UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

(Rule 14a-101)

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT

SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No.    )
Filed by the
Registrant  
Filed by a party other than the Registrant  ☐
Check the appropriate box:
Filed by the Registrant
Filed by a Party other than the Registrant
Check the appropriate box:
Preliminary Proxy Statement
Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule
14a-6(e)(2))
Definitive Proxy Statement
Definitive Additional Materials
Soliciting Material Pursuant to Section 
§240.14a-12

Green Brick Partners, Inc.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than The Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
GREEN BRICK PARTNERS, INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement if other than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
No fee required.
Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
1)Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
2)Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
3)Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (Set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined):
4)Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
5)Total fee paid:
Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules
14a-6(i)(1)
and
0-11.


LOGO


ABOUT GREEN BRICK PARTNERS

Green Brick Partners is committed to building strong communities designed for an exceptional quality of life. We believe that a company’s propensity for success is determined by choosing to do the right thing day after day, for our homebuyers, stockholders, and employees. This begins by following our guiding principles, a set of values we call HOME. This acronym, representing Honesty, Objectivity, Maturity, and Efficiency, allows us to build and design homes with a focus on quality craftsmanship, superior customer service, and an ongoing commitment to transparency. Green Brick Partners’ subsidiary and affiliated homebuilders can be found across four states through eight builder brands. Additionally, our affiliated mortgage and title operations make buying a home a seamless experience and provide timely visibility into our buyers.

LOGOLOGO

LOGO

LOGO
LOGOLOGOLOGOLOGO


Notice of Annual Meeting

Green Brick Partners, Inc.

2805 Dallas Parkway, Suite 400

Plano, TX 75093

LOGO

DATE & TIME

Tuesday,

June 13, 2023

11:00 a.m., Eastern

LOGO

LOCATION

www.virtualshareholder meeting.com/GRBK2023

LOGO

RECORD DATE

April 24, 2023

How to Vote

LOGO

BY INTERNET

www.proxyvote.com

LOGO

BY TELEPHONE

1-800-690-6903

LOGO

BY MAIL

Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return in the postage-paid envelope we have provided.

Items of Business
1.Election of 7 directors to the Board
Recommendation: FOR Page: 5
2.Advisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers
Recommendation: FOR Page: 48
3.Advisory vote on the frequency of future advisory votes on executive compensation
Recommendation: FOR EVERY 3 YEARS Page: 49
4.To ratify appointment of RSM US LLP as our Independent Registered Public Accountants for 2023
Recommendation: FOR Page: 50

Our Board of Directors is soliciting proxies from stockholders who wish to vote at the annual meeting. Stockholders also will transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting and any adjournment thereof.

We are furnishing our proxy materials over the Internet as permitted by the rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. As a result, we are sending a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials rather than a full paper set of the proxy materials unless you previously requested to receive printed copies. The Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials contains instructions on how to access our proxy materials on the Internet, as well as instructions on how stockholders may obtain a paper copy of the proxy materials. This process will reduce the costs associated with printing and distributing our proxy materials.

All stockholders are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting in person. Whether or not you expect to attend, you are urged to vote as soon as possible by Internet or mail so that your shares may be voted in accordance with your wishes. Granting a proxy does not affect your right to revoke it later or to vote your shares in the event you attend the Annual Meeting.

By Order of the Board of Directors,

Richard A. Costello

Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary

We mailed a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials containing instructions on how to access our proxy statement and annual report for the year ended December 31, 2022 on or about May 1, 2023.

Our proxy statement and annual report are available online at: www.proxyvote.com.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

i     


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

PROXY SUMMARY

1

PROPOSAL NO. 1

5

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

5

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

12

Corporate Governance Guidelines

12

Board Committees

12

Additional Corporate Governance Policies

20

Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility

21

DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

24

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

26

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

27

Compensation Philosophy and Objectives

27

Compensation Setting Process

28

Executive Compensation Components

31

2022 Compensation Design and Decisions

32

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT

37

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

38

Summary Compensation Table

38

Grants of Plan Based Awards Table

39

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End

40

Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control

41

CEO PAY RATIO

44

PAY VERSUS PERFORMANCE

45

PROPOSAL NO. 2

48

ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

48

PROPOSAL NO. 3

49

ADVISORY VOTE ON FREQUENCY OF FUTURE ADVISORY VOTES ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

49

PROPOSAL NO. 4

50

RATIFICATION OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT

50

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

52

SECURITY OWNERSHIP

53

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT OUR ANNUAL MEETING

55

OTHER MATTERS

60

Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports

60

Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations

60

List of Stockholders Entitled to Vote at the Annual Meeting

61

Expenses Relating to this Proxy Solicitation

61

Communication with Green Brick’s Board of Directors

61

Available Information

61

Electronic Delivery

61

Householding

62

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

ii     


PROXY SUMMARY

This proxy summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this proxy statement and does not contain all information that you should review and consider. Please read the entire proxy statement with care before voting.

2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

Date and Time:Tuesday, June 13, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time
Place:Our meeting will be held in a virtual format only, conducted exclusively via www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/GRBK2023.
Record Date:April 24, 2023

Proposals and Board Recommendations

Proposal       

Board Recommendations  

Proposal 1:

Check box

Election of Directors (page 5)

FOR each nominee

Proposal 2:

Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (page 48)

FOR

Proposal 3:

Advisory Vote on the Frequency of Future Votes on Executive Compensation (page 49)For the option of EVERY
THREE YEARS

Proposal 4:

Ratification of RSM US LLP as Auditors (page 50)

FOR

Delivering Stockholder Value

Our financial and operational performance has contributed to our ability to create significant stockholder value as we delivered 114% Total Shareholder Return (“TSR”) over the five years ended December 31, 2022, or a 16.5% CAGR.

LOGO

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

1     


Proxy Summary

2022 FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

LOGOLOGOLOGO
LOGOLOGOLOGO

For more information relating to Green Brick Partners, Inc.’s financial performance, please review our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 27, 2023.

Proposal 1 – Election of Directors (page 5)

Board Composition

LOGOLOGOLOGO

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

2     


Proxy Summary

Director Nominees               
     AGE  DIRECTOR
SINCE
  Audit  Comp.  G&S

LOGO

 

David Einhorn, Chairman

President

Greenlight Capital, Inc.

  54  2006      

LOGO

 

James R. Brickman

Chief Executive Officer

Green Brick Partners, Inc.

  71  2014      

LOGO

 

Elizabeth K. Blake

Retired General Counsel

  71  2007    LOGO  LOGO

LOGO

 

Harry Brandler

Retired Chief Financial Officer

  51  2014      LOGO

LOGO

 

Lila Manassa Murphy

Chief Financial Officer, Dundee Corporation

  51  2022  LOGO    

LOGO

 

Kathleen Olsen

Retired Chief Financial Officer

Eminence Capital, LLC

  51  2014  LOGO  LOGO  LOGO

LOGO

 

Richard S. Press

Retired Senior Vice President

Wellington Management

  84  2014  LOGO  LOGO  

LOGOChair
LOGOMember

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

3     


Proxy Summary

Governance Highlights

LOGO

Annual election of directors

LOGO

Independent directors meet in executive session without management present

LOGO

100% independent Board committees

LOGO

Strong Board oversight of risk management process

LOGO

5 out of our 7 Board nominees are independent

LOGO

Policies prohibiting hedging and pledging of shares by executive officers and directors

LOGO

Directors elected by majority vote

LOGO

Proxy access allows stockholders to nominate directors and have nominees included in the proxy statement

LOGO

Director resignation policy for all directors in uncontested elections

LOGO

Addition of sustainability responsibilities to Governance committee

LOGO

Regular stockholder engagement

LOGO

Robust stock ownership guidelines applicable to directors and executive officers

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

4     


PROPOSAL NO. 1

ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Seven individuals have been nominated to serve as our directors for the ensuing year and until their successors shall have been duly elected and qualified. All nominees are presently directors.

The persons named as proxies in the accompanying proxy card have advised management that unless authority is withheld in the proxy, they intend to vote for the election of the individuals identified as nominees below. We do not contemplate that any nominee named below will be unable or will decline to serve. However, if any nominee is unable to serve or declines to serve, the persons named in the accompanying proxy card may vote for another person, or persons, in their discretion, unless our Board chooses to reduce the number of directors serving on the Board of Directors (the “Board”).

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR”

THE ELECTION OF EACH OF THE BELOW DIRECTOR NOMINEES.

Our Board and Our Director Nominees

Our Amended and Restated Bylaws allow our Board to set the size of the board and our Board has set the size of the board to be 7 directors. For the size and scope of our business and operations, our Board believes a board of approximately this size is appropriate as it is small enough to allow for effective communication among the members but large enough to bring a diverse set of perspectives and experiences to our board room.

Any nominee who does not receive a majority vote in an election that is not a contested election is expected to promptly tender his or her resignation to the Chairman of the Board following certification of the stockholder vote. Considering such factors as it deems relevant, the Governance & Sustainability Committee will make a recommendation to the Board as to whether to accept or reject the resignation, or whether other action should be taken. Considering the Governance & Sustainability Committee’s recommendation and such other factors as it deems relevant, the Board shall, exercising its business judgment, determine whether to accept or reject the resignation, or whether other action should be taken. Within 90 days from the date of the certification of the stockholder vote, we will promptly publicly disclose the Board’s decision and process (including, if applicable, the reasons for rejecting the tendered resignation) in a Form 8-K filed with the SEC.

If a director’s resignation is not accepted by the Board, the director will continue to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders or until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified, or his or her earlier resignation, removal, or inability to serve for any reason. If a director’s resignation is accepted by the Board, then the Board may fill the resulting vacancy or decrease the number of directors comprising the Board in accordance with our Bylaws.

We believe that each of our nominees possesses the experience, skills, characteristics and qualities to fully perform his or her duties as a director and to contribute to our success. In addition, each of our nominees is being nominated because they each possess the highest standards of personal integrity, are accomplished in their field, have an understanding of the interests and issues that are important to our stockholders, and are able to dedicate sufficient time to fulfilling their obligations as a director. Our nominees as a group complement each other and each other’s respective experiences, skills, characteristics and qualities. For an additional discussion of the nomination process, see “Nominee Qualifications and the Nomination Process” beginning on page 9 of this proxy statement.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

5     


Proposal 1 – Election of Directors

The following sets forth certain information with respect to each nominee standing for re-election to the Board. The biographies of each of the nominees and directors contain information regarding the individual’s service as a director, business experience, and the qualifications, characteristics or skills that led to the conclusion that the individual should serve as our director.

LOGO

DAVID EINHORN

Chairman

AGE: 54

DIRECTOR SINCE: 2006

BACKGROUND:

Mr. Einhorn has served as one of our directors since May 2006. Mr. Einhorn has co-founded, and has served as the President of Greenlight Capital, Inc., since January 1996. Funds managed by Greenlight are some of our principal stockholders. Mr. Einhorn serves as Chairman of Greenlight Capital Re, Ltd., a public reinsurance holding company (Nasdaq: GLRE). Mr. Einhorn received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Cornell University.

Skills & Qualifications:

Mr. Einhorn, our Co-Founder, brings to the Board crucial investment expertise and business experience.

LOGOLOGOLOGOLOGO

LOGO

JAMES R. BRICKMAN

Chief Executive Officer & Director

AGE: 71

DIRECTOR SINCE: 2014

BACKGROUND:

Mr. Brickman has served as one of our directors since October 2014. Previously, Mr. Brickman was the founding manager and advisor of each of JBGL Capital LP since 2008 and JBGL Builder Finance LLC since 2010 (collectively “JBGL”) and is our Chief Executive Officer. Prior to forming JBGL in 2008, Mr. Brickman was a manager of various joint ventures and limited partnerships that developed/built low and high-rise office buildings, multifamily and condominium homes and single family homes, entitled land, and supervised a property management company. He previously also served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Princeton Homes Ltd. and Princeton Realty Corporation that developed land, constructed single family custom homes and managed apartments it built. Mr. Brickman has over 40 years’ experience in nearly all phases of real estate construction, development and real estate finance property management. He received a B.B.A. and M.B.A. from Southern Methodist University

Skills & Qualifications:

Mr. Brickman, our Co-Founder, brings to the Board substantial experience in residential land development, the homebuilding industry and management, as well as intimate knowledge of Green Brick’s business and operations.

LOGOLOGOLOGO

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

6     


Proposal 1 – Election of Directors

LOGO

ELIZABETH K. BLAKE

INDEPENDENT

AGE: 71

DIRECTOR SINCE:

2007

COMMITTEES:

Compensation

Governance &

  Sustainability (Chair)

BACKGROUND:

Ms. Blake has served as one of our directors since September 2007. Before retiring, Ms. Blake served as Senior Vice President — Advocacy, Government Affairs & General Counsel of Habitat for Humanity International Inc. from 2006 to 2014. Ms. Blake served on the board of directors of Patina Oil & Gas Corporation from 1998 through its sale to Noble Energy in 2005. From March 2003 to 2005, Ms. Blake was the Executive Vice President — Corporate Affairs, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for US Airways Group, Inc. From April 2002 through December 2002, Ms. Blake served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Trizec Properties, Inc., a public real estate investment trust. Ms. Blake served as Vice President and General Counsel of General Electric Power Systems from 1998 to 2002. From 1996 to 1998, Ms. Blake served as Vice President and Chief of Staff of Cinergy Corp. From 1982 to 1984, she was an associate with Frost & Jacobs, a law firm in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a partner from 1984 to 1996. From 1977 to 1982, she was with the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. Ms. Blake received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from Smith College and her Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. Ms. Blake was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Technical Letters by Cincinnati Technical College and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the College of Mt. St. Joseph. She is past Chair of the Ohio Board of Regents.

Skills & Qualifications:

Ms. Blake brings to the Board extensive executive leadership, corporate governance expertise, and risk management knowledge through her experience as a director and executive of public, private, and non-profit corporations as well as her knowledge of the homebuilding industry.

LOGOLOGOLOGOLOGOLOGO

LOGO

HARRY BRANDLER

INDEPENDENT

AGE: 51

DIRECTOR SINCE: 2014

COMMITTEES:

Governance &

  Sustainability

BACKGROUND:

Mr. Brandler has served as one of our directors since October 2014. Before retiring, Mr. Brandler served as the Chief Financial Officer of Greenlight Capital, Inc. from December 2001 to January 2019. Prior to joining Greenlight Capital, Inc., from 2000 to 2001, Mr. Brandler served as Chief Financial Officer of Wheatley Partners, a venture capital firm, where he oversaw the firm’s back-office operations and restructured the firm’s marketing, client relations and technology. From 1996 to 2000, Mr. Brandler served as a Manager at Goldstein, Golub & Kessler, where he provided audit, tax and consulting services to investment partnerships and other financial organizations and where he was promoted to Manager in January 1999. Mr. Brandler received a B.S. in Accounting from New York University in 1993. Mr. Brandler was admitted as a Certified Public Accountant in New York in 1996.

Skills & Qualifications:

Mr. Brandler brings to the Board a unique understanding of our strategies and operations through nine years of service as a member of the Board and 23 years of finance, accounting and management experience.

LOGOLOGOLOGO

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

7     


Proposal 1 – Election of Directors

LOGO

LILA MANASSA MURPHY

AGE: 51

DIRECTOR SINCE: 2022

COMMITTEES:

  Audit

BACKGROUND:

Ms. Manassa Murphy has served as one of our directors since April 2022. Since May 2021, Ms. Lila Manassa Murphy has served as EVP and Chief Financial Officer of Dundee Corporation, a public Canadian independent holding company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, which is focused on holding and managing investments in the energy, natural resources, agriculture and real estate industries. Ms. Manassa Murphy previously served on the board and audit committee of Dundee Corporation, from August 2018 to March 2021. Ms. Manassa Murphy founded Intrinsic Value Partners, LLC in 2018, a provider of consulting services to asset management firms and family offices. Previously, she was Vice President and Portfolio Manager at Federated Hermes, Inc., a Fortune 500, ESG focused investment firm. Prior to that, Ms. Manassa Murphy worked as an Analyst at David W. Tice & Associates Inc. with a dedicated focus on natural resources investing. She has more than 25 years of diverse investment management experience. She sits on the board and finance committee of Sustainable Development Strategies Group, a US-based independent non-profit research institute advancing best practices for sustainable management of natural resources. Ms. Manassa Murphy currently serves as a director of Gold Resource Corporation, a NYSE listed company, and sits on its Audit Committee, its Safety, Sustainability & Technical Committee and chairs its Nominating and Governance Committee. Ms. Manassa Murphy is a member of the Latino Corporate Directors Association.

Skills & Qualifications:

Ms. Manassa Murphy brings to the Board experience and skills developed as a capital markets’ executive officer and Chief Financial Officer focused on real estate finance, while her work as a public company director provides her with a strong background in matters related to sustainability, finance, accounting, and risk assessment.

LOGOLOGOLOGOLOGOLOGO

LOGO

KATHLEEN OLSEN

INDEPENDENT

AGE: 51

DIRECTOR SINCE: 2014

COMMITTEES:

  Audit (Chair)

  Compensation

  Governance &
Sustainability

BACKGROUND:

Ms. Olsen has served as one of our directors since October 2014. Since 2011, Ms. Olsen has been a private investor. From 1999 through 2011, Ms. Olsen served as Chief Financial Officer of Eminence Capital, LLC, a long/short global equity fund. From 1993 to 1999, Ms. Olsen served as audit manager, specializing in investment partnerships, at Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP, a public accounting firm located in New York City. Since 2021, Ms. Olsen has been an adjunct professor at Fordham Gabelli School of Business. Ms. Olsen received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the State University of New York at Albany. Ms. Olsen is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Skills & Qualifications:

Ms. Olsen brings to the Board an extensive knowledge of accounting, audit, and finance in addition to broad executive leadership experience.

LOGOLOGOLOGOLOGO

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

8     


Proposal 1 – Election of Directors

LOGO

RICHARD S. PRESS

LEAD INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

AGE: 84

DIRECTOR SINCE:

2014

COMMITTEES:

  Audit

  Compensation (Chair)

  Insurance (Chair)

BACKGROUND:

Mr. Press has served as one of our directors since October 2014. Before retiring, Mr. Press was a Senior Vice President at Wellington Management from 1994 to 2006, where he started and built the firm’s insurance asset management practice. Prior to that, Mr. Press was a Senior Vice President of Stein Roe & Farnham from 1982 to 1994 and Scudder Stevens and Clark from 1964 to 1982. Mr. Press sat on various committees of the Controlled Risk Insurance Company of The Harvard Risk Management Foundation from 2006 to 2017. Previously, Mr. Press was Chairman of the Board of Anaesthesia Associates of Massachusetts, and served as a board member and chairman of each of Transatlantic Holdings (NYSE: TRH) from August 2006 to March 2012 and Pomeroy IT Solutions (NASDAQ: PMRY) from July 2007 to November 2009. He served as a board member of the Housing Authority Insurance Group from 2008 to 2015. He was a founding member of the Board of Governors and the Advisory Board of the National Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center, Stony Brook University and Medical School, New York (2001 – 2013). He is currently a director of Millwall Holdings PLC and Millwall Football Club. Mr. Press earned a B.A. from Brown University in 1960, and after serving in the US Army, he received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1964.

Skills & Qualifications:

Mr. Press brings to the Board an extensive background in finance, insurance and risk management, as well as public company board and committee experience.

LOGOLOGOLOGOLOGOLOGO

Director Nomination Process

Nominee Qualifications and the Nomination Process

The Governance & Sustainability Committee believes that the Board should collectively possess a broad range of skills, knowledge, business experience and diversity of backgrounds that provides effective oversight of our business. The Board’s objective is to maintain a diverse membership that can best further the success of our business and represent stockholder interests through the exercise of sound judgment using its diversity of experience and perspectives. The Governance & Sustainability Committee periodically assesses the characteristics, skills, background and expertise of the Board as a whole and its individual members to assess those traits against the developing needs of the Board and Green Brick. This assessment enables the Governance & Sustainability Committee to update the skills, characteristics and experience it seeks in the Board, as a whole and in individual directors, as our needs evolve over time. As a result of such periodic assessment, the Governance & Sustainability Committee evaluates current directors and potential director nominees and will recommend any changes to Board size or composition that it believes are necessary to create a balanced and effective Board. Green Brick is committed to seeking diversity and balance among directors of race, gender, geography, thought, viewpoints, backgrounds, skills, experience, and expertise.

To the extent that the Governance & Sustainability Committee believes that specific skills, characteristics or experience needs to be added to the Board, the committee initiates a search for a Board nominee, seeking input from board members and senior management. In addition, the Governance & Sustainability Committee has the authority to retain professional search firms to identify director candidates if deemed necessary or appropriate.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

9     


Proposal 1 – Election of Directors

As a result of this annual review, the Governance & Sustainability Committee has approved the following matrix of skills and experiences that it believes would be beneficial to have represented on our Board based on our current operating requirements, business strategy, and the long-term interests of our stockholders. The matrix also sets forth each of our directors and the skills that they bring to the Board (additional details are set forth in their individual biographies beginning on page 6 of this proxy statement):

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONSDAVID EINHORNJAMES R. BRICKMANELIZABETH K. BLAKE        HARRY BRANDLERLILA MANASSA
MURPHY
KATHLEEN OLSENRICHARD S. PRESS
LOGO

INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

Experience in homebuilding, land development, real estate brokerage and sales and financing and banking in the real estate industry or in analyzing or consulting in these key areas enables our Board to understand key operational aspects of our homebuilding business and provide important perspective from their relevant expertise.

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

Experience in positions that require strategic vision, leadership and decision making enables our Board to provide sound business judgment, leadership and strategic vision.

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

ACCOUNTING/FINANCE/
CAPITAL MARKETS

Experience in accounting, finance or capital markets enables our Board to provide insight and guidance on financial reporting, internal controls and our capital structure and to evaluate our investment and capital raising and allocation strategies.

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LEGAL/REGULATORY/
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Experience in legal, regulatory and corporate governance provides our Board an understanding of the regulatory environment in which we operate, especially with our new captive insurance company and assists in the evaluation of risk.

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

RISK MANAGEMENT

Experience in in overseeing risk management matters strengthens the Board’s oversight of the risks facing Green Brick.

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

PUBLIC COMPANY DIRECTORSHIP

Experience advising or serving on other public company boards enables our Board to have a solid background and the knowledge necessary to understand its oversight and governance roles.

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

10     


Proposal 1 – Election of Directors

Stockholder Nominations of Director Candidates

Our Governance & Sustainability Committee welcomes candidates recommended by stockholders and, assuming a submission is in proper form as provided under our Bylaws, it will apply the same standards described above to the evaluation of a stockholder nominee as it applies to all nominees, including those recommended by current directors, employees and others.

Our Bylaws permit an eligible stockholder or group of eligible stockholders of any size to nominate up to 25% of our board of directors for inclusion in our proxy statement if they have continuously owned at least 3% of our common stock for a minimum of three years. However, candidates who were previously nominated by stockholders for any of the two most recent annual meetings and who received less than 25% of the total votes cast at any of those annual meetings are not eligible to be nominated utilizing the proxy access provisions. Stockholders who wish to nominate directors for inclusion in our proxy statement or directly at an annual meeting, in accordance with the procedures in our Bylaws, should follow the instructions under “Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations” in this proxy statement.

In considering any candidate proposed by a stockholder, the Governance & Sustainability Committee will reach a conclusion based on the Board’s established criteria. The Governance & Sustainability Committee may seek additional information regarding the candidate. After full consideration, the stockholder proponent will be notified of the decision of the Governance & Sustainability Committee. A stockholder who wishes to nominate a person for the election of directors must ensure that the nomination complies with our Bylaw provisions on making stockholder nominations at an annual meeting of stockholders.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

11     


CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Corporate Governance Guidelines

The Board has adopted Corporate Governance Guidelines, which are amended from time to time to incorporate certain current best practices in corporate governance. The Corporate Governance Guidelines describe our corporate governance practices and policies and provide a framework for our Board governance. The topics addressed in our Corporate Governance Guidelines include, among other things:

the role of the lead director;

director independence;

director responsibilities, qualifications, functions and tenure;

committees of the Board;

director orientation and continuing education;

management development and succession planning;

stockholder and other interested parties’ communications with the Board;

director compensation; and

annual Board and committee self-evaluations.

Our Corporate Governance Guidelines are available on our website at investors.greenbrickpartners.com by clicking on ESG and then Governance Documents.

Board Committees

Our Board has three standing committees: the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Governance & Sustainability Committee. Each of the Board’s standing committees operates under a written charter adopted by our Board that addresses the purpose, duties and responsibilities of the committee. Each standing committee reviews its charter at least annually and recommends charter changes to the Board as appropriate. During 2022, each of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Governance & Sustainability Committee revised its charter. A current copy of each standing committee charter can be found on our website at investors.greenbrickpartners.com by clicking on ESG and then Governance Documents.

In addition to our standing committees, the Board has created an Insurance Committee whose responsibility is to oversee the creation and operation of Green Brick Partners, Inc.’s captive insurance subsidiary.

