UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
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 x
Check the appropriate box:
¨ | Preliminary Proxy Statement | |
¨ | Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) | |
¨ | Definitive Proxy Statement | |
x | Definitive Additional Materials | |
¨ | Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12 |
COMMONWEALTH REIT
(Name of the Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
CORVEX MANAGEMENT LP
KEITH MEISTER
RELATED FUND MANAGEMENT, LLC
RELATED REAL ESTATE RECOVERY FUND GP-A, LLC
RELATED REAL ESTATE RECOVERY FUND GP, L.P.
RELATED REAL ESTATE RECOVERY FUND, L.P.
RRERF ACQUISITION, LLC
JEFF T. BLAU
RICHARD OTOOLE
DAVID R. JOHNSON
JAMES CORL
EDWARD GLICKMAN
PETER LINNEMAN
JIM LOZIER
KENNETH SHEA
EGI-CW HOLDINGS, L.L.C.
DAVID HELFAND
SAMUEL ZELL
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
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The following presentation was delivered today to Institutional Shareholder Services:
The
Choice Is Clear Presentation to CWH Shareholders
February 18, 2014 |
2
Introduction
Sam Zell & David Helfand Have Joined Corvex/Relateds Slate of Nominees
Mr. Zell is willing to serve as Chairman of the Board, if so appointed by the new
Board
Mr. Zell is the current Chairman of Equity Residential, Equity LifeStyle
Properties, Covanta Holding Corporation and Anixter International Inc. and
the former Chairman of Equity
Office
Properties
Trust
(formerly
the
largest
REIT
in
the
U.S.)
Mr. Helfand is willing to serve as CommonWealths CEO, if so appointed by the
new Board
Mr. Helfand is Co-President of EGI and has previously served as Executive Vice
President and Chief Investment Officer of Equity Office Properties Trust
and President and CEO of Equity LifeStyle Properties
Mr. Zell and Mr. Helfand bring exceptional investment, real estate and public
company credentials
to
an
already
highly
qualified
slate
of
nominees
(1)
Mr. Zell and Mr. Helfand plan to bring to the Company their highly qualified and
experienced management team to execute on a value-driven strategy and
utilize their expertise in turning around underperforming assets
(1)
Detailed biographies are included in the Appendix
Sam Zell is recognized as a founding father of todays public real estate
industry after creating three of the most successful REITs in history: Equity
Office Properties Trust (EOP), Equity Residential (EQR), and
Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS) |
3
The Choice Is Clear
CommonWealth Shareholders Have a Choice Between Two Paths
The Portnoys
path of conflicted external management, value destruction, and
the absence of accountability, with which CWH shareholders are all too familiar
OR
Sam Zells path of aligned internal management and accountability that fosters
the
incentives
critical
in
building
a
successful
company
focused
on
the
long-
term creation of shareholder value
CWH has underperformed for years due to a severe misalignment of
interests in an external
management structure through which the Portnoys effectively control CWH despite
owning virtually no stock, with the fees they pay themselves through RMR
being their only meaningful economic interest in the Company
Not surprisingly, CWH's stock generated a cumulative total return of a mere 7% over
a nearly 16-year
span
(1)
during
which
time
CWH
paid
RMR
approximately
$800
million
(2)
in
fees
In glaring contrast, Sam Zell's track record speaks for itself: Mr. Zell created 3
of the most successful REITs in history
As evidenced in the chart on the following page, we believe Mr. Zell's chairmanship
of EOP, EQR, ELS has unquestionably maximized value for shareholders over
the same 16-year period in which CWH generated 7% returns
We believe the choice could not be more clear
(1)
From 7/7/1997 (the earliest date on which the Zell-chaired REITs and CWH
were all public) to 2/25/2013 (the last trading day before Corvex and Related filed their initial 13-D).
(2)
2013 RMR fees reflected annualized YTD 9/30/2013 figures. Q3 2013 RMR fees
include fees paid by SIR to make the figure comparable to historically disclosed figures. |
The
Choice Is Clear: Value Creation Sam Zells Unrivaled Track Record for
Value Creation Total Return Performance
Zell-Chaired REITs vs. CWH vs. RMR Fees
(1)
Total returns through February 25, 2013, the day prior to Related and Corvexs
initial 13-D filing. (2)
2013 RMR fees reflected annualized YTD 9/30/2013 figures. Q3 2013 RMR fees
include fees paid by SIR to make the figure comparable to historically disclosed figures.
