. None of the current members of the Compensation Committee are current or former officers or employees of the Company. Mr. Suwyn was formerly an advisor to Cerberus.

 

The Audit Committee is composed of independent directors as required by and in compliance with the listing standards of the NYSE. The Audit Committee operates under a written charter which is posted on the Company’s website at www.bluelinxco.com. The role of the Audit Committee is to assist the Board in its oversight of the integrity of the Company’s financial reporting process and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The Audit Committee reviews the Company’s financial reporting process on behalf of the Board. The Company’s management is responsible for the preparation, presentation, and integrity of the Company’s financial statements; accounting and financial reporting principles; establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures and establishing and maintaining internal control over financial reporting. The independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for performing an independent audit of the consolidated financial statements and expressing an opinion on the conformity of those financial statements with United States generally accepted accounting principles.

 

The Audit Committee held eleven meetings during the year. The Audit Committee met with management periodically during the year to consider the adequacy of the Company’s internal controls and the objectivity of its financial reporting. The Audit Committee discussed these matters with the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm and with the appropriate financial personnel. The Audit Committee also met privately with the independent registered public accounting firm, which has unrestricted access to the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors has reviewed and discussed the Company’s audited financial statements as of and for the year ended January 2, 2010, with management and the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit Committee has discussed with the independent registered public accounting firm the matters required to be discussed under auditing standards generally accepted in the United States, including those matters set forth in Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61, as amended (Communication with Audit Committees), as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in Rule 3200T. The independent registered public accounting firm has provided to the Audit Committee the written disclosures and the letter required by applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding the independent accountants’ communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence, and the Audit Committee has also discussed with the independent registered public accounting firm its independence. The Audit Committee has concluded that the independent registered public accounting firm is independent from the Company and its management.

 

Based on the reports and discussions described above, the Audit Committee has recommended to the Board that the Company’s audited financial statements be included in its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 2, 2010, for filing with the SEC.

 

Respectfully Submitted by:

 

The Audit Committee of the
Board of Directors:

 

Alan Schumacher, Chairman
Richard Grant
Richard Marchese

 

The foregoing report shall not be deemed incorporated by reference by any general statement incorporating by reference this Proxy Statement into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate this information by reference, and shall not otherwise be deemed filed under such Acts.

 

Review and Approval or Ratification of Related Person Transactions

 

Our law department and Corporate Secretary are primarily responsible for identifying and reviewing relationships and transactions in which the Company and our directors, executive officers, certain of our stockholders or their immediate family members are participants to determine whether any of these “related persons” had or will have a direct or indirect material interest. In order to identify potential related person transactions, our law department annually prepares and distributes to all directors and executive officers a written questionnaire which includes questions intended to elicit information about any related person transactions. Information regarding transactions with related persons or any violation of policy, including transactions involving a potential conflict of interest in violation of our Code of Ethical Conduct, may be anonymously reported by employees through our Business Conduct and Ethics Hotline.

 

If a related person transaction is identified by the law department as one which must be reported in our Proxy Statement pursuant to applicable SEC regulations, we present the transaction to the Audit Committee for its review and approval or ratification. In evaluating related person transactions, our Audit Committee members apply the same standards of good faith and fiduciary duty they apply to their general responsibilities as a committee of the Board and as individual directors. The Audit Committee may approve a related person transaction when, in its good faith judgment, the transaction is in the best interests of the Company.

 

Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., our equity sponsor, retains consultants that specialize in operations management and support and who provide Cerberus with consulting advice concerning portfolio companies in which funds and accounts managed by Cerberus or its affiliates have invested. From time to time, Cerberus makes the services of these consultants available to Cerberus portfolio companies. We believe that the terms of these consulting arrangements are favorable to us, or, alternatively, are materially consistent with those terms that would have been obtained by us in an arrangement with an unaffiliated third party. We have normal service, purchase and sales arrangements with other entities that are owned or controlled by Cerberus. We believe that these transactions are not material to our results of operations or financial position.

 

Other than the transactions discussed above, for the last fiscal year there has not been, nor is there currently proposed, any “transaction,” as defined by the SEC:

 

 

Non-Independent Directors

 

Seven of the current members of our Board do not meet the independence standards promulgated under the listing standards of the NYSE. Five of the current members of our Board are either current or former employees of or advisors to Cerberus. Messrs. Mayer and Warden are currently employed by Cerberus and Messrs. Warner and Cohen are advisors to Cerberus. Mr. Suwyn was formerly an advisor to Cerberus.

