Hillman Solutions (HLMN) PRE 14APreliminary proxy

We appreciate your continued confidence in Hillman and we look forward to your participation in our virtual meeting.

By Order of the Board of Directors,

We are providing this notice, proxy statement, and annual report to the stockholders of Hillman Solutions Corp. (“Hillman”, “we”, “us”, “our”) in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors of Hillman (the “Board”) for use at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on June 7, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time (the “Annual Meeting”), and at any adjournments thereof. The Annual Meeting will be held virtually and can be accessed online at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/HLMN2024. There is no physical location for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Our principal executive offices are located at 1280 Kemper Meadow Dr., Forest Park, Ohio 45240. Our telephone number is 513-851-4900. This notice, proxy statement, and annual report, and the accompanying proxy card were first furnished to stockholders on April [●], 2024.

As of the date of this proxy statement, the Board consists of nine members and is divided into one class of four members, one class of three members, and one class of two members. The members of the three classes are elected to serve for staggered terms of three years. However, Proposal 3, if approved by our stockholders at this Annual Meeting, would amend our certificate of incorporation to declassify the Board by the 2027 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, at which time all directors would be elected annually. See Proposal 3 for additional details.

Each of the nominees is a current director of the Company who has consented to stand for re-election to the Board with a term expiring at the Company’s 2027 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. In the event that any of the nominees becomes unavailable to serve as a director before the Annual Meeting, the Board may designate a new nominee, and the persons named as proxies will vote for that substitute nominee.

The Nominating and ESG Committee is responsible for developing and recommending to the Board a set of director qualifications and attributes that are applicable to the Company’s business and strategic direction. The Nominating and ESG Committee evaluates each director candidate on the basis of the length, breadth and quality of the candidate’s business experience, the applicability of the candidate’s skills and expertise to the Company’s business and strategic direction, the perspectives that the candidate would bring to the entire Board, and the personality or “fit” of the candidate with our culture, existing members of the Board, and management.

The following are descriptions of the qualifications and attributes that the Board believes are important in effective oversight of the Company, listed in alphabetical order:

Directors and director nominees self-identified their qualifications, attributes, and expertise gained through their varied backgrounds and industries. The overall qualifications and attributes represented on the Board, as identified by the directors, is demonstrated through the following chart:

The Board believes the Company benefits from the diversity of experience and perspectives of its members. The following Board Diversity Matrix in the format required under applicable Nasdaq rules:

The experience, qualifications, attributes, and skills that led the Nominating and ESG Committee and the Board to conclude that the following individuals should serve as directors are set forth below. The committee memberships stated below are those in effect as of the date of this proxy statement. References to director service to Hillman include service to our predecessor companies HMAN Group Holdings, Inc. and The Hillman Companies, Inc., as applicable.

The Board has three standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, and the Nominating and ESG Committee. In addition, the Board has adopted Corporate Governance Principles and a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. Each of these documents and the charters of the Board Committees are posted on the Company’s web site at https://ir.hillmangroup.com/corporate-governance/governance-documents.

The Board and the Nominating and ESG Committee have reviewed and evaluated transactions and relationships with Board members and Board nominees to determine the independence of each of the members or nominees. The Board does not believe that any of its non-employee members or nominees have relationships with the Company that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out his or her responsibilities as a director. The Board has determined that each of Ms. Dowling, Ms. Gendron, Ms. Honda, Mr. Jagdfeld, Mr. O’Leary, Mr. Owens, Mr. Swygert, and Mr. Woodlief are “independent directors” as defined in Nasdaq rules and the applicable SEC rules. In making these determinations, the Board considered Ms. Gendron’s role as Chief Financial Officer of Jefferies through March 2023, which serves as a lender to the Company and has a current and long standing investment banking relationship with the Company.

Each member of the Board is expected to make a reasonable effort to attend all meetings of the Board, all applicable committee meetings and each annual meeting of stockholders. There were 5 meetings of our Board during the fiscal year ended December 30, 2023. Each director attended at least 75% of the aggregate meetings of the Board and the committees on which he or she served in fiscal 2023. All of our directors attended our 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Our Corporate Governance Principles provide our Board with flexibility to combine or separate the positions of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer in accordance with its determination that utilizing one or the other structure would be in the best interests of our Company. Currently, the roles are combined, with Mr. Cahill serving as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Our Board has determined that combining the roles of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer is in the best interests of our Company and its stockholders at this time because it promotes unified leadership by Mr. Cahill and allows for a single, clear focus for management to execute the Company’s strategy and business plans.