The table below sets forth the current directors appointed to each of the committees:

Independent DirectorAudit
Committee
Compensation
Committee
Governance and
Sustainability
Committee
Insurance
Committee

Elizabeth K. Blake

MemberChair

Harry Brandler

Member

Lila Manassa Murphy

Member

Kathleen Olsen

ChairMemberMember

Richard S. Press

MemberChairChair

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

12     


Corporate Governance

AUDIT COMMITTEE

Members:

Kathleen Olsen (Chair)

Richard S. Press

Lila Manassa Murphy

Meetings in 2022:

5

Responsibilities

The Audit Committee’s responsibilities include:

•  assist Board oversight of the accounting and financial reporting processes of Green Brick, the integrity of the financial statements, and the audits of the financial statements of Green Brick;

•  assist the Board oversight of the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, including reviewing and overseeing the Company’s information and technology risks, including cybersecurity;

•  oversee the assessment of financial risk and financial risk management programs;

•  evaluate the independence, qualifications, and performance of the independent auditors;

•  engage and oversee the independent auditors;

•  oversee the integrity and adequacy of internal controls and the quality and adequacy of disclosures to stockholders;

•  oversee the performance of Green Brick’s internal audit function; and

•  perform all other duties required under the Charter, assigned by the Board or required by regulation or law.

Independence and Financial Expertise

The Board reviewed the background, experience and independence of the Audit Committee members and based on this review; the Board determined that each member of the Audit Committee:

•  meets the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) listing standards and SEC requirements for independence with respect to audit committee members; and

•  is financially literate, knowledgeable and qualified to review financial statements.

Ms. Olsen and Ms. Manassa Murphy have been determined to be “audit committee financial experts” as such term is defined in the rules and regulations of the SEC.

The charter provides that a member of the Audit Committee shall not simultaneously serve on the audit committees of more than two other public companies. None of the members of our Audit Committee currently serve on the audit committees of more than two other public companies.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

13     


Corporate Governance

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE

Members:

Richard S. Press (Chair)

Kathleen Olsen

Elizabeth K. Blake

Meetings in 2022:

5

Responsibilities

The Compensation Committee’s responsibilities include:

•  discharge the responsibilities of the Board relating to the compensation of Green Brick’s Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers;

•  review and approve corporate goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of Green Brick’s Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers;

•  oversee the administration of Green Brick’s compensation plans, including any incentive compensation and equity-based plans;

•  assist the Board in establishing and administering fair and equitable compensation policies and practices designed to enhance Company performance, retain key employees and align the interests of executive officers and other employees with the interests of the stockholders;

•  recommend to the Board compensation for directors;

•  oversee the competency, qualifications and performance of executive officers;

•  review, assess and make reports and recommendations to the Board as appropriate on succession planning with respect to the executive officers;

•  produce a report on executive compensation each year for inclusion in the proxy statement; and

•  perform all other duties required under the Charter, assigned by the Board or required by regulation or law.

Independence

The Board reviewed the background, experience and independence of the Compensation Committee members and based on this review, the Board determined that each member of the Compensation Committee is independent and a non-employee pursuant to:

•  NYSE listing standards; and

•  Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

None of the members of the Compensation Committee were a former officer of the Company or was at any time during 2022 an officer or employee of our Company. None of our executive officers serve as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any other entity that has one or more executive officers serving as a member of our Board or Compensation Committee.

Role of Compensation Consultants and Advisors.

Pursuant to its charter, the Compensation Committee has the authority, in its sole discretion, to engage the services of compensation consultants, legal counsel or other advisors as necessary and appropriate to assist the Compensation Committee in fulfilling its duties and responsibilities. For 2022, the Compensation Committee selected and retained Pearl Meyer, an independent compensation consulting firm.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

14     


Corporate Governance

Pearl Meyer assisted with structuring the 2022 compensation program for our named executive officers (“NEO compensation program”). Pearl Meyer provided the Compensation Committee with an NEO compensation and peer benchmarking report and made recommendations regarding the structure of our NEO compensation program based on such report.

Pearl Meyer also assisted in benchmarking the Company’s non-employee director compensation against the Company’s then-current peer group, and worked directly with the Compensation Committee to prepare a proposal for the 2023 compensation of the non-employee directors. Pearl Meyer did not provide additional services to the Company or its affiliates.

The Compensation Committee reviewed the independence of Pearl Meyer in light of the NYSE listing standards and the SEC rules and regulations and determined that the work provided by Pearl Meyer during 2022 did not raise any conflicts of interest and that Pearl Meyer was independent.

Delegation of Authority

The Compensation Committee may delegate to Green Brick’s management the authority to administer incentive compensation and benefit plans provided for employees as it deems appropriate and to the extent permitted by applicable laws, rules, regulations and NYSE Listing Standards.

GOVERNANCE & SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE

Members:

Elizabeth K. Blake
(Chair)
Harry Brandler

Kathleen Olsen

Meetings in 2022:

5

Responsibilities

The Governance & Sustainability Committee’s responsibilities include:

•  identify, review the qualifications of, and recommend candidates for Board membership, consistent with criteria set forth in the charter;

•  determine the composition of the Board and its committees;

•  develop corporate governance guidelines for Green Brick and oversee compliance with them;

•  monitor Board and management effectiveness;

•  assist the Board in overseeing and monitoring Green Brick’s development and integration of material corporate governance, social and environmental strategies; and

•  perform all other duties required under the Charter, assigned by the Board, or required by regulation or law.

Independence

The Board reviewed the background, experience and independence of the Governance & Sustainability Committee members and based on this review, the Board determined that each member of the Governance & Sustainability Committee meets the independence requirements of the NYSE’s listing standards.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

15     


Corporate Governance

Committee Rotation Following the 2023 Annual Meeting

In order to bring a fresh perspective to each committee, the Governance & Sustainability Committee recommended that the Board approve a rotation of committee chairs and/or members, and in April 2023, the Board approved such rotation. Following their respective re-election at the 2023 Annual Meeting, each of (1) Mses. Manassa Murphy and Olsen and Mr. Press will be appointed to the Audit Committee with Ms. Manassa Murphy serving as the chair, (2) Mr. Brandler and Mses. Manassa Murphy and Blake will be appointed to the Compensation Committee with Mr. Brandler serving as the chair, and (3) Messrs. Brandler and Press and Mses. Blake and Olsen will be appointed to the Governance & Sustainability Committee with Mr. Press serving as the chair.

Board Leadership Structure

The positions of Chairman and CEO are held by two different individuals. David Einhorn serves as Green Brick’s Chairman and James R. Brickman serves as Green Brick’s CEO. Separating these positions allows our CEO to focus on our day-to-day business and operations, while allowing our Chairman to lead the Board in its fundamental role of providing advice to and oversight of management. The Chairman provides leadership to our Board and works with the Board to define its structure and activities in the fulfillment of its responsibilities. The Chairman sets the board agendas, in consultation with our CEO and the other officers and directors, facilitates communications among and information flow to directors, has the power to call special meetings of our Board and stockholders, and presides at meetings of our Board and stockholders. The Chairman also advises and counsels our CEO and other officers. Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the non-employee directors and independent directors meet in executive session, without management present, at each of the regularly scheduled meetings of the Board, and at such other times as may be determined by a majority of the independent directors. In addition, at least once a year, only independent, non-employee directors shall meet in executive session. A lead director, elected from time to time, may serve as the presiding director for all such meetings of the independent directors and at all meetings at which the Chairman is not present. If there is a lead director and the lead director is not present at any such meeting, the other independent directors will select a presiding director for that meeting.

Meetings

During 2022, the Board met 5 times. Each director attended at least 75% of the aggregate of the total number of meetings of the Board and the total number of meetings held by each of the Board committees on which he or she served. Director attendance is not required at annual meetings of stockholders. One member of the Board attended the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

All of our independent directors meet in executive session (without management present) during each quarterly scheduled Board meeting and at other times as they may deem necessary. Mr. Brandler presided over all executive sessions held in 2022.

Director Independence

Our Corporate Governance Guidelines require that a majority of our directors meet the standards for independence required by the NYSE listing standards. In addition, members of our Audit Committee must meet the independence standards for audit committee members adopted by the SEC. Members of the Audit Committee must also have no relationship with us that interferes with their exercise of independent judgment. Members of our Compensation Committee must meet the definition of “non-employee director” contained in Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act, and meet the independence requirements under the NYSE listing standards.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

16     


Corporate Governance

Our Board makes a formal determination each year as to which of our directors and director nominees are independent. The Board has determined that the following directors or director nominees are independent within the meaning of the NYSE Listing Standards: Harry Brandler, Elizabeth K. Blake, Lila Manassa Murphy, Kathleen Olsen and Richard S. Press. In making its determination regarding the independence of Mr. Brandler, Ms. Olsen and Mr. Press, the Board considered that each of these individuals has invested in limited partnership interests in funds managed by Greenlight Capital, Inc. or its affiliates. We refer to these funds as the “Greenlight Funds.” However, because none of these investments are material, none of the directors have any rights with respect to the management of the Greenlight Funds, and none of the directors has received any compensation from the Greenlight Funds, the Board has determined that such interests would not interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of such directors.

Board and Committee Self-Evaluations

Each year, our Board and its committees conduct self-evaluations to ensure they are performing effectively and to identify opportunities to improve overall Board, individual, and committee performance. The Governance & Sustainability Committee annually reviews the format and scope of our Board’s evaluation process considering general corporate governance developments and best practices and recommends changes it believes are appropriate. Once the format and content of the evaluation is approved, a Board and committee self-assessment is conducted under the oversight of the Governance & Sustainability Committee. The feedback received from the evaluations is discussed during a review session led by the Governance & Sustainability Committee and the individual committees, as appropriate.

Stock Ownership Guidelines

We recognize the importance of aligning our directors’ and management’s interests with those of our stockholders. As a result, the Board has established stock ownership guidelines for all of our directors and officers. Under these guidelines, directors and executive officers are expected to accumulate over a designated period, shares of common stock having a fair market value equal to the multiple of their annual cash retainer, in the case of directors, or base salary, in the case of executive officers, as shown in the table below.

NameRequired Multiple

Chief Executive Officer

3x

All Other NEOs

2x

Directors

5x

For purposes of calculating the stock ownership, we include all shares owned directly or indirectly, either because the individual has an economic interest in the shares or because the individual has the right to vote such shares, including (i) shares held by immediate family members residing in the individual’s household, (ii) shares beneficially owned in a trust or family limited partnership or similar estate planning vehicle, by immediate family members residing in the individual’s household, and (iii) any other shares that are beneficially owned that would be reportable for purposes of the stock ownership table in the Company’s proxy statement (excluding shares subject to a right to acquire such as unvested options, unvested restricted stock units or other unvested or unearned derivatives) or on Table 1 of Forms 3, 4 or 5 (as then promulgated pursuant to Section 16 of the Exchange Act). An executive or a director has five years to

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

17     


Corporate Governance

comply with our stock ownership guidelines. Until an executive or a director meets his or her required ownership, such executive or director shall retain one hundred percent (100%) of all net shares received from the settlement of restricted stock or restricted stock units under a Company incentive plan.

Risk Management

Board’s Role in Risk Oversight

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Our Board is actively involved in the oversight and management of risks that could affect Green Brick. Management, in consultation with the Board, identifies areas of risk that particularly affect us. Senior members of our management team report to the Board on each of those areas of risk on a rotating basis at the regularly-scheduled quarterly Board meetings. The areas of risk reported to the Board change from time to time based on business conditions. Currently, the risk areas reported on to our Board on a regular basis relate to housing inventory and land supply, material and labor availability and costs, construction quality and warranty, our captive insurance company and other financial services business, human resources, legal (including regulatory and compliance issues), information technology (including cybersecurity), taxation and strategic investments.

Our Board also asks for and receives reports on other risks that affect the Company after review of business presentations made during regular Board meetings. In addition, one of the responsibilities of the Audit Committee is to discuss and review policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management, including guidelines and policies governing risk assessment and risk management processes.

êêêê
AUDITCOMPENSATIONGOVERNANCE & SUSTAINABILITYINSURANCE

Oversees Risks related to:

•  Financial statements and financial reporting

•  Accounting and internal controls

•  Taxes and regulatory compliance

•  Internal ethics and compliance Programs

•  Information security and cybersecurity

Oversees Risks related to:

•  Compensation policies and practices

•  Talent development and retention

•  Management succession planning

•  Human Capital management, including diversity and inclusion

Oversees Risks related to:

•  Corporate governance policies, including related party transactions

•  Environmental and sustainability policies

•  Public policy and corporate responsibility

Oversees Risks related to:

•  Regulatory compliance, insurance strategy and structure, and investment policies and decisions of Green Brick’s captive insurance company

êêêê
SENIOR MANAGEMENT

Our senior management is responsible for assessing and managing Green Brick’s various exposures to risk on a daily basis, including the identification and management of risks through Green Brick’s robust enterprise risk management (“ERM”) process. Our ERM process provides us with a common framework to ensure consistency in identification, reporting and management of key risks.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

18     


Corporate Governance

Board Oversight of Strategy. One of the Board’s primary responsibilities is overseeing management’s establishment and execution of the Company’s strategy and the associated risks. The full Board oversees strategy and strategic risk through robust and constructive engagement with management, taking into consideration our key priorities, global trends impacting our business, regulatory developments, and disruptors in our businesses. The Board’s oversight of our strategy primarily occurs through deep-dive annual reviews of the Company’s long-term strategic plans. During these reviews, management provides the Board with its view of the key commercial and strategic risks faced by the Company, and the Board provides management with feedback on whether management has identified the key risks and is taking appropriate actions to mitigate risk. In addition to the annual deep-dive strategic review, because the Company’s strategic initiatives are subject to rapidly evolving business dynamics, the Board regularly receives updates on key strategic initiatives throughout the year to ensure progress is being made against goals, understand where adjustments or refinements to strategy may be appropriate and stay current on issues impacting the business.

Cybersecurity & Information Security Risk Management. Cybersecurity is an integral part of our overall ERM program. The Audit Committee oversees our cybersecurity and other information technology risks, controls, strategies and procedures. In addition, the Audit Committee periodically evaluates our information security strategies to ensure its effectiveness and, if appropriate, may also include a review from third-party experts. Our Vice President of IT reports to the Audit Committee as part of every regularly scheduled meeting of the Audit Committee (or more frequently, as needed) regarding technological risk exposure and cybersecurity risk management strategy. In addition, our Board also may review and assess cybersecurity risks as part of its responsibilities for oversight of our broad ERM program.

Our information security management systems are comprehensive and designed to drive our cybersecurity program. Our IT policies, procedures, controls, and risk assessments are based on the Center for Internet Security Cybersecurity Framework. The core functions of our framework aim to identify opportunities for improvement and risk mitigation. Key elements of our information security management systems include, among others:

Annual penetration testing

Adoption of an incident response plan

Employee email phishing campaigns

Email security monitoring

Realtime vulnerability scanning and intrusion detection

Employee cyber security awareness program

Real-time (offsite) backups of production systems

Regular audits & progress reports

Continuous improvement of the information security management system

We maintain a cyber incident response plan to timely, consistently, and compliantly address cybersecurity threats that may occur despite our safeguards. The response plan covers preparation, detection and analysis, containment and investigation, notification (which may include timely notice to our Board if deemed material or appropriate), eradication and recovery, and incident closure and post-incident analysis. We retain a third-party cyber security firm to leverage in the event of a cyber security incident. Our response planning is reviewed annually and kept up to date. The scope of this plan is enterprise-wide and includes our business units and subsidiaries. We work with third-party industry experts to conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

19     


Corporate Governance

Additional Corporate Governance Policies

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. All of our employees, officers (including our principal executive, financial and accounting officers) and directors are held accountable for adherence to our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (“Code of Conduct”). Our Code of Conduct is designed to help us meet our responsibility of conducting our business in compliance with laws and good ethical practice. Our Code of Conduct is available on our website at investors.greenbrickpartners.com by clicking on ESG and then Governance Documents. Any waivers of, or amendments to, our Code of Conduct will be posted on our website and reported as required by the SEC.

Vendor Code of Conduct. We have adopted a Vendor Code of Conduct outlining our standards and expectations of our suppliers and other business partners, which can also be found at investors.greenbrickpartners.com by clicking on ESG and then Governance Documents. The Vendor Code of Conduct outlines our expectation that our business partners, suppliers, vendors, and contractors demonstrate the highest standards of business conduct, integrity and adherence to the law. We also expect our vendors to follow best industry practices so that our homes are built in a manner that meets or exceeds the expectations of Green Brick and our customers. The Vendor Code of Conduct provides specific guidance regarding vendor’s responsibility to comply with all applicable laws and regulations and to have policies ensuring such compliance, their duty to escalate concerns, handle information properly and maintain accurate records, address potential conflicts of interest, and operate responsibly and in compliance with all anti-corruption, environmental, health and safety, social and human rights, child-labor, anti-slavery and other relevant laws.

Related Person Transaction Approval Policy. Green Brick has adopted a written policy for the review, approval and ratification of transactions with related persons. The policy covers related party transactions between us and any of our officers and directors or their respective affiliates, director nominees, 5% or greater security holders or family members of any of the foregoing. Related party transactions covered by this policy are reviewed by our Governance & Sustainability Committee to determine whether the transaction is in our best interests and the best interests of our stockholders. As a result, approval of related party business will be denied if, among other factors, it is determined that the proposed transaction is not fair and reasonable and on terms no less favorable to Green Brick than could be obtained in a comparable arms-length transaction with an unrelated third party. All directors must recuse themselves from any discussion or decision affecting their personal, business or professional interests. All related person transactions will be disclosed in our applicable SEC filings as required under SEC rules.

Transactions with Related Persons. During 2022, Green Brick held a 90% membership interest and a 90% voting interest in CLH20, LLC (“CLH20”), the owner of Centre Living Homes, LLC (“Centre Living”), a builder that focuses on single family residences and townhomes in the Dallas metroplex market. The remaining 10% of membership and voting interests in CLH20 is held by Trevor Brickman, President of Centre Living and son of our CEO, James R. Brickman.

Insider Trading, Anti-Pledging Policy and Anti-Hedging Policy. Our Insider Trading Policy prohibits all directors, officers and employees from engaging in transactions in our common stock while in possession of material non-public information and restricts directors, officers and other “designated insiders” from engaging in most transactions involving our common stock during periods, for which we have determined those individuals are most likely to be aware of material, non-public information. Our Insider Trading Policy also prohibits any officer or director from entering into any transaction that has the effect of hedging or locking in the value of his or her stock holdings, such as zero-cost collars and

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

20     


Corporate Governance

forward sale contracts. Additionally, our Insider Trading Policy prohibits any officer, director or employee from, directly or indirectly, engaging in “short sales” of our common stock.

Our Insider Trading Policy prohibits pledging of our common stock as collateral for loans. In limited circumstances, however, the Board may approve an exception to this prohibition to an entity having 10% or more beneficial ownership of our common stock where the entity is able to clearly demonstrate the financial ability to repay the loan without resorting to the pledged securities. Our majority stockholder is a family of investment entities which holds certain portfolio securities in margin accounts as part of its portfolio management. Our Board evaluated the ability of our majority stockholder to repay any leverage related to the margin accounts. Mr. Einhorn does not pledge any of the shares that are held by him individually.

Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility

Management and Board Oversight

As we have progressed in our approach to sustainability and corporate responsibility, our governance and oversight structure has also evolved. The Governance & Sustainability Committee has been assigned by the Board to provide oversight of our policies and programs related to corporate governance, environmental and social matters. This committee is also responsible for reviewing with management strategies, policies, programs, and practices relating to sustainability strategy and performance, including material environmental, social, and governance trends and related long and short-term Company impacts, as well as Green Brick’s public reporting on these topics in furtherance of Green Brick’s business, strategy, values, and purpose and provide recommendations to the Board as appropriate.

Commitments to Sustainability

As one of the fastest growing public companies in the country, we take very seriously our responsibility to grow in a sustainable way that minimizes our impact on the environment.

Responsible Land Development    

From site selection to design and development, our land strategy is rooted in responsibility. We conduct rigorous environmental impact studies and develop each neighborhood with sustainability in mind. This includes implementing stormwater management measures, earthwork strategies to minimize slope and soil disturbance, and making all efforts to rehome wildlife and protect the natural landscape.

Sustainable Homeownership

We strive to continuously improve the energy performance of our homes as we believe it is the most significant way that we can contribute to reducing carbon emissions. In 2022, we made significant progress in having many of our homes being designated as Energy Star® Certified, which means the home has met the energy efficiency requirements for this designation as set forth by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We believe doing so will empower our purchasing and construction teams with the knowledge required to exceed expectations. In 2023, we intend to continue expanding on this commitment and growing our library of Energy Star® Certified homes.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

21     


Corporate Governance

Many of our homebuilders partner with some of the most reputable manufacturers of cutting-edge, energy-efficient products to give our homebuyers a quality home that will not only stand the test of time, but deliver significant savings for years to come. For example, we are pleased to note that almost all of our homes now utilize LED lighting, which uses approximately 75% less energy and lasts up to 25 times longer than incandescent lighting.

Other areas of sustainable building practices we have focused on this past year include a streamlined construction approach utilized prefabricated trusses and pre-cut lumber, high-efficiency construction using spray foam insulation, low flow fixtures, and double pane insulated windows, and providing Energy Star® rated appliances in our homes.

Waste and Water Reduction

In 2022, we continued to implement strategies that would increase our operational efficiencies and minimize waste and our impact on the environment. We also install tankless water heaters in many of our homes, which are typically 20-30% more efficient than traditional 50-gallon water heater tanks. Our teams are consistently challenged to optimize our plan library and identify the most efficient ways to build our homes.

Our People

Our commitment to attracting and retaining the top talent across all departments begins and ends with creating a work environment that fosters inclusivity and empowers each of our team members to reach their full potential. A robust system of programs aimed at ensuring the health, well-being, and personal and professional development of our team coupled with community engagement and philanthropy ensures that we remain focused on what matters most – our employees and serving the communities where we build. In addition to a comprehensive medical, vision, and dental benefits package, employees are eligible to participate in our 401K program and have access to generous fitness and tuition reimbursement policies.

Health and Safety

Green Brick is committed to providing all employees and others who are on Company property with a safe and secure environment. Accordingly, all personnel will comply with all health and safety laws and regulations, as well as Green Brick policies governing health and safety. All personnel are responsible for immediately reporting accidents, injuries and unsafe equipment, practices or conditions to a supervisor or Green Brick officer.

Diversity and Inclusion

We respect the value that diverse life experiences bring to our team, from part time associates all the way to our Board of Directors, of which 60% of our independent directors are women and one is Hispanic. Investing in our employees is a top priority and we continually strive to provide an environment that promotes learning, growth, and development to maximize our people’s potential. We always seek to attract, develop and retain the most qualified people for all our positions while focusing on embedding diversity inclusion to build a unique blend of cultures, backgrounds, skills and beliefs that mirror the world in which we live.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

22     


Corporate Governance

Governance

Our values of HOME – Honesty, Objectivity, Maturity, and Efficiency – are intimately linked to our outlook on operating responsibly. We believe that through our values we can maintain policies and procedures that support ethical business practices, sound governance, and adherence to all regulatory requirements that result in promoting our stockholder, employee, and community interests.

We are committed to operating our Company with integrity and the highest ethical standards, including comprehensive governance structures and practices that meet or exceed the requirements of applicable laws, regulations, and rules, including the NYSE’s listing standards.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

23     


DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

2022 Compensation

Annual Cash Retainer. For 2022, our independent directors, other than our Chairman, received an annual cash retainer of $100,000 that is paid quarterly in arrears. For 2022, our Chairman’s compensation package consisted of an annual cash retainer equal to $125,000. Each director, except our Chairman, has the option to elect to receive all or a portion of his or her cash retainer in the form of shares of restricted stock.

Annual Equity Grant. For 2022, each independent director received an award of restricted stock with an aggregate grant date value of $110,000, calculated at the fair market value as defined in the plan. As a result, on June 7, 2022, each independent director received an award of 4,544 shares of restricted stock for the annual equity retainer. In addition, Ms. Blake elected to receive all of her cash retainer in shares of restricted stock. Each of these restricted stock awards, including the equity received in lieu of cash, will vest on the earlier of (i) the first anniversary of the grant date, or (ii) the date of our 2023 Annual Meeting, provided that the director is then serving on the Board.

Committee Chair Fees. For 2022, each of the Board committee chairs were entitled to an additional annualcommittee chair retainer of $20,000 for the Audit Committee and Insurance Committee and $10,000 for the Compensation Committee and Governance and Sustainability Committee, payablequarterly in arrears.

2023 Compensation.

In 2022, upon consultation with its independent compensation consultant, the Compensation Committee reviewed our non-employee director compensation policies based on benchmark information from our then-current peer companies. Based on such review, the Compensation Committee recommended, and the Board approved, the following changes to the 2023 board compensation:

annual cash retainer remained the same at $100,000, paid quarterly in arrears;

annual equity grant of shares of restricted stock increased to $140,000, and the grant date was changed to March to be aligned with the date that the named executive officers receive equity awards;

Chairman’s annual cash retainer was increased to $150,000; however, he will still not receive an equity award; and

Committee chair fees were increased as follows: Audit Committee was increased to $25,000; Compensation Committee increased to $20,000; and Governance and Sustainability Committee was increased to $20,000, while the Insurance Committee chair fee remained at $20,000.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

24     


Director Compensation

2022 Director Compensation Table

The following table sets forth information regarding the compensation of our non-employee directors for 2022. Mr. Brickman, our Chief Executive Officer, is omitted from the table as he does not receive any additional compensation for his services as a director. For more information on Mr. Brickman’s compensation, see “Executive Compensation Information” beginning on page 36.

