Use these links to rapidly review the document
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No.          )

 

---

Table of Contents

Douglas Dynamics, Inc.
7777 N. 73rd Street
Milwaukee, WI 53223

NOTICE OF 2011 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To the Stockholders of Douglas Dynamics, Inc.:

        On behalf of our Board of Directors, you are cordially invited to attend our 2011 annual meeting of stockholders, which will be held on Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. (Central Time) at The Pfister Hotel, 424 East Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202, for the following purposes:

1.

To elect three persons to our Board of Directors to hold office until the 2014 annual meeting of stockholders;



2.

To conduct an advisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in the accompanying proxy statement;



3.

To conduct an advisory vote on the frequency of the advisory stockholder vote on the compensation of our named executive officers;



4.

To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2011; and



5.

To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

        Our Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on March 7, 2011 as the record date for the determination of the stockholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at, our annual meeting. A proxy statement and proxy card are enclosed. Whether or not you expect to attend our annual meeting, it is important that you promptly complete, sign, date and mail the proxy card in the enclosed envelope so that you may vote your shares. If you hold your shares in a brokerage account, you should be aware that, if you do not instruct your broker how to vote within 10 days prior to the annual meeting, your broker will not be permitted to vote your shares for the election of directors or on the advisory votes on the compensation of our named executive officers and the frequency of the advisory stockholder vote on the compensation of our named executive officers.

        Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Stockholder Meeting To Be Held on May 4, 2011. The Douglas Dynamics, Inc. proxy statement for the 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and the 2010 Annual Report to Stockholders are available at http://ir.douglasdynamics.com/index.cfm.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
March 30, 2011

---

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

---

Table of Contents

PROXY STATEMENT
FOR 2011 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2011

ATTENDANCE AND VOTING MATTERS

        Douglas Dynamics, Inc. ("we", "our", "us" or "Company"), a Delaware corporation, is mailing this proxy statement and the accompanying form of proxy to stockholders in connection with a solicitation of proxies by our Board of Directors ("Board") for use at our 2011 annual meeting of stockholders to be held on Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. (Central Time) at The Pfister Hotel, 424 East Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202, and all adjournments or postponements thereof ("Annual Meeting"), for the purposes set forth in the attached Notice of 2011 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

        On May 10, 2010, we completed our initial public offering ("IPO") of our common stock and became a publicly-traded company. Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange LLC ("NYSE") under the symbol PLOW.

Voting at Our Annual Meeting

        Execution of a proxy given in response to this solicitation will not affect a stockholder's right to attend our Annual Meeting and to vote in person. Presence at our Annual Meeting of a stockholder who has signed a proxy does not in itself revoke that proxy. Any stockholder giving a proxy may revoke it at any time before or at the Annual Meeting by giving notice thereof to us in writing, by attending our Annual Meeting and voting in person or by delivering a proxy bearing a later date.

Voting by Proxy

        You may arrange to vote your shares by proxy or by mail following the instructions in the form of proxy card. If you choose to vote by mail, please complete your proxy card and return it to us before our Annual Meeting. We will vote your shares as you direct on your properly executed proxy card. The shares represented by executed but unmarked proxies will be voted (i) FOR the election to our Board of the nominees for director named below, (ii) FOR approval of the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in this proxy statement, (iii) FOR holding the advisory vote on the compensation of our named executive officers every year, (iv) FOR ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2011, and (v) on such other business or matters as may properly come before our Annual Meeting in accordance with the best judgment of the persons named as proxies in the enclosed form of proxy. Other than the election of directors, the advisory votes on the compensation of our named executive officers and the frequency of such votes and the ratification of our independent registered public accounting firm, as of the date of this proxy statement, our Board has no knowledge of any other matters to be presented for action by our stockholders at the Annual Meeting.

Who Can Vote and the Number of Votes You Have

        Only holders of record of our common stock at the close of business on March 7, 2011 ("Record Date") are entitled to notice of, and to vote at, our Annual Meeting. On the Record Date, 21,662,242 shares of our common stock were outstanding and entitled to vote. Each such share is entitled to one vote on each matter submitted for stockholder approval at our Annual Meeting.

Required Vote

        Proposal 1:    Directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast at our Annual Meeting. To be elected by a "plurality" of the votes cast means that the individuals who receive the largest number of votes are elected as directors. Therefore, any shares not voted, whether by an indication on the proxy

1

---

Table of Contents

card that you wish to "withhold authority," by a broker non-vote (which may occur because brokers or other nominees who hold shares for you do not have the discretionary authority to vote your uninstructed shares in the election of directors) or otherwise, have no effect in the election of directors except to the extent that the failure to vote for an individual results in another individual receiving a larger number of votes.

        Proposal 2:    The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of shares of our common stock represented and entitled to vote at our Annual Meeting is required to approve the advisory vote on compensation of our named executive officers. Consequently, broker non-votes will have no effect on approval of the resolution, but abstentions will act as a vote against approval of the resolution. Because your vote is advisory, it will not be binding on the Board or the Company. However, the Compensation Committee will review the voting results and take them into consideration when making future decisions regarding executive compensation.

        Proposal 3:    The frequency of the advisory vote on executive compensation receiving the greatest number of votes cast in favor of such frequency, whether every year, every two years or every three years, will be the frequency of the advisory vote on executive compensation that stockholders are deemed to have approved. Abstentions and broker non-votes do not constitute a vote for any particular frequency. Because your vote is advisory, it will not be binding on the Board or the Company. However, the Board will review the voting results and take them into consideration when making future decisions regarding the frequency of the advisory vote on executive compensation.

        Proposal 4:    The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of shares of our common stock represented and entitled to vote at our Annual Meeting is required for ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2011.

        A quorum of stockholders is necessary to take action at our Annual Meeting. A majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock entitled to vote, represented in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum of stockholders at our Annual Meeting. Votes cast by proxy or in person at our Annual Meeting will be tabulated by the inspector of election appointed for our Annual Meeting. For purposes of determining whether a quorum is present, abstentions and broker non-votes (which may occur because brokers or other nominees who hold shares for you do not have the discretionary authority to vote your uninstructed shares in the election of directors or with respect to the advisory vote on the compensation of our named executive officers or the frequency of such votes in the future) will count toward the quorum requirement. For purposes of the proposal to ratify our independent registered accounting firm and the advisory vote on the compensation of our named executive officers, abstentions will have the same effect as votes against. Abstentions will have no effect on the outcome of the advisory vote on the future frequency of advisory votes on the compensation of our named executive officers.

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
(Proposal 1)

        Our Board currently consists of nine persons and is divided into three classes. The directors in one class are elected at each annual meeting of stockholders to serve for a three-year term and until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Each director elected at our Annual Meeting will hold office for a three-year term expiring at our 2014 annual meeting of stockholders and until his successor is duly elected and qualified. Our other directors are not up for election this year and will continue in office for the remainder of their terms.

        As of the date of this proxy statement, the nominees for election have indicated that they are able and willing to serve as directors. However, if some unexpected occurrence should require our Board to substitute some other person or persons for any of the nominees, it is intended that the shares

2

---

Table of Contents

represented by proxies received and voted for such other candidate, or not voted, will be voted for another nominee selected by our Board.

Nominees for Election at the Annual Meeting

        The following sets forth certain information, as of the Record Date, about the nominees for election at our Annual Meeting. The nominees are all currently directors of our Company.

