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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Filed by the Registrant  ☒                            Filed by a Party other than the Registrant  ☐

Check the appropriate box:

CEDAR REALTY TRUST, INC.

(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

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2017 Proxy Statement

and

Notice of Annual Meeting

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March 23, 2017

Dear Fellow Stockholders:

Please join me and the Board of Directors at our 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which will be held on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, at our offices in Port Washington, New York. The business we will conduct at the meeting is described in the attached Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement.

We worked hard in 2016 to continue our commitment to our stockholders. We welcome the opportunity to present you with the information contained in this Proxy Statement and we hope that, after you review it, you will vote at the meeting (either in person or by proxy) in accordance with our Board of Directors’ recommendations.

Your vote is important. Whether or not you plan to attend the meeting, please vote your shares as soon as possible electronically through the Internet, by telephone, or by completing, signing and returning the enclosed proxy card. If you vote electronically or by telephone, you do not need to return the enclosed proxy card. More detailed instructions on how to vote are provided on pages 8-10 of the Proxy Statement.

Our Board of Directors greatly appreciates your investment, confidence, and continued support.

Sincerely,

BRUCE J. SCHANZER

President and Chief Executive Officer

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CEDAR REALTY TRUST, INC.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

TO BE HELD MAY 2, 2017

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Cedar Realty Trust, Inc. (the “Company”) will be held at the offices of the Company, 44 South Bayles Avenue, Port Washington, NY 11050, on Tuesday, May 2, 2017 at 10:00 in the morning for the following purposes:

In addition, stockholders will transact any other business that properly comes before the meeting or any adjournment thereof.

The Company recommends a vote “FOR” proposals 1, 2, 3 and 5 and for every “1 YEAR” on proposal 4. You should carefully review the accompanying Proxy Statement which contains additional information.

Stockholders of record in our common stock at the close of business on March 10, 2017 shall be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the meeting.

THE PROXY STATEMENT AND OUR 2016 ANNUAL REPORT ARE AVAILABLE AT

HTTP://WWW.CEDARREALTYTRUST.COM.

Sincerely,

ADINA G. STORCH, ESQ.

Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Dated: March 23, 2017

Port Washington, NY

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PROXY STATEMENT SUMMARY

The following is a summary which highlights information contained elsewhere in this Proxy Statement. This summary does not contain all of the information you should consider, and you are urged to read the entire Proxy Statement carefully before voting.

Information About Our 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

 

DATE AND TIME:		Tuesday, May 2, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. local time
PLACE:		44 South Bayles Avenue, Port Washington, NY 11050
RECORD DATE:		Friday, March 10, 2017

Item of Business and Board of Directors Vote Recommendations

 

Proposal				Board Vote Recommendation		Page Number
Proposal 1:		To elect seven directors to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders or until earlier death, resignation or removal		✓   FOR		11
Proposal 2:		Ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP to serve as independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2017		✓   FOR		49
Proposal 3:		Advisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement		✓   FOR		50
Proposal 4:		Advisory vote on the frequency of future advisory votes to approve the compensation of our named executive officers		1 Year		51
Proposal 5:		To approve the 2017 Stock Incentive Plan, as approved by the Board of Directors on March 14, 2017		✓    FOR		52

Our Director Nominees (Page 11)

 

Name

Age

Director Since

Independent

AC

CC

N/ CGC

Abraham Eisenstat

47

2015

Yes

Gregg A. Gonsalves(1)

49

2017

Yes

Pamela N. Hootkin

69

2008

Yes

C

Paul G. Kirk, Jr.

79

2010

Yes

C

Steven G. Rogers

62

2016

Yes

C

Bruce J. Schanzer(2)

48

2011

No

Roger M. Widmann(3)

77

2003

Yes

(1)	If elected at the Annual Meeting, Mr. Gonsalves will serve on the Company’s Audit and Compensation Committees.

 

(2)	President and Chief Executive Officer

 

(3)	Chairman of the Board

KEY: AC = Audit Committee     CC = Compensation Committee

N/CGC = Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee      = Member     C = Chair

 

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PROXY STATEMENT

CEDAR REALTY TRUST, INC.

44 SOUTH BAYLES AVENUE, SUITE 304

PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK 11050

PROXY STATEMENT

We are sending you this Proxy Statement in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Cedar Realty Trust, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the “Company”), for use at the 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or any adjournment thereof. The Company’s Annual Report to Stockholders for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 is being mailed herewith to each stockholder of record. Stockholders may obtain a copy of the Company’s 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K, without charge, by writing to the Company at 44 South Bayles Avenue, Port Washington, New York 11050, Attention: Investor Relations. The 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K is also available on the Company’s website, www.cedarrealtytrust.com.

It is intended that this Proxy Statement and form of Proxy will first be sent or given to stockholders on or about March  14, 2017.

ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING

When and where is the Annual Meeting?

The Company’s 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders will be held on Tuesday, May 2, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. local time at 44 South Bayles Avenue, Port Washington, New York 11050.

What is the purpose of the Annual Meeting?

At the Annual Meeting, stockholders will consider and vote on the following proposals:

In addition, stockholders will transact any other business that properly comes before the Annual Meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof.

Who is entitled to vote?

Only stockholders of record at the close of business on the record date, March 10, 2017, are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting. Stockholders are entitled to cast one vote for each share held by them on each matter to be voted upon.

What constitutes a quorum?

On March 10, 2017, the Company had 85,541,207 shares of common stock outstanding and entitled to vote with respect to all matters to be acted upon at the meeting. Each holder of common stock is entitled to one vote for each share of stock held by such holder. The presence of holders representing a majority of all the votes entitled to be cast at the meeting will constitute a quorum at the meeting. In accordance with Maryland law, abstentions, but not broker non-votes, are counted for purposes of determining the presence or absence of a quorum for the transaction of business.

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PROXY STATEMENT

Can I revoke my proxy?

Each proxy executed and returned by a stockholder may be revoked at any time before it is voted by timely submission of written notice of revocation or by submission of a duly executed proxy bearing a later date (in either case directed to the Secretary of the Company) or, if a stockholder is present at the meeting, he may elect to revoke his proxy and vote his shares personally. Votes for shares held by a bank, broker or other holder of record, may be revoked by a stockholder submitting new voting instructions to the bank, broker or other holder of record or, if a stockholder has obtained a legal proxy from the bank, broker or other holder of record giving him the right to vote the shares at the Annual Meeting, by attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person.

What vote is required to approve each matter?

Assuming the presence of a quorum, each of Proposals 1, 2, 3 and 5 must receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of common stock duly present or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting in order to pass. Accordingly, abstentions will have the same effect as a vote against each of these proposals, while broker non-votes will not be counted in determining the outcome of any of these proposals. The proposal to approve the compensation of our named executive officers is advisory only and is not binding on the Company or the Board.