Name  Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash
($)
(1)
   Stock Awards
($)
(2)(3)
   Total ($) 

David Einhorn

   $125,000        -    $125,000 

Elizabeth K. Blake(4)

   -    $220,020    $220,020 

Harry Brandler

   $100,000    $110,010    $210,010 

John R. Farris(5)

   $75,000    $110,010    $185,010 

Kathleen Olsen(6)

   $120,000    $110,010    $230,010 

Richard S. Press(7)

   $130,000    $110,010    $240,010 

Lila Manassa Murphy(8)

   $70,330    $110,010    $180,340 

(1)

Amount reflects the amount of annual retainer paid in cash. As discussed above, directors may elect to receive shares of restricted stock in lieu of the annual cash retainer.

(2)

Amount reflects the aggregate grant date fair value of the shares of restricted stock granted on June 7, 2022 as the Annual Equity Award and the shares of restricted stock granted to Ms. Blake in lieu of her annual cash retainer as computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. These amounts reflect our accounting expense for these awards and do not necessarily correspond to the actual value that may be realized for these awards by our independent directors. For additional information on the valuation assumptions regarding the restricted stock awards, refer to Note 10 to our financial statements, which are included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC.

(3)

The following table sets forth the aggregate number of shares of restricted stock outstanding as of December 31, 2022 for each of our independent directors. Please see Beneficial Ownership Table for the total number of shares held by our directors.

Name

Restricted
Stock

Elizabeth K. Blake

9,088

Harry Brandler

4,544

John R. Farris

Kathleen Olsen

4,544

Richard S. Press

4,544

Lila Manassa Murphy

4,544

(4)

Ms. Blake elected to receive the cash portion of her annual retainer in restricted shares, including $10,000 for her service as Chair of the Governance & Sustainability Committee.

(5)

Mr. Farris resigned from the Board on October 21, 2022 and forfeited his restricted shares.

(6)

Includes $20,000 for her service as Chair of the Audit Committee.

(7)

Includes $10,000 for his service as Chair of the Compensation Committee and $20,000 for his service as Chair of the Insurance Committee.

(8)

Ms. Manassa Murphy’s annual cash retainer was prorated for the 2022 fiscal year as she joined the Board in April 2022.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

25     


EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Set forth below is certain information relating to our current executive officers and key employees. Biographical information with respect to Mr. Brickman is set forth above under “Proposal 1 – Election of Directors.”

NameAgePosition

James R. Brickman

71

Chief Executive Officer

Richard A. Costello

64

Chief Financial Officer

Jed Dolson

45

Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President

Neal Suit

47Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Risk and Compliance Officer

Richard A. Costello – Mr. Costello has been our Chief Financial Officer since April 2015. From January 2015 until his appointment as Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Costello served as our Vice President of Finance. Mr. Costello has over 25 years of financial and operational experience in all aspects of real estate management. Since 2007, Mr. Costello worked as a private investor until he joined Green Brick. Previously, he worked for 16 years at GL Homes of Florida, one of the largest private developers and homebuilders in Florida. There he served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer as well as in other senior financial management roles. Prior to joining GL Homes, Mr. Costello worked for six years as AVP-Finance of Paragon Group, a regional commercial real estate developer, and for four years as an auditor for KPMG LLP. Mr. Costello received a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Central Florida and his M.B.A. from Kellogg School of Northwestern University.

Jed Dolson – Mr. Dolson has been our Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President since September 2020. He previously served from October 2017 as the President of Texas Region of the Company. Prior to that time, he was Head of Land Acquisition and Development from September 2013. From March 2010 to September 2013, Mr. Dolson served as a managing member of Pecos One LLC, a consulting firm that provided services to JBGL. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Dolson worked for three years at Jones & Boyd Engineering and later he served five years as Director of Development for a local private residential developer. Mr. Dolson received a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University and a M.S. in Civil Engineering from Stanford University.

Neal Suit – Mr. Suit joined Green Brick in 2021 and has been our Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Risk and Compliance Officer since October 2022. Mr. Suit has approximately 20 years of legal experience, much of that experience focused on the real estate and construction industries. He served as the Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Legacy Housing Corporation, where he played a key role in Legacy’s successful IPO in December 2018. Prior to going in-house, Mr. Suit worked at various law firms in the Dallas area, including a decade at the law firm of Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, LLP, where he was a partner and the co-chair of the firm’s Real Estate and Construction section. Mr. Suit earned a B.A. degree from Baylor University and J.D. from Harvard Law School.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

26     


COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

Our named executive officers for 2022 are the executive officers listed below:

James R. Brickman

Chief Executive Officer

Richard A. Costello

Chief Financial Officer

Jed Dolson

Chief Operating Officer

Neal Suit

General Counsel and Chief Risk and Compliance Officer

Compensation Philosophy and Objectives

The Compensation Committee believes that the caliber, motivation and alignment of all of our employees with the interests of our stockholders, and especially our executive leadership, are essential to Green Brick’s performance. The Compensation Committee believes our management compensation programs contribute to our ability to differentiate our performance from others in the marketplace and thereby deliver stockholders superior value. Moreover, we believe that Green Brick’s overall executive compensation philosophy and programs are market competitive, performance-based and stockholder aligned. The three principles of our compensation philosophy are as follows:

PrinciplesImplementation
Total direct compensation levels should be sufficiently competitive to attract, motivate and retain the highest quality executivesThe Compensation Committee seeks to establish target total direct compensation (salary plus annual incentive), providing our executives the opportunity to be competitively rewarded for our financial and operational growth. Total direct compensation opportunity (i.e., maximum achievable compensation) should increase with position and responsibility.
Performance-based and “at-risk” incentive compensation should constitute a substantial portion of total compensationWe seek to foster a pay-for-performance culture, with a significant portion of total direct compensation being performance-based and/or “at risk.” Accordingly, such portion should be tied to, and vary with, our financial, and operational performance, as well as individual performance. Executives with greater responsibilities and the ability to directly impact our strategic and operational goals and long-term results should bear a greater proportion of the risk if these goals and results are not achieved. Therefore, the more senior the executive, the greater the percentage of total compensation is in the form of performance-based compensation.
Compensation programs should align executives’ interests with our stockholders’ interests to further the creation of long-term stockholder valueBy awarding a portion of each year’s annual incentive payout in the form of stock, we encourage executives to focus on our long-term growth and prospects. This incentivizes our executives to manage our company from the perspective of owners with a meaningful stake, and encourage them to remain with us for long and productive careers. Equity-based compensation also subjects our executives to market risk, a risk also borne by our stockholders.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

27     


Compensation Discussion and Analysis

The overall level of total compensation for our named executive officers as described herein is intended to be reasonable and competitive, taking into account factors such as the individual’s experience, performance, duties and scope of responsibilities, prior contributions and future potential contributions to our business. With these principles in mind, we structured our compensation program to offer competitive total pay packages that we believe enable us to retain and motivate executives with the requisite skill and knowledge and ensure the stability of our management team, which is vital to the success of our business.

Our Financial and Operational Metrics are Aligned with Long-Term Growth

We believe our compensation program provides an appropriate balance between operational metrics that all team members can impact and that are aligned with successfully implementing our long-term growth strategy and financial metrics and rewarding executives upon the achievement of annual results. We measure our operational and financial metrics, on a relative basis, to ensure that our compensation program rewards performance that is above that of our peers.

2022 MetricWhy It Contributes to Alignment with Stockholder Value
Homebuilding Gross MarginHomebuilding Gross Margin is a metric most analysts and investors use to determine how effectively a builder is operating relative to peers.
Home Closings Revenue GrowthRevenue Growth is a metric most analysts and investors use to determine how effectively a builder is operating relative to peers.
Pre-Tax Income GrowthPre-Tax Income Growth is a metric most analysts and investors use to determine how effectively a builder is operating relative to peers.
Return on AssetsReturn on Assets is a metric most analysts and investors use to determine how effectively a builder is operating relative to peers.

Compensation Setting Process

Pay for Performance Compensation Philosophy

Our compensation philosophy is rooted in our values of ownership and meritocracy and aims to foster long-term value creation for our stockholders by:

attracting and retaining top talent;

connecting executive outcomes to company performance;

tying wealth creation to significant, long-term equity ownership; and

mitigating compensation-related retention risk.

As described in further detail below, consistent with these goals, our compensation program is designed to provide a clear link between what we pay our NEOs and Green Brick’s performance. Our NEO’s compensation package for 2022 reflects this commitment. For 2022, 80% of our CEO’s total direct compensation and an average of 77% of our other NEOs’ total direct compensation was performance-based or equity-based. Based on his current holdings of over 1.5 million shares of our common stock, and 500,000 shares in stock options at a $7.49 strike price, along with additional shares owned by family members that are not controlled by Mr. Brickman and therefore not reported to

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

28     


Compensation Discussion and Analysis

the SEC, the Compensation Committee believes that Mr. Brickman is already materially aligned with our stockholders.

LOGOLOGO

Oversight of Executive Compensation Programs

Role of Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee is responsible for establishing and overseeing our compensation philosophy and setting our executive compensation and benefits policies and programs generally. Commencing in 2022, the Compensation Committee, utilized a group of comparative homebuilders for informing the design of our executive compensation program and the target opportunities available to our named executive officers. In developing the comparative peer group, the Compensation Committee took into consideration revenue, income, homes delivered, operating model and geographic scope. For 2022, the comparative peer group was

Beazer Homes USA

Century Communities, Inc.

Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc.

M/I Homes, Inc.

Tri-Point Homes

While the Compensation Committee does not formally benchmark against this comparative group, the Compensation Committee believes that this comparative group is one factor to consider, together with individual factors regarding the value of each executive to the Company, industry factors, and general compensation trends.

Consideration of Stockholder Advisory Vote

As part of its compensation setting process, the Compensation Committee also reviews the results of the prior stockholder advisory vote on NEO compensation. In accordance with our stockholder say-on-frequency vote, we hold our stockholder advisory vote every three years. Our last stockholder advisory vote was held at the 2021 annual meeting of stockholders. In evaluating our executive compensation program our Compensation Committee took into consideration that 98% of the votes cast were voted in favor of Green Brick’s executive compensation at the 2021 annual meeting. The

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

29     


Compensation Discussion and Analysis

Compensation Committee intends to review the results of each advisory vote and will consider this feedback as well as the feedback obtained from stockholder engagement as it completes its annual review of each pay element and the total compensation packages of our NEOs.

Role of Executives in Establishing Compensation

Annually, the CEO proposes the financial and operational metrics and threshold, target and maximum performance levels for the Annual Incentive Program, subject to approval by the Compensation Committee. The CEO also proposes the strategic objectives that will determine individual achievement under our Annual Incentive Program. These individual strategic objectives are then approved by the Compensation Committee for all NEOs. At the end of each year, the CEO provides an evaluation of each NEO’s performance, including himself, and recommends the extent to which each other NEO (other than himself) has met their strategic objectives. The Compensation Committee then evaluates the performance of the CEO and each other NEO and determines the CEO’s and each other NEOs’ final individual achievement and the incentive payout for each NEO. Our incentive opportunities are set in each NEO’s employment agreement, however, in connection with the renewal of each NEO employment agreement (other than his own), the CEO provides the Compensation Committee with recommendations regarding base salary and annual incentive opportunity for the employment agreement.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

30     


Compensation Discussion and Analysis

Executive Compensation Components

For 2022, to achieve its compensation philosophy and objectives, the Compensation Committee used (1) base salary and (2) an annual incentive award plan pursuant to which performance is evaluated against three criteria (a) absolute pre-tax income growth, (b) operational and financial performance relative to peers and (c) strategic objectives that are established at the beginning of the year based on the respective NEO’s responsibilities. As discussed further below, each element of our 2022 compensation program is intended to encourage and foster the following results and behaviors.

LOGO

We designed our compensation program to provide executives the appropriate incentives to pursue quality long-term growth without encouraging inappropriate risk taking. As discussed below, under our annual incentive compensation program, the Compensation Committee annually approves a threshold (50% of target opportunity), target (100% of target opportunity) and maximum (200% of target opportunity) levels of performance for each of our named executive officers.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

31     


Compensation Discussion and Analysis

2022 Compensation Design and Decisions

Base Salaries

Why we pay base salaries. The Compensation Committee believes that payment of competitive base salaries is an important element for attracting, retaining and motivating our executives. In addition, the Compensation Committee believes that having a certain level of fixed compensation allows our executives to dedicate their full-time business attention to our company. Each executive’s base salary is designed to provide the executive with a fixed amount of annual compensation that is competitive with the marketplace.

How base salaries are determined. In connection with the negotiation and execution of each NEO’s employment agreement, the Compensation Committee reviews and sets the base salaries for the three-year term of the employment agreement. In setting the base salaries for the NEOs, a number of factors will be considered, including the position’s complexity and level of responsibility, the position’s importance in relation to other executive positions, and the assessment of the executive’s performance and other circumstances, including, for example, time in position. In addition, the Compensation Committee takes into consideration evaluations of each individual NEO, market changes and the economic and business conditions affecting Green Brick at the time of the evaluation.

2022 Base Salaries. Based on the respective NEO’s employment agreements, the 2022 base salaries for each of our NEOs was as follows:

  
Name 2022 Base Salary 
  

James R. Brickman

 $                1,500,000 
  

Richard A. Costello

 $450,000 
  

Jed Dolson

 $600,000 
  

Neal Suit(1)

 $279,166 
(1)

Represents pro-rated salary based on Mr. Suit’s appointment to General Counsel and Chief Risk and Compliance Officer on October 31, 2022. In connection with his appointment to EVP, General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer, Mr. Suit’s annual base salary was increased from $275,000 to $300,000 effective October 31, 2022.

Annual Incentive Compensation Plan

Why we pay annual incentive compensation. Our Annual Incentive Compensation Plan is the key component of our executive compensation program. Our Annual Incentive Compensation Plan seeks to incentivize and reward our NEOs for annual financial and operational performance on those metrics and strategic objectives that the Compensation Committee believes will drive short-term and long-term stockholder value.

How annual incentive compensation bonus opportunities are determined. In connection with the negotiation and execution of each NEO’s employment agreement, the Compensation Committee reviewed and set a target bonus opportunity for each of the three years of the employment agreement term. In setting the target bonus opportunity for the NEOs, a number of factors will be considered,

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

32     


Compensation Discussion and Analysis

including the position’s complexity and level of responsibility, the position’s importance in relation to other executive positions, and the assessment of the executive’s performance and other circumstances, including, for example, time in position. In addition, the Compensation Committee takes into consideration evaluations of each individual NEO, market changes and the economic and business conditions affecting Green Brick at the time of the evaluation.

Based on the respective NEO’s employment agreements, the 2022 incentive opportunities for each of our NEOs was as follows:

Name 2022 Bonus
Opportunity
 

James R. Brickman

 $            3,100,500 

Richard A. Costello

 $550,000 

Jed Dolson

 $1,700,000 

Neal Suit(1)

 $167,500 
(1)

For 2022, Mr. Suit’s incentive opportunity was prorated based on his appointment in October 2022.

In accordance with the terms of each NEOs respective employment agreement, the Compensation Committee may elect to pay up to 50% of any annual incentive compensation payout in shares of common stock.

For 2022, the annual incentive compensation program was revised to include a maximum incentive payment of up to 200% of the target bonus opportunity, rather than solely relying on the Compensation Committee’s discretion to award additional performance bonuses for exceptional financial and operational performance.

How annual incentive compensation performance is evaluated. Our Compensation Committee annually reviews and revises, if necessary, the appropriateness of each of the performance metrics, their correlation to Green Brick’s overall growth strategy, and the impact of such performance metrics on long-term stockholder value. For 2022, there were three components of our Annual Incentive Compensation Program and each component had a component opportunity calculated as a % of the respective NEO’s bonus opportunity:

Absolute Pre-Tax Net Income, with a component opportunity equal to 33.33% of the bonus opportunity;

Operational and Financial Performance Relative To Peers, with a component opportunity equal to 33.33% of the bonus opportunity; and

Strategic Objectives established at the beginning of the year based on the respective NEO’s responsibilities, with a component opportunity equal to 33.34% of the bonus opportunity.

2022 Annual Incentive Plan Metrics and Performance

Absolute Pre-Tax Net Income Growth. For 2022, up to 33.33% of each NEO’s target bonus opportunity could be earned based on Green Brick’s pre-tax income for the year. The Compensation Committee set performance levels of (1) threshold, at which there was a payout of 50% of the component opportunity, (2) target, at which there was a payout of 100% of the component opportunity,

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

33     


Compensation Discussion and Analysis

and (3) maximum, at which there was payout of 200% of the component opportunity. Below the threshold performance level, no payout is earned. For amounts earned between each performance level, the payout is calculated on a linear basis.

   
   Pre-Tax Income ($M)  Earned % 

Threshold

 $234.6 (85% target)   50

Target

 $276.0   100

Maximum

 $296.7 (107.5% target)   200

ACTUAL

 $396.4   200

2022 Results. Based on our exceptional performance, we materially exceeded the target and each NEO earned 200% of his respective component opportunity.

Operational and Financial Performance Relative To Peers. For 2022, the Compensation Committee selected five homebuilding peers against which our relative performance would be evaluated. If we met or exceeded the peer growth in 25% of the cells, the payout would equal 50% of the component opportunity, if we met or exceeded the peer growth in 50% of the cells, the payout would equal 100% of the component opportunity and if we meet or exceed the peer growth in 75% of the cells, the payout would equal 200% of the component opportunity. For amounts earned between each performance level, the payout is calculated on a linear basis.

    
Builder  Homebuilding
Gross Margin
%
   

Home Closings

Revenue

Growth %

   

Return on
Assets

(Annualized)

 
  

Green Brick Partners

   29.8   30   18.8

Beazer Homes

   22.8   7.0   9.9

Century Communities

   24.5   8.9   14.4

M/I Homes

   25.7   10.5   14.1

Hovnanian

   21.5   6.2   8.8

Tri Pointe Homes

   27.1   1.2  ��11.2

2022 Results. Based on our performance, we met or exceeded the growth of our peers in 100% of the cells (or 12 of the 12 cells) and each of the NEOs earned 200% of his respective component opportunity.

Strategic Objectives. The individual strategic objectives component of our Annual Incentive Compensation Plan is intended to reward managerial decision-making, behavioral interaction, and overall contribution. At the beginning of the year, the Compensation Committee approves for each NEO multiple quantitative and qualitative strategic objectives. These strategic objectives correspond to relevant business goals depending on the role. None of the individual strategic objectives is material to understanding the Annual Incentive Compensation Plan nor how the payout under our Annual Incentive Compensation Plan was determined in 2022. For amounts earned between each performance level, the payout is calculated on a linear basis.

At the end of each year, the Compensation Committee, with recommendations from the CEO, evaluates the individual performance of each NEO against his respective strategic objectives. As discussed above, for each of our NEOs, achievement of the strategic objectives represented 33.34% of

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

34     


Compensation Discussion and Analysis

each NEOs’ respective bonus opportunity. In evaluating, the performance of each NEO, the Compensation Committee considered the following achievements for each NEO:

NEOKey Performance Highlights

James R. Brickman

Chief Executive Officer

•  Decreased our debt to total capital ratio, effectively managing our financial risk.

•  Planned a long-range strategy for prudent growth of our business.

•  Built management bench and Board strength.

Richard A. Costello

Chief Financial Officer

•  Extended and improved our lender relationships.

•  Supervised and improved cash flow and net income forecasting with our new accounting software.

•  Assisted our CEO in planning a long-range strategy for prudent growth of our business.

Jed Dolson

Chief Operating Officer

•  Successfully operated our Trophy division in the DFW area while growing our land and lot positions in the Austin area.

•  Managed and established positive relationships between our NEOs and other employees and built a positive work environment.

•  Recruited and developed highly skilled members of senior management.

Neal Suit

General Counsel and Chief Risk and Compliance Officer

•  Implemented and managed our captive insurance program and strategy.

•  Managed litigation brought against and on behalf of Green Brick and its affiliated homebuilders.

•  Effectively collaborated with outside counsel, management and the Board to improve our corporate governance and legal and regulatory compliance.

2022 Results. Based on each NEOs respective performance, Messrs. Brickman and Suit earned 200% of their respective component opportunity, Mr. Dolson earned approximately 150% of his respective component opportunity and Mr. Costello earned approximately 75% of his respective component opportunity. In addition to the bonus under the AIP, the Compensation Committee awarded Mr. Suit a transaction bonus in connection with the successful regulatory approval from the relevant insurance regulatory body and launch of our captive insurance program, which saved significant expenses during 2022 and is expected to continue to provide savings to the Company in future fiscal years. The implementation of the captive insurance program was completed during 2022 prior to his appointment as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Risk and Compliance Officer.

2022 Payouts. In early 2023, the Compensation Committee reviewed each of the components of the Annual Incentive Compensation Plan and the performance levels achieved as discussed above. Consistent with prior experience, the Compensation Committee elected to pay 50% of the annual bonuses, including the transaction bonus, in shares of fully vested common stock.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

35     


Compensation Discussion and Analysis

Employee Benefits and Perquisites

We provide a number of benefit plans to all eligible employees, including our named executive officers. These benefits include programs such as medical, dental, life insurance, short- and long-term disability coverage and a 401(k) defined contribution plan. We also provide a gym membership for our executive officers and provide our Chief Operating Officer, similar to other senior employees whose responsibilities are primarily in the field, a car and cell phone allowance. While perquisites help to provide our named executive officers a benefit with a high perceived value at a relatively low cost, we do not generally view perquisites as a material component of our executive compensation program.

Other Compensation Practices

Prohibition on Pledging and Hedging. Officers, directors and employees and their respective family members are not permitted to enter into hedging and pledging arrangements with respect to shares of our common stock that they beneficially own.

Tax Deductibility of Compensation

Code Sections 280G and 4999. Sections 280G and 4999 of the Code limit a public company’s ability to take a tax deduction for certain “excess parachute payments” and impose excise taxes on these payments in connection with a change in control. The Compensation Committee considers the adverse tax liabilities imposed by Sections 280G and 4999, among other competitive factors, when it structures certain post-termination compensation payable to our NEOs. However, the potential adverse tax consequences to our company and/or the executive are not necessarily determinative in such decisions.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

36     


COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT

Compensation Committee Report on 2022 Executive Compensation

The Committee is responsible for establishing and administering the executive compensation programs of Green Brick. The Committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K with management and, based on such review and discussions, the Committee recommended to the Board that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this proxy statement on Schedule 14A.

Richard S. Press (Chair)

Kathleen Olsen

Elizabeth K. Blake

April 27, 2023

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

37     


EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Summary Compensation Table

The following table summarizes the “total compensation” of our NEOs for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020 according to the rules promulgated by the SEC.

Name and Principal
Position
 Year  Salary
($)
  Bonus
($)
(2)
  Stock
Awards
($)
(3)(4)
  

Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation

($)(6)

  All Other
Compensation
($)
(7)
  Total ($) 

James R. Brickman, Chief Executive Officer

  2022   1,500,000   -   1,349,988   3,100,500   10,350   5,960,838 
  2021   1,500,000   1,000,000   1,225,000   1,350,000   12,182   5,087,182 
  2020   1,500,000   225,000   750,137   1,000,000   8,550   3,483,687 
        
        

Richard A. Costello, Chief Financial Officer

  2022   450,000   -   399,998   439,000   5,178   1,294,176 
  2021   447,900   125,000   262,500   275,000   8,700   1,119,100 
  2020   400,000   62,500   200,000   200,000   4,205   866,705 
        
        

Jed Dolson,
Chief Operating Officer, EVP

  2022   600,000   -   1,152,997   1,558,500   20,550   3,332,047 
  2021   600,000   400,000   736,150   753,000   21,094   2,510,244 
  2020   559,103   150,000   650,000   586,151   20,718   1,965,972 

Neal Suit,
EVP, General Counsel, & Chief Risk & Compliance Officer

  2022   279,166(1)   37,500   20,013(5)   167,500   8,925   513,104 
(1)

In connection with his appointment to EVP, General Counsel and Chief Risk and Compliance Officer, Mr. Suit’s annual base salary was increased from $275,000 to $300,000 effective October 31, 2022. Actual pay levels for Mr. Suit were pro-rated based on his promotion.

(2)

With respect to Mr. Suit, reflects the 50% cash component of a transaction bonus awarded to him by the Compensation Committee.

(3)

This amount includes 50% of the Annual Incentive Bonus awarded in the form of Common Stock to the following NEOs in March 2022 with respect to their performance during the year ended December 31, 2021.

(4)

The amounts in this column represent the aggregate grant date fair value of the Common Stock issued to Messrs. Brickman, Costello, Dolson and Suit in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. For additional information on the valuation assumptions regarding stock awards, refer to Note 9 to our financial statements which are included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC.

