LICENSED
TO KILL HOLDS
1st ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
Meeting Marks One Year Anniversary of
Worlds 1st Truthful Tobacco Corporation
A
year ago, Licensed to Kill, Inc, a tobacco company with the explicit
purpose of manufacturing and marketing tobacco in a way
that each year kills over 400,000 Americans and 4.5 million other
persons worldwide was incorporated in the Commonwealth of
Virginia.
On
Wednesday, April 28, 2004, our company held its first meeting
of
stockholders in East Hanover, NJ. The meeting fell
one day before the annual meeting also in East Hanover,
NJ of our companys chief rival and fellow Virginia-based
corporation, Altria Group, the worlds largest multinational
tobacco company. Read on for the full report!
LARGE NUMBER OF "STOCKHOLDERS" ATTEND L2K MEETING
Over
150 "stockholders" attended Licensed to Kill's first
meeting of stockholders, held in the Garden Ballroom of the Ramada
Inn in East Hanover, NJ. Security was tight, with each attendee
required to show an admission ticket and a copy of their "stock
certificate" before guards would admit them into the meeting.
View
a copy of the stock certificate
Upon
entering the meeting space, "stockholders" were given
"I'm Proud to be a Licensed to Kill Stockholder" stickers
to wear and greeted
by sexy cigarette girls holding Licensed to Kill cigarette packs.
The
room was filled with decorations to mark the big event, including
a small coffin filled with Licensed to Kill cigarette packs, poster-size
photos of the company's deadly line of cigarette brands, a pyramid
of giant Licensed to Kill cigarette packs, and the
great "logos and stripes" of the "United Corporations
of America" flag. One nation under Mammon.
Corporate
displays set up around the room gave Licensed to Kill
"stockholders" the opportunity to learn more about the
company's
products, promotional campaigns, business strategies, and philanthropic
efforts, such as:
Licensed
to Kill's "Need a Babysitter?" public relations campaign
Licensed
to Kill's Strategies to Increase Sales to Youth
"L2K
World," a new Licensed to Kill theme park featuring fun for
the entire family in a free smoking environment!
Forlorn
Faces Orphanage. At Licensed to Kill, "We don't just build
the orphanage, we fill it too!"
Licensed
to Kill "stockholders" also had the unique opportunity
to mingle with company executives, directors, and new directors
up for election preceding the official start of the meeting. Click
here for a photo of one young "stockholder" talking
with Altria director (and L2K director-elect) Thomas W. Jones.
LICENSED TO KILL ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
1.
CALL TO ORDER
Licensed
to Kill CEO Rich Fromdeth opened up the meeting with a brief welcome
and opening comments. He told the sea of "stockholders"
that as a resident of New York -- a state that is regrettably
"smoke-free" -- it is a pleasure to be in New Jersey,
a state where one may "smoke freely." Tobacco
smoke, said Fromdeth, is "music to my nostrils"!
View
the meeting agenda
2. BUSINESS PRESENTATION
Licensed
to Kill's CEO Rich Fromdeth and Senior Vice President of
Corporate Communications Corrie "Core" Prutspin
then presented a
detailed overview of the company's activities in the last year.
[Photo
2]
View
transcript and photos of business presentation
3. QUESTIONS & COMMENTS
Licensed
to Kill Execs field numerous questions and comments from stockholders.
Many stockholders praised the company for success in selling death
around the world. Some made suggestions for new business ventures
the company might launch.
Other
stockholders had clearly obtained stock in a futile attempt to
negatively influence our companys efforts to expand globally.
One naïve stockholder asked CEO Rich Fromdeth how he sleeps
at night? (Very well, thanks!)
And
a
representative of the corporate accountability group
Infact presented lengthy comments about tobacco industry influence
in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, before CEO
Rich Fromdeth finally interrupted and asked her to get to the
point. Ah, some stockholders can be such a pain in the you know
what! [Photo
2]
4.
BUSINESS OF THE MEETING
*
SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT AUDITORS *
Licensed
to Kills original proposal of Arthur Anderson was rejected,
since the corporate auditor unfortunately no longer exists. The
company instead proposed the selection of Altrias auditor,
PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
*
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS *
Licensed
to Kills Board of Directors felt that the corporation would
benefit from an expansion of the board. In addition to calling
on stockholders to re-elect the current board of directors (Rich
Fromdeth, Core Prutspin, and James Loves Munnee), the board asked
stockholders to elect 10 new directors with extensive experience
in making a killing worldwide, none other than Altrias board
of directors!
