Jason Vieth
About Jason Vieth
Jason Vieth, age 52, has served as President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Laird Superfood since January 31, 2022; he holds a B.S. in Finance from Miami University and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, with prior leadership roles at Sovos Brands, WhiteWave Foods, Poppi, and Life Time’s Life Café, plus ~10 years in strategy consulting at BCG and Accenture . Company operating performance in FY 2024 showed Net Sales growth to $43.3m (+27% YoY), gross margin expansion to 40.9% (+1,071 bps), Net Loss narrowed to $1.8m (from $10.2m), and Adjusted EBITDA improved to $(0.7)m (from $(9.0)m) . Vieth joined the Board in 2022 and is not currently a member of any Board committee; the Board maintains an independent Chair structure .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sovos Brands | Executive Vice President; managed Breakfast and Snacks Group | From Jan 2021 | Led branded F&B portfolio segment management |
| WhiteWave Foods | SVP & GM, yogurt (Horizon Organic, Wallaby, Silk, So Delicious) | Jan 2008–Apr 2017 | Ran large-scale dairy/plant-based yogurt franchise P&L |
| Poppi | Leader (producer of prebiotic soda) | Apr 2019–Jan 2020 | Growth leadership in emerging beverage category |
| Life Time – Life Café | Leader | Apr 2017–Apr 2020 | Multi-location foodservice operations leadership |
| The Boston Consulting Group; Accenture | Management consultant | Nearly a decade | Strategy and operations transformation experience |
External Roles
- No current external public company directorships disclosed for Vieth in the 2025 proxy .
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary rate ($) | $400,000 (per employment agreement) | $500,000 (effective May 1, 2024) |
| Actual base salary paid ($) | $383,333 | $462,500 |
| Target annual bonus (% of base) | 50% | 50% |
| Maximum annual bonus (% of base) | Up to 100% | Up to 100% |
| Actual cash bonus paid ($) | $173,800 | $310,333 |
Performance Compensation
- Annual incentive plan (AIP): Company discloses the program includes “performance-based bonuses” but does not specify metric definitions or weightings for NEOs due to scaled EGC reporting; payouts are shown below .
| AIP Payout ($) | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash bonus | $173,800 | $310,333 |
- Equity awards: NEO equity delivered via options and RSUs; 2024 annual equity awards were granted on Feb 23, 2024 and Jul 12, 2024, vesting ratably over five years .
Outstanding Vieth awards at 12/31/2024:
| Award type | Shares (exercisable) | Shares (unexercisable) | Exercise price | Expiration | Vesting schedule end | RSUs unvested (#) | RSUs market value at 12/31/24 ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock option | 51,562 | 23,438 | $7.64 | 1/31/2032 | 1/31/2026 | — | — |
| Stock option | 34,375 | 15,625 | $25.00 | 1/31/2032 | 1/31/2026 | — | — |
| Stock option | 51,562 | 23,438 | $7.21 | 2/03/2032 | 2/03/2026 | — | — |
| Stock option | 25,000 | 75,000 | $0.81 | 4/03/2033 | 4/04/2027 | — | — |
| Stock option | — | 193,500 | $0.73 | 2/23/2034 | 2/23/2029 | — | — |
| RSUs (grant cohort) | — | — | — | — | 1/31/2026 (cohort) | 39,063 | $307,816 (at $7.88) |
| RSUs (grant cohort) | — | — | — | — | 4/04/2027 (cohort) | 75,000 | $591,000 (at $7.88) |
| RSUs (grant cohort) | — | — | — | — | 2/23/2029 (cohort) | 496,650 | $3,913,602 (at $7.88) |
Notes:
- Company indicates AIP metrics exist but are not detailed; Committee uses a pay-for-performance framework .
- Options with exercise prices below $7.88 (12/31/24 close used by the company) are in-the-money: $0.73, $0.81, $7.21, $7.64; the $25.00 tranche is out-of-the-money at that date .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Ownership detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Outstanding shares beneficially owned | 194,825 |
| Shares exercisable within 60 days | 251,199 |
| Total beneficial ownership | 446,024 |
| Percent of class | 4.1% |
| Notable note | Includes 1,611 shares held by his child |
Policies and governance:
- Hedging is prohibited; pledging/margining is prohibited absent Audit Committee or Compliance Officer pre-approval .
- Compensation recoupment (clawback) policy mandates recovery of excess incentive compensation following a restatement; no indemnification for opposing recovery .
Employment Terms
| Term | Key provision |
|---|---|
| Employment start; role | President, CEO, Director since Jan 31, 2022 |
| Base salary at hire; current rate | $400,000 (at hire) ; increased to $500,000 effective May 1, 2024 |
| Annual bonus opportunity | Up to 100% of base; target 50% |
| New-hire/inducement equity | 125,000 RSUs (4-year vesting); options to purchase 50,000 shares at $25.00 and 150,000 shares at fair market value, 25% after 1 year then quarterly over 12 quarters |
| Sign-on bonus | $114,000, subject to one-year clawback for resignation without good reason or termination for cause |
| Severance (non‑CIC) | 12 months base salary and up to 12 months COBRA upon termination without cause or resignation for good reason |
| Change in control (within 2 years) | 24 months base salary, up to 18 months COBRA, full vesting of equity awards, and a cash payment of $1,000,000 less the FMV of the inducement grants at the time of the change in control |
| Restrictive covenants | Non-compete and non-solicit provisions included (terms not quantified) |
| Indemnification | Standard indemnification agreement consistent with IPO form |
Board Governance
- Board and committees: Vieth serves as CEO and Director; he is not on Audit, Compensation, or Nominating & Corporate Governance Committees .
- Independence: Board deems Vieth (CEO) non‑independent; Board Chair is independent (Geoffrey Barker), and committees are fully independent .
- Attendance: Each director attended at least 75% of Board/committee meetings in 2024 .
- Director pay: Employee directors (Vieth and Hamilton) receive no additional pay for Board service .
- Executive sessions: Non‑employee directors meet in executive session at least twice per year .
Compensation Peer Group (for benchmarking)
| Peer companies (17) |
|---|
| 22nd Century; Alico; Bridgford Foods; Celsius; Coffee Holding; Craft Brew Alliance; Crimson Wine; Lifeway Foods; Limoneira; MamaMancini’s; MGP Ingredients; NewAge; RiceBran Technologies; Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory; S&W Seed; South Dakota Soybean; Willamette Valley Vineyards |
Company Equity Plan Capacity (supply/dilution context)
- On June 27, 2024, stockholders approved an amendment to increase the plan share reserve to 4,000,000, extend the plan term to May 7, 2034, and extend the evergreen provision to January 1, 2034 .
- The plan amendment was executed June 27, 2024; the executed First Amendment was signed by CEO Jason Vieth .
- Vote results: Plan amendment approved 2,506,353 For / 528,035 Against / 7,897 Abstain; director slate re‑elected; auditor ratification passed .
Performance & Track Record Snapshot (Company)
| Metric | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Net Sales ($m) | $34.2 | $43.3 |
| Gross Margin (%) | 30.1% | 40.9% |
| Net Loss ($m) | $(10.2) | $(1.8) |
| Adjusted EBITDA ($m) | $(9.0) | $(0.7) |
Related Party Transactions (governance context)
- Company paid $251,061 in 2024 under a marketing agreement with Gabrielle Reece (spouse of co-founder/Chief Innovator Laird Hamilton); oversight per related-party policy .
Investment Implications
- Alignment and retention: Vieth’s 2024 compensation mix is predominantly equity-based ($2.27m RSUs and $0.09m options vs. $0.77m cash), with long-dated vesting through 2029, supporting retention and stock alignment; multiple option tranches are in-the-money at 12/31/24, further tying outcomes to share price .
- Pay vs. performance structure: Target bonus at 50% of salary with potential up to 100% and a clawback policy provide downside accountability; however, specific AIP performance metrics/weightings were not disclosed under scaled EGC reporting, modestly limiting external assessment of pay-for-performance rigor .
- Change-in-control economics: A double-trigger CIC package with 2x salary, COBRA up to 18 months, full equity vesting, and a $1,000,000 payment (net of inducement grant FMV) provides significant protection that could be costly in a sale scenario but may stabilize leadership through strategic transitions .
- Ownership and trading dynamics: Vieth beneficially owns 446,024 shares (4.1% of outstanding); policies restrict hedging and pledging without approval, reducing misalignment risk; sizable unvested RSUs vest annually through 2029, which can incrementally increase tradable float upon vesting .
- Governance mitigants: Independent Chair and fully independent key committees mitigate CEO/director dual-role concerns; employee directors receive no additional director pay, reducing compensation conflicts .
- Execution track record: FY 2024 showed notable revenue growth and margin expansion with improved GAAP and non-GAAP profitability, indicating operational traction under current leadership .