        Jack O. Peiffer, 77, has been serving as a director since 2004. Mr. Peiffer was initially appointed to our Board of Directors by Aurora Equity Partners II L.P. and Aurora Overseas Equity Partners II, L.P., two significant stockholders in our company (the "Aurora Entities"). In 1994, Mr. Peiffer retired from General Electric after 38 years of service. Mr. Peiffer joined General Electric in 1955 in connection with General Electric's Financial Training Program. He served as Vice President and General Manager of General Electric Supply and Senior Vice President of Human Resources for General Electric, and held a variety of financial assignments including Traveling Auditor, Manager of Information and Data Process Services for the Radio Receiver business followed by Senior Financial Management positions in General Electric's Industrial Diamond business, Chemical and Metallurgical Group, and Technical Materials Sector. Mr. Peiffer previously served on the Board of Directors of K&F Industries Holdings, Inc. from 2006 to 2007. Mr. Peiffer's qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors include his extensive experience with public and financial accounting matters during his 38 years of service with General Electric, including 25 years in various financial assignments, as well as his service on boards of directors and audit committees of a variety of public and private companies. Mr. Peiffer also has extensive experience in supply chain management, which together with Mr. Peiffer's experience with accounting principles, financial controls, financial reporting rules and financial and accounting regulations makes him an asset to our Board of Directors.

        James D. Staley, 61, has been serving as a director since July 2010. He retired in 2008 after more than 35 years of service with Roadway Express, Inc. ("Roadway"), a motor freight carrier company, and its successor company, YRC Worldwide, Inc. ("YRC"), a North American transportation service provider, which acquired Roadway in 2003. Mr. Staley joined Roadway in 1971 and during his years of service with that company and its successor company, YRC, served as Chief Executive Officer of the Regional Transportation Division of YRC from 2006 to 2007, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Roadway Division of YRC from 2004 to 2005, and in various management positions for Roadway from 1971 to 2003, including Vice President of the Northeastern Division from 1993 to 1994, Vice President of Operations from 1994 to 1998, and President and Chief Executive Officer of Roadway from 1998 to 2003. Mr. Staley currently serves on the Board of Directors of Roadrunner Transportation Systems, Inc. Mr. Staley's qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors include his leadership experience at a publicly held company and his background in the transportation industry as a member of senior management of a transportation service provider.

        Michael W. Wickham, 64, has been serving as a director since 2004 and as Chairman of our Board since 2010. Mr. Wickham was initially appointed to our Board of Directors by the Aurora Entities. Mr. Wickham retired as Chairman of the Board of Roadway Corporation in December 2003, where he was Chief Executive Officer from 1997 to 1999 and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from 1999 until his retirement in 2003. Roadway Corporation was a freight services company that was acquired by Yellow Roadway Corporation in 2003. Prior to his service with Roadway Corporation, Mr. Wickham was the President of Roadway Express, where he held a variety of management positions during his 35-year career with the company. Mr. Wickham also currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of C.H. Robinson Worldwide and Republic Services, Inc. Mr. Wickham's qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors include his 35 years of managerial experience at Roadway Express, including his six years as Roadway Corporation's Chief Executive Officer. His experience at Roadway brings key senior management and operational insight to our Board of Directors. In particular, Mr. Wickham has significant expertise in transportation and shipment logistics. His service on the

3

---

Table of Contents

Board of Directors of C.H. Robinson Worldwide and Republic Services, Inc. also provides valuable insight on public company governance practices.

OUR BOARD UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR" THE FOREGOING NOMINEES FOR ELECTION AS DIRECTORS.

Directors Remaining in Office Until 2012

        Michael Marino, 31, has been serving as a director since 2009. Mr. Marino is also a Principal of Aurora Capital Group. Aurora Capital Group is an affiliate of the Aurora Entities. He originally joined Aurora Capital Group in 2003 and, after earning his master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School, rejoined in 2008. Prior to joining Aurora Capital Group, Mr. Marino was a member of the Investment Banking Division of Goldman, Sachs & Co. Mr. Marino also currently serves on the Board of Directors of Anthony International and Porex Corporation. Mr. Marino was initially appointed to our Board of Directors by the Aurora Entities. Mr. Marino's qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors include his financial expertise and his years of experience providing advisory services to us and to other middle-market companies, in particular, in the manufacturing sector. As part of the team at Aurora Capital Group that was initially responsible for evaluating the acquisition of our business in March 2004 from AK Steel Corporation ("Acquisition") and is responsible for monitoring our progress on an ongoing basis, Mr. Marino has spent an extensive amount of time reviewing, monitoring and analyzing our business. Mr. Marino's extensive knowledge of our business coupled with his knowledge and insight with respect to financial and operational issues adds value to our Board of Directors.

        James L. Packard, 68, has been serving as a director since July 2010. He is the retired Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Regal-Beloit Corporation, a manufacturer of mechanical and electrical products. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Regal-Beloit Corporation from 1986 until 2002, and as Chairman from 1986 until 2006. Mr. Packard currently serves on the Board of Directors of Clarcor Inc. and The Manitowoc Company, Inc. He is also on the board of United Plastics Corporation, First National Bank & Trust Company of Beloit and Center 1 Bancorp Inc. Mr. Packard also has previous board experience on the Board of Governors of the American Stock Exchange, the Boards of Directors of Gehl Company and Elco Corporation, and numerous manufacturing industry boards and associations. Mr. Packard's qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors include his more than 26 years of experience in senior management of a publicly-traded company, his experience as the chief executive officer of a manufacturing company and his many years of service on boards of directors and committees.

        Nav Rahemtulla, 36, has been serving as a director since 2007. Mr. Rahemtulla is also a Principal and Partner in the Private Equity Group of Ares Management. Ares Management is an affiliate of Ares Corporate Opportunities Fund, L.P., a significant stockholder of our company ("Ares"). He joined Ares Management in 2001 from DMC Venture Capital where he served as a Director of Corporate Finance. He was previously a member of the Investment Banking Division of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corp. Mr. Rahemtulla also currently serves on the Board of Directors of AmeriQual Group, LLC, Aspen Dental Management Inc., Serta Inc. and Simmons Bedding Company. Mr. Rahemtulla was initially appointed to our Board of Directors by Ares. Mr. Rahemtulla's qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors include his financial expertise, his extensive capital markets knowledge and his years of experience providing advisory services to us and to other middle-market companies. Mr. Rahemtulla's prior investment banking experience has also enabled him to provide substantial guidance to us with respect to financing matters. As part of the team at Ares Management that was initially responsible for evaluating its investment in us and is responsible for monitoring our progress on an ongoing basis, Mr. Rahemtulla has spent an extensive amount of time reviewing, monitoring and analyzing our business. Mr. Rahemtulla's knowledge and insight regarding our business and with respect to financial and operational issues adds value to our Board of Directors.

4

---

Table of Contents

Directors Remaining in Office Until 2013

        James L. Janik, 54, has been serving as our President and Chief Executive Officer and Director since 2004 and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Douglas Dynamics Incorporated, the entity that previously operated our business, from 2000 to 2004. Mr. Janik was Director of Sales of our Western Products division from 1992 to 1994, General Manager of our Western Products division from 1994 to 2000 and Vice President of Marketing and Sales from 1998 to 2000. Prior to joining us, Mr. Janik was the Vice President of Marketing and Sales of Sunlite Plastics Inc., a custom extruder of thermoplastic materials, for two years. During the 11 prior years, Mr. Janik held a number of key marketing, sales and production management positions for John Deere Company. Mr. Janik's qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors include his 18 years of experience at our Company, including his 11 years of experience as our and Douglas Dynamics Incorporated's President and Chief Executive Officer, as well as his depth of experience at businesses affected by weather-related seasonality. This experience, comprehensive knowledge of the snow and ice control equipment industry, and inside perspective of the day-to-day operations of the Company provides essential insight and guidance to our Board of Directors.