The Company revised its Corporate Governance Principles on November 2, 2023 to require a Lead Independent Director when the positions of Chairman of the Board and CEO are held by the same person. The independent directors of the Board appointed Daniel O’Leary as Lead Independent Director on November 2, 2023. The Lead Independent Director’s duties include:

Due to the strong leadership of Mr. Cahill, coupled with the independent oversight provided by our independent committees and the position of Lead Independent Director, our Board has concluded that our current leadership structure is appropriate at this time. However, our Board will continue to periodically review our leadership structure and may make such changes in the future as it deems appropriate.

The Board executes its oversight responsibility for risk management with the assistance of its Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating and ESG Committee. The Audit Committee oversees the Company’s risk management activities, generally, and is charged with reviewing and discussing with management the Company’s

major risk exposures and emerging risks and the steps management has taken to monitor, control, and manage these exposures. The Audit Committee's meeting agendas include discussions of individual risk areas throughout the year, as well as an annual summary of the risk management process, including the Company’s risk assessment and risk management guidelines. The Compensation Committee oversees the Company’s compensation policies generally to determine whether they create risks that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company. The Nominating and ESG Committee monitors compliance with the Corporate Governance Principles and reviews the Company’s management of risks related to corporate social responsibility, including with respect to sustainability and the environment.

Although the Board and its committees oversee risk management for the Company, management is responsible for the day-to-day management and mitigation of the Company’s risks. We believe this division of responsibility reflects the appropriate roles of the Board and management in assessing and managing risks.

The Nominating and ESG Committee is responsible for recommending to the Board a slate of nominees for election at each annual meeting of stockholders. The Nominating and ESG Committee recruits candidates for Board membership through its own efforts and through recommendations from other directors, management, and stockholders. In addition, the Nominating and ESG Committee may retain an independent search firm to assist in identifying and recruiting director candidates who meet the criteria developed by the Nominating and ESG Committee.

The Nominating and ESG Committee also considers the specific experience and abilities of director candidates in light of our current business, strategy, structure, and the current or expected needs of the Board in its identification and recruitment of director candidates.

Stockholders who wish to recommend director candidates for consideration by the Nominating and ESG Committee may send a written notice to the Secretary at the Company’s principal executive offices. Stockholders should review the Company’s Bylaws and most recent proxy statement filed with the SEC to determine the applicable deadlines for the Company’s receipt of a stockholder’s nomination notice.

In general, the notice should indicate the name, age, and address of the person recommended, the person’s principal occupation or employment for the last five years, other public company boards on which the person serves, whether the person would qualify as independent as the term is defined under the applicable listing standards of Nasdaq, and the class and number of shares of Company securities owned by the person. The Nominating and ESG Committee may require additional information to determine the eligibility and qualifications of the person recommended. The notice should also state the name and address of, and the class and number of shares of Company securities owned by, the person or persons making the recommendation.

In addition, to comply with the universal proxy rules, stockholders who intend to solicit proxies in support of director nominees other than the Company’s nominees must provide notice that sets forth the information required by Rule 14a-19 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 no later than April 8, 2025, which is the date 60 calendar days prior to the one year anniversary of the 2024 Annual Meeting.

In determining whether to recommend a director nominee, the Nominating and ESG Committee members consider and discuss diversity, among other factors, with a view toward the needs of the Board as a whole. The committee members generally conceptualize diversity expansively to include, without limitation, concepts such as race, gender, national origin, differences of viewpoint, professional background, education, skills and other individual qualities and attributes that contribute to the total mix of viewpoints and experience represented on the Board. The Board commits that highly qualified women and minority candidates will be included in each pool from which new non-

incumbent director nominees are chosen, as well as highly qualified candidates with otherwise diverse backgrounds, skills, and experiences.

The Nominating and ESG Committee oversees a Board evaluation process for the Board and its committees each year. As part of the Board evaluation process, the Board considers, among other matters, whether its composition reflects the skills needed to appropriately oversee the Company’s long-term strategy and continued success. The Board also evaluates its processes and interactions with management to determine whether it is operating efficiently with respect to its oversight responsibilities.

We operate under a set of Corporate Governance Principles designed to promote good corporate governance and align the interests of our Board and management with those of our stockholders. The Corporate Governance Principles relate to the role, composition, structure, and functions of the Board and the Company. The Nominating and ESG Committee is responsible for periodically reviewing these Corporate Governance Principles and recommending any changes to the Board.

Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Principles, in an uncontested election of directors (i.e., an election where the number of nominees does not exceed the number of directors to be elected), a nominee who receives more “Against” votes than “For” votes in such election is expected to promptly tender his or her resignation as a director. The Nominating and ESG Committee will consider each tendered director resignation and recommend to the Board whether to accept or reject it. After considering the recommendation of the Nominating and ESG Committee and any other information the Board deems appropriate, and within 90 days following the certification of the election results, the Board will act to accept or reject each tendered director resignation and promptly disclose its decision.