For purposes of Proposal 4, the vote on the frequency of future advisory votes to approve the compensation of our named executive officers, the affirmative vote of a plurality of the votes cast on the matter at our Annual Meeting in person or by proxy is required for approval. This means that the option receiving the greatest number of votes (every 1 year, 2 years or 3 years) will be considered the preferred frequency of the stockholders. For purposes of this proposal, abstentions and broker non-votes, if any, are not counted as votes cast and therefore will not be counted in determining the preferred frequency of the stockholders. This proposal is advisory only and is not binding on the Company or the Board.

What if I hold my shares in street name?

Brokers do not have discretionary authority to vote with respect to any of the proposals, except with respect to the ratification of Ernst & Young as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2017. Under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, the proposal to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP is considered a routine item. Accordingly, if you hold your shares in street name and you do not submit voting instructions to your broker, your broker may exercise its discretion to vote your shares on this proposal. If your broker exercises this discretion, your shares will be counted as present for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum at our Annual Meeting and will be voted in the manner directed by your broker on the proposal to ratify Ernst & Young as our independent registered public accounting firm, but your shares will constitute broker non-votes on each of the other proposals at our Annual Meeting. On all other proposals, your broker is not permitted to vote your shares without your instructions and uninstructed shares are considered broker non-votes. Accordingly, a broker non-vote will not be counted in determining the outcome of the vote on these matters. If your shares are held by a broker, the broker will ask you how you want to vote your shares.

If you provide the broker with instructions, your shares will be voted in accordance with your instructions. If you do not give any instruction on any of the proposals, then with respect to the election of directors, the approval of the 2017 Stock Incentive Plan, the advisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers, and the advisory vote on the frequency of holding future advisory votes to approve the compensation of our named executive officers, your shares will not be voted. Therefore, it is important that you give instructions to your broker as to how to vote your shares.

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PROXY STATEMENT

Even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we recommend that you submit the enclosed proxy to vote your shares in advance so that your vote will be counted if you later are unable to attend the Annual Meeting.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Proxy Statement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. When used in this annual report, the words “estimated”, “anticipated”, “expect”, “believe”, “intend” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include discussions of strategy, plans or intentions of management. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions about the Company and future events, and actual results, financial and otherwise, may differ materially from the results discussed in the forward- looking statements.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Proxy Statement. While forward-looking statements reflect our good faith beliefs, they are not guarantees of future performance. We undertake no obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Proxy Statement or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Pursuant to the Company’s Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws, as amended, the director nominees elected at this meeting will be elected to serve one-year terms that expire upon the date of the next Annual Meeting of Stockholders or earlier death, resignation or removal.

It is intended that the accompanying form of Proxy will be voted for the nominees set forth below. If, in the Board’s judgment, some unexpected occurrence should make necessary the substitution of some other person or persons for one or more of these nominees, shares will be voted for such other persons as the Board may select.

The Board is not aware that any nominee may be unable or unwilling to serve as a director. James J. Burns, a current director, has advised our Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee that he will retire and will not stand for reelection at the 2017 Annual Meeting. The Company acknowledges the outstanding service rendered by Mr. Burns during his nearly sixteen year tenure on the Board.

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the seven director-nominees:

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The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares entitled to be voted and present at the meeting either in person or by proxy is required to elect each of the nominees listed above.

The Board of Directors unanimously recommends a vote FOR the election of each of the nominees listed above.

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES

The business and affairs of the Company are managed under the direction of our Board, as provided by Maryland law, and the Company conducts its business through meetings of the Board and its three standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, and the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee.

We structure our corporate governance in a manner we believe closely aligns our interests with those of our stockholders. Notable features of our corporate governance include:

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES

We maintain a corporate governance page on our website that includes key documents relating to our corporate governance, including our:

All of these documents can be found by accessing the “Investor Relations” tab on our website at www.cedarrealtytrust.com and clicking on “Corporate Governance.” The documents noted above will also be provided without charge to any stockholder who requests them. We frequently review our corporate governance policies, monitor emerging developments in corporate governance, and enhance our policies and procedures when our Board determines that it would benefit our Company and our stockholders to do so.

Independent Directors

Pursuant to rules of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) and applicable law, a majority of the Company’s directors must be “independent”. Each year, the Board reviews the independence of the Company’s directors, including a review of any transactions and relationships between each director, or any member of his or her immediate family, on the one hand, and the Company and its subsidiaries and affiliates, on the other. The Board also examines transactions and relationships between directors or their affiliates and members of the Company’s senior management or their affiliates. The purpose of this review is to determine whether any such relationship or transaction was inconsistent with a determination that the director is independent.

As the result of this year’s review, the Board affirmatively determined that each of Messrs. Eisenstat, Gonsalves, Kirk, Rogers and Widmann and Ms. Hootkin (and Mr. Burns, a director not standing for reelection) is independent of the Company and its management. The Board determined that none of these independent directors had any material relationships with the Company. Mr. Schanzer, the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, is the only director who is not independent by virtue of his employment with the Company. In addition, none of our directors’ family members are employed by the Company in any capacity. Therefore, following the election of director-nominees at the Annual Meeting, we believe that 85.7% of our Board members will be independent under the NYSE rules.

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES

Corporate Governance Guidelines and Principles

The Board has adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines and Principles that address significant issues of corporate governance and set forth procedures by which the Board carries out its responsibilities. Among the areas addressed by the Corporate Governance Guidelines and Principles are director responsibilities, management responsibilities, director access to management, employees and advisors, management succession, annual performance evaluation of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, director compensation and meeting procedures. The Corporate Governance Guidelines and Principles are available on the Company’s website at www.cedarrealtytrust.com.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

All of our employees, including our chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief operating officer, chief accounting officer and chief investment officer, and our directors are required to comply with our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. Our Code is available on our website at www.cedarrealtytrust.com. We intend to disclose any amendments we make to, or waivers of, certain provisions of our Code of Business Ethics applicable to our officers and directors on our website, within three (3) business days following such waiver or as otherwise required by the rules of the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”) or the NYSE.

Share Ownership Guidelines

Our share ownership guidelines require that our CEO and other named executive officers own shares or limited partnership units with an aggregate value of 4x and 2x base salary, respectively. All non-employee directors must hold shares or limited partnership units with an aggregate value of 4x the equity portion of his or her annual retainer. The Company believes these shareholding requirements reaffirm the alignment between the Company’s strategic decision-makers and its stockholders.