        Mark Rosenbaum, 37, has been serving as a director since 2005. Mr. Rosenbaum is a partner of Aurora Capital Group, which he joined in 2001. Aurora Capital Group is an affiliate of the Aurora Entities. Prior to joining Aurora Capital Group, Mr. Rosenbaum worked at Summit Partners from 1997 to 1999 and at Montgomery Securities from 1995 to 1997. Mr. Rosenbaum also currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Anthony International and NuCO2, Inc. Mr. Rosenbaum was initially appointed to our Board of Directors by the Aurora Entities. Mr. Rosenbaum's qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors include his leadership experience as a partner at Aurora Capital Group, his financial expertise and his years of experience providing financial advisory services to other middle-market companies. As part of the team at Aurora Capital Group that was initially responsible for evaluating our Acquisition and is responsible for monitoring our progress on an ongoing basis, Mr. Rosenbaum has spent an extensive amount of time reviewing, monitoring and analyzing our business. Mr. Rosenbaum's extensive knowledge of our business coupled with his knowledge and insight with respect to financial and operational issues adds value to our Board of Directors.

        Donald W. Sturdivant, 49, has, since February 2009, served as Chief Executive Officer of Marietta Corporation, a manufacturer of hotel amenities for hotel chains in North America and provider of contract manufacturing to consumer packaged goods companies in both the personal care and household care markets. Prior to becoming Chief Executive Officer of Marietta Corporation, Mr. Sturdivant was Executive Vice President of Graphic Packaging International, Inc., a provider of paperboard packaging products to multinational food, beverage and other consumer products companies with annual revenue of $4.5 billion and approximately 16,000 employees, from March 2008 until December 2008. He served as Senior Vice President, Consumer Packaging Division, of Graphics Packaging International, a predecessor to Graphic Packaging International, Inc., from 2003 to 2006, and as President, Performance Packaging Division, of Graphic Packaging Corporation, a predecessor to Graphic Packaging International, from 1999 to 2003. Mr. Sturdivant also was Chief Operating Officer of Altivity Packaging Corporation, another predecessor to Graphic Packaging International, Inc. from August 2006 to March 2008. Mr. Sturdivant's qualifications to serve on our Board of Directors include his leadership experience at several publicly held corporations and his background in the manufacturing industry as a member of senior management at a number of manufacturing companies.

5

---

Table of Contents

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Board Leadership Structure

        Mr. Wickham, one of our non-employee independent directors, currently serves as the Chairman of our Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors believes that the separation of the role of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of our Board of Directors is the most appropriate leadership structure for our Board of Directors at this time. Separating these positions allows our Chief Executive Officer to focus on our day-to-day operations, while allowing the Chairman of our Board of Directors to lead our Board of Directors in its role of providing independent oversight and advice to management.

        Our bylaws and Corporate Governance Guidelines, however, provide us with the flexibility to combine these roles in the future, permitting the roles of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman to be filled by the same individual. This provides our Board of Directors with flexibility to determine whether the two roles should be combined in the future based on our company's needs and our Board of Directors' assessment of our leadership structure from time to time. Our Corporate Governance Guidelines also allow for an independent lead director (who may preside over the executive sessions of the non-employee directors) in the event the roles of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman are combined.

Risk Management and Oversight

        Our full Board of Directors oversees our risk management process. Our Board oversees a company-wide approach to risk management, carried out by management. Our full Board determines the appropriate risk for our company generally, assesses the specific risks we face and reviews the steps taken by management to manage those risks.

        While the full Board maintains the ultimate oversight responsibility for the risk management process, its committees oversee risk in certain specified areas. In particular, our Compensation Committee is responsible for overseeing the management of risks relating to the Company's executive compensation plans and arrangements and the incentives created by the compensation awards it administers. Our Audit Committee oversees management of enterprise risks as well as financial risks and is also responsible for overseeing potential conflicts of interests. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for overseeing the management of risks associated with the independence of the Board of Directors. Pursuant to the Board's instruction, management regularly reports on applicable risks to the relevant committee or the full Board, as appropriate, with additional review or reporting on risks conducted as needed or as requested by the Board and its committees.

Board Meetings

        Our Board held four meetings in 2010 and the non-management directors of our Board met in executive session three times in 2010. Each of the directors currently serving on our Board attended at least 75% of the aggregate of the number of meetings of the Board held in 2010 and the total number of meetings held by each committee of the Board on which such director served during the period in which the director served on the Board or the applicable committee in 2010. We strongly encourage our directors to attend the annual meeting of stockholders each year.

Corporate Governance and Independent Directors

        Our Board has in effect Corporate Governance Guidelines that, in conjunction with the Board committee charters, establish processes and procedures to help ensure effective and responsive governance by the Board. The Corporate Governance Guidelines are available, free of charge, on our website, www.douglasdynamics.com. Our website address is provided as an inactive textual reference only. The information contained on our website is not incorporated into, and does not form a part of,

6

---

Table of Contents

this proxy statement or any other report or document on file with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").

        The Corporate Governance Guidelines provide that a majority of the members of the Board must be independent directors under the listing standards of the NYSE. An "independent" director is a director who meets the NYSE definition of independence, as determined by the Board. Pursuant to the Guidelines and the requirements of the NYSE, the Board has affirmatively determined by resolution that none of Messrs. James D. Staley, Packard, Sturdivant, Peiffer and Wickham has any material relationship with the Company, and, therefore, each is independent in accordance with the NYSE listing standards. The Board will regularly review the continuing independence of the directors.

Stockholder Communications with the Board

        Stockholders may contact any individual director, the Board as a group, or a specified Board committee or group, including the independent directors as a group, by sending a written communication to the Company's Corporate Secretary at Douglas Dynamics, Inc., 7777 North 73rd Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53223. Each communication should specify the applicable addressee or addressees as well as the general topic of communication. The Board has instructed the Corporate Secretary to review such correspondence and, in his discretion, not to forward items if he deems them to be of a commercial or frivolous nature or otherwise inappropriate. Concerns about questionable accounting or audit matters or possible violations of the Company's Code of Business Conduct and Ethics should be reported pursuant to the procedures outlined in the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.

Board Committees

        Our Board has three standing committees: an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee and a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Each of these committees has the responsibilities set forth in formal written charters adopted by our Board. Copies of each of these charters are available on our website (www.douglasdynamics.com).

Audit Committee

        The Audit Committee is comprised of Messrs. Staley, Packard, Sturdivant, Marino, Peiffer, Rahemtulla and Wickham, and is chaired by Mr. Peiffer. Our Board has determined that Mr. Peiffer is an "audit committee financial expert" as defined by the SEC. This committee is generally responsible for the appointment, compensation, retention and oversight of our independent registered public accounting firm; evaluation of our independent registered public accounting firm's qualifications, independence and performance; review and approval of the scope of our annual audit and audit fee; review of our critical accounting policies and estimates; review of the results of our annual audit and our quarterly consolidated financial statements; and oversight of our internal audit function. The Audit Committee met four times during 2010.

        In accordance with Rule 10A-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and the listing standards of the NYSE, by May 5, 2011, all of our Audit Committee members will be independent within the meaning of Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act and the listing standards of the NYSE.

