WYNNEFIELD HIGHLIGHTS TWO DIRECTOR NOMINEES TO
ADDRESS TECHPRECISION'S DISMAL STOCKHOLDER RETURNS, RECENT M&A
DEBACLES AND LACK OF TRANSPARENCY
Launches Campaign Website at
www.rebuildTPCScredibility.com
NEW
YORK, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Wynnefield
Partners Small Cap Value, L.P. I and its affiliates ("Wynnefield"),
and Robert D. Straus (together, with
Wynnefield, the "Group"), who collectively own more shares of
TechPrecision Corporation (the "Company") (NASDAQ: TPCS) than any
other stockholder, collectively owning approximately 7.0% of the
Company's outstanding common stock according to Bloomberg, today
launched a campaign website at www.rebuildTPCScredibility.com and
issued the following public letter to the Company's
stockholders.
Dear Fellow TechPrecision Stockholders:
We are writing to you as the largest collective stockholders of
TechPrecision Corporation ("TechPrecision" or the "Company"),
owners of approximately 7.0% of the Company's outstanding common
stock according to Bloomberg. The Company's upcoming 2024 Annual
Meeting of Stockholders (the "2024 Annual Meeting"), tentatively
scheduled by the Company for October 2,
2024, must be about rebuilding TechPrecision's credibility
and repairing the relationship between the Company and its
stockholders.
On July 2, 2024, the Group
delivered a letter to the Company notifying it of Wynnefield's
intention to nominate and seek to elect General Victor Eugene
"Gene" Renuart, Jr., U.S. Air Force (Ret.) and Robert D. Straus as members of the Company's
Board of Directors (the "Board") at the Company's 2024 Annual
Meeting. The biographies of General Renuart and Mr. Straus are set
forth at the end of this letter. To this end, we will soon be
mailing to you a proxy statement and a GREEN proxy card
where you will have an opportunity to vote on the future of
TechPrecision. Please be on the lookout for our proxy materials. In
the meantime, you may find additional information at our newly
launched campaign website at www.rebuildTPCScredibility.com.
We believe new independent voices are needed on TechPrecision's
Board as we seek better transparency and disciplined business
judgement.
- NEW INDEPENDENT VOICES on the Board to give stockholders
the ability to express concerns and objectives, and to effectuate
change.
- TRANSPARENCY to allow stockholders the opportunity to
assess the Company's investment risks and the Board's
performance.
- DISCIPLINED BUSINESS JUDGEMENT to avoid poorly conceived
and costly strategies like the recently failed acquisition of Votaw
Precision Technologies, Inc. ("Votaw") and to enhance stockholder
value.
The Group believes the Company and the Board have failed its
stockholders, and their decisions have resulted in the Company
significantly underperforming the market over the past five
years.
- TechPrecision's total stockholder returns are unfavorable in
absolute and relative terms:
|
|
|
Russell
|
Relative
|
Metric
|
Time
Period
|
TPCS
|
Micro
Index
|
Performance
|
Proposed Votaw
Acquisition
|
11/29/23 to
07/02/24
|
-47.1 %
|
13.1 %
|
-60.2 %
|
STADCO
Acquisition
|
08/25/21 to
07/02/24
|
-41.5 %
|
-19.0 %
|
-22.5 %
|
2024
Performance
|
12/29/23 to
07/02/24
|
-33.6 %
|
-2.0 %
|
-31.6 %
|
1-Year
|
07/03/23 to
07/02/24
|
-53.2 %
|
4.0 %
|
-57.2 %
|
3-Year
|
07/03/21 to
07/02/24
|
-31.2 %
|
-22.2 %
|
-9.0 %
|
5-Year
|
07/03/19 to
07/02/24
|
-37.7 %
|
30.1 %
|
-67.8 %
|
- M&A Debacles Resulted in Significant Stockholder
Dilution.
- FAILED Votaw transaction resulted in the Company paying
a share-based M&A break-up fee to Doerfer Corporation, Votaw's
parent company. The Company paid M&A advisory fees with
borrowings from its revolver, necessitating the Company to then
raise additional capital in order to repay such loans. On
July 8, 2024, TechPrecision sold
shares and warrants at $3.45
per-share.
- AGREEING TO PURCHASE Votaw without an assured financing
commitment in place violated fundamental M&A practices and
basic process tenets.
- LAGGING STADCO acquisition is still not fully integrated
and remains an underperformer after nearly three years, per Company
SEC filings. In August 2021, the
STADCO acquisition was funded by an equity capital raise at
$4.40 per-share, which is 27.5%
higher than the recent raise.
