Brooks Automation Inc. (NDAQ:BRKS) shares moved up $0.17, or 1.22%, to $14.08 today after Nierenberg Investment Management said that they strongly disagree with the decision made by Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis to withhold their votes from several incumbent BRKS directors. Details regarding this proxy vote were disclosed in the company's recent Schedule 14A proxy filing with the SEC. While the company's shares have stalled somewhat during recent years, the stock is trading 32% higher than its 2006 lows.

In their Schedule 13D filing with the SEC, Nierenberg noted:

"We believe that the Board of Directors of BRKS has improved dramatically the quality of its corporate governance in the past year. First, the Board announced that former Chairman and CEO Robert Therrien would not be re-nominated for another term on the Board.  Second, when the Wall Street Journal broke the story last March about the appearance of  back-dated stock option grants made to Mr. Therrien, the Board immediately appointed a special committee  of  newer, independent  directors to examine the matter and empowered the special committee to engage independent legal and accounting counsel. Later, after several months of intensive examination of the Therrien and other suspect stock option grants, the two board  members who had been the Board's compensation committee  at the time the Therrien grants were made resigned from the Board of Directors. Now BRKS' Board has a capable new Chair; the former Lead Director is no longer on the Board; and BRKS' compensation committee and its nominating and governance committee also have new Chairs. The company is publicly committed to cooperating fully with federal examinations of past option practices and to never repeating the unfortunate practices of the past. Fundamentally, we believe that BRKS has a strong balance sheet, a sensible corporate strategy, and excellent management to execute the strategy ... We believe that the formulaic approach taken by ISS and GL would, if followed in this case, cause shareholders  to withhold votes from directors who have been doing difficult work exceptionally well. We believe that doing the right thing should be rewarded, not punished."

Overall, this shareholders meeting will be one to watch closely as many large shareholders are beginning to question the company's leadership. Meanwhile, the company's stock continues to perform well into 2007 and is definitely one to keep an eye on over the next few months.

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