UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

_______________

 

FORM 10-K/A

(Amendment No. 1)

10-K

(Mark One)

[x]ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

  For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2017

  For the Fiscal Year ended December 31, 2015

 

[ ]TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

  For the Transition Period from ________ to ________

  For the Transition Period from ________ to ________

 

Commission File Number001-36589

_______________

 

WILHELMINA INTERNATIONAL, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware74-2781950

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

(IRS Employer

Identification Number)

  
200 Crescent Court, Suite 1400, Dallas, Texas75201
(Address of principal executive offices)(Zip Code)

 

(214) 661-7488

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of Each ClassName of Each Exchange on which Registered
Common Stock, $0.01 Par ValueNASDAQNasdaq Capital Market

 

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock Purchase Rights

(Title of Class) None

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.   [  ] Yes   [x] No

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.   [  ] Yes   [x] No

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.   [x] Yes   [  ] No

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

[x]   [x] Yes   [  ] No

 

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Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. [ ]

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.  (Check one):

 

Large Accelerated Filer [  ]Accelerated Filer [  ]
Non-Accelerated Filer [  ]Smaller Reporting Company [x]

Emerging growth company [ ]

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. [ ]

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).   [  ] Yes   [x] No

 

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s outstanding Common Stockcommon stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant computed by reference to the price at which the Common Stockcommon stock was last sold, as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter was $12,391,792.$14.0 million.

 

As of April 29, 2016,March 22, 2018, the registrant had 5,781,6765,381,668 shares of Common Stockcommon stock outstanding.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

None.The information required by Part III is incorporated by reference from the registrant’s definitive proxy statement to be filed with the Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this report.

 

 

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EXPLANATORY NOTE

WILHELMINA INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

 

Wilhelmina International, Inc. (together with subsidiaries, the “Company” or “Wilhelmina”) is filing this Amendment No. 1Annual Report on Form 10-K/A (the “Amendment”) to its10-K

For the Year Ended December 31, 2017

PAGE
PART I
ITEM 1.BUSINESS4
ITEM 1A.RISK FACTORS8
ITEM 1B.UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS8
ITEM 2.PROPERTIES8
ITEM 3.LEGAL PROCEEDINGS8
ITEM 4.MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES9
PART II
ITEM 5.MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES9
ITEM 6.SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA10
ITEM 7.MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS10
ITEM 7A.QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK14
ITEM 8.FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA14
ITEM 9.CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE15
ITEM 9A.CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES15
ITEM 9B.OTHER INFORMATION15
PART III
ITEM 10.DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE15
ITEM 11.EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION15
ITEM 12.SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS15
ITEM 13.CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE16
ITEM 14.PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES16
PART IV
ITEM 15.EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES17
ITEM 16.FORM 10-K SUMMARY19
SIGNATURES20

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FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, filed withcontains certain “forward-looking statements” as such term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 29, 2016 (the “Original Form 10-K”), for the primary purposeAct of including therein the information required by Items 10 through 141933, as amended, Section 21E of Part III which was previously omitted in reliance on General Instruction G to Form 10-K. This Amendment amends and restates Items 10 through 14 of Part III in their entirety. This Amendment also amends the cover page of the Original Form 10-K to (a) reflect the disclosure in this Amendment of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K, (b) update the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding, and (c) delete the reference to incorporation by reference of the information required by Part III. In addition, Item 15(b) of Part IV is amended and restated to correct certain exhibit descriptions and to add as Exhibits 31.3 and 31.4 the certifications required by Rule 13a-14(a) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements relating to Wilhelmina International, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries the “Company” or “Wilhelmina”) are based on the beliefs of the Company’s management as well as information currently available to the Company’s management. When used in this report, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect” and “intend” and words or phrases of similar import, as they relate to the Company or Company management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, in particular, projections about the Company’s future results, statements about its plans, strategies, business prospects, changes and trends in its business and the markets in which it operates. Additionally, statements concerning future matters such as gross billing levels, revenue levels, expense levels, and other statements regarding matters that are not historical are forward-looking statements. Management cautions that these forward-looking statements relate to future events or the Company’s future financial performance and are subject to business, economic, and other risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements of its business or its industry to be materially different from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. Should any one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated, expected or intended. The Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements. As a result, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

PART I

ITEM 1.BUSINESS

DESCRIPTION OF THE WILHELMINA BUSINESS

Overview

The primary business of Wilhelmina is fashion model management. These business operations are headquartered in New York City. The Company’s predecessor was founded in 1967 by Wilhelmina Cooper, a renowned fashion model, and became one of the oldest, best known and largest fashion model management companies in the world. Since its founding, Wilhelmina has grown to include operations located in Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, and London, as well as a network of licensees in various local markets in the U.S. and international markets. Wilhelmina provides traditional, full-service fashion model and talent management services, specializing in the representation and management of models, entertainers, artists, athletes and other talent to various clients, including retailers, designers, advertising agencies, print and electronic media and catalog companies. The Company was incorporated in the State of Delaware in 1996.

Organization and Operating Divisions

The Company acquired the predecessor companies constituting its current primary business in 2008. The Company conducts its business through operating divisions and subsidiaries engaged in fashion model management and other complementary businesses. These business activities are focused on the following key areas:

·Fashion model management
·Hair & make-up artist representation
·Celebrity management
·Licensing and branding associations

Fashion Model Management

Wilhelmina is focused on providing fashion modeling talent and social media influencer services to clients such as advertising agencies, branded consumer goods companies, fashion designers, magazine publications, retailers, department stores, product catalogs and Internet sites.

The fashion model/talent/influencer management industry can be divided into many subcategories, including advertising campaigns as well as catalog/e-commerce, runway, showroom and editorial work. Advertising work involves modeling for advertisements featuring consumer products such as cosmetics, clothing and other items to be placed in magazines and newspapers, on billboards and with other types of media. Catalog and e-commerce work involves modeling of products to be sold through promotional catalogs and Internet commerce sites. Runway work involves modeling at fashion shows, which primarily take place in Paris, Milan, London and New York City. Showroom work involves on-site modeling of products at client showrooms and other events and production “fit” work whereby a model serves as the sizing model for apparel items. Editorial work involves modeling for the cover and editorial sections of magazines.  

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Clients pay for talent to appear in photo shoots for magazine features, print advertising, direct mail marketing, product catalogs and Internet sites, as well as to appear in runway shows to present new designer collections, fit modeling, and on-location presentations and events.  In addition, talent may also appear in film and television commercials. Wilhelmina develops and diversifies its talent portfolio through a combination of ongoing local, regional and international scouting and talent-search efforts to source new talent, as well as cooperating with other agencies that represent talent.

Within its fashion model management business, Wilhelmina has two primary sources of service revenue:  (i) commissions paid by models as a percentage of their gross earnings; and (ii) service charges paid by clients in addition to booking fees, calculated as a percentage of the models’ booking fees.  Wilhelmina believes that its commission rates and service charges are comparable to those of its principal competitors.

Wilhelmina’s fashion model management operations are organized into divisions called “boards,” each of which specializes by the type of models it represents. Wilhelmina’s boards are generally described in the table below.

Board NameLocationTarget Market
WomenNYC, LA, Miami, Chicago, LondonHigh-end female fashion models
MenNYC, LA, Miami, Chicago, LondonHigh-end male fashion models
DirectNYC, LA, MiamiEstablished/commercial male/female fashion models
CurveNYC, LA, LondonFull-figured female fashion models
ShowroomNYCLive modeling and designer fit clothing modeling
FitnessNYC, LAAthletic models

Each major board is headed by a director who manages the agents assigned to the board. The agents of each board act both as bookers (including promoting models, negotiating fees and contracting work) and as talent scouts/managers (including providing models with career and development guidance and helping them better market themselves). Although agents individually develop professional relationships with models, models are represented by a board collectively and not by a specific agent. Wilhelmina’s organization into boards enables Wilhelmina to provide clients with services tailored to their particular needs, to allow models to benefit from agents’ specialized experience in their particular markets, and to limit Wilhelmina’s dependency on any specialty market or agent.

Most senior agents are employed pursuant to employment agreements that include noncompetition provisions such as a prohibition from working with Wilhelmina’s models and clients for a certain period of time after the end of the agent’s employment with Wilhelmina. Wilhelmina typically signs its models to three-year exclusive contracts, which it actively enforces.

The Aperture division operates in New York and Los Angeles, and offers models and actors representation for commercials, film, and television. 

The Company previously owned an unconsolidated 50% interest in Wilhelmina Kids & Creative Management LLC (“Kids”), a New York City-based modeling agency that specialized in representing child models/talents, from newborns to children 14 years of age. On December 9, 2016, the owners of Kids agreed to dissolve Kids and ceased related business operations of Kids. On March 1, 2017, the Company paid $0.1 million to another owner of Kids in accordance with the December 9, 2016 agreement to liquidate the enterprise. As a result, Wilhelmina no longer maintains a child models division.

Wilhelmina London Limited (“London”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Wilhelmina International, Inc., was acquired in January 2015. The London subsidiary establishes a footprint for the Company in Western Europe, provides a base of operations to service the Company’s European clients, and serves as a new talent development office for European models and artists. In November 2015, the Company added a London Men’s board to increase the presence of the Wilhelmina brand in Europe.

In September 2016, Wilhelmina opened a Chicago office to expand the Company’s presence in the midwest region of the United States.

In 2017, Wilhelmina added a Curve board in both London and Los Angeles to address an increasing demand for full figured models in these markets.

Hair & Make-up Artist Representation

The Company represents artists in the hair, makeup, photography, and stylist arenas. These artists work on projects across the globe for well-known celebrities and companies in the media, advertising, retail, pharmaceutical and music industries. In addition, their work appears in top magazines and on the runways of major fashion houses. 

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Celebrity Management

Wilhelmina Artist Management, LLC (“WAM”) is a wholly-owned talent management company that seeks to secure endorsement and spokesperson work for celebrities from the worlds of sports, music and entertainment. WAM has two primary sources of revenue: (i) commissions paid by talent as a percentage of their gross earnings; and (ii) royalties or a service charge paid by clients. Wilhelmina celebrity management works with emerging artists and established celebrity names to match them with leading fashion brands and companies.

Licensing & Branding Associations

Wilhelmina Licensing, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary that collects third-party licensing fees in connection with the licensing of the “Wilhelmina” name. Third-party licensees include several leading fashion model agencies in local markets in the U.S. and internationally. A consumer products license for fragrance and cosmetics is also in effect. The film and television business consists of occasional television syndication royalties and production series contracts. Also, from time to time, the Company conducts model search contests and other events in an effort to expand the Wilhelmina brand and recruit talent.

Competition

The fashion model/talent management business is highly competitive. New York City, Los Angeles and Miami, as well as London, Paris, Milan, Barcelona, Stockholm, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Sao Paulo, are considered the most important markets for the fashion talent management industry.  Most of the leading international firms are headquartered in New York City. Wilhelmina’s principal competitors include other large fashion model management businesses in the U.S., including IMG Models, Elite Model Management, Ford Models, Inc., DNA Model Management, NEXT Model Management, The Lions Model Management, Women 360 Management, New York Model Management, and Marilyn Model Agency. However, Wilhelmina is the only publicly-owned fashion talent management company in the world.

Competition also includes foreign agencies and smaller U.S. agencies in local markets that recruit local talent and cater to local market needs.  Several of the larger fashion talent firms operate offices in multiple cities and countries or have chosen to partner with local or foreign agencies.

The Company believes that its sources of revenue (mainly generated from commissions and service charges) are comparable to those of its principal competitors.  Therefore, for the Company to obtain a competitive advantage, it must develop and maintain a deep pool of talent and deliver high quality service to its clients.  The Company believes that through its scouting efforts, search contests, licensing network, advertising and television shows it is able to recruit a deeper pool of talent relative to its competitors. These recruitment tools, coupled with the broad range of fashion boards available to the Company’s talent, enable the Company to develop talent and generate a broader range of revenues relative to its principal competitors. While a broad range of talent and boards provides a level of stability to the business, certain talent may be more inclined to work with a boutique agency that may appear to tailor more specifically to their needs.

Also, for more than 50 years, Wilhelmina and its predecessors have created long-standing client relationships and a number of business activities related to the fashion model management business that provide exposure to diverse markets and demographics. The Company has also developed a professional workforce with years of talent management experience.

Clients and Customers

        As of December 31, 2017, Wilhelmina represented a roster of approximately 2,500 active models and talent. Wilhelmina’s active models include Karolína Kurková, Francisco Lachowski, I-Hua Wu, Veronika Vilim, Sora Choi, Marlon Teixeira, Anne de Paula, Georgia Gibbs, Parker Gregory, Victoria Schons, Nicole Atieno, Ninouk Akkerman, Anna de Rijk, Avie Acosta, Miss Fame, Jegor Venned, Hao Yun Xiang, Race Imboden, Wallette Watson, Marianna Dantec, Eli Cruz, Hunter McGrady, Lulu Bonfils, Luke Hemmings, Janis Ancens, Alex Lundqvist, Clark Bockelman, Armando Cabral, Vanessa Cruz, Rayla Guimaraes Jacunda, RJ King, Ida Lundgren, Gracie Phillips, Mia Kang, Claudio Montiero, Ally Ertel and Nathan Owens. Wilhelmina’s celebrity talent includes Nicki Minaj, Shawn Mendes, Machine Gun Kelly, Niall Horan, RJ Mitte, Ellar Coltrane, Hopper Penn, Clara McGregor, and Leona Lewis.