If a director’s resignation is rejected, the Board will disclose the reasons for its decision, and the director will continue to serve the remainder of his or her term until his or her successor is duly elected or until his or her earlier death, resignation, or removal. If a director’s resignation is accepted, the Board, in its sole discretion, may fill any resulting vacancy or decrease the size of the Board, in each case to the extent permitted by the Company's Bylaws.

Any director who tenders a resignation under this policy may not participate in the Nominating and ESG Committee recommendation or the action of the Board regarding whether to accept or reject such tender of resignation.

We have adopted a code of business conduct that applies to all of our directors, officers, and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, and principal accounting officer, which is available on our website at https://ir.hillmangroup.com/corporate-governance. Our code of business conduct is a “code of ethics”, as defined in Item 406(b) of Regulation S-K. Please note that our internet website address is provided as an inactive textual reference only. We will make any legally required disclosures regarding amendments to, or waivers of, provisions of our code of ethics on our internet website.

Our ESG efforts and reporting continue to evolve in a manner that is beneficial to the Company and our shareholders, and to align with upcoming reporting requirements of certain states and SEC requirements as they come to be effective. Hillman published its first annual ESG Fact Sheet in 2023 in respect of the 2022 fiscal year. Our most recent ESG Fact Sheet is posted on the Company’s web site at https://ir.hillmangroup.com/corporate-governance/governance-documents.

We have adopted a Compensation Recovery Policy that provides for the recovery of certain executive compensation in the event of an accounting restatement resulting from material noncompliance with financial reporting requirements under the federal securities laws. A copy of our Compensation Recovery Policy was filed as Exhibit 97 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We are committed to promoting high standards of ethical business conduct and compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations. As part of this commitment, we have adopted our Insider Trading Policy governing the purchase, sale, and/or other dispositions of our securities by our directors, officers, employees and certain

contractors, that we believe is reasonably designed to promote compliance with insider trading laws, rules and regulations, and the exchange listing standards applicable to us. A copy of our Insider Trading Policy was filed as Exhibit 19.1 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our Insider Trading Policy prohibits directors and executive officers from engaging, directly or indirectly, in the pledging of, hedging transactions in, or short sales of, Hillman securities.

Our Equity Grant Policy was approved by our Compensation Committee and specifies a procedure and timing for granting and pricing equity awards to protect against any appearance of spring loading or timing the grant of equity awards for the benefit of the grantee. The Equity Grant Policy designates quarterly predetermined grant dates for the granting of equity awards to employees, including our Executive Officers (a “Predetermined Quarterly Grant Date”), unless such date would fall during a blackout period. The Company selects Predetermined Quarterly Grant Dates because they will fall within the Company’s regular open trading window and should protect against any appearance of spring loading or timing the grant of equity awards for the benefit of the grantee.

Equity grants, including stock options, to our employees, including our executive officers, are generally approved annually at a meeting of the Committee that is held during the first quarter of each year. The grants are typically expressed and approved in fixed dollar terms, with the grant being effective as of, and the number of equity awards and exercise price calculated based on, the market value of the Company’s stock on the next Predetermined Quarterly Grant Date, which is during an open trading window (i.e. at least two full trading days following the release of earnings).

During our fiscal year ended December 30, 2023, we have not timed the disclosure of material nonpublic information for the purpose of affecting the value of executive compensation.

Any of the directors may be contacted by writing to them at: Board of Directors, c/o Secretary’s Office, Hillman Solutions Corp., 1280 Kemper Meadow Dr., Forest Park, Ohio 45240. The directors have requested that the Secretary of the Company act as their agent in processing any communication received. All communications that relate to matters that are within the scope of responsibilities of the Board and its committees will be forwarded to the Board. Communications relating to matters within the responsibility of one of the committees of the Board will be forwarded to the Chairperson of the appropriate committee. Communications relating to ordinary business matters are not within the scope of the Board’s responsibility and will be forwarded to the appropriate officer at the Company. Solicitations, advertising materials, and frivolous or inappropriate communications will not be forwarded.

To assist the Board in undertaking its responsibilities, and to allow deeper engagement in certain areas of Company oversight, the Board has established the following three standing committees: Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating and ESG Committee.

All committees are composed exclusively of independent directors, as defined in Nasdaq rules and the applicable SEC rules. The current charter of each Board committee is available on our website at www.ir.hillmangroup.com under Corporate Governance – Governance Documents.

The Board has determined that Philip K. Woodlief qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as such term is defined in Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K and possesses financial sophistication, as defined under the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. The Board has determined that Mr. Woodlief is an independent director as defined under applicable Nasdaq rules.

