1.1 Annual Meeting
The annual meeting of the shareholders of the Corporation for the election of directors and for the transaction of such other business as properly may be submitted to such annual meeting, shall be held at the hour and on the date designated by the Board of Directors or an authorized committee of the Board of Directors, such date to be within 150 days of the end of the fiscal year.
1.2 Special Meetings
Special meetings of the shareholders of the Corporation, for any purpose or purposes, may be called at any time by the Board of Directors or an authorized committee of the Board of Directors.
1.3 Business at Annual and Special Meetings
No business may be transacted at an annual or special meeting of shareholders other than business that is
Clause (c) of this Section 1.3 shall be the exclusive means for a Noticing Shareholder to make director nominations or submit other business before a meeting of shareholders (other than proposals brought under Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") and included in the Corporation's notice of meeting, which proposals are not governed by these Bylaws).
1.4 Place of Meetings
Meetings of shareholders shall be held at such place in or out of the State of Washington as determined by the Board of Directors, or an authorized committee of the Board, pursuant to proper notice.
1.5 Notice
Written or electronic notice of each shareholders' meeting stating the date, time, and place and, for a special meeting, the purpose(s) for which the meeting is called, shall be given by the Corporation not less than ten (10) (unless a greater period of notice is required by law in a particular case) nor more than sixty (60) days prior to the date of the meeting, to each shareholder of record, to the shareholder's address as it appears on the current record of shareholders of the Corporation.
1.6 Quorum of Shareholders
At any meeting of the shareholders, a majority in interest of all the shares entitled to vote on a matter, represented by shareholders of record in person or by proxy, shall constitute a quorum of that voting group for action on that matter.
Once a share is represented at a meeting, other than to object to holding the meeting or transacting business, it is deemed to be present for quorum purposes for the remainder of the meeting and for any adjournment to a new date, time, or place unless a new record date is or must be set for the adjourned meeting.
If a quorum exists, action on a matter is approved by a voting group if the votes cast within the voting group favoring the action exceed the votes cast within the voting group opposing the action, unless the question is one upon which by express provision of the Washington Business Corporation Act, as amended ("WBCA"), or of the Articles of Incorporation or of these Bylaws a different vote is required.
1.7 Adjournment
A majority of the shares represented at the meeting, even if less than a quorum, may adjourn the meeting from time to time. At a reconvened meeting at which a quorum is present any business may be transacted at the meeting as may have been brought at the adjourned meeting in accordance with Section 1.3. If a meeting is adjourned to a different date, time, or place, notice need not be given of the new date, time, or place if a new date, time, or place is announced at the meeting before adjournment; however, if the WBCA requires that a new record date for the adjourned meeting must be fixed, then notice of the adjourned meeting must be given to persons who are shareholders as of the new record date.
1.8 Record Date and Transfer Books
For the purpose of determining shareholders who are entitled to notice of or to vote at any meeting of shareholders or any adjournment thereof, or entitled to receive payment of any dividend, or in order to make a determination of shareholders for any other proper purpose, the Board of Directors may fix in advance a record date for any such determination of shareholders, which date shall not be more than seventy (70) days and, in case of a meeting of shareholders, not less than ten (10) days prior to the date on which the particular action, requiring such determination of shareholders, is to be taken.
If no record date is fixed for such purposes, the date on which notice of the meeting is given or the date on which the resolution of the Board of Directors declaring such dividend is adopted, as the case may be, shall be the record date for such determination of shareholders.
When a determination of shareholders entitled to vote at any meeting of shareholders has been made as provided in this section, such determination shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting, unless the Board of Directors fixes a new record date, which it must do if the meeting is adjourned more than one hundred twenty (120) days after the date is fixed for the original meeting.
1.9 Voting Record
The officer or agent having charge of the stock transfer books for shares of the Corporation shall make at least ten (10) days before each meeting of shareholders a complete record of the shareholders entitled to vote at the meeting or any adjournment thereof, arranged by any applicable voting groups and in alphabetical order, with the address of and the number of shares held by each shareholder. The record of shareholders shall be produced and kept open at the time and place of the meeting and shall be subject to the inspection of any shareholder or any shareholder's agent during the whole time of the meeting.
