UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549


FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT


Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 14, 2014 (January 13, 2014)


SMTP, Inc.

  (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


Delaware

0-54309

05-0502529

(State or other jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)

(Commission File Number)

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)


1 Tara Boulevard, Suite 200, Nashua, NH

 

03062

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

(Zip Code)


Registrant's telephone number, including area code: 877-705-9362  Ext. 205


 

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)


Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:


¨

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

¨

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

¨

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

¨

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))






 



Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers


Appointment of Chief Financial Officer

On January 13, 2014 the registrant’s Board of Directors (“Board of Directors”) appointed Lewis Moorehead to serve as the registrant’s Chief Financial Officer and principal financial officer commencing on January 14, 2014.   This is a part time position. As the registrant’s Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Moorehead is responsible for ensuring the long-term financial health of the registrant, overseeing the registrant’s accounting and audits, and such other duties that  are essentially equivalent to those of a chief financial officer

There are no arrangements or understandings between Mr. Moorehead and any other persons pursuant to which he was appointed the registrant’s Chief Financial Officer. There is no family relationship between Mr. Moorehead and any director, executive officer, or person nominated or chosen by the registrant to become a director or executive officer of the registrant. The registrant has not entered into any transactions with Mr. Moorehead that would require disclosure pursuant to Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act.


Lewis Moorehead, age 41, is a certified public accountant. From March 2010 to August 2013, Mr. Moorehead served as VP of Finance and Principal Accounting Officer at Limelight Networks, a NASDAQ-listed internet company. Previously, from June 2008 to March 2010, Mr. Moorehead served as VP and Chief Accounting Officer of eTelecare Global Solutions, a NASDAQ-listed global call-center operator. Previously, Mr. Moorehead worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers for nine years and then subsequently joined American Express as Vice President and Controller. Mr. Moorehead received a Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.


In exchange for serving as the registrant’s Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Moorehead shall receive as compensation a base salary of $4,333 per month and shall be issued an option to purchase up to 60,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $7.50 per share. The options shall vest over a period of four (4) years as follows: 1,250 options shall vest each month over the four year period. All of the options expire on January 12, 2024, subject to earlier expiration in certain circumstances. The option grant was made pursuant to the registrant’s 2010 Employee Stock Plan and subject to the terms of the Plan’s standard non-statutory stock option agreement. The registrant and Mr. Moorehead expect to enter into a formal written employee agreement in the near future, which will be subject to approval by the Board of Directors.


On January 13, 2014, upon the appointment of Mr. Moorehead as the registrant’s Chief Financial Officer, the registrant’s Board of Directors removed Alena Chuprakova as the registrant’s Comptroller and principal financial officer. Ms. Chuprakova will continue to serve as the registrant’s Treasurer, and now as its Controller.




 


Appointment of New Directors


On January 13, 2014 the Board of Directors appointed Jonathan M. Strimling, the registrant’s current Chief Executive Officer, and David A. Buckel, to the Board of Directors to fill two newly created directorships on the Board of Directors. Each of Mr. Strimling and Mr. Buckel accepted their appointment to the Board of Directors on that same date and each of them shall serve as a member of the Board of Directors until the registrant’s next annual stockholder’s meeting or until their earlier resignation or removal.


At the time of Mr. Strimling’s appointment as the registrant’s Chief Executive Officer in August 2013, there was an understanding between Mr. Strimling and the members of the registrant’s then Board of Directors that Mr. Strimling would be appointed to the Board of Directors at some time after his appointment as Chief Executive Officer. There are no arrangements or understandings between Mr. Buckel  and any other persons pursuant to which he was appointed as a member of the Board of Directors.


Mr.  Strimling  has not been, and is not expected to be, named to any specific committee of the Board of Directors at this time. Mr. Buckel has been named to the following Board of Directors committees: Audit Committee, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and Compensation Committee. Also, Mr. Buckel has been named chairman of the Audit Committee.


In exchange for serving on the Board of Directors as an independent director, pursuant to the registrant’s standard practice, Mr. Buckel shall receive an annual stipend equal to $10,000, payable in quarterly increments of $2,500 per quarter, payable in cash or in shares of Company stock, as shall be determined by the Board of Directors, payable at the end of each full quarter served. Mr.  Strimling  shall receive no additional compensation for serving on the Board of Directors.