Wilhelmina serves approximately 3,800 external clients. Wilhelmina’s customer base is highly diversified, with no one customer accounting for more than 3% of overall gross revenues. The top 100 clients of Wilhelmina together accounted for approximately 46% of overall gross revenues during 2017.

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Governmental Regulations

Certain jurisdictions in which Wilhelmina operates, such as California and Florida, require that companies maintain a Talent Agency License in order to engage in the “talent agency” business. The talent agency business is generally considered the business of procuring engagements or any employment or placement of a talent, where the talent performs in his or her artistic capacity.  Where required, the Wilhelmina subsidiaries operating in these jurisdictions maintain Talent Agency Licenses issued by those jurisdictions.  

Trends and Opportunities

The Company expects that the combination of Wilhelmina’s main operating base in New York City, the industry’s capital, with the depth and breadth of its talent pool, client roster and its diversification across various talent management segments, together with its geographical reach should make Wilhelmina’s operations more resilient to industry changes and economic swings than those of many of the smaller firms operating in the industry. Similarly, in the segments where Wilhelmina competes with other leading full service agencies, Wilhelmina believes it competed successfully in 2017.  

With total advertising expenditures on major media (television, Internet, outdoor, cinema, magazines, and newspapers) exceeding approximately $190 billion in recent years, North America is the world’s largest advertising market.  For the fashion talent management industry, including Wilhelmina, advertising expenditures on television, Internet, magazines, and outdoor are of particular relevance.

Strategy

Management’s strategy is to increase value to shareholders through the following initiatives:

increase Wilhelmina’s brand awareness and consideration among advertisers and potential talent;
expand the Wilhelmina network through strategic geographic market development;
expand the women’s high end fashion board;
expand the Aperture division’s representation in commercials, film, and television;
expand celebrity representation; and
promote model search contests and events and partner on media projects (television, film, books, etc.).

Due to the ubiquity of the Internet as a standard business tool, the Company has increasingly sought to harness the opportunities of the Internet and other digital media to improve its communications with clients and to facilitate the effective exchange of fashion model and talent information. The Company continues to make significant investments in technology (including developing in-house art and social media departments) in pursuit of gains in efficiency and better communications with clients.  At the same time, the Internet presents challenges for the Company, including (i) the cannibalization of traditional print media businesses, and (ii) pricing pressures with respect to digital media photo shoots and client engagements.

In September 2016, Wilhelmina opened a Chicago office to better provide models and talent with direct access to clients in the midwest region of the United States.

EMPLOYEES

As of December 31, 2017, the Company had 121 employees, 80 of whom were located in New York City, eight of whom were located at Wilhelmina’s Miami office, one of whom was located at Wilhelmina’s Chicago office, 17 of whom were located at Wilhelmina’s Los Angeles office, 13 of whom were located at Wilhelmina’s London office and two of whom were located at the corporate headquarters in Dallas.

TRADEMARKS AND LICENSING

The “Wilhelmina” brand is essential to the success and competitive position of the Company. Wilhelmina’s trademark is vital to the licensing business because licensees pay for the right to use the trademark. The Company has invested significant resources in the “Wilhelmina” brands in order to obtain the public recognition that these brands currently enjoy. Wilhelmina relies upon domestic and international trademark laws, license agreements and nondisclosure agreements to protect the “Wilhelmina” brand name used in its business. Trademarks registered in the U.S. have a duration of ten years and are generally subject to an indefinite number of renewals for a like period on appropriate application.

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ITEM 1A.RISK FACTORS

Not applicable to smaller reporting company.

ITEM 1B.UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2.PROPERTIES

The Company’s corporate headquarters are currently located at 200 Crescent Court, Suite 1400, Dallas, Texas 75201, which are also the offices of Newcastle Capital Management, L.P. (“NCM”).  NCM is the general partner of Newcastle Partners L.P. (“Newcastle”), the Company’s largest shareholder. The Company occupies a portion of NCM’s space on a month-to-month basis at $2,500 per month, pursuant to a services agreement entered into between the parties on October 1, 2006.

The following table summarizes information with respect to the material facilities of the Company for leased office space and model apartments:

Description of PropertyArea (sq. feet)Lease Expiration
   
Office for New York-based operations – New York, NY12,671February 28, 2021
Office for California-based operations – Los Angeles, CA3,605July 31, 2021
Office for Florida-based operations – Miami, FL2,100September 30, 2018
Office for London-based operations – London, UK995July 19, 2020
Office for Illinois-based operations – Chicago, IL1,800June, 30 2021
Two model apartments – Chicago, IL2,2002018
Two model apartments – London, UK2,6002018
Four model apartments – New York, NY6,8002018-2019
Two model apartments – Miami, FL2,0002018

The Company believes there is sufficient office space available at favorable leasing terms both to replace existing office space and to satisfy any additional needs the Company may have as a result of future expansion.

ITEM 3.LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

On October 24, 2013, a putative class action lawsuit was brought against the Company by former Wilhelmina model Alex Shanklin and others (the “Shanklin Litigation”), in New York State Supreme Court (New York County) by the same lead counsel who represented plaintiffs in a prior, now-dismissed action brought by Louisa Raske (the “Raske Litigation”). The claims in the Shanklin Litigation initially included breach of contract and unjust enrichment allegations arising out of matters similar to the Raske Litigation, such as the handling and reporting of funds on behalf of models and the use of model images. Other parties named as defendants in the Shanklin Litigation include other model management companies, advertising firms, and certain advertisers. On January 6, 2014, the Company moved to dismiss the Amended Complaint in the Shanklin Litigation for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted and other grounds, and other defendants also filed motions to dismiss. On August 11, 2014, the court denied the motion to dismiss as to Wilhelmina and other of the model management defendants. Further, on March 3, 2014, the judge assigned to the Shanklin Litigation wrote the Office of the New York Attorney General bringing the case to its attention, generally describing the claims asserted therein against the model management defendants, and stating that the case “may involve matters in the public interest.” The judge’s letter also enclosed a copy of his decision in the Raske Litigation, which dismissed that case. Plaintiffs retained substitute counsel, who filed a Second and then Third Amended Complaint. Plaintiffs’ Third Amended Complaint asserts causes of action for alleged breaches of the plaintiffs' management contracts with the defendants, conversion, breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing, and unjust enrichment. The Third Amended Complaint also alleges that the plaintiff models were at all relevant times employees, and not independent contractors, of the model management defendants, and that defendants violated the New York Labor Law in several respects, including, among other things, by allegedly failing to pay the models the minimum wages and overtime pay required thereunder, not maintaining accurate payroll records, and not providing plaintiffs with full explanations of how their wages and deductions therefrom were computed. The Third Amended Complaint seeks certification of the action as a class action, damages in an amount to be determined at trial, plus interest, costs, attorneys’ fees, and such other relief as the court deems proper. On October 6, 2015, Wilhelmina filed a motion to dismiss as to most of the plaintiffs’ claims, and oral argument on the motion was heard by the Court in June 2016. The Court entered a decision granting in part and denying in part Wilhelmina’s motion to dismiss on May 26, 2017. The Court (i) dismissed three of the five New York Labor Law causes of action, along with the conversion, breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing and unjust enrichment causes of action, in their entirety, and (ii) permitted only the breach of contract causes of action, and some plaintiffs’ remaining two New York Labor Law causes of action to continue, within a limited time frame. The plaintiffs and Wilhelmina have appealed the decision and the appeal has been fully briefed.  Oral argument will be scheduled in or after April 2018. The parties appeared before the Court for a status conference on July 18, 2017, and the Court directed the defendants to answer the Third Amended Complaint by August 16, 2017. Wilhelmina filed its Answer to the Third Amended Complaint on that date, and discovery in this action is continuing.  The Company believes the claims asserted in the Third Amended Complaint are without merit, and intends to continue to vigorously defend the action.

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On June 6, 2016, another putative class action lawsuit was brought against the Company by former Wilhelmina model Shawn Pressley and others (the “Pressley Litigation”), in New York State Supreme Court (New York County) by the same counsel representing the plaintiffs in the Shanklin Litigation, and asserting identical, although more recent, claims as those in the Shanklin Litigation. The Amended Complaint, asserting essentially the same types of claims as in the Shanklin action was filed on August 16, 2017 and Wilhelmina filed a motion to dismiss the Amended Complaint on September 29, 2017 which is scheduled to be argued on April 3, 2018. Discovery is proceeding in this case. The Company believes the claims asserted in the Pressley Litigation are without merit, and intends to vigorously defend the action.

In addition to the legal proceedings disclosed herein, the Company is also engaged in various legal proceedings that are routine in nature and incidental to its business. None of these routine proceedings, either individually or in the aggregate, are believed likely, in the Company's opinion, to have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position or its results of operations.

ITEM 4.MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

PART II

ITEM 5.MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Market Information

The Company’s $0.01 par value common stock has traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “WHLM” since September, 2014. Previously, the common stock was quoted in the over-the-counter market on the OTC Bulletin Board (“OTCBB”).

 

Except as described above, no other changes have been madeThe Company had 9,000,000 shares of common stock authorized at December 31, 2017.

The following table shows the high and low sales prices of the common stock for each calendar quarter of 2016 and 2017.

  High Low
Year Ended December 31, 2016:        
1st Quarter $7.30  $6.00 
2nd Quarter $7.50  $6.00 
3rd Quarter $8.82  $6.48 
4th Quarter $14.12  $8.08 
         
Year Ended December 31, 2017:        
1st Quarter $8.87  $7.10 
2nd Quarter $8.24  $5.80 
3rd Quarter $8.73  $5.67 
4th Quarter $6.99  $6.22 

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Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table provides information with respect to the Original Form 10-K.  This AmendmentCompany’s equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2017:

Plan Category Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a))
  (a) (b) (c)
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders  460,000   $7.34   340,000 
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders  -   -   - 
Total  460,000   $7.34   340,000 

Additional information regarding equity compensation can be found in the notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Issuer Repurchases

During 2012, the Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase program whereby the Company could repurchase up to 500,000 shares of its outstanding common stock. During 2013, the Board of Directors renewed and extended the Company’s share repurchase authority to enable it to repurchase up to an aggregate of 1,000,000 shares of common stock. On August 12, 2016, the Board of Directors increased by an additional 500,000 shares the number of shares of the Company’s common stock which may be repurchased under its stock repurchase program to an aggregate of 1,500,000 shares. The shares may be repurchased from time to time in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions at prices the Company deems appropriate. The program does not reflect events occurring afterobligate the filingCompany to acquire any particular amount of common stock and may be modified or suspended at any time at the Company’s discretion. No shares were repurchased under the stock repurchase program during 2017.

Shareholders

As of March 22, 2018 there were 5,381,668 shares of the Original Form 10-K, nor does it modifyCompany’s common stock outstanding held by 439 holders of record.   

Dividend Policy

The Company has not declared or update disclosures therein inpaid any way other than as expressly stated herein.  Among other things, forward-looking statements made incash dividends on its common stock during the Original Form 10-K have not been revised to reflect any events that may have occurred or facts that may have become known after the filingpast two completed fiscal years.  The Board of Directors of the Original Form 10-K. Consequently,Company expects to continue this Amendmentpolicy for the foreseeable future in order to retain cash for the continued expansion of the Company’s business. The Company’s credit agreement with Amegy Bank contains a covenant which could limit its ability to pay dividends on the common stock.

ITEM 6.SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

Not applicable to smaller reporting company.

ITEM 7.MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following is a discussion of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations comparing the calendar years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016. This section should be read in conjunction with the Original Form 10-KCompany’s Consolidated Financial Statements and the Company’s filings withNotes thereto that are incorporated herein by reference and the SEC subsequent toother financial information included herein and the filing of the Original Form 10-K.

Capitalized terms used herein without definition have the meaning set forth in the Original Form 10-K.notes thereto.

 

110

PART III

 

ITEM 10.DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

 

Directors and Executive OfficersOVERVIEW

 

The following table sets forth information regardingCompany’s primary business is fashion model management and complementary business activities. The business of talent management firms, such as Wilhelmina, depends heavily on the membersstate of the Boardadvertising industry, as demand for talent is driven by Internet, print and television advertising campaigns for consumer goods and retail clients. Wilhelmina believes it has strong brand recognition which enables it to attract and retain top agents and talent to service a broad universe of Directors (the “Board”)clients. In order to take advantage of these opportunities and support its continued growth, the executive officersCompany will need to continue to successfully allocate resources and staffing in a way that enhances its ability to respond to new opportunities. The Company continues to focus on tightly managing costs, recruiting top agents, and scouting and developing talent.

Although Wilhelmina has a large and diverse client base, it is not immune to global economic conditions. The Company closely monitors economic conditions, client spending, and other industry factors and continually evaluates opportunities to increase the market share of its existing boards and further expand its geographic reach. There can be no assurance as to the effects on Wilhelmina of future economic circumstances, technological developments, client spending patterns, client credit worthiness and other developments and whether, or to what extent, Wilhelmina’s efforts to respond to them will be effective.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS OF THE COMPANY FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017 COMPARED TO YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2016

In addition to net income, the key financial indicators that the Company reviews to monitor its business are revenues, model costs, operating expenses and cash flows.

The Company analyzes revenue by reviewing the mix of revenues generated by the different “boards”, each a specific division of the Company.  Directors are elected to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until their respective successors have been duly elected and qualified.  Executive officers are appointedfashion model management operations which specializes by the Boardtype of model it represents, by geographic locations and serve until their successors have been duly appointedfrom significant clients. Wilhelmina’s primary sources of revenue include: (i) revenues from principal relationships where the gross amount billed to the client is recorded as revenue when earned and qualified.