Anti-Hedging Policy

The Company does not consider it appropriate for any of its officers, directors or employees to enter into speculative transactions in the Company’s securities that are designed to hedge or offset any decrease in market value of the Company’s securities. As the result, the Company prohibits officers, directors or employees from purchasing puts, calls, options or other derivative securities based on the Company’s securities. The policy also prohibits hedging or monetization transactions, such as forward sale contracts, equity swaps, collars and exchange funds. Officers, directors and employees may also not purchase securities of the Company on margin, borrow against any account in which the Company’s securities are held or otherwise pledge any securities of the Company.

Risk Management

Management has primary responsibility for identifying, monitoring, mitigating, and managing our exposure to risk, subject to active oversight by our Board regarding the processes we have established to assess, monitor and mitigate that exposure. The Board, directly and through its committees, discusses with management any significant enterprise risks and reviews the guidelines, policies and procedures we have in place to address those risks, such as our approval process for significant acquisitions, dispositions and other investments. The Board receives quarterly risk assessment presentations that are both quantitative and qualitative in nature. This process enables our Board to focus on the strategic, financial, operational, legal, regulatory and other risks that are most significant to us and our business in terms of likelihood and potential impact and ensures that our enterprise risks are well understood, mitigated to the extent reasonable and consistent with the Board’s view of our risk profile and risk tolerance.

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES

Each of our Audit, Compensation, and Nominating/ Corporate Governance Committees exercises its own oversight related to the risks associated with the particular responsibilities of that committee:

Commitment to Stockholder Engagement

The Company appreciates and values the engagement of its stockholders and actively solicits stockholder feedback. Throughout the year, management communicated in meetings, property visits, telephone calls and/or written communications with several significant stockholders to better understand their perspectives on corporate governance, overall compensation, strategy, and business operations. The Company prides itself on its relationship with its stockholders, and on its practice of offering interested stockholders direct access to management as well as our Compensation Committee Chair to express their feedback and concerns. Since our 2016 Annual Meeting, members of our senior management team engaged with many of our largest institutional investors, representing ownership of more than 60% of our outstanding common stock. Feedback received during our outreach process was then shared with the Board and its committees and taken into account when considering proposed changes to corporate governance and compensation practices. For example, largely in response to constructive feedback from our stockholders in 2016, we amended our senior executive employment agreements in August 2016 to eliminate the “modified single-trigger” with respect to cash severance payments to named executive officers upon a change in control and replace it with a “double-trigger” condition to receiving such payments. This significant action underscores the Company’s level of commitment to stockholder engagement and responsiveness to stockholder feedback. In addition, in response to constructive feedback from our stockholders, we will require a minimum vesting period of one-year applicable to all types of equity awards granted under the 2017 Stock Incentive Plan, subject to a 5% carve-out and a minimum three-year vesting period for time-based restricted stock awards.

Leadership Structure of the Board

The Board has a non-executive Chairman to ensure independent oversight of management. Roger M. Widmann, an independent director of the Company since 2003, has been chosen by the directors to be the non-executive Chairman of the Board and to preside at meetings of the Board. Mr. Widmann and the other non-management directors of our Board are actively involved in corporate governance matters and meet in executive session several times during the year, generally on the same day as regularly scheduled meetings of the Board or its committees (or as otherwise considered necessary or appropriate).

A key responsibility of the Board and Chief Executive Officer is to ensure continuity of leadership of the Company. Each year, the Chief Executive Officer presents a succession plan to the Board for its review and consideration.

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Audit Committee

The Board has established an Audit Committee consisting of Steven G. Rogers (Chair), Abraham Eisenstat, Pamela N. Hootkin and, if elected, Gregg A. Gonsalves, all of whom are independent within the meaning of the rules of the NYSE and applicable law. James J. Burns, who was Chair of the Audit Committee through December 31, 2016 and who will remain a member of the Audit Committee until his retirement as a director of the Company effective at the Annual Meeting on May 2, 2017, is likewise independent within the meaning of the rules of the NYSE and applicable law. Additionally, Ms. Hootkin and Messrs. Eisenstat and Rogers, each members of the Audit Committee are qualified as audit committee financial experts within the meaning of applicable law and the Board has determined that each of them has accounting and related financial management expertise under the rules of the NYSE. The designation of “audit committee financial expert” does not impose upon such persons any duties, obligations or liabilities that are greater than are generally imposed on such persons as members of the Audit Committee and the Board, and such designation does not affect the duties, obligations or liabilities of any other member of the Board.

The principal functions of the Audit Committee are as follows:

The charter of the Audit Committee is available on the Company’s website at www.cedarrealtytrust.com.

Compensation Committee

The Board has established a Compensation Committee consisting of Pamela N. Hootkin (Chair), Paul G. Kirk, Jr., Roger M. Widmann and, if elected, Gregg A. Gonsalves, all of whom are independent within the meaning of the rules of the NYSE and applicable law. The principal functions of the Compensation Committee are as follows:

The charter of the Compensation Committee is available on the Company’s website at www.cedarrealtytrust.com. Under its charter, the Compensation Committee has the authority to engage independent compensation consultants or other advisors to assist it in formulating the

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Company’s total compensation plan. In designing the 2016 executive compensation plan setting executive compensation for 2016, our Compensation Committee retained Mercer (US) Inc. (“Mercer”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (“MMC”), as its compensation consultant. The consultant provided to the Compensation Committee relevant survey and market compensation data and compared the Company’s compensation to the survey data. The Compensation Committee has relied on the guidance of the consultant in formulating and refining the Company’s executive compensation practices. In selecting Mercer, the Compensation Committee evaluated Mercer’s independence and considered the following factors:

After considering the foregoing, the Compensation Committee determined that Mercer was independent of the Company and management of the Company and that the engagement of Mercer did not raise any conflicts of interest.

Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee

The Board has established a Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee consisting of Paul G. Kirk, Jr. (Chair), Abraham Eisenstat, Steven G. Rogers, and Roger M. Widmann (and James J. Burns until his retirement as a director of the Company effective at the Annual Meeting on May 2, 2017), all of whom are independent within the meaning of the rules of the NYSE and applicable law. The principal functions of the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee are as follows:

The charter of the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee is available on the Company’s website at www.cedarrealtytrust.com.

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE PRINCIPLES

Board and Committee Performance Self-Evaluation

To optimize the performance of the Board and its committees each year, the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee oversees a robust self-assessment of the Board and each of its committees that elicits candid feedback on the performance and effectiveness of the Board and its committees, as well as on the efficacy of the self-evaluation process itself. As part of this self-assessment, directors are asked to consider the Board’s composition and structure, key responsibilities, and meetings, among other criteria. Each committee, in assessing its structure and performance, is asked to consider its role and the responsibilities articulated in the committee charter, the composition of the committee and the conduct of committee meetings. The Company believes that a thorough Board and committee evaluation process that is focused on the assessment and alignment of director skills with Company strategy is more effective than solely relying on strict tenure limits. Throughout the year, the Board and each of its committees routinely use a portion of their regularly scheduled executive sessions to reflect upon and discuss how their oversight performance on behalf of stockholders might be improved.

