ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Directors and Executive Officers
The names of our directors and executive officers and their ages, positions, and biographies as of April 28, 2023, are set forth below. Our executive officers are appointed by, and serve at the discretion of, our Board of Directors. There are no family relationships among any of our directors and executive officers. The Board of Directors did not select any current director or executive officer pursuant to any arrangement or understanding between a current director and any other person.
Name of Nominee: | | William A. Coskey, P.E. |
Position: | | Executive Chairman of the Board |
Director Since: | | 1985 |
Age: | | 70 |
Present positions and offices with the Company, principal occupations and other directorships during the past five years:
Mr. Coskey founded ENGlobal in 1985 and has served in various positions, including service as Chairman of the Board since June 2005, as President and Chief Executive Officer from August 2012 until his retirement in March 2021, and as Executive Chairman since February 2023. From April 2007 until May 2010, he served as Chief Executive Officer. Prior to that, he served as Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President from 1985 until 2001, Chief Operating Officer from 2001 to 2003, and President from 2001 to June 2005. Mr. Coskey, an honors graduate, received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 1975 and is a Registered Professional Engineer. He served on the Texas A&M University Electrical Engineering Department Advisory Council from 1999 to 2014, and from 2006 until 2014, he served as Chairman of the Council. Mr. Coskey received the 2014 Outstanding Alumni Honor Award from the Texas A&M University College of Engineering. In 2014, Mr. Coskey was also appointed to the Texas A&M College of Engineering Advisory Council.
Qualifications for Consideration:
The Board selected Mr. Coskey to serve as a director because it believes that, as the founder of ENGlobal, he provides a unique perspective to the Board. He was responsible for ENGlobal’s initial public offering in 1994, listing on the American Stock Exchange in 1998, and listing on the NASDAQ Stock Market in 2007. In June 2009, he was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year® in the Energy Services category for the Houston & Gulf Coast Area. The Board believes Mr. Coskey’s industry knowledge and business experiences give him invaluable insights into the Company’s challenges, opportunities and operations.
Name of Nominee: | | Kevin M. Palma |
Position: | | Independent Director |
Director Since: | | 2016 |
Age: | | 44 |
Present positions and offices with the Company, principal occupations and other directorships during the past five years:
Mr. Palma has served as a director of the Company since June 2016, is Chairman of the Audit Committee and is a member of the Compensation and Nominating & Corporate Governance Committees. Mr. Palma served as the Chief Financial Officer of B-29 Investments, LP, an energy private equity firm, from 2006 until he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in December 2018, and also served as the Chief Financial Officer of B-29 Family Holdings, LLC, a family office, since its inception in 2014 until December 2018. In his role within the private equity space, Mr. Palma focuses on investment strategy, investment execution, and portfolio company management for both privately-held and publicly-traded companies. Mr. Palma currently serves on several private company boards, including Silver Creek Oil and Gas, LLC, Caliber Completion Services, LLC, and Klear Bit Technologies, LLC. His past experiences on private company boards include Crest Pumping Technologies, LLC and TEC Holdings, LLC (which was recently rebranded as AXIS Energy Services, LLC). Prior to his roles at B-29, Mr. Palma was a member of the energy investment banking team at Raymond James & Associates, focusing on capital market raises and merger and acquisition activity. Mr. Palma is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas, and holds a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School in addition to a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Professional Accounting from the University of Texas.
Qualifications for Consideration:
The Board selected Mr. Palma to serve as an independent director because of his experience in identifying strategic growth trends in the energy industry, evaluating and completing numerous acquisitions, and exhibiting an extensive knowledge of financial markets make him well qualified to serve on ENGlobal’s board of directors.
Name of Nominee: | | Christopher Sorrells |
Position: | | Independent Director |
Director Since: | | 2021 |
Age: | | 54 |
Present positions and offices with the Company, principal occupations and other directorships during the past five years:
Christopher D. Sorrells has served as a director of the Company since August 2021. Currently, Mr. Sorrells is Managing Director of Pearl Energy Investments, a $1.2 billion private equity fund focused on the energy and sustainability industries, and Chief Executive Officer and director of each of Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: SV) and Spring Valley Acquisition Corporation II (NASDAQ: SVII). In addition, he is a board member and Chairman of the compensation committee of Renewable Energy Group (NASDAQ: REGI). Prior to Spring Valley, he was Interim CEO of Wellsite Fishing & Rentals Services, LLCs, an oilfield services company focused on the Marcellus region.