Sources: Company filings, SNL
(1)
(2)
Cumulative total returns
Zell-Chaired REITs
CWH
Variance
Timeframe
EOP
368%
103%
(265%)
7/7/1997 - 2/9/2007
EQR
422%
7%
(415%)
7/7/1997 - 2/25/2013
ELS
574%
7%
(567%)
7/7/1997 - 2/25/2013
4
($100)
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
(100%)
0%
100%
200%
300%
400%
500%
600%
700%
800%
1997
2000
2003
2006
2009
2012
CWH
EOP
EQR
ELS
Cumulative RMR
Fees
EOP:
368%
CWH: 7%
EQR:
422%
ELS:
574%
Cumulative RMR
fees since
1997: $791 million
(2) |
5
The Choice Is Clear: Alignment of Interests & Accountability
Board & Management Focused on Increasing Shareholder Value
Sam Zell and David Helfand fully support efforts to maximize value at CommonWealth
for
all
shareholders
and
see
an
attractive
opportunity
at
CommonWealth
uniquely
suited
to their expertise in leading public real estate companies and in turning around
underperforming assets.
Their philosophy includes:
A
core
operating
principle
of
aligning
interests
between
company
leadership
and
shareholders
A
conviction
that
an
internal
management
structure
promotes
incentives
to
build
successful
companies
for
the
long-run
creation
of
shareholder
value,
while
external
management
structures are suboptimal given inherent conflicts of interest
A belief
that
shareholders
deserve
good
governance,
transparency
and
accountability
from
company leadership
A belief
that
a
public
companys
fiduciary
responsibility
to
its
shareholders
is
paramount
Led by Sam Zell, our highly qualified nominees offer shareholders a choice to
elect an accountable and properly aligned board charged with being their
advocate |
6
The Choice Is Clear: Good Governance
With Good Governance Shareholders Will Always Have A Choice
We are concerned about any attempts to preclude shareholder rights, and our
companies are free of such impediments.
-Sam Zell, Corvex/Related Press Release, February 11, 2014
With good corporate governance, shareholders will be able to hold their board
and
managers
accountable
without
having
to
spend
exorbitant
sums
litigating
for
the
right
to
do
so
if
shareholders
disapprove
of
our
slates
performance,
they
can simply nominate to replace them at the next Annual Meeting
The core governance principles below are necessary underpinnings to good governance:
Annual elections for all Trustees beginning at the 2014 Annual Meeting (no staggered board) Plurality vote for contested
elections
A conventional notification process for trustee nominations and other important Company
i.e., elimination of unreasonably burdensome ownership/holding period
requirements and other procedural roadblocks
No changes to these provisions without a shareholder vote business
|
7
The Choice Is Clear: Highly Qualified Independent Board
There Is No Comparison
Note: SNH: Senior Housing, HPT: Hospitality Properties Trust, SIR: Select Income
REIT, GOV: Government Properties Income Trust The Portnoy Board
Zell-Chaired Slate of Nominees
Barry Portnoy
Sam Zell
Managing
Trustee,
CWH,
SNH,
HPT,
SIR,
GOV
Majority Owner, Chairman, RMR
Managing Director,
Five Star Quality Care, Inc.,
Managing Director,
TravelCenters of America LLC
Chairman, Equity Residential
Chairman, Equity LifeStyle Properties
Founder and Chairman, Equity Group Investments
Chairman, Equity International
Chairman, Covanta Holding Corporation
Chairman, Anixter International
Former Chairman, Equity Office Properties Trust
Adam Portnoy
David Helfand
Managing
Trustee,
CWH,
SNH,
HPT,
SIR,
GOV
Minority Owner, Director, CEO, President, RMR
Co-President, Equity Group Investments
Founder, President, Helix Funds
Former CEO, American Residential Communities
Former CIO, Equity Office Properties Trust
Former Managing Director, Equity International
Former President, CEO, Equity Lifestyle Properties
(all managed by RMR)
(all managed by RMR) |
8
The Choice Is Clear: Highly Qualified Independent Board
There Is No Comparison (cont.)
The Portnoy Board (cont.)
Zell-Chaired Slate of Nominees (cont.)
Ronald Artinian
Jim Corl
Trustee, Reserve Funds
Trustee, First Real Estate investment Trust of New Jersey
Managing Director/Head of Real Estate, Siguler Guff &
Company
Former CIO, Cohen & Steers, Inc.
William Lamkin
Edward Glickman
Partner, Ackrell Capital
Trustee,
HPT,
SIR
Exec. Director, Center for Real Estate Finance Research,
NYU Stern School of Business
Clinical Professor of Finance, NYU Stern School of Business
Executive Chairman, FG Asset Management US
Senior Advisor, Econsult Solutions, Inc.
Ann Logan
Peter Linneman
Former Director, PHH Corporation
Former Chief Credit Officer, Fannie Mae
Emeritus Albert Sussman Professor of Real Estate, Wharton
School of Business
Principal, Linneman Associates
Principal, American Land Funds
Joseph Morea
Jim Lozier
Former Vice Chairman, Managing Director, RBC Capital
Markets-US Equity Markets
Co-founder and former CEO, Archon Group L.P. (wholly
owned subsidiary of Goldman Sachs)
Fred Zeytoonjian
Kenneth Shea
Founder, Former Chairman & CEO, Turf Products, LLC
Trustee
of
SNH
President, Coastal Capital Management LLC
Former Sr. Managing Director, Bear, Stearns Investment
Banking
Note: SNH: Senior Housing, HPT: Hospitality Properties Trust, SIR: Select Income
REIT. (both managed by RMR)
(managed by RMR) |
9
The Choice Is Clear
Timeline and Path
The
Panel
set
forth
the
following
procedures
for
the
new
consent
solicitation:
Request for a record date must have been submitted by February 16, 2014
Corvex and Related submitted a formal request for a record date on February 14,
2014
CWH must establish a record date that falls within 10 business days of the record
date request
On February 10, 2014, CWH announced a record date of February 18, 2014,
conditioned on their receipt of the record date request that Corvex and Related
have now delivered
In accordance with the Arbitration Panels interim award our consent
solicitation will be completed no later than March 20, 2014
The Company will have 5 business days to certify the results of the
solicitation If the consent solicitation to remove all the Trustees is
successful, the officers of CWH must promptly call a special meeting of
shareholders to elect new Trustees to the Board The
date
of
the
special
meeting
must
be
within
10
to
60
calendar
days
of
the
date
of
notice of such meeting |
10
Appendix |
11
Highly Qualified Nominees
Truly Independent Slate
Chairman, Founder, Equity Group Investments
(EGI) Chairman, Founder,
Equity International Mr.
Zell
maintains
substantial
interests
in
and
serves
as
Chairman
of
four
public
companies,
two
of
which
are
REITs
-
Equity
Residential (NYSE: EQR), the largest multifamily REIT, and Equity LifeStyle
Properties (NYSE: ELS), the largest manufactured
home
community
REIT.
He
is
also
Chairman
of
Covanta
Holding
Corporation
(NYSE:
CVA),
an
international
leader in converting waste to energy, and Anixter International (NYSE: AXE), a
global supplier of communications and security products.
Mr. Zell also serves as Chairman of two private investment firms, Equity Group
Investments, which he founded over 40 years ago, and Equity International.
While EGIs roots are in real estate, the firms investments today span industries and
continents, and include interests in real estate, energy, logistics,
transportation, media, and health care, among others. Equity International,
which Mr. Zell founded in 1999, is a private investment firm focused on building real estate-related
businesses in international emerging markets.
Mr. Zell is a member of the Presidents Advisory Board at the University of
Michigan, and with the combined efforts of the University of Michigan
Business School, established the Zell/Lurie Entrepreneurial Center. He is also a long-standing
supporter of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton Real Estate Center, and has
endowed the Samuel Zell/Robert Lurie Real Estate Center at Wharton. Mr. Zell
also endowed the Northwestern University Center for Risk Management. Mr. Zell
holds a BA and a JD from the University of Michigan.
Sam Zell Candidate for Chairman of CommonWealth
Chairman, Equity Residential, Equity LifeStyle
Properties, Covanta Holding Corporation, Anixter International Inc. |
12
Highly Qualified Nominees
Truly Independent Slate (cont.)
David Helfand Candidate for CEO of CommonWealth
Co-President, Equity Group Investments (EGI)
Mr. Helfand is currently Co-President of EGI where he oversees all aspects of the firm. He began
working with Sam Zell more than 25 years ago, and has worked with him in a variety of
capacities since then. Prior to rejoining EGI in 2012, Mr. Helfand was Founder and President of Helix Funds, where he oversaw
the acquisition, management and disposition of more than $2.2 billion of real estate assets.
While at Helix, he also served as Chief Executive Officer for American Residential Communities,
a Helix portfolio company. Before founding Helix, Mr. Helfand served as Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer for
Equity Office Properties Trust, the largest REIT in the U.S. at the time, where he led
approximately $12 billion of mergers and acquisitions activity. Prior to Equity Office, Mr.
Helfand served as a Managing Director and participated in the formation of Equity International. He also
held the role of President and Chief Executive Officer at Equity LifeStyle Properties, and served as
Chairman of the boards audit committee. His earlier career included investment
activity in a variety of asset classes, including retail, office, parking and
multifamily.
Mr. Helfand holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, and a BA from
Northwestern University. He serves as a member of the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee
of National Louis University, as a Director of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie
Childrens Hospital of Chicago, on the Executive Committee of the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center at the
Wharton School, and on the Board of Visitors at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at
Northwestern University. |
13
Highly Qualified Nominees
Truly Independent Slate (cont.)
James Corl
Managing Director and Head of Real Estate, Siguler Guff & Company
James Corl has been a Managing Director at Siguler Guff & Company since 2009,
and is the Head of Real Estate. Mr. Corl oversees the Firms real
estate investment activities, setting investment strategy, designing and constructing the portfolio, identifying potential
investments, and negotiating investment terms and conditions. Prior to joining
Siguler Guff, Mr. Corl spent 13 years in the REIT investment industry, most
recently as Chief Investment Officer for all of the real estate activities of Cohen & Steers, Inc., a leading investor
in
global
real
estate
securities.
While
at
Cohen
&
Steers,
Inc.,
Mr.
Corl
was
directly
responsible
for
over
$30
billion
of
client
assets
invested in mutual funds and institutional separate accounts around the world. As
an Associate with the Real Estate Investment Banking group at Credit Suisse
First Boston, Mr. Corl was involved in acquiring portfolios of non-performing loans and distressed real estate
assets for CSFBs Praedium Real Estate Recovery Fund, as well as restructuring
troubled real estate companies as publicly traded REITs.
Edward Glickman
Executive Director, Center for Real Estate Finance Research, New York University
Stern School of Business Clinical Professor of Finance, New York
University Stern School of Business Executive Chairman, FG Asset
Management US Senior Advisor, Econsult Solutions, Inc.
Edward
Glickman
is
the
Executive
Director
of
the
Center
for
Real
Estate
Finance
Research
and
Clinical
Professor
of
Finance
at
New
York
University
Stern
School
of
Business,
and
has
been
a
Professor
at
the
Stern
School
of
Business
since
2006.
Mr.
Glickman
is
also
currently
the
Executive
Chairman
of
FG
Asset
Management
US,
an
alternative
asset
manager
serving
Korean
investors,
and
is
a
Senior
Advisor
for
Econsult Solutions, Inc., an econometric consulting firm. From 2004 to 2012 Mr.
Glickman served as President and Chief Operating Officer
of
the
Pennsylvania
Real
Estate
Investment
Trust,
where
he
oversaw
all
operating
functions
and
was
a
member
of
its
Board
of
Trustees. Mr. Glickman has more than 30 years of experience in the real estate and
financial services industry having been previously employed by The Rubin
Organization, Presidential Realty Corporation, Shearson Lehman Brothers and Smith Barney. Mr. Glickman is a
Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, a Certified Treasury
Professional and a Registered Securities Principal. |
14
Highly Qualified Nominees
Truly Independent Slate (cont.)
Peter Linneman
Emeritus Albert Sussman Professor of Real Estate, University of Pennsylvania,
Wharton School of Business Principal, Linneman Associates
Principal, American Land Funds
From 1979 to 2011, Dr. Linneman was a Professor of Real Estate, Finance and Public
Policy at the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business and is
currently an Emeritus Albert Sussman Professor of Real Estate there. Dr. Linneman is currently a principal of
Linneman Associates, a real estate advisory firm, and a principal of American Land
Funds, a private real estate acquisition fund. For more than
35
years
he
has
advised
leading
corporations
and
served
on
over
20
public
and
private
boards,
including
serving
as
Chairman
of
Rockefeller Center Properties, where he led the successful restructuring and sale
of Rockefeller Center in the mid-1990s. Dr. Linneman has won accolades
from around the world, including PREAs prestigious Graaskamp Award for Real Estate Research, Whartons Zell-
Lurie Real Estate Centers Lifetime Achievement Award, Realty Stock
Magazines Special Achievement Award, and has been named
One
of
the
25
Most
Influential
People
in
Real
Estate
by
Realtor
Magazine
and
was
included
in
The
New
York
Observers
100
Most
Powerful People in New York Real Estate.
Jim Lozier
Co-founder and former CEO, Archon Group L.P.
Jim Lozier served as co-founder and CEO of Archon Group L.P. from its formation
in 1996 until 2012. Archon, a wholly owned subsidiary of Goldman Sachs, is a
diversified international real estate services and advisory company that under Mr. Loziers leadership managed
36,000 assets with a gross value of approximately $59 billion and over 8,500
employees in offices located in Washington D.C., Los Angeles,
Dallas,
Boston,
Asia
and
Europe.
Prior
to
the
formation
of
Archon,
Mr.
Lozier
was
an
employee
of
the
J.E.
Robert
Company
and
was
responsible
for
managing
the
Goldman
Sachs/J.E.
Robert
joint
venture
for
two
years.
Mr.
Lozier
directed
the
acquisition
efforts
of
the
joint venture between GS and JER from 1991-1995. Jim has served on the Board of
Directors of Dallas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children)
since 1999, and currently is on the Executive Committee and is heading CASAs capital campaign. |
15
Highly Qualified Nominees
Truly Independent Slate (cont.)
Kenneth Shea
President, Coastal Capital Management LLC
Kenneth
Shea
is
the
President
of
Coastal
Capital
Management
LLC,
an
affiliate
of
Coastal
Development,
LLC,
a
New
York-based
privately-held developer of resort destinations, luxury hotels and casino
gaming facilities. Prior to joining Coastal in September 2009, from July
2008 to August 2009, Mr. Shea was a Managing Director for Icahn Capital LP, where Mr. Shea had responsibility for principal
investments in the gaming and leisure industries. From 1996 to 2008, Mr. Shea was
employed by Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc., where he was a Senior Managing
Director and global head of the Gaming and Leisure investment banking department. At Bear, Stearns, Mr. Shea
played an active role on over $55 billion of M&A and capital raising
transactions for many of the leading public companies in the gaming and
leisure sector including Harrahs Entertainment, Inc., Station Casinos Inc., Penn National Gaming Inc., Las Vegas Sands Corp., Wynn
Resorts Ltd., and Carnival Corp. Mr. Shea currently serves on the board of
directors of CVR Refining, LP. |
16
Disclaimer
This presentation does not constitute either an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any
interest in any fund associated with Corvex Management LP (Corvex) or Related Fund
Management, LLC (Related). Any such offer would only be made at the time a qualified offeree receives a confidential offering
memorandum and related subscription documentation. The information in
this presentation is based on publicly available information about CommonWealth REIT (the Company). This document includes certain forward-
looking statements, estimates and projections prepared with respect to, among other things, general
economic and market conditions, changes in management, changes in the composition of the
Companys Board of Trustees, actions of the Company and its subsidiaries or competitors, and the ability to implement business
strategies and plans and pursue business opportunities. Such forward-looking statements,
estimates, and projections reflect various assumptions concerning anticipated results that are
inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies and have been included solely for illustrative purposes, including those
risks and uncertainties detailed in the continuous disclosure and other filings of the Company, copies
of which are available on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission website at
www.sec.gov/edgar. No representations, express or implied, are made as to the accuracy or completeness of such forward-looking
statements, estimates or projections or with respect to any other materials herein. Corvex and
Related may buy, sell, cover or otherwise change the form of their investment in the Company
for any reason at any time, without notice, and there can be no assurances that they will take any of the actions described in this
document. Corvex and Related disclaim any duty to provide any updates or changes to the analyses
contained in this document, except as may be required by law. Shareholders and others should
conduct their own independent investigation and analysis of the Company. Except where otherwise indicated, the information in
this document speaks only as of the date set forth on the cover page. Permission to quote third
party reports in this presentation has Additional Information Regarding the Solicitation
Corvex Management LP and Related Fund Management, LLC have filed a definitive solicitation statement
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) to (1) solicit consents to
remove the entire board of trustees of CommonWealth REIT (the Removal Proposal), and (2) elect a slate of new trustees at a
special meeting of shareholders that must be promptly called in the event that the Removal Proposal is
successful. Investors and security holders are urged to
read the definitive solicitation statement and other relevant documents because they contain important
information regarding the solicitation.
The definitive solicitation statement and all other relevant documents are available, free of charge,
on the SECs website at www.sec.gov.
The following persons are participants in connection with the solicitation of CommonWealth REIT
shareholders: Corvex Management LP, Keith Meister, Related Fund Management, LLC, Related Real
Estate Recovery Fund GP-A, LLC, Related Real Estate Recovery Fund GP, L.P., Related Real Estate Recovery Fund, L.P.,
RRERF Acquisition, LLC, Jeff T. Blau, Richard OToole, David R. Johnson, James Corl, Edward
Glickman, Peter Linneman, Jim Lozier, Kenneth Shea, EGI-CW Holdings, L.L.C., David Helfand
and Samuel Zell. Information regarding the participants in the solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by
security holdings or otherwise, to the extent applicable, is available in the definitive solicitation
statement filed with the SEC on January 28, 2014 and Supplement
been neither sought nor obtained.
No. 1 thereto filed on February 13, 2014.
|