7

---

Table of Contents

Compensation Committee

        The Compensation Committee is comprised of Messrs. Staley, Packard, Sturdivant, Peiffer, Rosenbaum and Wickham, and is chaired by Mr. Staley. This committee is generally responsible for oversight of our overall compensation structure, policies and programs; review and approval of the compensation programs applicable to our executive officers; determination of the compensation of our directors; administering, reviewing and making recommendations with respect to our equity compensation plans; and reviewing succession planning for our executive officers. The Compensation Committee met two times during 2010. In accordance with the listing standards of the NYSE, by May 5, 2011, all of our Compensation Committee members will be independent within the meaning the listing standards of the NYSE.

        In years prior to 2010 and during the first part of 2010, our Compensation Committee's role was limited to determining and approving equity awards and the allocation and payments under our Annual Incentive Plan and cash-based Long Term Incentive Plan for all of our named executive officers and reviewing and overseeing risks associated with our compensation policies and practices. Historically, our Chief Executive Officer has set base salaries for our executive officers other than himself, and has recommended performance targets under the Annual Incentive Plan for approval by the Compensation Committee. Our Chief Executive Officer also negotiated employment agreements with those executive officers who entered into such agreements, and made recommendations to our Compensation Committee with respect to equity awards for our named executive officers other than himself. All compensation elements for our Chief Executive Officer are reviewed and approved by our Board of Directors (other than Mr. Janik).

        Upon consummation of our IPO in May 2010, our Compensation Committee's role in reviewing and approving executive compensation expanded in accordance with the duties and responsibilities set forth in the Compensation Committee's charter that was adopted in connection with the IPO. Among other things, the Compensation Committee now has responsibility to do the following:

•

oversee our overall compensation structure, policies and programs;



•

assess whether our compensation structure establishes appropriate incentives for management and employees;



•

administer and make recommendations to our Board of Directors on equity- and incentive-based compensation plans that require approval from our Board of Directors;



•

review and approve corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer, evaluate our Chief Executive Officer's performance in light of those goals and objectives and set the Chief Executive Officer's compensation level based on this evaluation;



•

oversee the evaluation of the other executive officers and set the compensation of other executive officers based upon the recommendation of the Chief Executive Officer;



•

approve stock option and other stock incentive awards for executive officers;



•

review and approve the design of other benefit plans pertaining to executive officers;



•

review and recommend employment agreements and severance and change of control arrangements for our executive officers;



•

approve, amend or modify the terms of any compensation or benefit plan that does not require stockholder approval; and



•

review and oversee risks associated with our compensation policies and practices.

        Under its charter, the Compensation Committee may delegate authority to a subcommittee consisting of no fewer than two members of the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee has not delegated its authority as relates to the compensation of executive officers and does

8

---

Table of Contents

not currently intend to do so. Our executive officers do not currently play a direct role in determining the amount or form of executive officer or director compensation. Our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, however, attend meetings (other than executive sessions) of the Compensation Committee at the invitation of the Compensation Committee, make recommendations to the Compensation Committee concerning compensation of our executive officers (other than themselves) and assist the Compensation Committee in evaluating the performance of our executive officers (other than themselves).

        The Compensation Committee did not retain a compensation consultant for purposes of determining executive officer and director compensation for 2010.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

        The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is comprised of Messrs. Staley, Packard, Sturdivant, Peiffer and Wickham, and is chaired by Mr. Packard. This committee is generally responsible for recruiting and retaining qualified persons to serve on our Board of Directors, including proposing such individuals to our Board of Directors for nomination for election as directors; evaluating the performance, size and composition of our Board of Directors; establishing procedures for the consideration of Board of Director candidates recommended by the Company's stockholders; assessing the independence of each member of our Board of Directors; and overseeing our compliance activities. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee met two times during 2010.

        The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee identifies nominees for director based upon suggestions by non-employee directors, management members or stockholders. The selection criteria for membership on our Board include, at a minimum, the following: (i) personal and professional ethics and integrity; (ii) specific business experience and competence, including an assessment of whether the candidate has experience in, and possesses an understanding of, business issues applicable to the success of a publicly-traded company; (iii) financial acumen, including whether the candidate, through education or experience, has an understanding of financial matters and the preparation and analysis of financial statements; (iv) educational background; and (v) whether the candidate has expressed a willingness to devote sufficient time to carrying out his or her duties and responsibilities effectively and is committed to service on the Board. The Committee considers these criteria in the context of the perceived needs of the Board as whole and seeks to achieve a diversity of experience, opinion and occupational and personal backgrounds on the Board.

        The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider director candidates recommended by our stockholders based upon the same criteria as applied to candidates identified by our Board or our management. Recommendations should be directed to the committee in care of our Corporate Secretary. Under our Bylaws, stockholder nominations of directors must be received by us at 7777 N. 73rd Street, Milwaukee, WI 53223, directed to the attention of the Corporate Secretary, not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders and any such nominations must contain the information specified in our Bylaws. The deadline for submission of nominations for the Annual Meeting has passed. Candidate submissions by stockholders for our 2012 annual meeting of stockholders must be received by us no later than February 4, 2012 and no earlier than January 5, 2012.

Policies and Procedures Governing Related Person Transactions

        Our Board has adopted written policies and procedures regarding related person transactions. These policies and procedures require the review and approval of all transactions involving us or any of our subsidiaries and a related person in which (i) the aggregate amount involved will or may be expected to exceed $120,000 in any fiscal year and (ii) a related person has or will have a direct or indirect interest (other than solely as a result of being a director or less than 10% beneficial owner of another entity) prior to entering into such transaction.

9

---

Table of Contents

        For purposes of the policy, related persons include our directors, executive officers, 5% or greater stockholders and parties related to the foregoing, such as immediate family members and entities they control. In reviewing such transactions, the policy requires our Audit Committee to consider all of the relevant facts and circumstances available to the Audit Committee, including the extent of the related person's interest in the transaction and whether the relationship should be continued or eliminated. In determining whether to approve a related party transaction, the standard applied by the Audit Committee is whether the transaction is on terms no less favorable than terms generally available to an unaffiliated third party under the same or similar circumstances and whether or not a particular relationship serves the best interest of our company and our stockholders. In addition, the policy delegates to the chair of the Audit Committee the authority to pre-approve or ratify any transaction with a related person in which the aggregate amount involved is expected to be less than $1,000,000.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

        None of the members of our Compensation Committee is an officer or employee of our company. None of our executive officers currently serves, or in the past year has served, as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our Board or our Compensation Committee.

Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions

        The following is a description of transactions since December 31, 2009 to which we have been a party, in which the amount involved in the transaction exceeded or will exceed $120,000, and in which any of our directors, executive officers or beneficial holders of more than 5% of our capital stock had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.

Repurchase Agreements

        On December 22, 2008 and January 23, 2009, we entered into securities repurchase agreements with each of Messrs. Janik and McCormick. Pursuant to these agreements, we agreed to repurchase a portion of our common stock and stock options exercisable for shares of our common stock in exchange for a cash payment and the satisfaction of the principal amount of certain promissory notes then held by Messrs. Janik and McCormick.

        Pursuant to the repurchase agreements that we entered into with Mr. Janik, (i) on December 22, 2008, we repurchased 76,594 shares of our common stock in exchange for aggregate consideration of $957,516, comprised of a cash payment to Mr. Janik in the amount of $665,016 and the satisfaction of $292,500 of principal on his promissory note; and (ii) on January 23, 2009, we repurchased 1,781 shares of our common stock and options to purchase an aggregate of 79,349 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $4.21 per share in exchange for aggregate consideration of $672,513, comprised of a cash payment to Mr. Janik in the amount of $665,013 and the satisfaction of the remaining principal amount of $7,500 on his promissory note. In connection with these repurchase transactions, we also forgave the accrued interest, totaling $18,472, on Mr. Janik's promissory note.