No member of the Compensation Committee was at any time during fiscal year 2023, or at any other time, one of our officers or employees. None of our executive officers has served as a director or member of a compensation committee (or other committee serving an equivalent function) of any entity during fiscal year 2023, one of whose executive officers served as a director of our Board or member of our Compensation Committee.

The following table sets forth the common shares beneficially owned as of April 1, 2024 by Hillman's directors, the NEOs, and the directors and executive officers as a group. The percentage of ownership is based on 203,062,145 of Hillman common shares outstanding on April 1, 2024, which includes the number of shares of common stock that could be acquired within 60 days following April 1, 2024 by the exercise of stock options and the vesting of time-based restricted stock units (“RSUs”) held by our directors and executive officers set forth in footnote 3 below.

The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial owners of more than five percent of Hillman common shares as of the close of business on April 1, 2024, based on reports on Schedule 13G or Schedule 13D and other information filed with the SEC.

Based solely on a review of the forms filed during, or with respect to, fiscal year 2023 and written representations from each reporting person, we believe that our directors, executive officers, controller, and beneficial owner(s) of more than 10% of our common stock filed all required reports on a timely basis, except for the late filing of a Form 4 related to the grant of restricted stock units to Anne McCalla on December 7, 2023, which was not reported timely due to an inadvertent administrative oversight.

At the closing of the Business Combination, Hillman, Jefferies Financial Group Inc., TJF, LLC, certain CCMP investors and certain Oak Hill investors entered into the A&R Registration Rights Agreement, pursuant to which, among other things, the parties to the A&R Registration Rights Agreement agreed not to effect any sale or distribution of any equity securities of Hillman held by any of them for the periods stated therein from the Closing Date, and were granted certain registration rights with respect to their respective shares of Hillman common stock, in each case, on the terms and subject to the conditions therein. Rich Zannino and Joe Scharfenberger served on our Board through May 11, 2023 and are employed by CCMP. Another director, Teresa Gendron, was the CFO of Jefferies Financial Group until March 2023.

In February 2023, certain CCMP investors sold 28,750,000 shares in a secondary public offering for gross proceeds of $230.0 million. Hillman received no proceeds from the offering and, pursuant to its obligations under the A&R Registration Rights Agreement, incurred fees of approximately $0.6 million related to this offering

In May 2023, certain CCMP investors sold 22,455,000 shares in a secondary public offering for gross proceeds of $172.7 million. Hillman received no proceeds from the offering and, pursuant to its obligations under the A&R Registration Rights Agreement, incurred fees of approximately $0.4 million related to this offering.

In fiscal 2023, Hillman made sales of $1.6 million to Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc. ("Ollie's"). The sales consisted of several transactions for the sale of excess inventory. John Swygert, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ollie's, is a member of our Board of Directors.

The Board has adopted a written related party transaction policy that sets forth the following policies and procedures for the review and approval or ratification of related party transactions. This policy covers, with certain exceptions set forth in Item 404 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), any transaction, arrangement, or relationship, or any series of similar transactions, arrangements, or relationships, in which we were or are to be a participant, where the amount involved exceeds $120,000 in any fiscal year and a related party had, has, or will have a direct or indirect material interest, including without limitation, purchases of goods or services by or from the related person or entities in which the related person has a material interest, indebtedness, guarantees of indebtedness, and employment by us of a related party.

In reviewing and approving any such transactions, our Audit Committee is tasked with considering all relevant facts and circumstances, including, but not limited to, whether the transaction is on terms no less favorable than terms generally available to an unaffiliated third party under the same or similar circumstances and the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction. All of the transactions described in this section were approved by our Audit Committee or Board, as applicable.

The following persons serve as our executive officers:

The following is a brief biography of each of our executive officers. References to executive officer service to Hillman include service to our predecessor companies HMAN Group Holdings, Inc. and The Hillman Companies, Inc., as applicable.

Douglas Cahill serves as Hillman's President and Chief Executive Officer since 2019 and Chairman of Hillman’s board of directors since 2014. Prior to joining Hillman, Mr. Cahill was a Managing Director of CCMP from July 2014 to July 2019 and was a member of CCMP’s Investment Committee and previously was an Executive Adviser of CCMP from March 2013. Mr. Cahill served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Oreck, the manufacturer of upright vacuums and cleaning products, from May 2010 until December 2012. Prior to joining Oreck, Mr. Cahill served for eight years as President and Chief Executive Officer of Doane Pet Care Company, a private label manufacturer of pet food and former CCMP portfolio company, through to its sale to MARS Inc. in 2006. From 2006 to 2009, Mr. Cahill served as president of Mars Petcare U.S. Prior to joining Doane in 1997, Mr. Cahill spent 13 years at Olin Corporation, a diversified manufacturer of metal and chemicals, where he served in a variety of managerial and executive roles. Mr. Cahill serves as a Board Member for Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee and the Visitor Board at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. In January 2009, Mr. Cahill was appointed as an Adviser to Mars Incorporated. Mr. Cahill previously served as a director of Banfield Pet Hospital from 2006 to 2016, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet (Nasdaq: OLLI) from 2013 to 2016, Jamieson Laboratories from 2014 to 2017, Founder Sport Group from 2016 to 2019, and Shoes for Crews from 2015 to 2019. Mr. Cahill serves as the Chairman of our board of directors due to his financial, investment, and extensive management experience.

