SPAR (SGRP) 10-K/A2022 FY Annual report (amended)

PART III

Item 10.  Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

The Board of Directors of the Corporation

The Board is responsible for overseeing the management, policies and direction of the Corporation and its subsidiaries (collectively, the "Company"), both directly and through its committees (See "Corporate Governance", below). The members of the Board and referenced Committees as of December 31, 2022, were as set forth below (7):

Michael Wager was elected Chairman of the Board on September 15, 2022.  He was appointed on October 21, 2021, as a Director and a member of the Audit Committee by the Board. Mr. Wager is an attorney who has specialized in securities, reorganizations, M&A and regulatory compliance throughout his career. He is currently a Senior Counsel with Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP serving in an advisory role and the Chief Strategy Officer for Byrna Technologies. Mr. Wager is also currently a member of the board and has served as the Chairman of the Audit and Governance Committees for Michael Anthony Holdings. Mr. Wager earned his Bachelor of Arts, Political Science Degree at the American University, College of Public Affairs, his Master of Arts, Political Science Degree at Columbia University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and his Juris Doctor Degree at New York University School of Law.

Michael R. Matacunas serves as the Chief Executive Officer, President and a Director of SGRP and has held such positions since his appointment as Chief Executive Officer of SGRP on February 16, 2021. He is a Fortune 500 veteran with more than 30 years of relevant leadership experience. He has worked in public and private companies, developed and led international business growth, driven exceptional operational results and built world-class teams. Mr. Matacunas was previously the Chief Administrative Officer at Dollar Tree, Inc., where he helped lead the successful multi-billion-dollar acquisition and integration of Family Dollar Stores, including, among other things, merchandising, sourcing, operational and executive improvements. Prior to this, Mr. Matacunas was CEO of a successful retail professional services business that transformed leading global retailers, wholesalers and consumer packaged goods companies. Mike's experience also includes strategy, consulting and world-wide roles at leading technology companies, including IBM and Manhattan Associates. Mr. Matacunas earned a BA in Economics from Boston University and an MBA from the College of William & Mary Mason School of Business.

Sean M. Whelan was appointed to the Governance Committee on September 15, 2022.  He was appointed on October 21, 2021, as a Director and a member of the Audit Committee and Compensation Committee by the Board, and on October 25, 2021, the Audit Committee elected him as its Chairman. Mr. Whelan is currently the Chief Executive Officer, and was previously the Chief Financial Officer, for Encore Rehabilitation Services. He has also held the Chief Financial Officer role for several other public and private companies including Smile America Partners, Bedrock Manufacturing, LLC, Diplomat Pharmacy and InfuSystem Holdings, Inc. Mr. Whelan is currently a Board member and Chairman of the Audit Committee with Zomedica Corp (NYSE American: ZOM) and also a Board member with OptioRx; he previously served as an Executive Board member with Diplomat Pharmacy and InfuSystem Holding, Inc. Mr. Whelan earned his Bachelor of Business Administration Degree and his Master of Accounting Degree at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and is a CPA.

Robert G. Brown rejoined the Board on April 24, 2020.  As one (1) of the two (2) founders of the company, Mr. Brown served as Director of SGRP from July 8, 1999 until his retirement on May 3, 2018. Prior to 1999, Mr. Robert G. Brown served as the Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the SPAR Companies since certain of its predecessors were formed in 1979 through 2005. During his tenure, Mr. Brown oversaw the change from a software and consulting company into a merchandising company in the 1980's and in the 1990's converted the reporting and data collection work to the Internet from mainframes and PC's which gave SPAR a strategic cost and quality advantage. In 1999, he executed a reverse merger making SPAR a public company.

William H. Bartels has served as Director of SGRP since July 8, 1999. As one (1) of the two (2) founders of the Company, he was responsible for sales, marketing and developing client relationships across the globe for more than 40 years. He was also responsible for marketing/sales for the SPARLINE technology and its related consulting business for evaluating trade promotion spending and strategies for top tier CPG companies, domestic and international. He gained industry-wide recognition as reported through numerous industry publications and guest speeches at major industry conferences, while also negotiating partnerships with research companies in the U.K. and Australia for using the SPARLINE system. Prior to July 8, 1999, Mr. Bartels served as Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and Senior Vice President of the SPAR Marketing Companies, since 1967. He retired as an employee of the Company on January 1, 2020.

Peter W. Brown joined the Board of SGRP in May 2018.  He was appointed to the Audit Committee by the Board on July 31, 2022.  Mr. Brown served as a Board Observer to the Corporation's Board of Directors from 2014 through December 2016. He also serves as a director of and is a consultant to the Corporation's Brazilian subsidiary, SPAR BSMT, and owns EILLC (which owns 10% of SPAR BSMT). Mr. Brown received a BS from the University of Massachusetts's School of Natural Science and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts's Isenberg School of Management.

Executives and Officers of the Corporation

Set forth in the table below are the names, ages and offices held by all Executives and Officers of the Corporation as of December 31, 2022. For biographical information regarding Michael R. Matacunas, See the Board of Directors of the Corporation, above.  Antonio Calisto Pato (Age 44) joined SGRP and became Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Treasurer on February 27, 2023, and his biographical information is included below.

Antonio Calisto Pato joined SGRP and became its Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Treasurer on February 27, 2023.  He has leadership experience in business, finance and international and strategy, tax and operational expertise. Most recently, Mr. Calisto Pato held CFO roles and directed all aspects of finance, accounting, treasury and tax as CFO for Earth Shoes and interim CFO for Street Trend. Prior to these roles, he held increasing leadership positions at Chiquita Brands International from 2011 to 2021. Mr. Calisto Pato also held financial and business leadership roles at Cemex in Switzerland and PWC in Luxembourg.  He speaks four languages (including those principally used in the Company's Brazilian and Mexican offices) and successfully earned a combined 5-year undergraduate and law degree in Portugal, and went on to complete his post-graduate degree in Tax from the Lisbon Business School. Mr. Calisto Pato also completed a Master of Advanced Studies in International Tax Law in the Netherlands at Leiden University and is completing his MBA from the University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School at Chapel Hill, NC.

Fay DeVriese served as the Chief Financial Officer of SGRP from August 2020 to January 31, 2023. Prior to joining SGRP, she served as Chief Financial Officer at Letica Corporation and served in financial leadership roles at DSM Engineering Plastics, Eaton Corporation, Continental Automotive Systems and Motorola. Ms. DeVriese is a certified public accountant, licensed in the State of New York. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the State University of New York.

Kori G. Belzer became the Global Chief Operating Officer of SGRP in July 2021 and has served as Chief Operating Officer of SGRP since January 1, 2004.  From August 7, 2020, through February 21, 2021, she also served as acting Chief Executive Officer of SGRP.  From 2000 through 2003, Ms. Belzer served as the Chief Operating Officer of SPAR Administrative Services, Inc. (then known as SPAR Management Services, Inc.) ("SAS"), and SPAR Business Services, Inc. (then known as SPAR Marketing Services, Inc.), each an affiliate of SGRP (see Transactions with Related Persons, Promoters and Certain Control Persons, below). From 1997 to 2000, Ms. Belzer served as Vice President Operations of SAS and as Regional Director of SAS from 1995 to 1997. Prior to 1995, she served as Client Services Manager for SPAR/Servco, Inc.

William Linnane joined SGRP in July 2021 as its Chief Strategy and Growth Officer. He is an internationally experienced business, merchandising, retail, and finance leader with more than 20 years of relevant leadership experience. He has worked in the US, in Europe and in Australia; leading multi-billion-dollar businesses and driving exceptional operational results with different market conditions. He was recently the CEO of a successful advisory and investment firm focused on M&A and retail restructurings. Prior to that, Mr. Linnane was President of Kmart's Pharmacy, Drugstore and Grocery businesses in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, Chief Merchant at a leading book retailer in Europe, and led the Beverage, Candy and Snacks business for Tesco in the UK, working with Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle, Mars, Mondelez and others to drive branded growth opportunities via merchandising and other initiatives, including digital strategies. Mr. Linnane is a qualified accountant and started his career in finance working in the UK and Ireland at Kingfisher PLC (LSE: KGFL) and Tesco PLC (LSE:TSCO). He has strong experience in strategy, finance, operations, merchandising, sourcing, and leadership roles. Mr. Linnane holds an MA in Economics from Trinity College, University of Dublin.

Ron Lutz joined SGRP joined SGRP in July 2021 as its Chief Global Commercial Officer. He built a 35-year executive career guiding Fortune 100 companies and private organizations in the retail customer experience space. He has led retail organizations through transformational growth, change management and market expansions. Throughout his career he has held responsibilities in the areas of sales, operations, strategy, marketing, omni-channel customer experience development, international expansion, and acquisitions. Most recently, Ron was consulting as an international strategic retail advisor. Prior to this, he was the Chief Client Officer at a private retail services and solutions company. With his extensive background in the industry, Ron has served in the capacity and/or held titles such as Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Customer Officer, VP Customer Experience Deployment, VP New Store – Remerchandising, VP Enterprise Print /Fixtures, and VP Store Service Solutions. Earlier in his career, he served as a Vice President with Lowe's Companies (NYSE: LOW), where he led the deployment of an omni-channel customer experience solution across 2,000+ North American retail store locations. He also had responsibility for new store development in emerging markets and store renovations across the US, Canada, and Mexico.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Board Structure, Leadership and Risk Oversight

The Board of Directors of the Corporation (the Board") is responsible for overseeing the Corporation and its subsidiaries (collectively, the "Company"), both directly and through its committees (as described below), pursuant to the authority conferred by the Corporation's 2022 By-Laws, charters and policies and by applicable law. The Board's responsibilities include (without limitation) the appointment and oversight of the Company's Chief Executive Officer. The Board also provides oversight of risks that could affect the Company, both directly and through its committees with respect to the most significant risks facing the Company (including material operational or financial risks). Pursuant to their respective charters, the Board has established and delegated various oversight and other responsibilities to the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Governance Committee, as such committees are defined and more fully described below under the headings "Audit Committee", "Compensation Committee" and "Governance Committee".