        Pursuant to the repurchase agreements that we entered into with Mr. McCormick, (i) on December 22, 2008, we repurchased 40,399 shares of our common stock in exchange for aggregate consideration of $505,034, comprised of a cash payment to Mr. McCormick in the amount of $334,934 and the satisfaction of $170,100 of principal on his promissory note; and (ii) on January 23, 2009, we repurchased 30,851 shares of our common stock and options to purchase an aggregate of 10,023 shares of our common stock at an exercise price per share of $4.21 per share in exchange for aggregate consideration of $464,850, comprised of a cash payment to Mr. McCormick in the amount of $334,950 and the satisfaction of the remaining principal amount of $129,900 on his promissory note. In connection with these repurchase transactions, we also forgave the accrued interest, totaling $18,321, on Mr. McCormick's promissory note.

10

---

Table of Contents

        Each of the repurchase agreements obligates the executive to remit to us certain sums if the executive is terminated by us for cause (as defined in his employment agreement, see "Executive Compensation—Potential Payments upon Termination or Change of Control—Involuntary Termination Without Cause or Resignation Due to Material Breach") or voluntarily terminates his employment with us for any reason other than a material breach (as defined in his employment agreement, see "Executive Compensation—Potential Payments upon Termination or Change of Control—Involuntary Termination Without Cause or Resignation Due to Material Breach") within 36 months following the date of the applicable repurchase agreement. More specifically, Mr. Janik's repurchase agreements require him to remit to us $1,330,029 if his employment so terminates before December 22, 2011 and $665,013 if his employment so terminates between December 22, 2011 and prior to January 23, 2012. Mr. McCormick's repurchase agreements require him to remit to us $669,884 if his employment is so terminated before December 22, 2011 and $334,950 if his employment is so terminated between December 22, 2011 and prior to January 23, 2012.

Securityholders Agreement

        The following is a summary description which reflects all of the material terms of the Second Amended and Restated Securityholders Agreement dated June 30, 2004, as amended by that certain amendment dated as of December 27, 2004 (the "Securityholders Agreement"), among us, the Aurora Entities, Ares and certain of our other pre-IPO stockholders, optionholders and warrantholders, including Messrs. McCormick, Janik and Adamson.

        Transfer Restrictions.    Subject to certain limited exceptions, each of the securityholders party to the Securityholders Agreement has agreed that, without the consent of the Aurora Entities and Ares, it will not transfer any amount of our securities that would exceed the lesser of two times the volume limitations set forth in clauses (i), (ii) or (iii) of Rule 144(e)(1) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("Securities Act"), regardless of whether such transfer or such securities are otherwise subject to Rule 144. In addition, the Securityholders Agreement provides that our management stockholders will not transfer any amount of our securities owned by them except at such time and in proportion with the Aurora Entities. In addition, certain of the securityholders party to the Securityholders Agreement agreed to enter into a "lock-up" agreement in connection with our IPO.

        Proxy and Voting Arrangements.    Certain of the securityholders party to the Securityholders Agreement (other than General Electric Pension Trust ("GEPT") and, for purposes of clarity, not including Ares) have granted an irrevocable proxy to the Aurora Entities with respect to all shares of our common stock and preferred stock owned by such securityholders from time to time. With certain limited exceptions, GEPT has agreed to vote all shares of our common stock and preferred stock held by GEPT from time to time in the same manner as the Aurora Entities vote their shares of our common stock and preferred stock. Shares of our common stock and preferred stock are to be released from the proxy and voting agreement when they are no longer owned beneficially or of record by the securityholder party to the Securityholders Agreement or any of his, her or its permitted transferees (as defined therein).

        Registration Rights.    All securityholders who are parties to the Securityholders Agreement are entitled to certain "piggy-back" registration rights with respect to shares of our common stock in connection with the registration of our equity securities. In addition, at any time, any securityholder that is a holder of 10% or more of the outstanding shares of our common stock is entitled to demand the registration of its shares, subject to customary restrictions. We will bear all expenses incident to any such registrations, including the fees and expenses of a single counsel retained by the selling stockholders; however, each selling stockholder will be responsible for the underwriting discounts and commissions and transfer taxes in connection with shares sold by such stockholder. Each selling stockholder and the underwriters through whom shares are sold on behalf of a selling stockholder will

11

---

Table of Contents

be entitled to customary indemnification from us against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

        Information Rights, Board Observer Rights and Consultation.    Subject to certain ownership thresholds, Ares and GEPT have the right to (i) receive certain specified quarterly and annual financial information, and, with respect to the annual information only, a report on the annual financial statements by our independent certified public accountants and (ii) the right to send one observer to all meetings of our Board of Directors, subject to customary confidentiality restrictions. We have also agreed to consult with representatives of Ares concerning certain material issues, events or transactions, including without limitation the preparation of our annual business plan. Ares is entitled to the foregoing information, board observer and consultation rights if it owns less than 1,425,000 shares of our common stock, but not less than 475,000 shares of our common stock. GEPT is entitled to such rights provided it owns at least 219,688 shares of our common stock.

        Amendment and Termination.    The Securityholders Agreement may be amended at any time pursuant to a written agreement executed by (i) us, (ii) the Aurora Entities (subject to the Aurora Entities and its co-investors owning at least 2,827,271 shares of our common stock), (iii) Ares (subject to Ares and its affiliates owning at least 1,425,000 shares of our common stock), (iv) the holders of a majority in interest of the shares of our common stock and preferred stock who are party to the Securityholders Agreement, voting together as a single class, (v) in the case of an amendment adversely affecting the rights of any particular securityholder party to the Securityholders Agreement, the written agreement of such securityholder and (vi) in the case of an amendment to GEPT's proxy, information rights, board observer rights or liability provision, the written agreement of GEPT. The Securityholders Agreement will terminate on the earlier to occur of (i) June 30, 2014, and (ii) the written approval of (a) us, (b) the Aurora Entities (subject to the Aurora Entities and its co-investors meeting a specified ownership threshold), (c) Ares (subject to Ares and its affiliates meeting a specified ownership threshold), and (d) the holders of a majority in voting interest of our common stock and preferred stock, voting together as a single class (including the Aurora Entities and Ares); provided that in the case of a termination that adversely affects the rights of any particular securityholder party to the Securityholders Agreement, the written agreement of such securityholder is required before such termination will be deemed effective as to such securityholder.

Management Services Agreement

        The following is a summary description which reflects all of the material terms of the Amended and Restated Joint Management Services Agreement (which we refer to in its current form as the "Management Services Agreement") dated as of April 12, 2004, among us, Aurora Management Partners LLC ("AMP") and ACOF Management, L.P.("ACOF"). AMP is an affiliate of Aurora Capital Group and ACOF is an affiliate of Ares. In connection with the consummation of our IPO, we amended and restated the Management Services Agreement as described below.

        Services.    Pursuant to the Management Services Agreement, AMP and ACOF provide us with consultation and advice in fields such as financial services, accounting, general business management, acquisitions, dispositions and banking.

        Fees and Expenses.    In return for such services, prior to our IPO, AMP and ACOF received a services fee in an aggregate amount equal to $1.25 million per annum, to be paid in advance semi-annually on May 1 and November 1 of each applicable year (each such date being the "payment date"). These fees were to be divided between AMP and ACOF in accordance with the respective holdings of shares of our stock by Aurora and Ares on the payment date. In connection with our IPO, we eliminated the provisions pursuant to which we were obligated to pay this fee to AMP and ACOF. During 2010, we paid a service fee of $21,973 to AMP and a service fee of $12,453 to ACOF.