NameAgePositions with the Company
Mark E. Schwarz55Director and Executive Chairman
Clinton J. Coleman38Director
James A. Dvorak47Director
Horst-Dieter Esch73Director

Mark E. Pape

James C. Roddey

Jeffrey R. Utz

William J. Wackerman

James A. McCarthy

65

83

49

48

39

Director

Director

Director

Chief Executive Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Mark E. Schwarzcollectability is reasonably assured; and (ii) separate service charges, paid by clients in addition to the booking fees, which are calculated as a percentage of the models’ booking fees and are recorded as revenues when earned and collectability is reasonably assured. See “Critical Accounting Policies - Revenue Recognition.”.

 

Mr. Schwarz has served as a directorWilhelmina provides professional services. Therefore, salary and Chairmanservice costs represent the largest part of the Board since 2004,Company’s operating expenses. Salary and as Executive Chairman since 2012.  Mr. Schwarz wasservice costs are comprised of payroll and related costs and travel, meals and entertainment (“T&E”) to deliver the Company’s Chief Executive Officer from 2007services and to 2012.  Since 1993, Mr. Schwarz has indirectly controlled Newcastle Partners, L.P. (“Newcastle LP”), a private investment firm, and served as the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Portfolio Manager of its general partner, Newcastle Capital Management, L.P. (“NCM”). Mr. Schwarz presently serves as Chairman of the boards of directors of Hallmark Financial Services, Inc., a specialty property and casualty insurance company, and Rave Restaurant Group, Inc., an operator and franchisor of pizza restaurants. Mr. Schwarz is also presently a director of SL Industries, Inc., a developer of power systems used in a variety of aerospace, computer, datacom, industrial, medical, telecom, transportation and utility equipment applications. Within the past five years, Mr. Schwarz has served as a director of MedQuist, Inc., a provider of clinical documentation workflow solutions in support of electronic health records. He also serves as a director of various privately held companies. The Board believes that Mr. Schwarz should serve as a director of the Company due to his extensiveenable new business and investment expertise, broad director experience and significant direct and indirect shareholdings in the Company. (See,Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.)development activities.

 

Clinton J. ColemanAnalysis of Consolidated Statements of Operations

 For the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016                

 

Mr. Coleman has served as a director since 2011.  He has since 2010 served as the Chief Executive Officer of Bell Industries, Inc., a company primarily engaged in providing information technology services, and has been a director of Bell Industries since 2007.  Mr. Coleman has served as an investment professional with NCM since 2005, including as a Managing Director (2012 to present) and Vice President (2005 to 2012).  Mr. Coleman is also a director of Rave Restaurant Group, Inc., and served as its interim Chief Executive Officer from June to November 2012 and as its interim Chief Financial Officer from July 2006 to January 2007.  Prior to joining NCM, Mr. Coleman served as a portfolio analyst with Lockhart Capital Management, L.P., an investment partnership, from 2003 to 2005.  From 2002 to 2003, Mr. Coleman served as an associate with Hunt Investment Group, L.P., a private investment group.  Previously, Mr. Coleman was an associate director with the Mergers & Acquisitions Group of UBS.  Mr. Coleman is also a director of several privately held companies.  The Board believes that Mr. Coleman should serve as a director of the Company due to his experience in investment management and the management of publicly traded and privately held companies engaged in a wide range of industries, as well as his significant transactional experience.

(in thousands) 2017 2016 % Change
2017 vs 2016
Service revenues  73,162   82,044   -10.8%
License fees and other income  34   184   -81.5%
TOTAL REVENUES  73,196   82,228   -11.0%
Model costs  52,275   58,682   -10.9%
REVENUES NET OF MODEL COSTS  20,921   23,546   -11.1%
GROSS PROFIT MARGIN  28.6%  28.6%    
Salaries and service costs  14,103   14,893   -5.3%
Office and general expenses  5,132   5,647   -9.1%
Amortization and depreciation  906   594   52.5%
Corporate overhead  1,079   1,395   -22.7%
OPERATING INCOME  (299)  1,017   -129.4%
OPERATING MARGIN  -0.4%  1.2%    
Foreign exchange gain (loss)  (54)  14   * 
Loss on revaluation of contingent consideration  -   (30)  * 
Interest expense  (128)  (81)  58.0%
Loss from unconsolidated affiliate  (40)  (10)  300.0%
INCOME (LOSS) BEFORE INCOME TAXES  (521)  910   -157.3%
Current income tax expense  (362)  (296)  22.3%
Deferred tax benefit (expense)  1,046   (519)  -301.5%
Effective tax rate  -131.3%  89.6%    
NET INCOME  163   95   71.6%

 

James A. Dvorak

Mr. Dvorak has served as a director since 2011.  He has served as an investment professional with NCM since 2008, including as a Managing Director (2012 to present) and Vice President (2008 to 2012).  Mr. Dvorak served as a consultant and subsequently a Senior Investment Analyst with Falcon Fund Management, a Dallas-based investment firm, from 2006 to 2007, and as a Vice President with Fagan Capital, an investment firm located in Irving, Texas, from 1999 to 2006.  Previously, Mr. Dvorak was with Koch Industries, a diversified energy, chemicals and materials provider, as Chief Financial Officer of a business unit and as a board member of a Koch affiliate.  Mr. Dvorak has additional experience as a management consultant with Booz Allen & Hamilton in Chicago, Illinois. The Board believes that Mr. Dvorak should serve as a director of the Company due to his experience as a business executive, professional investor and management consultant, including expertise in strategic planning, business development and financial and operational analysis.* Not Meaningful

 

211

Horst-Dieter EschService Revenues

 

Mr. Esch has served as a director since 2010. He is a private investorThe Company’s service revenues fluctuate in response to its clients’ willingness to spend on advertising and since 2012, has served as the ChairmanCompany’s ability to have the desired talent available. The decrease of the Board of Directors of Snell Real Estate, a real estate agency10.8% in Las Cabos, Mexico.  From 2008 to 2011, he served as the Chairman of USA Team Handball, the national governing bodytotal service revenues for the Olympic sport of handball. During 2009, Mr. Esch was a consultantyear ended December 31, 2017 when compared to the Company. Mr. Eschyear ended December 31, 2016 was a principal owner and Chairman of Wilhelmina International, Ltd. and its affiliated companies prior to their acquisition by the Company in 2009. The Board believes that Mr. Esch should serve as a director of the Companyprimarily due to his lengthy experiencea decrease in core model bookings. The decrease in core model bookings in the United States was partially offset by an increase in core model bookings in the London office, from the Aperture division, and artist management business, his familiarity withfrom the history and operations of the Company and its predecessor, and his leadership, strategic planning and business development skills.  Celebrity division.

 

Mark E. PapeLicense Fees and Other Income

 

Mr. Pape has servedLicense fees and other income include management and administrative services from an unconsolidated affiliate and franchise revenues from independently owned model agencies that use the Wilhelmina trademark and various services provided by the Company. License fees decreased 81.5% for the year ended December 31, 2017, when compared to the year ended December 31, 2016, primarily due to a reduction in the number of licensed affiliates. 

Gross Profit Margin

Gross profit margins as a director since 2011.  He has served aspercentage of revenue for the Chairmanyear ended December 31, 2017, when compared to the year ended December 31, 2016 was relatively unchanged.

Salaries and Service Costs

Salaries and service costs consist of payroll and related costs and T&E costs required to deliver the Company’s services to its clients and talent. The 5.3% decrease in salaries and service costs during the year ended December 31, 2017 compared to the year ended December 31, 2016 was primarily attributable to severance paid to the Company’s former Chief Executive Officer and another employee in 2016, changes in personnel to better align the number of employees at each Wilhelmina office with the needs of each geographic region, and improved management of T&E costs in connection with delivering services to clients and models.

Office and General Expenses

Office and general expenses consist of office and equipment rents, advertising and promotion, insurance expenses, administration and technology cost.  During the year ended December 31, 2017, office and general expenses decreased 9.1% when compared to the year ended December 31, 2016, primarily due to recruiting fees related to the hiring of the boards of directors of H2Options, Inc., a water conservation design/installation firm, since 2009,Company’s new Chief Executive Officer and U.S. Rain Group, Inc., a private equity company investing in water conservation opportunities, since 2013.  He served as thenew Chief Financial Officer of Oryon Technologies, Inc., a lighting technology company, from 2010 to 2014, and an accrual for non-income tax expenses during 2016, as a director from May 2012 to January 2014.  Oryon Technologies, Inc. filed a petition under Chapter 11 of the federal Bankruptcy Codewell as decreases in May 2014. Mr. Pape served as a partner at Tatum LLC, an executive services firm, from 2008 to 2009.  From 2005 to 2007, he served as Executive Vice Presidentmarketing and Chief Financial Officer at Affirmative Insurance Holdings, Inc., a property/casualty insurance company specializingmodel apartment costs in non-standard automobile insurance, and served on its board of directors and audit committee from 2004 to 2005.  Mr. Pape served as the Chief Financial Officer of HomeVestors of America, Inc., a franchisor of home acquisition services, during 2005; as President and Chief Executive Officer of R.E. Technologies, Inc., a provider of software tools to the housing industry, from 2002 to 2005; as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of LoanCity.com, a start-up e-commerce mortgage bank, from 1999 to 2001; as Vice President-Planning for Torchmark Corporation, a life/health insurance holding company, from 1998 to 1999; as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of United Dental Care, Inc., a dental benefits insurance company, from 1995 to 1997; and as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of American Income Holding, Inc., a life insurance company, from 1991 to 1994. Previously, Mr. Pape was engaged in investment banking from 1979 to 1991 with First City National Bank of Houston, Merrill Lynch Capital Markets Group, the First Boston Corporation and then Bear, Stearns & Co. He began his career in 1974 as an auditor with KPMG LLP. He is a certified public accountant licensed in Texas. The Board believes that Mr. Pape should serve as a director due to his leadership and operational skills developed as a business executive, his background in finance and financial services, and his experience as a director of both private and public companies.2017.

 

James C. RoddeyAmortization and Depreciation

 

Mr. Roddey has served as a director of the Company since November 2013. He had previously served as a director from 2011Amortization and depreciation expense is incurred with respect to September 2013.  Mr. Roddey has served as a director of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP, an accountingcertain assets, including computer hardware, software, office equipment, furniture, and business advisory firm, since its acquisition of ParenteBeard, LLPintangibles. During 2017, amortization and depreciation expense totaled $0.9 million compared to $0.6 million in 2014. He had previously served as Principal-Business Consulting Services of the accounting and advisory firm of ParenteBeard and its predecessor, McCrory & McDowell LLC, since 2007.  Mr. Roddey was a partner at the Hawthorne Group, an investment and management company, from 2004 to 2007 and from 1978 to 2000.  From 2000 to 2004, he served as the Chief Executive of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.  Mr. Roddey was a director of SEEC, Inc., a software provider for the insurance and financial services industry, from 2005 to 2008.  Earlier in his career, he served as President and a director of Turner Communications, Inc. and Rollins Communication, Inc. and, while associated with the Hawthorne Group, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pittsburgh Outdoor Advertising, Gateway Outdoor Advertising and International Sports Marketing, among other companies. The Board believes that Mr. Roddey should serve as a director2016, primarily due to his lengthy executive experiencethe Company’s new accounting software put into service in a varietythe second half of industries through which he has developed significant managerial, operational and financial expertise.2016.

 

Jeffrey R. UtzCorporate Overhead

 

Mr. Utz has served as aCorporate overhead expenses include director ofand executive officer compensation, legal, audit and professional fees, corporate office rent and travel. Corporate overhead decreased $0.3 million for the Company since 2013. Sinceyear ended December 2015, he has served as an Area President of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., an international provider of property/casualty insurance and risk management programs. From 197831, 2017, when compared to 2015, Mr. Utz was a principal and owner of Silver King Insurance Holdings, Inc., an insurance agency and provider of benefits and risk management consulting services. Previously, he worked at Great American Insurance Company, a specialty insurance company, and Fred A. Moreton & Company, an insurance brokerage firm.  The Board believes that Mr. Utz should serve as a directorthe year ended December 31, 2016, primarily due to his experience as a business executive, including his leadership, operational, sales and marketing and business strategy skills, as well as his risk management expertise.lower legal fees in 2017.  

 

William J. WackermanOperating Margin

 

Mr. Wackerman becameOperating margin declined to -0.4% for the Company’s Chief Executive Officeryear ended December 31, 2017 compared to 1.2% for the year ended December 31, 2016, primarily as a result of decreased revenues outpacing savings in Januaryoperating expenses.

Foreign Currency Translation

The Company translates the assets and liabilities of its non-U.S. dollar functional currency subsidiaries into U.S. dollars using exchange rates in effect at the end of each period. Revenue and expenses for these subsidiaries are translated using rates that approximate those in effect during the period.  For the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company realized a loss on foreign currency of $54 thousand as compared to a gain of $14 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2016. He served as Executive Vice PresidentThe loss for the year ended December 31, 2017, was primarily due to exchange rate fluctuations in the British Pound and Publishing Director of Condé Nast, a division of Advance Publications, from 2010 to 2015.  Mr. Wackermann also served as Chief Revenue Officer of Condé Nast in 2015.  In these roles, he was responsible for revenue growth and marketing oversight of several Condé Nast brands, including Glamour, Condé Nast Traveler, W, Details, Bon Appétit and Brides. Mr. Wackermann previously served as Senior Vice President/Publishing Director at Condé Nast from 2008 to 2010 and Vice President/Publisher Glamour at Condé Nast from 2004 to 2008 (Senior Vice President commencing in 2006).the Euro.