Since November 2007 to present, Mr. Buckel has served as a Partner at Buckelous Ventures, which merged into TechCXO in 2012. TechCXO is a professional services firm that provides experienced, C-Suite professionals to deliver strategic and functional consulting services to both private and small public technology companies. Mr. Buckel has hands-on experience creating accounting and control systems and processes, financial statements, financial and operating metrics, dashboards, cash flow forecast, budget processes, trend analysis and dealing with auditors . Also, from 2011 to present, Mr. Buckel has served as a Mentor at the USF Student Innovation Incubator, which is administered by the USF Research Foundation, Inc. Mr. Buckel holds an M.B.A in Finance and Operations Management from Syracuse University and a B.S. in Accounting from Canisius College. The Board of Directors believes that Mr. Buckel has the necessary qualifications to be a member of the Board of Directors because Mr. Buckel has exhibited the ability to operate cohesively with other members of the Board of Directors. Moreover, the Board of Directors believes that Mr. Buckel brings a strong background and skill set to the Board of Directors in areas relating to board service, finance and management.


The registrant has not entered into any transactions with either of Mr. Strimling or Mr. Buckel that would require disclosure pursuant to Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act.




 


Item 5.05 Amendments to the Registrant’s Code of Ethics, or Waiver of a Provision of the Code of Ethics.


On January 13, 2014, as part of its review of the registrant’s corporate governance policies, the Board of Directors adopted a revised Code of Ethics and Business Conduct ("Code") that replaced the registrant’s prior Code of Business Conduct and Ethics ("Prior Code"). The Code applies to all of the registrant’s directors, officers and employees. The Code was adopted to better conform to the express language and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the NASDAQ Listing Rules. The full text of the Code is attached as  Exhibit 14.1 .


Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure


On January 14, 2014 the registrant issued a press release announcing that it hired a new Chief Financial Officer and expanded its Board of Directors. The full text of the press release is attached as  Exhibit 99.1  to this report and is incorporated herein by reference.


Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits

 

Exhibit No.

Description

14.1

Code of Ethics and Business Conduct

99.1

Press Release dated January 14, 2014


SIGNATURES


Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


SMTP, INC.

 

 

 

 

By:

/s/ Jonathan M. Strimling

 

 

Jonathan M. Strimling,

 

 

Chief Executive Officer

 



Dated: January 14, 2014










EXHIBIT 14.1


CODE OF ETHICS AND BUSINESS CONDUCT


SMTP, INC.


1.

Introduction .


1.1

 The Board of Directors of SMTP, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, the " Company ") has adopted this Code of Ethics and Business Conduct (the " Code ") in order to:

(a)

promote honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest;

(b)

promote full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that the Company files with, or submits to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the " SEC ") and in other public communications made by the Company;

(c)

promote compliance with applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations;

(d)

promote the protection of Company assets, including corporate opportunities and confidential information;

(e)

promote fair dealing practices;

(f)

deter wrongdoing; and

(g)

ensure accountability for adherence to the Code.


1.2

All directors, officers and employees are required to be familiar with the Code, comply with its provisions and report any suspected violations as described below in Section 10 ., Reporting and Enforcement.


2.

Honest and Ethical Conduct .


2.1

The Company's policy is to promote high standards of integrity by conducting its affairs honestly and ethically.


2.2

Each director, officer and employee must act with integrity and observe the highest ethical standards of business conduct in his or her dealings with the Company's customers, suppliers, partners, service providers, competitors, employees and anyone else with whom he or she has contact in the course of performing his or her job.


3.

Conflicts of Interest .


3.1

A conflict of interest occurs when an individual's private interest (or the interest of a member of his or her family) interferes, or even appears to interfere, with the interests of the Company as a whole. A conflict of interest can arise when an employee, officer or director (or a member of his or her family) takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work for the Company objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest also arise when an employee, officer or director (or a member of his or her family) receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position in the Company.


3.2

Loans by the Company to, or guarantees by the Company of obligations of, employees or their family members are of special concern and could constitute improper personal benefits to the recipients of such loans or guarantees, depending on the facts and circumstances. Loans by the Company to, or guarantees by the Company of obligations of, any director or officer or their family members are expressly prohibited.




3.3

Whether or not a conflict of interest exists or will exist can be unclear. Conflicts of interest should be avoided unless specifically authorized as described in Section 3.4.


3.4

Persons other than directors and executive officers who have questions about a potential conflict of interest or who become aware of an actual or potential conflict should discuss the matter with, and seek a determination and prior authorization or approval from, their supervisor or the Chief Executive Officer. A supervisor may not authorize or approve conflict of interest matters or make determinations as to whether a problematic conflict of interest exists without first providing the Chief Executive Officer with a written description of the activity and seeking the Chief Executive Officer's written approval. If the supervisor is himself involved in the potential or actual conflict, the matter should instead be discussed directly with the Chief Executive Officer.