1.10 Proxies
Shareholders of record may vote at any meeting either in person or by proxy. A shareholder may appoint a proxy to vote for the shareholder by submitting (a) an appointment form signed by the shareholder or the shareholder’s attorney-in-fact, or (b) an electronic transmission sent in accordance with the provisions for electronic notice under Section 3.3. An appointment of proxy is effective when an appointment form or an electronic transmission (or documentary evidence thereof, including verification information) is received by the person authorized to tabulate votes for the Corporation. The proxy has the same power to vote as that possessed by the shareholder, unless the appointment form or electronic transmission contains an express limitation on the power to vote or direction as to how to vote the shares on a particular matter, in which event the Corporation must tabulate the votes in a manner consistent with that limitation or direction. An appointment of proxy is valid for eleven (11) months unless a longer period is expressly provided in the appointment form or electronic transmission.
1.11 Organization of Meeting
The officer designated by the Chief Executive Officer (or in the absence of a designation by the Chief Executive Officer, any other officer designated by the Board of Directors) may call any meeting of shareholders to order and shall be the Chairman of the meeting. The Secretary of the Corporation, if present at any meeting of its shareholders, shall act as the Secretary of the meeting. If the Secretary is absent from any meeting of shareholders, the Chairman of the meeting may appoint a Secretary for the meeting.
1.12 Order of Business
The Chairman of a meeting of shareholders, determined in accordance with Section 1.11, shall have discretion to establish the order of business for the meeting subject to any specific order established by the Board of Directors.
1.13 Notice of Shareholder Business to be Conducted at an Annual Meeting of
Shareholders. In order for a Noticing Shareholder to properly bring any item of business before an annual meeting of shareholders, the Noticing Shareholder must give timely notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of the Corporation in compliance with the requirements of this Section 1.13. This Section 1.13 shall constitute an “advance notice provision” for annual meetings for purposes of Rule 14a-4(c)(1) under the Exchange Act.
The Chairman of a meeting of shareholders may refuse to acknowledge the nomination of any person or the proposal of any business not made in compliance with the foregoing procedures. The business to be conducted at a special meeting of shareholders shall be limited to the business set forth in the notice of meeting sent by the Corporation.
1.14 Submission of Questionnaire, Representation and Agreement
To be eligible to be a nominee for election or reelection as a director of the Corporation by a Holder, a person must complete and deliver (in accordance with the time periods prescribed for delivery of notice under Section 1.13) to the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation a written questionnaire providing the information requested about the background and qualifications of such person and the background of any other person or entity on whose behalf the nomination is being made and a written representation and agreement (the questionnaire, representation and agreement to be in the form provided by the Secretary upon written request) that such person:
1.15 Bylaw Amendments
The shareholders may amend or repeal these Bylaws, or adopt new bylaws, even though the Bylaws also may be amended or repealed, or new bylaws also may be adopted, by the Board of Directors, by action taken in the manner provided by the WBCA and the Articles of Incorporation.
2.1 Number and Qualifications
The business affairs and property of the Corporation shall be managed by a Board of not less than three directors nor more than eleven directors. The number of directors may at any time be increased or decreased by resolution of the Board of Directors or by the shareholders at the annual meeting. Directors need not be shareholders of the Corporation or residents of the State of Washington.
2.2 Election - Term of Office
At each annual shareholders' meeting the shareholders shall elect the directors to hold office until the next annual meeting of the shareholders and until their respective successors are elected and qualified. If, for any reason, the directors shall not have been elected at any annual meeting, they may be elected at a special meeting of shareholders called for that purpose in the manner provided by these Bylaws.
Except as provided in Section 2.10 and in this paragraph, each director shall be elected by the vote of the majority of the votes cast. A majority of votes cast means that the number of shares cast “for” a director’s election exceeds the number of votes cast “against” that director. The following shall not be votes cast: (a) a share whose ballot is marked as withheld; (b) a share otherwise present at the meeting but for which there is an abstention; and (c) a share otherwise present at the meeting as to which a shareholder gives no authority or direction. In a contested election, the directors shall be elected by the vote of a plurality of the votes cast.
A contested election is one in which (a) on the last day for delivery of a notice under Section 1.13(a), a Noticing Shareholder has complied with the requirements of Section 1.13 with respect to one or more nominees; and (b) prior to the date that notice of the meeting is given, the board of directors has not made a determination that none of the candidacies of the Noticing Shareholder’s nominees creates a bona fide election contest. For purposes of these Bylaws, it is assumed that on the last day for delivery of a notice under Section 1.13(a), there is a candidate nominated by the board of directors for each of the director positions to be voted on at the meeting. The following procedures apply in a non-contested election. A nominee who does not receive a majority vote shall not be elected. Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, an incumbent director who is not elected because he or she does not receive a majority vote shall continue to serve as a holdover director until the earliest of (a) 90 days after the date on which an inspector determines the voting results as to that director pursuant to RCW 23B.07.290; (b) the date on which the Board of Directors appoints an individual to fill the office held by such director, which appointment shall constitute the filling of a vacancy by the Board of Directors pursuant to Section 2.10; or (c) the date of the director’s resignation. Any vacancy resulting from the non-election of a director under this Section 2.2 may be filled by the Board of Directors as provided in Section 2.10. The Governance and Nominating Committee will consider promptly whether to fill the office of a nominee failing to receive a majority vote and make a recommendation to the Board of Directors about filling the office. The Board of Directors will act on the Governance and Nominating Committee’s recommendation and within ninety (90) days after the certification of the shareholder vote will disclose publicly its decision. Except as provided in the next sentence, no director who failed to receive a majority vote for election will participate in the Governance and Nominating Committee recommendation or Board of Directors decision about filling his or her office. If no director receives a majority vote in an uncontested election, then the incumbent directors (a) will nominate a slate of directors and hold a special meeting for the purpose of electing those nominees as soon as practicable, and (b) may in the interim fill one or more offices with the same director(s) who will continue in office until their successors are elected.
2.3 Regular Meetings
Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at such places, and at such times as the Board may determine, and, if so determined, no notice thereof need be given. A regular meeting of the Board of Directors may be held without notice immediately after the annual meeting of shareholders at the same place at which such meeting was held.
2.4 Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be held at any time or place upon the call of a majority of directors, the Chief Executive Officer or the Chief Operating Officer.
2.5 Notice
No notice is required for regular meetings of the Board of Directors. Notice of special meetings of the Board of Directors, stating the date, time, and place thereof, shall be given in a manner described in Section 3.3 at least two (2) days prior to the date of the meeting. The purpose of the meeting need not be given in the notice.
2.6 Waiver of Notice
A director may waive notice of a special meeting of the Board of Directors either before or after the meeting, and the waiver shall be deemed to be the equivalent of giving notice. The waiver must be given in accordance with the requirements for written or electronic notice in Section 3.3. Attendance or participation of a director at a meeting shall constitute waiver of notice of that meeting unless the director attends or participates for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of business because the meeting has not been lawfully called or convened.
2.7 Quorum of Directors
A majority of the members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, but if at any meeting of the Board there shall be less than a quorum present, a majority of those present may adjourn the meeting from time to time until a quorum shall have been obtained. When a quorum is present at any meeting, a majority of the members present shall decide any question brought before such meeting, except as otherwise provided by the Articles of Incorporation or by these Bylaws.
2.8 Adjournment
A majority of the directors present, even if less than a quorum, may adjourn a meeting and continue it to a later time. Notice of the adjourned meeting or of the business to be transacted thereat, other than by announcement, shall not be necessary. At any adjourned meeting at which a quorum is present, any business may be transacted which could have been transacted at the meeting as originally called.
2.9 Resignation
Any director of the Corporation may resign at any time by giving written notice to the Board of Directors, the Chairman, the Chief Executive Officer, or the Secretary of the Corporation. Any director resignation is effective when the notice is delivered, unless the notice specifies a later effective date.