12

---

Table of Contents

        In addition to the services fee, prior to our IPO, AMP and ACOF were entitled to receive a transaction fee, to be divided between AMP and ACOF in accordance with their respective holdings of shares of our common stock on the date of the transaction, equal to 2.0% of the first $75 million of the aggregate of any acquisition or disposition consideration (including debt assumed by a purchaser and current assets retained by a seller) and 1.0% of the aggregate acquisition or disposition consideration (including debt assumed by a purchaser and current assets retained by a seller) in excess of $75 million, with respect to (i) any acquisition, (ii) any sale or disposition of any division of us, (iii) any sale or disposition of all or substantially all of our assets, or (iv) any other sale of any of our assets other than in the ordinary course of business. During 2010, we did not pay any transaction fees to AMP or ACOF.

        In connection with our IPO, we eliminated the provisions pursuant to which we were obligated to pay to AMP and ACOF a transaction fee in the event of an acquisition or any sale or disposition of our company or any of our divisions or any sale of substantially all our assets or similar transactions. In exchange for this change and the elimination of the services fee, we paid to AMP and ACOF an aggregate one-time fee of approximately $5.8 million

        Prior to our IPO, the Management Services Agreement required us to reimburse AMP and ACOF for all reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred in connection with the performance of their obligations under the Management Services Agreement. During 2010, pursuant to this provision, we reimbursed (i) AMP $120,052 and (ii) ACOF $2,210. In connection with our IPO, we modified the expense reimbursement provisions to include reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with SEC and other legally required filings made by each of AMP and ACOF with respect to our securities and certain other expenses. Those of our directors employed by AMP or ACOF do not receive any additional compensation in connection with their provision of services under the Management Services Agreement.

        Indemnification.    The Management Services Agreement also provides that the Company will provide AMP, ACOF and their respective partners, members, officers, employees, agents and affiliates and the stockholders, partners, members, affiliates, directors, officers and employees of any of the foregoing with customary indemnification.

        Termination.    The Management Services Agreement would have terminated upon the closing date of our IPO, except that we amended and restated the Agreement in connection with our IPO to extend the term for which AMP and ACOF will provide the consultation and advisory services described above until the earlier of (i) the fifth anniversary of the consummation of our IPO, (ii) such time as AMP and ACOF, together with their affiliates, collectively hold less than 5% of our outstanding common stock and (iii) such time as all parties mutually agree in writing. The Management Services Agreement also may be terminated for cause.

Redemption of Series B Preferred Stock and Series C Preferred Stock

        Concurrently with our IPO, we redeemed the one share of Series B preferred stock and one share of Series C preferred stock that were then outstanding and held by Aurora Equity Partners II L.P. and Ares, respectively, each at a price of $1,000 per share.

Appointment of Directors

        Pursuant to the terms of our certificate of incorporation prior to the consummation of our IPO, the Aurora Entities were entitled to elect four directors to the Board and Ares was entitled to elect two directors to the Board. Pursuant to these rights, the Aurora Entities appointed Messrs. Peiffer, Wickham, Marino, and Rosenbaum, and Ares appointed Mr. Rahemtulla, to the Board. All of these rights terminated prior to the consummation of our IPO.

13

---

Table of Contents

STOCK OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

Significant Stockholders

        The following table sets forth the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of the Record Date by each person who is known to us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding common stock as of the Record Date. Beneficial ownership of these shares consists of sole voting power and sole investment power except as noted below.

14

---

Table of Contents

15

---

Table of Contents

Executive Officers and Directors

        The following table sets forth the beneficial ownership, as of the Record Date, of our common stock by each of our directors, each of our current named executive officers (see "Compensation Discussion and Analysis" below), and by all of our current directors and executive officers as a group. Beneficial ownership of these shares consists of sole voting power and sole investment power except as noted below.

16

---

Table of Contents

17

---

Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

Executive Summary

        We are the North American leader in the design, manufacture and sale of snow and ice control equipment for light trucks, which consists of snowplows and sand and salt spreaders, and related parts and accessories. We sell our products under the WESTERN®, FISHER® and BLIZZARD® brands which are among the most established and recognized in the industry.

        We believe our business benefits from an exceptional management team that is responsible for establishing our leadership in the snow and ice control equipment industry for light trucks. Our senior management team, consisting of four officers, has an average of approximately 20 years of weather-related industry experience and an average of over nine years with our company. James Janik, our President and Chief Executive Officer, has been with us for over 18 years and in his current role since 2000, and through his strategic vision, we have been able to expand our distributor network and grow our market leading position. We have sought to establish competitive compensation programs that enable us to attract and retain skillful, experienced and dedicated executive officers as well as to motivate management to maximize performance while building stockholder value.

        Our named executive officers for 2010 were James L. Janik, our President and Chief Executive Officer; Robert McCormick, our Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary; Mark Adamson, our Vice President, Sales and Marketing and Keith Hagelin, our Vice President, Operations. These four officers were the only employees of our company who served as "executive officers" within the meaning of Rule 3b-7 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Developments During 2010

        On May 10, 2010, we completed our IPO and became a publicly-traded company. Our common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol PLOW. In connection with becoming a publicly-traded company, we modified certain aspects of our long term compensation program, primarily in the area of equity-based compensation. Before our IPO, we limited our equity-based compensation to stock options that we granted to some, but not all, of our executives. Executives who did not receive stock options participated in our cash-based Long Term Incentive Plan, which we froze effective December 31, 2010. In May 2010, in connection with our IPO, we adopted, and our stockholders approved, a new equity-based compensation plan, our 2010 Stock Incentive Plan, under which we made a special one-time grant shares of time-vested restricted stock to all of our executive officers to compensate them for their efforts in preparing for and completing our IPO. In October 2010, we established a new equity-based compensation program for our named executive officers in 2011 and future years that provides for grants of performance-based restricted stock units and time-vesting restricted stock under our 2010 Stock Incentive Plan, rather than stock options. We adopted this long-term equity program to further four key objectives:

•

Pay for Performance:  Emphasize variable compensation that is linked to our performance in an effort to generate and reward superior corporate performance



•

Alignment of Interests:  Use free cash flow as the key performance metric, linking executives' incentive goals with the interests of our stockholders



•

Long-Term Success:  Support and reward executives for consistent performance over time and achievement of our long-term strategic goals



•

Retention:  In a seasonal business model with potential dramatic swings in profitability, attract and retain highly qualified executives whose abilities are critical to our success and competitive advantage

18

---

Table of Contents

        These changes to our equity compensation programs are discussed in greater detail below.

Other Highlights of Our Compensation Programs

        We periodically review best practices in the area of executive compensation and update our compensation policies and practices to reflect those that we believe are appropriate for our company, including, in addition to the examples listed above, the following:

•

In addition to the long-term equity compensation program discussed above, the key components of our compensation program for our named executive officers for 2010 were base salary, annual cash incentive awards under our annual incentive plan ("Annual Incentive Plan") and other compensation consisting primarily of matching 401(k) contributions, the salaried employee pension plan, health and welfare benefits and other perquisites.



•

We pay for performance, offering our named executive officers the opportunity to earn a substantial amount of variable compensation based on our profitability.