- Transparency & Governance.
- LACK OF transparency prevents stockholders from
reasonably valuing the Company's investment risks.
- FAILURE to timely file SEC reports demonstrates the
Board's poor oversight and management of the Company.
Wynnefield's Statement of Beneficial Ownership on Schedule
13D
Please see Wynnefield's Statement of Beneficial Ownership on
Schedule 13D relating to TechPrecision's common stock, filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 2, 2024, a copy of which can be found at:
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1251565/000110465924077375/tm2418446d1_sc13d.htm
2024 Annual Meeting
According to information provided from bank and broker
intermediaries, the Company has tentatively scheduled the 2024
Annual Meeting for Wednesday, October 2,
2024, and the record date for the 2024 Annual Meeting has
been tentatively scheduled for August 13,
2024. Owners of TechPrecision's common stock as of
August 13, 2024 will be entitled to
vote at the 2024 Annual Meeting.
Biographies
General Victor Eugene "Gene" Renuart, Jr., U.S. Air Force
(Ret.) is a retired four-star general of the U.S. Air Force
with over 39 years of service and extensive experience in military
leadership, national defense, and aerospace operations. The
Group believes that General Renuart's proven military, governmental
and corporate leadership record, his extensive experience in
multi-national strategic and operational planning, fiscal oversight
of large organizations with annual multi-billion-dollar budgets as
well as his public company and private company board of director
experience, provide him with unique skills, insights and
qualifications to serve as a member of the Company's Board and any
of its committees.
Robert D. Straus is an
institutional portfolio manager with 25 years of proven experience
investing in and serving as an advisor to C-suite executives of
public and private companies. His expertise includes evaluating
business and capital allocation strategies as well as advising on
executive compensation structure, strategic initiative analysis and
corporate governance best practices. The Group believes that Mr.
Straus' extensive investment, financial, capital allocation and
strategic initiative analysis expertise, as well as his significant
corporate governance experience serving as a director and board
committee member of publicly traded companies, provide him with
unique skills, insights and qualifications to serve as a member of
the Company's Board and any of its committees.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND WHERE TO FIND IT
Wynnefield Partners Small Cap Value, L.P. I; Wynnefield Partners
Small Cap Value, L.P.; Wynnefield Small Cap Value Offshore Fund,
Ltd.; Wynnefield Capital, Inc. Profit Sharing Plan; Wynnefield
Capital Management, LLC; Wynnefield Capital, Inc.; Nelson Obus; Joshua
Landes; and Robert D. Straus
(collectively, the "Group") together with General Victor Eugene
"Gene" Renuart, Jr., U.S. Air Force (Ret.) are participants in the
solicitation of proxies from stockholders in connection with the
2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the "Annual Meeting") of
TechPrecision Corporation (the "Company"). The Group intends to
file a proxy statement (the "2024 Proxy Statement") with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") in connection with
the solicitation of proxies for the Annual Meeting unless it
withdraws its nominations.
The Group may be deemed to beneficially own 633,606 shares of
the Company's common stock, representing approximately 7.0% of the
Company's outstanding common stock. Other than the Group, none of
the other participants own any shares of the Company's common
stock. Additional information regarding such participants,
including their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings
or otherwise, will be included in the 2024 Proxy Statement and
other relevant documents to be filed with the SEC in connection
with the Annual Meeting.
Promptly after any filing of its definitive 2024 Proxy Statement
with the SEC, the Group intends to mail the definitive 2024 Proxy
Statement and an accompanying universal proxy card to some or all
stockholders pursuant to applicable SEC rules. STOCKHOLDERS ARE
URGED TO READ THE 2024 PROXY STATEMENT (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR
SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT THE
GROUP WILL FILE WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE
THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Stockholders may obtain,
free of charge, copies of the definitive 2024 Proxy Statement and
any other documents filed by the Group with respect to the Company
with the SEC in connection with the Annual Meeting at the SEC's
website (http://www.sec.gov).
You may stay abreast of information about our director nominees
and the Group's campaign by visiting our campaign website at
www.rebuildTPCScredibility.com.
Respectfully yours,
Nelson J. Obus Robert D. Straus
Founder
Portfolio Manager
Media:
Daniel
Yunger
Kekst CNC
Daniel.yunger@kekstcnc.com
View original
content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wynnefield-seeks-to-rebuild-techprecision-credibility-for-all-stockholders-302209225.html
SOURCE Wynnefield Capital