John Gulyas
About John Gulyas
John Gulyas (age 50) serves as Chairman of the Board at Safety Shot, Inc. (now Bonk, Inc.), and has been a director since July 2023. His background spans franchise operations and beverage product development, including founding GBB Drink Lab (acquired by the Company). In December 2024, he entered an employment agreement as Executive Chairman, which indicates he is not an independent director; the Board’s independence determination names other directors (Melton, Pascucci, Long) as independent, but not Gulyas .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety Shot (Bonk, Inc.) | Chairman and Director | Director since Jul 2023; Executive Chairman since Dec 16, 2024 | Executive leadership; Board chair |
| GBB Drink Lab | Founder & President | Feb 2020–present | Product (rapid blood alcohol detox drink); later acquired by SHOT |
| 2v Consulting LLC | Owner & CEO | 2015–present | Franchise consulting |
| Vio Med Spa | VP, Franchise Development | Oct 2018–Sep 2021 | Growth and site development |
| European Wax Center | Site Development Coordinator | Jun 2007–Mar 2017 | Expansion/site development |
External Roles
- No other public-company directorships disclosed for Gulyas .
Board Governance
- Committee memberships (FY 2024): Audit (Melton—Chair; Pascucci; Long), Compensation (Long—Chair; Melton; Pascucci), Nominating & Corporate Governance (Pascucci—Chair; Melton; Long). Gulyas is not listed as a member of these committees .
- Independence status: The Board determined Melton, Pascucci, and Long are independent; Gulyas is not identified as independent and has an employment agreement as Executive Chairman (non-independent) .
- Board meeting attendance: Not disclosed in available filings; no rates or meeting counts found for SHOT .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Terms/Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Chairman Base Salary | $300,000 | Paid bi-monthly; per Employment Agreement dated Dec 16, 2024 | |
| Director Cash Fee (2024) | $25,000 | Annual director fee paid in 2024 |
Performance Compensation
| Metric/Instrument | Grant/Target | Vesting/Trigger | Dates | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted Stock Award | 1,000,000 shares | Amended to vest in four quarterly tranches of 250,000 | Jul 1, 2025; Oct 1, 2025; Jan 1, 2026; Apr 1, 2026 | |
| Incentive Bonus | $100,000 | Trigger: Combined revenue ≥ $500,000 for Q1+Q2 2025 | Q1+Q2 2025 performance period | |
| Restricted Shares | 500,000 shares | Same trigger as above | Post-qualification issuance | |
| Incentive Bonus | $100,000 | Trigger: Combined revenue ≥ $1,000,000 for Q3+Q4 2025 | Q3+Q4 2025 performance period | |
| Restricted Shares | 500,000 shares | Same trigger as above | Post-qualification issuance |
- Equity plan terms (Company-wide): 2024 Equity Incentive Plan allows the Committee to accelerate vesting upon change of control at its discretion .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Committee Positions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | — | No external public boards disclosed for Gulyas |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Franchise operations, consumer products, beverage category development; founder-level product development (GBB Drink Lab) .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Shares | Options | Total | % of Shares Outstanding | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beneficial Interest (as of Sept 25, 2025) | 4,467,667 | 3,200,000 | 7,667,667 | 4.3% | |
| Beneficially Owned (alternate presentation) | — | — | 7,677,667 | 3.5% |
- Footnotes indicate the total includes options exercisable within 60 days; tables differ due to methodology (beneficial interest vs beneficially owned presentation) .
- Pledging/hedging: No disclosure found indicating any shares pledged or hedging arrangements for Gulyas .
Governance Assessment
- Independence: RED FLAG — Gulyas is Executive Chairman under an employment agreement; he is not identified as an independent director by the Board .
- Committee roles: As Board Chair, he is not on Audit/Compensation/Nominating committees, which are fully independent-led (best practice) .
- Pay-for-performance: Executive compensation includes clear revenue triggers for cash bonuses and significant equity grants (RSU schedule and performance shares), aligning incentives with near-term revenue milestones .
- Ownership alignment: Material beneficial ownership (≈7.67M total including options) supports alignment, though concentration warrants monitoring given Company’s evolving capital structure .
- Related-party exposure: Potential conflict to monitor—Company acquired product developed by Gulyas (GBB Drink Lab); ensure rigorous related-party review and arm’s-length terms (no specific RPT terms disclosed) .
- Company-level risk oversight: The proxy highlights BONK token treasury counterparty and accounting risks; Board (led by Gulyas as Chair) should demonstrate robust oversight of digital asset strategies and controls .
RED FLAGS: Non-independent Board Chair with employment agreement ; potential related-party context from product acquisition ; heightened risk from digital asset treasury activities requiring strong governance .