(5)

Represents an equity award received prior to becoming EVP, General Counsel and Chief Risk and Compliance Officer. For a discussion of equity awards for 2022 performance please see the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section of this proxy statement.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

38     


Executive Compensation

(6)

On March 6, 2023, the Compensation Committee approved the following Annual Incentive Bonuses to the NEOs for 2022 performance. The Compensation Committee elected to pay 50% of the Annual Incentive Bonus to each of the NEOs in shares of our Common Stock.

   Annual Incentive Bonus  Total($) 
   Cash($)  Stock($)    

James R. Brickman

  3,100,500  3,100,500   6,201,000 

Richard A. Costello

  439,000  439,000   878,000 

Jed Dolson

  1,558,500  1,558,500   3,117,000 

Neal Suit

  167,500  167,500   335,000 

In accordance with the SEC rules, (i) the cash component of the Annual Incentive Bonus is reflected in the “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation” column in the year for which compensation was awarded, and (ii) the cash component of Mr. Suit’s transaction bonus is reflected in the “Bonus” column in the year for which compensation was awarded. The stock component of the Annual Incentive Bonus and the transaction bonus will reflected in the “Stock Awards” column in the year in which the stock was awarded (i.e. the amounts set forth in the table above will be included in the 2023 summary compensation table).

(7)

Amounts for 2022 include a 401(k) match of (i) $9,150 for each of Messrs. Brickman and Dolson, (ii) $4,500 for Mr. Costello, and (iii) $8,422 for Mr. Suit, gym memberships, and, for Mr. Dolson a car and cell phone allowance.

Grants of Plan Based Awards Table

The following table provides additional information about stock awards and equity and non-equity incentive plan awards granted to our NEOs during the year ended December 31, 2022.

       

Estimated Possible Payouts Under
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards
(1)

  

All other stock
awards:

Number of shares
of stock (#)
(3)

  Grant date fair
value of stock
awards
(3)
 
   Grant Date  Threshold ($)  Target ($)  Maximum ($) 

James R. Brickman

  07/28/2022   1,550,250   3,100,500   6,201,000   -   - 
   03/04/2022      58,340   $1,349,988 

Richard A. Costello

  07/28/2022   275,000   550,000   1,100,000   -   - 
   03/04/2022      17,286   $399,998 

Jed Dolson

  07/28/2022   850,000   1,700,000   3,400,000   -   - 
   03/04/2022      49,827   $1,152,997 
   10/31/2022   83,750   167,500   335,000   -   - 

Neal Suit(2)

  03/01/2022   -   -   -   863   $20,013 

(1)

As discussed earlier in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, our Annual Incentive Plan establishes a threshold, at which there is a 50% payout, a target, at which there is a 100% payout and a maximum, at which there is a 200% payout. The Compensation Committee retains the discretion to pay out up to 50% of the Annual Incentive Plan payout in shares of Common Stock. If the Compensation Committee decides to pay a portion of the Annual Incentive Plan in shares of Common Stock, the number of shares is determined based on the fair market value of a share of Common Stock as set forth in our 2014 Omnibus Plan. For the 2022 Annual Incentive Plan, the Compensation Committee decided to pay 50% of the payout in share of Common Stock.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

39     


Executive Compensation

(2)

Mr. Suit’s annual target bonus amount commencing October 31, 2022 is $450,000 and was set to a target bonus amount of $167,500 for the 2022 fiscal year in connection with his appointment to EVP, General Counsel and Chief Risk and Compliance Officer.

(3)

With respect to Messrs. Brickman, Costello and Dolson, the number of shares of stock and the grant date fair value of stock awards relate to the 50% of the 2021 Annual Incentive Plan and the 2021 Additional Bonuses that were paid 50% in cash and 50% in shares of Common Stock. With respect to Mr. Suit, amount represents an award made in March 2021, as part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identifyoverall employee award program, prior to his being an NEO. For the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number or the Form or Scheduleof shares of stock and the datefair value of its filing.such shares of stock issued as part of the 2022 Annual Incentive Plan, please see the “Compensation Discussion & Analysis.”

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End

The following table sets forth the outstanding equity awards for the Company’s NEOs as of December 31, 2022.

    Option Awards 
Named Executive Officers  

 

Number of Securities Underlying

Unexercised Options

 

   Option
Exercise
Price ($/
Share)
   

Option

Expiration Date

 
  Exercisable (#)  Unexercisable (#) 

James R. Brickman

   500,000(1)    $7.4861    10/27/2024 

Richard A. Costello

        

Jed Dolson

        

Neal Suit

                   
(1)

These options are fully vested.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

��

40     


Executive Compensation

Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control

Pursuant to their respective employment agreements, each of Messrs. Brickman, Costello, Dolson and Suit are entitled to receive a severance payment if he is terminated by us without Cause or if he resigns for Good Reason, in each case, subject to the executive’s (i) execution of a release of claims in a form reasonably acceptable to us and (ii) compliance with the material terms of his employment agreement or any other agreement between us and the executive.

Termination With Cause, Without Good Reason or Due to Death or Disability

In accordance with their respective employment agreements, upon a termination by us for Cause, by the NEO without Good Reason or upon death or Disability, each of Messrs. Brickman, Costello, Dolson and Suit will only be entitled to receive any previously accrued obligations.

Impact of Change in Control Upon Severance Payments

None of our NEOs are entitled to a payment solely due to a Change in Control. In accordance with Mr. Brickman’s employment agreement, to the extent that he is terminated without Cause, other than due to death or disability, or resigns for Good Reason within 24 months following a Change in Control, his severance amount will be increased from two times (2x) to three times (3x) the sum of his base salary and his target bonus for the year of termination. In accordance with Mr. Costello’s employment agreement, to the extent that he is terminated without Cause, other than due to death or disability, or resigns for Good Reason within 24 months following a Change in Control, his severance amount will be increased by two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($250,000). Mr. Dolson and Mr. Suit do not receive any additional amounts if their termination occurs following a Change in Control.

For purposes of the potential payments to Mr. Brickman or Mr. Costello, a “Change in Control” will be deemed to have occurred when: (i) any person is or becomes the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of our securities representing 50% or more of the combined voting power of our then-outstanding securities; (ii) a majority of our Board is not constituted of (A) individuals who were on our Board as of the date of the respective employment agreement and (B) any new director (other than a director whose initial assumption of office is in connection with an actual or threatened election contest) whose appointment or election by our Board or nomination for election by our stockholders was approved or recommended by a vote of at least two-thirds of the incumbent directors; (iii) a merger or consolidation of our company is consummated, other than (A) a merger or consolidation which would result in our voting securities outstanding immediately prior to such merger or consolidation continuing to represent at least 50% of the combined voting power of the surviving entity outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation, or (B) a merger or consolidation effected to implement a recapitalization of our company (or similar transaction) in which no person is or becomes the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of our securities representing 50% or more of the combined voting power of our then outstanding securities; or (iv) a liquidation or dissolution of our company.

General Provisions

Clawback Provision. Pursuant to the employment agreement for each NEO, we may claw back from the NEO any bonus and equity-based compensation received in a prior year if we are required to restate financial results due to material non-compliance with applicable financial reporting requirements.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

41     


Executive Compensation

Restrictive Covenants. Each employment agreement provides for a (i) 12-month post-termination non-competition covenant relating to our competitors, (ii) 12-month post-termination non-solicitation covenant in respect of our employees, consultants, vendors, customers and similar business relationships and (iii) perpetual confidentiality and non-disparagement covenants.

Excise Tax. Pursuant to the employment agreements of Mr. Costello, Mr. Dolson and Mr. Suit, in the event that any payments made in connection with a termination of employment would be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code, then, subject to limitations, the payments would be reduced to the minimum extent necessary to ensure no portion of such payment is subject to the excise tax. Mr. Brickman’s employment agreement requires a “best net” approach, under which payments and benefits will be reduced to avoid triggering excise tax if the reduction would result in a greater after-tax amount for Mr. Brickman compared to the amount he would receive net of the excise tax if no reduction were made.

Potential Payments Upon Termination Table

Assuming a termination of employment (including due to expiration of the term) occurred as of December 31, 2022, each of Messrs. Brickman, Costello, Dolson and Suit would be entitled to receive the payment and benefits set forth in the following table. As discussed above, if either Mr. Brickman, Costello, Dolson or Suit was terminated by us for Cause, if such NEO terminated without Good Reason, or if their employment was terminated due to death or Disability, such NEO would only be entitled to accrued obligations.

James R. Brickman

Richard A. Costello

Jed Dolson

Neal Suit

Termination by the Company without Cause/Resignation by Executive for Good Reason

• A cash severance payment equal to $9,201,000, calculated as two times (2x) the sum of (i) base salary ($1,500,000) plus (ii) target bonus for year of termination ($3,100,500).

• A cash severance payment equal to $1,000,000, calculated as the sum of (i) base salary ($450,000) plus (ii) target bonus for year of termination ($550,000).• A cash severance payment equal to $3,159,000, calculated as one and one-half times (1.5x) the sum (i) base salary ($600,000) plus (ii) bonus in respect of prior year $1,506,000.• A cash severance payment equal to $701,250, calculated as one and one-half times (1.5x) the sum (i) base salary ($300,000) plus (ii) target bonus for year of termination $167,500.
Termination by the Company without Cause/Resignation by Executive for Good Reason following a Change in Control

• A cash severance payment equal to $13,801,500, calculated as three times (3x) the sum (i) base salary $1,500,000 plus (ii) target bonus for year of termination ($3,100,500).

A cash severance payment equal to $1,250,000, calculated as the sum of (i) base salary ($450,000) plus (ii) target bonus for year of termination ($550,000), plus (iii) $250,000.Same as aboveSame as above

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

42     


Executive Compensation

For purposes of the severance payments discussed above, the relevant definitions are as follows:

• “Cause,” shall mean the executive’s: (i) commission of a felony or a crime of moral turpitude, (ii) engaging in conduct that constitutes fraud or embezzlement, (iii) engaging in conduct that constitutes gross negligence or willful misconduct that results or could reasonably be expected to result in harm to our business or reputation, (iv) breaching any material terms of the executive’s employment or (v) continued willful failure to substantially perform executive’s duties.

• “Good Reason,” means any of the following actions taken by us without the executive’s written consent: (i) any material failure by us to fulfill our obligations under the respective employment agreement, (ii) a material and adverse change to, or a material reduction of, the executive’s duties and responsibilities or, following a Change in Control, a change in the executive’s reporting position such that the executive no longer reports directly to the board of directors of the parent corporation in a group of controlled corporations and other entities, (iii) a material reduction in executive’s then current Annual Base Salary (not including any broader compensation reductions by the Board that are not limited to the executive specifically and do not reduce the executive’s salary by more than 10% in the aggregate) or (iv) the relocation of executive’s primary office to a location more than fifty (50) miles from the prior location, which materially increases executive’s commute to work.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

43     


CEO Pay Ratio

As required by Section 953(b) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and Item 402(u) of Regulation S-K, we are providing the following information about the relationship of the median annual total compensation of our employees and the annual total compensation of our Chief Executive Officer, James R. Brickman.

As of December 31, 2022, our employee population consisted of approximately 540 individuals working at Green Brick and our subsidiaries all within the United States. We selected December 31, 2022, the last day of our fiscal year, as the determination date for identifying the median employee.

In 2022, we identified the median employee by calculating the amount of annual total cash compensation (salary plus bonus, commissions) paid to all of our employees (other than our CEO). We did not make any cost-of-living or other adjustments in identifying the median employee. Based on this methodology, the median employee in 2022 was a full-time, salaried employee.

Once we identified our 2022 median employee, we then calculated the 2022 annual total compensation for such employee in accordance with the requirements of the executive compensation rules for the Summary Compensation Table (Item 402(c)(2)(x) of Regulation S-K). Under this calculation, the median employee’s annual total compensation in 2022 was $112,194. With respect to the annual total compensation of our CEO, we used the amount reported in the “Total” column of the Summary Compensation Table included in this proxy statement. The resulting ratio of the annual total compensation of our CEO to the annual total compensation of the median employee was 53 to 1.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

44     


Pay Versus Performance
As required by Section 953(a) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and Item 402(v) of Regulation
S-K,
we are providing the following information about the relationship between executive “Compensation Actually Paid” (or “CAP”), as defined by SEC rules, and certain of our financial performance metrics. For further information concerning our variable
pay-for-performance
philosophy and how we align executive compensation with our performance, refer to the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section of this proxy statement.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
Year
 
Summary
 Compensation 
Table Total for
PEO
 
Compensation 
Actually Paid
to PEO
 
Average
Summary
Compensation 
Table Total for
Non-PEO NEOs 
 
Average
Compensation 
Actually Paid
to
Non-PEO

NEOs
 
Value of Initial Fixed $100
Investment Based On:
 
Net Income 
(in
thousands)
 
Home
Closings
Revenue (in 
thousands)
 
Total
Shareholder 
Return
 
Peer Group
Total
Shareholder 
Return
(a)
 
 
(b)
 
 
(c)
 
 
(d)
 
 
(e)
 
 
(f)
 
 
(g)
 
 
(h)
 
 
(i)
 
         
2022
 
 
$5,960,838
 
 
$5,960,838
 
 
$1,538,111
 
 
$1,538,410
 
 
$211.06
 
 
$132.08
 
 
$313,997
 
 
$1,696,911
 
         
2021
 
 
$5,087,182
 
 
$5,087,182
 
 
$1,814,672
 
 
$1,814,672
 
 
$264.20
 
 
$187.73
 
 
$204,381
 
 
$1,305,620
 
         
2020
 
 
$3,483,687
 
 
$3,483,687
 
 
$1,416,339
 
 
$1,416,339
 
 
$200.00
 
 
$126.16
 
 
$117,797
 
 
$923,901
 
Column (b)
. Reflects compensation amounts reported in the “Summary Compensation Table” or “SCT” for our CEO, James R. Brickman, for the respective years shown.
Column (c)
. CAP for our CEO in each of 2022, 2021 and 2020 reflects the respective amounts set forth in column (b), adjusted as set forth in the table below, as determined in accordance with SEC rules. The dollar amounts reflected in column (c) do not reflect the actual amount of compensation earned by or paid to our CEO during the applicable year. For information regarding decisions made by our Compensation Committee with respect to the CEO’s compensation for each fiscal year, please see the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section of this proxy statement and the proxy statement for the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders and the “Executive Compensation Information” section of the proxy statement for the 2021 annual meetings of stockholders.
    
  Year
  
2020
  
2021
  
2022
    
  CEO  Mr. Brickman  Mr. Brickman  Mr. Brickman
    
SCT Total Compensation ($)
 
  $
3,483,687
 
  $
5,087,182
 
  $
5,960,838
 
    
Less: Stock and Option Award Values Reported in SCT for the Covered Year on Grant Date ($)  $750,137  $1,225,000  $1,349,988
    
Plus: Fair Value of Stock Awards Granted and Vested in the Covered Year (on Vest Date)  $750,137  $1,225,000  $1,349,988
    
Fair Value for Stock and Option Awards Granted in the Covered Year at
Year-End
($)
  -  -  -
    
Change in Fair Value of Outstanding Unvested Stock and Option Awards from Prior Years ($)  -  -  -
    
Change in Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards from Prior Years that Vested in the Covered Year ($)  -  -  -
    
Less: Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards Forfeited during the Covered Year ($)  -  -  -
    
Compensation Actually Paid ($)  $3,483,687  $5,087,182  $5,960,838
LOGO
2023 Proxy Statement
LOGO
45     

Column (d)
. The following
non-CEO
named executive officers are included in the average figures shown for the 2020 and 2021 covered years: Richard A. Costello and Jed Dolson; and for the 2022 covered year: Richard A. Costello, Jed Dolson and Neal Suit.
Column (e)
. Average CAP for our
non-CEO
NEOs in each of 2022, 2021 and 2020 reflects the respective amounts set forth in column (d), adjusted as set forth in the table below, as determined in accordance with SEC rules. The dollar amounts reflected in column (e) do not reflect the actual amount of compensation earned by or paid to our
non-CEO
NEOs during the applicable year. For information regarding the decisions made by our Compensation Committee with respect to the
non-CEO
NEOs’ compensation for each fiscal year, please see the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section of this proxy statement and the proxy statement for the
2022
annual meeting of stockholders and the “Executive Compensation Information” section of the proxy statement for the 2021 annual meetings of stockholders.
    
Year
 
2020
 
2021
 
2022
    
  Non-CEO
NEOs
 See column (d)
note
 See column (d)
note
 See column (d)
note
    
SCT Total Compensation ($) $1,416,339 $1,814,672 $1,538,111
    
Less: Stock and Option Award Values Reported in SCT for the Covered Year ($) $425,000 $499,325 $524,336
    
Plus: Fair Value of Stock Awards Granted and Vested in the Covered Year (on Vest Date) $425,000 $499,325 $524,635
    
Fair Value for Stock and Option Awards Granted in the Covered Year at
Year-End
($)
 - - $299
    
Change in Fair Value of Outstanding Unvested Stock and Option Awards from Prior Years ($) - - -
    
Change in Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards from Prior Years that Vested in the Covered Year ($) - - -
    
Less: Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards Forfeited during the Covered Year ($) - - -
    
Compensation Actually Paid ($) $1,416,339 $1,814,672 $1,538,410
Column (f)
. For the relevant fiscal year, represents the cumulative total shareholder return (TSR) of Green Brick for the measurement periods ending on December 31 of each of 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Column (g
). For the relevant fiscal year, represents the cumulative TSR of the S&P Homebuilders Select Industry Index for the measurement periods ending on December 31 of each of 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Column (h)
. Reflects “Net Income” in our consolidated income statements included in our Annual Reports on Form
10-K
for each of the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020.
Column (i)
. Company-selected Measure is Home Closings Revenue Growth, which is described below.
Relationship between Pay and Performance
. The graphs below reflect (1) the relationship of CAP to our CEO and other NEOs in 2020, 2021 and 2022 as compared to Green Brick’s TSR, our net income, and our Adjusted EBITDA, and (2) Green Brick’s
one-year,
two-year
and three-year TSR as compared to the
one-year,
two-year
and three-year TSR of its TSR Peer Group.
CAP, as required under SEC rules, reflects adjusted values to unvested and vested equity awards during the years shown in the tables above based on
year-end
stock prices, various accounting valuation assumptions, and projected performance modifiers but does not reflect actual amounts paid out for those awards. CAP generally fluctuates due to stock price achievement and varying levels of projected and actual achievement of performance goals. In 2022, CAP for both our CEO and the average of other NEOs is a negative number, reflecting the impact of the change in our stock price between December 31,
LOGO
2023 Proxy Statement
LOGO
46     

2021 and December 31, 2022 because of the significant portion of our executives’ compensation tied to equity with fair values based in part on stock price. For a discussion of how our Compensation Committee assessed our performance and our named executive officers’ pay each year, see “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” in this proxy statement and in the proxy statement for the 2022 annual meetings of stockholders and the “Executive Compensation Information” section of the proxy statement for the 2021 annual meetings of stockholders.
LOGO
LOGO
LOGO
LOGO
Listed below are the financial and
non-financial
performance measures which in our assessment represent the most important financial performance measures we used for 2022 to link CAP to our named executive officers to company performance.
   
Measure
1)Amount Previously Paid:
Nature
Explanation
Pre-Tax
Net
Income
  Financial measure   
Metric of profitability before taxes that can vary due to factors outside of the control of the company.
Home Closings
Revenue Growth
  Financial measure   
Increase, period over period, in revenue from home closings.
Homebuilding
Gross Margin
  Financial measure   
Homebuilding gross margin is calculated as Home Closings Revenue minus Cost of Homebuilding units.
Return on Assets
  Financial measure   
Return on assets is calculated by dividing net income by total assets.
LOGO
2023 Proxy Statement
LOGO
47     


PROPOSAL NO. 2

ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

In accordance with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, referred to herein as the Dodd- Frank Act and with Section 14A of the Exchange Act, the Board is providing stockholders with an advisory vote on the Company’s executive compensation as reported in this proxy statement. Stockholders are being asked to vote on the following resolution:

“RESOLVED, that the stockholders of Green Brick Partners, Inc. hereby approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers, as disclosed pursuant to Item 402 of Regulation S-K, under the section of this proxy statement entitled “Executive Compensation Information.”

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE ADOPTION OF THE RESOLUTION APPROVING THE COMPENSATION OF OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Additional Information

Stockholders are encouraged to carefully review the “Executive Compensation” section of this proxy statement, which includes executive compensation disclosure and the executive compensation tables. Our executive compensation programs play a key role in our ability to attract and retain a highly experienced, successful team to manage our Company and deliver strategic and financial results. We have designed our executive compensation programs utilizing a pay-for-performance philosophy and primarily compensate our named executive officers through a combination of base salary, short-term incentives, in the form of discretionary annual cash bonuses, and long-term incentives, in the form of equity-based compensation. We believe our executive compensation programs are structured to support our business objectives.

While the vote on executive compensation is non-binding and solely advisory in nature, the Board and the Compensation Committee will review and consider the voting results when making future decisions regarding our executive compensation program.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

48     


PROPOSAL NO. 3

ADVISORY VOTE ON FREQUENCY OF FUTURE ADVISORY VOTES ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

In addition to requesting the advisory approval of the compensation of our named executive officers, the Dodd-Frank Act and Section 14A of the Exchange Act and SEC rules issued thereunder also require that at least once every six years we seek stockholder approval of how often the Company will seek advisory approval of the compensation of our named executive officers. SEC rules require that we present every one, two or three years, or abstain as alternatives for stockholders.

The next advisory vote on the frequency of future advisory votes on executive compensation will be no later than 2029.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT YOU VOTE TO CONDUCT AN ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION EVERY “THREE YEARS”

Background

In 2017, in light of the voting results at our 2017 annual meeting of stockholders with respect to the interval at which to seek stockholder’s approval of compensation of the named executive officers, our Board determined to hold the say on pay vote every three years. We believe that a non-binding advisory stockholder vote on the compensation of our named executive officers should occur every three years. We note that a substantial majority of our stockholders approved the compensation of our named executive officers at the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, with approximately 99.3%, of the votes cast in favor of the respective say on pay resolutions. While we are pleased with our strong stockholder support, we will continue to actively evaluate our executive compensation program.

After thoughtful consideration and ongoing input from our stockholders, the Board believes that holding an advisory vote on the compensation of our named executive officers every three years is the most appropriate policy for our stockholders and the Company at this time. The three-year voting cycle allows stockholders to review compensation over a longer period of time, providing sufficient time to evaluate the impact of changes made in one year where outcomes may not be immediately known.

Although the vote on this Proposal is advisory and non-binding, the Board will carefully consider the voting results. If none of the alternatives receives the affirmative vote of holders of at least a majority of the shares of Common Stock issued, present and voting at the Annual Meeting, the frequency receiving the greatest number of votes (every one, two or three years) will be considered the frequency recommended by the stockholders. The next scheduled say-on-pay vote will occur at the 2026 annual meeting of stockholders.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

49     


PROPOSAL NO. 4

RATIFICATION OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT

The Audit Committee appoints, compensates, retains and oversees our auditors. The Committee engages in an annual evaluation of the independent registered certified public accounting firm, or “independent auditor,” qualifications, performance and independence and considers the advisability and potential impact of selecting a different independent registered certified public accounting firm.

The Audit Committee has selected RSM US LLP to serve as our independent auditor for 2023. RSM has served as our independent registered public accounting firm since August 2016.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE “FOR” THE RATIFICATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF RSM AS GREEN BRICK’S INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT

Background

The Audit Committee has selected RSM US LLP to serve as our independent auditor for 2023. In accordance with SEC rules and RSM policies, audit partners are subject to rotation requirements to limit the number of consecutive years an individual partner may provide audit service to us. For lead and concurring review audit partners, the maximum number of consecutive years of service in that capacity is five years. The process for selection of our lead audit partner pursuant to this rotation policy includes meetings between the Chairman and the members of the Audit Committee and the candidates for the role, as well as discussion by the full committee with input from management.

The Audit Committee and the Board believe that the continued retention of RSM as our independent auditor is in our best interests and those of our stockholders, and we are asking our stockholders to ratify the selection of RSM as our independent auditor for 2023. Although the Board is submitting the selection of RSM to our stockholders for ratification, the Audit Committee is not required to take any action as a result of the outcome of the vote on this proposal. If our stockholders do not ratify the selection of RSM as our independent registered certified public accounting firm, other independent registered certified public accounting firms will be considered by our Audit Committee, but the Audit Committee may nonetheless choose to engage RSM. Even if the appointment is ratified, the Audit Committee, in its discretion, may select a different independent registered certified public accounting firm at any time during the year if it determines that such a change would be in the best interest of us and our stockholders.

Representatives of RSM are expected to be present at the Annual Meeting and they will have an opportunity to make a statement if desired and will be available to respond to questions.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

50     


Proposal 4 – Ratification of Independent Public Accountant

Fees and Services of RSM US LLP

Fees for professional services provided by RSM for the fiscal years ended 2022 and 2021, including related expenses, are as follows:

 
Services Provided 2022  2021 

Audit Fees(1)

       $790,400        $728,463 

Audit-Related Fees(2)

     46,800 

Tax Fees

      

All Other Fees(3)

  13,874   7,620 
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total

       $804,274        $782,883 
  

 

 

  

 

 

 

(1)

Includes fees for professional services rendered by RSM for the audit of the Company’s consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, review of the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and audit of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

(2)

Includes fees related to consents and comfort letters related to offerings of our common stock and preferred stock in 2021.