Directors and executive officers must seek determinations and prior authorizations or approvals of potential conflicts of interest exclusively from the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.


4.

Compliance .


4.1

Employees, officers and directors should comply, both in letter and spirit, with all applicable laws, rules and regulations in the cities, states and countries in which the Company operates.


4.2

Although not all employees, officers and directors are expected to know the details of all applicable laws, rules and regulations, it is important to know enough to determine when to seek advice from appropriate personnel. Questions about compliance should be addressed to the Comptroller who shall engage legal counsel as necessary.


4.3

No director, officer or employee may purchase or sell any Company securities while in possession of material non-public information regarding the Company, nor may any director, officer or employee purchase or sell another company's securities while in possession of material non-public information regarding that company. It is against Company policies and illegal for any director, officer or employee to use material non-public information regarding the Company or any other company to:

(a)

obtain profit for himself or herself; or

(b)

directly or indirectly "tip" others who might make an investment decision on the basis of that information.


5.

Disclosure .


5.1

The Company's periodic reports and other documents filed with the SEC, including all financial statements and other financial information, must comply with applicable federal securities laws and SEC rules.


5.2

Each director, officer and employee who contributes in any way to the preparation or verification of the Company's financial statements and other financial information must ensure that the Company's books, records and accounts are accurately maintained. Each director, officer and employee must cooperate fully with the Company's accounting and internal audit departments, as well as the Company's independent public accountants and counsel.




2



5.3

Each director, officer and employee who is involved in the Company's disclosure process must:

(a)

be familiar with and comply with the Company's disclosure controls and procedures and its internal control over financial reporting; and

(b)

take all necessary steps to ensure that all filings with the SEC and all other public communications about the financial and business condition of the Company provide full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure.


6.

Protection and Proper Use of Company Assets .


6.1

All directors, officers and employees should protect the Company's assets and ensure their efficient use. Theft, carelessness and waste have a direct impact on the Company's profitability and are prohibited.


6.2

All Company assets should be used only for legitimate business purposes, though incidental personal use may be permitted. Any suspected incident of fraud or theft should be reported for investigation immediately.


6.3

The obligation to protect Company assets includes the Company's proprietary information. Proprietary information includes intellectual property such as trade secrets, patents, trademarks, and copyrights, as well as business and marketing plans, engineering and manufacturing ideas, designs, databases, records and any non-public financial data or reports. Unauthorized use or distribution of this information is prohibited and could also be illegal and result in civil or criminal penalties.


7.

Corporate Opportunities . All directors, officers and employees owe a duty to the Company to advance its interests when the opportunity arises. Directors, officers and employees are prohibited from taking for themselves personally (or for the benefit of friends or family members) opportunities that are discovered through the use of Company assets, property, information or position. Directors, officers and employees may not use Company assets, property, information or position for personal gain (including gain of friends or family members). In addition, no director, officer or employee may compete with the Company.


8.

Confidentiality . Directors, officers and employees should maintain the confidentiality of information entrusted to them by the Company or by its customers, suppliers or partners, except when disclosure is expressly authorized or legally required. Confidential information includes all non-public information (regardless of its source) that might be of use to the Company's competitors or harmful to the Company or its customers, suppliers or partners if disclosed.


9.

Fair Dealing . Each director, officer and employee must deal fairly with the Company's customers, suppliers, partners, service providers, competitors, employees and anyone else with whom he or she has contact in the course of performing his or her job. No director, officer or employee may take unfair advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse or privileged information, misrepresentation of facts or any other unfair dealing practice.








3



10.

Reporting and Enforcement .


10.1

Reporting and Investigation of Violations.


(a)

Actions prohibited by this code involving directors or executive officers must be reported to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

(b)

Actions prohibited by this code involving any other person must be reported to the reporting person's supervisor or the Chief Executive Officer.

(c)

After receiving a report of an alleged prohibited action, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, the relevant supervisor or the Chief Executive Officer must promptly take all appropriate actions necessary to investigate.

(d)

All directors, officers and employees are expected to cooperate in any internal investigation of misconduct.


10.2

Enforcement.


(a)

The Company must ensure prompt and consistent action against violations of this Code.

(b)

If, after investigating a report of an alleged prohibited action by a director or executive officer, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee determines that a violation of this Code has occurred, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will report such determination to the Board of Directors.

