SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Filed by the Registrant [X] Filed by a party other than the Registrant [ ] Check the appropriate box: [ ] Preliminary Proxy Statement [ ] Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2)) [X] Definitive Proxy Statement [ ] Definitive Additional Materials [ ] Soliciting Material Pursuant toss.240.14a-11(c) orss.240.14a-12 DRYCLEAN USA, Inc. ------------------ (Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter) (Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant) Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box): [X] No fee required [ ] Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11 1) Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies: 2) Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies: 3) Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (Set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined): 4) Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction: 5) Total fee paid: [ ] Fee paid previously with preliminary materials. [ ] Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing. 1) Amount Previously Paid: 2) Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.: 3) Filing Party: 4) Date Filed: DRYCLEAN USA, INC. 290 N.E. 68TH STREET MIAMI, FLORIDA 33138 -------------- NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 13, 2003 -------------- Miami, Florida October 17, 2003 To the Stockholders of DRYCLEAN USA, Inc.: NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the 2003 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of DRYCLEAN USA, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), will be held on Thursday, November 13, 2003, at 11:00 A.M., Eastern standard time, at the offices of the Company and the Company's subsidiary, Steiner-Atlantic Corp., 290 N.E. 68th Street, Miami, Florida, for the purpose of considering and acting upon the following matters: (1) The election of seven (7) directors to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until the election and qualification of their respective successors; and (2) The transaction of such other business as may properly be brought before the meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof. The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on October 3, 2003 as the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the meeting. By Order of the Board of Directors, Lloyd Frank, Secretary THE RETURN OF YOUR SIGNED PROXY AS PROMPTLY AS POSSIBLE WILL GREATLY FACILITATE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE MEETING. NO POSTAGE IS REQUIRED IF THE PROXY IS RETURNED IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE AND MAILED IN THE UNITED STATES. DRYCLEAN USA, INC. 290 N.E. 68TH STREET MIAMI, FLORIDA 33138 ---------------- PROXY STATEMENT FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 13, 2003 ---------------- INTRODUCTION This Proxy Statement, to be mailed to stockholders on or about October 17, 2003, is furnished in connection with the solicitation by the Board of Directors of DRYCLEAN USA, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), of proxies in the accompanying form (the "Proxy" or "Proxies") for use at the 2003 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company (the "Meeting") to be held on Thursday, November 13, 2003, and at any adjournments or postponements thereof. The Meeting will be held at the place and time stated in the notice attached hereto. All Proxies properly and timely received will be voted in accordance with the specifications made thereon or, in the absence of any specification, for the election of all of the nominees named herein to serve as directors. Any Proxy given pursuant to this solicitation may be revoked by the person giving it at any time prior to the exercise of the powers conferred thereby by (i) notice in writing or by a later dated proxy received by the Company at 290 N.E. 68th Street, Miami, Florida 33138, Attention: President, or (ii) by voting in person at the Meeting. Only holders of record of the Company's Common Stock (the "Common Stock") as of the close of business on October 3, 2003 (the "Record Date") are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the Meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof for which a new record date is not fixed. As of the close of business on the Record Date, there were issued and outstanding 6,996,450 shares of Common Stock. Stockholders whose Common Stock is held in "street name" (that is, whose shares are held by, and registered in the name of, a broker or other nominee) who wish to vote at the Meeting will need to obtain a proxy form from the institution that holds their shares and follow the voting instructions on that form. The presence, in person or represented by proxy, of a majority of the outstanding Common Stock will constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at the Meeting. Brokers that are members of the New York Stock Exchange have discretion to vote the shares of their clients that the broker holds in street name for its customers but as to which the broker has received no voting direction from the beneficial owner of the shares with respect to non-contested elections of directors and certain other matters. Brokers are, therefore, expected to vote such shares on the election of directors. If a broker, nominee or other fiduciary holding shares in "street name" votes some, but not all, of the shares held by it as record owned for one or more beneficial owner of shares on one or more matters, the shares not voted by it on a matter are called "broker non-votes." Proxies submitted which contain abstentions or broker non-votes will be deemed present at the Meeting for determining the presence of a quorum. Each share of Common Stock held as of the Record Date is entitled to one vote on each matter to be acted upon at the Meeting. A plurality of the votes (that is, the seven persons receiving the highest number of affirmative votes) of the shares present in person or represented by proxy at the Meeting and entitled to vote on the election of directors will be required for the election of directors. While the Company knows of no matters other than the election of directors to be brought before the Meeting (see "Miscellaneous - Other Matters"), if any other matters are brought before the Meeting, under Delaware law approval thereof will require the affirmative vote of