(3)

Includes fees related to an unclaimed property audit.

Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policy

Consistent with requirements of the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) regarding auditor independence, the Audit Committee (i) appoints, (ii) negotiates and sets the compensation of and (iii) oversees the performance of the independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit Committee pre-approves all audit, audit-related and permitted non-audit services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm, including the fees and terms for those services. The Audit Committee has adopted a policy and procedures governing the pre-approval process for audit, audit-related and permitted non-audit services. The Audit Committee pre-approves audit and audit-related services in accordance with its review and approval of the engagement letter and annual service plan with the independent registered public accounting firm. Any tax consultation or other consulting services proposed to be provided by RSM are considered for approval by the Audit Committee on a project-by-project basis. Non-audit and other services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm will be considered by the Audit Committee for pre-approval based on business purpose, reasonableness of estimated fees and the potential impact on the firm’s independence.

Additionally, in October 2022, the Audit Committee delegated its pre-approval authority to the Chair of the Audit Committee to approve audit or permitted non-audit services for which estimated fees do not exceed $50,000.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

51     


AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

Report of the Audit Committee

The Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed with management and with the independent registered certified public accounting firm the audited consolidated financial statements for the 2022 fiscal year. The Audit Committee has also performed the other reviews and duties set forth in its charter. The Audit Committee discussed with the independent registered certified public accounting firm the matters required to be discussed by Auditing Standard No. 1301, Communication with Audit Committees, as adopted by the PCAOB.

Additionally, the Audit Committee has: (i) received the written disclosures and the letter from the independent registered certified public accounting firm required by the applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding the independent registered certified public accounting firm’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence; (ii) considered whether the provision of tax and accounting research and other non-audit services by our independent registered certified public accounting firm is compatible with maintaining their independence; and (iii) discussed with the independent registered certified public accounting firm their independence from us and our management.

In reliance on the foregoing reviews and discussions, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board that the audited consolidated financial statements referred to above be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the 2022 fiscal year for filing with the SEC.

In determining whether to reappoint RSM as our independent registered certified public accounting firm for 2023, the Audit Committee considered the qualifications, performance and independence of the firm and the audit engagement team, together with the following factors:

RSM’s capabilities to handle the breadth and complexity of our operations;

RSM’s familiarity with our industry, accounting policies, financial reporting process, and internal control over financial reporting;

the quality and candor of RSM’s communications with the Audit Committee and management;

external data on the firm’s audit quality and performance, including recent PCAOB reports on RSM and its peer firms;

the performance of the lead engagement partner and the other professionals on our account; and

the appropriateness of RSM’s fees based on the scope of activities.

In light of the Audit Committee’s views on the performance of RSM, it is the Audit Committee’s belief that continuing to retain RSM is in our best interest and those of our stockholders. Consequently, the Audit Committee has appointed RSM as our independent registered certified public accounting firm for fiscal year 2023 and recommends that stockholders ratify the appointment at the Annual Meeting.

Kathleen Olsen (Chair)

Lila Manassa Murphy

Richard S. Press

April 27, 2023

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in any of our previous filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act that might incorporate future filings, including this proxy statement, in whole or in part, the Report of the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee Report above shall not be incorporated by reference into this proxy statement.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

52     


SECURITY OWNERSHIP

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stock, as of April 24, 2023, by (i) each person known to us to beneficially own more than 5% of our outstanding common stock; (ii) our named executive officers for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022; (iii) each director and nominee for director and (iv) all of the executive officers and directors as a group. As of April 24, 2023, we had 45,556,308 shares of common stock outstanding.

 Name of Beneficial Owner

 Number of Shares of
Common Stock
  Beneficially Owned(1)  
                  Percent  

 Holders of more than 5%

  

 Greenlight Capital Inc. and its affiliates(2)

  16,600,508   36.4% 

 BlackRock, Inc.(3)

  4,526,263   9.9% 

 Named Executive Officers and Directors

  

 James R. Brickman(4)

  2,115,246   4.6% 

 Richard A. Costello

  96,049   * 

 Jed Dolson

  269,128   * 

 Neal Suit

  9,016   * 

 David Einhorn(5)

  17,427,590   38.3% 

 Elizabeth K. Blake

  194,693   * 

 Harry Brandler(6)

  130,235   * 

 Lila Manassa Murphy

  8,785   * 

 Kathleen Olsen

  88,023   * 

 Richard S. Press(7)

  99,682   * 

 All Executive Officers and Directors as a group (10 persons)(8)

  20,434,207                   44.4% 

*

Less than one percent.

Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each of our directors and officers identified is c/o 2805 Dallas Parkway, Suite 400, Plano, TX 75093.

(1)

In determining the number and percentage of shares beneficially owned by each person, shares that may be acquired by such person within 60 days after April 24, 2023 are deemed outstanding for purposes of determining the total number of outstanding shares for such person and are not deemed outstanding for such purpose for all other stockholders. To our knowledge, except as otherwise indicated, beneficial ownership includes sole voting and dispositive power with respect to all shares.

(2)

Based on Amendment 18 to the Schedule 13D filed by David Einhorn and Greenlight Capital, Inc. et al. on August 5, 2022 and the Form 4 filed on January 4, 2023. Mr. Einhorn is the president of Greenlight Capital, Inc. (“Greenlight Inc.”) and the senior manager of DME Advisors GP, LLC (“DME GP”). DME GP is the general partner of DME Advisors, LP (“DME”) and DME Capital Management, LP (“DME CM”). Greenlight Inc. controls the voting and disposition of 8,291,545 shares of Common Stock held for the account of Greenlight Capital Offshore Partners, Ltd. of which Greenlight Inc. acts as investment advisor. DME CM controls the voting and disposition of 4,718,773 shares of Common Stock held for the account of Greenlight Capital Offshore Master, Ltd., of which DME CM acts as investment advisor. DME controls the voting and disposition of 2,740,190 shares of Common Stock held for the account of Solasglas Investments, LP (“SILP”). DME CM controls the voting and disposition of 850,000 shares of Common Stock held for the

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

53     


account of a private investment fund for which DME CM manages a portfolio (the “Sub-Account”). By virtue of his roles at Greenlight Inc., DME, DME CM and DME GP, Mr. Einhorn may be deemed to have voting and dispositive power over 16,600,508 shares of common stock held by these affiliates of Greenlight, Inc. The 16,600,508 shares includes 7,658,703 shares of common stock which are pledged or held in one or more margin accounts. Each of Mr. Einhorn, Greenlight Inc., DME, DME CM and DME GP disclaims beneficial ownership of these shares of common stock, except to the extent of any pecuniary interest therein. The principal business address of each of Greenlight Inc., DME GP, DME, DME CM and Mr. Einhorn is 2 Grand Central Tower, 140 East 45th Street, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10017.
(3)

According to the Schedule 13G/A filed on January 24, 2023, by BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”), of the 4,526,263 shares beneficially owned, BlackRock has (i) sole voting power with respect to 4,471,976 shares, and (ii) sole investment power with respect to all 4,526,263 shares. The principal business address of BlackRock is 55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10055.

(4)

Includes 500,000 shares issuable upon exercise of vested stock options.

(5)

In addition to the amounts held by Greenlight Capital, et al, Mr. Einhorn owns 827,082 shares of Common Stock directly.

(6)

Includes 74,176 shares held by Brandler LLC for which Mr. Brandler is a manager. Mr. Brandler disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares of common stock directly held by Brandler LLC, except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.

(7)

Includes 20 shares held indirectly by Mr. Press as the custodian for a UGMA Account for a minor.

(8)

Includes (i) 500,000 shares issuable upon exercise of vested stock options held by Mr. Brickman and (ii) 16,600,508 shares held by Greenlight Capital, Inc., and its affiliates described in Note 2, for which one of our directors, David Einhorn, may be deemed to beneficially own due to his indirect voting and dispositive power over such shares.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

54     


QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT OUR ANNUAL MEETING

What is the date, time and place of the Annual Meeting?

Our Annual Meeting will be held in a virtual format only, on Tuesday June 13, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. As a stockholder, you can attend, vote and submit questions at our Annual Meeting by accessing www.proxyvote.com using the 16-digit control number on your proxy card, voting instruction form, or Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials.

What am I being asked to vote on and what is the Board recommendation?

At the Annual Meeting you will be asked to vote on the following four proposals. Our Board recommendation for each of these proposals is set forth below:

  
Proposal  Board Recommendation

To elect seven directors each for a term expiring at the next annual meeting or until his or her successor has been duly elected and qualified

2)Form, ScheduleFOR each Director Nominee

To approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers

FOR

To approve, as a non-binding advisory vote, the frequency of future advisory votes on the compensation of our named executive officers

For the option of EVERY

THREE YEARS

To ratify the appointment of RSM US LLP (“RSM US” or Registration“independent auditors”) as our independent registered certified public accounting firm for the 2023 fiscal year.

FOR

You will also be asked to consider and act upon such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting.

Who is entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting?

Only holders of record of our common stock at the close of business on April 24, 2023, the record date for the Annual Meeting, are entitled to notice of, and to attend and vote at the Annual Meeting, or any postponements or adjournments of the meeting. At the close of business on the record date, 45,556,308 shares of our common stock were outstanding.

What is the difference between a stockholder of record and a beneficial owner?

If your shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, Inc., you are considered, with respect to those shares, the “stockholder of record.”

If your shares are held by a brokerage firm, bank, trustee, other agent or record holder, each sometimes referred to as a “nominee,” you are considered the “beneficial owner” of shares held in

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement No.:

LOGO

55     


Questions and Answers About Our Annual Meeting

“street name.” The Notice has been forwarded to you by your nominee who is considered, with respect to those shares, the stockholder of record. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your nominee on how to vote your shares by following their instructions for voting by telephone or on the internet or, if you specifically request a copy of the printed materials, you may use the voting instruction card included in such materials.

What are the voting rights of our stockholders?

Our stockholders have one vote per share of our common stock owned on the record date for each matter properly presented at the Annual Meeting.

What constitutes a quorum?

A quorum will be present at the Annual Meeting if holders of a majority of outstanding shares of our common stock on the record date are represented at the Annual Meeting by virtual attendance or by proxy. If a quorum is not present at the Annual Meeting, we expect to postpone or adjourn the Annual Meeting to solicit additional proxies. Abstentions and broker non-votes (as described below) will be counted as shares present and entitled to vote for the purpose of determining the presence or absence of a quorum.

What are “broker non-votes” and how are they treated?

A “broker non-vote” occurs when a bank, broker, trustee, agent or other holder of record holding shares for a beneficial owner withholds its vote on a particular proposal because that holder does not have discretionary voting power for such proposal and has not received instructions from the beneficial owner. If your broker is the stockholder of record, your broker is required to vote your shares in accordance with your instructions. If you do not give instructions to your broker, the rules of the NYSE allow brokers the discretionary authority to vote your shares with respect to “routine” matters but not “non-routine” matters.

The table below sets forth, for each proposal on the ballot, whether a broker can exercise discretion and vote your shares absent your instructions. If they cannot, such broker non-vote will not be counted as a vote cast and will therefore have no impact on the approval of the proposal.

  

Proposal

  Can Brokers Vote
Absent Instructions?

Election of Directors

No

Approval of Executive Compensation

No

Approval of Frequency of Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation

No

Ratification of Independent Registered Certified Public Accounting Firm

Yes

If other matters are properly brought before the Annual Meeting and they are not considered routine under the applicable NYSE rules, shares held by a bank, broker or other holder of record holding shares for a beneficial owner will not be voted on such non-routine matters by that holder unless that holder has received voting instructions. As stated above, broker non-votes are counted as present for the purpose of determining whether a quorum is present.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

56     


Questions and Answers About Our Annual Meeting

How are abstentions treated?

Abstentions will not be counted as votes cast in the final tally of votes with regard to either proposal. Therefore, abstentions will have no effect on the outcome of these proposals.

Will my shares be voted if I do not provide my proxy?

If your shares are held in the name of a bank, broker or other holder of record, they may be voted by the bank, broker or other holder of record with respect to “routine” matters (as described above under the caption “What are “broker non-votes” and how are they treated?”) even if you do not give the bank, broker or other holder of record specific voting instructions. If you are a stockholder of record and hold your shares directly in your own name, your shares will not be voted unless you provide a proxy or vote at the Annual Meeting.

How do I vote?

To Vote by Internet, Telephone or Mail:

You can vote by proxy whether or not you attend the Annual Meeting. To vote by proxy, you have a choice of voting over the Internet, by telephone or by using a traditional proxy card.

 3)Filing Party:

To vote by Internet, go to www.proxyvote.com and follow the instructions there. You will need the 16-digit control number included on your proxy card, voter instruction form or Notice.

To vote by telephone, dial the number listed on your proxy card, your voter instruction form or Notice. You will need the 16-digit control number included on your proxy card, voter instruction form or Notice.

If you received a Notice and wish to vote by traditional proxy card, you can request a full set of materials at no charge through one of the following methods:

1)

By Internet: by visiting www.proxyvote.com

2)

By phone: by using the phone number listed on the Notice

To reduce our administrative and postage costs, we ask that you vote through the Internet or by telephone, both of which are available 24 hours a day prior to the Annual Meeting. To ensure that your vote is counted, please remember to submit your vote by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on June 12, 2023.

To Vote at the Annual Meeting:

If your shares are registered in your name, you must use the 16-digit control number on your proxy card, voting instruction form, or Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials in order to log in and complete your ballot electronically when prompted during the Annual Meeting.

If you hold your shares in “street name,” you will need to obtain the 16-digit control number assigned to your holdings with your bank, broker or other nominee and enter it when prompted by the website hosting the Annual Meeting to vote the shares that are held for your benefit.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

57     


Questions and Answers About Our Annual Meeting

If I plan to virtually attend the Annual Meeting, should I still vote by proxy?

Yes. Casting your vote in advance does not affect your right to virtually attend the Annual Meeting. If you vote in advance and also virtually attend the Annual Meeting, you do not need to vote again at the Annual Meeting unless you want to change your vote.

What vote is required for the proposals?

  

Proposal

 

Description of Votes Needed

Election of Directors4)Date Filed:The seven nominees for election as directors will be elected by a majority of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting.

Approval of Executive
Compensation

The affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on the proposal.

Approval of Frequency of Advisory
Votes on Executive
Compensation

The affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast for the option.

Ratification of Independent
Registered Certified Public
Accounting Firm

The affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on the proposal is required for the ratification of the appointment of RSM US as our independent auditor for the 2023 fiscal year.

How will my proxy holder vote?

The enclosed proxy designates James R. Brickman and Richard A. Costello to hold your proxy and vote your shares. James R. Brickman and Richard A. Costello will vote all shares of our common stock represented by properly executed proxies received in time for the Annual Meeting in the manner specified by the holders of those shares. James R. Brickman and Richard A. Costello intend to vote all shares of our common stock represented by proxies that are properly executed by the record holder but that otherwise do not contain voting instructions as follows:

  
Proposal Board Recommendation

Election of Directors

FOR each Director Nominee

To approve, on an advisory vote,

the executive compensation.

FOR

To approve, as a non-binding advisory vote, the frequency of future advisory votes on executive compensation.

For the option of EVERY

THREE YEARS

Ratification of Independent Registered Certified Public Accounting Firm

FOR

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

Other than the items of business described above, we are not aware of any other business to be acted upon at the Annual Meeting. If you grant a proxy to the proxy holders named in the attached proxy card, such persons will vote in accordance with the recommendation of our Board, “FOR” or “AGAINST” such other matters.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

    

 

58     


Questions and Answers About Our Annual Meeting

 

Can I change my vote after I have voted?

Voting by telephone, over the Internet or by mailing a proxy card does not preclude a stockholder from voting during the Annual Meeting. A stockholder may revoke a proxy, whether submitted via telephone, the Internet or mail, at any time prior to its exercise by (i) filing a duly executed revocation of proxy with our Corporate Secretary, (ii) properly submitting, either by telephone, mail or Internet, a proxy to our Corporate Secretary bearing a later date or (iii) attending the Annual Meeting and voting when prompted during the meeting. Attendance at the virtual meeting will not itself constitute revocation of a proxy.

How do I virtually attend the Annual Meeting?

The Annual Meeting will be held virtually and you will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting in person. To attend the Annual Meeting virtually, please log in to www.proxyvote.com using the control number on your proxy card, voting instruction form, or Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials and follow the instruction prompts on the virtual meeting site.

Where can I find voting results of the Annual Meeting?

We will announce the results for the proposals voted upon at the Annual Meeting and publish final detailed voting results in a Form 8-K filed with the SEC within four business days after the Annual Meeting.

Who should I call with other questions?

If you have additional questions about this proxy statement or the Annual Meeting or would like additional copies of this proxy statement or our annual report, please contact:

Green Brick Partners, Inc.

2805 Dallas Parkway, Suite 400

Plano, TX 75093,

April 21, 2016Attention: Corporate Secretary.

Dear Green Brick Partners, Inc. Stockholder:

You are invited

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

59     


OTHER MATTERS

Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our directors and certain officers, and persons who own more than 10% of our common stock, to attendfile with the SEC reports of ownership and changes in ownership of our 2016common stock and other equity securities. Based on a review of our records and certain written representations received from our executive officers and directors, we believe that all required filings during the year ended December 31, 2022 were made on a timely basis, except that each of Messrs. Brandler, Brickman, Costello and Dolson were late filing one report on Form 4.

Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations

Proposals for Inclusion in the Proxy Statement. The date by which stockholder proposals must be received by us for inclusion in proxy materials relating to the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders, or the “2024 Annual Meeting,” is January 2, 2024, pursuant to Rule 14a-8 of Stockholders,the Exchange Act. Eligible stockholders who seek to submit a proposal for inclusion in our proxy statement must comply with all applicable Bylaws and SEC regulations regarding the inclusion of stockholder proposals in company-sponsored proxy materials. Upon receipt of any such proposal, we will determine whether or not to include such proposal in the proxy materials in accordance with SEC regulations governing the solicitation of proxies.

Proposals not Included in the Proxy Statement and Nominations for Director. Stockholder proposals not included in our proxy statement and stockholder nominations for director may be brought before an annual meeting of stockholders in accordance with the advance notice procedures described in our Bylaws. In general, notice must be received by the Corporate Secretary not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting (i.e., February 14, 2024) and must contain specified information concerning the matters to be brought before such meeting and concerning the stockholder proposing such matters. For the 2024 Annual Meeting, the Corporate Secretary must receive notice of the proposal on or after the close of business on February 14, 2024 and no later than the close of business on March 15, 2024. Stockholder proposals must be in proper written form and must meet the detailed disclosure requirements set forth in our Bylaws, including a description of the proposal, the name of the stockholder and beneficial owner, if any, and such parties’ stock holdings and derivative positions in our securities, if any. If we hold the 2024 Annual Meeting more than 30 days earlier or more than 60 days later than such anniversary date, we must receive your notice not earlier than the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or the 10th day following the day on which willpublic announcement of the date of such meeting is first made.

Our Bylaws also require that stockholder proposals concerning nomination of directors provide additional disclosure, including information we deem appropriate to ascertain the nominee’s qualifications to serve on the Board, disclosure of compensation arrangements between the nominee, the nominating stockholder and the underlying beneficial owner, if any, and other information required to comply with the proxy rules and applicable law. The specific requirements of these advance notice provisions are set forth in Sections 1.13 and 1.14 of our Bylaws, a copy of which is available upon request. In addition, to be held at 10:00 a.m., Central Timeincluded on May 25, 2016 at our executive offices locateduniversal proxy card in connection with the 2024 Annual Meeting, the notice must also include the information required by Rule 14a-19(b)(2) and

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

60     


OTHER MATTERS

Rule 14a-19(b)(3). All stockholder proposals and director nominations pursuant to the advance notice provision or proxy access provision in our Bylaws should be sent to the Secretary at 2805 Dallas Parkway, Suite 400, Plano, TX 75093.

Details of the business to be conducted at the meeting are described in the attached Notice of Annual MeetingList of Stockholders and proxy statement.

Your vote is important and we encourage youEntitled to vote whether or not you plan to attend the meeting. Please sign, date and return the enclosed proxy card in the envelope provided, or you may vote by telephone or on the Internet as described on your proxy card. If you plan to attend the meeting, you may vote in person.

Also enclosed is a copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015. I encourage you to read the Annual Report on Form 10-K for information about the Company’s performance in 2015.

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

Sincerely,

James R. Brickman

Chief Executive Officer and Director

2805 Dallas Parkway, Suite 400

Plano, TX 75093

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS


April 21, 2016

The 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Green Brick Partners, Inc. (the “Annual Meeting”) will be held at 10:00 a.m., Central Time on May 25, 2016 at our executive offices located at 2805 Dallas Parkway, Suite 400, Plano, TX 75093 for the following purposes:

1.To elect seven directors to serve until the Company’s 2017 Annual Meeting of Stockholders;
2.To hold an advisory vote on executive compensation;
3.To ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for 2016; and
4.To act upon any other matters that may properly come before the meeting and any adjournment(s) or postponement(s) thereof.

Only stockholders of record of common stock at the close of business on March 30, 2016 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to receive this notice and to vote at the meeting.

To assure your representation at the meeting, please vote by telephone, on the Internet using the instructions on the proxy card, or by signing, dating and returning the proxy card in the postage-prepaid envelope provided.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON MAY 25, 2016. This proxy statement and the Company’s 2015 Annual Report on Form 10-K are available at www.proxyvote.com.

By Order of the Board of Directors

Richard A. Costello

Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART ONE VOTING INFORMATION1
Who May Vote/Voting Rights1
How You May Vote1
How You May Revoke or Change Your Vote1
Attending the Annual Meeting and Voting in Person2
Costs of Solicitation2
Difference between a Stockholder of Record and a Beneficial Owner of Shares Held in Street Name2
Votes Required/Voting Procedures2
Reducing Duplicate Mailings3
Explanatory Note3
PART TWO BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND GOVERNANCE4
Board Structure and Composition4
Director Independence4
Board Meetings5
Attendance at Annual Stockholder Meetings5
Board Leadership Structure5
Board’s Role in Risk Oversight5
Board Committees5
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation7
Communications with the Board7
Stockholder Recommendations for Director Candidates and Director Qualifications7
Other Corporate Governance Matters8
PART THREE PROPOSALS TO BE VOTED ON AT THE ANNUAL MEETING9
PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS9
Director Nominees — Qualifications and Background9
Board Voting Recommendation10
PROPOSAL 2: ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION11
Board Voting Recommendation11
PROPOSAL 3: RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR 201612
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Fees12
Audit Committee Approval of Audit and Non-Audit Services12
Board Voting Recommendation12
AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT13
PART FOUR OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION14
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT14
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION INFORMATION16
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT20
DIRECTOR COMPENSATION INFORMATION26
SECTION 16(A) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE27
EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION28
REVIEW AND APPROVAL OR RATIFICATION OF TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PERSONS28
TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PERSONS28
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS FOR THE 2017 ANNUAL MEETING30
2015 FORM 10-K30
OTHER MATTERS30

i

GREEN BRICK PARTNERS, INC. PROXY STATEMENT

PART ONE

VOTING INFORMATION

A proxy is solicited on behalf of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Green Brick Partners, Inc. (“Green Brick,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our”) for use at the Annual Meeting

The names of Stockholders to be held on May 25, 2016, beginning at 10:00 a.m., Central Time, at our executive offices located at 2805 Dallas Parkway, Suite 400, Plano, TX 75093, and at any adjournment(s) or postponement(s) thereof. We are first mailing the proxy statement and proxy card to holdersstockholders of our common stock on or about April 26, 2016.

Who May Vote/Voting Rights

Stockholders of record of Green Brick’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“Common Stock”), at the close of business on March 30, 2016 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to receive the Notice of Annual Meeting and vote their shares at the meeting. On the Record Date, 48,833,323 shares of Common Stock were outstanding. A holder of Common Stock is entitled to one vote for each share of Common Stock held on the Record Date for each of the proposals set forth herein. There is no cumulative voting.

How You May Vote

You are entitled to vote at the meeting if you are a stockholder of record of Common Stock on the Record Date. You may vote in person at the meeting, by automated telephone voting, on the Internet or by proxy.

To ensure that your shares are represented and voted at the Annual Meeting we recommend that you provide voting instructions promptly by proxy, even if you plan to attend the Annual Meeting in person, using onewill be available at our corporate office for a period of the following three methods:

·Submit a Proxy via the Internet. Go to the web address www.proxyvote.com and follow the instructions for submitting a proxy via the Internet shown on the proxy card sent to you. You should be aware that there may be incidental costs associated with electronic access, such as your usage charges from your Internet access providers and telephone companies, for which you will be responsible.
·Submit a Proxy by Telephone. Dial 1-800-690-6903 and follow the instructions for submitting a proxy by telephone shown on the proxy card sent to you.
·Submit a Proxy by Mail. If you do not wish to submit your proxy by the Internet or by telephone, please complete, sign, date and mail the enclosed proxy card in the envelope provided. If you submit a proxy via the Internet or by telephone, please do not mail your proxy card.