(c)

If, after investigating a report of an alleged prohibited action by any other person, the relevant supervisor or the Chief Executive Officer determines that a violation of this Code has occurred, the supervisor or the Chief Executive Officer will report such determination to the Company’s legal counsel.

(d)

Upon receipt of a determination that there has been a violation of this Code, the Board of Directors or the Company’s Chief Executive Officer will take such preventative or disciplinary action as it deems appropriate, including, but not limited to, reassignment, demotion, dismissal and, in the event of criminal conduct or other serious violations of the law, notification of appropriate governmental authorities.


10.3

Waivers.


(a)

Each of the Board of Directors (in the case of a violation by a director or executive officer) and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (in the case of a violation by any other person) may, in its discretion, waive any violation of this Code.

(b)

Any waiver for a director or an executive officer shall be disclosed as required by SEC and NASDAQ rules.


10.4

Prohibition on Retaliation.


The Company does not tolerate acts of retaliation against any director, officer or employee who makes a good faith report of known or suspected acts of misconduct or other violations of this Code.



4




Acknowledgment of Receipt and Review


To be signed and returned to the Comptroller.


I, _______________________, acknowledge that I have received and read a copy of the SMTP, Inc. Code of Ethics and Business Conduct. I understand the contents of the Code and I agree to comply with the policies and procedures set out in the Code.


I understand that I should approach the Chief Executive Officer if I have any questions about the Code generally or any questions about reporting a suspected conflict of interest or other violation of the Code.



 

________________________

Signature


________________________

Printed Name


________________________

Date




5


EXHIBIT 99.1


SMTP, Inc. Adds New CFO; Expands Board of Directors

 

Nashua, NH , January 14, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SMTP, Inc. ( SMTP ), a global provider of email delivery services, announced today the appointment of Lewis Moorehead as SMTP’s new Chief Financial Officer and the expansion of its Board of Directors from three to five members, including the addition of an additional independent director.


Lewis Moorehead is a certified public accountant with nearly 20 years of experience. Most recently, Mr. Moorehead was VP of Finance and Principal Accounting Officer of Limelight Networks, a NASDAQ-listed internet company. Previously, Mr. Moorehead was VP and Chief Accounting Officer of eTelecare Global Solutions, a NASDAQ-listed global call-center operator. Mr. Moorehead began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and after nine years of service he joined American Express as Vice President and Controller where he, among other things, participated in numerous significant merger, acquisition and divesture transactions.


Also, SMTP’s Board of Directors appointed Jonathan M. Strimling, SMTP’s current Chief Executive Officer, and David A. Buckel, to its Board of Directors. Mr. Buckel will chair SMTP’s newly formed audit committee.


David Buckel brings to SMTP more than 15 years of experience as CFO for a number of public and private companies in the IT, software, service, healthcare, internet, and technology industries. Mr. Buckel has provided strategic and functional consulting services to both private and small public technology companies. Mr. Buckel has hands-on experience creating accounting and control systems and processes, financial statements, financial and operating metrics, dashboards, cash flow forecast, budget processes, trend analysis and dealing with auditors . Mr. Buckel also serves as a Mentor at the USF Student Innovation Incubator, which is administered by the USF Research Foundation, Inc.


“As we continue to prepare to uplist to a senior exchange, strengthening our management and board has been a priority,” stated Jonathan Strimling, CEO of SMTP. “Both Lewis and David are seasoned financial professionals who bring a wealth of experience to SMTP.”

 

About SMTP, Inc.

SMTP is a leading provider of services to facilitate email delivery, with a focus on marketing email delivery, but also supporting bulk and transactional sending, reputation management, compliance auditing, abuse processing and issue resolution. Our services provide customers with the ability to increase the deliverability of email with less time, cost and complexity than handling it themselves.

SMTP, Inc. is a dividend-paying, publicly-traded company headquartered in Nashua, NH, and can be found on the web at  http://www.smtp.com .




Safe Harbor Statement

The information posted in this release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by use of the words "may," "will," "should," "plans," "explores," "expects," "anticipates," "continues," "estimates," "projects," "intends," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, general economic and business conditions, effects of continued geopolitical unrest and regional conflicts, competition, changes in technology and methods of marketing, delays in completing new customer offerings, changes in customer order patterns, changes in customer offering mix, continued success in technological advances and delivering technological innovations, delays due to issues with outsourced service providers, and various other factors beyond the Company's control.

Investor Contact:

Brendan Hopkins

RedChip Companies, Inc.

Tel: +1-800-733-2447, ext. 134

info@redchip.com

http://www.redchip.com