Nomination of Directors

The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for the selection and nomination of directors and considers candidates for Board membership suggested by its members and other Board members, as well as management and stockholders. Stockholders who wish to recommend a nominee should send nominations directly to the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee, at the principal executive offices of the Company, that include all information relating to such person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for the election of directors, including the nominee’s name, business experience and consent to be nominated for membership on our Board and to serve if elected by the stockholders. We did not receive any recommended nominees for director from any of our stockholders, other than from our directors, in connection with the 2017 Annual Meeting. We do not currently pay any fees to third parties to identify or evaluate or assist in identifying or evaluating potential nominees for directorships.

Once the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee has identified a prospective nominee, the Committee makes an initial determination as to whether to conduct a full evaluation of the candidate. This initial determination is based on whatever information is provided to the Committee with the recommendation of the prospective candidate, as well as the Committee’s own knowledge of the prospective candidate, which may be supplemented by inquiries to the person making the recommendation or others. The preliminary determination is based primarily on the need for additional Board members to fill vacancies, provide for succession or expand the size of the Board and the likelihood that the prospective nominee can satisfy the evaluation factors described below. If the Committee determines, in consultation with the Chairman of the Board and other Board members as appropriate, that additional consideration is warranted, it may request additional information about the prospective nominee’s background and experience and report its findings to the Board. The Committee then evaluates the prospective nominee against the standards and qualifications set out in the Company’s guidelines, including:

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The Committee may also consider such other relevant factors as it deems appropriate, including the current composition of the Board, the balance of management and independent directors, the need for Audit Committee expertise and the evaluations of other prospective nominees. In connection with this evaluation, the Committee determines whether the person should be considered for a Board position, and one or more members of the Committee, and others as appropriate, interview prospective nominees in person or by telephone. The candidate is then required to complete a series of compliance and vetting questionnaires, to submit to a background check, to establish qualification for service and fitness to serve, as well as to identify potential conflicts of interest. Upon satisfactory completion in the interview, vetting process and evaluation, the Committee makes a recommendation to the full Board as to the persons who should be nominated by the Board, and the Board determines the nominees after considering the recommendation and report of the Committee.

There are no differences in the manner in which the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee evaluates nominees for director based on whether the nominee is recommended by a stockholder or the Committee.

New Director Orientation

The Board has a program for orienting new directors that is overseen by the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee. New directors receive materials with an overview of their duties and responsibilities, significant corporate governance documents of the Company, incorporation documents, regulatory filings, investor presentations, and Committee calendars. They are also required to complete a series of vetting and compliance questionnaires, and financial disclosures. Directors also attend tours of our properties, as opportunities for such visits arise.

Board Meetings

In the year ended December 31, 2016, there were eleven meetings of the Board, five meetings of the Audit Committee, seven meetings of the Compensation Committee and five meetings of the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee. Each incumbent director of the Company standing for reelection attended in excess of 75% of the total number of meetings held of the Board and committees on which he or she served during his or her tenure of service in 2016. Mr. Burns, who is not standing for reelection, attended in excess of 75% of the total number of such meetings during his tenure of service in 2016. Board members are encouraged to attend our Annual Meeting of Stockholders. All of our current directors were present at the Company’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders in May 2016.

Communications with the Board

The Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee of the Board has approved a process for handling letters received by the Company and addressed to non-management members of the Board. Stockholders and other parties interested in communicating with any of the directors of the Company (or the Board as a group), may do so by writing to the Secretary of the Company, at 44 South Bayles Avenue, Port Washington, NY 11050. The Secretary will review all such correspondence and regularly forward to the Board a summary of all such correspondence and copies of all correspondence that, in the Secretary’s opinion, deals with the functions of the Board or committees thereof or that she otherwise determines requires the Board’s attention. The Board or any member thereof, may at any time request that copies of all such correspondence be forwarded to the Board.

Correspondence relating to accounting, internal controls or auditing matters that could materially impact the Company’s financial statements is handled by the Audit Committee in accordance with its procedures.

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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

The Company’s named executive officers are as follows:

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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

Executive Summary

This section of our Proxy Statement discusses the principles underlying our executive compensation policies and decisions. This discussion relates to the Company’s “named executive officers,” as included in the Summary Compensation Table below. For 2016, the Company’s named executive officers were:

For 2016, the Company determined there were no other employees of the Company that qualified as “named executive officers” under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC.

In June 2011, the Company hired Mr. Bruce J. Schanzer as CEO and Mr. Philip R. Mays as CFO as part of a long-term strategic plan for improving Company performance. At the time they were hired, the Company and the Compensation Committee affirmed that a core objective of the executive compensation program was to align management’s compensation with long-term stockholder value creation. This was especially critical as the expectation was that it would take a number of years to fully realize positive results derived from the implementation of the new strategic plan.

In executing the new long-term strategic plan, the Company has achieved several important improvements to its portfolio, balance sheet and earnings, as illustrated below:^*

PORTFOLIO

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BALANCE SHEET

EARNINGS

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Beginning with the hiring of Messrs. Schanzer and Mays, the Company and the Compensation Committee, under the guidance of the Company’s independent compensation consultant, refined its compensation structure. The refined structure was designed to retain, compensate and incentivize Company executives, commensurate with their experience, responsibilities and accomplishments, and align executive pay with the Company’s long-term strategic objectives and achievement of enhanced stockholder value. To that end, the executive compensation program includes three primary elements:

For 2016, our CEO’s and CFO’s base salaries remained unchanged from 2015. Our COO joined us on March 31, 2016, with a starting annualized base salary of $400,000.

A significant portion of the annual cash-incentive bonus is based on the performance of the Company, and the remaining portion is based on individual performance. Long-term equity incentive compensation vests based on continued service to the Company and, for the CEO, the Company’s total shareholder return (“TSR”). A significant portion of executive compensation is at risk and variable depending on both our short-term financial performance and long-term creation of stockholder value, with the largest portion of at-risk compensation designed to incentivize our executives to focus on long-term stockholder value creation.

As explained more fully below in the section entitled, “Annual Cash Incentive Bonus,” in setting performance criteria for 2016 bonuses for our CEO and CFO, our Compensation Committee determined that 70% of the bonus would be based on the Company’s achievement of its targeted operating funds from operations (as defined below), and 30% would be based on a qualitative individual performance evaluation for each of those executives. For 2016, the Compensation Committee determined to award our CEO and CFO annual bonuses of $1,028,000 and $465,380, respectively. Pursuant to the terms of her employment agreement, Ms. Zeigler received a guaranteed bonus of $300,000 for 2016 and, on February 22, 2017, the Compensation Committee decided to award Ms. Zeigler an additional bonus in the amount of $85,500 based on the Company’s performance and Ms. Zeigler’s performance in 2016, with the total amount of Ms. Zeigler’s 2016 bonus commensurate with the percentage of target bonuses paid to the CEO and CFO for 2016.