 

Our corporate governance guidelines, as in effect from time to time, may be found on our website, www.bluelinxco.com. Our Board intends to review its corporate governance principles, committee charters and other aspects of governance as often as necessary to remain current in all aspects of corporate governance for similarly situated companies.

 

Our Board has adopted a policy to self-evaluate its performance on an annual basis.

 

Our code of conduct and ethics, applicable to all employees and officers as well as members of our Board, as in effect from time to time, may be found on our website, www.bluelinxco.com. Any amendment to

or waiver of our code of conduct and ethics for any Board member, our Chief Executive Officer, our Chief Financial Officer as well as any other executive officer will be disclosed on our website, www.bluelinxco.com.  Additionally, our corporate governance guidelines and code of conduct and ethics are available in print to any stockholder who requests them by writing to BlueLinx Holdings Inc., attn: Corporate Secretary, 4300 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339.

 

Our code of conduct and ethics provides a procedure by which employees and others may directly or anonymously, through a secure toll-free phone number, inform our management and/or the Audit Committee of any alleged violation of our code of conduct and ethics, including any allegations of accounting fraud. Reporting employees are protected from retaliation and any other form of adverse action.

 

We currently expect to hold our 2011 annual meeting of stockholders in May 2011. There are two different deadlines for submitting stockholder proposals for the 2011 meeting. First, if you wish to have a proposal considered for inclusion in next year’s proxy statement, you must submit the proposal in writing so that we receive it by December 17, 2010. Proposals should be addressed to our principal executive offices, BlueLinx Holdings Inc., attn: Corporate Secretary, 4300 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339. If you submit a proposal, it must comply with applicable laws, including Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act.

 

In addition, our bylaws provide that any stockholder wishing to nominate a candidate for director or to propose any other business at the 2011 annual meeting must give us timely written notice. This notice must comply with applicable laws and our bylaws. Copies of our bylaws are available to stockholders free of charge on request to our principal executive offices, BlueLinx Holdings Inc., attn: Corporate Secretary, 4300 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339. To be timely, notice shall be delivered to our secretary before February 19, 2011, but no earlier than January 19, 2010; provided, that, in the event the date of the 2011 annual meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 70 days after the anniversary date of the 2010 annual meeting, notice by the stockholder must be delivered no earlier than 120 days before the 2011 annual meeting and no later than the later of 90 days before the 2011 annual meeting or 10 days following the day on which we make public announcement of the date of such meeting. The public announcement of an adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting of stockholders shall not commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described above.

 

To reduce the expenses of delivering duplicate proxy materials to stockholders, we are relying upon SEC rules that permit us to deliver only one proxy statement and annual report to multiple stockholders who share an address, unless we receive contrary instructions from any stockholder at that address. All stockholders sharing an address will continue to receive separate proxy cards based on their registered ownership of our common stock. Any stockholder sharing such an address who does not receive an individual proxy statement and annual report may write or call us as specified below and we will promptly send the materials to the stockholder at no cost. For future meetings, a stockholder may request separate copies of our proxy statement and annual report or request that we only send one set of these materials if the stockholder is receiving multiple copies, by writing to the Board of Directors, in care of our Corporate Secretary, BlueLinx Holdings Inc., 4300 Wildwood Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339, or by telephoning the Company at 770-953-7000.

FORM OF PROXY CARD

BLUELINX HOLDINGS INC.

     The undersigned appoints Matthew R. Nozemack and H. Douglas Goforth, and each of them, as proxies, each with the power to appoint his or her substitute, and authorizes each of them to represent and vote, as designated below, all of the shares of stock of BlueLinx Holdings Inc. held of record by the undersigned on April 2, 2010, at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of BlueLinx Holdings Inc. to be held on May 20, 2010, and at any and all adjournments or postponements thereof. The Board of Directors unanimously recommends a vote in favor of Proposal 1 and Proposal 2.

     This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted in the manner directed herein by the undersigned stockholder. If no direction is made, this proxy will be voted FOR Proposal 1 and Proposal 2.

1.

Proposal to elect ten directors to hold office until the 2011 annual meeting of stockholders or until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

o		FOR the nominees listed above.		o		WITHHOLD AUTHORITY to vote for the nominee(s) listed below:

2.

Proposal to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2010.

o        FOR		o        AGAINST		o        ABSTAIN

3.

In their discretion, the proxies are authorized to vote upon such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournments or postponements of the meeting.

Dated:                                                                                                                                                                                 , 2010