Business

CEO Pay Watch: Sally Smith, Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.

By Patrick Kennedy

March 28, 2015 at 2:29AM

Buffalo Wild Wings CEO Sally Smith (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

CEO Pay Watch Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.

Sally Smith, president, CEO

Total compensation: $4,898,032 for the year ended Dec. 31

Salary: $750,000

Non-equity incentive pay: $1,184,725

Other compensation: $161,634

Value realized on vesting shares: $2,801,673

New stock options: 7,590

Total shareholder return: 22.5 percent

Note: Smith has been president and CEO of St. Louis Park-based Buffalo Wild Wings since 1996. During 2014 revenue grew 20 percent to $1.5 billion and net earnings increased 31.5 percent to $94 million and the company added 78 net new restaurants to its system. Company-owned stores had a same-store-sales growth of 6.5 percent, while franchise-owned stores grew at 5.6 percent.

Those measures determine the bonus level for company executives. The sales, sales growth and earnings results were all greater than the targeted results while the company fell four new restaurants short of its new-store target. The performance helped executives earn bonuses at 126 percent of the targeted level.

Smith's overall compensation was down 12.2 percent from 2013's total of $5.6 million, mainly because Smith did not exercise any stock options last year. Her base salary increased by $50,000 or 7.1 percent and her bonus increased 28.8 percent on the strong financial performance.

In the last five years, the stock has had a total return of 348 percent, compared with 105 percent for the S&P 500.

Patrick Kennedy

Caption (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

about the writer

Patrick Kennedy

Reporter

Business reporter Patrick Kennedy covers executive compensation and public companies. He has reported on the Minnesota business community for more than 25 years.