either a majority of the Common Stock present in person or represented by proxy at the Meeting and entitled to vote on the subject matter or a majority of all outstanding shares of Common Stock. Abstentions will have the effect of a negative vote on all such matters. Broker non-votes, which are considered not entitled to vote, will have no effect on the outcome of the vote on a matter requiring approval by a majority of those entitled to vote on the matter, but will have the effect of a negative vote on any matter requiring approval by a majority of all outstanding shares of Common Stock. OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT The following table sets forth information, as at September 30, 2003, with respect to the shares of Common Stock that are beneficially owned by (i) any person (including any "group," as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) who is known to the Company to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of the Company's outstanding Common Stock, (ii) the executive officers of the Company named in the Summary Compensation Table under the caption "Executive Compensation," below, (iii) each director and nominee to serve as a director of the Company and (iv) all executive officers and directors of the Company as a group: AMOUNT AND NATURE OF BENEFICIAL PERCENT BENEFICIAL OWNER OWNERSHIP (1) OF CLASS (2) ---------------- ------------- ------------ William K. Steiner 2,290,977 32.7% 290 N.E. 68th Street Miami, FL 33138 Michael S. Steiner 2,260,577 32.3% 290 N.E. 68th Street Miami, FL 33138 Venerando J. Indelicato 304,937 (3) 4.4% David Blyer 10,000 (4) * Lloyd Frank 34,119 (5) * Alan M. Grunspan 21,500 (6) * Stuart Wagner 15,000 (7) * Executive officers and 4,937,110 (8) 70.2% directors as a group (7 persons) - --------------------------- Footnotes appear on the following page. -2- (1) Except as noted in the following footnotes, all beneficially owned shares are owned with sole voting and investment power. (2) Asterisk indicates less than one percent. (3) Includes (a) 163,718 shares (2.3% of the Company's outstanding Common Stock) owned by Mr. Indelicato and his wife as co-trustees under his living trust under which the sole lifetime beneficiary is Mr. Indelicato and (b) 141,219 shares (2.0% of the Company's outstanding Common Stock) owned by Mr. Indelicato and his wife as co-trustees under the living trust of Mr. Indelicato's wife under which the sole lifetime beneficiary is Mr. Indelicato's wife. Mr. Indelicato disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares owned by his wife's living trust. (4) Represents shares which are not outstanding but which are subject to issuance upon the exercise of a stock option that is presently exercisable in full. (5) Includes (a) 21,494 shares owned by Mr. Frank's wife, as to which Mr. Frank disclaims beneficial ownership, and (b) 10,000 shares which are not outstanding but which are subject to issuance upon the exercise of a stock option that is presently exercisable in full. (6) Includes 10,000 shares which are not outstanding but which are subject to issuance upon the exercise of a stock option that is presently exercisable in full. (7) Represents (a) 5,000 shares owned by Mr. Wagner's wife, as to which Mr. Wagner disclaims beneficial ownership, and (b) 10,000 shares which are not outstanding but which are subject to issuance upon the exercise of a stock option that is presently exercisable in full. (8) Includes (a) 26,494 shares owned by spouses of directors, as to which such directors disclaim beneficial ownership, and (b) 40,000 shares which are not outstanding but which are subject to issuance upon the exercise of stock options that are presently exercisable in full. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS Unless otherwise directed, the persons named in the enclosed Proxy intend to cast all votes pursuant to Proxies received for the election of Messrs. Michael S. Steiner, William K. Steiner, Venerando J. Indelicato, David Blyer, Lloyd Frank, Alan M. Grunspan and Stuart Wagner (said persons being hereinafter referred to as the "nominees") as directors upon their nomination at the Meeting. Directors elected at the Meeting will serve until the next Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until their respective successors are elected and qualified. All nominees were elected by stockholders at the Company's 2002 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. In the event that any of the nominees should become unavailable to serve as a director for any reason, the holders of the Proxies have discretionary authority to vote for one or more alternate nominees who may be designated by the Board of Directors. The Company believes that all of the nominees are available to serve as directors. BACKGROUND OF NOMINEES - ---------------------- Michael S. Steiner, 47, has been President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company since the effectiveness of the merger of Steiner-Atlantic Corp. ("Steiner") with and into a subsidiary of the Company on November 1, 1998 (the "Merger") and President and Chief Executive Officer of Steiner since 1988. William K. Steiner, 73, has been Chairman of the Board and a director of the Company since the effectiveness of the Merger on November 1, 1998 and Chairman of the Board of Steiner since he founded Steiner in 1960. -3- Venerando J. Indelicato, 70, was President of the Company from December 1967 until the effectiveness of the Merger on November 1, 1998 and since that time has been Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company. Mr. Indelicato has been a director of the Company since 1966. David Blyer, 43, has served as a director of the Company since the effectiveness of the Merger on November 1, 1998. Mr. Blyer was Chief Executive Officer and President of Vento Software, a developer of software for specialized business applications, from 1994, when he co-founded that company, until mid-2002, when it was sold to an unaffiliated third party. Since that time, Mr. Blyer has been an independent consultant. Lloyd Frank, 78, has been a director of the Company since 1977. Mr. Frank has been a member of the law firm of Jenkens & Gilchrist Parker Chapin LLP and its predecessor since 1977. The Company retained Jenkens & Gilchrist Parker Chapin LLP during the Company's last fiscal year and is retaining that firm during the Company's current fiscal