The Internet and telephone proxy submission procedures are designed to authenticate your identity and to allow you to submit a proxy for your shares for the matters before our stockholders as described in this proxy statement and confirm that your voting instructions have been properly recorded.

Proxies submitted by telephone or via the Internet for the matters before our stockholders as described in this proxy statement must be received by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on May 24, 2016, or such later time as may be established by the Board.

How You May Revoke or Change Your Vote

Proxies may be revoked or changed if you:

·deliver a signed, written revocation letter, dated later than the proxy, to Green Brick Partners, Inc., 2805 Dallas Parkway, Suite 400, Plano, TX 75093, Attention: Secretary;
·deliver a signed proxy, dated later than the prior proxy, to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, New York 11717;
·vote again by telephone or on the Internet10 days prior to the meeting; or
·attend the meeting and give notice to the inspector of election that you intend to vote in person rather than by proxy. Your attendance at the meeting will not revoke your proxy unless you choose to vote in person.

If your shares are held in street name by a broker, bank, trust or other nominee, you must contact such organization and follow its procedures to revoke your proxy.

1

Attending the Annual Meeting and Voting in Person

If you plan to attend the Annual Meeting and vote in person, you will be given a ballot at the Annual Meeting. Please note that admission to the Annual Meeting is limited to the Company’s stockholders as of the Record Date.

For stockholders of record, upon your arrival at the meeting location, you will need to present identification to be admitted to the Annual Meeting. If you are a stockholder who is an individual, you will need to present government-issued identification showing your name and photograph (i.e., a driver’s license or passport), or, if you are representing an institutional investor, you will need to present government-issued photo identification and professional evidence showing your representative capacity for such entity. In each case, we will verify such documentation with our Record Date stockholder list.

For stockholders holding shares in “street name,” in addition to providing identification as outlined for record holders above, you will need a valid proxy from your broker, bank or other nominee or a recent brokerage statement or letter from your broker reflecting your stock ownership as of the Record Date. Otherwise, you will not be permitted to attend the Annual Meeting. If your shares are held in the name of a broker, bank or other nominee you must obtain and bring to the Annual Meeting a proxy card issued in your name from the broker, bank or other nominee to be able to vote atcontinuing through the Annual Meeting.

Costs ofExpenses Relating to this Proxy Solicitation

The costcosts of solicitation, if any, will be borne by Green Brick. Proxies may be solicited on our behalf by directors, officers or employees, in person or by telephone, electronic transmission and facsimile transmission. No additional compensation will be paid to such persons for such solicitation. Green Brick will reimburse banks, brokerage firms and other custodians, nominees and fiduciaries for reasonable expenses incurred by them in sending proxy materials to beneficial owners of shares.

Difference between a Stockholder of Record and a Beneficial Owner of Shares Held in Street Name

If your shares are registered in your nameCommunication with Green Brick’s transfer agent, Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, Inc., you are the “stockholder of record” of those shares. In such case, the Notice of Annual Meeting and proxy statement and any accompanying documents have been provided directly to you by Green Brick.

If your shares are not registered in your own name and, instead, your broker, bank, trust or other nominee holds your shares, you are a “beneficial owner” of shares held in “street name.” The organization holding your account is considered the stockholder of record for purposes of voting at the Annual Meeting. The Notice of Annual Meeting and proxy statement and any accompanying documents have been forwarded to you by your broker, bank, trust or other nominee. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker, bank, trust or other nominee how to vote your shares by using the voting instruction card or by following their instructions for voting by telephone or on the Internet.

Votes Required/Voting Procedures

The presence at the Annual Meeting of stockholders, in person or by proxy, representing a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote will constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at the meeting. In general, shares of Common Stock either represented in person at the meeting or by a properly signed and returned proxy card, or properly voted by telephone or on the Internet, will be counted as present and entitled to vote at the meeting for purposes of determining the existence of a quorum. Proxies received but marked as abstentions (or “withhold authority” with respect to one or more directors) and broker non-votes will be included in the voting power considered to be present at the meeting for purposes of determining a quorum. Broker non-votes are shares held of record by a broker that are not voted on a matter because the broker has not received voting instructions from the beneficial owner of the shares and the broker either lacks or declines to exercise the authority to vote the shares in its discretion.

Proxies will be voted as specified by the stockholder. Signed proxies that lack any specification will be voted (i) “FOR” each of the Board’s director nominees; (ii) “FOR” approval of the advisory vote on executive compensation; and (iii) “FOR” the ratification of Grant Thornton, LLP, or Grant Thornton, as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2016. The proxy holders will use their best judgment with respect to any other matters properly brought before the meeting. If a nominee cannot or will not serve as a director, the proxy may be voted for another person as the proxy holders decide.

Unless you provide voting instructions to any broker holding shares on your behalf, your broker may not use discretionary authority to vote your shares on any of the matters to be considered at the Annual Meeting other than the ratification of our independent registered public accounting firm. Please vote your proxy so your vote can be counted.

Election of Directors (Proposal 1).The election of the seven director nominees to hold office until the 2017 annual meeting of stockholders and the due election and qualification of their respective successors, or such director nominee’s death, removal or resignation, will be determined by a plurality vote of the shares present at the Annual Meeting, meaning the director nominee with the most affirmative votes for a particular slot is elected for that slot. Our certificate of incorporation does not permit stockholders to cumulate their votes. If you submit a properly executed proxy to the Company and the proxy indicates that you “WITHHELD” your vote for one or more of the director nominees, the shares subject to the proxy will not be voted for that director nominee or those director nominees and will be voted “FOR” the remaining director nominee(s), if any. Shares not represented at the meeting and proxies marked “ABSTAIN” have no effect on the election of directors.

2

Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (Proposal 2). The affirmative vote of holders of at least a majority of the shares of Common Stock issued, present and voting at the Annual Meeting with respect to this proposal is required to approve, on an advisory basis, the overall executive compensation policies and procedures employed by Green Brick for its named executive officers. You may vote “FOR” or “AGAINST” or you may “ABSTAIN” from voting on Proposal 2. Shares not represented at the meeting and proxies marked “ABSTAIN” have no effect on this proposal. While the outcome of the vote on this proposal will not be binding on the Board, the Board will review and consider the voting results when determining future executive compensation decisions.

Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for 2016 (Proposal 3). The affirmative vote of holders of at least a majority of the shares of Common Stock issued, present and voting at the Annual Meeting with respect to this proposal is required for the approval of this proposal. You may vote “FOR” or “AGAINST” or you may “ABSTAIN” from voting on Proposal 3. Shares not represented at the meeting and proxies marked “ABSTAIN” with regard to this proposal have no effect on this proposal.

If you hold your shares in street name and do not provide voting instructions to your broker, the shares may be counted as present at the meeting for the purpose of determining a quorum and may be voted on Proposal 3 at the discretion of your broker. Such shares will not be voted at the discretion of your broker on Proposals 1 and 2 and will have no effect on the outcome of such proposals.

Reducing Duplicate Mailings

Because stockholders may hold shares of our Common Stock in multiple accounts or share an address with other stockholders, stockholders may receive duplicate mailings of notices or proxy materials. Stockholders may avoid receiving duplicate mailings as follows:

·Stockholders of Record. If your shares are registered in your own name and you are interested in consenting to the delivery of a single notice or single set of proxy materials, you may contact Broadridge Householding Department by phone at 1-800-542-1061 or by mail to Broadridge Householding Department, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, New York 11717.
·Beneficial Stockholders. If your shares are not registered in your own name, your broker, bank, trust or other nominee that holds your shares may have asked you to consent to the delivery of a single notice or single set of proxy materials if there are other Green Brick stockholders who share an address with you. If you currently receive more than one copy of the notice or proxy materials at your household and would like to receive only one copy in the future, you should contact your nominee.
·Right to Request Separate Copies. If you consent to the delivery of a single notice or single set of proxy materials but later decide that you would prefer to receive a separate copy of the notice or proxy materials, as applicable, for each stockholder sharing your address, then please notify Broadridge Householding Department or your nominee, as applicable, and they will promptly deliver the additional notices or proxy materials. If you wish to receive a separate copy of the notice or proxy materials for each stockholder sharing your address in the future, you may also contact Broadridge Householding Department by phone at 1-800-542-1061 or by mail to Broadridge Householding Department, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, New York 11717.

Explanatory Note

We are a uniquely structured company that combines residential land development and homebuilding. We acquire and develop land, provide land and construction financing to our controlled builders and participate in the profits of our controlled builders. Our core markets are in the high growth U.S. metropolitan areas of Dallas, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia. We are engaged in all aspects of the homebuilding process, including land acquisition and the development, entitlements, design, construction, marketing and sales and the creation of brand images at our residential neighborhoods and master planned communities. We believe we offer higher quality homes with more distinctive designs and floor plans than those built by our competitors at comparable prices. Our communities are located in premium locations in our core markets and we seek to enhance homebuyer satisfaction by utilizing high-quality materials, offering a broad range of customization options and building well-crafted energy-efficient homes. We seek to maximize value over the long term and operate our business to mitigate risks in the event of a downturn by controlling costs and quickly reacting to regional and local market trends.

Green Brick Partners, Inc. (formerly named BioFuel Energy Corp.) was incorporated as a Delaware corporation on April 11, 2006, to invest solely in BioFuel Energy, LLC, a limited liability company organized on January 25, 2006, to build and operate ethanol production facilities in the Midwestern United States. On November 22, 2013, the Company disposed of its ethanol plants and all related assets. Following the disposition of these production facilities, we were a public shell company with no substantial operations.

3

On June 10, 2014, the Company entered into a definitive transaction agreement to acquire JBGL Builder Finance LLC and its consolidated subsidiaries and affiliated companies (collectively “Builder Finance”), and JBGL Capital Companies (“Capital”), a combined group of commonly managed limited liability companies and partnerships (collectively with Builder Finance “JBGL”) with the owners of JBGL for $275 million, payable in cash and shares of our Common Stock (the “Transaction”). JBGL is a real estate operator involved in the purchase and development of land for residential use, construction lending and homebuilding operations. The Transaction was completed on October 27, 2014. Pursuant to the terms of the Transaction, we paid the $275 million purchase price with approximately $191.8 million in cash and the remainder in 11,108,500 shares of our Common Stock valued at approximately $7.49 per share.

The cash portion of the purchase price was funded from the proceeds of the $70 million rights offering conducted by the Company (the $70 million includes proceeds from purchases of shares of Common Stock by Greenlight Capital, Inc. and its affiliates (“Greenlight”) and Third Point LLC and its affiliates (“Third Point”) and $150 million of debt financing provided by Greenlight pursuant to a Loan Agreement, with the lenders from time to time party thereto and Greenlight APE, LLC, as administrative agent (the “Loan Agreement”).

As described above, at the time the Transaction was completed, BioFuel Energy Corp. was a non-operating public shell corporation with nominal assets and as a result of the Transaction the owners and management of JBGL gained effective operating control of the combined company.

As a result of the Transaction, Green Brick changed its business direction and is now in the real estate industry.

PART TWO

BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND GOVERNANCE

Board Structure and Composition

The Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Charter”) provides that the number of directors will be fixed in the manner provided in the Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company dated as of March 20, 2009 (the “Bylaws”). The Bylaws provide that the number of directors will be fixed from time to time pursuant to a resolution adopted by the Board. The Board currently has seven members. Directors are elected by plurality vote of the shares present at the Annual Meeting, meaning that the director nominee with the most affirmative votes for a particular slot is elected for that slot. If a vacancy occurs, including as a result of an increase in the authorized number of directors, the vacant directorship may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors. Each director holds office until the due election and qualification of his or her successor, or until such director’s death, removal or resignation.

The Board of Directors is currently comprised of seven members, including: four independent directors, and James R. Brickman, Chief Executive Officer, or CEO, of the Company, David Einhorn, President of Greenlight Capital, Inc., and Harry Brandler, Chief Financial Officer of Greenlight Capital, Inc. Kathleen Olsen, Richard S. Press, John R. Farris and Elizabeth K. Blake currently serve as independent directors on the Board. An “independent director” means a director or director nominee who satisfies all standards for independence under the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and the NASDAQ Stock Market, or NASDAQ, listing standards. David Einhorn serves as our Chairman of the Board. Each of the Company’s current directors is seeking re-election at the Annual Meeting. Information about the nominees is set forth in “Part Three — Proposals to be Voted on at the Annual Meeting —Proposal 1: Election of Directors” in this proxy statement.

Director Independence

Under NASDAQ listing standards, independent directors are required to constitute a majority of the Board. Our Board makes a formal determination each year as to which of our directors and director nominees are independent. The Board has determined that the following directors or director nominees are independent within the meaning of the NASDAQ listing standards and the applicable SEC rules and regulations: Elizabeth K. Blake, John R. Farris, Kathleen Olsen and Richard S. Press.

In making its determination regarding the independence of Ms. Olsen and Mr. Press, the Board considered that each of these individuals has invested in limited partnership interests in funds managed by Greenlight Capital Inc. or its affiliates. We refer to these funds as the Greenlight Funds. However, because none of these directors has received any compensation from the Greenlight Funds, the Board has determined that such interests would not interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of such directors.

4

Board Meetings

The Board held four (4) meetings during 2015. Each director attended at least 75 percent of the aggregate number of meetings of the Board and meetings of the committees on which the director served.

Attendance at Annual Stockholder Meetings

Under our Corporate Governance Guidelines, directors are expected to attend Board meetings and meetings of committees on which they serve. Director attendance is not required at Annual Stockholder Meetings. Two (2) members of the Board attended the 2015 annual meeting of stockholders.

Board Leadership Structure

The positions of Chairman and CEO are held by two different individuals. David Einhorn serves as the Company’s Chairman and James R. Brickman serves as the Company’s CEO. Separating these positions allows our CEO to focus on our day-to-day business and operations, while allowing our Chairman to lead the Board in its fundamental role of providing advice to and oversight of management. The Chairman provides leadership to our Board of Directors and works with the Board of Directors to define its structure and activities in the fulfillment of its responsibilities. The Chairman sets the board agendas, in consultation with the CEO, and the other officers and directors, facilitates communications among and information flow to directors, has the power to call special meetings of our Board of Directors and stockholders and presides at meetings of our Board of Directors and stockholders. The Chairman also advises and counsels our CEO and other officers. Pursuant to our Corporate Governance Guidelines, the non-employee directors and independent directors meet in executive session, without management present, at each of the regularly scheduled meetings of the Board, and at such other times as may be determined by a majority of the independent directors. In addition, at least once a year, only independent, non-employee Directors shall meet in executive session. The Company does not currently have a lead independent director.

Board’s Role in Risk Oversight

The Board of Directors is responsible for providing oversight of risk management functions, including the Company’s policies and strategies relating to the management of credit, liquidity, market, financial and operational risks. The Board regularly assesses management’s response to critical risks and recommends changes to management, including changes in leadership, where appropriate.

The Board of Directors meets periodically with key members of management to review the Company’s business and agree upon its strategy and the risks involved with such strategy. Management and the Board discuss the amount of risk the Company is willing to accept related to implementing our strategy. On a periodic basis management meets directly with the Board and with the Audit Committee to provide an update on key risks and their processes and systems to manage the risks. The Board approves management’s policies related to key risk areas and provides timely input to management regarding risk issues and the appropriateness of management’s response. The Board also approves actions surrounding our capital structure, debt agreements, and legal settlements to the extent applicable, and approves the annual budget. Key finance and accounting management meet directly with the Board to provide an update on our financial results.

The Board of Directors delegates responsibility for overseeing certain financial risks to the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee monitors the quality and integrity of our financial statements and our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The Audit Committee is also responsible for understanding the Company’s financial risk assessment and risk management policies. The Audit Committee regularly meets with management regarding updates on key risks and their processes and systems to manage the risks. The Audit Committee also reviews and approves the annual audit plan and regularly reports to the Board. For additional information with respect to the Audit Committee, see “Part Two — Board of Directors and Governance — Board Committees — Audit Committee” in this proxy statement.

Board Committees

The Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Governance and Nominating Committee have been established by the Board in order to comply with the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the NASDAQ Listing Rules. The directors appointed to each of the committees are as follows:

Audit Committee

Kathleen Olsen*

John R. Farris

Richard S. Press

5

Compensation Committee

Richard S. Press*

Kathleen Olsen

Elizabeth K. Blake

Governance and Nominating Committee

Elizabeth K. Blake*

Kathleen Olsen

John R. Farris

* Committee Chair

Audit Committee

Each member of our Audit Committee has been determined by the Board to be an independent director according to the rules and regulations of the SEC and the NASDAQ Listing Rules, and Ms. Olsen has been determined by the Board to be an “audit committee financial expert” as such term is defined in the rules and regulations of the SEC. The Audit Committee has responsibility for, among other things:

·retaining, compensating, overseeing and terminating any registered public accounting firm in connection with the preparation or issuance of an audit report, and approving all audit services and any permissible non-audit services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm;
·receiving direct reports from any registered public accounting firm engaged to prepare or issue an audit report;
·reviewing and discussing annual audited and quarterly unaudited financial statements with management and the independent registered public accounting firm;
·reviewing with the independent registered public accounting firm any audit problems and management’s response;
·discussing earnings releases, financial information and earnings guidance provided to analysts and rating agencies;
·periodically meeting separately with management, internal auditors and the independent registered public accounting firm;
·establishing procedures to receive, retain and treat complaints regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters and the confidential anonymous submission by employees of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters;
·obtaining and reviewing, at least annually, an independent registered public accounting firm report describing the independent registered public accounting firm internal quality-control procedures and any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review of the independent registered public accounting firm or any inquiry by governmental authorities;
·approving and recommending to the Board the hiring of any employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm;
·retaining independent counsel and other outside advisors, including experts in the area of accounting, as it determines necessary to carry out its duties; and
·reporting regularly to the full Board with respect to any issues raised by the foregoing.

The Audit Committee held four (4) meetings in 2015. The Board has adopted a written charter for the Audit Committee, which is available in the Governance section of our website at www.greenbrickpartners.com.

For additional information regarding the responsibilities of the Audit Committee, see “Part Two — Board of Directors and Governance — Board’s Role in Risk Oversight” in this proxy statement.

Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee has responsibility for, among other things:

·reviewing key employee compensation policies, plans and programs;
·reviewing and approving the compensation of the Chief Executive Officer and other executive officers of the Company and its subsidiaries;
6

·reviewing and approving any employment contracts or similar arrangements between the Company and any executive officer of the Company;
·reviewing and consulting with the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company concerning performance of individual executives and related matters; and
·administering the Company’s stock plans, incentive compensation plans and other similar plans that the Board may from time to time adopt and exercising all the powers, duties and responsibilities of the Board with respect to the plans.

The Compensation Committee held one (1) meeting in 2015. The Board has adopted a written charter for the Compensation Committee, which is available in the Governance section of our website at www.greenbrickpartners.com.

Governance and Nominating Committee

The Governance and Nominating Committee has responsibility for, among other things:

·recommending to the Board proposed nominees for election to the Board by the stockholders at annual meetings, including an annual review as to the re-nominations of incumbents and proposed nominees for election by the Board to fill vacancies that occur between stockholder meetings; and
·making recommendations to the Board regarding corporate governance matters and practices.

The Governance and Nominating Committee held one (1) meeting in 2015. The Board has adopted a written charter for the Governance and Nominating Committee, which is available in the Governance section of our website at www.greenbrickpartners.com.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

None of our executive officers serve as a member of our Compensation Committee. None of our executive officers serves on the board of directors or compensation committee of a company that has an executive officer that serves on our Board or the Compensation Committee.

Communications with the Board

Stockholders or other interested parties may communicate with one or more members of the Company’s Board by writing to the Board or a specific director at:

Board of Directors (or specific director)

Green Brick Partners, Inc.

2805 Dallas Parkway, Suite 400

Plano, TX 75093

Communications addressed to individual Board members will be forwarded by the Corporate Secretary to the individual addressee. Any communications addressed to the Board will be forwarded by the Corporate Secretary to the Chairman of the Board.

Stockholder Recommendations for Director Candidates and Director QualificationsAvailable Information

Directors are nominated by the Governance and Nominating Committee

We will furnish without charge to each person whose proxy is being solicited, upon request of any such person, a copy of the Board, or by the entire Board acting2022 Form 10-K as such. Stockholders can suggest qualified candidates for director by giving written notice to our Secretary at Green Brick Partners, Inc., 2805 Dallas Parkway, Suite 400, Plano, TX 75093. The notice should include the name and qualifications of the candidate and any supporting material the stockholder feels is appropriate. In considering any candidate proposed by a stockholder, the Governance and Nominating Committee will reach a conclusion based on the Board’s established criteria. The Governance and Nominating Committee may seek additional information regarding the candidate. After full consideration, the stockholder proponent will be notified of the decision of the Governance and Nominating Committee.

Although there are no minimum qualifications for nominees, the charter of the Governance and Nominating Committee requires that the Governance and Nominating Committee select nominees to become directors based on an assessment of the fulfillment of necessary independence requirements for the composition of the Board; the highest ethical standards and integrity; a willingness to act on and be accountable for Board decisions; an ability to provide wise, informed and thoughtful counsel to top management on a range of issues; and individual backgrounds that provide a diverse portfolio of experience and knowledge commensurate with the Company’s needs. Although no formal policy exists, the Governance and Nominating Committee seeks to promote through the nomination process an appropriate diversity of experience, expertise, perspective, age, gender and ethnicity, and includes such diversity considerations when appropriate in connection with potential nominees.

7

A stockholder who wishes to nominate a person for the election of directors must ensure that the nomination complies with our Bylaw provisions on making stockholder nominations at an annual meeting. For information regarding stockholder proposals for our 2017 annual meeting of stockholders, see the section entitled “Part Four — Other Important Information — Stockholder Proposals for the 2017 Annual Meeting” in this proxy statement.

Other Corporate Governance Matters

Corporate Governance Guidelines. Our Board has adopted corporate governance guidelines, in accordance with applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the NASDAQ Listing Rules, to govern the responsibilities and requirements of the Board. The Guidelines are available in the Governance section of our website at www.greenbrickpartners.com.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. The Company has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics that applies to our directors and to all of our employees, including the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer. This Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is posted on our website at www.greenbrickpartners.com. Any waivers of, or amendments to, our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics will be posted on our website and reported as required by the SEC.

8

PART THREE

PROPOSALS TO BE VOTED ON AT THE ANNUAL MEETING

PROPOSAL 1:ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Director Nominees — Qualifications and Background

The following individuals are nominated as directors for terms expiring at the 2017 annual meeting of stockholders: David Einhorn, James R. Brickman, Harry Brandler, Kathleen Olsen, Richard S. Press, John R. Farris and Elizabeth K. Blake. Each of these individuals is currently serving as a director of the Company. Each of the nominees has consented to being named in this proxy statement and to serve as a director if elected. Each nominee elected as a director will continue in office until the next annual meeting of stockholders and the due election and qualification of their respective successors, or such nominee’s death, removal or resignation. If any nominee is unable to serve, proxies will be voted in favor of the remaining nominees and may be voted for another person nominated by the Board. In making its recommendation to the Board for a slate of directors for election by the Company’s stockholders, the Governance and Nominating Committee considered the criteria described in “Part Two — Board of Directors and Governance — Director Nominee Criteria and Process” in this proxy statement. The biographies of each of the director nominees below contain information regarding age, the year they first became directors, business experience, other public company directorships held currently or at any time during the last five years, involvement in certain legal or administrative proceedings, if applicable, and the experience, qualifications, attributes or skills that caused the Governance and Nominating Committee to determine that they should serve as directors of the Company.

David Einhorn — Mr. Einhorn, age 47, has been one of our directors since May 2006. From 1996, Mr. Einhorn has been the President of Greenlight Capital, Inc., which along with its affiliates is investment advisor to our principal stockholders. Mr. Einhorn serves as Chairman of Greenlight Capital Re, Ltd. (NASDAQ:GLRE). Mr. Einhorn received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Cornell University.

The Board has nominated Mr. Einhorn because he provides the Board with crucial investment expertise and business experience.

James R. Brickman — Mr. Brickman, age 64, has been one of our directors since October 2014, was the founding manager and advisor of each of JBGL Capital LP since 2008 and JBGL Builder Finance LLC since 2010, and is our Chief Executive Officer. Prior to forming JBGL in 2008, Mr. Brickman was a manager of various joint ventures and limited partnerships that developed/built low and high rise office buildings, multifamily and condominium homes, single family homes, entitled land, and supervised a property management company. He previously also served as Chairman and CEO of Princeton Homes Ltd. and Princeton Realty Corporation that developed land, constructed single family custom homes, and managed apartments it built. Mr. Brickman has over 37 years’ experience in nearly all phases of real estate construction, development, and real estate finance property management. He received a B.B.A. and M.B.A. from Southern Methodist University.

The Board has nominated Mr. Brickman because of his substantial experience in residential land development, the homebuilding industry and management, as well as intimate knowledge of the Company’s business and operations.

