Sharon Taylor
About Sharon Taylor
Independent director at Friedman Industries (FRD); age 60; director since 2022. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Martin Midstream Partners LP and Martin Resource Management Corporation; previously Director of Finance & Investor Relations and Business Analyst – Finance at Martin Midstream Partners LP; qualifies as an SEC “audit committee financial expert.” The Board has affirmatively determined she is independent and notes she is not related to CEO/Chair Mike Taylor .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Midstream Partners LP | Business Analyst – Finance | Not disclosed | Progression indicates deep finance operations experience |
| Martin Midstream Partners LP | Director of Finance & Investor Relations | Not disclosed | Capital markets and investor communications experience |
| Martin Midstream Partners LP / Martin Resource Management Corp | EVP & CFO | Current | CFO-level responsibility; financial expert designation at FRD |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Midstream Partners LP | Executive Vice President & CFO | Current | Petroleum products terminalling/processing/transport/storage/packaging industry exposure |
| Martin Resource Management Corporation | Chief Financial Officer | Current | Related operating company responsibilities |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments: Audit Committee Chair; member of Compensation and Nominating Committees .
- Independence: Board determined all nominees except the CEO/Chair are independent (includes Sharon Taylor); she is designated an “audit committee financial expert” .
- Attendance and engagement: Board met 5 times in FY2025; Audit met 4; Compensation met 6; Nominating met 3; no director attended fewer than 75% of combined Board/committee meetings .
- Executive sessions: Independent directors meet in executive session at least annually; Joe L. Williams serves as presiding director for executive sessions .
- Leadership structure: CEO also serves as Chairman; no formal lead independent director (Board cites counterbalancing governance via independent committees) .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Policy/Amount | FY2025 Cash Received |
|---|---|---|
| Director retainer (cash) | $9,000 per quarter | $36,000 |
| Audit Chair fee (cash) | $3,000 per quarter | $12,000 |
| Committee member fees (if applicable) | Audit member $2,250/quarter (not applicable when Chair) | — |
| Total cash fees | — | $48,000 |
Notes: Director cash compensation policy disclosed; Sharon Taylor’s FY2025 total cash fees match the quarterly retainer plus Audit Chair fees .
Performance Compensation
| Award Type | Grant Period | Number of Shares | Grant Date Fair Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted Stock Award | FY2025 | Not disclosed | $10,000 |
- Plan-level clawback/forfeiture: FRD has an executive officer clawback policy (SEC/Nasdaq 10D compliant) and the 2025 Long-Term Incentive Plan includes forfeiture/recoupment provisions for awards in defined misconduct or restatement scenarios; non-employee directors are eligible plan participants .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | — | No other public company directorships disclosed in FRD’s proxy . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Financial expertise: Qualifies as “audit committee financial expert” under SEC rules; Board cites her management-level finance and IR experience as primary qualifications .
- Industry/functional experience: Senior finance leadership in petroleum logistics/services; investor relations background .
- Independence: Affirmatively determined independent by Board .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Shares Outstanding |
|---|---|---|
| Sharon Taylor | 7,412 | <1% |
No breakdown between vested/unvested, pledging, or hedging disclosed for directors in the proxy. The beneficial ownership table reflects share totals as of July 28, 2025 .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent Audit Chair and SEC-designated financial expert; independent across all committees; satisfactory attendance; ownership aligns via annual director restricted stock award .
- RED FLAGS / watch items:
- Combined CEO/Chair and no formal lead independent director (mitigated by independent presiding director and fully independent committees) .
- Related-party transactions policy exists; FY2025 related-party activity involved another director (Agrawal) but none disclosed for Sharon Taylor .
- Compensation alignment: Director pay is modest and predominantly cash with a smaller equity component ($10,000 restricted stock), offering some alignment without over-leveraging equity risk for non-employee directors .
Overall: Sharon Taylor brings CFO-grade financial oversight and IR expertise as Audit Chair, bolstering board effectiveness and risk oversight. Independence, committee leadership, and attendance support investor confidence; leadership structure (combined CEO/Chair) warrants continued monitoring of independent oversight and executive sessions .