 

312

James A. McCarthy

Revaluation of Contingent Consideration

In connection with the London acquisition, the Company recorded contingent consideration in 2015. The payment of this consideration was based upon London achieving certain benchmarks for the years ending 2015 and 2016. In 2016, the Company increased the contingent consideration by $30 thousand based on London’s expectation of meeting its benchmark for 2016. The contingent consideration of $0.1 million was paid in January 2017.

 

Mr. McCarthy was appointed Chief Financial Officer of the Company effective April 22, 2016. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. McCarthy had since 2009 served as the Controller of Orchard Media, Inc., a music, video and film distribution company that was ultimately acquired by a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. Previously, he had since 1999 been a Senior Manager at the international accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP. Mr. McCarthy is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in New York and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Georgetown University.

Family RelationshipsInterest Expense

There are no family relationships between any of the Company’s directors and executive officers.

Arrangements Regarding Election of Directors

In 2008, Mr. Esch and his affiliate, Lorex Investments AG (collectively, the “Esch Parties”), Brad Krassner and his affiliate, Krassner Family Investments Limited Partnership (collectively the “Krassner Parties”) and Newcastle LP entered into a Mutual Support Agreement with respect to the election of directors to the Board. The Mutual Support Agreement was subsequently amended in 2010 to provide for the election of independent directors. The Krassner Parties ceased to have any rights or obligations under the Mutual Support Agreement (as amended, the “MSA”) upon becoming the beneficial owner of less than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Common Stock in 2012. The MSA will terminate upon the earlier of (a) the written agreement of the parties, or (b) either the Esch Parties or Newcastle LP becoming the beneficial owner of less than 5% of the outstanding shares of the Common Stock.

Pursuant to the MSA, the Esch Parties and Newcastle LP have agreed to use their commercially reasonable efforts (including the voting of all of their shares of the Common Stock) to cause the Board to at all times be comprised of seven directors which include (a) three persons designated by Newcastle LP, (b) one person designated by Mr. Esch, (c) one additional person designated by Newcastle LP from a list of four independent candidates proposed by Mr. Esch, and (d) one additional person designated by Mr. Esch from a list of four independent candidates proposed by Newcastle LP. The MSA contains detailed provisions concerning the characteristics of the independent candidates to be proposed by each of Mr. Esch and Newcastle LP for selection by the other.

Messrs. Schwarz, Coleman and Dvorak have been elected to the Board as designees of Newcastle LP under the MSA and Mr. Esch has been elected to the Board as his own designee. In addition, pursuant to the MSA, Mr. Utz has been elected to the Board as an independent director proposed by Mr. Esch and designated by Newcastle LP and Mr. Pape has been elected to the Board as an independent director proposed by Newcastle LP and designated by Mr. Esch. Mr. Roddey was initially elected to the Board as an independent director proposed by Mr. Esch and designated by Newcastle LP, but was not re-proposed by Mr. Esch for election at the 2013 annual meeting of shareholders. However, in November 2013, the Board elected Mr. Roddey as a director to fill the vacancy previously created by the resignation of Mr. Krassner in September 2012.

Nominating Procedures

No changes to the procedures by which security holders may recommend nominees to the Board have been implemented since the Company’s disclosures in its Proxy Statement for the 2015 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

Audit Committee

 

The Board hasCompany incurs interest expense as a separately-designated Audit Committee comprisedresult a term loan with Amegy bank. Interest expense increased 58% for the year ended December 31, 2017 compared to the year ended December 31, 2016 due to the loan being drawn during 2016 and including a partial year of Mark E. Pape (Chairman), James C. Roddey and Jeffrey R. Utz.  The Board has determined that each memberinterest in 2016 compared to a full year of the Audit Committee is “independent” as defined by Nasdaq listing standards and Rule 10A-3(b)(1) under the Exchange Act. The Board has further determined that each of Messrs. Pape, Roddey and Utz qualify as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined under the Exchange Act.interest expense in 2017.

 

CodeUnconsolidated affiliate

Wilhelmina previously owned a non-consolidated 50% interest in Wilhelmina Kids & Creative Management LLC, a New York City-based modeling agency that specialized in representing child models. The Company incurred losses for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, attributable to its pro rata ownership interest in Kids. On December 9, 2016, the owners of ConductKids agreed to dissolve Wilhelmina Kids & Creative Management LLC and Ethicsceased related business operations of Kids, and the final expenses to wind down the operations of Kids were incurred in early 2017.

Income before Income Taxes

Income before income taxes declined $1.4 million to a loss of $0.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, compared to income of $0.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2016, primarily as a result of decreased revenues outpacing reduction in expenses.

Income Taxes

Generally, the Company’s combined effective tax rate is high relative to reported net income as a result of certain amounts of amortization and depreciation expense, stock based compensation, and corporate overhead not being deductible and income being attributable to certain states in which it operates. The Company operates in four states which have relatively high tax rates: California, New York, Illinois, and Florida. As of December 31, 2017, the Company had federal income tax loss carryforwards of $1.9 million.

 

The Board has adoptedU.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“The Act”) reduces the U.S. statutory tax rate from 35% to 21% for years after 2017 and imposes a Coderepatriation tax on deemed repatriated earnings of Business Conduct and Ethics (the “Codeforeign subsidiaries. The Company remeasured all deferred taxes as of Ethics”)December 31, 2017 to reflect the reduced rate that sets forth legal and ethical standardswill apply in future periods when these deferred taxes are settled or realized. We recognized a deferred tax benefit of conduct applicable$0.7 million attributable to all directors, officers and employeesthe effects of the Company.Tax Act. The CodeCompany’s deemed repatriation liability is not deemed material due to a foreign deficit.

Net Income

Net income increased 71.6%, to $0.2 million, for the year ended December 31, 2017, compared to $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2016, primarily due to a $1.5 million decrease in income tax expense due to the recognition of Ethics is availabledeferred income tax benefits, partially offset by the $1.4 million decline in income before income taxes.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Company’s cash balance decreased to $4.3 million at December 31, 2017 from $5.7 million at December 31, 2016. The cash balances decreased primarily as a result of $0.3 million net cash used by operating activities, $0.7 million cash used in investing activities, and $0.5 million cash used in financing activities.

The $0.7 million cash used in investing activities was attributable to purchases of property and equipment, including software, office furniture, and computer equipment. The $0.5 million of cash used in financing activities was attributable to interest payments on the company’s term loan.

The Company’s website athttp://wilhelmina.com/new-york/investor-relations.primary liquidity needs are for working capital associated with performing services under its client contracts and servicing its term loan. Generally, the Company incurs significant operating expenses with payment terms shorter than its average collections on billings. Based on 2018 budgeted and year-to-date cash flow information, management believes that the Company has sufficient liquidity to meet its projected operational expenses and capital expenditure requirements for the next twelve months.

 

413

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting ComplianceAmegy Bank Credit Agreement

 

The Company's executive officers, directorsCompany has a credit agreement with Amegy Bank which provides a $4.0 million revolving line of credit and beneficial ownerspreviously provided up to a $3.0 million term loan which could be drawn through October 24, 2016. The revolving line of more than 10%credit is subject to a borrowing base derived from 80% of eligible accounts receivable (as defined) and the Company’s minimum net worth covenant of $20.0 million. The revolving line of credit bears interest at prime plus 0.50% payable monthly. As of December 31, 2017, the Company had a $0.2 million irrevocable standby letter of credit outstanding under the revolving line of credit. The revolving line of credit presently expires on October 24, 2018.

On August 16, 2016, the Company drew $2.7 million of the Common Stockterm loan and used the proceeds to fund the purchase of shares of its common stock from Lorex Investments AG. The term loan bears interest at 4.5% per annum and is payable in monthly payments of interest only until November, 2016, followed by 47 equal monthly payments of principal and interest computed on a 60-month amortization schedule and a final payment of principal and interest due on October 24, 2020.

On May 4, 2017, the Company entered into a Seventh Amendment to Credit Agreement with Amegy Bank reducing the Company’s fixed charge coverage ratio through December 31, 2017. The Company obtained a waiver from Amegy Bank of its failure to satisfy the fixed coverage ratio for the quarter ended June 30, 2017. On August 1, 2017, the Company entered into an Eighth Amendment to Credit Agreement with Amegy Bank eliminating the requirement to test the fixed charge coverage ratio for the quarter ended September 30, 2017. Effective October 24, 2017, the Company entered into a Ninth Amendment to Credit Agreement and Second Amendment to Line of Credit with Amegy Bank extending the maturity of the revolving line of credit for one year and increasing the fee payable upon issuance of any letter of credit from 1.0% to 1.25% of the face amount of the letter of credit (but not less than $1,000).

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of December 31, 2017, the Company had outstanding a $0.2 million irrevocable standby letter of credit under the Company’s revolving credit facility with Amegy Bank. The letter of credit serves as security under the lease relating to the Company’s office space in New York City that expires February 2021.

Effect of Inflation

Inflation has not been a material factor affecting the Company’s business.  General operating expenses, such as salaries, employee benefits, insurance and occupancy costs, are subject to normal inflationary pressures.

Critical Accounting Policies

See Note 2 Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in the audited financial statements included herewith.

ITEM 7A.QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Not applicable to smaller reporting company.

ITEM 8.FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

The consolidated financial statements of the Company and the related report of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm thereon are included in this report at the pages indicated.

Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting FirmF-2
Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2017 and 2016F-3
Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income for the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016F-4
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity for the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016F-5
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016F-6
Notes to Consolidated Financial StatementsF-7

14

ITEM 9.CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

None.

ITEM 9A.CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

As of the end of the period covered by this report, the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act). Based on their evaluation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures, the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, with the participation of the Company’s management, have concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2017, to ensure that information required to filebe disclosed by the Company in the reports of ownershipthat it files or submits under the Exchange Act is (a) recorded, processed, summarized and changesreported within the time periods specified in ownershipthe SEC’s rules and forms and (b) accumulated and communicated to management, including the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f).  Under the supervision and with the participation of the Common Stock withCompany’s management, including the SEC. Based solely upon information provided toCompany’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, the Company conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017 based on the framework in Internal Control - Integrated Framework 2013 issued by individual directors, executive officers and beneficial owners, the Company believesCommittee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on that all such reports were timely filed during and with respect toevaluation, the fiscalCompany’s management concluded that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2017.

        During the year ended December 31, 2015, except2017, there were no changes in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting, that Messrs. Coleman, Dvorak, Pape, Roddey and Utz each failedmaterially affected, or are reasonably likely to file a Form 3 Initial Statement of Beneficial Ownership of Securities when he was first elected tomaterially affect, the Board. Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 9B.OTHER INFORMATION

None.

 

PART III

ITEM 10.DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The information required by Item 10 is incorporated by reference from the Company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this report.

ITEM 11.EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Summary Compensation Table

The following table summarizes the compensation earned during the fiscals years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, by each person who served as an executive officer of the Company at any time during fiscal 2015 and whose total compensation for fiscal 2015 exceeded $100,000 (the “Named Executive Officers”). 

Name and

Principal Position

YearSalary ($)Bonus ($)

Option

Awards ($)1,2

All Other

Compensation ($)

Total ($)

Mark E. Schwarz

Executive Chairman

2015

2014

150,000

150,000

---

---

---

---

---

---

150,000

150,000

Alex Vaickus3

Chief Executive Officer

2015

2014

500,000

500,000

---

---

---

257,917

---

---

500,000

757,917

David S. Chaiken4

Chief Accounting Officer

2015

2014

275,000

---

---

---

38,949

---

---

---

313,949

---

1Reflects the fair value of each stock option estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Assumptions used in calculating this amount are included in Note 10 to the financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report Form 10-K.

 

2On November 11, 2014, Mr. Vaickus was awarded options to purchase 100,000 shares of the Common Stock at an exercise price of $5.72 per share, which options vest in equal annual installments on the first five anniversaries of the grant date and expire ten years from the grant date. On January 23, 2015, Mr. Chaiken was awarded options to purchase 10,000 shares of the Common Stock at an exercise price of $5.64 per share. On June 16, 2015, the original options granted to Mr. Chaiken were cancelled and he was awarded replacement options to purchase 10,000 shares of the Common Stock at an exercise price of $5.85 per share, which options vest in equal annual installments commencing February 1, 2016 and expire on February 1, 2025.

The information required by Item 11 is incorporated by reference from the Company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this report.

ITEM 12.SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

 

3The employment of Mr. Vaickus was terminated as of January 26, 2016. All options held by Mr. Vaickus terminated unexercised in connection with the termination of his employment.

The information required by Item 12 is incorporated by reference from the Company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this report.

15

ITEM 13.CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

 

4Mr. Chaiken was appointed Chief Accounting Officer on January 23, 2015, and his employment was terminated on April 22, 2016.

The information required by Item 13 is incorporated by reference from the Company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this report.

 

ITEM 14.Employment AgreementsPRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

The information required by Item 14 is incorporated by reference from the Company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this report.

PART IV

 

Mr. Vaickus entered into an
ITEM 15.EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

(a) Documents Filed as Part of Report

1.Financial Statements:

The consolidated financial statements of the Company and the related report of the Company’s independent public accountants thereon have been filed under Item 8 hereof.

2.       Financial Statement Schedules:

The information required by this item is not applicable.

3.Exhibits:

The exhibits listed below are filed as part of or incorporated by reference in this report.  