Harry Brandler — Mr. Brandler, age 44, has been one of our directors since October 2014. Since December 2001, Mr. Brandler has served as the Chief Financial Officer of Greenlight Capital, Inc. Prior to joining Greenlight Capital, Inc., from 2000 to 2001, Mr. Brandler served as Chief Financial Officer of Wheatley Partners, a venture capital firm, where he oversaw the firm’s back office operations and restructured the firm’s marketing, client relations and technology. From 1996 to 2000, Mr. Brandler served as a Manager at Goldstein, Golub & Kessler, where he provided audit, tax and consulting services to investment partnerships and other financial organizations and where he was promoted to Manager in January 1999. Mr. Brandler received a B.S. in Accounting from New York University in 1993. Mr. Brandler was admitted as a Certified Public Accountant in New York in 1996.

The Board has nominated Mr. Brandler because of his substantial knowledge and experience in the areas of finance, accounting and management.

Kathleen Olsen — Ms. Olsen, age 44, has been one of our directors since October 2014. Since 2011, Ms. Olsen has been a private investor. From 1999 through 2011, Ms. Olsen served as Chief Financial Officer of Eminence Capital, LLC, a long/short global equity fund. From 1993 to 1999, Ms. Olsen served as audit manager, specializing in investment partnerships, at Anchin, Block & Anchin LLP, a public accounting firm located in New York City. Ms. Olsen received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the State University of New York at Albany. Ms. Olsen is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.

The Board has nominated Ms. Olsen because she has extensive knowledge of accounting and a background in finance which enables her to make valuable and important contributions to the Board.

9

Richard S. Press — Mr. Press, age 77, has been one of our directors since October 2014. Before retiring, Mr. Press was a Senior Vice President at Wellington Management from 1994 to 2006, where he started and built the firm’s insurance asset management practice. Prior to that, Mr. Press was a Senior Vice President of Stein Roe & Farnham from 1982 to 1994 and Scudder Stevens and Clark from 1964 to 1982. Mr. Press sits on various committees of the Controlled Risk Insurance Company and the Risk Management Foundation since 2006; has been a board member of Millwall Holdings PLC and Millwall Football Club, London since 2010; and has served as a member of the Board of Overseers of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston) since 2007. Previously he served as a board member of the Housing Authority Insurance Group from 2008 to December 2014; and served as a board member and chairman of each of Transatlantic Holdings (NYSE: TRH) from August 2006 to March 2012 and Pomeroy IT Solutions (NASDAQ: PMRY) from July 2007 to November 2009. He was a founding member of the Board of Governors and the Advisory Board of the National Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center, Stony Brook University and Medical School, New York (2001 – 2013). Mr. Press earned a B.A. in Economics from Brown University in 1960; and after serving in the US Army, he received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1964.

The Board has nominated Mr. Press because of his extensive background in finance and his public company board and committee experience.

John R. Farris — Mr. Farris, age 43, has been one of our directors since October 2014. Since 2007, Mr. Farris has been the founder and President of Commonwealth Economics, LLC. Prior to forming Commonwealth Economics, LLC, from 2006 to 2007, Mr. Farris served as Secretary of the Finance and Administration Cabinet for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. From 2008 to 2012, Mr. Farris served as an adjunct Professor of Economics and Finance at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. Mr. Farris previously worked at the Center for Economics Research at the Research Triangle Institute, the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation. He currently sits on the board of directors for Farmers Capital Bank Corporation (NASDAQ: FFKT). Mr. Farris received a B.S. from Centre College in 1995 and a M.P.A. from Princeton University in 1999.

The Board has nominated Mr. Farris because he brings to the Board a wealth of knowledge and experience in economics and finance and his experience with other boards.

Elizabeth K. Blake — Ms. Blake, age 64, has been one of our directors since September 2007. Before retiring, Ms. Blake served as Senior Vice President — Advocacy, Government Affairs & General Counsel of Habitat For Humanity International Inc. from 2006 to 2014. Ms. Blake served on the Board of Patina Oil & Gas Corporation from 1998 through its sale to Noble Energy in 2005. From March 2003 to 2005, Ms. Blake was the Executive Vice President — Corporate Affairs, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for US Airways Group, Inc. From April 2002 through December 2002, Ms. Blake served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Trizec Properties, Inc., a public real estate investment trust. Ms. Blake served as Vice President and General Counsel of General Electric Power Systems from 1998 to 2002. From 1996 to 1998, Ms. Blake served as Vice President and Chief of Staff of Cinergy Corp. Ms. Blake received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from Smith College and her Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. Ms. Blake was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Technical Letters by Cincinnati Technical College and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the College of Mt. St. Joseph. From 1982 to 1984, she was an associate with Frost & Jacobs, a law firm in Cincinnati, Ohio and a partner from 1984 to 1996. From 1977 to 1982, she was with the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York. She is past Chair of the Ohio Board of Regents.

The Board has nominated Ms. Blake because she provides the Board with extensive executive, managerial and leadership and corporate governance and risk management experience, her experience as a director of public, private and non-profit corporations and her knowledge of the homebuilding industry.

Board Voting Recommendation

The Board unanimously recommends to the stockholders that they vote “FOR” the election of each director nominee.

10

PROPOSAL 2:ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

In accordance with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, referred to herein as the Dodd-Frank Act and with Section 14A of the Exchange Act, the Board is providing stockholders with a non-binding advisory vote on the Company’s executive compensation as reported in this proxy statement. Stockholders are being asked to vote on the following resolution:

“RESOLVED, that the stockholders of the Company approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers, as described in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the compensation tables and accompanying narrative disclosures.”

Stockholders are encouraged to carefully review the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section of this proxy statement, which discusses our compensation policies and procedures, including our compensation philosophy, and to refer to the related executive compensation tables and accompanying disclosures. Our executive compensation programs play a key role in our ability to attract and retain a highly experienced, successful team to manage our Company and deliver strategic and financial results. We have designed our executive compensation programs utilizing a pay-for-performance philosophy and primarily compensate our named executive officers through a combination of base salary, short-term incentives, in the form of discretionary annual cash bonuses, and long-term incentives, in the form of equity-based compensation. We are also committed to containing the cost of the executive compensation program to a level the Compensation Committee believes is reasonable and appropriate. We believe our executive compensation programs are structured in the best manner possible to support us and our business objectives.

While the vote on executive compensation is non-binding and solely advisory in nature, the Board and the Compensation Committee will review and consider the voting results when making future decisions regarding our executive compensation program.

Board Voting Recommendation

The Board unanimously recommends to the stockholders that they vote “FOR” this Proposal 2.

11

PROPOSAL 3:RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM FOR 2016

The Audit Committee of our Board has selected Grant Thornton LLP, or Grant Thornton, as the independent registered public accounting firm to audit Green Brick’s books and accounts for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016, subject to ratification by the stockholders. Grant Thornton LLP was first appointed to serve as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company in 2007 and is considered by the Audit Committee and the management of the Company to be well qualified. Representatives of Grant Thornton are expected to be present at the meeting with the opportunity to make a statement and to respond to appropriate questions. Stockholder ratification of the appointment of Grant Thornton as our independent registered public accounting firm is not required by our Bylaws or otherwise. However, the Board is submitting the appointment of Grant Thornton to the stockholders for ratification as a matter of good corporate practice. If this appointment is not ratified by our stockholders, the Audit Committee will reconsider its selection. Even if the appointment is ratified, the Audit Committee, which is solely responsible for appointing and terminating our independent registered public accounting firm, may in its discretion direct the appointment of a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if it determines that such a change would be in the best interests of Green Brick and its stockholders.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Fees

Fees for professional services provided by Grant Thornton for fiscal years 2015 and 2014, including related expenses, are as follows (in thousands):

     
  2015 2014
Audit fees (1) $753,023  $1,041,781 
Audit-related fees $—    $—   
Tax fees (2) $—    $134,500 
All other fees $—    $—   
Total fees $753,023  $1,176,281 

___________

(1)Audit fees for 2015 include professional services rendered by Grant Thornton LLP for the audit of the Company’s annual financial statements and audit of the subsidiaries and the review of the financial statements included in the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, of which $100,700 relates to fees incurred related to comfort letters. Audit fees for 2014 include professional services rendered by Grant Thornton LLP for the audit of the Company’s annual financial statements and audit of the subsidiaries and the review of the financial statements included in the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, of which $313,869 relates to the fees incurred after completion of the Transaction.
(2)Tax fees for 2014 include fees billed for professional services rendered for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning, of which $117,500 relates to the fees incurred after completion of the Transaction.

Audit Committee Approval of Audit and Non-Audit Services

The Audit Committee pre-approves all audit, audit-related and permitted non-audit services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm, including the fees and terms for those services. The Audit Committee has adopted a policy and procedures governing the pre-approval process for audit, audit-related and permitted non-audit services. The Audit Committee pre-approves audit and audit-related services in accordance with its review and approval of the engagement letter and annual service plan with the independent registered public accounting firm. Tax consultation and compliance services are considered by the Audit Committee on a project-by-project basis. Non-audit and other services will be considered by the Audit Committee for pre-approval based on business purpose, reasonableness of estimated fees and the potential impact on the firm’s independence.

Board Voting Recommendation

The Board unanimously recommends to the stockholders that they vote “FOR” this Proposal 3.

12

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

The Audit Committee of the Board was comprised of the following non-employee directors at the end of 2015: Kathleen Olsen (Chair), John R. Farris and Richard S. Press. All of the members of the Audit Committee are independent within the meaning of the NASDAQ listing standards and the applicable SEC regulations. In addition, the Board has determined that all members of the Audit Committee are financially literate under the NASDAQ listing standards.

The Audit Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Board, which is evaluated annually. The charter of the Audit Committee is available in the Governance section of our website at www.greenbrickpartners.com. The Audit Committee selects, evaluates and, where deemed appropriate, replaces Green Brick’s independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit Committee also pre-approves all audit services, engagement fees and terms and all permitted non-audit services.

Management is responsible for Green Brick’s internal controls and the financial reporting process. Green Brick’s independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for performing an independent audit of Green Brick’s consolidated financial statements in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America and issuing a report on Green Brick’s consolidated financial statements. The Audit Committee’s responsibility is to monitor and oversee these processes.

The Audit Committee reviewed Green Brick’s audited financial statements for fiscal 2015 and met and held discussions with management and the independent registered public accounting firm, Grant Thornton. Management represented to the Audit Committee, and Grant Thornton concurred, that Green Brick’s consolidated financial statements for fiscal 2015 were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, and the Audit Committee discussed the consolidated financial statements with Grant Thornton. The Audit Committee discussed with Grant Thornton matters required to be discussed by Auditing Standard No. 16, which superseded Auditing Standards No. 61, as amended (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Professional Standards, Volume 1, AU section 380), as adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, in Rule 3200T.

Grant Thornton also provided to the Audit Committee its letter required by applicable requirements of the PCAOB regarding Grant Thornton’s communications with the Audit Committee concerning independence, and the Audit Committee discussed with Grant Thornton the accounting firm’s independence.

Based upon the Audit Committee’s review and discussions set forth above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board that the audited consolidated financial statements be included in the 2015 Form 10-K filed with the SEC.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathleen Olsen (Chair)

John R. Farris

Richard S. Press

13

PART FOUR

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following tables set forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership of Green Brick’s Common Stock as of March 30, 2016, by:

·each person who is known by the Company to beneficially own 5% or more of any class of the outstanding shares of Common Stock;
·each member of the Board who beneficially owns any class of shares of the Common Stock;
·each of the Company’s named executive officers; and
·all members of the Board and the Company’s executive officers as a group.

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the SEC, rules and includes voting or investment power with respect to the securities. Unless otherwise indicated and subject to applicable community property laws, to the Company’s knowledge, each stockholder named in the following table possesses sole voting and investment power over the shares listed, except for those jointly owned with that person’s spouse.

Unless otherwise indicated, the address for all beneficial owners is c/o Green Brick Partners, Inc., 2805 Dallas Parkway, Suite 400, Plano, TX 75093. At the close of business on March 30, 2016, there were 48,833,323 shares of Common Stock outstanding. Each share of Common Stock is entitled to one vote. The percentage of voting shares outstanding was determined based on 48,833,323 shares outstanding on March 30, 2016.

Beneficial Owner 

Number of Shares of

Common Stock

  

Total Number of

Shares

Beneficially Owned

  

Percentage of

Common Stock

Outstanding

 

Greenlight Capital, Inc. and its affiliates (1)

2 Grand Central Tower

140 East 45th Street, 24th floor
New York, NY 10017

  24,127,590   24,127,590   

 

49.4

 

%

Third Point Funds and its affiliates (2)

390 Park Avenue, 18th floor

New York, NY 10022

  8,182,965   8,182,965   16.8%
James R. Brickman  1,479,506   1,666,442   3.4%
Richard A. Costello         
Jed Dolson  25,584   25,584   * 
David Einhorn (3)  8,922   8,922   * 
Harry Brandler         
Kathleen Olsen  17,727   17,727   * 
Richard S. Press  15,727   15,727   * 
John R. Farris  25,727   25,727   * 
Elizabeth K. Blake  42,592   42,592   * 
All Directors and Executive Officers as a group, 9 persons (4)  25,734,453   25,921,389   53.1%

*less than 1%
(1)Greenlight Capital, Inc. is the investment manager for Greenlight Capital Qualified, L.P., Greenlight Capital, L.P. and Greenlight Capital Offshore Partners, and as such has voting and dispositive power over 5,739,103 shares of Common Stock held by Greenlight Capital Qualified, L.P., 1,290,810 shares of Common Stock held by Greenlight Capital, L.P., and 10,161,908  shares of Common Stock held by Greenlight Capital Offshore Partners. DME Advisors, LP (“DME Advisors”) is the investment manager for Greenlight Reinsurance, Ltd., and as such has voting and dispositive power over 3,466,793 shares of Common Stock held by Greenlight Reinsurance, Ltd. DME Capital Management, LP (“DME Management”) is the investment manager for Greenlight Capital (Gold), LP, and Greenlight Capital Offshore Master (Gold), Ltd., and as such has voting and dispositive power over 1,741,395 shares of Common Stock held by Greenlight Capital (Gold), LP and 1,718,659 shares of Common Stock held by Greenlight Capital Offshore Master (Gold), Ltd. DME Advisors GP, LLC (“DME GP”) is the general partner of DME Advisors

and DME Management, and as such has voting and dispositive power over 6,936,847 shares of Common Stock. David Einhorn, one of our directors, is the principal of Greenlight Capital, Inc., DME Advisors, DME Management and DME GP, and as such has voting and dispositive power over 24,127,590 shares of Common Stock held by these affiliates of Greenlight Capital, Inc. Mr. Einhorn disclaims beneficial ownership of these shares, except to the extent of any pecuniary interest therein. Also includes 8,922 shares held by Mr. Einhorn.
(2)Includes 8,083,022 shares held of record by Third Point Offshore Master Fund LP, Third Point Partners LP, Third Point Partners Qualified LP, Third Point Ultra Master Fund LP and Third Point Reinsurance Company Ltd., which are investment funds managed by Third Point LLC, and 99,943 shares held by Daniel S. Loeb, who has the power to vote and dispose of the shares held by him and the investment funds managed by Third Point LLC.
(3)See Note 1.
(4)Includes shares held by Greenlight Capital, Inc., and its affiliates described in Note 1, which are controlled by one of our directors, David Einhorn.

15

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION INFORMATION

Compensation Discussion and Analysis

Overview

This Compensation Discussion and Analysis describes the policies and objectives underlying the Company’s compensation program for its named executive officers, who are identified in the table below (collectively, the “NEOs”), during 2015. This section also presents a series of tables containing specific information about the compensation awarded to, earned by or paid to the Company’s NEOs.

For the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company’s NEOs were:

Named Executive OfficersTitle
James R. BrickmanChief Executive Officer
Richard A. CostelloChief Financial Officer
Jed DolsonHead of Land Acquisition and Development
John Jason CorleyFormer Chief Operating Officer, JBGL Builder Finance LLC and Former Interim Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Brickman is an NEO based on his position as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Mr. Costello is an NEO based on his position as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Dolson is an NEO by reason of being the Company’s most highly compensated executive officer other than its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer who was serving as an executive officer as of December 31, 2015. Mr. Corley is included as an NEO based on the amount of compensation received during 2015, which would have made him one of the Company’s most highly compensated executive officers but for the fact that he was not employed with the Company as of December 31, 2015.

Effective October 31, 2014, Mr. Corley was appointed as Chief Financial Officer of the Company on an interim basis. Mr. Corley served in such interim position until April 2, 2015, on which date Richard A. Costello was appointed as Chief Financial Officer of the Company.

As of October 26, 2015, Mr. Corley ceased being the Chief Operating Officer of JBGL Builder Finance LLC and its subsidiaries pursuant to Section 3(b) of his employment agreement with the Company. Effective December 10, 2015, the Company entered into a Settlement Agreement and Mutual Release (the “Settlement Agreement”), dated as of December 2, 2015, with Mr. Corley, in connection with Mr. Corley’s departure. As consideration for entering into the Settlement Agreement (which contains a release of any and all claims against the Company and certain related parties), Mr. Corley is entitled to a payment of $312,500. Two $312,500 payments relating to 2016 and 2017 potentially owed under Mr. Corley’s employment agreement as well as any obligations of the Company for any other compensation and severance payments were terminated and released. Under the Settlement Agreement, Mr. Corley has agreed to certain non-solicitation and confidentiality restrictive covenants.

“Say on Pay” Vote

At our 2015 annual meeting of stockholders held on May 28, 2015, our stockholders were asked to consider and vote on a resolution approving the compensation of our NEOs on an advisory basis, commonly referred to as “say on pay.” A substantial majority of our stockholders approved the compensation of our NEOs, with approximately 99.96% of the votes cast in favor of that say on pay resolution. While we are pleased with our strong stockholder support, we will continue to actively evaluate our executive compensation program.

Executive Summary

The Company believes that its success in achieving strategic objectives will depend in large part on its ability to attract and retain exceptional executive talent and to align the interests of all executives with investor success. The Company has established an approach to executive remuneration that it believes will help achieve these objectives.

In determining aggregate compensation levels for the NEOs, the Company uses the following approach:

·providing cash compensation opportunities to executive officers that, in the aggregate, reflect general industry practice;
·rewarding superior overall Company and individual performance using discretionary cash bonuses when appropriate; and
·allowing individual pay levels to vary considerably with individual executive responsibilities, capabilities and performance.

16

In connection with the consummation of the Transaction, each of Messrs. Brickman, Corley and Dolson entered into an employment agreement with the Company, as further described below. Each of these NEO’s employment agreement sets forth the primary components of his compensation.

In connection with Richard A. Costello’s commencement of employment with the Company effective January 15, 2015, Mr. Costello entered into an employment agreement with the Company, as further described below.

Executive Compensation Philosophy and Objectives

The intent of the Company’s executive compensation philosophy is to ensure that the total compensation paid to its executive officers, including the Company’s NEOs, is fair, reasonablefinancial statements and competitive.

The philosophy behindschedules thereto, but not the Company’s executive compensation program has been to:

·Support an environment that rewards performance and value creation for the Company’s investors; and
·Integrate its incentive compensation program with the Company’s short-and long-term success.

Compensation for the Company’s NEOs has been designed to provide rewards commensurate with each of the Company’s NEO’s contribution. The Company’s executive compensation strategy has been designed to:

·Attract and retain highly qualified executives;
·Provide executives with compensation that is competitive within the industry in which it operates;
·Establish compensation packages that take into consideration the executive’s role, qualifications, experience, responsibilities, leadership potential, individual goals and performance; and
·Align executive compensation to support the Company’s objectives.

Role of Executive Officers in Compensation Decisions

Historically, as a private company, JBGL’s executive compensation program had been administered by its Chief Executive Officer, who also served as JBGL’s sole manager. In connection with the consummation of the Transaction and the integration of JBGL with the Company, the Compensation Committee became responsible for reviewing and approving executive salaries, incentive arrangements, and goals and objectives relevant to the performance of the Company’s NEOs. Furthermore, the Compensation Committee is also responsible for overseeing all other aspects of executive compensation including executive benefits and perquisites, post-employment benefits and employment agreements.exhibits. In addition, no less than annually, the Compensation Committee appraises the performancesuch report is available, free of the Company’s NEOs in light of these goals and objectives and set compensation levels based on this evaluation.

The Company’s Chief Executive Officer provides recommendations to the Compensation Committee regarding the compensation for the Company’s NEOs other than the Chief Executive Officer. However, the Compensation Committee has final approval over all compensation decisions for all NEOs. The Chief Executive Officer is not permitted to attend the portion of any meetings of the Compensation Committee at which the Chief Executive Officer’s performance or compensation is discussed, unless specifically invited by the Compensation Committee.

Use of Consultants

To date, the Company has not retained or otherwise used the services of a compensation consultant. The Compensation Committee may engage a compensation consultant in the future as it deems appropriate and necessary.

Elements of the Company’s Executive Compensation Program

The primary elements of the Company’s executive compensation program for the current NEOs for the year ended December 31, 2015 were:

·base salaries;
·discretionary cash bonuses;
·equity-based compensation; and
·limited perquisites and other personal benefits.

17

Further specifics with regard to each element of compensation are discussed in the sections below.

Base Salary

During 2015, the Company paid the NEOs a base salary as fixed compensation for their time, efforts and commitments throughout the year. Base salary ranges for these NEOs were determined for each executive based on position and scope of responsibility. Salary levels are typically reviewed annually as part of the Company’s performance review process as well as upon a promotion or other change in job responsibility. The Company considered, among other performance standards, the NEO’s contributions in assisting the Company in meeting its financial targets, improving operational efficiencies, creating and executing a clear strategy, and leading and overseeing significant company driven projects.

The 2015 base salary for each of the Company’s current NEOs, as set forth in the NEOs’ employment agreements, are shown in the table below:

Named Executive Officer

2015

Base Salary

($)

James R. Brickman1,400,000
Richard A. Costello300,000
Jed Dolson300,000
John Jason Corley300,000

On March 3, 2016, the Compensation Committee approved an increase of Mr. Costello’s base salary from $300,000 to $400,000 and Mr. Dolson’s base salary from $300,000 to $400,000 in recognition of their accomplishments during 2015, including their increased contributions to the Company following Mr. Corley’s departure.

Discretionary Cash Bonus

The Company’s executives are eligible to receive discretionary cash bonuses on a case by case basis in order to reward exceptional performance. The discretionary cash bonus gives the Company the flexibility to take into consideration the different quantitative and qualitative measures over the fiscal year in determining the eligible executive’s bonus. In determining discretionary bonus amounts, the Company may consider a combination of factors, including overall Company and individual performance. The annual discretionary bonus is payable at the sole discretion of the Compensation Committee.

Each of Messrs. Brickman, Costello and Dolson is subject to an employment agreement, which sets forth each NEO’s target bonus as reflected in the following table.

Named Executive Officer 

2015

Target Bonus

(% of Base Salary)

2015

Target Bonus

($)

James R. Brickman  100%1,400,000 
Richard A. Costello  100%300,000
Jed Dolson  100%300,000
John Jason Corley  100%300,000

In March 2016, the Compensation Committee approved 2015 discretionary bonuses for Messrs. Brickman, Costello and Dolson as reflected in the table below.

Named Executive Officer

2015

Actual Bonus

($)

James R. Brickman700,000
Richard A. Costello150,000
Jed Dolson150,000
John Jason Corley —

The 2015 discretionary bonuses were paid to the NEOs on April 1, 2016 as follows: fifty percent of each NEO’s bonus was paid in cash and the remaining fifty percent was paid in shares of the Company’s common stock.

18

In determining to award discretionary bonuses to Messrs. Brickman, Costello and Dolson for 2015, the Compensation Committee considered the Company’s and the NEOs’ achievements in 2015, including the satisfaction of qualitative criteria. In particular, the Compensation Committee considered the following NEO achievements during 2015:

·Successfully completed equity financing;
·Successfully obtained new lines of credit;
·Established a marketing and media plan;
·Established a title company subsidiary;
·Effectively managed risk and avoided material litigation;
·Completed land developments on time and on budget;
·Maintained positive working relationships with builders and employees; and
·Effective integration of new Chief Financial Officer.

Equity-Based Compensation

Green Brick Partners, Inc. 2014 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan

In connection with the consummation of the Transaction, the Company adopted the Green Brick Partners, Inc. 2014 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan (the “2014 Equity Plan”), pursuant to which employees of the Company, including the NEOs, will be eligible to receive equity-based compensation awards. A description of the 2014 Equity Plan is included below immediately the Grants of Plan-Based Awards table.

James R. Brickman Stock Options

In connection with the consummation of the Transaction on October 27, 2014, the Company entered into a stock option agreement with Mr. Brickman, pursuant to which Mr. Brickman received a one-time award of stock options to purchase 500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock. The stock option has a per share exercise price equal to $7.4861, which is based on the weighted average price of the Company’s common stock for the five trading days immediately prior to the date of grant. Subject to Mr. Brickman’s continued employment, the stock option will vest and become exercisable in five substantially equal installments on each of the first five anniversaries of the date of grant. In the event that Mr. Brickman’s employment is terminated by the Company without cause, any unvested portion of the stock option will vest and become exercisable as of the date of such termination. The stock options granted to Mr. Brickman were not granted under the 2014 Equity Plan but are subject to the terms of the 2014 Equity Plan and the stock option agreement.