The Company believes that awarding senior executives a significant amount of their compensation in the form of restricted stock aligns management’s incentives with long-term stockholder value creation and encourages retention. To effectively ensure the alignment of executive compensation with long-term performance, the Company has awarded, at times, multi-year restricted stock grants to top executives with a five-year vesting period, which is longer than our typical three-year vesting period, in lieu of annual grants over such vesting period. Stock grants that contain long-term vesting provisions provide senior executives an incentive to remain with the Company. Also, long vesting periods, coupled with performance conditions for our CEO, create a significant positive incentive to make decisions that engender strong results over a sustained period of time. The Company believes this structure appropriately focuses our executive officers on the creation of long-term value and encourages prudent evaluation of risks. Of the grants made to the Company’s named executive officers as of December 31, 2016, the following remain unvested:

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In addition, our executive compensation program includes a number of features intended to reflect best practices in the market and to help ensure that the program reinforces our stockholders’ interests.

Our compensation policies and programs are built upon the strong foundation of corporate governance and compensation best practices, including:

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These practices and others are described in more detail below under “Corporate Governance Principles.”

Compensation Philosophy

Our executive compensation program is designed to attract and retain outstanding senior executives, ensure that their compensation remains competitive relative to the compensation paid to similarly-situated senior executives at comparable publicly-traded REITs, and reward them for superior performance. The program is further designed to reward both short- and long-term performance and to align our senior executives’ and stockholders’ interests. To that end, we believe the compensation packages we provide to our named executive officers should include both cash and share-based incentive compensation that reward performance as measured, in large part, against corporate and individual goals that will enhance stockholder value over the long term.

We believe the overall compensation of our senior executives should primarily reflect their accomplishments as a management team in achieving established key objectives. We also believe the achievement of these key objectives will ultimately enhance stockholder value as reflected in an increased share price. We believe the compensation of our senior executives should not be based on short-term performance of our shares, whether favorable or unfavorable, but rather that the long-term price of our shares is a better reflection of the management of our Company by our senior executives. In this regard, the restricted stock historically granted to our senior executives has vesting periods ranging from three to seven years. Our senior executives are also subject to the downside risk of a decrease in the value of their compensation in the event the price of our shares declines.

Consistent with this philosophy, our executive pay program uses a combination of base salary, annual cash incentive bonuses and long-term equity incentive awards, with a significant portion of compensation being at risk and dependent on the performance of the Company and the executive, to align executive interests with those of stockholders.

The Compensation Committee is responsible for establishing, implementing, and continually monitoring adherence to our compensation philosophy as applied to our named executive officers. For more information related to the processes and procedures of the Compensation Committee in determining the compensation of our named executive officers, see “Corporate Governance Principles—Compensation Committee” above.

Annual Advisory Vote on Named Executive Officer Compensation

The Board holds an annual advisory vote on executive compensation. At the Company’s 2016 Annual Meeting, stockholders voted to approve the compensation paid to the Company’s named executive

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officers for 2015 with votes in favor of over 72%. In designing the executive compensation program and making executive compensation decisions for 2016, the Compensation Committee considered the favorable results of the 2016 advisory vote, together with the advice of Mercer, as more fully described below.

The Compensation Committee regularly reviews all elements of compensation to ensure that we remain competitive in the market and to ensure that overall compensation, including the mix of stock and cash, is aligned with our business objectives, our performance and the interests of our stockholders. The Compensation Committee values constructive feedback from our stockholders about executive compensation as demonstrated by its support for amending our named executive officer employment agreements to eliminate the modified single trigger for cash severance payments upon a change in control, in direct response to constructive stockholder feedback. Additionally, the 2017 Stock Incentive Plan, which was approved by the Board on March 14, 2017, and is currently presented for stockholder approval, contains certain features designed to incorporate best practices and further align the interests of employees, including our executive officers, with our stockholders. These features include a minimum vesting period of one-year applicable to all types of equity awards under the 2017 Stock Incentive Plan (subject to a 5% carve out), minimum three-year vesting periods for time-based restricted stock awards and caps on awards made under the 2017 Stock Incentive Plan.

Engagement with Stockholders

We are committed to meaningful stockholder engagement because it allows us to understand and consider the viewpoints of our stockholders. Throughout the year, management communicated in meetings, property visits, telephone calls and/or written communications with several significant stockholders to better understand their perspectives on overall compensation, strategy, and business operations. The Chair of our Compensation Committee routinely makes herself available to answer questions from stockholders, and has participated in such calls when so requested. During the course of these communications, we received constructive comments from these stockholders and engaged in a dialogue with them about the Company’s compensation program. The Company prides itself on its relationship with its stockholders, and on its practice of offering interested stockholders direct access to management as well as our Compensation Committee Chair to express their feedback and concerns. We will continue to engage in dialogue with our stockholders about our compensation policies and decisions, and the Committee will continue to actively consider the views of our stockholders, including the results of our annual advisory vote, when making future executive compensation decisions.

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Compensation Objectives

The Committee uses three primary pay elements in its executive compensation program: base salary, annual cash incentive bonuses and long-term equity compensation. Two of these pay elements depend upon the performance of the executive and Company, including:

A significant portion of compensation is at risk and variable depending on both short- and long-term financial performance, with the largest portion designed to incentivize executives to focus on long-term stockholder value creation. In addition, because a significant portion of each executive’s total compensation is equity-based, and to ensure our executives maintain a meaningful ownership position in the Company, we have adopted share ownership requirements that apply to our named executive officers which have been favorably viewed by certain of our stockholders. Each of our named executive officers (with the exception of Ms. Zeigler who is still in her phase-in compliance period) far exceeds these ownership requirements.

Salary is intended to attract and retain executives and to provide compensation that is commensurate with the executive’s scope of responsibility and effectiveness. Cash incentive bonuses are designed to align the executive’s compensation with the Company’s short-term business goals. Long-term equity compensation focuses on achieving the Company’s long-term TSR goals and executive retention. We use long-term equity to retain our executives by rewarding them with equity only if they remain with us for a substantial period of time. The allocation between either cash and non-cash compensation or short- and long-term compensation is established on an annual basis.

Market Comparison

For 2016, Mercer used a National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“NAREIT”) survey to assess compensation levels. This approach is consistent with the one taken since 2015, when due to changes in both the size and comparability of the Company’s historical peers, the Compensation Committee determined to rely primarily on NAREIT survey data rather than peer group information in assessing executive pay.