16

Exhibit
NumberDescription of Exhibits
3.1Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Wilhelmina International, Inc. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 3.1 to Form S-1/A, filed January 30, 2012).
3.2Certificate of Amendment of the Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Wilhelmina International, Inc. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 3.1 to the Form 8-K, filed July 15, 2014).
3.3Certificate of Amendment of the Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Wilhelmina International, Inc. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 3.1 to Form 8-K filed July 12, 2017).
3.4Amended and Restated Bylaws of Wilhelmina International, Inc. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 3.2 to Form 8-K, filed May 24, 2011).
4.1Form of Stock Certificate of Common Stock of Billing Concepts Corp. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to Form 10-Q, filed May 15, 1998).
10.1Mutual Support Agreement, dated August 25, 2008, by and among Newcastle Partners, L.P., Dieter Esch, Lorex Investments AG, Brad Krassner and Krassner Family Investments Limited Partnership (incorporated by reference from Annex D to the Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed December 22, 2008).
10.2First Amendment to Mutual Support Agreement, dated October 18, 2010, by and among Newcastle Partners, L.P., Dieter Esch, Lorex Investments AG, Brad Krassner and Krassner Family Investments Limited Partnership (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K filed October 21, 2010).
10.3Credit Agreement, dated as of April 20, 2011, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed May 5, 2011).
10.4Promissory Note, dated as of April 20, 2011, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. for the benefit of Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K filed May 5, 2011).
10.5Pledge and Security Agreement, dated as of April 20, 2011, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.3 to Form 8-K filed May 5, 2011).
10.6Guaranty, dated as of April 20, 2011, by the guarantor signatories thereto for the benefit of Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.4 to Form 8-K filed May 5, 2011).
10.7First Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated January 1, 2012, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed January 19, 2012).
10.8Amended and Restated Line of Credit Promissory Note, dated as of January 1, 2012, by Wilhelmina International, Inc. for the benefit of Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K filed January 19, 2012).
10.9First Amendment to Pledge and Security Agreement, dated as of January 1, 2012, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.3 to Form 8-K filed January 19, 2012).
10.10Second Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated as of October 24, 2012, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed October 30, 2012).
10.11Second Amended and Restated Line of Credit Promissory Note, dated as of October 24, 2012, by Wilhelmina International, Inc. for the benefit of Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K filed October 30, 2012).
10.12Second Amendment to Pledge and Security Agreement, dated as of October 24, 2012, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.3 to Form 8-K filed October 30, 2012).

17

10.13Third Amendment to Pledge and Security Agreement, dated as of July 31, 2014, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.30 to Form 10-K filed March 27, 2015).
10.14Fourth Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated November 10, 2015, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.32 to Form 10-Q filed November 16, 2015).
10.15Third Amended and Restated Line of Credit Promissory Note, dated November 10, 2015, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.33 to Form 10-Q filed November 16, 2015).
10.16Term Loan Promissory Note, dated November 10, 2015, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.34 to Form 10-Q filed November 16, 2015).
10.17Third Amendment to Pledge and Security Agreement, dated November 10, 2015, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.35 to Form 10-Q filed November 16, 2015).
10.18Fifth Amendment to Credit Agreement dated May 13, 2016, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., Amegy Bank National Association and the guarantors signatory thereto (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed May 17, 2016).
10.19Sixth Amendment to Credit Agreement and First Amendment to Line of Credit Note dated November 9, 2016, between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and Amegy Bank (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.2 to Form 10-Q filed November 14, 2016).
10.20Seventh Amendment to Credit Agreement dated May 4, 2017, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto, and Amegy Bank (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed May 8, 2017).
10.21Eighth Amendment to Credit Agreement and Waiver dated August 1, 2017, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto, and Amegy Bank (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed August 4, 2017).
10.22Ninth Amendment to Credit Agreement and Second Amendment to Line of Credit Note dated October 24, 2017, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto, and Amegy Bank (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.2 to Form 10-Q filed November 9, 2017).
*10.23Wilhelmina International, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed June 16, 2015).
*10.24Form of Stock Option Grant Agreement (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.21 to Form 10-K filed March 23, 2017).
*10.25Employment Agreement, with the Company on August 29, 2012 and was subsequently appointed Chief Executive Officer on September 25, 2012.  The Employment Agreement provided for Mr. Vaickus to be paid (a) a base annual salary of $500,000, and (b) an annual performance bonus ranging from 7.5% to 15% of pre-bonus EBITDA (as defined therein) in excess of certain thresholds starting at $5.5 million per year. The Employment Agreement also provided for the annual grant to Mr. Vaickus of options to purchase 100,000 shares of the Common Stock at an exercise equal to the closing price on the date of grant, with such options to vest in five equal annual installments and terminate ten years from the grant date.

The employment of Mr. Vaickus was terminated by the Companydated as of January 26, 2016. In accordance with2016, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and William Wackermann (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to the terms of theForm 8-K filed February 1, 2016).

*10.26Amended and Restated Employment Agreement the Company is payingdated June 29, 2016, between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and William J Wackermann (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Mr. Vaickus his base salaryForm 8-K filed June 30, 2016).
*10.27Letter agreement dated April 4, 2016 between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and James McCarthy (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed April 25, 2016).
10.28Stock Purchase Agreement dated August 16, 2016, between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and Lorex Investments AG (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed August 17, 2016).
21.1List of $41,667 per month for five months following the dateSubsidiaries (filed herewith).
31.1Certification of termination. All options held by Mr. Vaickus terminated unexercised in connection with the termination of his employment. Pursuant to the Employment Agreement, Mr. Vaickus is restricted from competing with the Company for a period of one year from the date of termination and is subject to certain covenants of confidential and non-solicitation.

5

Mr. Chaiken was appointed Chief Accounting Officer of the Company on January 23, 2015, pursuant to an Offer Letter providing for an annual base salary of $275,000, increasing to $300,000 upon the satisfaction of certain objectives.  Mr. Chaiken was also eligible to earn an annual cash bonus of up to $40,000 based on the achievement of certain targets. In accordance with the Offer Letter, Mr. Vaickus was also granted options to purchase 10,000 shares of the Common Stock at an exercise price equal to the closing price on the date of grant, such options to vest in five equal annual installments and terminate ten years from the grant date.

The employment of Mr. Chaiken was terminated by the Company as of April 22, 2016. Pursuant to the terms of the Offer Letter, Mr. Chaiken will be paid his base salary of $45,833 per month for 60 days following the date of termination. Vested options held by Mr. Chaiken may be exercised for a period of 30 days following the termination of his employment. Pursuant to the Offer Letter, Mr. Chaiken is restricted from competing with the Company for a period of one year from the date of termination and is subject to certain covenants of confidential and non-solicitation.

Except as described above, the Company has no plans or arrangements that provide for payment to any NamedPrincipal Executive Officer in connectionAccordance with the resignation, retirement or other termination of such Named Executive Officer or a change in controlSection 302 of the Company.

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End Table

The following table sets forth certain information regarding equity awards held by the Named Executive Officers as of December 31, 2015, consisting solely of unexercised stock options.

Name

Number of Securities

Underlying Unexercised Options1

Option Exercise

Price ($)

Option

Expiration Date

Exercisable (#)Unexercisable (#)
Mark E. Schwarz------------
Alex Vaickus2

60,000

40,000

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

2.34

3.80

5.72

09/25/2022

09/25/2023

11/11/2024

David S. Chaiken3---10,0005.8502/01/2025

1All options granted to Mr. Vaickus vest in five equal annual installments from the date of grant. The options outstanding to Mr. Chaiken vest in five equal annual installments commencing February 1, 2016.

2The employment of Mr. Vaickus was terminated as of January 26, 2016. All options held by Mr. Vaickus terminated unexercised in connection with the termination of his employment.

3The employment of Mr. Chaiken was terminated as of April 22, 2016. Options to purchase 2,000 shares of the Common Stock which vested February 1, 2016 may be exercised for a period of 30 days following the date of termination.

Compensation of Directors

The Company’s current standard compensation arrangement for non-employee directors permits each non-employee director to elect to receive (a) an annual cash retainer of $28,000, (b) options to purchase 100,000 shares of the Common Stock at the closing price on the date of grant, or (c) a combination of cash retainer and stock options. During fiscal 2015, each non-employee director elected to receive all of his compensation in cash. The Chairman of the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee each receive an additional annual cash retainer of $2,500, and each member of the Audit Committee and Compensation Committee receive an additional annual cash retainer of $1,000.

The following table sets forth information concerning the compensation of the non-employee directors of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015.

6

Name

Fees Earned or

Paid in Cash ($)

Option Awards ($)1

All Other

Compensation ($)

Total ($)
Clinton J. Coleman29,000------29,000
James A. Dvorak29,000------29,000
Horst-Dieter Esch29,000------29,000
Mark E. Pape32,500------32,500
James C. Roddey32,500------32,500
Jeffrey R. Utz31,000------31,000

1As of December 31, 2015, no stock options were outstanding to any of the non-employee directors.

ITEM 12.SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

The following table sets forth information as of April 29, 2016, concerning beneficial ownership of the Common Stock of the Company by:

Any person or group known to beneficially own more than 5% of the Common Stock;

Each current director and current executive officer of the Company; and

All current directors and current executive officers as a group.

The information provided in the table is based on the Company’s records, information filed with the SEC and other information provided to the Company. The number of shares beneficially owned by each person or group is determined under SEC rules, and the information is not necessarily indicative of ownership for any other purpose. Under such rules, beneficial ownership includes any shares as to which the person or group has sole or shared voting or investment power and includes any shares that the person or group has the right to acquire within 60 days after the determination date through the exercise of any stock option or other right. Unless otherwise indicated, (a) all persons have sole voting and investment power (or share such powers with their spouse) with respect to the shares shown as beneficially owned by them, (b) the mailing address for all persons is the same as that of the Company, and (c) the directors and Named Executive Officers have not pledged as security any of the shares beneficially owned by them.

Beneficial Owner 

No. of Shares

Beneficially

Owned

 

Percent

Of Class

5% Beneficial Owners:        

Newcastle Partners, L.P.1,3

Newcastle Capital Management, L.P.1

Newcastle Capital Group, L.L.C. 1

NCM Services, Inc. 1

Schwarz 2012 Family Trust1

Mark E. Schwarz1

Clinton J. Coleman1

James A. Dvorak1

  2,430,725   42.0 

Lorex Investment AG2,3

Horst-Dieter Esch2,3

Peter Marty2

  1,441,395   24.9 
Wynnefield Capital, Inc.4  305,998   5.3 
Directors and Current Executive Officers:        
Mark E. Schwarz1,3  2,430,725   42.0 
Clinton J. Coleman5  ---   --- 
James A. Dvorak5  ---   --- 
Horst Dieter Esch2,3  1,441,395   24.9 
Mark E. Pape  ---   --- 
James C. Roddey  ---   --- 
Jeffrey R. Utz  ---   --- 
William J. Wackerman  ---   --- 
James A. McCarthy  ---   --- 
All directors and Named Executive Officers  3,872,120   67.0 

*Less than 1%.

7

1All shares are held by Newcastle LP, of which 861,899 shares are held in a margin account. The general partner of Newcastle LP is NCM, the general partner of NCM is Newcastle Capital Group, L.L.C. (“NCG”), the sole member of NCG is NCM Services, Inc. (“NCMS”), the sole shareholder of NCMS is the Schwarz 2012 Family Trust (“Schwarz Trust”) and the sole trustee of the Schwarz Trust is Mark E. Schwarz. Further, Newcastle LP, NCM, NCG, NCMS, the Schwarz Trust, Mr. Schwarz, Mr. Coleman and Mr. Dvorak may be considered a “group” for purposes of Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act. Accordingly, each of NCM, NCG, NCMS, the Schwarz Trust, Mr. Schwarz, Mr. Coleman and Mr. Dvorak may be deemed to beneficially own the shares of Common Stock directly owned by Newcastle LP. Each of NCM, NCG, NCM Services, the Schwarz Trust, Mr. Schwarz, Mr. Coleman and Mr. Dvorak disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held by Newcastle LP except to the extent of their respective pecuniary interest therein.

2All shares are held by Lorex. Mr. Esch is the sole stockholder of Lorex and shares voting and dispositive power over the shares held by Lorex with Peter Marty, its sole officer and director. Accordingly, each of Mr. Esch and Mr. Marty may be deemed to beneficially own the shares of Common Stock directly owned by Lorex. The address of Lorex is c/o Treuhand – u. Revisionsgesellschaft Mattig-Suter and Postner AG, Industriestrasse 22, Zug, CH-6302, Switzerland. The address of Dieter Esch is Carretera Transpeninsular Km. 27.5, San Jose del Cabo, B.C.S. Mexico 23400. The address of Peter Marty is c/o Mattig-Suter und Partner, Bahnhofstrasse 28, Schwyz, CH-6431, Switzerland.

3Newcastle LP, Lorex and Mr. Esch are parties to a Mutual Support Agreement pursuant to which they have agreed to vote their shares in a certain manner with respect to the election of directors of the Company. (See,Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance – Arrangements Regarding Election of Directors.) Newcastle LP, on the one hand, and Lorex and Mr. Esch, on the other hand, each disclaim beneficial ownership of shares held by the other.

4As reported in Form 13F filed February 16, 2016, for the period ended December 31, 2015. The address of Wynnefield Capital, Inc. is 450 Seventh Avenue, Suite 509, New York, New York 10123.

5Excluding shares held by Newcastle LP.