2.10 Vacancies
Unless otherwise provided by the WBCA, in case of any vacancy in the Board of Directors, including a vacancy resulting from an increase in the number of directors or non-election of a director pursuant to Section 2.2, the remaining directors, whether constituting a quorum or not, may fill the vacancy.
2.11 Compensation
The Board of Directors shall have the sole authority to fix the amount of compensation of directors.
2.12 Committees
The Board of Directors, by resolution adopted by a majority of the full Board, may designate from among its members one or more committees, each of which:
3.1 Action by Unanimous Consent
Any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the Board of Directors or a committee of the Board may be accomplished without a meeting if the action is taken by all the members of the Board or all the members of the committee, as the case may be. The action must be evidenced by one or more consents describing the action to be taken, given by all directors or all members of the committee, as the case may be, to the Corporation for inclusion in the minutes in a manner equivalent to written or electronic notice under Section 3.3. Directors' consents may be given either before or after the action taken.
Action taken by unanimous consent is effective when the last director consents to the action, unless the consent specifies a later effective date.
3.2 Use of Communications Equipment
Meetings of the shareholders, the Board of Directors and committees of the Board may be effectuated by means of a conference telephone or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other during the meeting. Participation by such means shall constitute presence in person at the meeting.
3.3 Oral, Written and Electronic Notice
Terms used in this Bylaw shall be as defined in the WBCA.
Oral notice may be communicated in person or by telephone, wire or wireless equipment that does not transmit a facsimile of the notice. Oral notice is effective when communicated if communicated in a comprehensible manner.
Written notice may be transmitted by mail, private carrier, or personal delivery; or telephone, wire, or wireless equipment that transmits a facsimile of the notice and provides the transmitter with an electronically generated receipt. Written notice is effective at the earliest of the following: (a) when received; (b) five (5) days after its deposit in the U.S. mail if mailed with first-class postage to the address as it appears on the current records of the Corporation; (c) on the date shown on the return receipt, if sent by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, and the receipt is signed by or on behalf of the addressee. Written notice to a shareholder is effective (a) when mailed, if mailed with first class postage prepaid; and (b) when dispatched, if prepaid, by air courier.
Notices to directors and shareholders from the Corporation and from directors and shareholders to the Corporation may be provided in an electronic transmission which contains or is accompanied by information from which it can be reasonably verified that the transmission was authorized by the director, the shareholder or by the shareholder’s attorney-in-fact. Subject to contrary provisions in the WBCA, notice to shareholders or directors in an electronic transmission shall be effective only with respect to shareholders and directors that have consented, in the form of a record, to receive electronically transmitted notices and that have designated in the consent the address, location, or system to which these notices may be electronically transmitted and with respect to a notice that otherwise complies with any other requirements of the WBCA and any applicable federal law. A shareholder or director who has consented to receipt of electronically transmitted notices may revoke this consent by delivering a revocation to the Corporation in the form of a record. The consent of any shareholder or director is revoked if (a) the Corporation is unable to electronically transmit two consecutive notices given by the Corporation in accordance with the consent, and (b) this inability becomes known to the Secretary, the transfer agent, or any other person responsible for giving the notice. The inadvertent failure by the Corporation to treat this inability as a revocation does not invalidate any meeting or other action.
4.1 Positions
The officers of the Corporation may consist of a Chairman, a Chief Executive Officer, one or more Presidents, one or more Vice Presidents (who may be designated as Corporate Vice Presidents, Senior Vice Presidents, Executive Vice Presidents or Group Vice Presidents), a Secretary, and a Treasurer as appointed by the Board of Directors or the Chief Executive Officer. The Corporation may have such additional or assistant officers (sometimes referred to as "additional officers") as the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, or Chief Operating Officer may deem necessary for its business and may appoint from time to time. The Board of Directors shall also have the authority, but shall not be required, to designate officers as the Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Financial Officer or similar such titles. Any two or more offices may be held by the same person.
If a director/officer has not been designated as Chairman, or if the designated Chairman is not present at a meeting, the Board of Directors shall elect a Chairman from amongst its members to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors for such meeting. The Chairman shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors, and shall have such other powers as the Board may determine.