The NAREIT survey includes 141 REITs and provides a broad market reference of similarly-sized REITs with equity market capitalization of less than $1.5 billion, as well as retail REITS, which compete with the Company for executive talent. Mercer furnished the Compensation Committee with a report that compared the Company’s executive officer compensation to the survey data. This report was considered by the Compensation Committee in setting total compensation for 2016.

Although comparisons of compensation paid to our senior management relative to compensation paid to similarly situated executives in the survey assists the Compensation Committee in determining compensation, the Committee principally evaluates compensation based on the corporate objectives and considerations discussed above.

Implementation

The Compensation Committee determines the appropriate level and mix of compensation. The Committee also considers the individual components of compensation, as well as the total compensation received by each named executive officer, relative to each officer’s performance, the market and the Company’s other named executive officers in making its determination. The amount each executive actually earns varies based on the Company’s performance and the executive’s

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performance, contribution and overall value to the Company. The Compensation Committee also conducts an annual review of our CEO’s performance and considers these results when determining the CEO’s compensation. Our CEO plays a significant role in setting the compensation for our other members of senior management, including named executive officers, by providing the Compensation Committee with an evaluation of their performance, together with recommendations for the amount of the annual cash incentive bonus and the size of long-term equity awards. The Committee also obtains input from Mercer and has discretion to accept, reject or modify the CEO’s recommendations.

The Company does not provide material perquisites or supplemental retirement benefits.

The SEC has not yet issued final regulations regarding clawback policies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”). We intend to adopt a clawback policy in conformity with the SEC’s final regulations once they have been promulgated. We have chosen to wait to adopt a formal policy until the SEC issues its regulations to ensure that our policy will be fully compliant with the regulations as finally adopted.

Base Salary

Base salaries for our named executive officers depend on the scope of their responsibilities and performance. Base salary is designed to compensate the executives fairly for services rendered during the year. These salaries are compared to NAREIT executive compensation survey data. The Compensation Committee receives from Mr. Schanzer his recommended salary level for each executive officer (other than Mr. Schanzer). For 2016, Ms. Zeigler’s initial base salary was set at $400,000 pursuant to the terms of her employment agreement, and the salaries of Messrs. Schanzer and Mays remained unchanged from 2015.

The Compensation Committee is required to review base salaries annually and may increase, but not decrease, the salaries of Messrs. Schanzer and Mays and Ms. Zeigler pursuant to the terms of their respective employment agreements. In making decisions regarding executive officers’ base salaries, the Compensation Committee takes into account relevant factors, including individual performance and market compensation data.

Annual Cash Incentive Bonus

The Compensation Committee seeks to align the interests of the named executive officers with the interests of stockholders by linking executive pay to individual performance and specified financial objectives.

In setting objectives at the beginning of the year, the Compensation Committee determined that 70% of the bonus of named executive officers would be based on the Company’s attainment of its targeted operating funds from operations (“Operating FFO”), and 30% would be based on a qualitative individual performance evaluation of each of the executives. Operating FFO is a key annual earnings measurement for the Company, which excludes certain items that are not indicative of the results provided by the Company’s operating portfolio and that affect the comparability of the Company’s period-over-period performance, such as acquisition costs, amounts relating to early extinguishment of debt, gain on extinguishment of debt obligations, employee termination costs, and preferred stock redemption costs. The Operating FFO bonus ranges for 2016 were established as follows:

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As indicated above, if Operating FFO for 2016 had been less than $0.50 per share, the CEO and CFO would not have had the right to receive any bonus with respect to Company performance for that year. If earned, the Company performance bonus percentage is computed on a linear basis between the Threshold Operating FFO per share amount to the Target Operating FFO and, likewise from the Target Operating FFO to the Maximum Operating FFO per share that is attainable after taking into account the bonus expense for all of the Company’s employees at that Operating FFO level. Operating FFO for 2016 was $0.57 per share, significantly above the Target Operating FFO, resulting in a payout of 128.5% of target bonuses for the CEO and CFO for the Operating FFO portion of their annual cash incentive bonuses. For a reconciliation of FFO and Operating FFO to net (loss) income attributable to common stockholders, see Item 7 – “Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Company’s 2016 Annual Report.

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In early 2016, Mr. Schanzer recommended to the Compensation Committee an annual cash incentive bonus target for the CFO. The Compensation Committee reviewed the executive officers’ responsibilities and contributions and made its own assessment as to bonuses for the named executive officers, placing significant weight on the recommendations of Mr. Schanzer for Mr. Mays’ and Ms. Zeigler’s bonuses. Although Ms. Zeigler joined the company on March 31, 2016, it was determined that her significant contributions during the nine months of her tenure in 2016 earned her a bonus representing the same percentage of her guaranteed contractual bonus amount as other senior executives received of their respective target amounts. The Compensation Committee made the following determinations with respect to individual performance for 2016:

Long-Term Compensation

We believe that outstanding long-term performance is achieved through an ownership position that encourages a focus on the Company’s success over the long term. Long-term equity awards are made to members of our senior management to align the long-term interests of senior management with

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those of stockholders, deliver market competitive pay, provide a strong retentive hook, and aid in recruitment. At the same time, by incentivizing our senior management as stakeholders in our performance, the Company benefits on an operational level from improved productivity and efficiency gains, and the associated value creation. Recipients of awards under this program realize value typically over a three-year time-based vesting period. We believe that the combination of this extended vesting period with the requirements described above for our named executive officers to continually hold a meaningful equity position in the Company creates a strong long-term alignment of interests between those individuals and our stockholders.

Stock awards are based on either performance, continued service or both, subject to acceleration of vesting in certain circumstances, at the discretion of the Compensation Committee, and as further provided in the employment agreements and/or award agreements with the named executive officers.

Our practice is for the Compensation Committee to approve grants of long-term equity compensation as dollar-denominated awards and then to grant a number of shares that have a fair market value equal to the aggregate dollar value of the award based on the closing price of a share of common stock on the day the grant is made.

TSR was selected as the basis for the CEO’s performance-based long-term equity award as it ties this portion of the compensation to stockholder value, with the total value of this award corresponding to stock price appreciation and dividends. The Compensation Committee believed that absolute TSR was the appropriate measure for Company performance as: (a) it more directly aligns the interests of our CEO with our stockholders, and (b) there are few other REITs with the Company’s business strategy, making construction of a suitable performance peer group problematic.