From August 2015 to September 2019, he was a member of the Board of Directors and the Chief Operating Office of GSE Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: GVP), a publicly traded engineering and expert staffing company for the power and process industries. From 2005 to 2015, he served as Managing Director at NGP Energy Technology Partners, L.P., a private equity firm investing in companies that provide products and services to the energy, power, and environmental industries.
From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Sorrells worked at Clarity Partners, L.P. a private equity firm, focused on growth and LBO transactions. Mr. Sorrells served as a principal with Banc of America Securities from 1998 to 2002 and as an associate with Salomon Smith Barney Holdings from 1996 to 1998. Mr. Sorrells holds an M.B.A. from the College of William and Mary, a Master of Accounting degree from the University of Southern California, and a B.A. from Washington and Lee University.
Qualifications for Consideration:
The Board selected Mr. Sorrells to serve as an independent director because it believes that he possesses extensive experience within the energy industry. Mr. Sorrells’ broad career experience in corporate, governance, and financial roles enables him to provide leadership expertise as a member of the Board.
Name of Nominee: | | Lloyd Kirchner |
Position: | | Independent Director |
Director Since: | | 2021 |
Age: | | 59 |
Present positions and offices with the Company, principal occupations and other directorships during the past five years:
Mr. Kirchner has served as a director of the Company since 2021 and is a Vice President of Zachry Group. Since 2014, Mr. Kirchner has held various executive positions in Engineering, Business Development, Safety and Quality at Zachry Group.
Formerly, Mr. Kirchner served as President and CEO of Commonwealth Engineering and Construction, where he also held executive positions in Operations, Sales, Marketing and Commercial Management. Mr. Kirchner joined Zachry Group through the acquisition of Commonwealth. Prior to Commonwealth, he was a founding employee of Capstone Turbine Corporation and held various executive positions in Engineering, Supply Management, Manufacturing and Product Development. Mr. Kirchner started his career with Amoco Corporation working in all three business units: Exploration & Production, Refining and Chemicals.
Mr. Kirchner received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago. He currently serves as a Board Member for the Post Oak School in Houston, the Baylor College of Medicine and Mercury Chamber Orchestra.
Previously, Mr. Kirchner was elected to the Executive Board of the Engineering and Construction Contracting (ECC) Association for 10 years, where he served in various leadership roles, including Board Chair.
Qualifications for Consideration:
The Board selected Mr. Kirchner to serve as an independent director because it believes he possesses the ability to provide insights and practical wisdom based on his experience and expertise.
Name of Nominee: | | Margaret K. Lassarat |
Position: | | Independent Director |
Director Since: | | 2023 |
Age: | | 57 |
Present positions and offices with the Company, principal occupations and other directorships during the past five years:
Ms. Lassarat has served as a director of the Company since April 2023 and serves as an independent board member for Dudek, Alta Southwest and Engineers Without Borders. In the executive space, most recently, she was the Chief Financial Officer for Exyte Energy, a $5 billion global engineering and construction firm, from March 2020 to August 2020. Prior to Exyte, Ms. Lassarat was the CFO at Louis Berger from November 2015 to January 2019 and prior to that Kentz Engineers and Constructors, large engineering and construction management firms. She also served as the Chief Financial Officer and as a board member of Mustang Engineering.
Ms. Lassarat holds a BA in Accounting from Texas A&M University, is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas and holds the Project Management Professional certification.
Qualifications for Consideration:
The Board selected Ms. Lassarat to serve as an independent director because of her three decades of experience in corporate finance, audit and strategy in energy engineering and services as well as her connections to the global engineering community.
Executive Officer: | | Darren W. Spriggs |
Position: | | Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Treasurer |
Age: | | 54 |
Present positions and offices with the Company, principal occupations during the past five years:
Mr. Spriggs has served as Chief Financial Officer, Corporation Secretary and Treasurer since March 2021. Mr. Spriggs previously served as Corporate Controller of the Company since June 2019. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Spriggs served as Director of Accounting for ABM Industries Inc., a Fortune 500 company providing end-to-end facility solutions to commercial, industrial and governmental facilities, from April 2008 to June 2019. From 2007 to 2008, he served as Financial Planning Manager for Kinder Morgan, Inc., a major midstream energy company whose pipeline network transports natural gas, refined petroleum products and crude oil. From 2002 to 2007, Mr. Spriggs served as a Financial Reporting Manager for David Weekley Homes, the largest privately held homebuilder in the U.S. From 2000 to 2002, he served as Assistant Controller for American Tower Inc., a leading independent owner, operator and developer of broadcast and wireless communication towers. Mr. Spriggs is a licensed CPA and CMA in the state of Texas, and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the Texas A&M University.
Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires the Company’s directors and executive officers, and persons who own more than 10% of a registered class of the Company’s equity securities, to file reports of securities ownership and changes in such ownership with the SEC.
Based solely upon a review of such forms filed electronically with the SEC or written representations that no Form 5s were required, the Company believes that all Section 16(a) filing requirements were timely met during the year ended December 31, 2022, except that Messrs. Palma, Kirchner, and Lloyd were each late filing a Form 4 reporting one transaction.
Audit Committee
During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, the Audit Committee consisted of Kevin M. Palma (Chairperson), Christopher D. Sorrells, and Lloyd G. Kirchner. The duties and responsibilities of the Audit Committee are to oversee:
| ● | the quality and integrity of our financial statements; |
| ● | our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; and |
| ● | our independent auditors’ qualifications, independence and performance. |
In addition, the Audit Committee annually reviews our disclosures regarding deficiencies, if any, in the design or operation of our internal controls.
The Board has determined that Mr. Palma is qualified as an audit committee financial expert under the SEC’s rules and regulations. In addition, the Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee meets the requisite financial literacy and sophistication requirements under NASDAQ rules.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
The Company has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to the Company’s directors, officers and employees in accordance with NASDAQ rules. The purpose and role of this code is to focus our officers, directors, and employees on areas of ethical risk, provide guidance to help them recognize and deal with ethical issues, provide mechanisms to report unethical or unlawful conduct, and help enhance and formalize our culture of integrity, honesty and accountability. We have posted this Code of Business Conduct and Ethics on the “About ENG - Governance” section of our website at www.englobal.com.
The Company also has a Code of Ethics applicable to the Chief Executive Officer and certain senior financial officers of the Company that complies with Item 406 of Regulation S-K of the Exchange Act and with applicable NASDAQ rules. We have posted this Code of Ethics on the “About ENG - Governance” section of our website at www.englobal.com.
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Summary Compensation Table
The following table sets forth information regarding compensation earned during the last two fiscal years by Mark Hess, our former Chief Executive Officer, Darren Spriggs, our Chief Financial Officer, and Roger Westerlind, our former President (the “named executive officers”).
Name and Principal Position | | Year | | Salary ($) | | | Bonus(1) ($) | | | Stock Awards(2) ($) | | | Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation(3) | | | All Other Compensation(4) ($) | | | Total ($) | |
Mr. Hess ~ Former Chief Executive Officer(5) | | 2022 | | | 280,306 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 2,962 | | | | 283,268 | |
| 2021 | | | 270,210 | | | | 30,192 | | | | 50,000 | | | | - | | | | 10,578 | | | | 360,980 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Mr. Spriggs ~ Chief Financial Officer, Secretary & Treasurer | | 2022 | | | 178,376 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 236 | | | | 178,612 | |
| 2021 | | | 170,203 | | | | 18,115 | | | | 25,000 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 213,318 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Mr. Westerlind ~ Former President(6) | | 2022 | | | 270,109 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 2,140 | | | | 272,249 | |
| 2021 | | | 260,205 | | | | 60,385 | | | | 100,000 | | | | - | | | | - | | | | 420,590 | |
| (1) | This column also includes bonus awards with respect to the tax liability of stock awards granted in 2021. |
| (2) | This column shows the grant date fair value of equity awards computed in accordance with stock-based compensation accounting rules (FASB ASC Topic 718). Values for awards subject to performance conditions are computed based upon the probable outcome of the performance condition as of the grant date. For a description of certain assumptions made in the valuation of stock awards, see Part II, Item 8, Note 10 in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on March 31, 2023. |
| (3) | The Non-Equity Incentive Plan includes amounts awarded pursuant to the Company’s Short Term Incentive Plan. Metrics are set annually and are generally contingent on the Company reaching certain levels of Net Operating Income. |
| (4) | All Other Compensation includes paid time off, or PTO, cash outs and 401(k) matching contributions. Does not include perquisites or personal benefits if the aggregate amount is less than $10,000. Does not include medical, dental, life, short and long term disability or paid time off benefits which were available to all employees. |
| (5) | Mr. Hess resigned from his officer positions effective February 10, 2023. |
| (6) | Mr. Westerlind was terminated from his officer positions effective March 17, 2023. |
Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End 2022
The following table sets forth information as of December 31, 2022 regarding outstanding equity awards held by the named executive officers. On December 30, 2022, the closing price on NASDAQ for the Company’s common stock was $0.78 per share.
| | Restricted Stock Awards | |
Name | | Number of Shares That Have Not Vested | | | Market Value of Shares of Stock That Have Not Vested | | | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares That Have Not Vested | | | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Market Value of Unearned Shares That Have Not Vested | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Mr. Hess(1) | | | 7,541 | | | $ | 5,882 | | | | — | | | | — | |
Mr. Spriggs(2) | | | 7,590 | | | $ | 5,920 | | | | — | | | | — | |
Mr. Westerlind(3) | | | 15,083 | | | $ | 11,765 | | | | — | | | | — | |
(1) | Includes 7,541 shares that were granted under the 2021 Long Term Incentive Plan (“Long Term Incentive Plan”) on March 9, 2021 which vested 3,771 shares on March 9, 2023. Mr. Hess resigned from his officer positions effective February 10, 2023 and forfeited the remaining 3,770 shares. |
| |
(2) | Includes 2,500 shares that were granted under the Amended and Restated 2009 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) on August 6, 2019, which will vest on August 6, 2023. Includes 5,090 shares that were granted under the 2021 Long Term Incentive Plan on March 9, 2021 which will vest 1,697 shares on March 9, 2023 and March 9, 2024 and 1,696 shares on March 9, 2025. |
| |
(3) | Includes 15,083 shares that were granted under the 2021 Long Term Incentive Plan on March 9, 2021 which vested 7,541 shares on March 9, 2023. Mr. Westerlind was terminated from his officer positions effective March 17, 2023 and forfeited the remaining 7,542 shares. |
Pay Versus Performance
As required by Section 953(a) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K, we are providing the following information about the relationship between executive compensation and certain financial performance of our Company for each of the last two completed fiscal years. In determining the “compensation actually paid” to our named executive officers (“NEOs”), we are required to make various adjustments to amounts that have previously been reported in the Summary Compensation Table in previous years, as the SEC’s calculation method for this section differs from those required in the Summary Compensation Table.
Pay Versus Performance Table
The table below presents information on the compensation of our principal executive officer (“PEO”) and our other NEOs in comparison to certain performance metrics for 2022 and 2021. The metrics are not those that the Compensation Committee of our Board uses when setting executive compensation. The use of the term “compensation actually paid” (“CAP”) is required by the SEC’s rules. Neither CAP nor the total amount reported in the Summary Compensation Table (“SCT”) reflect the amount of compensation actually paid, earned or received during the applicable year. Per SEC rules, CAP was calculated by adjusting the SCT total values for the applicable years.
| | Summary Compensation Table Total for PEO(1) ($) | | | Compensation Actually Paid to PEO(1)(4) ($) | | | Average Summary Compensation Table Total for Non-PEO | | | Average Compensation Actually Paid to Non-PEO | | | Value of Initial Fixed $100 Investment Based on Total Shareholder | | | Net Loss (In | |
Year | | PEO 1 | | | PEO 2 | | | PEO 1 | | | PEO 2 | | | NEOs(2) ($) | | | NEOs(2)(5) ($) | | | Return(3) ($) | | | Thousands) ($) | |
2022 | | | — | | | | 283,268 | | | | — | | | | 277,537 | | | | 225,431 | | | | 216,816 | | | | 26.44 | | | | (18,514 | ) |
2021 | | | 16,977 | | | | 360,980 | | | | 16,977 | | | | 328,400 | | | | 316,954 | | | | 280,951 | | | | 52.20 | | | | (5,685 | ) |
| (1) | William A. Coskey, P.E. (“PEO 1") served as our PEO through March 12, 2021. Mark A. Hess (“PEO 2”) served as PEO for the remainder of 2021 and for the full year 2022. |
| (2) | Our Non-PEO named executive officers include Darren W. Spriggs and Roger Westerlind for both fiscal years 2021 and 2022. |
| (3) | Calculated based on a fixed investment of $100 in the Company’s stock based on the closing price of the Company’s stock on the last trading day prior to December 27, 2020 through the end of each fiscal year. |
| (4) | The following table reflects the adjustment from the Summary Compensation Table to “compensation actually paid” for our PEOs: |
| | 2022 | | | 2021 | |
| | PEO 1 | | | PEO 2 | | | PEO 1 | | | PEO 2 | |
Summary Compensation Table Total | | | — | | | | 283,268 | | | | 16,977 | | | | 360,980 | |
Fair value of equity awards granted during the year from the Summary Compensation Table | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | (50,000 | ) |
Fair value at year end of equity awards granted during the year | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | 17,420 | |
Change in fair value of equity awards granted in prior years that were unvested as of the end of the year | | | — | | | | (5,731 | ) | | | — | | | | — | |
Change in fair value of equity awards granted in prior years that vested during the year | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Equity awards granted in prior years that were forfeited during the year | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Compensation Actually Paid Total | | | — | | | | 277,537 | | | | 16,977 | | | | 328,400 | |
| (5) | The following table reflects the average adjustment from the Summary Compensation Table to “compensation actually paid” for our non-PEO named executive officers: |
| | Average for Non-PEO NEOs | |
| | 2022 | | | 2021 | |
Summary Compensation Table Total | | | 225,431 | | | | 316,954 | |
Fair value of equity awards granted during the year from the Summary Compensation Table | | | — | | | | (62,500 | ) |
Fair value at year end of equity awards granted during the year | | | — | | | | 26,497 | |
Change in fair value of equity awards granted in prior years that were unvested as of the end of the year | | | (8,615 | ) | | | — | |
Change in fair value of equity awards granted in prior years that vested during the year | | | — | | | | — | |
Equity awards granted in prior years that were forfeited during the year | | | — | | | | — | |
Compensation Actually Paid Total | | | 216,816 | | | | 280,951 | |
Employment Agreements; Termination and Change-in-Control Arrangements
Messrs. Hess and Westerlind were each a party to a written employment agreement (the “Employment Agreements”) with ENGlobal and ENGlobal U.S., respectively. The Employment Agreements provided for an annual base salary, subject to discretionary increases by the Board, and other compensation in the form of cash bonuses, incentive compensation, stock options, stock appreciation rights, and restricted stock awards. Additionally, the executives received health, life, and other insurance benefits in accordance with the terms of the Company’s benefit plans, and the Company provided management level support services and reimbursement for specified business expenses.
The Employment Agreements provided for severance payments and benefits in the case of termination of employment. If employment ended because of death, the Company would pay any accrued but unpaid salary, additional compensation, and other benefits earned up to that date. In the case of a physical or mental disability that prevented the executive from performing his services under the Employment Agreement for a period of three months, the Company could terminate the executive’s employment. If the Company terminated an executive’s employment in such cases of disability, the Employment Agreements provided that the Company would continue to pay the executive his full salary and benefits for the six months following the date of termination (the “Initial Severance Period”). At the Company’s option, severance payments consisting of 100% of the monthly amount of the executive’s base salary in the case of Mr. Hess and 50% of the monthly amount of the executive’s base salary in the case of Mr. Westerlind, and full benefits may have been extended for an additional six-month period following the Initial Severance Period.
If the Company terminated an executive’s employment for “cause,” as defined in the Employment Agreements, the Company would pay any accrued but unpaid salary, additional compensation, and other benefits earned up to the effective date of termination. If the Company terminated an executive’s employment without “cause,” the Employment Agreement provided that the Company would continue to pay the executive his full salary and benefits for the Initial Severance Period. At the Company’s option, severance payments consisting of 100% of the monthly amount of the executive’s base salary in the case of Mr. Hess and 50% of the monthly amount of the executive’s base salary in the case of Mr. Westerlind, and full benefits may have been extended for an additional six-month period following the Initial Severance Period.
The Employment Agreements include a covenant not to compete following termination of employment for a period of up to one year, as well as confidentiality provisions that are customary in nature and scope, for such agreements.
The terms of the Employment Agreements were set through the course of arms-length negotiations with the executives. As part of these negotiations, the Compensation Committee analyzed the terms of the same or similar arrangements for comparable executives employed by some of the companies in our peer group. The Compensation Committee used this approach in setting the amounts payable and the triggering events under the Employment Agreements. The Employment Agreements’ termination of employment provisions were entered into in order to address competitive concerns by providing the executives with a fixed amount of compensation that would offset the potential risk of foregoing other opportunities. At the time of entering into the Employment Agreements, the Compensation Committee considered ENGlobal’s aggregate potential obligations in the context of retaining the executives and their expected compensation.
Executive Perquisites
Our use of perquisites as a component of compensation is limited and largely based on historical practices and policies of our Company. These perquisites and other benefits are provided to assure competitiveness and provide an additional retention incentive for these executives. Our Compensation Committee endeavors to adhere to a high level of propriety in managing executive benefits and perquisites. We do not own a plane and do not provide any personal aircraft use for executives.
Other Compensation
From time to time, we make available to employees and executives certain other fringe benefits. We may provide club memberships, tickets to sporting or cultural events, tickets to community events, and other similar benefits. To the extent that such items are taxable to the individual, they are considered to be part of the individual’s compensation package.
Review of and Conclusion Regarding All Components of Executive Compensation
Based on our performance during the past several years, and in light of our executives’ efforts in directing the Company, the Compensation Committee and the Board have determined that the compensation paid to our named executive officers, serves the best interests of our shareholders and continues to emphasize programs that the Compensation Committee and the Board believe positively affect shareholder value.
Compensation of Directors
The following table discloses cash and equity awards and other compensation earned, paid or awarded, as the case may be, to each of the Company’s non-employee directors during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.
Name | | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($)(1) | | | Stock Awards ($)(2)(3) | | | Option Awards ($) | | | All Other Compensation ($) | | | Total | |
Kevin M. Palma | | | 34,000 | | | | 50,000 | | | | — | | | | — | | | $ | 84,000 | |
Christopher Sorrells | | | 30,000 | | | | 50,000 | | | | — | | | | — | | | $ | 80,000 | |
Lloyd Kirchner | | | 30,000 | | | | 50,000 | | | | — | | | | — | | | $ | 80,000 | |
William A. Coskey | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Margaret K. Lassarat(4) | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
(1) | Amount paid in cash to non-employee directors for director compensation earned for their 2022 Board service. |
(2) | This column shows the grant date fair value of equity awards computed in accordance with stock-based compensation accounting rules (FASB ASC Topic 718). Values for awards subject to performance conditions are computed based upon the probable outcome of the performance condition as of the grant date. For a description of certain assumptions made in the valuation of stock awards, see Part II, Item 8, Note 10 in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on March 31, 2023. |
(3) | Represents 38,168 shares of restricted stock at a fair market value per share price of $1.31 granted to each director on June 9, 2022, as described below under “Restricted Stock Grants.” As of December 31, 2022, Messrs. Palma, Sorrells, and Kirchner each had a total of 19,084 shares of restricted stock that were unvested. |
(4) | Ms. Lassarat was elected to the Board on April 24, 2023. |
The principal objectives of our director compensation programs are to: (i) compensate for time spent on the Company’s behalf, and (ii) align the compensation programs with long-term value to the Company’s shareholders. We attempt to accomplish these objectives in an economical manner through a combination of reasonable director retainer fees and equity incentive grants to the directors.
Retainer Fees
Historically, our non-employee directors have received a cash retainer as compensation for their service to the Company, and our Chairman of the Audit Committee also received an additional cash retainer as compensation for such service. Our non-employee directors are also eligible for reimbursement of travel and other miscellaneous expenses associated with attendance at Board and Committee meetings. Our non-employee directors, Messrs. Palma, Sorrells, and Kirchner each received an annual cash retainer of $30,000 as compensation for their service to the Company, and Mr. Palma received an additional $4,000 for his service as Audit Committee Chairman.
Restricted Stock Grants
Under the Long Term Incentive Plan, non-employee directors are eligible to receive equity grants. Our non-employee directors typically receive the equity grants in June concurrent with the annual shareholders’ meeting. On June 9, 2022, in recognition of the services provided by its Board for the 2022-2023 service term, our non-employee directors, Messrs. Palma, Sorrells, and Kirchner, each received 38,168 restricted shares of the Company’s common stock, valued at $50,000 based on the fair market value of the shares on the date of grant, or $1.31 per share. The shares vested and will vest, as applicable, in equal installments on September 30, 2022, December 31, 2022, March 31, 2023 and June 30, 2023.