The Board is comprised of Independent Directors, Super Independent Directors (See Board Size, Quorum and Voting, Director Nominations: Experience, Integrity, Diversity and other Criteria and 2022 By Laws, below) and Non- Independent Directors. The Governance Committee is responsible for determining and recommending to the full Board whether a Director satisfies the applicable Nasdaq independent requirements or the more comprehensive super-independence requirements established in the 2022 By-Laws. The super-independence requirement establishes specific criteria to ensure a Director is unaffiliated with any specific significant stockholder. In addition, the Board has established the position of Chairman of the Board, which is a non-executive position, and Chief Executive Officer (who is also President). Per the 2022 By-Laws, the Chairman, the Vice Chairman and Chairman of any Committee must be Super Independent Directors. The Board believes these definitions and criteria ensure a strong, experienced and independent Board to provide oversight on behalf of all stockholders.

To assist the Board and its Committees in their respective oversight roles, the Company's Chief Executive Officer brings members of the Company's management from various business or administrative areas into meetings of the Board or applicable Committee from time to time to make presentations, answer questions and provide insight to the members, including insights into areas of potential risk. Each Committee endeavors to satisfy its responsibilities through: (i) its receipt and review of regular reports directly from officers responsible for oversight of particular risks within the Company; (ii) direct communications by the Committee or its Chairman with the Corporation's senior management; (iii) independent registered public accounting firm (in the case of the Audit Committee) and counsel respecting such matters and related risks; (iv) its executive sessions; (v) its reports (generally through its Chairman) to the full Board respecting the Committee's considerations; and (vi) if applicable, actions and recommendations regarding such matters and risks as deemed appropriate.

Risk oversight is conducted primarily through the Audit Committee, but also is conducted through the Compensation Committee or Governance Committee, as applicable. The Audit Committee is responsible for overseeing the accounting, auditing and financial reporting and disclosure principles, policies, practices and controls of the Company and regularly considers (among other things) financial, reporting, internal control, related party, legal and other issues and related risks and uncertainties material to the Company. The Compensation Committee is responsible for overseeing the performance and compensation of the executives, director compensation and the other compensation, equity incentive, related policies, and material benefits of the Company. The Governance Committee is responsible for overseeing the finding, vetting and nomination of directors and committee members for the Board and senior Executives for SGRP, and the content and application of the 'Ethics Code, corporate documents and governance policies and practices.

Each of the Committee charters requires the Board to determine that each of its members satisfy applicable Nasdaq requirements for the respective Committee and be free from any relationship which may interfere with the exercise of his or her independent judgment as a member. The 2022 By-Laws also require that the Chairman of each Committee and at least two (2) of its members be a Super Independent Director (See Board Size, Quorum and Voting, and Director Nominations: Experience, Integrity, Diversity and other Criteria, below). 

Board Meetings

The Board meets regularly to receive and discuss operating and financial reports presented by management of SGRP and its advisors. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Board held sixteen (16) meetings. Each incumbent Director is required to attend 75% of the board meetings. In 2022, all then current members attended at least 75% of the meetings.

Board Size, Quorum and Voting

Under the 2022 By-Laws: the current Board size is fixed at seven (7) directors as of January 25, 2022; the Chairman and at least three (3) of the Board members must be Super Independent Directors (as defined therein), and the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Chairman of each Committee and at least two (2) of each Committee's members must be a Super Independent Director.

The Board size can only be changed from time to time by amending the 2022 By-Laws.

Board meetings require an attendance quorum of at least 70% of its members, including a majority of the Super Independent Directors.

Except as noted below: each director shall be entitled to one (1) vote; and the vote of the majority of the directors present at any meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the Board.

However, in the event the Board:

In addition, Section 3.12 of the 2022 By-Laws requires that certain actions by the Board be approved by a super-majority of the Board consisting of at least 70% of the directors then in office, including a majority of the Super Independent Directors. Those super-majority actions include any amendment to the 2022 By-Laws, any Committee Charter, or SGRP's Ethics Code, and the issuance of more than 250,000 shares of SGRP's Common Stock or any right to acquire them (See Director Nominations: Experience, Integrity, Diversity and other Criteria, below).

Board Committees

From time to time the Board may establish permanent standing committees and temporary special committees to assist the Board in carrying out its responsibilities, and may delegate Board power and authority pursuant to charters approved by the Board. Under the 2022 By-Laws (see below), a "super majority" vote of at least 70% of all SGRP directors is now required for any new committee, change in any committee charter, or certain other actions (meaning any such Board action brought before a Board consisting of seven directors can be blocked by any three (3) directors), and an absolute majority of the Board is now required for the appointment to or removal of any director from any committee (meaning any such Board action brought before a Board consisting of seven directors can be blocked by any four (4) directors). Currently, SGRP has three (3) permanent standing committees; the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, and the Governance Committee. An audit committee is required by the Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. ("Nasdaq"), the SEC, and applicable law. While SGRP is not similarly required to have either a compensation committee or governance committee, certain responsibilities assigned to these committees in their respective charters are required to be fulfilled by independent directors by Nasdaq Rules or SEC Rules.

Each of the Committee charters requires the Board to determine that each of its members satisfy applicable Nasdaq requirements for such a Committee and be free from any relationship would interfere with the exercise of his or her independent judgment as a member. The 2022 By-Laws also require that the Chairman of each Committee and at least two (2) of the members of the Audit Committee and Governance Committee be a Super Independent Director (See Board Size, Quorum and Voting, above, and Director Nominations: Experience, Integrity, Diversity and other Criteria, and 2022 By-Laws, below).

The standing committees of the Board are the Audit Committee of the Board (the "Audit Committee"), the Compensation Committee of the Board (the "Compensation Committee"), and the Governance Committee of the Board (the "Governance Committee"), as provided in the Corporation's 2022 By-Laws and their respective charters (See Limitation of Liability and Indemnification Matters, below).

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities respecting the accounting, auditing and financial reporting and disclosure principles, policies, practices and controls of the Company, the integrity of the Company's consolidated financial statements, the audits of the financial statements of the Company and the Company's compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and disclosure. The specific functions and responsibilities of the Audit Committee are set forth in the written Amended and Restated Charter of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of SPAR Group, Inc., dated (as of) May 18, 2004 (the "Audit Charter"), approved and recommended by the Audit Committee and Governance Committee and adopted by the Board on May 18, 2004. The Audit Committee also is given specific functions and responsibilities by and is subject to Nasdaq Rules, SEC Rules, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ("Sarbanes-Oxley"), and other applicable law, which are reflected in the Audit Charter. You can obtain and review a current copy of the Audit Charter on the Company's web site (www.sparinc.com), on which it is posted and available to stockholders and the public under the Investor Relations tab and Corporate Governance sub-tab. The Audit Charter was amended and restated to reflect the evolution of the Audit Committee's expanding responsibilities, the adoption of Sarbanes-Oxley, and changes in Nasdaq Rules, SEC Rules, securities laws and other applicable law pertaining to all audit committees. The Audit Committee reviews and reassesses the Audit Charter annually and recommends any needed changes to the Board for approval. 

The Audit Committee (among other things and as more fully provided in the Audit Charter):

As of December 31, 2022, the Audit Committee consisted of Mr. Sean M. Whelan (its Chairman), Mr. Peter W. Brown, and Michael Wager, each of whom has been determined by the Governance Committee and the Board to meet the independence requirements for Audit Committee members under Nasdaq Rules and SEC Rules and the 2022 By-Laws require that its Chairman and at least two (2) of the members of the Audit Committee and Governance Committee be Super Independent Directors. In connection with his appointment as a Director, the Governance Committee and the Board determined that Mr. Whelan was qualified to be the "Audit Committee financial expert" as required by Nasdaq Rules, SEC Rules and other applicable law.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Audit Committee met five (5) times. All then current members attended at least 75% of the meetings.

Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities respecting the compensation of the named executive officers and the other related policies of the Company, through which the Company endeavors to attract, motivate and retain the executive talent needed to optimize stockholder value in a competitive environment while facilitating the business strategies and long-range plans of the Company. The specific functions and responsibilities of the Compensation Committee are set forth in the written Charter of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of SPAR Group, Inc., dated (as of) May 18, 2004, and amended through August 12, 2020 (the "Compensation Charter"), approved and recommended by the Compensation Committee and Governance Committee and adopted by the Board on May 18, 2004, and amended on August 12, 2020. The Compensation Committee also is given specific functions and responsibilities by and is subject to Nasdaq Rules, SEC Rules, Sarbanes-Oxley and other applicable law. You can obtain and review a current copy of the Compensation Charter on the Company's web site (www.sparinc.com), on which it is posted and available to stockholders and the public under the Investor Relations tab and Corporate Governance sub-tab. The Compensation Charter was adopted to reflect the evolution of the Compensation Committee's informal responsibilities, the adoption of Sarbanes- Oxley, and changes in Nasdaq Rules, SEC Rules, securities laws and other applicable law pertaining to compensation committees. The Compensation Committee reviews and reassesses the Compensation Charter annually and recommends any needed changes to the Board for approval.

