SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Filed by the Registrant [X] Filed by a Party other than the Registrant [ ] Check the appropriate box: [ ] Preliminary Proxy Statement [ ] Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) [X] Definitive Proxy Statement [ ] Definitive Additional Materials [ ] Soliciting Material Pursuant to Section 240.14a-11(c) or Section 240.14a-12 Astronics Corporation (Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter) Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box): [X] No fee required. [ ] Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4) and 0-11. 1) Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies: ________________________________________________________________ 2) Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies: ________________________________________________________________ 3) Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined): ________________________________________________________________ [ ] Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. [ ] 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. 1) Amount Previously Paid:_______________________________________ 2) Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:_________________ 3) Filing Party:_________________________________________________ 4) Date Filed:___________________________________________________ ASTRONICS CORPORATION 1801 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14207 Dear Fellow Shareholders: It is my pleasure to invite you to attend the 2000 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held at the Orchard Park Country Club, S-4777 South Buffalo Street, Orchard Park, New York, at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 20, 2000. The doors will open at 9:30 a.m. Your vote is important. To be sure your shares are voted at the meeting, even if you are unable to attend in person, please sign and return the enclosed proxy card(s) as promptly as possible. This will not prevent you from voting your shares in person if you do attend. The Annual Meeting of Shareholders will be held to consider and take action with regard to the election of five directors and the approval of the selection of the Company's auditors. Complete details are included in the accompanying proxy statement. I look forward to meeting with you and hearing your views on the progress of Astronics. Kevin T. Keane Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer Buffalo, New York March 13, 2000 (This page intentionally left blank) ASTRONICS CORPORATION 1801 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14207 NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS TO THE SHAREHOLDERS OF ASTRONICS CORPORATION: NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Astronics Corporation will be held at the Orchard Park County Club, S-4777 South Buffalo Street, Orchard Park, New York, on Thursday, April 20, 2000 at 10:00 a.m., to consider and take action on the following: 1. The election of five directors of the Company to serve for the ensuing year and until the next annual meeting of Shareholders and the election and qualification of their successors. 2. The selection of Ernst & Young LLP, independent certified public accountants, as auditors of the Company for the current fiscal year. 3. The transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournments thereof. FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the stock transfer books of the Company will not be closed, but only Shareholders of record at the close of business on March 3, 2000 will be entitled to notice of the meeting and to vote at the meeting. SHAREHOLDERS WHO WILL BE UNABLE TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING IN PERSON MAY ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING BY PROXY. SUCH SHAREHOLDERS ARE REQUESTED TO COMPLETE, DATE, SIGN AND RETURN THE ENCLOSED PROXY CARD(S) IN THE RETURN ENVELOPE ENCLOSED. By Order of the Board of Directors JOHN B. DRENNING, Secretary Buffalo, New York Dated: March 13, 2000 -1- PROXY STATEMENT FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS April 20, 2000 This Proxy Statement and the enclosed form of proxy are furnished to the Shareholders of ASTRONICS CORPORATION, a New York corporation ("Astronics" or the "Company"), in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors of the Company for use at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the "Annual Meeting") to be held on Thursday, April 20, 2000 at 10:00 a.m., and at any adjournment thereof, for the purposes set forth in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders. In addition to solicitation by mail, to the extent necessary to ensure sufficient representation at the Annual Meeting, solicitations may be made by personal interview, telephone or telegram by officers and other regular employees of the Company. The cost of this proxy solicitation will be borne by the Company. It is contemplated that this Proxy Statement and the related form of proxy will be first sent to shareholders on March 13, 2000. If the enclosed proxy is properly executed and returned, and the Shareholder specifies a choice on the proxy, the shares represented thereby will be voted (or withheld from voting) in accordance with the instructions contained therein. If the proxy is executed and returned but no specification is made, the proxy will be voted FOR the election