U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

 

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

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[X] Definitive Proxy Statement
   
[  ] Definitive Additional Materials
   
[  ] Soliciting Material Pursuant to Rule 14a-12

 

INTELLINETICS, INC.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

 

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

 

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Intellinetics, Inc.

2190 Dividend Dr.

Columbus, Ohio 43228

 

 

 

NOTICE OF 2019 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To Be Held On June 12, 2019

 

 

 

To Our Stockholders:

 

We cordially invite you to attend the 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Intellinetics, Inc., (the “Company” or “Intellinetics”) which will be held at 2190 Dividend Drive, Columbus, Ohio 43228 on June 12, 2019, at 10:00 a.m., local time, for the following purposes:

 

  1 To elect six directors, each to hold office for a term of one year and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified;
     
  2 To ratify the appointment of GBQ Partners LLC (“GBQ”) as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019; and
     
  3 To transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournments or postponements of the Annual Meeting.

 

These items of business are more fully described in the proxy statement accompanying this notice.

 

The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on April 25, 2019 as the record date for determining the stockholders who are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting and at any adjournments or postponements of the Annual Meeting.

 

  By Order of the Board of Directors,
   
  James F. DeSocio
  President and Chief Executive Officer

 

Columbus, Ohio

April 30, 2019

 

 

YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT

 

Whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, you are urged to submit your proxy or voting instructions as soon as possible so that your shares can be voted at the Annual Meeting. You may vote your shares by email or by completing, signing, dating and returning your proxy card in the enclosed, self-addressed stamped envelope, which requires no postage if mailed in the United States.

 

For further instructions on how to vote your shares, please refer to the section entitled “Questions and Answers About the Annual Meeting” in the proxy statement and the instructions on the proxy card or voting instruction form.

 

 

   

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS

FOR THE STOCKHOLDER MEETING TO BE HELD ON JUNE 12, 2019:

 

The proxy statement and our 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, are available at http://www.intellinetics.com/investor-relations/sec-filings.

 

   

 

 

PROXY STATEMENT

2019 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

  Page
   
Questions and Answers About the Annual Meeting and Voting 1
   
Corporate Governance 5
Board Composition 5
Director Independence 6
Meetings of the Board of Directors 6
Executive Sessions 6
Director Attendance at Annual Meetings of Stockholders 6
Committees of the Board of Directors 6
Board Leadership Structure 9
Nominations of Directors 10
Role of the Board in Risk Oversight 12
Legal Proceedings 12
Codes of Ethics 12
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation 13
Access to Management and Outside Advisors 13
Communications with the Board of Directors 13
   
Proposal 1 – Election of Directors 14
   
Proposal 2 – Approval of the Plan Amendments to our 2015 Plan 16
   
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management 18
   
Executive Compensation 19
Summary Compensation Table 19
Employment Agreements 19
   
Director Compensation 22
   
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions 23
   
Audit Committee Report 29
   
Incorporation by Reference 30
   
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance 30
   
Stockholder Proposals 31
   
Other Matters 31

 

   

 

 

Intellinetics, Inc.

2190 Dividend Dr.

Columbus, Ohio 43228

 

 

 

PROXY STATEMENT

For The

2019 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

To Be Held On June 12, 2019

 

 

 

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING AND VOTING

 

Why am I receiving these materials?

 

The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Intellinetics, Inc. (“Intellinetics,” “Company,” “we,” “our” or “us”) is providing these proxy materials to you in connection with the Board’s solicitation of proxies for use at our 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”), which will take place at 2190 Dividend Dr., Columbus, Ohio 43228 on June 12, 2019, at 10:00 AM, local time. As a stockholder of record as of the close of business on April 25, 2019, the record date for the Annual Meeting, you are invited to attend the Annual Meeting and are requested to vote on the proposals described in this proxy statement. We began mailing this proxy statement, the accompanying proxy card and the notice of Annual Meeting on or about May 2, 2019.

 

What information is contained in this proxy statement?

 

The information included in this proxy statement relates to the proposals to be voted on at the Annual Meeting, the voting process, our corporate governance, the compensation of our directors and of our executive officers, and certain other required information. Our 2018 Annual Report and a proxy card are also enclosed with this proxy statement.

 

What proposals will stockholders vote on at the Annual Meeting?

 

Stockholders will vote on two proposals at the Annual Meeting:

 

  the election of six directors, each to hold office for a term of one year (Proposal 1);
     
  the ratification of the Audit Committee’s appointment of GBQ Partners LLC (“GBQ”) as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019 (Proposal 2).

 

We will also consider any other business that properly comes before the Annual Meeting, although as of the date of this proxy statement we are not aware of any other matters to be presented at the Annual Meeting other than as set forth in this proxy statement.

 

How does the Board of Directors recommend that I vote my shares?

 

Our Board of Directors recommends that you vote your shares:

 

  FOR ” the election as directors of the six nominees named in this proxy statement (Proposal 1);
     
  FOR ” the ratification of the Audit Committee’s appointment of GBQ as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019 (Proposal 2).

 

Who is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting?

 

Each holder of record of shares of our common stock as of the close of business on April 25, 2019, which is the record date for the Annual Meeting, is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. Each share of our common stock outstanding as of the close of business on the record date is entitled to one vote on each proposal presented at the Annual Meeting. You may vote all shares owned by you as of the record date, including shares that are held directly in your name as the stockholder of record, and shares that are held for you as the beneficial owner in street name through a brokerage firm, bank, trustee or other nominee. As of the close of business on the record date, 18,524,878 shares of common stock were outstanding and entitled to vote.

 

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What is the difference between holding shares as a “stockholder of record” and as a beneficial owner in “street name”?

 

These terms describe how your shares are held. Several of our stockholders hold their shares beneficially through a brokerage firm, bank, trustee or other nominee rather than directly in their own name. As described below, there are some very important distinctions between shares held of record and those owned beneficially.

 

Shares held of record: If your shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, Standard Registrar & Transfer Company, you are considered the “stockholder of record” of those shares, and these proxy materials are being sent directly to you by us. As a stockholder of record, you have the right to grant your voting proxy directly to us or to vote in person at the Annual Meeting. We have enclosed a proxy card for you to use. You may also vote by email, as described on the proxy card and as described below under the heading “How can I vote my shares without attending the Annual Meeting?”

 

Shares owned beneficially: If your shares are held in an account by a brokerage firm, bank, trustee or other nominee in its name as a custodian, then you are considered the beneficial owner of those shares, which are held in “street name,” and these proxy materials are being forwarded to you by your brokerage firm or other nominee, which is considered the stockholder of record of those shares. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your brokerage firm or other nominee how to vote those shares, and you are also invited to attend the Annual Meeting. However, because you are not the stockholder of record of those shares, you may not vote those shares in person at the Annual Meeting unless you obtain a legal proxy from the brokerage firm or other nominee that holds your shares giving you the right to vote the shares at the Annual Meeting. Your brokerage firm or other nominee has enclosed or provided voting instructions for you to use in directing your brokerage firm or other nominee how to vote your shares. Many brokerage firms and banks, as well as some other nominees, also offer voting on the Internet or by telephone. Please refer to the voting instruction form you received from your brokerage firm or other nominee for instructions on the voting methods they offer.

 

Can I attend the Annual Meeting?

 

You are entitled and invited to attend the Annual Meeting only if you are a stockholder of record or a beneficial owner of shares held in street name as of the record date or hold a valid proxy for the Annual Meeting.

 

Can I vote my shares in person at the Annual Meeting?

 

If you are a stockholder of record as of the record date, you may vote your shares in person at the Annual Meeting. If you are a beneficial owner of shares held in street name as of the record date, you may vote your shares in person at the Annual Meeting only if you obtain a legal proxy from the brokerage firm or other nominee that holds your shares giving you the right to vote the shares at the Annual Meeting. Even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting, we recommend that you also submit your proxy or voting instructions as described below so that your vote will be counted if you later decide not to attend the Annual Meeting.

 

How can I vote my shares without attending the Annual Meeting?

 

Whether you hold shares directly as a stockholder of record or indirectly as a beneficial owner in street name, you may direct how your shares are voted without attending the Annual Meeting.

 

If you are a stockholder of record, you may vote your shares by submitting a proxy by one of the following methods:

 

By Email : Stockholders of record may submit proxies by email by following the instructions on their proxy cards until 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on June 11, 2019.

 

By Mail : Stockholders of record may submit proxies by completing, signing and dating their proxy cards and mailing them in the accompanying pre-addressed envelopes. Proxy cards submitted by mail must be received by the time of the Annual Meeting in order for your shares to be voted.

 

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If you hold shares beneficially in street name, you may vote by submitting voting instructions to your brokerage firm or other nominee. Most stockholders who hold shares beneficially in street name may vote by Internet or by telephone by accessing the Internet website or by calling the number specified on the voting instruction cards provided by their brokerage firms or other nominees, or by mail by completing, signing and dating the voting instruction cards provided and mailing them in the accompanying pre-addressed envelope. Please refer to the voting instruction card provided by your brokerage firm or other nominee for details. Since a beneficial owner is not the stockholder of record, you will not be entitled to vote your shares in person at the Annual Meeting unless you obtain a legal proxy from the brokerage firm or other nominee that holds your shares giving you the right to vote the shares at the meeting.

 

Can I revoke my proxy and change my vote after I have voted?

 

You may revoke your proxy and change your vote at any time prior to the taking of the vote at the Annual Meeting.

 

If you are a stockholder of record, you may revoke your proxy and change your vote by taking any of the following actions before your shares are voted at the Annual Meeting:

 

  granting a new proxy bearing a later date (which automatically revokes the earlier proxy) using any of the methods described above under “How can I vote my shares without attending the Annual Meeting,” until the applicable deadline for each method;
     
  delivering a written notice of revocation to our Secretary at Intellinetics, Inc., 2190 Dividend Drive, Columbus, Ohio 43228; or
     
  attending the Annual Meeting and voting your shares in person, although your attendance at the Annual Meeting will not in and of itself constitute the revocation of your proxy.

 

For shares you hold beneficially in street name, you may change your vote by submitting new voting instructions to your brokerage firm or other nominee following the instructions they provided, or, if you have obtained a legal proxy from your brokerage firm or other nominee granting you the right to vote your shares, by attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person.

 

How will my shares be voted if I sign and return my proxy card or voting instruction form without specifying how they should be voted?

 

If you provide specific voting instructions with respect to any proposals, your shares will be voted as you specify on such proposals. If you are a stockholder of record and sign and return your proxy card without specifying how your shares are to be voted on some or all of the proposals, then your shares will be voted on those proposals as recommended by the Board of Directors. See “How does the Board of Directors recommend that I vote my shares?” above. If you are a beneficial owner of shares held in street name and either sign and return your voting instruction form without specifying how your shares are to be voted on some or all of the proposals or you do not sign and return a voting instruction form, then your brokerage firm or other nominee may generally vote your shares in its discretion on “routine” proposals but not on proposals that are not routine. See “How are broker non-votes and abstentions treated?” below.

 

What is the quorum requirement for the Annual Meeting?

 

The quorum requirement is the minimum number of shares that must be present at the Annual Meeting for us to hold the meeting and conduct business. For a quorum to exist, the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock outstanding as of the record date must be present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting. Both abstentions and broker non-votes, as discussed below, are counted as present for the purpose of determining the presence of a quorum.

 

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How are broker non-votes and abstentions treated?

 

Generally, “broker non-votes” occur on a proposal when shares held of record by a brokerage firm or other nominee in street name for a beneficial owner are not voted on that proposal because the brokerage firm or other nominee has not received voting instructions from the beneficial owner and does not have discretionary authority to vote those shares on that proposal. A brokerage firm or other nominee is entitled to vote shares held for a beneficial owner on routine proposals without instructions from the beneficial owner of those shares. However, a brokerage firm or other nominee is not entitled to vote shares for a beneficial owner on non-routine proposals absent instructions from the beneficial owner of such shares. Broker non-votes are counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum exists, but are not counted for purposes of determining the number of shares represented and voted with respect to an individual proposal, and therefore will have no effect on the outcome of the vote on any proposal.

 

We expect that Proposal 1 - the election of directors - will be treated as a non-routine proposal. If you hold your shares in street name and do not instruct your brokerage firm or other nominee how to vote your shares with respect to Proposal 1, then your brokerage firm or other nominee will not be permitted to vote your shares on Proposal 1 and your shares will be counted as broker non-votes on those proposals. The ratification of the appointment of our independent auditors (Proposal 2) will be treated as a routine proposal, so if you hold your shares in street name and do not instruct your brokerage firm or other nominee how to vote your shares with respect to Proposal 2, then your brokerage firm or other nominee will be permitted to vote your shares on Proposal 2.

 

Abstentions are deemed present at the Annual Meeting and are counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum exists and are generally counted for purposes of determining the number of shares represented and voted with respect to an individual proposal, except in the election of directors.

 

More information about the effects of broker non-votes and abstentions on the three proposals to be voted on by our stockholders at the Annual Meeting is provided in “What vote is required to approve each Proposal?” below.

 

What vote is required to approve each Proposal?

 

On Proposal 1, the election of six directors, the directors are to be elected by a plurality of the votes cast with respect to such director by the shares present, in person or by proxy, at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote on Proposal 1. A “plurality of the votes cast” for purposes of the election of directors means that the six candidates receiving the highest number of votes cast shall be elected as the six directors. Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of the election of directors.

 

On Proposal 2, the ratification of the Audit Committee’s appointment of GBQ as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019, the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present, in person or by proxy, at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote on Proposal 2 is required to ratify the appointment of GBQ. Abstentions will have the same effect as votes against Proposal 2, while broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of the vote on Proposal 2.

 

Is cumulative voting permitted for the election of directors?

 

No, you may not cumulate your votes for the election of directors.

 

What happens if additional matters are presented at the Annual Meeting?

 

Other than the two proposals described in this proxy statement, as of the date of this proxy statement we are not aware of any other business to be acted upon at the Annual Meeting. If any additional matters are properly presented for a vote at the Annual Meeting, the persons appointed as proxies in the proxy card will have the discretionary authority to vote or act thereon in accordance with their best judgment.

 

Who will count the votes?

 

The Board will appoint an inspector of elections who is not an employee of the Company to count the votes for the Annual Meeting.

 

Is my vote confidential?

 

Proxy instructions, ballots and voting tabulations that identify individual stockholders are handled in a manner that protects your voting privacy. Your vote will not be disclosed either within our company or to third parties, except (1) as necessary to meet applicable legal requirements, (2) to allow for the tabulation of votes and the certification of the vote, and (3) to facilitate a successful proxy solicitation. Occasionally, stockholders provide on their proxy card written comments, which are then forwarded to our management and the Board of Directors.

 

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What should I do if I receive more than one set of proxy materials?

 

You may receive more than one set of proxy materials, including multiple copies of this proxy statement and multiple proxy cards or voting instruction cards, if your shares are registered in different names or are held in more than one account. Please vote all your shares by voting each proxy card and voting instruction card that you receive.

 

How can I access the proxy materials and annual report electronically?

 

This proxy statement and our 2018 Annual Report are available on the Internet at http://www.intellinetics.com/investor-relations/sec-filings.

 

Where can I find the voting results for the Annual Meeting?

 

The preliminary voting results will be announced at the Annual Meeting. We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission within four business days of the Annual Meeting announcing the final voting results.

 

If I vote against any Proposal, am I entitled to appraisal rights?

 

Under Nevada law, stockholders are not entitled to appraisal rights with respect to any of Proposals 1 or 2.

 

Who pays the costs of this proxy solicitation?

 

We will pay the entire cost of preparing, assembling, printing, mailing and distributing these proxy materials and soliciting votes and proxies. If you choose to access these proxy materials and/or vote over the Internet, you are responsible for any Internet access charges you may incur.

 

In addition to the mailing of these proxy materials, we may also solicit proxies in person or by mail, telephone, facsimile, email or other means of communication by our directors, officers and employees, but we will not provide any additional or special compensation for such soliciting activities.

 

We will request that brokerage houses, banks, nominees, trustees and other custodians forward proxy solicitation materials for shares held of record by them to the beneficial owners of such shares, and, upon request, we will reimburse those custodians for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in forwarding those materials.

 

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

 

We believe that our corporate governance principles and practices provide an important framework to ensure that our company is managed on a sound basis for the long-term benefit of our stockholders. Our Board of Directors continues to develop its corporate governance policies and practices in light of current operations of the Company to meet laws and regulations, including the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and best practices in corporate governance.

 

Board Composition

 

Our business and affairs are managed under the direction of our Board of Directors, currently consisting of six members. We believe that our corporate governance principles and practices provide an important framework to ensure that our company is managed on a sound basis for the long-term benefit of our stockholders. Our Board of Directors has developed its corporate governance policies and practices to meet laws and regulations, including the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and best practices in corporate governance.

 

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Director Independence

 

Because we are not a listed issuer, in accordance with Item 407(a)(1)(ii) of Regulation S-K, we use the definition of independence as set forth in the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market, which we sometimes refer to as our standards of director independence. Currently, the Board consists of six directors, of which independent directors constitute a majority of our Board. In the future, the Board may recruit additional independent directors to join the Board and also our Board committees. The charters of both our Audit Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee require that all members of each committee be independent. Currently, Robert C. Schroeder, Rye D’Orazio, Roger Kahn, and Sophie Pibouin serve as our independent directors. When determining the independence of Robert C. Schroeder, the Board considered his affiliation with Taglich Brothers, which has been retained by the Company as a Placement Agent and consulting firm from time to time including in 2018 and 2019, and his appointment by Taglich as a director under the terms of a Placement Agent Agreement between the Company and Taglich Brothers.

 

Meetings of the Board of Directors

 

Our Board of Directors, which currently consists of six directors, meets regularly throughout the year and holds special meetings whenever circumstances require. The Board of Directors held a total of 6 meetings during 2018. During 2018, each director attended at least 75% of the total number of meetings of the Board and of the committees of the Board on which such director served, and our directors in the aggregate attended 95% of the total number of meetings of the Board and committees on which they served.

 

Executive Sessions

 

Executive sessions of independent directors, without any management director or other members of management being present, are held at the request of the independent directors as they deem necessary or appropriate. The sessions may be held in conjunction with a Board committee meeting at which no management director is present. Any independent director can request that additional executive sessions be scheduled.

 

Director Attendance at Annual Meetings of Stockholders

 

The Board of Directors expects all directors to attend each Annual Meeting of Stockholders, either in person or telephonically, except where the failure to attend is due to unavoidable or unforeseeable circumstances. Last year, all of the directors attended the Annual Meeting of Stockholders, either in person or telephonically.

 

Committees of the Board of Directors

 

Our Board of Directors has established a standing Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The membership of each committee and its functions, duties and responsibilities are discussed below. Each committee operates under a written charter that has been adopted by our Board. Each member of each of these Board committees is an independent director.

 

Audit Committee

 

Our Board of Directors has established an Audit Committee in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the of the Exchange Act, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). In 2018, the Audit Committee consisted of Robert Schroeder (Chairman), Rye D’Orazio, and Roger Kahn. The Board of Directors has determined that all members are independent under our standards of director independence. The Board of Directors has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is financially literate and that Robert C. Schroeder qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as that term is defined in Item 407(d) of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act. The Audit Committee met five times during 2018.

 

The primary purpose of the Audit Committee is to assist the Board of Directors in fulfilling its oversight and monitoring responsibilities relating to:

 

  the quality and integrity of our financial statements;
     
  our system of internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures;

 

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  the quality and integrity of our auditing, accounting and financial reporting processes generally;
     
  the audits of our annual financial statements and the appointment, compensation, qualifications, independence and performance of our independent registered public accounting firm;
     
  the design and implementation of the internal audit function; and
     
  our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

 

The Audit Committee’s duties and responsibilities include:

 

  reviewing and discussing with management and our independent registered public accounting firm our annual audited and quarterly unaudited consolidated financial statements;
     
  determining whether to recommend to the Board of Directors that our annual consolidated financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K;
     
  reviewing with management any earnings announcements or guidance forecasts and other announcements regarding our historical or projected results of operations;
     
  selecting, appointing and, when appropriate, terminating our independent registered public accounting firm;
     
  reviewing and pre-approving the nature, scope and fee arrangements of the annual audit and non-audit services of our independent registered public accounting firm;
     
  reviewing the qualifications, performance and independence of our independent registered public accounting firm;
     
  reviewing the scope and the results of the annual audit of our consolidated financial statements by our independent registered public accounting firm;
     
  reviewing and discussing with management and our independent registered public accounting firm our accounting and financial reporting practices and procedures and the design, implementation, adequacy and effectiveness of our system of internal controls;
     
  preparing the annual Audit Committee report required by the rules of the SEC to be included in our proxy statement for our annual meetings of stockholders;
     
  reviewing any transaction that involves a potential conflict of interest or a related person;
     
  adopting and overseeing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of employee concerns and complaints regarding accounting, internal controls or auditing matters; and
     
  providing other assistance to the Board of Directors, as requested, with respect to our financial, accounting and reporting practices.

 

The Audit Committee performs its functions and responsibilities under a written charter adopted by the Board of Directors. A current copy of the Audit Committee Charter was included as an appendix to our Proxy Statement for the 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which is available at http://www.intellinetics.com/investor-relations/sec-filings.

 

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Compensation Committee

 

Our Board of Directors has established a Compensation Committee. In 2018, the members of the Compensation Committee were Rye D’Orazio (Chairman), Robert C. Schroeder, and Sophie Pibouin. The Board of Directors has determined that all members of the Compensation Committee are independent under our standards of director independence. In addition, each member of the Compensation Committee meets the definition of a “non-employee director” under Section 16b-3 of the Exchange Act, and of an “outside director” under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). The Compensation Committee met once during 2018.

 

The primary purposes of the Compensation Committee are to review and approve the compensation of our executive officers and to oversee our compensation plans and policies generally. The Compensation Committee’s duties and responsibilities include:

 

  establishing, reviewing and approving our general compensation philosophy and strategy;
     
  reviewing and approving corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of our executive officers, and evaluating their performance in light of those corporate goals and objectives, and determining and approving their compensation based on that evaluation;
     
  overseeing, evaluating and, as directed by the Board, administering and recommending changes to our incentive compensation plans and programs;
     
  approving employment agreements, severance agreements, change in control agreements and other compensation agreements and arrangements for our executive officers;
     
  reviewing and approving the compensation of directors;
     
  evaluating and assessing any risks and excessive risk-taking activities encouraged by our compensation programs and policies;
     
  reviewing the results of the advisory vote by stockholders on the compensation of our named executive officers;
     
  reviewing, modifying and making recommendations with respect to, and monitoring compliance with, our stock ownership guidelines; and
     
  preparing the annual Compensation Committee report required by the rules of the SEC to be included in our proxy statement for our annual meeting of stockholders.

 

The Compensation Committee does not generally exercise its power to delegate its authority to subcommittees and officers. The Compensation Committee has the authority under its charter to retain, approve fees for and terminate independent experts, consultants and advisors as it deems necessary to assist in the fulfillment of its responsibilities. To date, the Compensation Committee has not engaged an independent compensation consultant.

 

While the Compensation Committee gives significant weight to the recommendations of our Chief Executive Officer, the Compensation Committee is responsible for making the final decisions on executive compensation matters and exercises its discretion and authority in approving, modifying or rejecting these recommendations.

 

The Compensation Committee performs its functions and responsibilities under a written charter adopted by the Board of Directors. A current copy of the Compensation Committee Charter was included as an appendix to our Proxy Statement for the 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which is available at http://www.intellinetics.com/investor-relations/sec-filings.

 

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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

 

Our Board of Directors has established a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. In 2018, the members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee were Robert C. Schroeder (Chairman), Rye D’Orazio, and Sophie Pibouin. The Board of Directors has determined that all members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee are independent under our standards of director independence. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee met once during 2018.

 

The primary purposes of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee are to:

 

  identify and recommend individuals qualified to become members of the Board of Directors and its committees;
     
  determine the Board’s size, composition, procedures, governance and committees;
     
  develop, review and assess, our corporate governance principles and policies;
     
  develop qualification criteria for Board membership;
     
  review and recommend independence determinations with respect to the directors;
     
  recommend Board committee assignments;
     
  oversee our Board’s performance and self-evaluation process;
     
  oversee risks and exposures associated with director nominations and qualifications, corporate governance and overall Board effectiveness; and
     
  review governance-related stockholder proposals and recommend Board responses.

 

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee performs its functions and responsibilities under a written charter adopted by the Board of Directors. A current copy of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter was included as an appendix to our Proxy Statement for the 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, which is available at http://www.intellinetics.com/investor-relations/sec-filings.

 

Board Leadership Structure

 

Our Board of Directors has determined that at the present time it is in the best interests of our company and our stockholders to separate the roles and offices of the Chairman of the Board from the Chief Executive Officer in recognition of the differences between their roles, thereby allowing our Chief Executive Officer to focus on the day-to-day running of our company. The Board determined that this structure is optimal for us under our current circumstances because it allows James F. DeSocio, our Chief Executive Officer to devote his full attention and energy to setting and executing the strategic plan for our company and to providing day-to-day management and leadership of our company and our business and affairs, while allowing our Chairman to lead and direct Board meetings and to facilitate other Board activities and the flow of information between management and directors. Over the two most recently completed fiscal years, the Chairman of the Board has been Robert Schroeder since October 5, 2017. Prior thereto, Murray Gross served as Chairman of the Board from April 30, 2015 to October 5, 2017.

 

We believe that this leadership structure enhances the accountability of the Chief Executive Officer to the Board, strengthens the Board’s independence from management and provides the appropriate leadership to help ensure effective risk oversight by the Board.

 

The offices of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer have been held by separate persons since 2012. However, the Board of Directors recognizes that circumstances may change over time. Accordingly, the Board of Directors has not adopted a formal policy requiring us to separate the roles of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer but rather believes it is important to retain its flexibility to allocate the responsibilities of the offices of the Chairman of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer from time to time in a manner that is in the best interests of our company and our stockholders based upon then prevailing circumstances. We believe our current leadership structure is serving the best interests of our company and our stockholders.

 

 9 

 

 

Nominations of Directors

 

Identifying and Evaluating Nominees for Director

 

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee uses a variety of methods for identifying and evaluating nominees for director. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee assesses the appropriate size and composition of the Board of Directors, the needs and the respective committees of the Board, and the qualifications of candidates in light of those needs.

 

In selecting candidates for nomination at an annual meeting of stockholders, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee begins by determining whether the incumbent directors whose terms expire at that meeting desire and are qualified to continue their service on the Board of Directors. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee believes that the continuing service of qualified incumbents promotes stability and continuity in the boardroom, giving us the benefit of the familiarity and insight into our affairs that our directors have accumulated during their tenure, while contributing to the Board’s ability to work as a collective body. Accordingly, it is the policy of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, absent special circumstances, to nominate qualified incumbent directors who continue to satisfy the criteria for membership on the Board, and who the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee believes will continue to make important contributions to the Board.

 

If there are Board positions for which the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will not be re-nominating a qualified incumbent, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider recommendations for director nominees from a wide variety of sources, including Board members, management, business contacts, stockholders and other appropriate sources. In evaluating such recommendations, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee seeks to achieve a balance of knowledge, experience and capability on the Board of Directors and to address the criteria for membership set forth below under “—Qualifications of Nominees for Director.”

 

Qualifications of Nominees for Director

 

The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for reviewing the requisite qualifications and skills of director candidates in the context of the current composition of the Board, our operating requirements and the long-term interests of our stockholders. While the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has not established specific requirements or policies regarding age, education, years of experience, diversity or specific types of skills for potential candidates, it analyzes certain criteria and qualifications that candidates for membership on the Board of Directors should possess. No particular criterion is necessarily applicable to all prospective nominees. Except in limited and exceptional circumstances, each candidate to serve on the Board of Directors should have the following qualifications:

 

  A reputation for high personal and professional integrity, strong moral character and adherence to our high ethical standards and values.
     
  The absence of any conflict of interest (whether due to a business or personal relationship) or legal impediment to, or restriction on, the candidate serving as a director, and no other interests that would materially impair the candidate’s ability to (i) exercise independent judgment, or (ii) otherwise discharge the fiduciary duties owed as a director to us and our stockholders.
     
  Holds or has held a recognized position of leadership in the candidate’s community or the candidate’s field of endeavor, and has demonstrated high levels of achievement in the candidate’s community or field.
     
  Business acumen and experience, inquisitiveness, strong analytical skills and the ability to exercise sound business judgment and common sense in matters that relate to our current and long-term objectives.
     
  A general level of expertise and experience in our business areas.

 

 10 

 

 

  The ability to read and understand basic financial statements and other financial information pertaining to us.
     
  A commitment to understanding our company and our business, industry and strategic objectives.
     
  The availability and a commitment to devote adequate time to the Board and its committees and the ability to generally fulfill all responsibilities as a member of our Board of Directors, including to regularly attend and participate in meetings of the Board, Board committees and stockholders, in light of the number of other company boards on which the candidate serves and the candidate’s other personal and professional commitments.
     
  The willingness and ability to represent fairly and to act in the interests of all of our stockholders rather than the interests of any particular stockholder, special interest group or other constituency.
     
  For prospective non-employee directors, independence under SEC rules and regulations.
     
  The willingness to accept the nomination to serve as a member of our Board of Directors.
     
  Whether the prospective nominee will foster a diversity of skills, experiences and backgrounds on the Board.
     
  Whether the prospective nominee possesses the requisite education, training and experience to qualify as “financially literate” or as an “audit committee financial expert” under applicable SEC rules.
     
  For incumbent directors standing for re-election, the incumbent director’s performance during his term, including the number of meetings attended, the level of participation, and overall contribution to the Board.
     
  The composition of the Board and whether the prospective nominee will add to or complement the Board’s existing strengths.

 

From time to time the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may identify certain other skills or attributes as being particularly desirable to help meet specific Board needs that have arisen. While our Board has not adopted a specific or formal policy on diversity with respect to directors, they share a commitment to an inclusive culture, endorse equal opportunity principles and practices and seek nominees with a broad diversity of experience, professions, skills, geographic representation and backgrounds. We believe that the backgrounds and qualifications of the members of the Board, considered as a group, should provide a broad mix of experience, knowledge and abilities that will allow the Board to fulfill its responsibilities. The Board is committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of gender, race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability or any other basis proscribed by law in selecting nominees.

 

 11 

 

 

Recommendations and Nominations by Stockholders

 

The policy of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is to consider properly submitted written nominations from stockholders for nominees for director. In general, persons properly recommended by stockholders as nominees for director are evaluated on the same basis as candidates recommended by other sources. Any stockholder recommendations for consideration by the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee should include the candidate’s name, biographical information, information regarding any relationships between the candidate and us, personal references, a statement of recommendation of the candidate from the stockholder, a description of the shares beneficially owned by the stockholder, a description of all arrangements between the candidate and the recommending stockholder and any other person pursuant to which the candidate is being recommended, a written indication of the candidate’s willingness to serve on the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and a written indication to provide such other information as the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee may reasonably request.

 

Nominations by stockholders for director candidates must be addressed to:

 

Intellinetics, Inc.

2190 Dividend Dr.

Columbus, Ohio 43228

Attention: Chief Financial Officer

 

Role of the Board in Risk Oversight

 

Risk is inherent in every business. We face a number of risks, including operational, financial, legal, regulatory, safety, strategic and reputational risks. While management is responsible for the day-to-day management of the risks we face, the role of our Board is to engage in the oversight of risk management and encourage management to promote a culture that actively manages risks as a part of our corporate strategy and operations. The Board’s role in the risk oversight process includes regular communication with members of senior management on areas of material risk to us, which enables the Board to understand our risk identification, assessment and management and our risk mitigation strategies. There is not separate Risk Committee.

 

Each Board committee considers risk within its areas of responsibilities and keeps the Board regularly informed through committee reports about such risks. The Audit Committee assists the Board with respect to risk management primarily in the areas of accounting, financial reporting, internal controls and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The Compensation Committee assists the Board primarily with respect to the management of risks related to our compensation programs, policies and practices. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee assists the Board primarily with respect to the management of risks associated with Board organization, membership and structure and with corporate governance. This allocation of risk oversight responsibilities enables the Board of Directors and its committees to coordinate the risk oversight role. The full Board considers our risk profile and focus on the most significant risk factors facing us with the goal of ensuring that all material risks are identified and appropriate risk mitigation measures are implemented.

 

We believe that the Board’s leadership structure, as discussed above, is consistent with the roles of the Board and the Board committees in risk oversight. The Board has found that its current structure, with the separation of the roles of the Chairman of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer, supports the Board’s risk oversight activities, because the Chief Executive Officer and other members of senior management have responsibility for the management of risk and our Board, led by our Chairman, provides oversight of that risk management, and because various aspects of risk oversight are allocated among the committees of the Board within their areas of responsibility.

 

Legal Proceedings

 

We are not aware of any material proceedings in which any of our directors, executive officers or affiliates, any owner of record or beneficial owner of more than 5% of our common stock, or any associate of any such director, officer, affiliate or security holder is a party adverse to us or any of our subsidiaries or has a material interest adverse to us.

 

Codes of Ethics

 

We have adopted a Code of Ethics and Conduct, designed to encourage our directors, officers and employees to act with the highest level of integrity. This code is available on the Investor Relations section of our website at www.intellinetics.com.

 

The Intellinetics, Inc. Code of Ethics and Conduct is a code of conduct that applies to all of our directors, officers and employees. Under the Code of Ethics and Conduct, each officer, director and employee is required to maintain a commitment to high standards of business conduct and ethics. The Code of Ethics and Conduct covers many areas of professional conduct, including conflicts of interest, protection of confidential information, and strict adherence to laws and regulations applicable to the conduct of our business. Directors, officers and employees are required to report any conduct that they believe in good faith to be an actual or apparent violation of the Code of Ethics and Conduct.

 

 12 

 

 

If we make any amendment to, or grant any waiver from a provision of, our code of conduct with respect to any director, executive officer or senior financial officer, we will disclose the nature of such amendment or waiver on our website, in a Current Report on Form 8-K or both.

 

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

 

All members of the Compensation Committee are independent directors. No member of the Compensation Committee is or has ever been an officer or employee of us or of any of our subsidiaries. None of our executive officers serves as a member of the board of directors or of the compensation committee of any other entity that has one or more executive officers serving as a member of our Board of Directors or of our Compensation Committee.

 

Access to Management and Outside Advisors

 

Our directors have full and unrestricted access to our management and employees. Our Board of Directors and its committees have the right to retain outside advisors and consultants of their choosing at our expense, without the consent or approval of management.

 

Communications with the Board of Directors

 

While the Board believes that management speaks for our company, any stockholder who wishes to communicate directly with the Board of Directors, any committee of the Board or any individual director may do so by directing a written request addressed to such director or directors as follows:

 

Intellinetics, Inc.

2190 Dividend Dr.

Columbus, OH 43228

Attention: Chief Financial Officer

 

Communications directed to members of the Board will be forwarded to the intended Board members, unless such communications are deemed advertisements or promotional, clearly unrelated to our business or to Board or committee matters, or unduly hostile, threatening, illegal or otherwise unnecessary or inappropriate to forward.

 

 13 

 

 

PROPOSAL 1

 

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

 

The Board of Directors currently consists of six members. Under our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, the members of the Board must be re-elected each year at the Annual Meeting of the Stockholders. Each director serves in office until the expiration of his term and until his successor is duly elected and qualified.

 

The terms of all six directors expire at the Annual Meeting: Robert C. Schroeder, James F. DeSocio, Matthew L. Chretien, Rye D’Orazio, Sophie Pibouin, and Roger Kahn. Therefore, six directors will be elected at the Annual Meeting.

 

The Board of Directors has unanimously nominated Robert C. Schroeder, James F. DeSocio, Matthew L. Chretien, Rye D’Orazio, Sophie Pibouin, and Roger Kahn to be re-elected as directors at the Annual Meeting, to serve as directors for a term of one year.

 

Robert C. Schroeder, James F. DeSocio, Matthew L. Chretien, Rye D’Orazio, Sophie Pibouin, and Roger Kahn, have each agreed to continue to serve as a director if re-elected by the stockholders at the Annual Meeting. The Board of Directors has no reason to believe that any of the nominees will be unable to serve. However, if any nominee should become unexpectedly unable to serve as a director, then the persons appointed as proxies in the accompanying proxy card intend to vote for such other nominee as the Board of Directors may designate unless the size of the Board is reduced by the Board of Directors.

 

Set forth below is information as of the date of this proxy statement about the nominees. In addition to the information presented below regarding the specific experience, qualifications, attributes and skills of each nominee that led our Board of Directors to conclude that such person should serve as a director, we also believe that each nominee has demonstrated a high level of leadership experience, business acumen, integrity and honesty, and an ability to exercise sound judgment and deal with complex problems, as well as a commitment of service to our company and our Board. Our Board of Directors believes that these skills and qualifications, combined with the diverse backgrounds, experience, expertise and perspectives of our directors, contribute to robust and productive discussions in the boardroom and the ability of the Board to work in a positive and collegial fashion that benefits our company and our stockholders by creating a strong and effective Board of Directors. The Board considers the composition of the Board in light of our evolving business requirements and its assessment of the Board’s performance to ensure that the Board has the appropriate mix of skills and experiences needed for the broad set of challenges that it confronts and the responsibilities it has. Based on all of these qualifications, the Board of Directors believes that each nominee has the appropriate set of skills and qualifications to serve as members of the Board and to benefit our company and our stockholders as Board members.

 

Nominees

 

Robert C. Schroeder, 52, has served as a member of our Board of Directors since September 10, 2013, and was appointed Chairman of the Board on October 5, 2017. Mr. Schroeder is Vice President of Investment Banking at Taglich Brothers, a brokerage firm, and specializes in advisory services and capital raising for small public and private companies. Prior to that, he served as Senior Equity Analyst publishing sell-side research on publicly traded companies. Prior to joining Taglich Brothers, he served in various positions in the brokerage and public accounting industry. Mr. Schroeder received a B.S. degree in accounting and economics from New York University. He currently serves on the board of directors of publicly traded Air Industries Group, a manufacturer of aerospace parts and assemblies, and Decisionpoint Systems, Inc., a leading provider and integrator of Enterprise Mobility, Wireless Applications and RFID solutions. The Board believes Mr. Schroeder is well qualified to serve on the Board due to his leadership skills, capital markets expertise, and extensive experience as a director of the board for other public companies.

 

James F. DeSocio, 63, is the current President, Chief Executive Officer, and has served as a member of our Board of Directors since September 25, 2017. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. DeSocio served as Chief Revenue Officer at Relayware, LLC, a global provider of Partner Relationship Management solutions, from January 2015 to September 2017. From January 2013 to November 2014, Mr. DeSocio served as Executive Vice President of Operations for XRS Corporation, a fleet management software solutions provider. From October 2007 to September 2012, Mr. DeSocio served as Executive Vice President of Sales and Business Development for Antenna Software, Inc., a business mobility solutions provider. Our Board believes Mr. DeSocio is qualified to serve on our Board due to his extensive experience in sales, marketing, international operations, and mergers and acquisitions.

 

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Matthew L. Chretien, 51, is a co-founder of Intellinetics and has served as Secretary since December 19, 2017, Chief Strategy Officer since September 25, 2017, and Chief Technology Officer since September 2011, and as a member of our Board of Directors since February 2012. Mr. Chretien previously served as Intellinetics’ President and Chief Executive Officer from July 2013 to September 2017, and from January 1999 to September 2011; Executive Vice President from September 2011 to July 2013; Chief Financial Officer from September 2011 to September 2012; Treasurer from September 2011 to December 2016; and Vice President from 1996 until 1999. Prior to joining Intellinetics, he served as the field sales engineer for Unison Industries, a manufacturer of aircraft ignition systems. As a co-founder who has been an active executive at all times since 1996, our Board believes Mr. Matthew Chretien is qualified to serve on our Board. He brings to the Board valuable leadership experience and insight with respect to our technology; products and services; and relationships with customers, vendors, and distributors.

 

Rye D’Orazio, 64, has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Intellinetics since 2006. Rye D’Orazio has been a partner at Ray & Barney Group, a management consulting firm, since 2001. From 1995 to 2000, he served as Vice President of Professional Services at Compucom. From 1985 to 1995, Mr. D’Orazio was a partner at NCGroup, which he founded. From 1982 to 1995, he was employed as the Vice President of Professional Services at Triangle Systems, and from 1977 to 1982, he was employed as a systems engineer at Electronic Data Systems. Mr. D’Orazio brings over 30 years of important industry experience and business acumen to our Board. Our Board believes that Mr. D’Orazio’s experience and expertise, particularly with respect to professional services and entrepreneurship, qualify him to serve on our Board.

 

Sophie Pibouin, 51, has served as a member of our Board of Directors since March 20, 2015. Ms. Pibouin is currently employed by IBM as the worldwide Sales Leader of the IBM Watson marketing brand. Prior to joining the Board, Ms. Pibouin served as Chief Operating Officer, from 2012 to 2014, for SDL, PLC, a global provider of customer experience management software and solutions, having previously worked as a General Manager from 2010 to 2012. From 2006 to 2009, she served as Chief Operating Officer at Chronicle Solutions, Inc., a security software company. From 1990 to 2004, she worked for CA, Inc. (formerly Computer Associates), in a variety of positions including ultimately as Senior Vice President/GM for the Mid-Atlantic Region. She graduated with Honors as a Bachelor in International Commerce from the University of Flaubert in Rouen, France. The Board believes Ms. Pibouin brings a depth and breadth of business experience in the software industry, and that she is qualified to serve on our Board.

 

Roger Kahn, 49, has served as a member of our Board since October 5, 2017. Mr. Kahn has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Bridgeline Digital, Inc. (“Bridgeline”), a web content management solutions provider, since May 2016. Mr. Kahn previously served as Co-Interim Chief Executive Officer and President of Bridgeline from December 2015 to May 2016, and as Chief Operating Officer from August 2015 to May 2016. From 2008 to September 2016, Mr. Kahn was a partner at Great Land Holdings, a resort development company. Mr. Kahn received his Ph.D. in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence from the University of Chicago. The Board believes Mr. Kahn is qualified to serve on the Board due to his management experience in the software industry and with a public company.

 

Vote Required

 

Our Bylaws require that the directors be elected by a plurality of the votes cast by the holders of the shares of our common stock present, in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting with respect to the directors. A “plurality of the votes cast” means that the six candidates receiving the highest number of votes cast shall be elected as the six directors.

 

 

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS

THAT STOCKHOLDERS VOTE “FOR” THE ELECTION OF THE SIX NOMINEES:

Robert C. Schroeder, James F. DeSocio, Matthew L. Chretien,

Rye D’Orazio, Sophie Pibouin, and Roger Kahn

 

Proxy cards properly signed and timely returned to us will be so voted,

unless contrary instructions are specified.

 

 

 15 

 

 

PROPOSAL 2

 

RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

Proposal

 

The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors has appointed GBQ to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019. GBQ has served as our independent registered public accounting firm since September 4, 2012.

 

At the Annual Meeting, our stockholders will be asked to ratify the Audit Committee’s appointment of GBQ as our registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2019. While stockholder ratification of the appointment of GBQ is not required by our Bylaws or by any other applicable legal requirement, we are submitting this appointment to our stockholders for ratification as a matter of good corporate governance. If our stockholders do not ratify the appointment of GBQ, then the Audit Committee will reconsider the appointment, although it may still determine to retain this appointment. Even if the appointment of GBQ is ratified by our stockholders, the Audit Committee may, in its discretion, appoint a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if it determines that such a change would be in the best interests of our company and our stockholders.

 

We expect that one or more representatives of GBQ will be present in person or telephonically at the Annual Meeting, and will be available to respond to appropriate questions and have the opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so.

 

The aggregate fees for professional services rendered to us by GBQ for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 were as follows:

 

   Fees 
   2018   2017 
Audit Fees  $88,000 $78,000 
Audit-Related Fees   0    0 
Tax Fees   0    0 
All Other Fees   6,500    0 
           
Total  $94,500  $78,000 

 

Audit Fees

 

This category includes fees associated with our annual audit and the reviews of our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. This category also includes fees associated with advice on audit and accounting matters that arose during, or as a result of, the audit or the review of our interim financial statements, statutory audits, and services related to Securities and Exchange Commission registration statements and filings.

 

Audit-Related Fees

 

This category includes fees associated with employee benefit plan audits, internal control reviews, accounting consultations, and attestation services that are not required by statute or regulation. We did not engage GBQ for audit-related fees during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017.

 

Tax Fees

 

We did not engage GBQ for tax planning for merger and acquisition activities, tax consultations, the review of income tax returns and assistance with state tax examinations during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017.

 

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All Other Fees

 

We engaged GBQ to provide services related to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed with the SEC in 2017, which fees were paid in 2018. Other than the foregoing, we did not engage GBQ to provide any information technology services or any other services during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017.

 

Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policy

 

Our Audit Committee specifically approved the audit services performed by GBQ for the periods ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, when applicable.

 

For the fiscal year ending December 31, 2018, our Audit Committee approved audit-related services not prohibited by law to be performed by our independent registered public accountants and associated fees. Audit Committee pre-approval of audit and non-audit services will not be required if the engagement for the services is entered into pursuant to pre-approval policies and procedures established by the Audit Committee regarding the Company’s engagement of the independent auditor, provided the policies and procedures are detailed as to the particular service, the Audit Committee is informed of each service provided and such policies and procedures do not include delegation of the Audit Committee’s responsibilities to the Company’s management. The Audit Committee may delegate to one or more designated members of the Audit Committee the authority to grant pre-approvals, provided such approvals are presented to the Audit Committee at a subsequent meeting. If the Audit Committee elects to establish pre-approval policies and procedures regarding non-audit services, the Audit Committee must be informed of each non-audit service provided by the independent auditor. Audit Committee pre-approval of non-audit services (other than review and attestation services) also will not be required if such services fall within available exceptions established by the SEC.

 

Vote Required

 

The affirmative “FOR” vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock present, in person or by proxy, at the Annual Meeting and entitled to vote on this proposal is required to ratify the appointment by the Audit Committee of GBQ as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019.

 

 
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS
THAT STOCKHOLDERS VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL 2:
THE RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF GBQ
AS OUR INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019
 
Proxy cards properly signed and timely returned to us will be so voted,
unless contrary instructions are specified thereon.
 

 

 17 

 

 

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

 

The following table reflects the beneficial ownership of the Company’s common stock by all our executive officers and directors, and by each stockholder who beneficially owns more than 5% of the Company’s common stock, as of April 25, 2019.

 

The information provided in the table below is based on our records, information filed with the SEC and information provided by our directors and executive officers. Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each beneficial owner listed in the table below is c/o Intellinetics, Inc., 2190 Dividend Dr., Columbus, Ohio 43228.

 

Name of Beneficial Owner  Number of Shares
Beneficially Owned
   Percentage of Shares Outstanding (1) 
DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS          
James F. DeSocio   1,722,728(2)   8.62%
Matthew L Chretien   1,534,072(3)   8.23%
Joseph D. Spain   250,000(4)   1.33%
Rye D’Orazio   320,949    1.73%
Sophie Pibouin   291,148(5)   1.56%
Robert Schroeder   1,517,275(6)   7.92%
Roger Kahn   206,875    1.12%
           
Officers and Directors as a Group (7 Persons)   5,843,047(7)   27.67%
           
STOCKHOLDERS WITH 5% OR MORE BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP          
Michael Taglich
275 Madison Ave., Suite 1618, New York, NY 10016
   7,741,341(8)   33.00%
           
Robert F. Taglich
275 Madison Ave., Suite 1618, New York, NY 10016
   6,124,217(9)   27.74%
           
Michael Chretien   1,396,685    7.54%

 

(1) Based upon 18,524,878 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, plus shares beneficially owned but not issued for each respective stockholder.
(2) Beneficial ownership includes 1,450,000 shares of common stock underlying stock options and convertible notes issued to Mr. DeSocio, exercisable within 60 days of April 25, 2019.
(3) Beneficial ownership includes 110,595 shares of common stock underlying stock options and warrants issued to Mr. Chretien, exercisable within 60 days of April 25, 2019.
(4) Beneficial ownership includes 250,000 shares of common stock underlying stock options issued to Mr. Spain, exercisable within 60 days of April 25, 2019.
(5) Beneficial ownership includes 128,000 shares of common stock underlying stock options issued to Ms. Pibouin, exercisable within 60 days of April 25, 2019.
(6) Beneficial ownership includes 627,584 shares of common stock underlying warrants and convertible notes issued to Mr. Schroeder, exercisable within 60 days of April 25, 2019.
(7) Beneficial ownership includes 2,594,589 shares of common stock underlying stock options, warrants, and convertible notes issued to the group, as disclosed in (2) through (6) above, exercisable within 60 days of April 25, 2019.
(8) Beneficial ownership includes 4,934,977 shares either held indirectly or representing common stock underlying warrants and convertible notes issued to Mr. Taglich, exercisable within 60 days of April 25, 2019.
(9) Beneficial ownership includes 3,553,766 shares of common stock underlying warrants and convertible notes issued to Mr. Taglich, exercisable within 60 days of April 25, 2019.

 

 18 

 

 

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

 

As a “smaller reporting company” under SEC rules, our named executive officers (or “NEOs”) consist of (i) the individual(s) who served or acted as the Company’s principal executive officer during the last completed fiscal year; (ii) the Company’s two most highly compensated executive officers, other than the principal executive officer, who were serving as executive officers at the end of the last completed fiscal year; and (iii) up to two additional individuals for whom disclosure would have been provided pursuant to clause (ii) but for the fact that the individual was not serving as one of our executive officers at the end of the last completed fiscal year. For the year ended December 31, 2018, our NEOs were the following individuals:

 

  James F. DeSocio, our current President and Chief Executive Officer;
     
  Matthew L. Chretien, our current Secretary and Chief Strategy Officer;
     
  Thomas D. Moss, our Chief Software Engineer.

 

Summary Compensation Table

 

The following table sets forth certain information relating to the total compensation earned for services rendered to us in all capacities by our NEOs for 2018.

 

Name & Principal Position  Year  

Salary

($)

  

Stock Awards

($)

   Option Awards(1) ($)   All Other Compensation ($)  

Total

($)

 
Matthew L. Chretien   2018    175,000    -    -    16,103    191,103(3)
Chief Strategy Officer   2017    175,000    -    -    16,103   191,103(3)
James F. DeSocio   2018    270,000    -    -         270,000 
President and Chief Executive Officer as of September 25, 2017   2017    67,500    -    321,011(2)        388,511 
Thomas D. Moss   2018    145,000    -    -         145,000 
Chief Software Engineer   2017    145,000    -    -         145,000 

 

(1) The amounts in this column reflect the aggregate grant date fair value of stock awards computed in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718, based on the closing sale price of our common stock on the date of grant. The amounts shown in this column are not necessarily indicative of the actual value that will be realized by the named executive officers with respect to such awards.

 

(2) In 2017, Mr. DeSocio received an award of 1,250,000 stock options, with the options vesting quarterly pro rata over a two-year period, which had a grant date fair value of $321,011.

 

(3) Mr. Chretien received other compensation in the form of Health Insurance Premiums ($15,642), Long-Term Disability Insurance Premiums ($305), and cell phone allowance ($156).

 

Employment Agreements with our Executive Officers

 

Pension Benefits

 

We do not provide, sponsor or maintain any pension arrangements for our named executive officers or for our employees. Our named executive officers are eligible to participate in our 401(k) defined contribution plan. Joseph Spain and James DeSocio participated in our 401(k) plan during fiscal 2018, but no other named executive officers participated in our 401(k) plan during fiscal 2018 or 2017.

 

 19 

 

 

Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation

 

We do not provide and we have not adopted any non-qualified deferred contribution plans or other deferred compensation plans. In the future, the Compensation Committee may elect to provide our officers and other employees with non-qualified deferred contribution or deferred compensation benefits if the Compensation Committee determines that doing so is in our best interests.

 

Employment Agreements with our Executive Officers

 

On December 1, 2016, pursuant to an Offer of Employment and Employment Agreement, the Company appointed Joseph D. Spain as the Chief Financial Officer. On September 25, 2017, pursuant to an offer letter agreement, the Company appointed James F. DeSocio as its President and Chief Executive Officer. Intellietics, Inc., an Ohio corporation and the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“Intellinetics Ohio”) is a party to an employment agreement with Matthew L. Chretien, dated as of September 16, 2011. The Company does not have an employment agreement with Mr. Chretien because the Company believes the agreement between Intellinetics Ohio and Mr. Chretien is expected to control the terms of his employment with the Company, as Intellinetics Ohio is the sole operating subsidiary of the Company.

 

Offer Letter Agreement with James F. DeSocio

 

Under this offer letter agreement, James F. DeSocio (i) receives compensation at the rate of $270,000 per year, (ii) is eligible to receive options to purchase up to 1,250,000 of the Company’s common stock, subject to various approvals, contingencies, and time vesting (iii) is eligible to participate in certain employee benefit programs, including a 401(k) plan, health insurance, paid vacation, access to an exercise facility, and use of certain company-paid technology, and (iv) is eligible for a bonus of up to $135,000, and (v) may become eligible, at the sole discretion of the Company, for profit sharing, and other bonuses. The term of the agreement is indefinite, and James F. DeSocio is an “at will” employee. Under the agreement, James F. DeSocio covenants (i) not to disclose trade secrets or proprietary information of the Company, (ii) not to solicit customers, clients, or employees of the Company for a period of two years after termination of the agreement, and (iii) not to compete with the Company in the state of Ohio for a period of six months after termination of his employment.

 

Employment Agreement with Matthew L. Chretien

 

Under this employment agreement, Matthew L. Chretien agreed to serve as the Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, Principal Accounting Officer, and Treasurer of Intellinetics, and to devote his full-time efforts to his employment with Intellinetics. Pursuant to the agreement, Matthew L. Chretien (i) receives compensation at the rate of $195,000 per year, (ii) is eligible to participate in certain employee benefit programs, including a 401(k) plan, health insurance, paid vacation, access to an exercise facility, and use of certain company-paid technology, (iii) may become eligible, at the sole discretion of Intellinetics, for profit sharing, commissions, and bonuses, and (iv) was entitled to receive deferred compensation in the form of a lump sum payment of $100,828 on March 31, 2015. Mr. Chretien has informally agreed to receive less in salary than his is entitled to receive under his Employment Agreement at the current time, while the Company is managing available cash and working towards profitability. The Company notified Mr. Chretien on March 31, 2015, that payment of the lump sum amount scheduled for March 31, 2015 is deferred subject to the Company’s available cash flow. The term of the agreement is indefinite, and both parties stipulate and agree that Matthew L. Chretien is an “at will” employee under Ohio law, which governs the agreement. The agreement can also terminate (i) if Intellinetics discontinues the operation of its business, or (ii) at the option of Intellinetics in the event that Matthew L. Chretien becomes permanently disabled. Under the agreement, Matthew L. Chretien covenants (i) not to disclose trade secrets or proprietary information of Intellinetics, (ii) not to solicit customers, clients, or employees of Intellinetics for a period of two years after termination of the agreement, and (iii) not to compete with Intellinetics in the state of Ohio for a period of six months after termination of his employment. Since the date of the agreement, Mr. Chretien has resigned the titles of President, Chief Executive Officer, Principal Accounting Officer, and Treasurer, and currently holds the titles of Secretary, Chief Technology Officer, and Chief Strategy Officer.

 

Employment Agreement with Joseph D. Spain

 

Under this employment agreement, Joseph D. Spain (i) receives compensation at the rate of $140,000 per year, (ii) is eligible to participate in certain employee benefit programs, including a 401(k) plan, health insurance, paid vacation, access to an exercise facility, and use of certain company-paid technology, and (iii) may become eligible, at the sole discretion of the Company, for profit sharing, and bonuses. The term of the agreement is indefinite, and Joseph D. Spain is an “at will” employee. Under the agreement, Joseph D. Spain covenants (i) not to disclose trade secrets or proprietary information of the Company, (ii) not to solicit customers, clients, or employees of the Company for a period of two years after termination of the agreement, and (iii) not to compete with the Company in the state of Ohio for a period of six months after termination of his employment.

 

 20 

 

 

OUTSTANDING EQUITY AWARDS AT 2018 FISCAL YEAR END

 

The following table sets forth information regarding the outstanding equity awards, consisting of unvested and/or unexercised stock options held by our NEOs as of December 31, 2018:

 

   Option Awards  
Name 

Number of securities
underlying unexercised options

(#) exercisable

   Equity incentive plan awards: Number of securities underlying unexercised unearned options (#)  

Option

exercise
price ($)

   Option
expiration date
 
Matthew L. Chretien
Chief Strategy Officer
   75,000    25,000(1)  $0.90   12/31/2025  
                     
James F. DeSocio
President and Chief Executive
   468,750    281,250(2)  $0.30   12/31/2025  
Officer as of September 25, 2017   312,500    187,500(2)  $0.38   12/31/2025  
                     
Thomas D. Moss
Chief Software Engineer
   37,500    12,500(3)  $0.90   12/31/2025  

 

(1) Mr. Chretien’s stock options were vested in accordance with the following schedule: 25,000 on January 2, 2019.

 

(2) Mr. DeSocio’s stock options were vested and/or will vest in accordance with the following schedule: 156,250 on March 25, 2019; 156,250 on June 25, 2019; and 156,250 on September 25, 2019.

 

(3) Mr. Moss’s stock options were vested in accordance with the following schedule: 12,500 on January 2, 2019.

 

 21 

 

 

Director Compensation

 

Director Compensation 2018

 

The following table summarizes the total compensation we paid to our non-employee directors for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018:

 

Name  Fees Earned
or Paid in Cash
   Stock
Awards($)(1)
   Option
Awards($)
   Total ($) 
(a)  (b)   (c)   (d)   (h) 
Sophie Pibouin  $15,000   $10,000    -   $25,000(2)
Rye D’Orazio   7,500    7,500    -    15,000 
Robert C. Schroeder   7,500    13,750    -    21,250 
Roger Kahn   -    1,875    -    1,875 

 

(1) Stock awards set forth in column (c) were fully vested at the time of grant.

 

(2) At year end, Ms. Pibouin held aggregate stock option awards of 128,000, which were fully vested upon grant.

 

On December 19, 2017, the Compensation Committee, pursuant to the authority given to it by the Board and under the 2015 Intellinetics Inc. Equity Incentive Plan, approved the following annual compensation for non-employee directors, payable on January 2 of each year beginning with 2018:

 

  $7,500 cash payment ($15,000 for Ms. Pibouin),
     
  Stock award equal to $7,500 as of the date of grant, in Company shares, pursuant to the 2015 Intellinetics Inc. Equity Incentive Plan ($10,000 for Ms. Pibouin), and
     
  An additional amount of stock award equal to $25,000 as of the date of grant, in Company shares, pursuant to the 2015 Intellinetics Inc. Equity Incentive Plan, payable to the Chairman of the Board for his additional services in that role.

 

No additional compensation was paid to directors for meetings attended, committee memberships, or committee chairmanships.

 

 22 

 

 

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS

 

Review, Approval or Ratification of Transactions with Related Persons

 

The written charter for the Audit Committee requires that all transactions between the Company and any related person be reviewed, approved, and overseen by the Audit Committee, which is comprised of independent directors. Related person transactions are those transactions covered by Item 404 of Regulation S-K.

 

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

 

The following is a summary of the related person transactions that Intellinetics has participated in at any time during each of the previous three fiscal years.

 

On January 1, 2016, Intellinetics Ohio repaid in full the outstanding principal and accrued interest on a note issued by Intellinetics Ohio to Jackie Chretien, a person related to Matthew Chretien, the President & CEO and a director of the Company. The largest aggregate amount of principal outstanding during 2016 was $15,000, the amount outstanding as of April 25, 2019 is $0, the total amount of principal paid during 2016 was $15,000, and the total amount of interest paid during 2016 was $4,403.

 

On January 1, 2016, Intellinetics Ohio repaid in full the outstanding principal and accrued interest on a note issued by Intellinetics Ohio to A. Michael Chretien, Secretary of the Company. The largest aggregate amount of principal outstanding during 2016 was $40,415, the amount outstanding as of April 25, 2019 is $0, the total amount of principal paid during 2016 was $40,415, and the total amount of interest paid during 2016 was $7,053.

 

The following convertible notes were issued by the Company to directors and stockholders holding more than 5% beneficial ownership of the Company’s common stock (“2016 Bridge Notes”). The terms for all the following notes provided for interest at an annual rate of 8 percent until maturity on December 1, 2017, which would not begin to accrue until 2017. Each note holder had a right, in their sole discretion, to convert the notes into securities to be issued by the Company in a private placement of equity, equity equivalent, convertible debt or debt financing. The noteholders converted the notes into new convertible notes, as set forth below, on December 30, 2016.

 

Name and
Affiliation to
Company
  Date of
Note
   Conversion
Rate per
Share
   Original
Principal
Balance of
Note
   Largest
aggregate
amount of
principal
outstanding
during 2018
  

Amount
outstanding as
of April 25,

2019
(principal and
interest)

   Amount
of
principal
paid
during
2018*
   Amount
of
interest
paid
during
2018*
 
Robert Schroeder
Director
   11/30/2016               25,000    -0-    -0-    -0-    0 
Michael Taglich
5% Stockholder
   11/30/2016         100,000    -0-    -0-    -0-    0 
Robert Taglich
5% Stockholder
   11/30/2016         100,000    -0-    -0-    -0-    0 

 

* Principal and interest on all notes were converted to new convertible notes as set forth below in 2016.

 

The following convertible notes were issued by the Company to directors and stockholders holding more than 5% beneficial ownership of the Company’s common stock, partly in exchange for a surrender and cancellation of the 2016 Bridge Notes set forth above, and partially for cash (the “2016 Notes”). The 2016 Notes were amended on September 14, 2018, to extend their maturity dates, reduce their annual rate of interest, and reduce the conversion price. The 2016 Notes, as amended, bear interest at an annual rate of interest of 10% until maturity, with partial interest of 5% payable quarterly, and mature on December 31, 20120 The note investors have a right, in their sole discretion, to convert the 2016 Notes into common shares of the Company at a conversion rate of $0.40 per share. If the 2016 Notes have not been fully repaid by the Company by the maturity date or converted into shares at the election of the note investors prior to the maturity date, then such notes will accrue interest at the annual rate of 14% from the maturity date until the date the 2016 Notes are repaid in full. Any interest not paid quarterly will also accrue interest at the annual rate of 7% instead of 5%.

 

 23 

 

 

Name and
Affiliation to
Company
  Date of
Note
   Conversion
Rate per
Share
   Original
Principal
Balance of
Note
   Largest
aggregate
amount of
principal
outstanding
during
2018
  

Amount
outstanding as
of April 25,

2019
(principal and
interest)

   Amount
of
principal
paid
during
2018
   Amount
of
interest
paid
during
2018
 
Robert Schroeder
Director
   12/30/2016   $0.40    25,000    25,000    30,918    0    375 
Michael Taglich
5% Stockholder
   12/30/2016   $0.40    250,000    250,000    310,088    0    3,750 
Robert Taglich
5% Stockholder
   12/30/2016   $0.40    100,000    100,000    123,676    0    1,500 

 

The following convertible notes were issued by the Company to stockholders holding more than 5% beneficial ownership of the Company’s common stock (“2017 Bridge Notes”). The terms for all the following notes provided for interest at an annual rate of 8 percent until maturity on September 21, 2018, and the notes were issued with original issue discounts. Each note holder had a right, in their sole discretion, to convert the notes into securities to be issued by the Company in a private placement of equity, equity equivalent, convertible debt or debt financing. The noteholders converted the notes into new convertible notes, as set forth below, on November 29, 2017.

 

Name and
Affiliation to
Company
  Date of
Note
   Conversion
Rate per
Share
   Original
Principal
Balance of
Note
   Largest
aggregate
amount of
principal
outstanding
during 2018
  

Amount
outstanding as
of April 25,

2019
(principal and
interest)

   Amount
of
principal
paid
during
2018*
   Amount
of
interest
paid
during
2018*
 
Michael Taglich
5% Stockholder
   09/21/2017   $0.30    77,320    0    0    0    445 
Robert Taglich
5% Stockholder
   09/21/2017   $0.30    77,320    0    0    0    445 

 

* These notes were issued with an original issue discount in exchange for $75,000 in cash. The original cash purchase price for each note was converted to a new convertible note as set forth below in 2017. Interest of $445 was paid on each note in 2018.

 

The following convertible notes were issued by the Company to directors, officers, and stockholders holding more than 5% beneficial ownership of the Company’s common stock, partly in exchange for a surrender and cancellation of the 2017 Bridge Notes set forth above, and partially for cash (the “2017 Notes”). The 2017 Notes were amended on September 17, 2018, to extend their maturity dates. The 2017 Notes, as amended, bear interest at an annual rate of interest of 8% until maturity, and mature on December 31, 2020. The note investors have a right, in their sole discretion, to convert the 2017 Notes into common shares of the Company at a conversion rate of $0.20 per share. If the 2017 Notes have not been fully repaid by the Company by the maturity date or converted into shares at the election of the note investors prior to the maturity date, then such notes will accrue interest at the annual rate of 12% from the maturity date until the date the 2017 Notes are repaid in full. Any interest not paid quarterly will also accrue interest at the annual rate of 12% instead of 8%.

 

 24 

 

 

Name and
Affiliation to
Company
  Date of
Note
   Conversion
Rate per
Share
   Original
Principal
Balance of
Note
   Largest
aggregate
amount of
principal
outstanding
during
2018
  

Amount
outstanding
as of
April 25,

2019
(principal
and interest)

   Amount
of
principal
paid
during
2018
   Amount
of
interest
paid
during
2018
 
Michael Taglich
5% Stockholder
   11/17/2017   $0.20    200,000    200,000    224,907    0    0 

Michael Taglich

5% Stockholder

   11/29/2017   $0.20    75,000    75,000    84,060    0    0 
Robert Taglich
5% Stockholder
   12/30/2016   $0.20    75,000    75,000    84,060    0    0 

James DeSocio

Officer

   11/17/2017   $0.20    40,000    40,000    44,981    0    0 

 

The following convertible notes were issued by the Company to directors, officers, and stockholders holding more than 5% beneficial ownership of the Company’s common stock for cash (the “2018 Notes”). The 2018 Notes bear interest at an annual rate of interest of 8% until maturity, and mature on December 31, 2020. The note investors have a right, in their sole discretion, to convert the 2018 Notes into common shares of the Company at a conversion rate of $0.13 per share. If the 2018 Notes have not been fully repaid by the Company by the maturity date or converted into shares at the election of the note investors prior to the maturity date, then such notes will accrue interest at the annual rate of 12% from the maturity date until the date the 2018 Notes are repaid in full. Any interest not paid quarterly will also accrue interest at the annual rate of 10% instead of 8%.

 

Name and
Affiliation to
Company
  Date of
Note
   Conversion
Rate per
Share
   Original
Principal
Balance of
Note
   Largest
aggregate
amount of
principal
outstanding
during
2017
  

Amount
outstanding
as of
April 25,

2019
(principal
and interest)

   Amount
of
principal
paid
during
2018
   Amount
of
interest
paid
during
2018
 
Michael Taglich
5% Stockholder
   9/26/2018   $0.13    200,000    200,000    211,373    0    0 
Robert Taglich
5% Stockholder
   9/26/2018   $0.13    200,000    200,000    211,373    0    0 

 

 25 

 

 

Issuance of Warrants in Connection with Bridge Notes

 

As an inducement for the issuance of the 2016 and 2017 Bridge Notes (as described above) by the Company to directors and stockholders holding more than 5% beneficial ownership of the Company’s common stock, the Company also issued warrants to purchase shares of common stock in the Company to the Bridge Note holders in the following amounts:

 

Name and
Affiliation to
Company
  Expiration
Date of
Warrant
  Exercise Price
Per Warrant
   Amount Of
Warrants
 
Robert Schroeder
Director
  12/1/2021  $0.68    6,250 
Michael Taglich
5% Stockholder
  12/1/2021  $0.68    25,000 
Robert Taglich
5% Stockholder
  12/1/2021  $0.68    25,000 
Michael Taglich
5% Stockholder
  09/22/2022  $0.30    75,000 
Robert Taglich
5% Stockholder
  09/22/2022  $0.30    75,000 

 

Return to Treasury of Shares and Issuance of Contingent Warrants

 

On February 15, 2016, A. Michael Chretien exercised warrants to purchase 500,000 shares of common stock of the Company, from the Company, at an exercise price of $0.007 per share. These warrants were issued as consideration for A. Michael Chretien returning to treasury 500,000 shares of common stock he owned in 2013.

 

On January 3, 2017, Matthew L. Chretien exercised warrants to purchase 496,111 shares of common stock of the Company, from the Company through a cashless exercise, at an exercise price of $0.007 per share. These warrants were issued as consideration for Matthew L. Chretien returning to treasury 500,000 shares of common stock he owned in 2013.

 

Sales of Equity to Related Persons

 

Certain related persons participated as investors in two private placements of equity by the Company, on the same terms as all other investors in such private placements.

 

On January 25, 2016, the Company entered into securities purchase agreements with certain accredited investors, pursuant to which it sold common stock at a price of $1.20 per unit, as part of a private placement initially commenced in 2015 (the “2015 Private Placement”). Each unit consisted of two shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and a five-year warrant to purchase one share of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $0.65 per share. The following related persons participated in such offering, on the same terms as all other investors participating in the offering:

 

Name of Investor  Relationship to the Company  Number of
Units
Purchased
   Date of
Transaction
 
Murray H. Gross  Then-Director and Chairman of the Board.   10,000    1/25/2016 
Michael N. Taglich  Beneficially owns more than 5% of the common stock of the Company.   12,599    1/25/2016 

 

 26 

 

 

Promoters and Certain Control Persons

 

Robert C. Schroeder, a director of the Company, is the Vice President of Investment Banking at Taglich Brothers, Inc. Robert F. Taglich and Michael N. Taglich, each beneficial owners of more than 5% of the Company’s common stock, are also both principals of Taglich Brothers, Inc. The Company retained Taglich Brothers, Inc. as the exclusive placement agent for the 2015 Private Placement. In connection with the offering, and only attributable to the transactions that closed in 2016, the Company paid Taglich Brothers, Inc. a cash payment of $48,633, which represented an 8% commission of the gross proceeds and 8% commission of the total amount of convertible note principal and interest which were converted in the transaction. In addition, the Company issued warrants to the designees of Taglich Brothers, Inc. to purchase 101,320 shares of common stock, which represented 10 % of the shares of common stock sold and 10% of the shares of common stock issued as part of a note exchange. The warrants have an exercise price of $0.715 per share of common stock, will be exercisable for a period of five years, contain customary cashless exercise and anti-dilution protection and are entitled to registration rights.

 

The Company also retained Taglich Brothers, Inc. as the exclusive placement agent for the offering of the 2016 Notes (the “2016 Private Placement”). In connection with the offering, the Company paid Taglich Brothers, Inc. a cash payment of $100,000, which represented an 8% commission of the gross proceeds of the private placement, and approximately $30,000 for reimbursement for reasonable out of pocket expenses, FINRA filing fees and related legal fees. In addition, the Company issued warrants to the designees of Taglich Brothers, Inc. to purchase 153,846 shares of common stock, which represented 8% of the shares of common stock into which the convertible notes sold in the 2016 Private Placement could be converted. The warrants have an exercise price of $0.75 per share of common stock, will be exercisable for a period of five years, contain customary cashless exercise and anti-dilution protection and are entitled to registration rights.

 

The Company also retained Taglich Brothers, Inc. as the exclusive placement agent for the offering of the 2017 Notes (the “2017 Private Placement”). In connection with the offering, the Company paid Taglich Brothers, Inc. a cash payment of $172,000, which represented an 8% commission of the gross proceeds of the private placement, and approximately $35,000 for reimbursement for reasonable out of pocket expenses, FINRA filing fees and related legal fees. In addition, the Company issued warrants to the designees of Taglich Brothers, Inc. to purchase 860,000 shares of common stock, which represented 8% of the shares of common stock into which the convertible notes sold in the 2017 Private Placement could be converted. The warrants have an exercise price of $0.25 per share of common stock, will be exercisable for a period of five years, contain customary cashless exercise and anti-dilution protection and are entitled to registration rights.

 

The Company also retained Taglich Brothers, Inc. as the exclusive placement agent for the offering of the 2018 Notes (the “2018 Private Placement”). In connection with the offering, the Company paid Taglich Brothers, Inc. a cash payment of $104,000, which represented an 8% commission of the gross proceeds of the private placement, and approximately $5,000 for reimbursement for reasonable out of pocket expenses, FINRA filing fees and related legal fees. In addition, the Company issued warrants to the designees of Taglich Brothers, Inc. to purchase 800,000 shares of common stock, which represented 8% of the shares of common stock into which the convertible notes sold in the 2018 Private Placement could be converted. The warrants have an exercise price of $0.18 per share of common stock, will be exercisable for a period of five years, contain customary cashless exercise and anti-dilution protection and are entitled to registration rights.

 

Indemnification of Officers and Directors

 

The Nevada General Corporation Law and our Bylaws provide for the indemnification of directors, officers and certain other persons in the circumstances outlined below.

 

Actions other than by the Company

 

The Company may indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, except an action by or in the right of the Company, by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or other entity, against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement, actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the action, suit or proceeding if (i) such person is not liable for a breach of fiduciary duty involving intentional misconduct, fraud or a knowing violation of the law, or (ii) such person acted in good faith and in a manner which such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, does not, of itself, create a presumption that the person (i) was liable for a breach of fiduciary duty involving intentional misconduct, fraud or a knowing violation of the law, or (ii) did not act in good faith and in a manner which such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and that, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, such person had reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful.

 

 27 

 

 

Actions by the Company

 

The Company may indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or other entity, against expenses, including amounts paid in settlement and attorneys’ fees actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the defense or settlement of the action or suit if (i) such person is not liable for a breach of fiduciary duty involving intentional misconduct, fraud or a knowing violation of the law, or (ii) such person acted in good faith and in a manner which such person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company. Indemnification may not be made for any claim, issue or matter as to which such person has been adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction to be liable to the Company or for amounts paid in settlement to the Company, unless and only to the extent that the court in which the action or suit was brought or other court of competent jurisdiction determines upon application that in view of all the circumstances of the case, the person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses as the court deems proper.

 

Successful Defense

 

To the extent that a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to above, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, he or she must be indemnified by the Company against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the defense.

 

Required Approval

 

Any discretionary indemnification, unless ordered by a court, must be made by the Company only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of a director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances. The determination must be made by (i) the stockholders, (ii) by the board of directors by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to the action, suit or proceeding, (iii) if a majority of a quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to the action, suit or proceeding so orders, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (iv) if a quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to the action, suit or proceeding cannot be obtained, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion.

 

Advance of Expenses

 

The articles of incorporation, the Bylaws, or an agreement made by the Company may provide that the expenses of officers and directors incurred in defending a civil or criminal action, suit or proceeding must be paid by the Company as they are incurred and in advance of the final disposition of the action, suit or proceeding, upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the officer or director to repay the amount if it is ultimately determined by a court of competent jurisdiction that he or she is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company.

 

Other Rights

 

The indemnification provisions above and the advancement of expenses (i) do not exclude any other rights to which a person seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled for either an action in his or her official capacity or an action in another capacity while holding office, except that indemnification, unless ordered by a court or for the advancement of expenses, may not be made to or on behalf of any director or officer if a final adjudication establishes that his or her acts or omissions involved intentional misconduct, fraud or a knowing violation of the law and were material to the cause of the action, and (ii) continue for a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and inures to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such person.

 

Intellinetics has obtained liability insurance for its directors and officers covering, subject to exceptions, any actual or alleged negligent act, error, omission, misstatement, misleading statement, neglect or breach of duty by such directors or officers, individually or collectively, in the discharge of their duties in their capacities as directors and officers of the Company.

 

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AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

 

The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors currently consists of three members of the Board, each of whom is independent under our standards of director independence. In accordance with Rule 407(a)(1)(ii) of Regulation S-K, we use the definition of independence as set forth in the rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market. The Audit Committee met five times during 2018 and operates under a formal written charter, which has been approved by the Board of Directors. The Audit Committee reviews and assesses the adequacy of its charter on an annual basis.

 

Our management is responsible for the preparation, presentation and integrity of our financial statements and for establishing and maintaining the integrity of our accounting and financial reporting processes, including our system of internal control over financial reporting, the audit process and the process for monitoring compliance with laws and regulations and ethical business standards. Our independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for performing an independent audit of our annual consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and expressing an opinion and issuing a report as to the conformity of such financial statements with generally accepted accounting principles, as well as for issuing a report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. The role of the Audit Committee is to assist the Board of Directors in fulfilling its responsibilities to monitor and oversee the quality and integrity of these financial reporting processes, including reviewing the annual and quarterly financial information in the Company’s SEC reports and filings, and evaluating our system of internal controls established by our management. Additionally, the Audit Committee has the sole authority to appoint, retain, fix the compensation and other terms of, oversee and terminate our independent registered public accounting firm and to grant the prior approval of the nature and scope of and the fee arrangements for audit and permitted non-audit services by our independent registered public accounting firm.

 

In discharging its oversight responsibilities, the Audit Committee reviewed and discussed with management and with GBQ, our independent registered public accounting firm, our audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018. The Audit Committee met with GBQ, with and without management present, to discuss and review the results of their examination of our financial statements, our internal control over financial reporting and the overall quality and acceptability of our financial reporting and accounting principles. The Audit Committee also discussed with GBQ the matters required to be discussed by Auditing Standards No. 1301, “Communications with Audit Committees,” as amended, as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. The Audit Committee also considered and discussed with management and GBQ other areas of oversight relating to the financial reporting and audit process that the Audit Committee determined appropriate.

 

In addition, the Audit Committee received from GBQ the written disclosures and the letter from GBQ required by applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding the independent registered public accounting firm’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence. The Audit Committee discussed with GBQ their independence and considered the compatibility of non-audit services performed by GBQ with their independence.

 

Based upon the reviews and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that our audited consolidated financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, which we filed with the SEC on April 1, 2019. In addition, the Audit Committee appointed GBQ as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019, and recommends that stockholders ratify that appointment.

 

The members of the Audit Committee are not professional accountants or members of a registered public accounting firm, and, as specified in its charter, it is not the duty of the Audit Committee to prepare financial statements, to plan or conduct audits or to determine that our consolidated financial statements are complete and accurate and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. In discharging its duties, the Audit Committee has relied on (i) management’s representation that our annual consolidated financial statements were prepared with integrity and objectivity and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and (ii) the report of our independent registered public accounting firm with respect to such financial statements.

 

  Audit Committee
  Robert Schroeder, Chairman
 

Rye D’Orazio

Roger Kahn

 

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INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

 

To the extent that this proxy statement is incorporated by reference into any other filing by us under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, the sections of this proxy statement entitled “Audit Committee Report” (to the extent permitted by the rules of the SEC) will not be deemed incorporated, unless specifically provided otherwise in such filing. In addition, information contained on or connected to our website is not incorporated by reference into this proxy statement and should not be considered part of this proxy statement or incorporated into any other filing that we make with the SEC.

 

Our 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, and our audited consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, accompany this proxy statement. We will provide, without charge, additional copies of our 2018 Annual Report to any stockholder upon receipt of a written request, addressed to us at:

 

Intellinetics, Inc.

2190 Dividend Dr.

Columbus, Ohio 43228

Attention: Investor Relations

 

Our 2018 Annual Report is also available electronically at http://www.intellinetics.com/investor-relations/sec-filings.

 

DELINQUENT SECTION 16(a) REPORTS

 

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our directors and officers, and persons who beneficially own more than ten percent (10%) of our common stock, who are hereinafter collectively referred to as the Reporting Persons, to file reports with the SEC of beneficial ownership and reports of changes in beneficial ownership of our common stock on Forms 3, 4 and 5. Reporting Persons are required by applicable SEC rules to furnish us with copies of all such forms filed with the SEC pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act. To our knowledge, based solely on our review of the copies of the Forms 3, 4 and 5 received by us during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 and representations that no other reports were required, we believe that all reports required to be filed by such persons with respect to the Company’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, were timely filed, with the exception of the following transactions:

 

On September 26, 2018, the Company issued a warrant to Robert Schroeder. The Form 4 associated with this transaction was filed January 9, 2019.

 

On September 26, 2018, the Company issued a warrant to Robert Taglich. The Form 4 associated with this transaction was filed April 26, 2019.

 

On September 26, 2018, the Company issued a warrant to Michael Taglich. The Form 4 associated with this transaction was filed April 26, 2019.

 

On January 11, 2018, the Company issued a warrant to Robert Schroeder. The Form 4 associated with this transaction was filed September 28, 2018.

 

On January 11, 2018, the Company issued a warrant to Robert Taglich. The Form 4 associated with this transaction was filed September 28, 2018.

 

On January 11, 2018, the Company issued a warrant to Michael Taglich. The Form 4 associated with this transaction was filed September 28, 2018.

 

On January 8, 2018, Roger Kahn received common stock as compensation for his services as a director. The Form 4 associated with this transaction was filed January 26, 2018.

 

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STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS

 

Stockholders may submit proper proposals for consideration at future stockholder meetings, if they comply with the requirements of federal and state laws and regulations and our amended and restated Bylaws, which are summarized below.

 

Proposals to be Included in our Proxy Materials

 

In order for a stockholder proposal to be considered for inclusion in our proxy materials for our 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, the written proposal must be received by our Secretary at our principal executive offices on or before January 2, 2020. In addition, stockholder proposals must otherwise comply with the requirements of Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act, including the SEC regulations under Rule 14a-8. The timely submission of a stockholder proposal does not guarantee that it will be included in our proxy materials for the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders.

 

Notice and Other Information

 

All notices of nominations for director and proposals of other items of business by stockholders, whether or not to be included in our proxy materials, must be sent to us as follows:

 

Intellinetics, Inc.

2190 Dividend Dr.

Columbus, Ohio 43228

Attention: Secretary

 

Any stockholder proposal or director nomination must also comply with all other applicable provisions of our Articles of Incorporation and our Bylaws, the Exchange Act (including the rules and regulations under the Exchange Act), and Nevada law. We reserve the right to reject, rule out of order or take other appropriate action with respect to any proposal or nomination that does not comply with these and other applicable requirements. If we do not exclude the proposal, then the persons appointed as proxies in the proxy card solicited by the Board of Directors for the 2019 annual meeting may exercise discretionary voting authority to vote in accordance with their best judgment on any proposal submitted outside of Rule 14a-8.

 

OTHER MATTERS

 

As of the date of this proxy statement, the Board of Directors knows of no other matters to be presented at the Annual Meeting. However, if any other matters are properly presented at the Annual Meeting, the persons appointed as proxies in the accompanying proxy card will have the discretionary authority to vote the shares represented by the proxy card on such matters in accordance with their best judgment.

 

  By Order of the Board of Directors
   
  James F. DeSocio
  President and Chief Executive Officer

 

Columbus, Ohio

April 30, 2019

 

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for

the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be Held on June 12, 2019:

This proxy statement and our 2018 Annual Report to Stockholders are available at

http://www.intellinetics.com/investor-relations/sec-filings.

 

 31 

 

 

INTELLINETICS, INC.

 

Annual Meeting Proxy Card

 

THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE 2019 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD JUNE 12, 2019

 

The undersigned stockholder of Intellinetics, Inc. hereby appoints James DeSocio or Joseph Spain, or either of them, with full power and substitution, as proxy or proxies of the undersigned, to represent the undersigned, and to exercise all the powers that the undersigned would have if personally present to act and to vote all of the shares of Intellinetics, Inc. that the undersigned is entitled to vote, at the 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Intellinetics, Inc. called to be held on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. at the offices of Intellinetics, located at 2190 Dividend Dr., Columbus, Ohio 43228, and at any adjournments or postponements thereof.

 

The shares represented by this proxy card when properly executed will be voted as specified. If no specification is made, the shares will be voted FOR all director nominees in Proposal 1 and FOR Proposal 2 in accordance with the discretion of the proxies upon such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof. All proxies previously given are hereby revoked. Receipt of the accompanying Proxy Statement is hereby acknowledged.

 

To submit your proxy by email: send a pdf version of this completed and signed form to our transfer agent at amy@standardregistrar.com by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on June 11, 2019.

 

To submit your proxy by mail: send to

 

Standard Registar & Transfer Co. Inc.

12528 South 1840 East

Draper, UT 84020

 

A. Proposals—The Board of Directors recommends a vote FOR each nominee listed in Proposal 1, and a vote FOR Proposal 2:

 

1. To elect six directors, to hold office for a term of one year.

 

    For    Withhold 
Matthew L. Chretien   [  ]    [  ] 
           
    For    Withhold 
Rye D’Orazio   [  ]    [  ] 
           
    For    Withhold 
Robert C. Schroeder   [  ]    [  ] 
           
    For    Withhold 
Sophie Pibouin   [  ]    [  ] 
           
    For    Withhold 
Roger Kahn   [  ]    [  ] 
           
    For    Withhold 
James DeSocio   [  ]    [  ] 

 

2. To ratify the appointment of GBQ Partners LLC as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2019. For
[  ]
Against [  ] Abstain [  ]

 

3. In their discretion, the proxies are authorized to take action and to vote upon such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournments or postponements thereof.

 

B. Authorized Signatures—This section must be completed for your vote to be counted.—Date and Sign Below

 

Please sign exactly as name(s) appears hereon. Joint owners should each sign. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, corporate officer, trustee, guardian or custodian, please give full title.

 

Signature 1 — Please keep signature within the box  

Signature 2 — Please keep

signature within the box

  Date(mm/dd/yy)
         
        /       /