Mr. Schanzer. When Mr. Schanzer was hired in 2011, the Committee awarded him 2,500,000 shares of restricted stock, half of which will vest on the seventh anniversary of the grant date (June 15, 2018) if he remains employed by the Company through such date, and the other half of which will vest on the seventh anniversary of the grant date (June 15, 2018) if Mr. Schanzer remains employed by the Company through such date and the Company’s TSR averages 6.5% or more per year over the seven-year vesting period. No additional shares will be awarded if average TSR exceeds 6.5% over such measurement period and, if the average TSR falls below the 6.5% threshold for the duration of such measurement period, then 50% of the CEO’s long-term equity award will not vest.

Mr. Mays. In the opinion of Mr. Schanzer and the Compensation Committee, since June 2011 when Mr. Mays was retained by the Company as its Chief Financial Officer, he has been performing at an extremely high level and his contributions have been instrumental in helping the Company to achieve results and significant long-term value creation. Most recently, Mr. Mays played a key role in obtaining a $100 million unsecured debt refinancing, negotiating the East River Park Shopping Center acquisition, establishing a foothold in the D.C. market, strengthening relationships with stockholders and analysts, and improving the quality of our internal and external financial reporting. Accordingly, in 2016, to perpetuate the alignment of Mr. Mays’ interest with those of our stockholders and to provide additional retention incentives, the Compensation Committee awarded him 276,564 shares of restricted stock that will vest in full on the fifth anniversary of the grant date (February 17, 2021) if he remains employed by the Company through such date. In addition, previously, to incentivize Mr. Mays to remain with the Company for the long term, in 2013 the Compensation Committee awarded him a grant of 369,718 shares of restricted stock that will vest in full on the fifth anniversary of the grant date (March 5, 2018) if he remains employed by the Company through such date. Both of Mr. Mays’ multi-year grants were in lieu of any other grants to be made for the subsequent respective three-year periods. Because of the Company’s strong performance, the value of the 2013 multi-year grant amounted to less than the value Mr. Mays would have received based on the Company’s actual performance if the grants for those years had been made annually in respect of 2013 through 2015.

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Ms. Zeigler. In the opinion of Mr. Schanzer and the Compensation Committee, since March 2016 when Ms. Zeigler was retained by the Company as its Chief Operating Officer, she has been performing at an extremely high level and has already become invaluable to the Company. To attract and motivate Ms. Zeigler to join the Company, to incentivize her to remain with us for the long term and to immediately align her interests with those of our stockholders, in March 2016 the Compensation Committee awarded her a new hire stock grant of 13,831 shares of restricted stock (an amount equal to approximately $100,000), which vests in full on the third anniversary of grant (March 31, 2019) provided Ms. Zeigler remains employed by the Company through such date.

Grants of Plan-Based Awards for Year Ended December 31, 2016

The following table presents the range of possible payouts of equity and non-equity incentive awards granted to the named executive officers in 2016:

The annual cash incentive bonuses actually awarded to the CEO and CFO are reflected in the “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation” column in the Summary Compensation Table. The actual bonus awarded to Ms. Zeigler for 2016 under her employment agreement and based on Company and individual performance is set forth in the “Bonus” column of the Summary Compensation Table.

Perquisites

The only material perquisites provided to our named executive officers relate to automobile payments, reimbursement for expenses incurred and, for Ms. Zeigler in 2016, a relocation incentive. Our named executive officers need vehicles for frequent business-related travel. No other material perquisites are provided. In addition, our named executive officers are not entitled to U.S. Federal income tax gross-ups on any perquisites that are provided.

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Retirement Benefits

Named executive officers are given the opportunity to participate in the Company’s tax-qualified 401(k) plans providing for employer and employee contributions. In 2016, the Company matched 100% of the first 3% of eligible employee compensation contributed and 50% of the next 2% of eligible employee compensation contributed up to the annual limit of 4% of eligible compensation, which amounts to $10,600 per recipient.

Messrs. Schanzer and Mays each received the maximum match. Ms. Zeigler received a match of $6,288, which was limited by her contribution to her former employer’s 401(k) plan.

Several of our senior executives, including Messrs. Schanzer and Mays and Ms. Zeigler, participate in the Company’s 2005 Cedar Realty Trust, Inc. Deferred Compensation Plan (“Rabbi Trust Plan”). Under this deferred compensation plan, participants may defer a portion of their compensation and bonuses paid in cash on a pre-tax basis and receive a tax-deferred return on such amounts based on the performance of specific investments selected by the participants. Participants may also defer share awards made under the Company’s 2012 Stock Incentive Plan, as well as related dividends. In connection with this plan, the Company has established a “rabbi trust” overseen by an independent trustee (the “Rabbi Trust”) wherein the trustee is directed to make investments of the deferred cash amounts which track as closely as possible to those selected by each participant in order to generally match its liabilities to the participants under the deferred compensation plan with equivalent assets and thereby limit market risk. Generally, cash deferrals will be distributed in a lump sum on the earlier of the first day of the 61^{st month following the end of the calendar year to which such deferral relates, or as soon as practicable after the participant’s separation from service for any reason other than death or retirement (or six months thereafter, in the case of any participant who is a “specified employee” within the meaning of Code Section 409A), unless the participant elects to receive the distribution in installments, or to otherwise further defer the distribution, as provided in the Rabbi Trust Plan. Generally, share deferrals will be distributed in a lump sum on the later of (a) the first business day of the January next following the third anniversary date of the grant, or (b) the first business day of the January next following the date on which the share deferrals are scheduled to vest in their entirety based on the original vesting schedule, unless the participant elects to receive the distribution in installments, or to otherwise further defer the distribution, as provided in the Rabbi Trust Plan.}

The following table represents nonqualified deferred compensation held by named executive officers in the Company’s Rabbi Trust as of December 31, 2016:

Nonqualified Deferred Compensation

Anti-Hedging Policy

The Company does not consider it appropriate for any of its officers, directors or employees to enter into speculative transactions in the Company’s securities that are designed to hedge or offset any

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decrease in market value of the Company’s securities. As a result, the Company prohibits officers, directors or employees from purchasing puts, calls, options or other derivative securities based on the Company’s securities or its correlates. The policy also prohibits hedging or monetization transactions, such as forward sale contracts, equity swaps, collars and exchange funds. Officers, directors and employees may also not purchase securities of the Company on margin, borrow against any account in which the Company’s securities are held or otherwise pledge any securities of the Company.

Share Ownership Guidelines

The Committee believes that management should have a meaningful ownership interest in the Company and, to that end, has implemented share ownership guidelines for the named executive officers to more closely align their interests with those of the stockholders. The number of shares of our common stock that an executive must own is set as a multiple of the executive’s base salary. Unearned performance shares and unvested restricted stock count towards an executive’s ownership of our common stock under the guidelines. For the CEO, the multiple is four times base salary, while for the other named executive officers the multiple is two times base salary, in each case with a four-year phase-in period.