ITEM 13.CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

Transactions with Related Persons

The Company’s corporate headquarters are located at 200 Crescent Court, Suite 1400, Dallas, Texas 75201, which are also the offices of NCM. Pursuant to a services agreement with NCM, the Company receives the use of NCM’s facilities and equipment, as well as accounting, legal and administrative services from employees of NCM, on a month-to-month basis for a fixed fee of $2,500 per month. The Company paid $30,000 to NCM in each of fiscal 2015 and 2014 pursuant to the services agreement. Mr. Schwarz is the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Portfolio Manager of NCM, which is the general partner of Newcastle LP.   Messrs. Coleman and Dvorak are Managing Directors of NCM.  

Director Independence

The Board has determined that Messrs. Esch, Pape, Roddey and Utz are independent under Nasdaq’s listing standards. Both the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee are currently comprised of Messrs. Pape, Roddey and Utz, all of whom are independent under Nasdaq’s listing standards applicable to such committees. The Company does not presently have a separately-designated Nominating Committee.

8

ITEM 14.PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES

The firm of Montgomery Coscia Greilich LLP (“MCG”) has served as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the 2015 and 2014 fiscal years. The following table presents fees for professional services rendered by MCG for the audit of the Company’s consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, as well as fees billed for other services rendered by MCG during each period.

 Fiscal 2015Fiscal 2014
Audit Fees1$165,000$150,000
Audit-Related Fees------
Tax Fees2$41,094$73,816
All Other Fees------

1Represents fees for audit of the financial statements contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and review of financial statements included in its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. A portion of the fees attributable to the indicated fiscal year were paid in the subsequent fiscal year.

2Represents fees for professional services relating to tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning.

All services to be performed by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm must be approved in advance by the Audit Committee.  Limited amounts of services (other than audit, review or attest services) may be approved by one or more members of the Audit Committee pursuant to authority delegated by the Audit Committee, provided each such approved service is reported to the full Audit Committee at its next meeting. All of the services performed by MCG for the 2015 and 2014 fiscal years were pre-approved by the Audit Committee.

PART IV

ITEM 15.EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

(b)            Exhibits

3.1

Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Wilhelmina International, Inc. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 3.1 to Form S-1/A, dated January 30, 2012).

3.2

Certificate of Amendment of the Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Wilhelmina International, Inc. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 3.1 to the Form 8-K, dated July 10, 2014).

3.3

Amended and Restated Bylaws of Wilhelmina International, Inc. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 3.2 to Form 8-K, dated May 18, 2011).

4.1

Form of Stock Certificate of Common Stock of Billing Concepts Corp. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to Form 10-Q, dated March 31, 1998).

4.2

Rights Agreement, dated as of July 10, 2006, by and between New Century Equity Holdings Corp. and The Bank of New York Trust Company, N.A. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.2 to Form 8-K, dated July 10, 2006).

4.3

Form of Rights Certificate (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K, dated July 10, 2006).

4.4

Amendment to Rights Agreement, dated August 25, 2008, by and between New Century Equity Holdings Corp. and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K, dated August 26, 2008).

4.5

Second Amendment to Rights Agreement, dated July 20, 2009, by and between the Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K, dated July 21, 2009).

9
4.6

Third Amendment to Rights Agreement, dated February 9, 2010, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and the Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K, dated February 10, 2010).

4.7

Fourth Amendment to Rights Agreement, dated March 26, 2010, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and the Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K, dated March 30, 2010).

4.8

Fifth Amendment to Rights Agreement, dated April 29, 2010, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and the Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K, dated May 3, 2010).

4.9

Sixth Amendment to Rights Agreement, dated June 2, 2010, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and the Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K, dated June 2, 2010).

4.10

Seventh Amendment to Rights Agreement, dated July 2, 2010, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and the Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K, dated July 2, 2010).

4.11

Eighth Amendment to Rights Agreement, dated August 2, 2010, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and the Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K, dated August 2, 2010).

4.12

Ninth Amendment to Rights Agreement, dated September 2, 2010, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and the Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K, dated September 2, 2010).

4.13Tenth Amendment to Rights Agreement, dated October 1, 2010, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and the Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K, dated October 1, 2010).
4.14

Eleventh Amendment to Rights Agreement, dated October 18, 2010, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and the Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K, dated October 21, 2010).

4.15

Twelfth Amendment to Rights Agreement, dated December 8, 2010, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and the Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K, dated December 9, 2010).

4.16

Thirteenth Amendment to Rights Agreement, dated April 23, 2013, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and the Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K, dated April 23, 2013).

4.17

Fourteenth Amendment to Rights Agreement, dated July 10, 2014, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 4.1 to the Form 8-K, dated July 10, 2014).

4.18

Letter Agreement, dated as of April 24, 2013, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and Ronald L. Chez (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K, dated April 23, 2013).

4.19

Registration Rights Agreement, dated August 25, 2008, by and among New Century Equity Holdings Corp., Dieter Esch, Lorex Investments AG, Brad Krassner, Krassner Family Investments, L.P. and Sean Patterson (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K, dated August 26, 2008).

4.20

Registration Rights Agreement, dated February 13, 2009, by and between New Century Equity Holdings Corp. and Newcastle Partners, L.P. (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.3 to Form 8-K, dated February 18, 2009).

10.1

Mutual Support Agreement, dated August 25, 2008, by and among Newcastle Partners, L.P., Dieter Esch, Lorex Investments AG, Brad Krassner and Krassner Family Investments Limited Partnership (incorporated by reference from Annex D to the Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed December 22, 2008).

10.2

First Amendment to Mutual Support Agreement, dated October 18, 2010, by and among Newcastle Partners, L.P., Dieter Esch, Lorex Investments AG, Brad Krassner and Krassner Family Investments Limited Partnership (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K, dated October 21, 2010).

10
10.3

Credit Agreement, dated as of April 29, 2011, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K, dated April 29, 2011).

10.4

Promissory Note, dated as of April 20, 2011, of Wilhelmina International, Inc. for the benefit of Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K, dated April 29, 2011).

10.5

Pledge and Security Agreement, dated as of April 20, 2011, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.3 to Form 8-K, dated April 29, 2011).

10.6

Guaranty, dated as of April 20, 2011, by the guarantor signatories thereto for the benefit of Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.4 to Form 8-K, dated April 29, 2011).

10.7

First Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated January 1, 2012, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K, dated January 12, 2012).

10.8

Amended and Restated Line of Credit Promissory Note, dated as of January 1, 2012, by Wilhelmina International, Inc. for the benefit of Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K, dated January 12, 2012).

10.9

First Amendment to Pledge and Security Agreement, dated as of January 1, 2012, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.3 to Form 8-K, dated January 12, 2012).

10.10

Second Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated as of October 24, 2012, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K, dated October 24, 2012).

10.11

Second Amended and Restated Line of Credit Promissory Note, dated as of October 24, 2012, by Wilhelmina International, Inc. for the benefit of Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K, dated October 24, 2012).

10.12

Second Amendment to Pledge and Security Agreement, dated as of October 24, 2012, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.3 to Form 8-K, dated October 24, 2012).

10.13

Third Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated as of July 31, 2014, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.30 to Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014).

10.14

Fourth Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated November 10, 2015, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.32 to Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2015).

10.15

Third Amended and Restated Line of Credit Promissory Note, dated November 10, 2015, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.33 to Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2015).

10.16

Term Loan Promissory Note, dated November, 2015, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto and Amegy Bank National Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.34 to Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2015).

10.17

Third Amended to Pledge and Security Agreement, dated November, 2015, by and among Wilhelmina International, Inc., the guarantor signatories thereto and Amegy Bank National Association Association (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.35 to Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2015).

*10.18

Offer Letter, dated as of January 23, 2015, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and David Chaiken (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K, dated January 23, 2015)

11
*10.19

Employment Agreement, dated as of January 26, 2016, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and William Wackermann (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K, dated February 1, 2016).

*10.20

Stock Option Letter Agreement, dated as of January 26, 2016, by and between Wilhelmina International, Inc. and William Wackermann (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K, dated February 1, 2016).

*10.21

Wilhelmina International, Inc. 2015 Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference from Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed June 16, 2015).

21.1List of Subsidiaries (filed with the Original Form 10-K)Sarbanes-Oxley Act (filed herewith).
   
23.1

18

31.2 Certification of Principal Financial Officer in Accordance with Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (filed herewith).
32.1Certification of Principal Executive Officer in Accordance with Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (filed herewith).
32.2Certification of Principal Financial Officer in Accordance with Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (filed herewith).

Consent of Montgomery, Coscia & Greilich, L.L.P. (filed with the Original Form 10-K).

                                                                                                                                                                              

*Includes compensatory plan or arrangement.
31.1

Certification of Principal Executive Officer in Accordance with Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (filed with the Original Form 10-K).

 

31.2

Certification of Principal Financial Officer in Accordance with Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (filed with the Original Form 10-K).

31.3

Certification of Principal Executive Officer in Accordance with Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (filed herewith).

31.4

Certification of Principal Financial Officer in Accordance with Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (filed herewith).

32.1

Certification of Principal Executive Officer in Accordance with Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (filed with the Original Form 10-K).

32.2

Certification of Principal Financial Officer in Accordance with Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (filed with the Original Form 10-K).

ITEM 16.FORM 10-K SUMMARY
*Includes compensatory plan or arrangement.

Not applicable.

 

19
12

SIGNATURES

 

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

 

WILHELMINA INTERNATIONAL, INC.
(Registrant)
Date:  March 22, 2018
By:/s/ William J. Wackermann
NameWilliam J. Wackermann
Title:Chief Executive Officer
 WILHELMINA INTERNATIONAL, INC.
(Registrant)
Date:  April 29, 2016By:/s/ William J. Wackermann
NameWilliam J. Wackermann
Title:

Chief Executive Officer

(Principal Executive Officer)

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated on the 29th day of April, 2016.

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated on the 22nd day of March 2018.

/s/ Mark E. SchwarzDirector and
Mark E. SchwarzExecutive Chairman
/s/ William J. WackermannChief Executive Officer
William J. WackermannPrincipal Executive Officer
/s/ James A. McCarthyChief Financial Officer
James A. McCarthyPrincipal Financial Officer
   
/s/ Mark E. SchwarzExecutive Chairman and
Mark E. SchwarzChairman of the Board

/s/William J. WackermannChief Executive Officer
William J. WackermannPrincipal Executive Officer

/s/ James A. McCarthyChief Financial Officer
James A. McCarthy

(Principal Financial Officer and

Principal Accounting Officer)

      
/s/ Clinton J. Coleman  Director
Clinton J. Coleman
/s/ James A. DvorakDirector
James A. Dvorak
/s/ Horst-Dieter EschDirector
Horst-Dieter Esch
/s/ Mark E. PapeDirector
Mark E. Pape
/s/ James C. RoddeyDirector
James C. Roddey    
   
 
/s/ James A. DvorakDirector
James A. Dvorak

/s/ Horst-Dieter EschDirector
Horst-Dieter Esch

/s/ Mark E. PapeDirector
Mark E. Pape

  
/s/ Jeffrey R. Utz Director
Jeffrey R. Utz  

 20 
/s/ James C. RoddeyDirector

WILHELMINA INTERNATOINAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

INSERTS TO FORM 10-K

For the Year Ended December 31, 2017

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting FirmF-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2017 and 2016F-3
Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income for the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016F-4
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity for the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016F-5
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016F-6
Notes to Consolidated Financial StatementsF-7
James C. Roddey

F-1 

MONTGOMERY COSCIA GREILICH LLP

972.748.0300 p

972.748.0700 f

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of

Wilhelmina International, Inc. and Subsidiaries:

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Wilhelmina International, Inc. and subsidiaries (collectively the “Company”) as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the related consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the related notes to the consolidated financial statements (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audit included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion. 

/s/ Montgomery Coscia Greilich, LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2012 

Plano, TX

March 22, 2018

F-2

WILHELMINA INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016

(In thousands, except share data) 

  2017 2016
ASSETS        
Current assets:        
Cash and cash equivalents $4,256  $5,688 
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $2,171 and $1,646, respectively  13,627   16,947 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets  180   847 
Total current assets  18,063   23,482 
         
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $2,349 and $1,525, respectively  3,039   3,206 
         
Trademarks and trade names with indefinite lives  8,467   8,467 
Other intangibles with finite lives, net of accumulated amortization of$8,609 and $8,527, respectively  128   210 
Goodwill  13,192   13,192 
Other assets  137   164 
         
TOTAL ASSETS $43,026  $48,721 
         
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY        
Current liabilities:        
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $3,985  $4,781 
Due to models  10,190   14,217 
Contingent consideration to seller  -   97 
Term loan - current  524   502 
Total current liabilities  14,699   19,597 
         
Long term liabilities:        
Net deferred income tax liability  521   1,567 
Term loan - non-current  1,623   2,147 
Total long-term liabilities  2,144   3,714 
         
Total liabilities  16,843   23,311 
         
Shareholders’ equity:        
Common stock, $0.01 par value, 9,000,000 and 12,500,000 shares authorized; 6,472,038 shares issued at December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016  65   65 
Treasury stock, 1,090,370 at December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, at cost  (4,893)  (4,893)
Additional paid-in capital  87,892   87,336 
Accumulated deficit  (56,885)  (57,048)
Accumulated other comprehensive income  4   (50)
Total shareholders’ equity  26,183   25,410 
         
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY $43,026  $48,721 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

F-3

WILHELMINA INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

For the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016

(In thousands, except per share data)

  

 

2017

 

 

2016

Revenues        
Service revenues $73,162  $82,044 
License fees and other income  34   184 
Total revenues  73,196   82,228 
         
Model costs  52,275   58,682 
         
Revenues net of model costs  20,921   23,546 
         
Operating expenses        
Salaries and service costs  14,103   14,893 
Office and general expenses  5,132   5,647 
Amortization and depreciation  906   594 
Corporate overhead  1,079   1,395 
Total operating expenses  21,220   22,529 
Operating income (loss)  (299)  1,017 
         
Other income (expense):        
Foreign exchange gain (loss)  (54)  14 
Loss from unconsolidated affiliate  (40)  (10)
Interest expense  (128)  (81)
Loss on revaluation of contingent liability  -   (30)
Total other income (expense)  (222)  (107)
         
Income (loss) before income taxes  (521)  910 
         
Provision for income taxes:        
Current  (362)  (296)
Deferred  1,046   (519)
Income tax benefit (expense)  684   (815)
         
         
Net income $163  $95 
         
Other comprehensive income        
Foreign currency translation benefit (expense)  54   (38)
Total comprehensive income $217  $57 
         
Basic net income per common share $0.03  $0.02 
Diluted net income per common share $0.03  $0.02 
         
Weighted average common shares outstanding-basic  5,382   5,632 
Weighted average common shares outstanding-diluted  5,382   5,686 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

F-4

WILHELMINA INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

For the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016

(In thousands)

  Common
Shares
 Stock
Amount
 Treasury
Shares
 Stock
Amount
 Additional
Paid-in
Capital
 Accumulated
Deficit
 Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Loss
 Total
Balances at December 31, 2015  6,472  $65   (684) $(2,118) $86,987  $(57,143) $(12) $27,779 
Share based payment expense  -   -   -   -   349   -   -   349 
Net income to common shareholders  -   -   -   -   -   95   -   95 
Purchases of treasury stock  -   -   (406)  (2,775)  -   -   -   (2,775)
Foreign currency translation  -   -   -   -   -   -   (38)  (38)
Balances at December 31, 2016  6,472  $65   (1,090) $(4,893) $87,336  $(57,048) $(50) $25,410 
Share based payment expense  -   -   -   -   556   -   -   556 
Net income to common shareholders  -   -   -   -   -   163   -   163 
Purchases of treasury stock  -   -   -   -   -   -   -   - 
Foreign currency translation  -   -   -   -   -   -   54   54 
Balances at December 31, 2017  6,472  $65   (1,090) $(4,893) $87,892  $(56,885) $4  $26,183 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

F-5

WILHELMINA INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

For the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016

(In thousands)

  2017 2016
Cash flows from operating activities:        
Net income: $163  $95 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities:        
Amortization and depreciation  906   594 
Share based payment expense  556   349 
Revaluation of contingent liability to seller  -   30 
Bad debt expenses  172   153 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:        
Accounts receivable  3,148   (3,916)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets  667   (656)
Other assets  27   241 
Due to models  (4,027)  4,472 
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities  (796)  1,009 
Contingent liability to seller  (97)  - 
Deferred income taxes  (1,046)  519 
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities  (327)  2,890 
         
Cash flows from investing activities:        
Purchases of property and equipment  (657)  (1,594)
Net cash used in investing activities  (657)  (1,594)
         
Cash flows from financing activities:        
Purchases of treasury stock  -   (2,775)
Proceeds from term loan  -   2,730 
Payments on term loan  (502)  (81)
Net cash used in financing activities  (502)  (126)
         
Foreign currency effect on cash flows:  54   (38)
         
Net change in cash and cash equivalents:  (1,432)  1,132 
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period  5,688   4,556 
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $4,256  $5,688 
         
         
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:        
Cash paid for interest $110  $81 
Cash (refund of) paid for income taxes $(376) $320 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

F-6

WILHELMINA INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended December 31, 2017 and 2016

Note 1.  Business Activity

Overview

The primary business of Wilhelmina is fashion model management. These business operations are headquartered in New York City. The Company’s predecessor was founded in 1967 by Wilhelmina Cooper, a renowned fashion model, and became one of the oldest, best known and largest fashion model management companies in the world. Since its founding, Wilhelmina has grown to include operations located in Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, and London, as well as a network of licensees in various local markets in the U.S. and internationally. Wilhelmina provides traditional, full-service fashion model and talent management services, specializing in the representation and management of models, entertainers, artists, athletes and other talent, to various clients, including retailers, designers, advertising agencies, print and electronic media and catalog companies.

Note 2.  Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The consolidated financial statements are prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The following is a summary of significant policies used in the preparation of the accompanying financial statements.

Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation

The financial statements include the consolidated accounts of Wilhelmina and its wholly owned subsidiaries. Wilhelmina also previously owned a non-consolidated 50% interest in Wilhelmina Kids & Creative Management LLC which was accounted for under the equity method of accounting. All significant inter-company accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Revenue Recognition

In compliance with GAAP, when reporting revenue gross as a principal versus net as an agent, the Company assesses whether the Company, the model or the talent is the primary obligor. The Company evaluates the terms of its model, talent and client agreements as part of this assessment. In addition, the Company gives appropriate consideration to other key indicators such as latitude in establishing price, discretion in model or talent selection and credit risk the Company undertakes. The Company operates broadly as a modeling agency and in those relationships with models and talents where the key indicators suggest the Company acts as a principal, the Company records the gross amount billed to the client as revenue, when the revenues are earned and collectability is reasonably assured, and the related costs incurred to the model or talent as model or talent cost. In other model and talent relationships, where the Company believes the key indicators suggest the Company acts as an agent on behalf of the model or talent, the Company records revenue, when the revenues are earned and collectability is reasonably assured, net of pass-through model or talent cost.

The Company recognizes royalty income when earned based on terms of the contractual agreement. Revenues received in advance are deferred and amortized using the straight-line method over periods pursuant to the related contract.

The Company also records fees from licensees when the revenues are earned and collectability is reasonably assured.

Advances to models for the cost of initial portfolios and other out-of-pocket costs, which are reimbursable only from collections from the Company’s clients as a result of future work, are expensed to model costs as incurred. Any repayments of such costs are credited to model costs in the period received.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes. Accounting estimates and assumptions discussed herein are those that management considers to be the most critical to an understanding of the consolidated financial statements because they inherently involve significant judgments and uncertainties. All of these estimates reflect management’s judgment about current economic and market conditions and their effects based on information available as of the date of these consolidated financial statements. If such conditions persist longer or deteriorate further than expected, it is reasonably possible that the judgments and estimates could change, which may result in future impairments of assets among other effects.

F-7

Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Accounts Receivable and Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

Accounts receivable are accounted for at net realizable value, do not bear interest and are short-term in nature. The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting from the inability to collect on accounts receivable. Based on management’s assessment, the Company provides for estimated uncollectible amounts through a charge to earnings and a credit to the allowance. During 2017, the Company increased its allowance to $2.2 million, with a $0.2 million corresponding charge to earnings. Balances that remain outstanding after the Company has used reasonable collection efforts are written off through a charge to the allowance and a credit to accounts receivable.  The Company generally does not require collateral.

Concentrations of Credit Risk

The balance sheet items that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk are primarily cash and cash equivalents and accounts receivable.  The Company maintains its cash balances in several different financial institutions in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London and the Republic of Chile. Balances in accounts other than “noninterest-bearing transaction accounts” are insured up to Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) limits of $250 thousand per institution. At December 31, 2017, the Company had cash balances in excess of FDIC insurance coverage of approximately $4.1 million. Balances in London accounts are covered by Financial Services Compensation Scheme (“FSCS”) limits of £75 thousand or approximately $0.1 million per institution. At December 31, 2017, the Company had cash balances in excess of FSCS coverage of approximately $0.5 million. Concentrations of credit risk with accounts receivable are mitigated by the Company’s large number of clients and their dispersion across different industries and geographical areas. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its clients and maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts based upon the expected collectability of all accounts receivable.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation and amortization, based upon the estimated useful lives (ranging from two to seven years) of the assets or terms of the leases, are computed by use of the straight-line method. Leasehold improvements are amortized based upon the shorter of the terms of the leases or asset lives. When property and equipment are retired or sold, the cost and accumulated depreciation and amortization are eliminated from the related accounts and gains or losses, if any, are reflected in the consolidated statement of operations.

The Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. If it is determined that impairment has occurred, the amount of the impairment is charged to operations.

For the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, depreciation expense totaled $0.8 million and $0.5 million, respectively. Depreciation expense increased primarily due to the Company’s new accounting software being placed into service in the second half of 2016.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill consists primarily of customer and talent relationships arising from past business acquisitions. Intangible assets with finite lives are amortized over useful lives ranging from two to eight years. Goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite lives are not subject to amortization, but rather to an annual assessment of impairment by applying a fair-value based test. A significant amount of judgment is required in estimating fair value and performing goodwill impairment tests.  

The Company annually assesses whether the carrying value of its intangible assets exceeds their fair value and, if necessary, records an impairment loss equal to any such excess. Each interim reporting period, the Company assesses whether events or circumstances have occurred which indicate that the carrying amount of an intangible asset exceeds its fair value. If the carrying amount of the intangible asset exceeds its fair value, an asset impairment charge will be recognized in an amount equal to that excess. No asset impairment charges were incurred during the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.

F-8

Advertising

The Company expenses all advertising costs as incurred. Advertising expense for the year ended December 31, 2017 approximated $39 thousand compared to $152 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2016. The decrease in advertising costs was due to the Company’s increase in utilization of the in-house art and marketing department.

Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax base and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred income tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company continually assesses the need for a tax valuation allowance based on all available information. As of December 31, 2017, the Company believes that its deferred tax assets are more likely than not to be realized, and therefore, no valuation allowance has been recorded.

Accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an enterprise’s financial statements requires a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. Also, consideration should be given to de-recognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition. Tax positions are subject to change in the future, as a number of years may elapse before a particular matter for which an established reserve is audited and finally resolved. Federal tax returns for tax years 2013 through 2016 remained open for examination as of December 31, 2017.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company utilizes stock-based awards as a form of compensation for certain officers. The Company records compensation expense for all awards granted. The Company uses the Black-Scholes valuation model and straight-line amortization of compensation expense over the requisite service period for each separately vesting portion of the grants.

Fair Value Measurements

The Company has adopted the provisions of ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements” (“ASC 820”), for financial assets and financial liabilities. ASC 820 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value under GAAP, and expands disclosure about fair value measurements. ASC 820 applies to all financial instruments that are being measured and reported on a fair value basis. ASC 820 defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. ASC 820 also establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used in valuation methodologies into the following three levels:

Level 1 Inputs-Unadjusted: quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2 Inputs-Observable: inputs other than Level 1 prices, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.
Level 3 Inputs-Unobservable: inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. Level 3 assets and liabilities include financial instruments whose value is determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies, or other valuation techniques, as well as instruments for which the determination of fair value requires significant management judgment or estimation.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The ASU replaces most existing revenue recognition guidance in GAAP, and requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The Company currently recognizes model and artist revenues when the related services have been provided, generally at the time that the modeling photoshoot, event, or artist services are performed. We continue to evaluate the standard’s impact on revenues related to longer term advertising campaigns and license agreements. This update will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017.

F-9

Note 3.  Notes Payable

The Company has a credit agreement with Amegy Bank which provides a $4.0 million revolving line of credit and previously provided up to a $3.0 million term loan which could be drawn through October 24, 2016. The revolving line of credit is subject to a borrowing base derived from 80% of eligible accounts receivable (as defined) and the Company’s minimum net worth covenant of $20.0 million. The revolving line of credit bears interest at prime plus 0.50% payable monthly. As of December 31, 2017, the Company had a $0.2 million irrevocable standby letter of credit outstanding under the revolving line of credit. The revolving line of credit presently expires on October 24, 2018.

On August 16, 2016, the Company drew $2.7 million of the term loan and used the proceeds to fund the purchase of shares of its common stock from Lorex Investments AG (“Lorex”). The term loan bears interest at 4.5% per annum and is payable in monthly payments of interest only until November, 2016, followed by 47 equal monthly payments of principal and interest computed on a 60-month amortization schedule and a final payment of principal and interest due on October 24, 2020.

On May 4, 2017, the Company entered into a Seventh Amendment to Credit Agreement with Amegy Bank reducing the Company’s fixed charge coverage ratio through December 31, 2017. The Company obtained a waiver from Amegy Bank of its failure to satisfy the fixed coverage ratio for the quarter ended June 30, 2017. On August 1, 2017, the Company entered into an Eighth Amendment to Credit Agreement with Amegy Bank eliminating the requirement to test the fixed charge coverage ratio for the quarter ended September 30, 2017. Effective October 24, 2017, the Company entered into a Ninth Amendment to Credit Agreement and Second Amendment to Line of Credit with Amegy Bank extending the maturity of the revolving line of credit for one year and increasing the fee payable upon issuance of any letter of credit from 1.0% to 1.25% of the face amount of the letter of credit (but not less than $1,000).

Note 4.  Operating Leases

The Company is obligated under non-cancelable lease agreements for the rental of office space and various other lease agreements for the leasing of office equipment. These operating leases expire at various dates through 2021. In addition to the minimum base rent, the office space lease agreements provide that the Company shall pay its pro-rata share of real estate taxes and operating costs as defined in the lease agreement. The Company also leases certain corporate office space from an affiliate.

The following table summarizes future minimum payments under the current lease agreements:

Years Ending
December 31
 Amount
(in thousands)
2018 $1,437 
2019  1,087 
2020  982 
2021  317 
Total $3,823 

Rent expense totaled approximately $1.7 million and $1.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 respectively.

Note 5.  Commitments and Contingencies

On October 24, 2013, a putative class action lawsuit was brought against the Company by former Wilhelmina model Alex Shanklin and others (the “Shanklin Litigation”), in New York State Supreme Court (New York County) by the same lead counsel who represented plaintiffs in a prior, now-dismissed action brought by Louisa Raske (the “Raske Litigation”). The claims in the Shanklin Litigation initially included breach of contract and unjust enrichment allegations arising out of matters similar to the Raske Litigation, such as the handling and reporting of funds on behalf of models and the use of model images. Other parties named as defendants in the Shanklin Litigation include other model management companies, advertising firms, and certain advertisers. On January 6, 2014, the Company moved to dismiss the Amended Complaint in the Shanklin Litigation for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted and other grounds, and other defendants also filed motions to dismiss. On August 11, 2014, the court denied the motion to dismiss as to Wilhelmina and other of the model management defendants. Further, on March 3, 2014, the judge assigned to the Shanklin Litigation wrote the Office of the New York Attorney General bringing the case to its attention, generally describing the claims asserted therein against the model management defendants, and stating that the case “may involve matters in the public interest.” The judge’s letter also enclosed a copy of his decision in the Raske Litigation, which dismissed that case. Plaintiffs retained substitute counsel, who filed a Second and then Third Amended Complaint. Plaintiffs’ Third Amended Complaint asserts causes of action for alleged breaches of the plaintiffs' management contracts with the defendants, conversion, breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing, and unjust enrichment. The Third Amended Complaint also alleges that the plaintiff models were at all relevant times employees, and not independent contractors, of the model management defendants, and that defendants violated the New York Labor Law in several respects, including, among other things, by allegedly failing to pay the models the minimum wages and overtime pay required thereunder, not maintaining accurate payroll records, and not providing plaintiffs with full explanations of how their wages and deductions therefrom were computed. The Third Amended Complaint seeks certification of the action as a class action, damages in an amount to be determined at trial, plus interest, costs, attorneys’ fees, and such other relief as the court deems proper. On October 6, 2015, Wilhelmina filed a motion to dismiss as to most of the plaintiffs’ claims, and oral argument on the motion was heard by the Court in June 2016. The Court entered a decision granting in part and denying in part Wilhelmina’s motion to dismiss on May 26, 2017. The Court (i) dismissed three of the five New York Labor Law causes of action, along with the conversion, breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing and unjust enrichment causes of action, in their entirety, and (ii) permitted only the breach of contract causes of action, and some plaintiffs’ remaining two New York Labor Law causes of action to continue, within a limited time frame. The plaintiffs and Wilhelmina have appealed the decision and the appeal has been fully briefed.  Oral argument will be scheduled in or after April 2018. The parties appeared before the Court for a status conference on July 18, 2017, and the Court directed the defendants to answer the Third Amended Complaint by August 16, 2017. Wilhelmina filed its Answer to the Third Amended Complaint on that date, and discovery in this action is continuing.  The Company believes the claims asserted in the Third Amended Complaint are without merit, and intends to continue to vigorously defend the action.

F-10

On June 6, 2016, another putative class action lawsuit was brought against the Company by former Wilhelmina model Shawn Pressley and others (the “Pressley Litigation”), in New York State Supreme Court (New York County) by the same counsel representing the plaintiffs in the Shanklin Litigation, and asserting identical, although more recent, claims as those in the Shanklin Litigation. The Amended Complaint, asserting essentially the same types of claims as in the Shanklin action was filed on August 16, 2017 and Wilhelmina filed a motion to dismiss the Amended Complaint on September 29, 2017 which is scheduled to be argued on April 3, 2018. Discovery is proceeding in this case. The Company believes the claims asserted in the Pressley Litigation are without merit, and intends to vigorously defend the action.

In addition to the legal proceedings disclosed herein, the Company is also engaged in various legal proceedings that are routine in nature and incidental to its business. None of these routine proceedings, either individually or in the aggregate, are believed likely, in the Company's opinion, to have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position or its results of operations.

Note 6.  Income Taxes

The following table summarizes the income tax (expense) benefit for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 (in thousands):

  2017 2016
Current:        
Federal $-  $- 
State  (149)  (177)
Foreign  (213)  (119)
Current Total  (362)  (296)
Deferred:        
Federal  994   (380)
State  52   (119)
Foreign  -   (20)
Deferred Total  1,046   (519)
Total $684  $(815)

The income tax benefit (expense) differs from the amount computed by applying the statutory federal and state income tax rates to the net income before income tax.  The following table shows the reasons for these differences (in thousands):

  2017 2016
Computed income tax benefit (expense) at statutory rate $180  $(319)
Increase in taxes resulting from:        
Permanent and other deductions, net  (95)  (94)
Forfeiture of stock options, net  -   (164)
Foreign income taxes  (32)  (71)
State income taxes, net of federal benefit  (62)  (167)
Deferred tax effects  693   - 
Total income tax benefit (expense) $684  $(815)

F-11

The following table shows the tax effect of significant temporary differences, which comprise the deferred tax asset and liability (in thousands):

  2017 2016
Deferred tax asset:        
Net operating loss carryforward $395  $506 
Foreign tax credits  380   261 
Accrued expenses  578   959 
Allowance for doubtful accounts  173   209 
Stock-based compensation  242   138 
Other intangible assets  54   104 
Total deferred income tax asset  1,822   2,177 
Deferred tax liability:        
Property and equipment  (589)  (990)
Intangible assets-brand name  (1,079)  (1,798)
Goodwill  (447)  (661)
Other intangible assets  (229)  (295)
Total deferred income tax liability  (2,344)  (3,744)
Net deferred tax liability $(522) $(1,567)

The Company has $1.9 million of federal net operating loss carryforwards, which expire during 2036 and 2037. Additionally, the Company has $0.4 million of U.S. federal foreign tax credit carryforwards, which expire between 2023 and 2027.

The U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Tax Act) was enacted on December 22, 2017 and introduces significant changes to U.S. income tax law. Effective in 2018, the Tax Act reduces the U.S. statutory tax rate from 35% to 21% and creates new taxes on certain foreign-sourced earnings and certain related-party payments, which are referred to as the global intangible low-taxed income tax and base erosion tax, respectively. In addition, in 2017 we are subject to a one-time transition tax on accumulated foreign subsidiary earnings not previously subject to U.S. income tax. We estimate that the Company’s deemed repatriation liability will not be material due to a foreign deficit.

Due to the timing of the enactment and the complexity involved in applying the provisions of the Tax Act, we have made reasonable estimates of the effects and recorded provisional amounts in our financial statements as of December 31, 2017. As we collect and prepare necessary data, and interpret the Tax Act and any additional guidance issued by the U.S. Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service, and other standard-setting bodies, we may make adjustments to the provisional amounts. Those adjustments may materially impact our provision for income taxes and effective tax rate in the period in which the adjustments are made. The accounting for the tax effects of the Tax Act is expected to be completed in 2018.

Provisional amounts for the following income tax effects of the Tax Act have been recorded as of December 31, 2017 and are subject to change during 2018.

One-time transition tax

The Tax Act requires us to pay U.S. income taxes on accumulated foreign subsidiary earnings not previously subject to the U.S. income tax at a rate of 15.5% to the extent of foreign cash and certain other net current assets and 8% on the remaining earnings. We did not record a provisional amount for this one-time transitional tax liability as our foreign subsidiaries had a net foreign earnings and profit deficit as of December 31, 2017.

Deferred tax effects

The Tax Act reduces the U.S. statutory tax rate from 35% to 21% for years after 2017. Accordingly, we have remeasured our deferred taxes as of December 31, 2017 to reflect the reduced rate that will apply in future periods when these deferred taxes are settled or realized. We recognized a deferred tax benefit of $0.7 million to reflect the reduced U.S. tax rate and other effects of the Tax Act. Although the tax rate reduction is known, we have not collected the necessary data to complete our analysis of the effect of the Tax Act on the underlying deferred taxes and as such, the amounts recorded as of December 31, 2017 are provisional.

F-12

Note 7.  Treasury Stock

During 2012, the Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase program whereby the Company could repurchase up to 500,000 shares of its outstanding common stock. During 2013, the Board of Directors renewed and extended the Company’s share repurchase authority to enable it to repurchase up to an aggregate of 1,000,000 shares of common stock. On August 12, 2016, the Board of Directors increased by an additional 500,000 shares the number of shares of the Company’s common stock which may be repurchased under its stock repurchase program to an aggregate of 1,500,000 shares. The shares may be repurchased from time to time in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions at prices the Company deems appropriate. The program does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular amount of common stock and may be modified or suspended at any time at the Company’s discretion.

On August 16, 2016, the Company entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement with Lorex, pursuant to which the Company purchased from Lorex 400,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at a price of $6.83 per share, resulting in an aggregate purchase price of $2.7 million. Lorex is an affiliate of Horst-Dieter Esch, a director of the Company. Mr. Esch recused himself from all deliberations of the Board of Directors with respect to the stock repurchase from Lorex.

From 2012 through December 31, 2017, the Company repurchased an aggregate of 1,090,370 shares of common stock at an average price of approximately $4.49 per share, for a total of approximately $4.9 million in repurchases under the stock repurchase program. During the year ended December 31, 2017, no shares were repurchased. The repurchase of an additional 409,630 shares is presently authorized under the stock repurchase program.

Note 8.  Related Parties

The Executive Chairman of the Company, Mark E. Schwarz, is also the chairman, chief executive officer and portfolio manager of Newcastle Capital Management, L.P. (“NCM”). NCM is the general partner of Newcastle Partners L.P. (“Newcastle”), which is the largest shareholder of the Company. James A. Dvorak (Managing Director at NCM) also serves as a director of the Company.

The Company’s corporate headquarters are located at 200 Crescent Court, Suite 1400, Dallas, Texas 75201, which are also the offices of NCM. The Company occupies a portion of NCM space on a month-to-month basis at $2,500 per month, pursuant to a services agreement entered into between the parties. Pursuant to the services agreement, the Company receives the use of NCM’s facilities and equipment and accounting, legal and administrative services from employees of NCM. The Company incurred expenses pursuant to the services agreement totaling approximately $30 thousand for each of the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016. The Company did not owe NCM any amounts under the services agreement as of December 31, 2017.

Note 9.  Stock Options and Stock Purchase Warrants

During 2012, shareholders of the Company approved the 2011 Incentive Plan which authorized the issuance of up to 300,000 shares of the Company’s common stock pursuant to stock options, restricted stock, stock appreciation rights and other equity incentives awarded to directors, officers, consultants, advisors and employees of the Company. During 2015, shareholders of the Company approved the 2015 Incentive Plan which authorized the issuance of up to an additional 500,000 shares of the common stock pursuant to stock options, restricted stock, stock appreciation rights and other equity incentives awarded to directors, officers, consultants, advisors and employees of the Company. Stock option awards under the 2011 Incentive Plan and the 2015 Incentive Plan (collectively, the “Incentive Plans”) are granted at the market value of the common stock on the date of grant, have vesting periods of five years, and expire to the extent unexercised after ten years.

Under the Incentive Plans, stock option awards covering 230,000 shares of the common stock were granted during each of 2017 and 2016. No stock options were exercised during either 2017 or 2016.

F-13

The following table shows a summary of stock option transactions under the Incentive Plans during 2017 and 2016:

  Number
of Shares
 Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
Outstanding, January 1, 2016  310,000  $4.01 
Granted  230,000   6.70 
Exercised  -   - 
Forfeited or expired  (310,000)  5.40 
Outstanding, December 31, 2016  230,000  $6.70 
Granted  230,000   7.98 
Exercised  -   - 
Forfeited or expired  -   - 
Outstanding, December 31, 2017  460,000  $7.34 
         

Total unrecognized compensation expense on options outstanding as of December 31, 2017 was $0.7 million. Options to purchase 46,000 shares of common stock were exercisable as of December 31, 2017.

The Company estimates the fair value of each stock option granted on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Expected volatilities are based on the historical volatility of Wilhelmina’s and similar companies’ common stock for a period equal to the expected term. The risk-free interest rates for periods within the contractual term of the options are based on rates for U.S. Treasury Notes with maturity dates corresponding to the options’ expected lives on the dates of grant. Expected term is determined based on the option term of ten years.

Note 10.  Benefit Plans

The Company has established a 401(k) Plan for eligible employees of the Company. Generally, all employees of the Company who are at least twenty-one years of age are eligible to participate in the 401(k) Plan. The 401(k) Plan is a defined contribution plan which provides that participants may make voluntary salary deferral contributions, on a pretax basis, between 1% and 100% of their compensation in the form of voluntary payroll deductions, up to a maximum amount as indexed for cost-of-living adjustments. The Company may make discretionary contributions. No discretionary contributions were made during the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.

Note 11.  Intangible Assets

The following table summarizes the intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 (in thousands):

Intangible assets subject to
amortization:
 Gross
Cost
 Accumulated
Amortization
 Weighted-average
amortization
period (in years)
2017 Intangibles:            
Customer lists $3,204  $(3,191)  5.0 
Non-compete agreements  1,054   (1,054)  6.5 
Talent and model contractual relationships  2,846   (2,731)  3.8 
Employee contractual relationships  1,633   (1,633)  5.0 
Total $8,737  $(8,609)  5.1 
             
2016 Intangibles:            
Customer lists $3,204  $(3,182)  5.0 
Non-compete agreements  1,054   (1,053)  6.5 
Talent and model contractual relationships  2,846   (2,659)  3.8 
Employee contractual relationships  1,633   (1,633)  5.0 
Total $8,737  $(8,527)  5.1 

Amortization expense totaled $0.1 million and $0.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The remaining unamortized balance of $0.1 million will be amortized over the next five years.

F-14 

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