4.2 Appointment and Term of Office
The officers of the Corporation shall be appointed annually by the Board of Directors at the first meeting of the Board held after each annual meeting of the shareholders. If officers are not appointed at such meeting, such appointment shall occur as soon as possible thereafter, or may be left vacant. Each officer shall hold office until a successor shall have been appointed and qualified or until said officer's earlier death, resignation, or removal.
4.3 Authority and Duties of the Chief Executive Officer
The Chief Executive Officer shall have general charge and supervision of the business of the Corporation, shall see that all orders, actions and resolutions of the Board of Directors are carried out, and shall have such other authority and shall perform such other duties as set forth in these Bylaws or, to the extent consistent with the Bylaws, such other authorities and duties as prescribed by the Board.
4.4 Authority and Duties of Other Officers
Each officer other than the Chief Executive Officer shall have the authority and shall perform the duties set forth in these Bylaws or, to the extent consistent with the Bylaws, the duties prescribed by the Board of Directors, by the Chief Executive Officer, or by an officer authorized by the Board to prescribe the duties of such officer. Any designation of duties by the Chief Executive Officer or other officer shall be subject to review by the Board of Directors but shall be in full force and effect in the absence of such review.
4.5 Compensation and Contract Rights
The Board of Directors shall have authority (a) to fix the compensation, whether in the form of salary, bonus, stock options or otherwise, of all officers and employees of the Corporation, either specifically or by formula applicable to particular classes of officers or employees, and (b) to authorize officers of the Corporation to fix the compensation of subordinate employees. The Board of Directors shall have authority to appoint a Compensation Committee and may delegate to that committee any or all of its authority relating to compensation. The appointment of an officer shall not of itself create contract rights.
4.6 Resignation or Removal
Any officer of the Corporation may resign at any time by giving notice to the Board of Directors or the Corporation. Any such resignation is effective when the notice is given, unless the notice specifies a later date, and shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the officer.
The Board of Directors, by majority vote of the entire Board, may remove any officer or agent, with or without cause. An officer or assistant officer, if appointed by another officer, also may be removed by any officer authorized to appoint officers or assistant officers. The removal shall be without prejudice to the contract rights, if any, of the person so removed.
4.7 Vacancies
If any office becomes vacant by any reason, the directors may appoint a successor or successors who shall hold office for the unexpired term or leave such office vacant.
5.1 Issuance; Certificates of Shares
No shares of the Corporation shall be issued unless authorized by the Board of Directors. Such authorization shall include the maximum number of shares to be issued, the consideration to be received, and a statement that the Board of Directors considers the consideration to be adequate. Shares may but need not be represented by certificates. Certificates for shares of the Corporation shall be in such form as is consistent with the provisions of the WBCA or the law of a predecessor corporation and after the effective date of these Bylaws shall state:
The certificate shall be signed by original or facsimile signature of two officers of the Corporation, and the seal of the Corporation may be affixed thereto.
5.2 Rules and Regulations Concerning the Issue, Transfer and Registration of Shares
The Board of Directors shall have power and authority to make all such rules and regulations as the Board may deem proper or expedient concerning the issue, transfer and registration of shares of stock. In case of the loss, mutilation, or destruction of a certificate of stock, a duplicate certificate may be issued upon such terms as the Board of Directors shall authorize. The Board of Directors shall have power and authority to appoint from time to time one or more transfer agents and registrar of the shares of stock.
5.3 Shares without Certificates
The Board of Directors may authorize the issue of some or all of the shares without certificates. Within a reasonable time after the issue or transfer of shares without certificates, the Corporation shall send the shareholder a written statement of the information required on certificates by the WBCA.
6.1 Books of Accounts, Minutes, and Share Register
Except as otherwise provided by law the Corporation:
6.2 Copies of Resolutions
Any person dealing with the Corporation may rely upon a copy of any of the records of the proceedings, resolutions, or votes of the Board of Directors or shareholders, when certified by the Secretary, an assistant secretary, or other officer authorized by the Board.
As amended effective September 19, 2008.