Robert O. Kraft serves as Hillman’s Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since November 2017. Prior to joining Hillman, Mr. Kraft served as the President of the Omnicare (Long Term Care) division, and an Executive Vice President, of CVS Health Corporation from August 2015 to September 2017. From November 2010 to August 2015, Mr. Kraft was Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Omnicare, Inc. Mr. Kraft began his career with

PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP in 1992, was admitted as a Partner in 2004, and is a certified public accountant (inactive). Mr. Kraft currently serves on the board of Medpace Holdings, Inc (Nasdaq: MEDP).

Jon Michael Adinolfi serves as Hillman’s Chief Operating Officer since June 2023. From July 2019 to June 2023, Mr. Adinolfi served as Divisional President, Hillman US since July 2019. Prior to joining Hillman, Mr. Adinolfi served as President of US Retail for Stanley Black & Decker from November 2016 to July 2019. Prior to that, he served as President of Hand Tools for Stanley Black & Decker from October 2013 to December 2016. From June 2011 to September 2013, he served as the CFO — North America, CDIY for Stanley Black & Decker.

Scott C. Ride serves as President of The Hillman Group Canada ULC. Mr. Ride joined The Hillman Group Canada as the Chief Operating Officer in January 2015. Prior to joining Hillman, Mr. Ride served as the President of Husqvarna Canada from May 2011 through September 2014. From 2005 to 2011, Mr. Ride served in a variety of roles of increasing responsibility at Electrolux, including Senior Director of Marketing, Vice President and General Manager, and President.

Randall Fagundo serves as Hillman’s Divisional President, Robotics and Digital Solutions since August 2018. Prior to joining Hillman, Mr. Fagundo served as the President, and Chief Executive Officer of MinuteKey from June 2010 to August 2018 when the company was acquired by Hillman.

Aaron Parker serves as Hillman’s Vice President, Human Resources since February 2023. From September 2020 to February 2023, Mr. Parker served as Director, then Senior Director, of Human Resources at Hillman. Prior to joining Hillman, Mr. Parker served in various positions in Human Resources at Fifth Third Bancorp from 2014 to 2020 and at Macy’s, Inc. from 2009 to 2014.

Gary L. Seeds serves as Hillman’s Executive Vice President, Sales & Field Service since February 2020. From January 2014 to February 2020, Mr. Seeds served as Senior Vice President, Sales at Hillman. From January 2003 to January 2014, Mr. Seeds served as Senior Vice President, Regional and International Sales at Hillman. From January 1993 to January 2003, Mr. Seeds served as Vice President of Traditional Sales at Hillman. From July 1992 to January 1993, Mr. Seeds served as Regional Vice President of Sales at Hillman. From January 1989 to July 1992, Mr. Seeds served as West Coast Regional Manager. Mr. Seeds joined Hillman as a sales representative in February 1984.

George Murphy serves as Hillman’s Divisional President, Hardware & Protective Solutions since February 2024. From September 2021 to February 2024, Mr. Murphy served as Divisional President, Protective Solutions & Sales at Hillman. From October 2019 to September 2021, Mr. Murphy served as Executive Vice President, Sales at Hillman. Mr. Murphy served as Executive Vice President of Sales of our Big Time Products division from January 2018 to October 2019 and the President of Home Depot Sales from March 2016 to January 2018. Prior to joining Big Time Products, Mr. Murphy served as Senior Director of Sales for Master Lock from June 2007 to March 2016.

Amanda Kitzberger serves as Hillman’s Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary since February 2023. From July 2021 to January 2023, Ms. Kitzberger served as Hillman’s Vice President Human Resources and Administration. Ms Kitzberger served as Assistant General Counsel at Hillman from 2019 to 2021. Prior to joining Hillman, Ms. Kitzberger was the Vice President and General Counsel at Clopay Plastic Products Co from 2014 to 2018 and served in in-house legal counsel roles at GOJO Industries, Inc. from 2008 to 2014.