The Compensation Committee (among other things and as more fully provided in the Compensation Charter):

As of December 31, 2022, the Compensation Committee consisted of Mr. Peter W. Brown and Mr. Sean M. Whelan, each of whom has been determined by the Governance Committee and the Board to meet the independence requirements for Compensation Committee members under Nasdaq Rules and SEC Rules.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Compensation Committee met six (6) times. All then current members attended at least 75% of the meetings.

Governance Committee

The Governance Committee assists the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities respecting the nomination of directors and committee members for the Board and the corporate documents and governance policies and practices of the Corporation. The specific functions and responsibilities of the Governance Committee are set forth in the written Charter of the Governance Committee of the Board of Directors of SPAR Group, Inc., Dated (as of) May 18, 2004 (the "Governance Charter"), approved and recommended by the Governance Committee and adopted by the Board on May 18, 2004, and amended on March 18, 2021. The Governance Committee also is given specific functions and responsibilities by and is subject to the Nasdaq Rules, SEC Rules, Sarbanes-Oxley, and other applicable law, which are reflected in the Governance Charter. You can obtain and review a current copy of the Governance Charter on the Company's web site (www.sparinc.com), on which it is posted and available to stockholders and the public under the Investor Relations tab and Corporate Governance sub-tab. The Governance Charter was adopted to reflect the evolution of the Governance Committee's informal responsibilities, the adoption of Sarbanes-Oxley, and changes in Nasdaq Rules, SEC Rules, securities laws, and other applicable law pertaining to governance committees. The Governance Committee reviews and reassesses the Governance Charter, Nomination Policy and Ethics Code (as such terms are defined below), as well as the 2022 By-Laws of the Corporation and the other Committee Charters, annually and recommends any needed changes to the Board for approval.

The Governance Committee (among other things and as more fully provided in the Governance Charter):

As of December 31, 2022, the Governance Committee consisted of Mr. Peter W. Brown, Mr. Michael Wager, and Mr. Sean M. Whelan, each of whom has been determined by the Governance Committee and the Board to meet the independence requirements for Governance Committee members under Nasdaq Rules and SEC Rules. Mr. Michael Wager also has been determined by the Governance Committee and the Board to be a Super Independent Director satisfying the new stricter requirements of the 2022 By-Laws. The 2022 By-Laws require that the Governance Committee's Chairman and at least two (2) of the members of the Audit Committee and Governance Committee to be a Super Independent Director.   See Board Size, Quorum and Voting, above, and 2022 By-Laws, below.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Governance Committee met seven (7) times. All then current members attended at least 75% of the meetings.

Director Nominations: Experience, Integrity, Diversity and other Criteria

The Governance Committee oversees the identification, vetting and nomination of candidates for directors and the selection of committee members, the review of their qualifications (including outside director independence), and recommends any proposed nominees to the Board in accordance with the Governance Charter and with the SPAR Group, Inc. Statement of Policy Regarding Director Qualifications and Nominations dated as of May 18, 2004 (the "Nomination Policy"), as approved and recommended by the Governance Committee and adopted by the Board on May 18, 2004. You can obtain and review a current copy of this policy on the Company's web site (www.sparinc.com), on which it is posted and available to stockholders and the public under the Investor Relations tab and Corporate Governance sub-tab.

The Nomination Policy, applicable law and exchange rules require that a majority of the directors satisfy the independence requirements under the applicable Nasdaq Rules and SEC Rules and Delaware law. Each of the Committee charters requires the Board to determine that each of the members satisfy applicable Nasdaq requirements for such a Committee and be free from any relationship would interfere with the exercise of his or her independent judgment as a member. The By- Laws also require that the Chairman of the Board, at least three (3) Board members and the Chairman and at least two (2) members of each Committee be a Super- Independent Director (See Board Size, Quorum and Voting, above).

The Nomination Policy identifies numerous characteristics believed important by the Board for any nominee for director and provides that each nominee for director should possess as many of them as practicable. These desirable characteristics include (among other things) the highest professional and personal ethics and integrity, sufficient time and attention to devote to Board and Committee duties and responsibilities, strong relevant business and industry knowledge and contacts, and business and financial sophistication, common sense and wisdom, the contribution to the diversity of perspectives in the Board and its Committees, and the ability to make informed judgments on a wide range of issues, the ability and willingness to exercise and express independent judgments, and the apparent ability and willingness to meet or exceed the Board's performance expectations. The Nomination Policy specifically recognizes the desirability of ethnic, racial, gender and geographic diversity for the Board but does not specify any metrics for evaluating potential candidates in that regard. However, the Governance Committee takes all relevant factors (including such diversity) into account when identifying and evaluating candidates for Board membership.

Performance expectations for each director have also been established by the Board in the Nomination Policy, including (among other things) the director's regular preparation for, attendance at and participation in all meetings (including appropriate questioning), support and advice to management in his areas of expertise, maintenance of focus on the Board's agenda, understanding the business, finances, plans and strategies of Company, professional and collegial interaction, acting in the best interests of the Company and the stockholders, and compliance with the Company's Ethics Code.

Candidates for vacant positions on the Board may be suggested to the Governance Committee from time to time by its members or by officers or other directors of the Corporation. The Governance Committee from time to time also has used and may use recruiting firms to consider as director candidates. The Governance Committee generally will consider recommending the re-nomination of incumbent directors in accordance with the Nomination Policy, provided that they continue to satisfy the applicable personal characteristic criteria and performance expectations. The Nomination Policy reflects the Board's belief that qualified incumbent directors are generally uniquely positioned to provide stockholders the benefit of continuity of leadership and seasoned judgment gained through experience as a director of SGRP, and that the value of these benefits may outweigh many other factors. However, the Governance Committee is not required to recommend to the Board the nomination of any eligible incumbent director for re-election (See Stockholder Communications - Submission of Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations, below).

Each nominee for director was required to complete and submit a Directors' and Officers' Questionnaire as part of the process for making director nominations and preparation of this Proxy Statement.

In considering the potential director nominee slate (including incumbent directors) to recommend to the Board, the Nomination Policy directs the Governance Committee to take into account: (i) the benefits of incumbency, as noted above; (ii) any perceived needs of Board, any Committee or the Company at the time for business contacts, skills or experience or other particular desirable personal characteristics; (iii) the collegiality of Board members; (iv) the need for independent directors or financial experts under that Policy or applicable law for the Board or its Committees; (v) any other requirements of applicable law or exchange rules; and (vi) the desirability of ethnic, racial, gender and geographic diversity. The Governance Committee will consider proposed nominees from any source, including those properly submitted by stockholders (See Stockholder Communications - Submission of Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations, below).

At least three of the seven directors on the Board must be Super Independent Directors as defined in the 2022 By-Laws.  All of the non-Super Independent Director positions must be filled pursuant to contracts with SGRP.  Under the CIC Agreement (See Change of Control, Voting and Restricted Stock Agreement in Domestic Related Party Transactions, below, and Board Size, Quorum and Voting, above), Mr. Robert G. Brown is entitled to nominate two (2) directors (including himself), and Mr. William H. Bartels is entitled to nominate one (1) director (including himself). Under the terms of his employment as SGRP's Chief Executive Officer, Michael R. Matacunas is entitled to be a director.

There is currently one vacancy on the SGRP Board, which under the 2022 By-Laws must be filled with a Super Independent Director.  See Board Size, Quorum and Voting, and Director Nominations: Experience, Integrity, Diversity and other Criteria, above, and 2022 By-Laws, below.

Based on the prior Directors' and Officers' Questionnaires of each director, as required by the Nominations Policy and the committee charters, the Governance Committee and Board each determined that: (i) Mr. Sean M. Whelan, Mr. Peter W. Brown and Mr. Michael Wager each satisfies the independence requirements for Audit Committee members under Nasdaq Rules and SEC Rules and the Audit Committee Charter, and Mr. Sean M. Whelan is an "audit committee financial expert" under SEC Rules, as required by such rules and the Audit Charter; (ii) Mr. Sean M. Whelan and Mr. Michael Wager are Super Independent Directors under the 2022 By-Laws (See Board Size, Quorum, and Voting, above); (iii) Mr. Michael Wager, Mr. Sean Whelan and Mr. Peter W. Brown each satisfies the independence requirements for Governance Committee members under Nasdaq Rules and SEC Rules and the Governance Committee Charter; (iv) Mr. Sean M. Whelan and Mr. Peter W. Brown each satisfies the independence requirements for Compensation Committee members under Nasdaq Rules and SEC Rules and the Compensation Committee Charter; and (v) Mr. Robert G. Brown satisfies the general independence requirements for independent directors of the Board under Nasdaq Rules and SEC Rules and the 2022 By-Laws. 

