Jeffery Taylor
About Jeffery Taylor
Jeffery Taylor was appointed as an independent director of HF Foods Group Inc. effective October 13, 2025, and concurrently named to the Audit, Compensation, and Nominating & Governance Committees; the Board determined he meets Nasdaq independence standards . He brings 27+ years of senior finance leadership, including CFO roles at Franklin Electric, Blue Bird, and Wabash National, and prior senior finance roles at King Pharmaceuticals (Pfizer) and Eastman Chemical; he holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Arizona State University .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Key achievements/impact |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin Electric Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: FELE) | VP, CFO & Chief Accounting Officer | Led revenue growth from $1.7B → $2.0B and operating income from $190M → $244M; drove >$200M free cash flow improvement via working capital reduction; elevated investor relations program |
| Blue Bird Corporation (NASDAQ: BLBD) | Chief Financial Officer | Led finance transformation initiatives; public company CFO experience cited by HF Foods |
| Wabash National Corporation (NYSE: WNC) | Chief Financial Officer | Executed $360M strategic acquisition; comprehensive finance transformation initiatives |
| King Pharmaceuticals (now Pfizer Inc.) | Senior finance positions | Senior finance experience in pharma |
| Eastman Chemical Company | Senior finance positions | Senior finance experience in chemicals |
Board Governance
- Independence: Board affirmatively determined Mr. Taylor is independent under Nasdaq rules .
- Committee assignments: Audit, Compensation, and Nominating & Governance Committees (effective Oct 13, 2025) .
- Lead Independent Director: Maria Ross was appointed Lead Independent Director on June 4, 2025 .
- Board/committee activity context: In 2024, Audit (10 meetings), Compensation (7), Nominating (6); Board held 15 meetings with director attendance averaging 87% (committees 100%) .
Fixed Compensation
Mr. Taylor will be compensated on the same basis as other independent directors, per the Company’s June 5, 2025 program update.
| Program element | FY 2024 | FY 2025 (effective Jul 1, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer ($) | $30,000 (new independents paid $7,500 per quarter) | $40,000 |
| Annual RSU grant fair value ($) | $30,000 (time-vested RSUs) | $40,000 (time-vested RSUs; ASC 718 fair value) |
Notes:
- Mr. Taylor will enter a standard director letter agreement (confidentiality/conflict terms) consistent with other independent directors .
- DEF 14A indicates director RSUs vest on the one-year anniversary of grant (2024 program); the 2025 8-K confirms amounts but does not modify vesting terms .
Performance Compensation
HF Foods does not disclose performance-based equity for non-employee directors; director equity is time-vested RSUs . For context on the Compensation Committee’s pay-for-performance framework for executives (which Mr. Taylor will oversee as a committee member), PSU awards use revenue and Internal Adjusted EBITDA.
| PSU metric | FY 2024 target | FY 2025 target | FY 2026 target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net revenue | $1.155B (≈1% growth) | $1.190B (≈3% growth) | $1.231B (≈3.5% growth) |
| Internal Adjusted EBITDA (as % of revenue) | 4.33% | 4.5% | 5.0% |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Public company CFO experience across industrial/manufacturing environments, M&A (including $360M acquisition), capital markets, and finance transformations .
- Governance and investor relations elevation experience; board governance expertise highlighted by HF Foods .
- Education: MBA (University of Texas at Austin) and B.S. Chemical Engineering (Arizona State University) .
Equity Ownership
- As of his appointment, the Company disclosed no Item 404(a) related-party transactions for Mr. Taylor; beneficial ownership/insider holdings were not disclosed in Company materials at appointment .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent status; multi-committee assignment (Audit, Compensation, Nominating), and deep CFO/M&A/capital markets background that aligns with HF’s transformation priorities .
- Alignment: Director pay mix is cash + time-vested RSUs (no options), aligning director interests with shareholders while limiting risk-taking incentives .
- Risks/Red flags: The insider trading policy prohibits hedging and margining but allows use of Company securities as collateral for bona fide loans (pledging allowed for directors/officers), which many investors view as a potential alignment risk if used; HF has not disclosed any pledging by Mr. Taylor . Company-wide related-party transactions (legacy management/family affiliates) exist and are overseen by a Special Transactions Committee; none involve Mr. Taylor per appointment disclosure .
- Shareholder sentiment: Say-on-pay support declined from 99% (2023) to ~80% (2024), suggesting increased scrutiny of executive pay; as a Compensation Committee member, Mr. Taylor’s oversight will be material .
Say-on-Pay Approval
| Metric | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Say-on-pay approval (%) | 99% | ~80% |
Related-Party Transactions Oversight
- HF maintains a Special Transactions Review Committee with a written charter to pre-approve and monitor related-party transactions; multiple 2024 related-party purchases/sales/leases and balances are disclosed (affiliates of legacy executives/shareholders), but Mr. Taylor’s 8-K affirms no Item 404(a) transactions for him personally .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- The Company’s disclosures highlight Mr. Taylor’s public-company CFO roles but do not disclose other current public-company board memberships or interlocks; none are cited in his appointment materials .
Board Governance Signals (Committee work and attendance context)
- 2024 Board and committee cadence indicates active oversight (Board: 15 meetings; Audit: 10; Compensation: 7; Nominating: 6); Mr. Taylor’s placement across three key committees signals expected high engagement going forward .
Overall implication: Mr. Taylor’s independent status and multi-committee placement, combined with proven CFO/M&A execution, strengthen board effectiveness in finance, controls, and compensation oversight. Monitoring pledging practices (policy permits) and continued tightening of pay-for-performance calibration will be key to sustaining investor confidence amid prior-year softness in say-on-pay support .