A
number of Altrias board were on hand to give brief presentations
tostockholders on their qualifications to lead a company that
aims to profit off of killing 4.9 million worldwide annually.
Altria
Director Lucio A. Noto informed L2K stockholders of his extensive
experience in the oil industry (Exxon Mobil Corporation), where
he gained experience fighting international treaties, such as
the Kyoto protocol.
Altria
Director Elizabeth E. Bailey, a Professor of Business and
Public Policy at University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School,
has good connections as a trustee of The Brookings Institute and
the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Altria
Director Thomas W. Jones is the Chairman and CEO of Global
Investment Management of Citigroup, Inc. He also currently serves
as a director of Fox Entertainment Group Inc. Ties to major media
never hurt!
Other
Altria Directors nominated for election to L2Ks Board of
directors include:
-
Mathis Cabiallavetta (Vice Chairman, Marsh & McLennan Companies)
- Louis
C. Camilleri (Chairman & CEO, Altria)
- J.
Dudley Fishburn (Director, HSVC Bank plc, UK)
- Robert
E. R. Huntley (former CEO of Best Products Co, Inc; former
President, Washington and Lee University)
- John
S. Reed (Interim Chairman, New York Stock Exchange; Retired
Chairman and Co-CEO, Citigroup, Inc)
- Carlos
Slim Helu (Chairman of Telefonos de Mexico and Carso Global
Telecom; member of NYSEs Advisory Council for Latin America)
- Stephen
M. Wolf (Chairman, R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company; former
CEO of United Air Lines; trustee of The Brookings Institute
and the World Wildlife Fund)
Photo:
Altria
Directors Lucio Noto, Huntley, and Fishburn sit at the front table
with L2K Director Core Prutspin
Read
more about all directors up for election in Licensed to Kills
Notice
of Annual Meeting of Stockholders & Proxy Statement"
(see also attachments 1,
2,
3)
Read
more about the role of corporate directors
*
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS *
Stockholders
submitted six proposals for a vote. Three were STRONGLY OPPOSED
by the company:
Proposal
1*: Ways of more adequately warning pregnant women (of the harms
of tobacco to themselves and the fetus). Presented by a
representative of the Sisters of Charity of Saint
Elizabeth
Proposal
3*: Political disclosure resolution
Proposal
5*: Cease promoting light and ultralight brands
And
three were STRONGLY FAVORED by the company:
Proposal
2: Hire a third party agent to get more of our product being
used in Hollywood films
Proposal
4: Commission a study on which countries in Africa, Asia, Latin
America, and Eastern/Central Europe would be friendliest to
our overseas expansion and offer best access to the next generation
of smokers
Proposal
6: Hire a lobbyist to look into tax breaks from the Commonwealth
of Virginia, similar to those granted Altria.
*
Stockholders submitted identical proposals to Altria. Click
here for more info (proposals start on page 39)
5. REPORT OF THE INSPECTORS OF ELECTION
Stockholders
approved selection of PriceWaterhouseCoopers as independent auditor.
Licensed
to Kills Board of Directors was re-elected. Election of
Altria Directors was also approved, but CEO Rich Fromdeth said
that a final decision and formal invitations would be put on hold,
pending a favorable review of the Altria Directors in action
at Altrias Annual Meeting of Stockholders the next day.
Stockholders
voted overwhelmingly AGAINST the three stockholder proposals opposed
by Licensed to Kill, and voted overwhelmingly FOR the three stockholder
proposals favored by the corporation.
ROWDY YOUTH GET THROWN OUT OF MEETING BY SECURITY GUARDS
At
several points during the meeting, young stockholders
became disruptive, publicly disagreeing with CEO Rich Fromdeth
and shouting hostile chants. Luckily, Licensed to Kill security
guards were on hand to physically remove the rowdy youth from
the premises!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LICENSED TO KILL!
The
meeting ended with an acknowledgement of the corporation's one
year anniversary and closing comments by CEO Rich Fromdeth regarding
the importance of putting profits over people.
READ LICENSED TO KILLS 2003 ANNUAL REPORT
Licensed
to Kill Inc 2003 Annual Report (pdf)
Appendix
A
Appendix
B, more
Appendix
C:
Supplements: 1,
2, 3,
4
To
order a hardcopy of the report, send an email request to tobacco@licensedtokill.biz
MISCELLANEOUS
View
more photos from Licensed to Kills 2004 Meeting of Stockholders:
For
more information about Licensed to Kill, visit www.licensedtokill.biz
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