2022 By-Laws

On January 25, 2022, the Board adopted and approved amendments to SGRP's then existing Amended 2022 By-Laws in connection with the entry into the CIC Agreement (the "Amendments", and as amended, the "2022 By-Laws"). The Amendments include the following:

The 2022 By-Laws continue to require that each candidate for director sign a written irrevocable letter of resignation and retirement effective upon such person failing to be re-elected by the required majority stockholder vote.

The foregoing description is only a summary of the Amendments and is qualified in its entirety by reference to a copy of 2022 By-Laws, which is incorporated by reference into this Annual Report as Exhibit 3.3 hereto.

Limitation of Liability and Indemnification Matters

The Corporation's Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, eliminates the liability of all directors to the Corporation and its stockholders for monetary damages for breaches of their fiduciary duties as directors to the maximum extent such liability can be eliminated or limited under the Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended (the "DGCL"), which applies to the Corporation as a Delaware corporation. The DGCL permits a certificate of incorporation to include a provision eliminating such personal liability of its directors, and such elimination is effective under the DGCL, except that such liability currently may not be eliminated or limited under the DGCL: (i) for any breach of their duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders; (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; (iii) for unlawful payments of dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or redemptions as provided in Section 174 of the DGCL; or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

The 2022 By-Laws (unchanged in this regard by the latest restatement) provide that the Corporation must indemnify each of its current and former directors, executive officers and other designated persons (including those serving its affiliates in such capacities at the Corporation's request), and may in the Board's discretion indemnify the other current and former officers, employees and other agents of the Company, against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding against them in such capacity to the fullest extent permitted by DGCL. The 2022 By-Laws also provide that the Corporation must advance the expenses (including attorneys' fees) actually and reasonably incurred by any director in defending any such action, suit or proceeding in advance of its final disposition, subject to such person's agreement to the extent required by the DGCL under the circumstances to reimburse the Corporation if such person is not entitled to indemnification. The 2022 By-Laws and these mandatory indemnification provisions were approved and recommended by the Governance Committee and adopted by the Board of Directors of the Corporation in order to conform to the current practices of most public companies and to attract and maintain quality candidates for its directors and management, and are included in the 2022 By-Law is (see above). A current copy of the 2022 By-Laws is posted and available to stockholders and the public on the Corporation's web site (www.sparinc.com).

Section 145 of the DGCL provides that the Corporation (as a Delaware corporation) has the power to indemnify under various circumstances anyone who is or was serving as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or (at its request) another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, which includes indemnification against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation), but only if: (i) such person acted in good faith and in a manner reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation; (ii) in the case of any criminal action or proceeding, such person had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful; and (iii) in the case of any suit by or in the right of the Corporation in which the person is adjudged to be liable to the Corporation, the applicable court determines such person is nevertheless fairly and reasonably entitled to such indemnification under the circumstances. Section 145 of the DGCL also permits the Corporation to pay or advance the expenses (including attorneys' fees) actually and reasonably incurred by any such person in defending any such action, suit or proceeding, and requires that the Corporation indemnify such person for such unpaid expenses upon a successful defense of such action, suit or proceeding.

The Company maintains director and officer liability insurance that (subject to deductibles, maximums and exceptions) covers most liabilities arising out of the acts or omissions of any officer, director, employee or other covered person, both for the benefit of the Company and the direct benefit of its directors and officers, regardless of whether the 2022 By-Laws or DGCL Section 145 would permit indemnification of the matters covered by such insurance. The 2022 By-Laws (and DGCL Section 145) expressly permit the Corporation to secure such insurance and expressly provide that their respective indemnification provisions are not exclusive of any other rights to which the indemnified party may be entitled, including such insurance.

There is no pending action, suit or proceeding involving any director, officer, employee or agent of the Company in such capacity in which advancement or indemnification may be required or permitted.

Ethics Codes

SGRP has adopted codes of ethical conduct applicable to all of its directors, officers and employees, as approved and recommended by the Governance Committee and Audit Committee and adopted by the Board, in accordance with Nasdaq Rules and SEC Rules. These codes of conduct (collectively, the " Ethics Code") consist of: (1) the SPAR Group Code of Ethical Conduct for its Directors, Executives, Officers, Employees, Consultants and other Representatives Amended and Restated (as of) March 15, 2018 (the "Restated Ethical Code"); and (2) Statement of Policy Regarding Personal Securities Transactions in SGRP Stock and Non-Public Information, as amended and restated on May 1, 2004, and as further amended through March 10, 2011. Both Committees were involved because general authority over the Ethics Codes shifted from the Audit Committee to the Governance Committee with the adoption of the committee charters on May 18, 2004. However, the Audit Committee retained the express duty to review and approve the overall fairness of all material related-party transactions. You can obtain and review current copies of such code and policy on the Company's web site (www.sparinc.com), which are posted and available to stockholders and the public under the Investor Relations tab and Corporate Governance sub-tab.

The Ethics Code is intended to promote and reward honest, ethical, respectful and professional conduct by each director, executive, officer, employee, consultant and other representative of any of SGRP and its subsidiaries (together with SGRP, the "Company") and each other Covered Person (as defined in the Ethics Code) in his or her position with the Company anywhere in the world, including (among other things) serving each customer, dealing with each vendor and treating each other with integrity and respect, and behaving honestly, ethically and professionally with each customer, each vendor, each other and the Company. Article II of the Ethics Code specifically prohibits various forms of self-dealing (including dealing with relatives) and collusion and Article V of the Ethics Code generally prohibits each "Covered Person" (including SGRP's officers and directors) from using or disclosing the Confidential Information of the Company or any of its customers or vendors, seeking or accepting anything of value from any competitor, customer, vendor, or other person relating to doing business with the Company, or engaging in any business activity that conflicts with his or her duties to the Company, and directs each "Covered Person" to avoid any activity or interest that is inconsistent with the best interests of the SPAR Group, in each case except for any "Approved Activity" (as such terms are defined in the Ethics Code). Examples of violations include (among other things) having any ownership interest in, acting as a director or officer of or otherwise personally benefiting from business with any competitor, customer or vendor of the Company other than pursuant to any Approved Activity. Approved Activities include (among other things) any contract with an affiliated person (each an "Approved Affiliate Contract") or anything else disclosed to and approved by SGRP's Audit Committee, as well as the ownership, board, executive and other positions held in and services and other contributions to affiliates of SGRP and its subsidiaries by certain directors, officers or employees of SGRP, any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective family members. The Company's senior management is generally responsible for monitoring compliance with the Ethics Code and establishing and maintaining compliance systems, including those related to the oversight and approval of conflicting relationships and transactions, subject to the review and oversight of SGRP's Governance Committee as provided in Part I Sections 2, 3, 11 and 12 of the Governance Committee's Charter, and SGRP's Audit Committee as provided in Part IV Section 15 of the Audit Committee's Charter.

Significant Stockholder Governance Limitations

In consideration and as part of the CIC Agreement, the Majority Stockholders agreed that they and their affiliates will not directly or indirectly take any of the listed actions (the "Covered Matters") during the term of the CIC Agreement respecting their SGRP Shares (including voting, consents, proxies or other corporate actions), alone or in conjunction with other stockholders of the Corporation, unless any of the matters are the subject of a vote at a meeting of the Corporation's stockholders called by the Board.

The Covered Matters include taking or attempting any of the following:

The foregoing description is only a summary of the CIC Agreement and is qualified in its entirety by reference to a copy of the CIC Agreement, which is incorporated by reference into this Annual Report as Exhibit 10.9.

Item 11. Executive Compensation

Summary Compensation Table

The following table sets forth all compensation for services rendered to the Company in all capacities for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 (but See - Transactions with Related Persons, Promoters and Certain Control Persons, below), by: (i) the Corporation's Chief Executive Officer; and (ii) each of the other persons named below, which include the two (2) most highly compensated Executives or other Officers of the Company. "Named Executive Officers" shall mean each of the individuals listed below, other than Mr. Bartels. The Company does not have any Non-Equity Incentive Compensation Plans other than as part of its individual Incentive Bonus Plans, any pension plans or any non-qualified deferred compensation plans, and accordingly those columns have been omitted.

Effective as of February 22, 2021, SGRP appointed Mr. Mike Matacunas as its Chief Executive Officer and President and as a Director of SGRP.  Ms. Fay DeVriese departed SGRP effective as of January 31, 2023.  Mr. Antonio Calisto Pato joined SGRP and became Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Treasurer on February 27, 2023 (4).    Effective July 13, 2021, SGRP appointed Ron Lutz as its Chief Global Commercial Officer and William Linnane as its Chief Strategy and Growth Officer of SGRP. Effective as of August 31, 2020, Ms. Fay DeVriese became the Chief Financial Officer of SGRP. Mr. Steven J. Adolph resigned as President International of SGRP effective April 23, 2021. Mr. Gerard Marrone retired as Chief Revenue Officer of SGRP effective June 15, 2021. 

Narrative to Summary Compensation Table

Compensation Elements

As indicated in the Summary Compensation Table above, in addition to base salary, we provide the following compensation and benefits to our Named Executive Officers:

Chief Executive Officer (PEO) Pay Versus Performance Table

(1) Ms. Belzer was acting Chief Executive Officer of SGRP through February, 2021.

(2) Mr. Matacunas became Chief Executive Office of SGRP on February 22, 2021.

(3) Amount includes non-cash compensation respecting certain stock-based awards adjusted for changes in equity award values.

Potential Severance Payments upon a Change-In-Control and Termination

In order to retain and motivate certain highly qualified executives in the event of a "Change-in-Control", the Corporation entered into separate Change of Control Severance Agreements (each a "CICSA") with Messrs. Michael R. Matacunas, Antonio Calisto Pato, William Linnane, Ron Lutz and Ms. Kori Belzer.  Ms. Fay DeVriese had a CICSA which ended and was released as part of her departure.

Each CICSA provides that the applicable executive will receive a lump sum severance payment if both: (1) a "Change in Control" occurs; and (2) within the "Protected Period" the executive is terminated other than in a "Termination For Cause". The Protected Period is equal to the Term or 24 months from the then most recent Change in Control. The term is 36 months and automatically extends daily for another day unless the Corporation gives notice of non-renewal (in which case the Term ends on the third anniversary of such notice). The CICSA severance payment is equal to the sum of: (i) two (2) (Mr. Matacunas), or one (1) times the executive's annual salary plus (ii) the maximum bonus paid to such executive in either of the last two (2) years.

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End

The following table sets forth unexercised options, unvested stock options and certain related information for each Named Officer outstanding as of December 31, 2022.

Stock Option Awards

Compensation of Directors

The following table sets forth all compensation costs of the Corporation for services rendered to it by its directors (other than any Named Officer), and certain other amounts that may have been received by or allocated to them, for the year ended December 31, 2022. The Corporation has not given restricted stock unit awards to its directors and does not have pension plans or non-qualified deferred compensation plans for its directors, so those columns have been omitted.

Discussion of Directors' Compensation

The Compensation Committee administers the compensation of directors pursuant to SGRP's Director Compensation Plan for its outside Directors, as approved and amended by the Committee from time to time (the "Directors Compensation Plan"), as well as the compensation for SGRP's executives. The Directors Compensation Plan was modified in the March 16, 2017, quarterly meeting of the Compensation Committee, effective April 1, 2017.

Under the Directors Compensation Plan taking effect for all periods on and after April 1, 2017: (i) each Independent Director and Non- Employee Director is entitled to receive director's fees of $55,000 per annum and a one-time cash fee of $75,000 for 2022; (ii) each applicable Independent Director is entitled to receive for chairing the applicable committee an additional $10,000 per annum fee in the case of the Audit Committee Chairman; and (iii) an additional $7,500 per annum fee in the case of the Chairman of each of the Governance or Compensation Committees in each case payable quarterly in cash. The Compensation Committee in May 2018 approved total compensation of $90,000 per year for the Corporation's Chairman.

In addition to their cash compensation, in the past, each Independent Director received options to purchase 10,000 SGRP Shares upon acceptance of the directorship, options to purchase 10,000 additional SGRP Shares after one (1) year of service, and options to purchase 10,000 additional SGRP Shares for each additional year of service thereafter (typically granted by the Corporation at the regularly scheduled board meeting which coincided with the Annual Meeting). All such options have an exercise price equal to 100% of the fair market value of a SGRP Share at the date of grant and prior to 2020 vested 100% on the first anniversary of the Award's grant date and for grants in 2020 or later over four (4) years, with one fourth of the original grant amount vesting on each anniversary of the grant date, if the Participant 's relationship as a director of SGRP or employee of the Company has not terminated by such anniversary.

All stock options and restricted stock awards to Independent Directors have been granted under the 2018 Plan and Prior Plans, under which each member of the Board is eligible to participate. Independent Directors will be reimbursed for all reasonable expenses incurred during the course of their duties. There is no additional compensation for committee participation, phone meetings, or other Board activities.

Compensation Plans

Equity Compensation Plans

The following table contains a summary of the number of shares of Common Stock of SGRP to be issued upon the vesting of the RSU's (if SGRP elects to issue shares instead of paying cash) or the exercise of stock options outstanding at December 31, 2022, under the Inducement Plans, 2020 Plan, 2018 Plan, 2008 Plan and the Prior Plans, the weighted-average exercise price of those outstanding stock options, and the number of additional shares of Common Stock remaining available for future issuance of stock options and other stock-based awards.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

Inducement Stock Based Award Summary

On August 2, 2021, as an inducement to Ron Lutz to become the Corporation's Chief Global Commercial Officer, the Corporation granted to Mr. Lutz's RSU Awards issued and effective on that date having a fair market value of $50,000 (representing  26,882 SGRP Shares at $1.86 per share) as of that date and vesting in one (1) year. On August 2, 2022, those RSUs automatically vested and converted and became payable either, at the option of SGRP, in cash or SGRP's Common Stock issued directly from SGRP. On September 30, 2022, SGRP elected to issue Common Stock in a letter to Mr. Lutz, giving rise to Mr. Lutz's right to receive such Common Stock but no exercise price or other payment for such shares was required.

On August 2, 2021, as an inducement to William Linnane to become the Corporation's Chief Strategy and Growth Officer, the Corporation granted to Mr. Linnane RSU Awards issued and effective on that date having a fair market value of $50,000 (representing 26,882 SGRP Shares at $1.86 per share) as of that date and vesting in one (1) year. On August 2, 2022, those RSUs automatically vested and converted and became payable either, at the option of SGRP, in cash or SGRP's Common Stock issued directly from SGRP. On September 30, 2022, SGRP elected to issue Common Stock in a letter to Mr. Linnane, giving rise to Mr. Linnane 's right to receive such Common Stock but no exercise price or other payment for such shares was required.

On February 22, 2021, Michael R. Matacunas received the following inducement awards approved by SGRP's (the Issuer) Board of Directors for:

1.             Options to purchase 630,000 shares of the Common Stock of the Issuer at an exercise price of $1.90 per share (which was the market price on February 22, 2021, the date the options were issued). Subject to certain conditions (including Mr. Matacunas'  continued employment by the Issuer at such time), the options were scheduled to automatically vest in one year. On February 22, 2022, the options automatically vested and became exercisable at the option of the Reporting Person, which requires notice and payment of $1.90 per share to SGRP to effect such exercise. The options automatically expire on February 22, 2031.

2.             Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) for $50,000 of shares of SGRP's Common Stock representing 26,315 shares of SGRP's Common Stock based on the market price of $1.90 per share on February 22, 2021 (the RSU issuance date). On February 22, 2022, those RSUs automatically vested and converted and became payable either, at the option of SGRP, in cash or SGRP's Common Stock issued directly from SGRP. On September 30, 2022, SGRP elected to issue Common Stock in a letter to Mr. Matacunas, giving rise to Mr. Matacunas' right to receive such Common Stock but no exercise price or other payment for such shares was required.

3.             RSUs for $100,000 of shares of SGRP's Common Stock issuable on May 15 of each year he remains employed by SGRP, commencing in 2022. On May 15, 2022, Mr. Matacunas automatically received from SGRP for RSUs for 89,286 shares of the SGRP's Common Stock based on the market price of $1.12 per share on May 13, 2022 (the last trading day preceding the RSU issuance date). Subject to certain conditions (including Mr. Matacunas' continued employment by the Issuer at such time), those RSUs (and each of the anniversary issuances) are scheduled to automatically vest one year after their May 15 issuance and convert and become payable either (at the option of SGRP) in cash or Common Stock issued directly from the Issuer, but no exercise price or other payment for such shares is required.

On August 31, 2020, as an inducement to Fay DeVriese to become the Corporation's Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary, the Corporation granted to Ms. DeVriese an Award consisting of nonqualified options to acquire 200,000 SGRP shares at $0.85 per share, vesting twenty-five percent (25%) of the total number of shares of Common Stock subject hereto on August 31, 2021, and the balance of the Option shall thereafter were to have vested and become exercisable in a series of three (3) successive equal annual installments upon the Optionee's completion of each additional year of employment over the three-year period following August 31, 2021.  An additional twenty-five percent (25%) of the total number of shares of Common Stock subject to such option vested on August 31, 2022.  The remaining unvested balance of the fifty percent (50%) of shares subject to such options expired when Ms. DeVriese left employment with the Company on February 27, 2023.  None of Ms. DeVriese's vested options have been exercised.

2021 Plan

On June 4, 2021, the Board and the Board's Compensation Committee (the "Compensation Committee") approved the revised proposed 2021 Stock Compensation Plan of SPAR Group, Inc. (the "2021 Plan") for submission, approval and ratification by the Corporation's stockholders at their Annual Meeting on August 12, 2021. At that meeting, the 2021 Plan was ratified and approved by the Corporation's stockholders and became effective immediately on August 12, 2021 (the "2021 Plan Effective Date"), through May 31, 2022 (the "2021 Plan Period"). The 2021 Plan terminated on May 31, 2022.

The 2021 Plan provides for the issuance of Awards for NQSOs and RSUs (as defined below) respecting shares of SGRP's Common Stock ("SGRP Shares") covering up to a total of 400,000 SGRP Shares ("Maximum Award") under the 2021 Plan ("New Awards") to, in or otherwise respecting SGRP Shares ("New Award Shares") so long as the New Award Shares covered by each proposed New Award or group of New Awards in the aggregate (NQSOs plus RSUs) do not at the time of the proposed issuance exceed the Maximum Award and the RSU component does not exceed 150,000 New Award Shares.

No Option Awards were granted in 2022 or 2021 under the 2021 Plan.