•

We set compensation programs to focus our named executive officers on both our short and long-term company performance by providing a mix of both short and long term compensation in the form of our Annual Incentive Plan and the equity compensation program discussed above.



•

We do not provide "single trigger" change of control severance, which means that, for an executive officer to receive severance benefits under an employment agreement, in addition to the change in control there must be some adverse change in the circumstances of the executive officer's employment.



•

Our equity compensation plan does not permit repricing of stock options.



•

We periodically review our pay practices to ensure that they do not encourage excessive risk taking.



•

We do not guarantee salary increases or bonuses for our executive officers.

Objectives of our Compensation Programs

        We believe that a skilled, experienced and dedicated senior management team is essential to the future performance of our company and to building stockholder value. We have sought to establish competitive compensation programs that enable us to attract and retain executive officers with these qualities as well as to motivate management to maximize performance while building stockholder value.

        We compensate our named executive officers, who are identified below, through both short term cash programs, including annual salary and an annual incentive plan, and long term incentive programs, reflecting a mix of fixed and variable compensation. Although our compensation program provides for a mix of both short and long term compensation and cash and non-cash compensation, we do not have any specific policy on those allocations. Our compensation philosophy is centered on providing an opportunity for an executive's total annual compensation to exceed what we believe is the general market level of compensation for similar executive roles. Our business is subject to variability of earnings due to year-to-year variations in snowfall. Accordingly, we have designed our compensation program to provide for a competitive annual salary while offering our named executive officers the opportunity to earn a substantial amount of variable compensation based on our profitability. This program aligns named executive officer compensation with our variable earnings model and is intended to differentiate us from our competitors when attracting and motivating our executives.

19

---

Table of Contents

Management's Role in the Compensation-Setting Process

        In years prior to 2010 and during the first part of 2010, our Compensation Committee's role was limited to determining and approving equity awards and the allocation and payments under our Annual Incentive Plan and cash-based Long Term Incentive Plan for all of our named executive officers and reviewing and overseeing risks associated with our compensation policies and practices. Historically, our Chief Executive Officer has set base salaries for our executive officers other than himself, and has recommended performance targets under the Annual Incentive Plan for approval by the Compensation Committee as explained in more detail under the section entitled "Annual Incentive Plan" below. Our Chief Executive Officer also negotiated employment agreements with those executive officers who entered into such agreements, and made recommendations to our Compensation Committee with respect to equity awards for our named executive officers other than himself. All compensation elements for our Chief Executive Officer are reviewed and approved by our Board of Directors (other than Mr. Janik).

        Upon consummation of our IPO in May 2010, our Compensation Committee's role in reviewing and approving executive compensation expanded in accordance with the duties and responsibilities set forth in the Compensation Committee's charter that was adopted in connection with the initial public offering. Among other things, the Compensation Committee now has responsibility to do the following:

•

oversee our overall compensation structure, policies and programs;



•

assess whether our compensation structure establishes appropriate incentives for management and employees;



•

administer and make recommendations to our Board of Directors on equity- and incentive-based compensation plans that require approval from our Board of Directors;



•

review and approve corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer, evaluate our Chief Executive Officer's performance in light of those goals and objectives and set the Chief Executive Officer's compensation level based on this evaluation;



•

oversee the evaluation of the other executive officers and set the compensation of other executive officers based upon the recommendation of the Chief Executive Officer;



•

approve stock option and other stock incentive awards for executive officers;



•

review and approve the design of other benefit plans pertaining to executive officers;



•

review and recommend employment agreements and severance and change of control arrangements for our executive officers;



•

approve, amend or modify the terms of any compensation or benefit plan that does not require stockholder approval; and



•

review and oversee risks associated with our compensation policies and practices.

In developing our compensation programs for our named executive officers for 2010, we did not use the services of a compensation consultant or engage in a formal benchmarking process except for the compensation study described in the section entitled "Equity-Based Compensation" below relating to the equity compensation program that we implemented in 2010. We based compensation levels on the collective experience of the members of our Board of Directors, Compensation Committee and our Chief Executive Officer, their business judgment and their experiences in recruiting and retaining executives.

20

---

Table of Contents

Elements of Executive Compensation

        The key components of our compensation program for our named executive officers for 2010 were base salary, annual cash incentive awards under our Annual Incentive Plan, equity awards under our 2004 Stock Incentive Plan ("2004 Stock Plan") and our 2010 Stock Incentive Plan ("2010 Stock Plan"), long-term cash incentive awards under the cash-based Long Term Incentive Plan and other compensation consisting primarily of matching 401(k) contributions, the salaried employee pension plan, health and welfare benefits and other perquisites. Each component of our compensation program has an important role in creating compensation arrangements that motivate and reward strong performance and in retaining the named executive officers who deliver strong performance.

Base Salary

        We pay our named executive officers a base salary to compensate them for services rendered and to provide them with a steady source of income for living expenses throughout the year. In general, the base salary of each executive was initially established through arm's-length negotiations at the time the individual was hired, taking into account the individual's qualifications, experience, level of responsibility, as well as internal pay equity considerations.

        Our Chief Executive Officer reviews the base salaries of our named executive officers other than himself for potential merit increases once per year based on the performance of the executive and his functional areas of responsibility, overall Company financial performance, and the current year Company merit increase budget. Prior to our IPO, our Chief Executive Officer used his subjective judgment based on these factors to set the actual amount of merit increase, if any, for each named executive officer other than himself. Prior to our IPO, our Chief Executive Officer had the authority to, on his own, approve increases in the base salaries of the other named executive officers. Prior to our IPO, the base salary of our Chief Executive Officer was reviewed by and subject to increase (but not decrease) at the sole discretion of our Board of Directors (other than Mr. Janik) each year.

        In 2011, our Chief Executive Officer will conduct a review of the base salaries of our named executive officers other than himself similar to that described above, but will recommend any base salary changes to the Compensation Committee for a final determination rather than making any changes himself. The Compensation Committee, rather than our Board of Directors, will review our Chief Executive Officer's base salary for potential increase in its sole discretion, based on its evaluation of his performance as contemplated by the Compensation Committee charter.

        We determined merit increases for our executives, other than our Chief Executive Officer, for 2010 prior to our IPO. Our Chief Executive Officer determined that Mr. McCormick would receive an increase of 7.0% to compensate him for his new title of executive vice president. The amount of Mr. McCormick's increase was based on what our Compensation Committee believed, based on its members' and our Chief Executive Officer's collective experience, business judgment and experiences in recruiting and retaining executives, to be the general market level for base salaries for similarly situated executives. Mr. Adamson received a 2.0% increase, which is in alignment with budgeted guidelines for salaried employees. Mr. Hagelin, who received an increase in an absolute dollar amount similar to the other named executive officers' increases in order to keep his compensation in line with the other named executive officers. Since Mr. Hagelin's base salary was substantially lower than the other named executive officer base salaries, his absolute dollar increase resulted in a larger percentage increase as compared to the other named executive officers. The Compensation Committee determined that Mr. Janik would receive a base salary increase of 11% based upon what our Compensation Committee believed, based on its members' collective experience, business judgment and experiences in recruiting and retaining executives, to be the general market level for base salaries for similarly situated executives. Mr. Janik did not receive a salary increase in 2009 due to the size of his salary increase the previous year.

21

---

Table of Contents

        In 2010 the base salaries for our executives were increased as follows due to the merit increases described above:

Annual Incentive Plan

        Our named executive officers, as well as certain other management employees, participate in the Annual Incentive Plan ("Annual Incentive Plan") which provides an opportunity to earn a cash bonus upon achievement of certain performance targets approved by the Compensation Committee. These performance objectives are designed to link management's focus with overall Company objectives by providing the executive an opportunity to earn additional short-term compensation. We emphasize variable compensation to provide an opportunity for total annual compensation for our named executive officers to exceed what our Board of Directors believes, based on its members' and our Chief Executive Officer's collective experience, business judgment and experiences in recruiting and retaining executives, to be the general market level of compensation for similarly situated executives in the event of superior performance.

        The 2010 performance metrics under the Annual Incentive Plan were comprised of two components, operating income and free cash flow. These components were weighted 70% and 30%, respectively. Historically, operating income has always been a component under the Annual Incentive Plan and has always been weighted 70%. This weighting reflects the Compensation Committee's belief that any incentive compensation should be driven principally by the Company's profitability. Our management is given discretion to recommend what performance metric or metrics will comprise the remaining 30% of the annual bonus opportunity. This allows our management to select a metric or metrics that reflect the current focus of our business, which are then submitted by the Chief Executive Officer to the Compensation Committee for approval. Management's decision to use free cash flow for 2010 was based on its use of free cash flow as a primary measure of our profitability and our ability to pay dividends and its view that free cash flow is influenced to a lesser degree by factors below the operating profit level than some other performance measures. Our Chief Executive Officer has a target bonus level of 100% of his base salary. Each other named executive officer has a target bonus level of 75% of his annual base salary. The total payout under the Annual Incentive Plan was subject to an overall cap of 150% of annual salary for our Chief Executive Officer and 125% of annual base salary for each other named executive officer. These potential payment levels were based on what our Board of Directors believed, based on its members' and our Chief Executive Officer's collective experience, business judgment and experiences in recruiting and retaining executives, to be the general market level of annual incentive compensation for similarly situated executives. See below for a detailed discussion of our performance metrics and the calculation of payouts for 2010.

        The operating income metric, as defined in the Annual Incentive Plan, measures the degree by which actual operating income performance exceeds or falls short of baseline operating income. Actual operating income is defined as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization less depreciation, plus other expense, adjusted for non recurring expenses, as approved by the Compensation Committee. Baseline operating income is set annually by the Compensation Committee. For 2010, the Compensation Committee set baseline operating income at plan as determined by management and approved by our Board of Directors based upon historical trends and assumptions.

22

---

Table of Contents

Specifically, the plan assumed average snowfall, increasing truck sales and a slight improvement in overall economic conditions. If actual operating income fell below the target, the payout would be reduced, on a linear basis, 2.33% from the target level for each 1% decrease for our Chief Executive Officer and 1.75% from the target level for each 1.00% decrease for the other named executive officers, until it fell below 70.00% of the target, at which point no bonus would be earned. If actual operating income were higher than the target, the payout would be increased, on a linear basis, 1.40% from the target level for each 1.00% increase, with no cap. For 2010 the baseline operating income target was $50.7 million. Actual operating income, as defined in the Annual Incentive Plan, totaled $42.8 million. As a result, based on 2010 performance and the 70% weighting, the payout for this component of the annual incentive plan was 33.8% of annual base salary for our Chief Executive Officer and 25.4% of annual base salary for our other named executive officers.

        The following table sets forth the reconciliation between 2010 actual operating income used for purposes of the Annual Incentive Plan, and the operating income reported in our financial statements (in millions):

        The following table sets forth the calculation of the 33.8% of base salary payout based on operating income component for our Chief Executive Officer (dollars in millions):

23

---

Table of Contents

---

(1)

Reflects the grant date fair value of these stock and option awards as determined pursuant to Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 718. No options were granted to Messrs. Janik and McCormick in 2009 or 2010; instead, we repurchased 79,349 and 10,023 vested options to acquire shares of our common stock from Mr. Janik and Mr. McCormick, respectively, in January 2009. Since the options were not exercised and the shares were not held by executives for six months prior to repurchase, the fair value of the repurchased options is recorded as share based compensation in the consolidated financial statements. In 2010, compensation expense was recorded as a result of net exercise at IPO and subsequently throughout the year. See "Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Repurchase Agreements" and Note 13, Stock-based Compensation, and Note 16, Redeemable stock and stockholders' equity—Common Stock Repurchase, in the notes to the consolidated financial statements contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010.

(2)

Reflects the actual payouts for the 2010 and 2009 Annual Incentive Plan, respectively, as well as payouts in 2010 under our Liquidity Bonus Plan as follows: Mr. Janik—$434,000; Mr. McCormick—$255,000; Mr. Adamson—$50,000; and Mr. Hagelin—$50,000.

(3)

For Messrs. Janik, McCormick and Adamson, reflects 2010 change in pension plan value. For Mr. Hagelin, represents 2010 change in both pension plan value of $71,145 and the growth portion of the LTIP of $4,057.

(4)

Reflects 401(k) match, cost of executive physicals and forgiveness of accrued interest. See table below.

---

(1)

Amounts reported above reflect the potential performance based incentive cash payments each executive could earn pursuant to the Annual Incentive Plan for 2010 with the following explanations:

•

Threshold (0%)—a minimum level of performance is required to begin earning an incentive. Thus, if these minimum thresholds are not met, the payout is $0.

•

Target ((100% payout for our CEO, 75% for the other named executive officers)—the performance metrics are established to pay the indicated targeted incentive percentage of base salary for meeting expected performance levels as determined by the plan.

•

Maximum (150% payout for our CEO, 125% for the other named executive officers)—per the plan documentation, the indicated maximum payout percentage of base salary has been established.

(2)

Calculated based on the share price on the grant date. For the shares granted in connection with our IPO, amounts shown are based on the offering price per share.

(3)

Represents shares granted under our 2010 Stock Incentive Plan in connection with our IPO.

(4)

Represents awards pursuant to the Long-Term Incentive Plan that we established under our 2010 Stock Incentive Plan in October 2010. The number of shares was not determined, and the shares were not issued, until 2011, but, in accordance with SEC rules, the shares are reported in this table because they were deemed granted in October 2010 for purposes of ASC 718.

---

(1)

These stock options were granted on the date ten years prior to the expiration date and become vested over a five-year period following the grant date with 20% of the shares underlying the option becoming vested on each anniversary of the grant date.

(2)

Based on a market value as of December 31, 2010 of $15.15 per share, which was the closing sale price of a share of our common stock on such date.

(3)

These options vested in full upon the change of control (as defined in the option award agreement).

---

(1)

Amounts represent the product of the number of shares acquired on vesting and the closing market price of the shares on the vesting date.

---

(1)

The number of years of credited service includes service with Douglas Dynamics L.L.C., the entity that previously operated our business. The additional years of service so recognized are 11 years for Mr. Janik and 8 years for Mr. Hagelin.

---

(1)

Messrs. Janik, McCormick and Adamson do not participate in LTIP.

(2)

Company contributions and aggregate earnings are also reflected in the "Summary Compensation Table."

---

(1)

Accelerated vesting of stock options is based on the difference between the closing sale price of our common stock on December 31, 2010 and the exercise price.

(2)

Reflects amount to be paid to Mr. Hagelin in the event he was terminated without cause. In the event he resigned voluntarily or was terminated with cause, he would have forfeited $100,830 (40% of his LTIP balance).

(3)

Based on a market value as of December 31, 2010 of $15.15 per share, which was the closing sale price of a share of our common stock on such date.

---

(1)

Mr. Janik, our Company's president and chief executive officer, is not compensated for being a director of our Company.

(2)

Mr. Serota retired from our Board as of April 22, 2010.