This Compensation Discussion and Analysis provides an overview and analysis of our compensation programs, the compensation decisions we have made under these programs, and the factors we considered in making these decisions with respect to the compensation earned by the following individuals, who as determined under the rules of the SEC are collectively referred to herein as our named executive officers (“NEOs”) for fiscal year 2023:

The objective of our corporate compensation and benefits program is to establish and maintain competitive total compensation programs that will attract, motivate, and retain the qualified and skilled workforce necessary for the continued success of our business. To help align compensation paid to executive officers with the achievement of corporate goals, we have designed our cash compensation program as a pay-for-performance based system that rewards NEOs for their individual performance and contribution in achieving corporate goals. In determining the components and levels of NEO compensation each year, the Compensation Committee of our Board considers Company performance, and each individual’s performance and potential to enhance long-term stockholder value. To remain competitive, our Compensation Committee also periodically reviews compensation survey information provided by our compensation consultant as another factor in setting NEO compensation. Our Compensation Committee relies on judgment and does not have any formal guidelines or formulas for allocating between long-term and currently paid compensation, cash and non-cash compensation, or among different forms of non-cash compensation for our NEOs.

Compensation packages in 2023 for the Company’s NEOs were comprised of the following elements:

Our Compensation Committee meets at least quarterly to review and consider base salary and any proposed adjustments, prior year annual performance bonus results and targets for the current year, and any long-term incentive awards. Our Compensation Committee also reviews the compensation package for all new executive officer hires.

The key member of management involved in the compensation process is our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), Douglas J. Cahill. Our CEO presents recommendations for each element of compensation for each NEO, other than himself, to our Compensation Committee, which in turn evaluates these goals and either approves or appropriately revises and approves them. On an annual basis, a comprehensive report is provided by the CEO to our Compensation Committee on all of our compensation programs.

Our Compensation Committee determines and approves the level of each element of compensation for our CEO. Consistent with its determination process for other NEOs, our Compensation Committee considers a variety of factors when determining compensation for our CEO, including past corporate and individual performance, compensation information from our peer group, input from our compensation consultant, and general market survey data for similar size companies.

In establishing the compensation for each of our NEOs, our Compensation Committee considers information about the compensation practices of companies both within and outside our industry and geographic region, and considers evolving compensation trends and practices generally. Our Compensation Committee reviews market data provided by our compensation consultant. Our Compensation Committee may review such survey data for market trends and developments, and utilize such data as one factor when making its annual compensation determinations.

Pearl Meyer & Partners, LLC (“Pearl Meyer”) has been engaged since 2021 as an independent executive compensation consultant to advise on the executive and director compensation programs of Hillman. We continued to engage Pearl Meyer in 2023 and anticipate that we will continue to use an executive compensation consultant going forward.

Pearl Meyer, our independent compensation consultant, provides research, market data, survey, proxy information, and design expertise in developing executive and director compensation programs. As requested by the Compensation Committee, Pearl Meyer provided the Compensation Committee with market data from proprietary databases and publicly available information to consider when making compensation decisions for the NEOs. Pearl Meyer also provided similar input to support compensation recommendations and decisions made for Company executives who are not NEOs.

Pearl Meyer regularly attended Compensation Committee meetings in fiscal 2023 and advised the Compensation Committee on principal aspects of executive compensation, including the competitiveness of individual executive pay levels and short- and long-term incentive designs. Pearl Meyer also provided advice with respect to the non-employee director compensation program. Pearl Meyer is engaged by and reports directly to the Compensation Committee.

Based on Pearl Meyer’s recommendation, the Compensation Committee adopted a peer group of publicly traded industrial and consumer discretionary companies with similar revenues and market cap to determine competitive pay levels for input into the Compensation Committee’s decision-making process. For 2023, we used the following peer group (the “Peer Group”):

As of the date on which the 2023 Peer Group was evaluated for purposes of providing input with respect to fiscal 2023 compensation, Hillman had the following financial characteristics compared to our 2023 Peer Group:

The Compensation Committee made no changes to the 2023 Peer Group compared to the 2022 Peer Group.

The Compensation Committee has not set a range or percentile relative to its Peer Group for determining the compensation of our NEOs and other executive officers. Rather, the Peer Group is reviewed as one of many factors by our Compensation Committee.

We believe that executive base salaries are an essential element to attract and retain talented and qualified executives. Base salaries are designed to provide financial security and a minimum level of fixed compensation for services rendered to the Company. Base salary adjustments may reflect an individual’s performance, experience, cost of living adjustments, and/or changes in job responsibilities. We also consider the other compensation we provide to our NEOs, such as the grant date value of recently granted equity awards, when determining base salary.

The rate of annual base salary for each NEO as of the last day of the applicable fiscal year is set forth below.

The increase, if any, in base salary for each NEO for a fiscal year reflects each individual’s particular skills, responsibilities, experience, and prior year performance. The fiscal year 2023 base salary amounts were determined as part of the total compensation paid to each NEO and were not considered, by themselves, as fully compensating the NEOs for their service to the Company.

Each NEO is eligible to receive an annual cash bonus under the terms of a performance-based bonus plan. Each NEOs bonus opportunity specifies an annual target, threshold, and maximum bonus as a percentage of the NEO’s annual base salary, which percentages may be adjusted for any particular year in the discretion of our Board. The specific performance criteria and performance goals are established and approved annually by our Compensation Committee in consultation with our CEO (other than with respect to himself). The performance targets are communicated to the NEOs following formal approval by our Compensation Committee, which normally occurs in the first quarter of our fiscal year.

The table below shows the target bonus and threshold and maximum bonuses as a percentage of base salary for each NEO for 2023. Generally, the higher the level of responsibility of the NEO within the Company, the greater the percentages of base salary applied for that individual’s target and maximum bonus compensation.

The table below shows the performance criteria for fiscal year 2023 selected for each NEO and the relative weight of total target bonus assigned to each component.

For 2023, the bonus criteria for all NEOs included two Company performance goals measured by (1) our Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended December 30, 2023, which is our consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, as adjusted for non-recurring charges as shown under the header “Adjusted EBITDA” (“Adjusted EBITDA”), and (2) our adjusted leverage ratio, which is ratio of (a) overall indebtedness less cash as of year ended December 30, 2023; to (b) Adjusted EBITDA during the year ended December 30, 2023 (“Adjusted Leverage Ratio”).

For any bonus to be awarded, the Adjusted EBITDA target must meet the threshold. Once the Adjusted EBITDA threshold is met, the final payout is dependent on the achievement of all metrics and their respective targets. Achievement at levels between threshold and maximum will result in payments on a sliding scale.

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Leverage Ratio are non-GAAP measures. Please refer to Appendix A for additional information, including our definitions and use of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Leverage Ratio, and for a reconciliation of those measures to the most directly comparable financial measures under GAAP.

The threshold, target, and maximum amounts and payout levels of each of the Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Leverage Ratio targets that determine the annual bonus payouts to each of the NEOs are as follows (amounts in thousands):

The level of performance actually achieved for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2023 in each of the above categories was as follows (amounts in thousands):

The annual bonus paid to each of our NEOs for the year ended December 30, 2023 was as follows:

All equity awards granted prior to the Business Combination were granted under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2014 Equity Incentive Plan”), pursuant to which we may grant options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, and other stock-based awards for up to an aggregate of 14,523,510 shares of stock. The 2014 Equity Incentive Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee. No further grants will be made from the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan.

Upon the closing of the Business Combination, effective July 14, 2021, the Company established the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan. Under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 Equity Incentive Plan”), the maximum number of shares of Stock that may be delivered in satisfaction of Awards under the Plan as of the Effective Date is (i) 7,150,814 shares, plus (ii) the number of shares of Stock underlying awards under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan that on or after the Effective Date expire or become unexercisable, or are forfeited, cancelled, or otherwise terminated, in each case, without delivery of shares or cash therefor, and would have become available again for grant under the 2014 Equity Incentive Plan in accordance with its terms (not to exceed 14,523,510 shares of Stock in the aggregate) (the “Share Pool”). All grants made after the Business Combination and going forward will be made from the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan.

Our equity incentive plans are designed to align the interests of our stockholders and executive officers by increasing the proprietary interest of our executive officers in our growth and success to advance our interests by attracting and retaining key employees, and motivating such executives to act in our long-term best interests. We grant equity awards to promote the success and enhance the value of the Company by providing participants with an incentive for outstanding performance. Equity-based awards also provide the Company with the flexibility to motivate, attract, and retain the services of employees upon whose judgment, interest, and special effort the successful conduct of our operation is largely dependent.

In the year ended December 30, 2023, we granted 594,324 stock options to NEOs under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan. See the Grants of Plan-Based Awards in Fiscal Year 2023 table below for details of the grant for each NEO. The options vest in four equal annual installments, subject to the grantee’s continued employment on the vesting dates. Additionally, the Compensation Committee is evaluating other performance based awards in fiscal 2025.

In the year ended December 30, 2023, we granted 544,064 RSUs to NEOs under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan. See the Grants of Plan-Based Awards in Fiscal Year 2023 table below for details of the grant for each NEO. The RSUs vest on the third anniversary of the grant date, subject to the grantee’s continued employment on such vesting date,

except that 291,036 of the RSUs granted to Mr. Adinolfi on June 7, 2023 will vest 50% on the third anniversary of the grant date, 25% on the fourth anniversary of the grant date, and 25% on the fifth anniversary of the grant date.

On June 6, 2023, Mr. Adinolfi was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of the Company. As explained in the tables above and below, in connection with Mr. Adinolfi’s promotion, the Compensation Committee increased his base salary to $500,000 and increased his annual target equity award grant to $750,000.

The Compensation Committee also approved a one time grant of $75,000 of stock options and $2,575,000 of RSUs to Mr. Adinolfi in connection with his promotion, which is in addition to the Company’s annual equity award grants.

On November 2, 2023, the Board of Directors of the Company adopted the Hillman Solutions Corp. Executive Severance Plan (the "Severance Plan"). The primary purpose of the Severance Plan is to standardize and clarify the severance arrangements of our named executive officers (other than Mr. Ride) and the related terms and conditions.

Each of our named executive officers, other than Mr. Ride, participate in the Plan. As a condition to participating in the Severance Plan, each of our named executive officers (other than Mr. Ride) agreed to terminate their employment agreements, if any, with the Company effective November 2, 2023.

Executives covered by the Severance Plan will generally be eligible to receive severance benefits in the event of a termination by the Company without “cause” or by the executive for “good reason” (each as defined in the Severance Plan). The severance benefit is enhanced if the termination is within 24 months following a change in control transaction.

Mr. Ride’s employment agreement provides for severance payments and benefits in the event his employment is terminated under specified conditions including death, disability, termination by the Company without “cause,” or Mr. Ride resigns for “good reason” (each as defined in the agreement).

In addition, we have provided for certain equity acceleration benefits under our 2014 Plan designed to assure the Company of the continued employment and attention and dedication to duty of these key management employees and to seek to ensure the availability of their continued service, notwithstanding the possibility or occurrence of a change in control of the Company and resultant employment termination. The severance payments and equity vesting benefits payable both in the event of, and independently from, a change in control are in amounts that we have determined are necessary to remain competitive in the marketplace for executive talent. See “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control” for additional information.

Executives are eligible to participate in the same health and benefit plans generally available to all full-time employees, including health, dental, vision, term life, disability insurance, and supplemental long term disability insurance. In addition, the NEOs are eligible to participate in Hillman’s Defined Contribution Plan (401(k) Plan), described below.

Our NEOs and most other full-time U.S. employees are covered under a 401(k) retirement savings plan (the “Defined Contribution Plan”) which permits employees to make tax-deferred contributions and provides for a matching contribution of 50% of each dollar contributed by the employee up to 6% of the employee’s compensation. In addition, the Defined Contribution Plan allows for a discretionary annual contribution in amounts authorized by our Board, subject to the terms and conditions of the plan.

Prior to 2022, our NEOs and certain other employees were eligible to participate in the Hillman Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan (the “Deferred Compensation Plan”). The Deferred Compensation Plan was frozen at the end of fiscal 2021 such that the Deferred Compensation Plan does not allow new contributions. The Deferred Compensation Plan allowed eligible employees to defer up to 25% of salary and commissions and up to 100% of bonuses. Prior to 2021, the Company contributed a matching contribution of 25% on the first $10,000 of employee deferrals, subject to a five-year vesting schedule.

Mr. Cahill, Mr. Kraft, Mr. Adinolfi, and Mr. Fagundo are entitled to reimbursement for the reasonable expenses of leasing or buying a car up to $700 per month. Mr. Adinolfi moved from a company owned car to a car allowance in 2023, and was paid a one-time sum of $27,668 to approximate the difference in value of the company owned car relative to the lower valued car allowance received going forward. Mr. Ride is entitled to use of a Company car, incurring $13,307 in personal use in 2023.

The Board adopted stock ownership guidelines applicable to our executive officers, and our non-employee directors.

The stock ownership guidelines for executive officers are determined as holdings of the Company’s common stock, expressed as a multiple of the officer’s base salary, as set forth below:

Non-employee directors are required to hold shares of the Company’s common stock with a value equal to three (3) times the amount of the annual cash retainer paid to outside directors for service on the Board (excluding additional chair of the Board, committee and committee chair retainers, if any). Further detail on non-employee director compensation can be found in the section entitled “Compensatory Arrangements for Directors” below.

Executive officers and non-employee directors are required to achieve the applicable level of ownership within five (5) years from the later of (a) July 14, 2021, which is the date the guidelines were originally adopted, or (b) the date the person was initially designated an executive officer or director, as applicable, of the Company.

The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K with management. Based on this review and discussion, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this proxy statement.

The following table sets forth compensation that the Company’s principal Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), principal Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), and each of the next three highest paid executive officers of the Company, or the NEOs, earned during the years ended December 30, 2023, December 31, 2022, and December 25, 2021 in each executive capacity in which each NEO served (including with our predecessor companies HMAN Group Holdings, Inc. and The Hillman Companies, Inc.).

The following table summarizes the plan-based incentive awards granted to NEOs in 2023: