CEO Walter Johnsen was paid $1,669,401 in fiscal year 2025, ↑ up 35.5% from fiscal year 2024 (SEC filing 0001193125-26-129439 ↗): executive and director compensation, incentive-plan design, equity activity, and governance — every figure in this brief is traceable to its exact location in the company’s SEC filing — the document, the section, the page, and the table, linked directly.
$1,669,401 ↑ Walter Johnsen total, FY2025 | — CEO pay percentile vs peers | — CEO-to-median pay ratio | 96.45% Say-on-pay support, latest vote |
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ACU's next annual pay disclosure, estimated March 30, 2027.est. Filing ↗
| Named executive officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension / NQDC | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Johnsen | $1,086,165 | $90,000 | $0 | $455,250 | $0 | $0 | $37,986 | $1,669,401 |
| Chairman & Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
| Brian Olschan | 942,237 | 75,000 | 0 | 364,200 | 0 | 0 | 15,920 | 1,397,357 |
| President & Chief Operating Officer | ||||||||
| Paul Driscoll | 569,654 | 70,000 | 0 | 273,150 | 0 | 0 | 15,920 | 928,724 |
| Vice President & Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.
| Named executive officer | FY2025 total | FY2024 total | FY2023 total | Δ FY2024→2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Johnsen | $1,669,401 | $1,231,621 | $1,844,535 | ↑ +437,780 |
| Brian Olschan | 1,397,357 | 1,032,460 | 1,539,061 | ↑ +364,897 |
| Paul Driscoll | 928,724 | 630,846 | 937,298 | ↑ +297,878 |
Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.
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One page per officer: the same table above, read for one person at a time — his own figure and every fiscal year the register holds.
| Executive | Role | FY2025 total |
|---|---|---|
| Brian Olschan | President | $1,397,357 |
| Paul Driscoll | CFO | $928,724 |
| Walter Johnsen | CEO | $1,669,401 |
One page per director: the seat, the committees and the fee table, read for one person at a time.
| Director | Role | FY2025 total |
|---|---|---|
| Brian K. Barker | Independent Director | $177,388 |
| Paul J. Conway | Independent Director | $182,580 |
| Rex L. Davidson | Independent Director | $182,244 |
| Richmond Y. Holden Jr | Independent Director | $182,580 |
| Susan H. Murphy | Independent Director | $176,174 |
No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.
| Executive | Award | Shares unvested | Exercise price | Market value unvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Olschan | Option | 6,250 | 29.35 | — |
| Paul Driscoll | Option | 15,000 | 40.6 | — |
| Walter Johnsen | Option | 30,000 | 21.49 | — |
| Walter Johnsen | Option | 7,500 | 29.35 | — |
| Walter Johnsen | Option | 12,500 | 30.47 | — |
| Walter Johnsen | Option | 25,000 | 40.6 | — |
| Brian Olschan | Option | 10,000 | 30.47 | — |
| Brian Olschan | Option | 20,000 | 40.6 | — |
| Paul Driscoll | Option | 3,750 | 29.35 | — |
| Paul Driscoll | Option | 6,250 | 30.47 | — |
The Company's compensation program is designed to attract, motivate, and retain highly qualified executives, directly relate compensation to Company and individual performance, and align the interests of executive officers with those of shareholders.
| CEO STI target (% of salary) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO LTI target (% of salary) | — |
| Independent consultant | — |
| Clawback policy | — |
| Anti-hedging | false |
| Anti-pledging | — |
| Meeting year | Meeting date | For | Against | Abstain | Support | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-04-27 | 2,775,611 | 102,051 | 5,951 | 96.45% | Passed |
| 2025 | 2025-04-21 | 2,608,573 | 36,005 | 45,414 | 98.64% | Passed |
| 2024 | 2024-04-22 | 2,215,845 | 79,415 | 6,572 | 96.54% | Passed |
| 2023 | 2023-04-24 | 2,371,177 | 196,265 | 15,250 | 92.36% | Passed |
| 2022 | 2022-04-25 | 1,818,211 | 233,877 | 13,338 | 88.6% | Passed |
| 2021 | 2021-04-20 | 2,046,518 | 81,155 | 6,461 | 96.19% | Passed |
Rows are labeled by annual-meeting year, with the meeting date beside each; the vote held in a given year acts on the prior fiscal year's compensation.
| Meeting year | Meeting date | Approval — company's computation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-04-27 | 96.45%a |
| 2025 | 2025-04-21 | 98.64%b |
| 2024 | 2024-04-22 | 96.54%c |
a. Voting standard not stated in the filing.
b. Voting standard not stated in the filing.
c. Voting standard not stated in the filing.
Approval percentages are the company's own reported computations under its own stated standard, not recomputed by Velarion. Where a company does not state a standard, none is assumed.
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond Y. Holden JrIndependent · Executive (Chair) · Compensation (Chair) · Nominating (Chair) | $134,155 | — | $48,425 | — | — | $182,580 |
| Paul J. ConwayIndependent · Audit (Chair) | 134,155 | — | 48,425 | — | — | 182,580 |
| Rex L. DavidsonIndependent · Executive · Audit · Compensation | 133,819 | — | 48,425 | — | — | 182,244 |
| Brian K. BarkerIndependent · Audit | 128,963 | — | 48,425 | — | — | 177,388 |
| Susan H. MurphyIndependent · Compensation | 127,749 | — | 48,425 | — | — | 176,174 |
| Brian S. OlschanEmployee director | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Walter C. JohnsenEmployee director · Board Chair | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Annual cash retainer | $100,907 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | — |
| Per board meeting fee | $2,900 |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | — |
| Stock ownership guideline | — |
| Component | FY2025 |
|---|---|
| Cash retainers and fees | $658,841 |
| Equity awards (grant-date value) | $0 |
| All other compensation | $0 |
| Total cost of the board | $658,841 |
Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.
Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company's own proxy statement.
| Rank | Company | FY | Chief executive | Salary | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acme United | 2025 | Walter Johnsen | $1,086,165 | $0 | $455,250 | $0 | $1,669,401 |
Each peer's compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer's figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.
Answers are drawn only from the figures disclosed in this brief and cited to their location in the source filing. Where a figure required for an answer is not disclosed, that is stated rather than estimated.
Each figure's location is given both for the eye (section · page · table · row · column) and for a script (table/row/column index and exact character span in the filed document). Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.
| # | Supports | Document | Filed | Accession | Location in document |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Section 01, Walter Johnsen | DEF 14A | 2026-03-27 | 0001193125-26-129439 | Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 1,669,401. Filing ↗machine: r3 · c22 · span 187893–187902 |
| 2 | Section 01, Brian Olschan | DEF 14A | 2026-03-27 | 0001193125-26-129439 | Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 1,397,357. Filing ↗machine: r7 · c22 · span 193879–193888 |
| 3 | Section 01, Paul Driscoll | DEF 14A | 2026-03-27 | 0001193125-26-129439 | Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 928,724. Filing ↗machine: r11 · c22 · span 199864–199871 |
| 4 | Section 08, Richmond Y. Holden Jr | DEF 14A | 2026-03-27 | 0001193125-26-129439 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 182,580. Filing ↗machine: span 331897–331911 |
| 5 | Section 08, Paul J. Conway | DEF 14A | 2026-03-27 | 0001193125-26-129439 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 182,580. Filing ↗machine: span 329628–329642 |
| 6 | Section 08, Rex L. Davidson | DEF 14A | 2026-03-27 | 0001193125-26-129439 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 182,244. Filing ↗machine: span 330771–330785 |
| 7 | Section 08, Brian K. Barker | DEF 14A | 2026-03-27 | 0001193125-26-129439 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 177,388. Filing ↗machine: span 328511–328525 |
| 8 | Section 08, Susan H. Murphy | DEF 14A | 2026-03-27 | 0001193125-26-129439 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 176,174. Filing ↗machine: span 333040–333054 |
| 9 | Section 08, Brian S. Olschan | DEF 14A | 2026-03-27 | 0001193125-26-129439 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. Filing ↗ |
| 10 | Section 08, Walter C. Johnsen | DEF 14A | 2026-03-27 | 0001193125-26-129439 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. Filing ↗ |
| 11 | Section 06, 2026 vote | Form 8-K | 2026-04-28 | 0001193125-26-187237 | Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 96.45% (votes for as printed: 2,775,611). Filing ↗ |
| 12 | Section 06, 2025 vote | Form 8-K | 2025-04-23 | 0000950170-25-057453 | Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 98.64% (votes for as printed: 2,608,573). Filing ↗ |
| 13 | Section 06, 2024 vote | Form 8-K | 2024-04-24 | 0000950170-24-047630 | Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 96.54% (votes for as printed: 2,215,845). Filing ↗ |
| 14 | Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed) | Computed | — | — | Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.machine: formula: Δ = FY(n) − FY(n−1) |
| 15 | Section 09b board cost (computed) | Computed | — | — | Cash 658,841 + equity 0 + all other 0 = 658,841, summed across the director compensation table rows.machine: formula: Σ = 658,841 |
| 16 | Acme United (subject), Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-03-27 | 0001193125-26-129439 | CEO total compensation as printed in Acme United's own proxy. As printed: 1,669,401. Filing ↗machine: r3 · c22 · span 187893–187902 |
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