As of December 31, 2021, RSU Awards covering 58,011 SGRP Shares had been granted under the 2021 Plan, and no RSU Awards were granted in 2022 under the 2021 Plan. RSU Awards covering 14,502. SGRP Shares granted under the 2021 Plan vested during 2022, which the Corporation elected to satisfy through the issuance of SGRP Shares, and RSU Awards covering 29,004 SGRP Shares granted under the 2021 Plan remained unvested at December 31, 2022.

Option Awards under the 2021 Plan expire on the fifth anniversary of grant or sooner as provided in the 2021 Plan, whether or not vested. Once vested under the 2021 Plan, RSU Awards do not expire. Under the 2021 Plan: (i) each stock option Award must vest over a four-year period following the date of grant in four (4) equal amounts annually starting on the first anniversary of the grant date; (ii) any RSU Award granted to an employee shall vest over a three-year period following the date of grant annually in three (3) equal amounts starting on the first anniversary of the RSU grant date; and (iii) any RSU Award granted to a Director shall vest over a one-year period following the date of grant in four (4) equal amounts quarterly with one (1) installment vesting at the end of each three-month period following the date of the RSU grant date.

2020 Plan

The Board authorized and approved the revised proposed 2020 stock compensation plan of SGRP (the "2020 Plan"), which was submitted to and approved by SGRP's stockholders at the Special Meeting of SGRP's stockholders on January 19, 2021 (the "2020 Plan Effective Date"). The 2020 Plan became effective immediately upon such approval.

The 2020 Plan: (a) has a four-month term from the 2020 Plan Effective Date (as defined below) through May 1, 2021 (the "2020 Plan Period"); and (b) provides for the issuance of "non-qualified" option awards to purchase shares of SGRP's Common Stock ("SGRP Shares") aggregating: (i) 550,000 SGRP Shares; plus (ii) 50,000 SGRP Shares for each of up to the first three (3) additional new Directors during the period December 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021 (for a possible total of 700,000 SGRP Shares) available for future Awards during the 2020 Plan Period as outlined below (the "20-21 Maximum") under 2020 Plan. Since one (1) new director joined the Board on the 2020 Plan Effective Date, 600,000 SGRP Shares were available for Awards on the 2020 Plan Effective Date. 

The 2020 Plan required the Corporation to issue as of the plan effective date new awards for options to purchase: (i) an aggregate of 125,000 SGRP Shares to 19 employees (other than the Named Executive Officers) in individual amounts designated by the Board; (ii) 10,000 SGRP Shares to each of Panagiotis N. Lazaretos, Igor Novgorodtsev, Robert G. Brown and Arthur H. Baer (each a director); and (iii) 50,000 SGRP Shares to each member of the Board of Directors on the Effective Date of the Plan. Those options were granted by the Board on February 4, 2021. The 2020 Plan was terminated on May 1, 2021, and no further options were granted under it.

2008 Plan Summary

2008 Plan Stock option award activity for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 is summarized below for the periods presented:

The Company recognized $0 and $13,000 in stock-based compensation expense relating to stock option awards during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The recognized tax benefit on stock-based compensation expense related to stock options during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, was approximately $0 and $3,000, respectively.

As of December 31, 2022, total unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to stock options was $0.

2018 Plan Summary

2018 Plan Stock option award activity for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 are summarized below:

No stock options were granted in 2022 under the 2018 Plan.  The total intrinsic value of stock options awards exercised during the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 was $8,000 and $235,000, respectively.

The Company recognized $6,000 and $23,000 in stock-based compensation expense relating to stock option awards during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The recognized tax benefit on stock-based compensation expense related to stock options during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 was approximately $2,000 and $6,000, respectively.

As of December 31, 2022, there was no unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to stock options granted under the 2018 Plan.

2020 Plan Summary

Following are the specific valuation assumptions used for options granted in 2021 for the 2020 Plan:

2020 Plan Stock option award activity for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 are summarized below:

No stock options were granted in 2022 under the 2020 Plan. The total intrinsic value of stock option awards exercised during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 was $0.

The Company recognized $58,000 and $57,000 in stock-based compensation expense relating to stock option awards during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The recognized tax benefit on stock-based compensation expense related to stock options during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 was approximately $15,000 and $16,000, respectively.

As of December 31, 2022, total unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to stock options was $121,000. This expense is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 2.1 years.

CFO Inducement Award Stock Option Summary

CFO Inducement Award stock option activity for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 are summarized below:

No stock options were granted in 2022 under the CFO Inducement Plan.  The total intrinsic value of stock option awards exercised during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 was $45,000 and $37,000.

The Company recognized $19,000 and $22,000 in stock-based compensation expense relating to stock option awards during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The recognized tax benefit on stock-based compensation expense related to stock options during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, was approximately $5,000 and $5,000, respectively.

As of December 31, 2022, total unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to stock options was $32,000. This expense is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 1.7 years.

CEO Inducement Award Stock Option Summary

Following are the specific valuation assumptions used for the stock option awards granted in 2021 for the CEO Inducement Award:

CEO Inducement Award stock option activity for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 are summarized below:

No stock options were granted in 2022 under the CEO Inducement Award.  The total intrinsic value of stock option awards exercised during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 was $0.

The Company recognized $85,000 and $509,000 in stock-based compensation expense relating to stock option awards during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The recognized tax benefit on stock-based compensation expense related to stock options during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, was $21,000 and $126,000, respectively.

As of December 31, 2022, there was no unrecognized share-based compensation expense related to stock options granted under the CEO Inducement Award.

CEO Inducement Award RSU Summary

The following table summarizes the activity for Restricted Stock Unit (RSU) CEO awards during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021:

During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company recognized approximately $101,000 and $87,000, respectively, of stock-based compensation expense related to RSUs. The recognized tax benefit on stock-based compensation expense related to RSUs during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 was approximately $25,000 and $21,000, respectively. 

During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the total fair value of RSUs vested was $120,000 and $0 respectively.

As of December 31, 2022, total unrecognized stock-based compensation expense related to unvested RSUs awards was $56,000. This expense is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 1.6 years.

Share-Based Compensation Expense

Share-based compensation expense for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 was $346,000 and $711,000, respectively.

Employee Stock Purchase Plans

In 2001, SGRP adopted its 2001 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "ESP Plan"), which replaced its earlier existing plan, and its 2001 Consultant Stock Purchase Plan (the "CSP Plan"). These plans were each effective as of June 1, 2001. The ESP Plan allows employees of the Company, and the CSP Plan allows employees of the affiliates of the Company to purchase SGRP's Common Stock from SGRP without having to pay any brokerage commissions. On August 8, 2002, the Board approved a 15% discount for employee purchases of Common Stock under the ESP Plan and recommended that its affiliates pay 15% of the value of the stock purchased as a cash bonus for affiliate consultant purchases of Common Stock under the CSP Plan.

Audit and Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

No member of the Board's Audit Committee, Compensation Committee or Governance Committee was at any time during the year ended December 31, 2021, or at any other time an officer or employee of the Company. No executive officer of the Company or Board member (including any member of SGRP's Board, Audit Committee, Compensation Committee or Governance Committee) serves as a member of the board of directors, audit, compensation or governance committee of any other entity, except for the positions of Messrs. Brown and Bartels as directors of SGRP and as directors and officers of certain of its affiliates, including SBS, SAS and Infotech (See Transactions with Related Persons, Promoters and Certain Control Persons, below).

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters 

The following table sets forth certain information regarding beneficial ownership of SGRP's Common Stock as of December 31, 2022, by: (i) each person who is known by SGRP to own beneficially more than 5% of SGRP's Common Stock; (ii) each of SGRP's directors; and (iii) each of the Named Executive Officers in the Summary Compensation Table. Except as indicated in the footnotes to this table, the persons named in the table, based on information provided by such persons, have sole voting and sole investment power with respect to all shares of common stock shown as beneficially owned by them, subject to community property laws where applicable.

*       Less than 1%

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act ("Section 16(a)") requires SGRP's directors and certain of its officers and persons who own more than 10% of SGRP's Common Stock to file reports of ownership and changes in their ownership of SGRP's Common Stock with the Commission. Insiders are required by Commission regulations to furnish SGRP with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file.  The following is a report of late Section 16(a) filings by the current officers and directors of SGRP (collectively, "Insiders").

Based solely on its review of the copies of such forms received by it for the year ended December 31, 2019 ("2019"), filings by certain Insiders during or for 2019, or written representations from such Insiders for 2019, SGRP believes that its Insiders complied with all applicable Section 16(a) filing requirements for such year, with the exception that: (i) eight (8) Form 4s were filed late by Mr. Robert G. Brown; and (ii) three (3) Form 4s were filed late by Ms. Kori G. Belzer.

Based solely on its review of the copies of such forms received by it for the year ended December 31, 2020 ("2020"), filings by certain Insiders during or for 2020, or written representations from such Insiders for 2020, SGRP believes that its Insiders complied with all applicable Section 16(a) filing requirements for such year, with the exception that: (i) one (1) Form 4 was filed late by Mr. Robert G. Brown; (ii) one (1) Form 3 was filed late by Mr. Peter W. Brown; and (iii) one (1) Form 4 was filed late by Ms. Kori G. Belzer.

Based solely on its review of the copies of such forms received by it for the year ended December 31, 2021 ("2021"), filings by certain Insiders during or for 2021, or written representations from such Insiders for 2021, SGRP believes that its Insiders complied with all applicable Section 16(a) filing requirements for such year, with the exception that: (i) four (4) Form 4s were filed late by Mr. Robert G. Brown; (ii) five (5) Form 4s were filed late by Mr. William H. Bartels; (iii) one (1) Form 3 was filed late by Mr. James R. Brown, Sr.; (iv) one (1) Form 3 was filed late by Mr. Michael Wager; (v) one (1) Form 3 was filed late by Mr. Sean Whelan; (vi) one (1) Form 3 was filed late by Mr. Michael R. Matacunas; (vii) four (4) Form 4s were filed late by Ms. Kori G. Belzer; and (viii) one (1) Form 3 was filed late by Ms. Fay DeVriese.

Based solely on its review of the copies of such forms received by it for the year ended December 31, 2022 ("2022"), filings by certain Insiders during or for 2022, or written representations from such Insiders for 2022, SGRP believes that its Insiders complied with all applicable Section 16(a) filing requirements for such year, with the exception that: (i) one (1) Form 4 was filed late by Mr. Robert G. Brown; (ii) one (1) Form 3 and one (1) Form 4 were filed late by SPAR Business Services, Inc., respecting shares beneficially owned by Mr. Robert G. Brown, and several of his Form 4s were amended in early 2023; (iii) three (3) Form 4s were filed late by Mr. William H. Bartels, which were filed in early 2023; (iv) one (1) Form 4 was filed late by Mr. Michael R. Matacunas, which was filed in early 2023; (v) two (2) Form 4s were filed late by Kori G. Belzer; (vi) one (1) Form 3 and one (1) Form 4 were filed late by Mr. William Linnane; (vii) one (1) Form 3 and one (1) Form 4 were filed late by Mr. Ronald Lutz; and (viii) three (3) Form 4s were filed late by Ms. Fay DeVriese.

All such Section 16(a) filing requirements have since been completed by each of the aforementioned Insiders.

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

SPAR's policy respecting approval of transactions with related persons, promoters and control persons is contained in the Ethics Code (See Ethics Code, above) The Company's senior management is generally responsible for monitoring compliance with the Ethics Code and establishing and maintaining compliance systems, including those related to the oversight and approval of conflicting relationships and transactions, subject to the review and oversight of SGRP's Governance Committee as provided in Part I Sections 2, 3, 11 and 12 of the Governance Committee's Charter, and SGRP's Audit Committee as provided in Part IV Section 15 of the Audit Committee's Charter. The Governance Committee and Audit Committee each consist solely of independent directors. The 2022 By-Laws require that the Chairman of each such Committee and at least two (2) of its members be a Super Independent Director (See Item 10. Board Size, Quorum and Voting, Director Nominations: Experience, Integrity, Diversity and other Criteria, 2022 By-Laws, and Significant Stockholder Governance Limitations, above).

SPAR's Audit Committee has the specific duty and responsibility to review and approve the overall fairness to the Company and terms of all material related- party transactions and payments. The Audit Committee reviews all related party transactions, in accordance with the Audit Committee Charter, the Ethics Code, the Nasdaq rules and other applicable law to ensure that the overall economic and other terms will be (or continue to be) no less favorable to the Company than would be the case in an arms-length contract with an unrelated provider of similar services (i.e., its overall fairness to the Company, including pricing, payments to related parties and the ability to provide services at comparable performance levels).

Domestic Related Party Transactions

Mr. Robert G. Brown and Mr. William H. Bartels are directors and significant stockholders of SGRP, and thus each is a related party and affiliate of SGRP.  Mr. Robert G. Brown was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of SGRP (the "Board"), but ceased to be eligible to hold that position when the 2022 By-Laws became effective on January 25, 2022. SPAR Business Services, Inc. ("SBS"), SPAR InfoTech, Inc. ("Infotech"), and SPAR Administrative Services, Inc. ("SAS"), are related parties and affiliates of SGRP, but are not under the control or part of the Company. SBS is a related party and affiliate of SGRP because it is owned by SBS LLC, which in turn is beneficially owned by Mr. Robert G. Brown. Infotech is a related party and affiliate because it is owned principally by Mr. Robert G. Brown. SAS is a related party and affiliate of SGRP because it is owned principally by Mr. William H. Bartels and entities owned by affiliates of Mr. Robert G. Brown.

Change of Control, Voting and Restricted Stock Agreement

The Change of Control, Voting and Restricted Stock Agreement (the "CIC Agreement") became effective on January 28, 2022, when signed by the Company and Robert G. Brown, ("Mr. Brown"), William H. Bartels, ("Mr. Bartels"), SPAR Administrative Services, Inc., a corporation ("SAS"), and collectively with Mr. Brown, Mr. Bartels and SAS, the ("Majority Stockholders"). Mr. Bartels and Mr. Brown are Directors of the Corporation. Mr. Brown was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of SGRP (the "Board"), but ceased holding that position when the 2022 By-Laws (as defined below) became effective on January 25, 2022.

The execution of the CIC Agreement was conditional upon making the changes to and restatement of the Corporation's 2022 By-Laws, which were approved by the Board and became effective on January 25, 2022 (the "2022 By-Laws").

The financial terms of the CIC Agreement to the Majority Stockholders, totaled $4,477,585, consisting of the following:

Pursuant to the CIC Agreement, all actions, claims and demands between the Majority Stockholders and the Company were resolved; and the Majority Stockholders and their affiliates during the five-year term of the CIC Agreement have agreed to give up their rights to do any of the following; (i) act or attempt to act by written consent; (ii) submit or attempt to submit any stockholder proposals in advance of any annual or special stockholders meeting of the Corporation; (iii) call or attempt to call any special meetings of the Corporation's stockholders; (iv) continue or commence or attempt to continue or commence any legal claims against the Company; (v) change or attempt to change the size of the Board; (vi) appoint or remove or attempt to appoint or remove any director or officer of the Corporation, except as expressly permitted with in the CIC Agreement; (vii) amend or attempt to amend the Corporation's Certificate of Incorporation or 2022 By-Laws; and (viii) enter or attempt to enter into any agreement, arrangement or understanding with any other person in an effort to take any of those actions.

The Corporation's amended and restated 2022 By-Laws were adopted to increase the independence of the Board by making the following changes (among others): (i) the Board size was fixed at 7 and must consist of at least three (3) Super Independent Directors (as defined below) plus the CEO at all times; (ii) the Chairman, Vice Chairman and all Committee Chairpersons must qualify as Super Independent Directors ; and (iii) to establish a quorum, any Board meeting must have 70% of the Directors including the majority of Super Independent Directors.  If there are less than three (3) Super Independent Directors, than the least tenured non-Super Independent Director, other than the CEO, may not vote on Board matters, which helps to ensure that the Board remains under independent governance.  As defined in the 2022 By-Laws "Super Independent Director" means a member of the Board who: (1) qualifies as an independent director under applicable laws and regulations; (2) is affirmatively determined to be an independent director by the Governance Committee of the Board; (3) excludes the Majority Stockholders, Spar Administrative Services, Inc. and Spar Business Services, Inc. and any of their respective Relatives, Family Members, or Affiliates; and (4) excludes any Person that is or was a present or past employee or advisor of any company with which any of the Majority Stockholders has been involved and any Person that is, or was in the past, related or affiliated in any way to any of the Majority Stockholders, including, without limitation, any Affiliates of Innovative Global Technologies, LLC or SP/R, Inc. Defined Benefit Pension Trust.

In January 2022, for the CIC Agreement and 2022 By-Law to go into effect, two (2) of the Board members at the time, James R. Brown, Sr. and Panagiotis Lazaretos, who are affiliated with the Majority Stockholders, retired from the Board and assumed other advisory roles with the Company under separate agreements (see below). 

For the current Board composition and corporate, governance, see Item 10 Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance, above.

James R. Brown, Sr. Advisor Agreement

On January 25, 2022, the Corporation entered into a consulting agreement with Mr. James R. Brown, Sr., effective January 26, 2022, following his retirement as a director of SGRP on January 25, 2022, pursuant to which Mr. Brown will serve as a Board advisor to SGRP from time to time for a term of one (1) year (the "Brown Advisor Agreement"). As compensation for his services, Mr. Brown was entitled to receive compensation at a rate of $55,000 for the term of the Brown Advisor Agreement. Payments will be made in equal quarterly installments and will be pro-rated for partial quarters.  This agreement has expired. 

Panagiotis Lazaretos Consulting Agreement

On January 27, 2022, the Corporation entered into a consulting agreement with Thenablers, Ltd. effective February 1, 2022 (the " Lazaretos Consulting Agreement"). Thenablers, Ltd. is wholly owned by Mr. Panagiotis Lazaretos, a retired director of the Corporation. Following Mr. Lazaretos' retirement as a director on January 25, 2022, Thenablers, Ltd. agreed to provide the consulting services of Mr. Lazaretos to the Corporation regarding global sales and new markets' expansion. The Lazaretos Consulting Agreement cannot be terminated by the consent of either party for the first twelve (12) months, and automatically expires on January 31, 2024. As compensation for its services, Thenablers, Ltd. is entitled to receive: (i) base compensation at a rate of $10,000 per month for the term of the Consulting Agreement; (ii) incentive-based compensation as calculated in Exhibit A of the Lazaretos Consulting Agreement; and (iii) the outstanding options granted to Mr. Panagiotis ("Panos") N. Lazaretos on February 4, 2022 will continue to be outstanding and vest according to their terms under the agreement. As permitted by that agreement, on February 2, 2023, the Corporation gave notice that it was terminating that agreement effective July 31, 2023.