year. Mr. Frank is also a director of Park Electrochemical Corp. and Volt Information Sciences, Inc. Alan M. Grunspan, 43, has served as a director of the Company since May 1999. Mr. Grunspan has been a member of the law firm of Kaufman Dickstein & Grunspan P.A. since 1991. The Company retained Kaufman Dickstein & Grunspan P.A. during the Company's last fiscal year and is retaining that firm during the Company's current fiscal year. Stuart Wagner, 71, has served as a director of the Company since the effectiveness of the Merger on November 1, 1998. Mr. Wagner has served as a consultant to Diversitech Corp., a manufacturer and distributor of HVAC products, since 1997. From 1975 to 1997, Mr. Wagner was President of Wagner Products Corp., a manufacturer and distributor of HVAC products, a company which he founded. Michael S. Steiner is the son of William K. Steiner. There are no other family relationships among any of the directors and executive officers of the Company. All directors serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until the election and qualification of their respective successors. All officers serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. MEETINGS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS During the Company's fiscal year ended June 30, 2003, its Board of Directors held four meetings. Each director attended each of the meetings of the Board of Directors and the committees on which he served that were held during that fiscal year. The Board of Directors has standing Audit and Compensation Committees. The Board does not have a standing Nominating Committee. The Board's Audit Committee consists of Alan M. Grunspan (Chairman), David Blyer and Stuart Wagner, each of whom meets the independence requirements for audit committee members under the listing standards of the American Stock Exchange, on which the Company's Common Stock is listed. The Audit Committee provides assistance to the Company's Board of Directors in fulfilling the Board's oversight responsibilities. The Audit Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Board of Directors, which the Committee annually reviews, assesses and, with respect to which, if it deems it appropriate, recommends changes to the Board. A copy of the Audit Committee's charter was most recently published in the Company's proxy statement for its 2001 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Under its charter, the Audit Committee serves as an independent and objective party to monitor the Company's financial reporting process and internal control system; reviews and appraises the audit efforts of the Company's independent auditors; and provides an open avenue of communication among the Company's independent auditors, financial and senior management and the Board. Among other things, the Audit Committee reviews the financial reports -4- and other financial information provided by the Company to any governmental body and the public; the Company's systems of internal controls regarding finance, accounting, legal compliance and ethics that management and the Board may from time to time adopt; and the Company's auditing, accounting and financial reporting processes generally. The Audit Committee also recommends to the Board the selection of the independent auditors for each fiscal year, confirms the independence of the independent auditors and approves the fees and other compensation to be paid to the independent auditors. A report of the Audit Committee appears under the caption "Audit Committee Report," below. The Audit Committee held four meetings during the year ended June 30, 2003. The members of the Compensation Committee are David Blyer, Lloyd Frank and Stuart Wagner. This Committee approves salaries of all executive officers, administers (including granting options under) the Company's employee stock option plans, approves changes in retirement plans and reviews the Company's other employee benefit arrangements. The Compensation Committee did not meet during the year ended June 30, 2003. AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT Management has the primary responsibility for the Company's financial reporting process, including its consolidated financial statements, while the Board is responsible for overseeing the Company's accounting, auditing and financial reporting practices and the Company's independent public accountants have the responsibility for the examination of the Company's annual consolidated financial statements, expressing an opinion on the conformity of those financial statements with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States and issuing a report thereon. In assisting the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibility with respect to the Company's year ended June 30, 2003, the Audit Committee: o Reviewed and discussed the audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2003 with management and BDO Seidman, LLP ("BDO Seidman"), the Company's independent public accountants; o Discussed with BDO Seidman the matters required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61 relating to the conduct of the audit; and o Received the written disclosures and the letter from BDO Seidman regarding its independence as required by Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1, Independence Discussions with Audit Committees. The Audit Committee also discussed BDO Seidman's independence with BDO Seidman and considered whether the provision of non-audit services rendered by BDO Seidman was compatible with maintaining its independence under Securities and Exchange Commission rules governing the independence of a company's outside auditors (see "Miscellaneous - Auditors"). Based on the foregoing review and discussions, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board that the Company's audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2003 be included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for that year. Respectfully, David Blyer Alan M. Grunspan Stuart Wagner -5- EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE The following table sets forth information concerning the compensation of Michael S. Steiner, the Company's only executive officer whose cash compensation exceeded $100,000 during the Company's fiscal year ended June 30, 2003 for services in all capacities to the Company during the Company's 2003, 2002 and 2001 fiscal years: