The NASDAQ Stock Market has instituted director independence guidelines that have been adopted by the Securities & Exchange Commission. These guidelines provide that a director is deemed "independent" only if the board of directors affirmatively determines that the director has no relationship with the company which, in the board's opinion, would interfere with the director's exercise of independent judgment in carrying out his or her responsibilities. Significant stock ownership will not, by itself, preclude a board finding of independence.
For NASDAQ Stock Market listed companies, the director independence rules list six types of disqualifying relationships that preclude an independence filing. The Company's board of directors may not find independent a director who:
1. is an employee of the company or any parent or subsidiary of the company;
2. accepts, or who has a family member who accepts, more than $60,000 per year in payments from the company or any parent or subsidiary of the company other than (a) payments from board or committee services; (b) payments arising solely from investments in the company's securities; (c) compensation paid to a family member who is a non-executive employee of the company (d) benefits under a tax qualified retirement plan or non-discretionary compensation; or (e) loans to directors and executive officers permitted under Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act;
3. is a family member of an individual who is employed as an executive officer by the company or any parent or subsidiary of the company;
4. is, or has a family member who is, a partner in, or a controlling shareholder or an executive officer of, any organization to which the company made, or from which the company received, payments for property or services that exceed 5% of the recipient's consolidated gross revenues for that year, or $200,000, whichever is more, other than (a) payments arising solely from investments in the company's securities or (b) payments under non-discretionary charitable contribution matching programs; and
5. is employed, or who has a family member who is employed, as an executive officer of another company whose compensation committee includes any executive officer of the listed company; or is, or has a family member who is, a current partner of the company's outside auditor, or was a partner or employee of the company's outside auditor who worked on the company's audit.
Based upon the foregoing criteria, our Board of Directors has determined that Dr. Cellucci (Chief Executive Officer and President) and Ms. King (Chief Financial Officer) are not independent directors under these rules.
The NASDAQ reference and language about Director Independence is boilerplate that has been in every BVTK 10K since its first one. You will also find it in just about every other SEC reporting Pink sheet stock's 10K.
ZJ, I always like your posts. I am in ireland my money running low tonight got to leave for the states tomorrow, gonna give bvtk more time before i delve into my shares..Rasta Party on