Other Domestic Related Party Transactions

National Merchandising Services, LLC ("NMS"), is a consolidated domestic subsidiary of the Company and is owned jointly by SGRP and by National Merchandising of America, Inc. ("NMA"). Mr. Edward Burdekin is the Chief Executive Officer and President and a director of NMS and also is an executive officer and director of NMA. Ms. Andrea Burdekin, Mr. Burdekin's wife, is the sole stockholder and also a director of both NMA and NMS. NMA is a related party of the Company but is not under the control of or consolidated with the Company. Mr. Burdekin's wife also owns National Store Retail Services ("NSRS"). Since September 2018 through June of 2021, NSRS provided substantially all of the domestic merchandising specialist field force used by NMS. For those services, NMS agrees to reimburse NSRS certain costs for providing those services plus a premium ranging from 4.0% to 10.0% of certain costs. Starting in July of 2021, the domestic merchandising specialist field force services provided by NSRS was transitioned to National Remodel & Setup Services, LLC ("NRSS") with the same financial arrangement. Ms. Andrea Burdekin is the owner of NRSS. NMS also leases office space from Mr. Burdekin's Personal property.

Resource Plus, is a consolidated domestic subsidiary of the Company and is owned jointly by the Company and by Mr. Richard Justus. Mr. Justus has an ownership interest in RJ Holdings which owns the buildings where Resource Plus is headquartered and operates. Both buildings are subleased to Resource Plus.

On December 1, 2021, the Corporation entered into the Agreement for Marketing and Advertising Services (the "WB Agreement") with WB Marketing, Inc. (the "Agent", and together with the Company, the "Parties"). The Agent is an entity owned and controlled by Mrs. Jean Matacunas who is the wife of President and Chief Executive Officer, Michael R. Matacunas. Mr. Matacunas is also a minority owner of the Agent. The service fees paid to WB Marketing for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $189,000.

International Related Party Services

SGRP Meridian (Pty), Ltd. ("Meridian") is a consolidated international subsidiary of the Company and is owned 51% by the Company, Mr. Adrian Wingfield, who is a Director of Meridian, is one of the owners of Merhold Holding Trust ("MHT"). MHT owns the building where Meridian is headquartered.

The Corporation's principal Brazilian subsidiary, SPAR BSMT, is owned 51% by the Company, 39% by JK Consultoria Empresarial Ltda.-ME, a Brazilian limitada ("JKC"), and 10% by Earth Investments, LLC ("EILLC"). JKC is owned by Mr. Jonathan Dagues Martins ("JDM") and his sister, Ms. Karla Dagues Martins. JDM is the Chief Executive Officer and President of SPAR BSMT and each of its subsidiaries pursuant to a Management Agreement between JDM and SPAR BSMT dated September 13, 2016. JDM also is a director of SPAR BSMT. Accordingly, JKC and JDM are each a related party respecting the Company. EILLC is owned by Mr. Peter W. Brown, who is a director of SPAR BSMT and SGRP, and who also is the nephew of Robert G. Brown.

SPARFACTS is a consolidated international subsidiary of the Company and is owned 51% by SGRP. Ms. Lynda Chapman is a director of SPARFACTS. Her various companies provide office lease, accounting and consultant services to SPARFACTS.

Summary of Certain Related Party Transactions

The following costs of affiliates were charged to the Company (in thousands): 

(1)     Represent loans from the local investors into the Company's subsidiaries (representing their proportionate share of working capital loans). The loans have no payment terms and are due on demand.

(2)     These expenses are reflected in "Selling, general, and administrative expense" expense in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive (loss) income.

(3)     Represent loans from the local investors into the Company's subsidiaries (representing their proportionate share of working capital loans).  The loans have no payment terms and are due on demand.

Bartels' Retirement and Director Compensation

William H. Bartels retired as an employee of the Company as of January 1, 2020. However, he continues to serve as a member of SPAR's Board. Mr. Bartels is also one of the founders and a significant stockholder of SGRP.

Effective as of January 18, 2020, SPAR's Governance Committee proposed and unanimously approved retirement benefits for the five-year period commencing January 1, 2020, and ending December 31, 2024 (the "Five-Year Period"), for Mr. Bartels. The aggregate value of benefits payable to Mr. Bartels is approximately $220,558 per year and a total of $1,102,790 for the Five-Year Period. The Company recognized $700,000 of retirement benefits during the year ended December 31, 2020, representing the present value of the future Retirement Compensation, Supplemental Fees and Medical Benefits payments due Mr. Bartels. As of December 31, 2022 $290,917 of retirement benefits remains outstanding and is included within Accrued expenses and other current liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets. 

2022 Deferred Compensation Agreement

The Corporation prepared a 2022 Stock Compensation Plan that would have included Awards for NQSOs and RSUs (as defined below), but that plan was never submitted to its shareholders for approval. However, the Board had previously approved, for certain key executives, incentive stock-based awards for 2022 using RSUs or cash. Since there were no plan based RSUs available, those executives instead received deferred compensation. 

On and effective as of March 24, 2022, the Corporation issued an award of 111,111 Phantom Stock Units to each of its executives: Kori G. Belzer; William Linnane; and Ron Lutz. Each Phantom Stock Unit represents the right of the grantee to receive cash payments based on the fair market value of SGRP's Common Stock at the time of vesting. Vesting will occur in three tranches of one-third each over the three (3) year period following the Grant Date, provided that (i) the Grantee is an employee of the Company at the time and (ii) the Corporation has achieved 90% of the agreed upon the applicable financial target for the year commencing with 2022 (which was EBITDA for 2022), but tranches will rollover to the following year and be payable upon achievement of 120% of the agreed upon the applicable financial target for such following year. The Phantom Stock Units do not possess the rights of common stockholders of the Corporation, including any voting or dividend rights, and cannot be exercised or traded for the SGRP's Common Stock. Due to the cash settlement feature, the Phantom Stock Units are classified as liabilities in accrued expenses and other current liabilities and other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet. As of December 31, 2022, no Phantom Stock Unit had vested and performance targets are not probable of being met, therefore no expense has been recognized for these awards.

Other Related Party Transactions and Arrangements

SPAR Business Services, Inc. ("SBS"), and SPAR InfoTech, Inc. ("Infotech"), are related parties and affiliates of SGRP, but are not under the control or part of the consolidated Company. SBS is an affiliate and related party because it is owned by SBS LLC, which in turn is beneficially owned by Robert G. Brown, Director and significant shareholder of SGRP. Infotech is an affiliate and related party because it is owned principally by Robert G. Brown. SPAR Administrative Services, Inc. ("SAS"), is a related party and affiliate of SGRP, but is not under the control or part of the consolidated Company. SAS is an affiliate and related party because it is beneficially owned by William H Bartels (a Director and significant stockholder of SGRP) and family members of Robert G. Brown. See Change of Controls, Voting and Restricted Stock Agreement, above.

In July 1999 SMF, SBS and Infotech entered into a perpetual software ownership agreement providing that each party independently owned an undivided share of and has the right to unilaterally license and exploit certain portions of the Company's proprietary scheduling, tracking, coordination, reporting and expense software are co-owned with SBS and Infotech and each entered into a non-exclusive royalty-free license from the Company to use certain "SPAR" trademarks in the United States. SAS uses the "SPAR name through the SBS License.

Director Independence

See Board Size, Quorum and Voting and Director Nominations: Experience, Integrity, Diversity and other Criteria, and 2022 By-Laws, above.

Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services

The aggregate fees billed to us for professional accounting services by BDO USA, LLP, including the audit of the Company's annual financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, are set forth in the table below (amounts in thousands):

For purposes of the preceding table professional fees are classified as follows:

Since the Audit Committee's formation in 2003, as required by applicable law and Nasdaq rules, each audit-related or tax or other non-audit service performed by the Company's independent registered accounting firm either: (i) was approved in advance on a case-by-case basis by SGRP's Audit Committee; or (ii) fit within a pre-approved "basket" of audit-related or tax and other non-audit services of limited amount, scope and duration established in advance by SGRP's Audit Committee. In connection with the standards for independence of the Company's independent registered accounting firm promulgated by the SEC, the Audit Committee considers (among other things) whether the provision of such services would be compatible with maintaining the independence of the Company's registered independent accounting firm.

SIGNATURES 

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

KNOW ALL THESE PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Michael R. Matacunas and Antonio Calisto Pato and each of them, jointly and severally, his attorneys-in-fact, each with full power of substitution, for them in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Report on Form 10-K, and to file the same, with exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each said attorneys-in-fact or his substitute or substitutes, may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities indicated.

(1)  Executed on his behalf by Michael R. Matacunas pursuant to the power of attorney granted to Mr. Matacunas by such director SGRP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 17, 2023.

Please see Parts I and II and SGRP's Financial Statement Schedules in Part IV in SGRP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 ("Form 10-K"), originally filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on April 17, 2023, which are incorporated herein by reference.