By ALLISSA KLINE
Business First

M&T Bank Corp. paid more than $1 million in aviation service fees during fiscal 2009 for top executive Robert Wilmers to fly to Europe.

How much, exactly? Reports show $441,929 was paid directly to the commercial aviation service company, of which Wilmers owns 50 percent, plus $629,918 paid to Wilmers as reimbursement for travel expenses he incurred while attending Allied Irish Bank board of directors meetings.

It's called a perquisite, and it's one of the more generous "perks" bestowed last year upon executives of local public companies.

Such perks - which may include rewards such as 401(k) matching contributions, extensive physical exams, life insurance premiums, use of company vehicles and country club dues - are part of executives' overall compensation packages, along with pay and benefits. Perks, sometimes called "other compensation," are detailed in annual proxy statements that public companies file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Nationwide, the value of perks rose 7 percent last year, though that figure is probably slightly lower among Western New York executives, according to University at Buffalo professor Jerry Newman. He is a compensation expert and co-author of the college textbook "Compensation."

Perks, quite simply, are rewards given to high-level executives who companies don't want to lose, Newman said.

"The value of perks is not that the executive couldn't afford most of these things," he said. "It's that you have somebody trying to identify what's important to this individual and how can the company provide it. It's almost always designed to make life easier in some way and satisfy a particular need."

Overall, perks given to Western New York public company execs appear fairly routine in fiscal 2009. Aside from aircraft costs, M&T Bank paid $11,025 toward Wilmers' retirement savings plan and $6,798 toward life insurance premiums. It also kicked in for club membership dues, parking, meals and expenses for an apartment Wilmers keeps in Buffalo. The perks are part of his total $2.93 million compensation package for 2009.

None of the perks, which totaled $65,222 not including aviation services, exceeded the greater of $25,000 or 10 percent of the total perks given to Wilmers, the bank said in its proxy statement. M&T said its perks are "designed to assist a named executive officer in being productive and which management and the committee believe are consistent with our overall compensation program."

So how do the rest of the region's public companies compare? Here's a summary of the perks received by other local executives:

• Moog Inc. paid Robert Brady, chairman and president of the East Aurora-based manufacturing company, a total $33,870 in other compensation, which included $22,045 in health care, life and disability insurance premiums and $11,825 in club dues and automobile expenses. Brady did not receive cash in lieu of vacation accrued, but Executive Vice President Joe Green received $272,026 in that category.

• Seneca Gaming Corp. paid dry-cleaning costs for some of its executives, including Chief Operating Officer Catherine Walker, who received $13,675 overall in perks for fiscal year 2009. The Niagara Falls-headquartered company also offers its named executive officers a medical reimbursement plan that covers up to $100,000 in uncovered medical expenses.

The company noted in its latest proxy statement that it "(does) not view perquisites as a significant element of our comprehensive compensation structure," but it does believe that perks "can be used in conjunction with base salary to attract, motivate and retain individuals in a competitive environment."

• Greatbatch Inc.'s president and CEO, Thomas Hook, received $143,120 in 2009 perks, part of his overall $2.21 million salary package that includes salary, stock awards, stock options and annual cash incentives. Specifically listed is $52,300 in dependent education assistance, a perk that reimburses named executive officers for expenses related to tuition, textbooks and laboratory fees.

• Mod-Pac Corp. provided lots of details about its perks for Daniel Keane, company president since 1997. As part of his $35,000-plus in perks, he received $12,397 in club fees and dues; $2,078 for use of the company vehicle; more than $6,400 in medical expenses, life insurance premiums and long-term care insurance premiums; $1,650 in personal financial planning and tax-preparation costs; and gross up payments for income taxes on each of those expenses. That means he was paid extra by the company so that whatever income taxes he owned on those expenses would not cut into full salary.

• In its SEC filing, Evans Bancorp Inc. said it provides executives with perks "it believes are reasonable, competitive and consistent with its overall executive compensation program." Plus, they "allow senior executive officers to operate more effectively," the bank said.

Bank President David Nasca received $26,329 in other compensation, down from $27,370 last year. That includes 401(k) matching contributions, life insurance, an automobile allowance, country club dues and supplemental long-term disability insurance. Nasca's total compensation, meanwhile, rose from $265,662 to $340,957, an increase of 28.3 percent.

• National Fuel Gas Co., the largest public company in the area, paid CEO David Smith $118,161 in other compensation during its 2009 fiscal year. That's part of a total compensation package of $4.55 million. Smith's perks include 401(k) company match contributions, common stock dividends and travel accident insurance.