Tax Deductibility of Compensation

The financial reporting and income tax consequences to the Company of the compensation components for executive officers are considered by the Compensation Committee in analyzing the level and mix of compensation. Section 162(m) of the Code prohibits publicly traded companies from taking a tax deduction for compensation in excess of $1 million paid to the chief executive officer or certain of its other most highly compensated executive officers who are “covered employees” under Section 162(m). Certain “performance-based compensation” is excluded from this $1 million cap. The Compensation Committee continues to evaluate the deductibility of executive compensation, while retaining the discretion it deems necessary to compensate the Company’s executive officers as it determines appropriate.

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Summary Compensation Table

The following table sets forth information regarding compensation paid by the Company to Messrs. Schanzer and Mays and Ms. Zeigler, for fiscal years ended December 31, 2014, 2015 and 2016:

Employment Agreements with Named Executive Officers

During 2016, the Company had employment agreements with each of its named executive officers: Messrs. Schanzer and Mays, and Ms. Zeigler.

On May 31, 2011, Mr. Schanzer entered into a seven-year employment agreement, effective as of June 15, 2011, to serve as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer at an annual base salary of $800,000, subject to annual discretionary increases. Mr. Schanzer participates in the Company’s annual bonus plan for senior executive officers. Mr. Schanzer also received a long-term incentive compensation grant of 2,500,000 shares of restricted stock in 2011, one-half of which will vest in full on the seventh

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anniversary of the grant date (June 15, 2018) if Mr. Schanzer remains employed by the Company through such date, with the other one-half to vest on the seventh anniversary of the date of grant (June 15, 2018) if Mr. Schanzer remains employed by the Company through such date and the Company’s TSR (as determined in accordance with his employment agreement) for such seven years averages 6.5% or more per year.

On July 15, 2015, Mr. Mays entered into a three-year employment agreement, effective as of June 6, 2015, to serve as Chief Financial Officer of the Company, on terms substantially similar to Mr. Mays’ prior employment agreement with the Company as Chief Financial Officer. The agreement provides for an annual base salary of $381,225, subject to annual discretionary increases. Mr. Mays will also continue to participate in the Company’s annual bonus plan for senior executive officers and will continue to be entitled to participate in the Company’s long-term incentive compensation plan, subject to the discretion of, and the requirements established by, the Board of the Company and/or the Compensation Committee.

On February 26, 2016, Ms. Zeigler entered into a three-year employment agreement, effective as of March 31, 2016, to serve as the Company’s Chief Operating Officer. The agreement provides for an annual base salary of $400,000, subject to annual discretionary increases. Upon the commencement of her employment, Ms. Zeigler was paid a signing bonus of $150,000 and received a new hire stock grant in an amount equal to $100,000, which vests in full on the third anniversary of grant, provided Ms. Zeigler remains employed with the Company through such date. Ms. Zeigler will also be eligible to participate in the Company’s annual bonus plan for senior executive officers. Ms. Zeigler also received a guaranteed bonus of $300,000 for 2016 pursuant to the terms of her employment agreement. Based on Company and individual performance, Ms. Zeigler received an additional $85,500 in bonus compensation, commensurate with the percentage payout of target bonus received by senior management. In connection with Ms. Zeigler’s move to New York, the Company provided $100,000 as a relocation incentive.

On August 4, 2016, largely in response to constructive feedback from our stockholders, the Company entered into amended and restated employment agreements with Messrs. Schanzer and Mays and Ms. Zeigler for the purpose of removing the “modified single trigger” provision in the original employment agreements that required the Company to provide cash severance payments to an executive officer following a change in control. Under the amended and restated employment agreements, cash severance is payable only if an executive officer is terminated by the Company or the Partnership other than for cause (as defined in the amended and restated employment agreements) or on account of death or disability, or if such executive officer resigns for good reason (as defined in the amended and restated employment agreements), which no longer includes a change in control. Additionally, the employment agreements with the Company executives were amended to add a provision which clarifies that nothing in the employment agreement shall prohibit a Company executive from making any disclosures to a governmental agency that are protected under the whistleblower provisions of applicable federal or state law or regulation, and to expressly note the whistleblower immunity granted to the Company executives under the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016. There were no changes made to the base salary or target bonus of any of the named executive officers and no compensation was paid to them to relinquish the modified single trigger with respect to cash severance payments following a change in control.

Under each employment agreement, a named executive officer’s employment will terminate automatically upon retirement, death or disability, without payment of any additional compensation, other than accelerated vesting of restricted stock which may be available in certain circumstances.

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Upon the termination of employment by the Company for cause or by the executive without good reason, no additional compensation will be due to such named executive officer. In the event of termination of a named executive officer’s employment with the Company without cause or by the named executive officer for good reason, unless otherwise agreed, the named executive officer is entitled to receive from the Company:

Each employment agreement also provides that each executive will not compete with the Company or hire any employees of the Company for a period of one year after the termination of the executive’s employment if such termination occurs within the term of the employment agreement, unless employment is terminated by the Company without cause or by the executive for good reason.

The tables below set forth the severance payments that would have been made to each of our named executive officers based on a hypothetical termination date of December 31, 2016 and using the closing price of our stock on December 30, 2016, the last trading day of 2016, in the event of a termination by the Company without cause or by the executive for good reason. These amounts are estimates and the actual amounts to be paid can be determined only at the time of the termination of the executive’s employment without cause or by the executive for good reason. Under each employment agreement, there are also various circumstances under which termination of employment results in no severance due.

Payments Upon Termination Without Cause or By Executive for Good Reason

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Equity Awards

The following table sets forth information with respect to outstanding equity awards at December 31, 2016:

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2016

Option Exercises and Stock Vested

No options were granted by the Company or exercised during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 and no other equity awards vested during such year. None of the named executive officers held any exercisable or unexercisable options as of December 31, 2016.

Stock Plans

The Company has in effect the 2012 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2012 Plan”), under which a total of 4,500,000 shares of common stock may be issued, and the 2004 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended (the “2004 Plan”). As the result of the approval of the 2012 Plan by our stockholders on June 15, 2012, no further awards may be granted under the 2004 Stock Incentive Plan. The Company is additionally proposing for stockholder approval, the 2017 Stock Incentive Plan which, if approved, will reserve 4,000,000 shares of common stock for issuance of awards. If the 2017 Stock Incentive Plan is approved, no further awards will be made under the 2012 Plan. The plans are administered by the Compensation Committee, which determines, among other things, the number of shares, the vesting period and, to the extent applicable, the exercise price for each award.

The following table sets forth information at December 31, 2016 regarding shares of common stock that may be issued under the Company’s equity compensation plans, which consist of the 2004 Plan and the 2012 Plan.

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Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Equity Compensation Plans