of each of the nominees for director listed below and FOR the proposal to ratify the appointment of independent auditors. The Board of Directors of the Company knows of no business that will be presented for consideration at the Annual Meeting other than the matters described in this Proxy Statement. If any other matters are presented at the Annual Meeting, the proxy holders will vote the proxies in accordance with their judgment. Any proxy given pursuant to this solicitation may be revoked by the Shareholder at any time prior to its use, by the Shareholder voting in person at the meeting, by submitting a proxy bearing a date subsequent to the date on the proxy to be revoked or by written notice to the Secretary of the Company. A notice of revocation need not be on any specific form. RECORD DATE AND VOTING SECURITIES The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on March 3, 2000 as the record date for determining the holders of Common Stock and Class B Stock entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting. On March 3, 2000, Astronics had outstanding and entitled to vote at the meeting a total of 5,023,037 shares of Common Stock and 666,181 shares of Class B Stock. Each outstanding share of Common Stock is entitled to one vote and each outstanding share of Class B Stock is entitled to ten votes on all matters to be brought before the meeting. -2- Abstentions and broker non-votes are counted for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum for the transaction of business. With regard to the election of directors, votes may be cast in favor of or withheld; votes that are withheld will be excluded entirely from the vote and will have no effect. Abstentions may be specified on proposals other than the election of directors. In accordance with New York law, such abstentions are not counted in determining the number of votes cast in connection with the appointment of independent auditors. Under applicable law, broker non-votes are counted for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum, but are not counted for purposes of determining the votes cast on a proposal. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT The following table sets forth information concerning the only persons known to the Company to own more than 5% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock or Class B Stock and the number of shares and percentage of each class beneficially owned by each director, each executive officer named in the Summary Compensation Table and by all directors and executive officers as a group as of March 3, 2000. Shares of Common Stock Shares of Class B Stock Name and Address ---------------------- ----------------------- of Owner (1) Number Percentage Number Percentage ------------ ------ ---------- ------ ---------- Robert T. Brady (2)(3) 2,282 - - - John B. Drenning (2) 37,852 .8% 20,275 3.0% Robert J. McKenna (2) 1,100 - - - Kevin T. Keane (2)(4) 428,306 8.5 % 262,875 39.5% John M. Yessa (2)(5) 190,658 3.8% 65,259 9.8% FMR Corp.(6) 387,950 7.7% - - 82 Devonshire Street Boston, MA 02109 -3- Oak Forest Investment 491,000 9.8% - - Management (6) 6701 Democracy Blvd. Suite 402 Bethesda, MD 20817 All directors and executive officers as a group (5 persons) 660,198 13.1% 348,409 52.3% (1) The address for all owners except FMR Corp. and Oak Forest Investment Management is: c/o Astronics Corporation, 1801 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14207. (2) Does not include 74,899, 74,899, 7,700, 13,900 and 58,575 shares of Common Stock which may be acquired by Messrs. Brady, Drenning, Keane, McKenna and Yessa, respectively, through the exercise within sixty days of options granted under the 1992 Incentive Stock Option Plan, the 1982 Incentive Stock Option Plan, or by directors under the 1997 Director Stock Option Plan, the 1993 Director Stock Option Plan or the 1984 Director Stock Option Plan. (3) Includes 2,282 shares of Common Stock owned by Mr. Brady's wife, as to which he disclaims beneficial ownership. (4) Includes 3,681 shares of Common Stock and 2,002 shares of Class B Stock owned by Mr. Keane's wife, as to which he disclaims beneficial ownership. Includes 55,000 shares of Common Stock held in a trust for the benefit of Mr. Keane's wife, as to which he disclaims beneficial ownership. (5) Includes 4,037 shares of Common Stock and 500 shares of Class B Stock owned by the Yessa Family Partnership, over which Mr. Yessa exercises voting and dispositive power. Includes 82,500 shares of Common Stock owned by Mr. Yessa's wife, as to which he disclaims beneficial ownership. (6) FMR Corp. and Oak Forest Investment Management have reported that each has sole voting power and sole dispositive power. -4- ELECTION OF DIRECTORS The Shareholders are being asked to elect five directors to the Company's Board of Directors to hold office until the election and qualification of their successors at the next annual meeting. The five directors who are so elected will be all of the directors of the Company. Unless the proxy directs otherwise, the persons named in the enclosed form of proxy will vote for the election of the five nominees named below. If any of the nominees should be unable to serve as a director, or for good reason will not serve, the proxy will be voted in accordance with the best judgment of the person or persons acting under it. It is not anticipated that any of the nominees will be unable to serve. All nominees have been members of the Board since the date indicated and have been elected at prior annual meetings of the Shareholders. The nominees for directors, their ages, their principal occupations during at least the past five years, their positions and offices with Astronics and the date each was first elected a director of Astronics are as follows: Name and Age Principal Occupation and Positions First Elected of Nominee and Offices with Astronics Director ------------ ---------------------------------- ------------- Robert T. Brady Director; Executive Compensation and Audit 1990 Age 59 Committees of the Board of Directors. Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Moog Inc. John B. Drenning Secretary and Director; Executive 1970 Age 62 Compensation and Audit Committees of the Board of Directors. Partner in Hodgson, Russ, Andrews, Woods & Goodyear, LLP, Attorneys for the Company, Buffalo, New York. Robert J. McKenna Director; Executive Compensation and Audit 1996 Age 51 Committees of the Board of Directors. Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Acme Electric Corporation. Kevin T. Keane Chairman of the Board, President, 1970 Age 67 Chief Executive Officer and Director. John M. Yessa Vice President-Finance, Treasurer, Chief 1985 Age 60 Financial Officer, and Director. -5- Other Directorships In addition to serving as a member of the Astronics Board of Directors, Robert T. Brady is presently serving on the board of directors of other publicly-traded companies, as follows: Moog Inc., Seneca Foods Corporation, M&T Bank Corporation, Acme Electric Corporation and National Fuel Gas Company. Robert J. McKenna also serves as a member of the board of directors of Acme Electric Corporation. Meetings of the Board of Directors and Standing Committees During fiscal year ended December 31, 1999, the Board of Directors of the Company had two standing committees: an Audit Committee and an Executive Compensation Committee. The Audit Committee is responsible for reviewing the internal accounting controls and procedures of the Company with management and the independent auditors, accounting principles, related party transactions and the scope of the annual audit of the Company. The Compensation Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving compensation levels for the Company's executive officers and reviewing and making recommendations to the Board of Directors with respect to other matters relating to the compensation practices of the Company. The Board of Directors does not have a nominating committee. Board and Committee Attendance During the fiscal year ended December 31, 1999, the Board of Directors held four meetings. The Audit Committee held two meetings and the Compensation Committee held three meetings. Every member of the Board of Directors attended each of the meetings of the Board of Directors and of all committees on which he served. Compensation of Directors In 1999, outside directors were paid an annual retainer of $7,200 and an additional fee of $500 for each meeting attended of the Board and its committees. Directors are permitted to defer their compensation. The Company's 1997 Director Stock Option Plan for non-salaried outside directors provides for the grant of options to purchase up to an aggregate of 100,000 shares of Common Stock (subject to adjustment to reflect share distributions). Outside directors are eligible to receive options under this Plan at the discretion of a committee appointed by the Board of Directors who are not eligible to participate in the Plan. Under the Plan, the option price is not less than the fair market value of the shares optioned on the date of grant. There is no limit on the number of options that a participant may be granted under the Plan. Options are exercisable beginning six months after grant and for so long as the holder is a director of the Company, but not longer than ten years from the date of grant. -6- On February 17, 2000, the committee charged with administration of the Plan granted options to purchase shares of Common Stock to outside directors at the price of $9.125 per share as follows: Mr. Brady 4,000 shares; Mr. Drenning 4,000 shares; and Mr. McKenna 4,000 shares. Certain Interests Mr. Drenning is a partner of the law firm of Hodgson, Russ, Andrews, Woods & Goodyear, LLP. Such firm is counsel to the Company. Employment Agreements The Company has entered into one year employment agreements with Messrs. Keane and Yessa that are renewable on a yearly basis. Each year the Company adjusts the salary for both Messrs. Keane and Yessa as discussed below in the Compensation Committee report. Directors' and Officers' Indemnification Insurance On October 10, 1998, the Company renewed a Directors' and Officers' Liability Insurance policy written by The Chubb Group. The renewal was for a three-year period at an annual premium of $42,667. The policy provides indemnification benefits and the payment of expenses in actions instituted against any director or officer of the Company for claimed liability arising out of their conduct in such capacities. No significant payments or claims of indemnification or expenses have been made under any such insurance policies by the Company at any time. Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance During 1999, all executive officers and directors of the Company timely filed with the Securities Exchange Commission all required reports with respect to beneficial ownership of the Company's securities. THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR" THE PROPOSAL TO ELECT MANAGEMENT'S NOMINEES. -7- EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION Compensation Committee Report on Executive Compensation The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors (the "Committee") determines the compensation of the Chief Executive Officer and the other executive officers of the Company and its subsidiaries. The Committee is composed entirely of directors who are neither executive officers nor employees of the Company. In addition to determining the salary and bonus compensation for all the Company's executive officers, the Committee determines the grants under the Company's Incentive Stock Option Plan and oversees the administration of other compensation plans and programs. Compensation of Executive Officers Generally The Company's executive compensation program is designed to link executive pay to Company performance and to provide an incentive to executives to manage the Company with a view to enhancing stockholder value. Compensation criteria are evaluated annually to ensure they are appropriate and consistent with business objectives. Executive compensation policies and programs are intended to provide rewards related to Company, subsidiary and individual performance, stockholder value, retention of a strong management team and the encouragement of professional development and growth. Components of Compensation The primary components of the Company's executive compensation program are salary, bonuses and stock options which become exercisable over time. Salary and Bonuses. The Committee reviews the salary of executive officers annually. The Committee's review takes into consideration the Company's performance with respect to customary financial and operating yardsticks, including revenues, operating income, earnings, cash flow, and return on shareholder equity. In making salary decisions, the Committee exercises its discretion and judgment based on the foregoing criteria, without applying a specific formula to each factor considered. The Committee also reviews an annual survey of the compensation levels of executives in similar industry segments. A substantial portion of executive compensation each year is in the form of bonuses, which are awarded by the Committee immediately following the fiscal year just concluded. Stock Options. The Committee believes that stock options are an important method of rewarding management and of aligning management's interests with those of the stockholders. The Committee also recognizes that the Company conducts its business in competitive industries and that, in order to remain competitive and pursue a growth strategy, it must employ talented executives and managers. The Company believes that stock options are important in attracting and retaining such employees. For these reasons, the Company adopted the Incentive Stock Option Plan as a stock-based incentive program primarily for its officers and managers. Under the Incentive Stock Option Plan, the Committee may grant options to officers and managers who are expected to contribute to the Company's success. In determining the size of stock option grants, the Committee focuses primarily on the Company's performance and the role of the executives and managers in accomplishing performance objectives. Stock options generally become exercisable in equal installments over a five-year period and are granted with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the Common Stock as of the date of grant. -8- The Committee intends to continue using stock options as a long-term incentive for executive officers and managers. Because options provide rewards only to the extent the Company's stock price increases and to the extent the executives remain with the Company until the options become exercisable, the Committee believes that stock options granted under the Incentive Stock Option Plan are an appropriate means to provide executives and managers with incentives that align their interests with those of stockholders. Compensation of the Chief Executive Officer Mr. Keane currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Company. He was compensated for the 1999 fiscal year utilizing the same general philosophy and criteria described above. The Committee believes that Mr. Keane's performance for the 1999 fiscal year was strong, as reflected by the Company's overall performance. The Company's sales increased to $50.6 million for the 1999 fiscal year from $46.1 million the prior year, while net earnings increased to $4.8 million from $4.3 million. Earnings per share increased to $.81 from $.73 a year ago. The return on shareholder equity for the year was in excess of 21 percent. The Committee believes that Mr. Keane's total compensation for the 1999 fiscal year fairly and sufficiently rewarded him for performance. The foregoing report has been approved by all of the members of the Committee. The Compensation Committee Robert T. Brady John B. Drenning Robert J. McKenna -9- Executive Compensation Summary Table The following tabulation shows on an accrual basis the compensation for the three fiscal years ended December 31, 1999, received by the two highest paid executive officers of the Company who received more than $100,000: