- Additional Proxy Soliciting Materials (definitive) (DEFA14A)
March 03 2010 - 4:17PM
Edgar (US Regulatory)
UNITED STATES
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
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Washington, D.C. 20549
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SCHEDULE 14A
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(RULE 14a-101)
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SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
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Proxy
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )
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Filed by the Registrant
x
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Filed by a Party other than the
Registrant
o
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Check the appropriate box:
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o
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Preliminary Proxy Statement
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o
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Confidential, for
Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
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o
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Definitive Proxy Statement
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o
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Definitive Additional Materials
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x
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to
§240.14a-12
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SOUTHWEST
WATER COMPANY
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(Name
of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
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(Name
of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
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Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate
box):
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x
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No fee required.
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o
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Fee computed on table below per
Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
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(1)
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Title of each class of securities to
which transaction applies:
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(2)
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Aggregate number of securities to
which transaction applies:
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(3)
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Per unit price or other underlying
value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth
the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was
determined):
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(4)
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Proposed maximum aggregate value of
transaction:
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(5)
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Total fee paid:
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o
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Fee paid previously with preliminary
materials.
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o
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Check box if any part of the fee is
offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing
for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous
filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date
of its filing.
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(1)
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Amount Previously Paid:
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(2)
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Form, Schedule or Registration
Statement No.:
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(3)
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Filing Party:
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(4)
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Date Filed:
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On March 3,
2010, SouthWest Water Company conducted a publicly-announced conference call to
discuss the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of March 2, 2010, by
and among SouthWest Water Company, SW Merger Acquisition Corp. and SW Merger
Sub Corp.. Set forth below is a
transcript of the conference call, which is available for telephonic replay
until March 10, 2010.
Filed by SouthWest
Water Company
Pursuant to Rule 14a-12
of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934
Subject
Company: SouthWest Water Company
Commission File No. :
0-8176
DeLise
Keim
Good morning everyone,
and welcome to SouthWest Water Companys conference call regarding todays
announcement, a copy of which can be found on our web site at www.swwc.com
under the investor relations button at the top of the home page. A replay of this conference call will be
posted in the same section a couple of hours after the call is concluded.
Before I turn the call
over to Mark Swatek, our president and chief executive officer, to discuss the
details of todays news, I need to share some legal disclosures with you. Our
discussion today may include forward-looking statements concerning the proposed
transaction and its potential effects on the SouthWest Water and our operations
that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially
from those projected due to changes in regulatory, political, weather,
economic, business, competitive, market, environmental and other factors.
Information concerning these and other factors that could cause actual results
to differ from those in the forward-looking statements may be found in our 2008
Annual Report on Form 10-K under the Risk Factors section and in our
other SEC filings. Copies of these filings are available on our website.
In connection with the
transaction we will be discussing today, SouthWest Water will eventually file a
proxy statement with the SEC regarding a shareholders meeting seeking
shareholder approval. Before making any voting decisions, investors are urged
to carefully read the entire proxy statement when it becomes available and any
other relevant documents filed with the SEC, as well as any amendments or
supplements of those documents, because they contain important information
about the proposed transaction. Investors may obtain a free copy of the proxy
statement when it becomes available and any other documents filed by us at the
SECs website at www.sec.gov. The proxy statements and other documents may also
be obtained for free from SouthWest Water when they are available.
The company and its
directors, executive officers and other members of its management and employees
may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the
security holders of the company in connection with the proposed transaction. Information concerning the special interests
of these directors, executive officers and other members of the companys
management and employees in the proposed transaction will be included in the
companys proxy statement when it is available.
Information regarding the companys directors and executive officers is
also available in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2008 and in our proxy statement for our 2009 Annual Meeting of Stockholders,
which are filed with the SEC. These documents
are available free of charge at the SECs website at www.sec.gov and at our
website, www.swwc.com.
Now, I am pleased to turn
the call over to the president and chief executive officer of SouthWest Water
Company, Mark Swatek. Mark
Mark
Swatek
Thank you, DeLise, and
good morning everyone. I am both pleased
and excited to announce that SouthWest Water has entered into a definitive
agreement to be acquired by a private fund advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management,
Inc an affiliate of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co, and Water Asset Management
both long-term infrastructure investors.
Let me start by
describing the excellent value proposition for our shareholders. We believe
that at $11 per share, the transaction offers our shareholders significant
value, with a premium of 56% based on our closing share price on March 2,
2010 and a premium of 71% over our 30-day average closing price ended on March 2,
2010. This premium compares very favorably with recent transactions in the
utility industry. The total equity value
of the transaction is
2
approximately $275
million and the total enterprise value is approximately $427 million when our
outstanding debt is taken into account.
Our new partners support
our plans to continue to spend a significant amount of capital on enhancing
SouthWest Waters water and wastewater infrastructure and have committed to
invest approximately $16 million prior to the deal closing to assist the
financing of our ongoing capex program.
The merger is subject to
customary closing conditions, including the approval of our shareholders and
state regulators. We look forward to working closely with all of our
stakeholders as we seek regulatory approval and hope to complete the
transaction within 12 months. At that time, our common stock will cease to be
publicly traded, and we will be a private company wholly owned by the
consortium.
As part of the agreement,
our employees here and throughout our service areas, where we have a long
standing tradition of community involvement, will stay essentially the same.
Our partners have also stated that they will maintain our commitment to ongoing
community involvement.
I have talked about our
back-to-basics strategy, which was designed to tighten the companys focus
around the operations of water and wastewater utilities, while resolving a
number of legacy issues and divesting non-core businesses. Our strategy
accomplished several key goals, which included reducing our business risk,
providing a platform for future growth and serving our customers safely and
reliably.
As we made progress on
this strategy over the past few years, we continually asked ourselves, how can
SouthWest Water customers have reliable water service at the best possible
price? How can we meet the challenges of increased cost of delivery, limited
water supplies and aging infrastructure at the lowest possible cost? How can we
invest in our people, technology and programs that will improve efficiency? And
finally, how can we create value for our shareholders?
The investor group we are
aligning with today brings access to long-term capital, which is needed to fund
our capital program, enhance our efficiencies, expand our operations, and
ultimately make our business stronger and more responsive. Our new partners are
long-term infrastructure investors with the patience, risk tolerance and
sophistication to work with us to meet our challenges now and in the future.
This transaction also provides us with the best opportunity to maintain our
role as a committed utility service provider, a key employer and a long-term
corporate citizen in the communities we serve.
I am proud of how our
employees consistently deliver excellent service to our customers. I believe
that our employees will flourish with the stability that this transaction will
provide. The consortium has placed a
high priority on a seamless transition and continuity, and looks forward to
working with senior management in our service territories and our existing
workforce to support the productivity and morale of the employee base. They
have also stated a commitment to invest in ongoing employee development and
career opportunities.
We are confident that
this partnership will help ensure SouthWest Waters continued success and enhance
the companys ability to invest in systems that benefit our customers and the
communities we serve. For all these reasons, we are excited about this
partnership and believe that this transaction is in the best interests of all
our stakeholders.
The entire Board of
Directors and I have come to the conclusion that this is the right direction,
with the right long-term partners, for SouthWest Water and our customers.
We would be happy to
answer any questions at this time.
Operator, please open up the lines for questions.
[Answers to Questions
Posed Referenced Information Otherwise Publicly Disclosed]
DeLise
Keim
Thank you all for joining
us today. A replay of this call will be available shortly on our website,
www.swwc.com. This concludes todays call.
3
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