Profits Interests

Pursuant to the Second Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of JBGL Builder Finance LLC and related accession agreements, in 2013 Messrs. Corley and Dolson each received equity-based compensation in the form of Class B membership interests of JBGL Builder Finance LLC, which are intended to be profits interests (“Profits Interests”). The Profits Interests represent the right of the holder to share in distributions from JBGL Builder Finance LLC after investors therein have received certain returns on their investment.

The Profits Interests granted to Mr. Corley vest in five substantially equal installments on December 31, 2013 and each of the next four anniversaries thereof, subject to his continued employment with JBGL. The Profits Interests granted to Mr. Dolson vest in five substantially equal installments on December 31, 2014 and each of the next four anniversaries thereof, subject to his continued employment with JBGL.

In connection with the consummation of the Transaction, the Profits Interests were canceled and Messrs. Corley and Dolson have no further rights in respect thereof. In exchange for the cancellation of the Profits Interests, each of Messrs. Corley and Dolson became entitled to receive a one-time award of $1,250,000, payable in a combination of cash and shares of Common Stock, which award will vest in four substantially equal installments on the date the Transaction was consummated and each of the next three anniversaries thereof, subject to each NEO’s continued employment with the Company. Going forward, the Compensation Committee anticipates that any equity-based compensation issued to the Company’s executives, including its NEOs, will be granted pursuant to the 2014 Equity Plan.

Employment Agreements

In connection with the consummation of the Transaction, the Company entered into an employment agreement with each of Messrs. Brickman, Corley and Dolson, as described below immediately following the Grants of Plan-Based Awards table.

19

Limited Perquisites and Other Personal Benefits

The Company’s NEOs participate in the same benefit programs as the rest of its general employee population. These benefits include health insurance coverage, short-and long-term disability insurance, and life insurance, among others. In addition, the Company’s senior executives, including the NEOs, are eligible for certain perquisites, which do not constitute a significant portion of their total compensation package. In 2015, these additional perquisites included an $850 monthly car and cell phone allowance for Mr. Dolson.

2016 Compensation Actions

As described above, on March 3, 2016, the Compensation Committee approved an increase of Mr. Costello’s base salary from $300,000 to $400,000 and an increase of Mr. Dolson’s base salary from $300,000 to $400,000.

Tax Deductibility of Executive Compensation

Section 162(m) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (“Section 162(m)”), limits the deduction for a publicly held corporation for otherwise deductible compensation to any “covered employee” to $1,000,000 per year. This limit does not apply to “performance-based compensation” within the meaning of Section 162(m). In general, it is intended that compensation payable to the Company’s NEOs will be structured to comply with Section 162(m). However, in order to attract and retain highly skilled executives and remain competitive with other employers, the Compensation Committee may authorize compensation that would not otherwise be deductible under Section 162(m).

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT

The Compensation Committee of the Board has reviewed and discussed with management the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section above, and based on such review and discussion, has recommended to the Board that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this proxy statement.

Respectfully Submitted,

Richard S. Press (Chair)

Kathleen Olsen

Elizabeth K. Blake

Summary Compensation Table

The following table summarizes the total compensation of each of the Company’s NEOs for services rendered during the Company’s fiscal years ended December 31, 2013, December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2015.

                 
Name and Principal Position Year 

Salary

($)(1)

 

Bonus

($)(2)

 

Stock

Awards

($)(3)

 

Option

Awards

($)

 

Non-Equity

Incentive

Plan

Compensation

($)

 

All Other

Compensation

($)(4)

 

Total

($)

James R. Brickman,

Chief Executive Officer

  2015   1,400,000   350,000            8,140   1,758,140 
   2014   233,333   233,333      1,441,000      1,280,577   3,188,243 
   2013                  1,318,736   1,318,736 
                                 

Richard A. Costello,

Chief Financial Officer

  2015   288,846   75,000            6,315   370,162 
                                 

Jed Dolson,

Head of Land Acquisition and

Development

  2015   300,000   75,000   156,250         174,353   705,603 
   2014   250,000   300,000            329,013   879,013 
   2013   120,000               491,700   611,700 
                                 

John Jason Corley,

Former Chief Operating Officer,
JBGL Builder Finance LLC

 2015   245,577               320,233   565,810 
   2014   216,667   300,000            318,990   835,657 
   2013   194,014   300,000               494,014 

20

___________

(1)Mr. Brickman’s base salary was pro-rated for 2014 based on the fact that he did not receive a base salary from the Company prior to the consummation of the Transaction on October 27, 2014.
(2)Reflects discretionary cash bonuses payable to Messrs. Brickman, Costello and Dolson in respect of 2015, as described above. As described above, Messrs. Brickman, Costello and Dolson received discretionary bonuses. Fifty percent of the aggregate discretionary bonus awarded to each NEO was paid in cash and the remaining fifty percent was paid in shares of the Company’s common stock.
(3)The amounts in this column represent the aggregate grant date fair value of the common stock issued to Mr. Dolson in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718.  Mr. Dolson received shares of the Company’s common stock in satisfaction of fifty percent of the payment due to him in 2015 in respect of the cancellation of his Profits Interests, as described in footnote 5 below.
(4)The table below includes items of All Other Compensation paid to the NEOs in 2015.

All Other Compensation

NameMedical, Dental and Vision Insurance PremiumsHSA Employer ContributionSettlement PaymentLife Insurance Premiums, AD&D and Disability PremiumsCar and Cell Phone AllowanceProfits Interests Cancellation Award(5)Total
James R. Brickman6,386  250 1,505  8,140
Richard A. Costello4,793  150 1,372  6,315
Jed Dolson
6,149  250 1,50510,200156,250174,353
John Jason Corley6,080  250312,5001,403  320,233

(5)Each of Messrs. Corley and Dolson received a one-time award of $1,250,000 in respect of the cancellation of their Profits Interests, which is payable in four equal installments on October 27, 2014 and each of the next three anniversaries thereof, subject to continued employment on the anniversary date. In 2015, fifty percent of the amount due to Mr. Dolson was paid in the form of cash and the remaining fifty percent was paid in shares of the Company’s common stock. Profit Interests payments potentially owed under Mr. Corley’s employment agreement were terminated and released upon his termination of his employment with the company.

Grants of Plan-Based Awards

The following table sets forth certain information for plan-based awards granted to each of the Company’s NEOs for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015.

Named Executive Officers  Grant Date  All Other Stock Awards: Number of Shares (#)(1)  Exercise Price of Options ($/Sh) Closing Price on Grant Date ($/Sh)  Grant Date Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards ($)(2)
James R. Brickman              
Richard A. Costello              
Jed Dolson    11/9/2015  19,434    8.04  156,250
John Jason Corley              

___________

(1)On November 9, 2015, Mr. Dolson was granted 19,434 shares of the Company’s common stock in satisfaction of fifty percent of the amount due to him in 2015 in respect of the cancellation of his Profits Interests.
 (2)Reflects the grant date fair value of the shares of the Company’s common stock awarded to Mr. Dolson, as calculated in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718.

21

Narrative Accompanying Summary Compensation Table and Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table

Employment Agreements

The Company has entered into an employment agreement with each of Messrs. Brickman, Costello, Dolson and Corley, as described below.

James R. Brickman

James R. Brickman entered into the Brickman Employment Agreement, pursuant to which Mr. Brickman serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company and as a member of the Board. The initial term of the Brickman Employment Agreement is five years. Mr. Brickman’s annual base salary is $1.4 million. He is eligible to receive an annual bonus with a target award equal to 100% of his base salary contingent upon the achievement of performance goals, such as EBITDA targets, approved by the Board. In addition, Mr. Brickman received a one-time award of 500,000 stock options, which award will vest in five substantially equal installments on each of the first five anniversaries of the date of grant. The specific terms and conditions relating to Mr. Brickman’s stock options are set forth in an award agreement between the Company and Mr. Brickman.

Richard A. Costello

Richard A. Costello entered into an employment agreement with the Company (the “Costello Employment Agreement”), pursuant to which Mr. Costello serves as the Chief Financial Officer of the Company. The initial term of the Costello Employment Agreement is three years. Mr. Costello’s annual base salary is $300,000. He is eligible to receive an annual bonus with a target award equal to 100% of his base salary contingent upon the achievement of performance goals, such as EBITDA targets, approved by the Board. On March 3, 2016, the Compensation Committee approved an increase of Mr. Costello’s base salary from $300,000 to $400,000.

Jed Dolson

Jed Dolson entered into an employment agreement with the Company (the “Dolson Employment Agreement”), pursuant to which Mr. Dolson serves as the Head of Land Acquisition and Development of the Company. The initial term of the Dolson Employment Agreement is three years. Mr. Dolson’s annual base salary is $300,000. He is eligible to receive an annual bonus with a target award equal to 100% of his base salary contingent upon the achievement of performance goals, such as EBITDA targets, approved by the Board. Under the Dolson Employment Agreement, in exchange for the cancellation of his Profits Interests, Mr. Dolson became entitled to receive a one-time award of $1,250,000, payable in a combination of cash and shares of Common Stock, which award will vest in four substantially equal installments on the date the Transaction is consummated and each of the next three anniversaries thereof, subject to Mr. Dolson’s continued employment with the Company. Mr. Dolson is also eligible to receive a car and cell phone allowance. On March 3, 2016, the Compensation Committee approved an increase of Mr. Dolson’s base salary from $300,000 to $400,000.

John Jason Corley

John Jason Corley entered into an employment agreement with the Company (the “Corley Employment Agreement”), pursuant to which Mr. Corley served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Company. The initial term of the Corley Employment Agreement was three years. Mr. Corley’s annual base salary was $300,000. He was eligible to receive an annual bonus with a target award equal to 100% of his base salary contingent upon the achievement of performance goals, such as EBITDA targets, approved by the Board. Under the Corley Employment Agreement, in exchange for the cancellation of his Profits Interests, Mr. Corley became entitled to receive a one-time award of $1,250,000, payable in a combination of cash and shares of Common Stock, which award was set to vest in four substantially equal installments on the date the Transaction was consummated and each of the next three anniversaries thereof, subject to Mr. Corley’s continued employment with the Company. Mr. Corley was terminated in 2015.

James R. Brickman Stock Options

In connection with the consummation of the Transaction on October 27, 2014, the Company entered into a stock option agreement with Mr. Brickman, pursuant to which Mr. Brickman received a one-time award of stock options to purchase 500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock. The stock option has a per share exercise price equal to $7.4861, which is based on the weighted average price of the Company’s common stock for the five trading days immediately prior to the date of grant. Subject to Mr. Brickman’s continued employment, the stock option will vest and become exercisable in five substantially equal installments on each of the first five anniversaries of the date of grant. In the event that Mr. Brickman’s employment is terminated by the Company without cause, any unvested portion of the stock option will vest and become exercisable as of the date of such termination. The stock options granted to Mr. Brickman were not granted under the 2014 Equity Plan but are subject to the terms of the 2014 Equity Plan and the stock option agreement.

22

Green Brick Partners, Inc. 2014 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan

In connection with the consummation of the Transaction, the Company adopted the 2014 Equity Plan, as described below.

Purpose. The purpose of the 2014 Equity Plan is to provide a means for the Company and its affiliates to attract and retain key personnel and to provide a means whereby current and prospective directors, officers, employees, consultants and advisors can acquire and maintain an equity interest in the Company, or be paid incentive compensation, which may (but need not) be measured by reference to the value of the Company’s Common Stock, thereby strengthening their commitment to the welfare of the Company and aligning their interests with those of the Company’s stockholders. The 2014 Equity Plan will terminate automatically on October 17, 2024. No awards will be granted under the 2014 Equity Plan after that date, but awards granted prior to that date may extend beyond that date.

Awards. Under the 2014 Equity Plan, awards of stock options, including both incentive stock options and nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock and restricted stock units, other stock-based awards and performance compensation awards may be granted. The maximum number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock that is authorized and reserved for issuance under the 2014 Equity Plan is 2,350,956, subject to adjustment for certain corporate events or changes in the Company’s capital structure.

Eligibility. In general, the Company’s employees, consultants and directors and those of the Company’s affiliates, as well as those reasonably expected to become the Company’s employees, consultants and directors, or those of the Company’s affiliates, are eligible for awards under the 2014 Equity Plan, provided that incentive stock options may be granted only to employees. A written agreement between the Company and each participant will evidence the terms of each award granted under the 2014 Equity Plan.

Shares Subject to the 2014 Equity Plan. The shares that may be issued pursuant to awards are shares of Common Stock and the maximum aggregate amount of Common Stock which may be issued upon exercise of all awards under the 2014 Equity Plan, including incentive stock options, may not exceed 2,350,956, subject to adjustment to reflect certain corporate transactions or changes in the Company’s capital structure. If any award under the 2014 Equity Plan expires or otherwise terminates, in whole or in part, without having been exercised in full, the Common Stock withheld from issuance under that award will become available for future issuance under the plan. If shares issued under the 2014 Equity Plan are reacquired by the Company pursuant to the terms of any forfeiture provision, those shares will become available for future awards under the plan. Awards that can only be settled in cash will not be treated as shares of Common Stock granted for purposes of the 2014 Equity Plan. The maximum amount that can be paid to any single participant in any one calendar year pursuant to a cash bonus award under the 2014 Equity Plan is $2,000,000.

Administration. The Compensation Committee of the Company will administer the 2014 Equity Plan following the consummation of the Acquisition. Among other responsibilities, the Compensation Committee will select participants from among the eligible individuals, determine the number of shares of Common Stock that will be subject to each award and determine the terms and conditions of each award, including exercise price, methods of payment and vesting schedules. In general, the Board may amend, alter, suspend, discontinue, or terminate the 2014 Equity Plan or any portion thereof at any time.

Adjustments in Capitalization. In general, in the event of (i) any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, stock or other securities or property), stock splits, reverse stock splits, recapitalizations, reorganizations, mergers, consolidations, combinations, exchanges or other similar corporate transaction or event (including, without limitation, a “change in control” (as defined in the 2014 Equity Plan)) that affects the Common Stock, or (ii) certain unusual or nonrecurring events (including, without limitation, a change in control), appropriate equitable adjustments or substitutions (as determined by the Compensation Committee) will be made to the various limits under, and the terms of, the 2014 Equity Plan and the awards granted thereunder, including the maximum number of shares of Common Stock reserved under the 2014 Equity Plan, the price or kind of other securities or other consideration subject to awards or any applicable performance measures (e.g., performance criteria), to the extent necessary to preserve the economic intent of the award. In addition, the Compensation Committee may cancel outstanding awards and cause participants to receive, in cash, stock, other securities or property, or a combination thereof, the value of the awards.

Change in Control.In the event of a “change in control,” the Compensation Committee may generally provide for one or more of the following: (i) that all options and stock appreciation rights subject to an award will become fully vested and immediately exercisable, (ii) that any restricted period imposed upon restricted awards will expire immediately, and (iii) that participants will receive partial or full payment for outstanding performance awards.

Nontransferability. In general, each award granted under the 2014 Equity Plan may be exercisable only by a participant during the participant’s lifetime or, if permissible under applicable law, by the participant’s legal guardian or representative. Except in very limited circumstances, no award may be assigned, alienated, pledged, attached, sold or otherwise transferred or encumbered by a participant other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and any such purported assignment, alienation, pledge, attachment, sale, transfer or encumbrance will be void and unenforceable against us. However, the designation of a beneficiary will not constitute an assignment, alienation, pledge, attachment, sale, transfer or encumbrance.

23

No Rights as a Stockholder. In general, except as otherwise provided in the 2014 Equity Plan or any award agreement thereunder, no person who receives an award under the plan will be entitled to the privileges of a stockholder until the shares covered by such award have been issued or delivered to that person.

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End

The following table sets forth the outstanding equity awards for the Company’s NEOs as of December 31, 2015.

            
   Option awards 
Named Executive Officers  

Number of

Shares

Underlying

Unexercised

Options

Exercisable

(#)(1)

  

Number of

Shares

Underlying

Unexercised

Options

Unexercisable

(#)(1)

 

Option

Exercise

Price
($/Sh)

  Option Expiration Date 
James R. Brickman    100,000  400,000 $7.49 10/27/2024 
Richard A. Costello       
Jed Dolson       
John Jason Corley       

___________

(1)On October 27, 2014, Mr. Brickman was granted stock options to purchase 500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, which vest and become exercisable in five substantially equal installments on each of the first five anniversaries of the date of grant.

Option Exercises and Stock Vested

The following table sets forth the outstanding equity awards for the Company’s NEOs as of December 31, 2015.

            
   Option Exercises and Stock Vested 
   Option AwardsStock Awards 
Named Executive Officers  

Number of

Shares

Acquired on
Exercise

(#)

  

Value Realized on Exercise

($)

 

Number of
Shares Acquired
on Vesting

($/Sh) (1)

 Value Realized
on Vesting

($)(1)
 
James R. Brickman       
Richard A. Costello       
Jed Dolson     19,434 156,250 
John Jason Corley       

(1)On November 9, 2015, Mr. Dolson was granted 19,434 shares of the Company’s common stock in satisfaction of fifty percent of the amount due to him in 2015 in respect of the cancellation of his Profits Interests.

Pension Benefits and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation

The Company does not provide defined benefit pension benefits or non-qualified deferred compensation.

Potential Payments Upon Termination of Employment or Change in Control

The Company’s current NEOs are eligible for severance as set forth in their respective employment agreements, as described in the following narrative and illustrated in the accompanying table below.

James R. Brickman

In the event that Mr. Brickman’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause (as will be defined in the Brickman Employment Agreement) or Mr. Brickman’s resignation for Good Reason (as will be defined in the Brickman Employment Agreement), subject to Mr. Brickman’s execution of a release of claims in a form reasonably determined by the Company, the Company will provide Mr. Brickman with severance in an amount equal to two times (x) his base salary plus (y) his target bonus. Mr. Brickman will not be entitled to severance upon the expiration of the term of employment. The Company may require repayment of any bonus and equity-based compensation paid by the Company in a prior Company fiscal year if the Company is required to restate financial results with respect to such fiscal year due to material non-compliance with applicable financial reporting requirements.

24

Brickman is subject to a (i) 12-month post-termination non-competition covenant relating to competitors of the Company, (ii) 12-month post-termination non-solicitation covenant in respect of employees, consultants, vendors, customers and similar business relationships of the Company and (iii) perpetual confidentiality and non-disparagement covenants.

Richard A. Costello

In the event that Mr. Costello’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause (as will be defined in the Costello Employment Agreement) or Mr. Costello’s resignation for Good Reason (as will be defined in the Costello Employment Agreement), subject to Mr. Costello’s execution of a release of claims in a form reasonably determined by the Company, the Company will provide Mr. Costello with severance in an amount equal to one and one half times the sum of (x) his base salary and (y) his annual bonus for the year preceding the year of termination. Mr. Costello will not be entitled to severance upon the expiration of the term of employment. The Company may require repayment of any bonus and equity-based compensation paid by the Company in a prior Company fiscal year if the Company is required to restate financial results with respect to such fiscal year due to material non-compliance with applicable financial reporting requirements. Mr. Costello is subject to a (i) 12-month post-termination non-competition covenant relating to competitors of the Company, (ii) 12-month post-termination non-solicitation covenant in respect of employees, consultants, vendors, customers and similar business relationships of the Company and (iii) perpetual confidentiality and non-disparagement covenants.

Jed Dolson

In the event that Mr. Dolson’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause (as will be defined in the Dolson Employment Agreement) or Mr. Dolson’s resignation for Good Reason (as will be defined in the Dolson Employment Agreement), subject to Mr. Dolson’s execution of a release of claims in a form reasonably determined by the Company, the Company will provide Mr. Dolson with severance in an amount equal to one and one half times the sum of (x) his base salary and (y) his annual bonus for the year preceding the year of termination. Mr. Dolson will not be entitled to severance upon the expiration of the term of employment. The Company may require repayment of any bonus and equity-based compensation paid by the Company in a prior Company fiscal year if the Company is required to restate financial results with respect to such fiscal year due to material non-compliance with applicable financial reporting requirements. Mr. Dolson is subject to a (i) 12-month post-termination non-competition covenant relating to competitors of the Company, (ii) 12-month post-termination non-solicitation covenant in respect of employees, consultants, vendors, customers and similar business relationships of the Company and (iii) perpetual confidentiality and non-disparagement covenants.

John Jason Corley

As described above, as of October 26, 2015, Mr. Corley’s employment with the Company ceased. The following is a description of the severance benefits to which Mr. Corley would have been entitled had his employment with the Company continued through December 31, 2015. In the event that Mr. Corley’s employment were terminated by the Company without Cause (as will be defined in the Corley Employment Agreement) or Mr. Corley’s resignation for Good Reason (as will be defined in the Corley Employment Agreement), subject to Mr. Corley’s execution of a release of claims in a form reasonably determined by the Company, the Company would have provided Mr. Corley with severance in an amount equal to one and one half times the sum of (x) his base salary and (y) his annual bonus for the year preceding the year of termination. Mr. Corley would not have been entitled to severance upon the expiration of the term of employment. The Company may require repayment of any bonus and equity-based compensation paid by the Company in a prior Company fiscal year if the Company is required to restate financial results with respect to such fiscal year due to material non-compliance with applicable financial reporting requirements. Mr. Corley is subject to a (i) 12-month post-termination non-competition covenant relating to competitors of the Company, (ii) 12-month post-termination non-solicitation covenant in respect of employees, consultants, vendors, customers and similar business relationships of the Company and (iii) perpetual confidentiality and non-disparagement covenants.

Assuming a termination of employment occurred as of December 31, 2015, each of Messrs. Brickman, Costello, Dolson and Corley would be entitled to receive the payment and benefits set forth in the following table.

James R. BrickmanRichard A. CostelloJed DolsonJohn Jason Corley(2)
Termination by the Company without Cause/Resignation by Executive for Good Reason

● A cash severance payment equal to $2,800,000, calculated as two times (2x) the sum (i) base salary ($1,400,000) plus (ii) target bonus ($1,400,000).

● Full acceleration of outstanding stock options on a termination without Cause only.(1)

● A cash severance payment equal to $900,000, calculated as one and one-half times (1.5x) the sum (i) base salary ($300,000) plus (ii) bonus for prior year ($300,000 assuming achievement at target).● A cash severance payment equal to $900,000, calculated as one and one-half times (1.5x) the sum (i) base salary ($300,000) plus (ii) bonus for prior year ($300,000 assuming achievement at target).● A cash severance payment equal to $900,000, calculated as one and one-half times (1.5x) the sum (i) base salary ($300,000) plus (ii) bonus for prior year ($300,000 assuming achievement at target).
Termination by the Company for Cause/Resignation by Executive without Good ReasonAccrued Obligations
only.
Accrued Obligations only.Accrued Obligations only.Accrued Obligations only.
Death/DisabilityAccrued Obligations only.Accrued Obligations only.Accrued Obligations only.Accrued Obligations only.
Expiration of TermAccrued Obligations only.Accrued Obligations only.Accrued Obligations only.Accrued Obligations only.

(1) Based on the closing price per share of the Company’s common stock as of December 31, 2015 equal to $7.20, the acceleration of Mr. Brickman’s stock options would not have any value.
(2)As described above, as of October 26, 2015, Mr. Corley ceased being the Chief Operating Officer of JBGL Builder Finance LLC and its subsidiaries pursuant to Section 3(b) of his employment agreement with the Company. Effective December 10, 2015, the Company entered into a Settlement Agreement, dated as of December 2, 2015, with Mr. Corley, in connection with Mr. Corley’s departure. As consideration for entering into the Settlement Agreement (which contains a release of any and all claims against the Company and certain related parties), Mr. Corley is entitled to a payment of $312,500. Two $312,500 payments relating to 2016 and 2017 potentially owed under Mr. Corley’s employment agreement as well as any obligations of the Company for any other compensation and severance payments were terminated and released. Under the Settlement Agreement, Mr. Corley has agreed to certain non-solicitation and confidentiality restrictive covenants.

DIRECTOR COMPENSATION INFORMATION

For 2015, non-employee members of the Company’s board of directors received compensation in the forms of annual cash retainers and meetings fees as set forth in the following table:

Name 

Fees Earned or

Paid in Cash

($)

  

Stock Awards

($)(1)

 

Total

($)

David Einhorn  50,000     50,000
James R. Brickman(2)       
Harry Brandler  50,000     50,000
Kathleen Olsen  60,000   49,997  109,997
Richard S. Press  50,000   49,997  99,997
John R. Farris  50,000   49,997  99,997
Elizabeth K. Blake  50,000   49,997  99,997

(1)On April 17, 2015, the Company awarded restricted shares of the Company’s common stock to certain non-employee directors pursuant to the 2014 Plan. The restricted stock awards became fully vested on the first anniversary of the grant date on April 17, 2016. The grant date fair value of the restricted stock awards is included in the table in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718.
(2)As an employee of the Company, Mr. Brickman does not receive any additional compensation for his service as a director.

In connection with the completion of the Transaction, the Company instituted a new compensation program for its directors, pursuant to which directors who are also full-time officers or employees of the Company receive no additional compensation for serving as directors. All non-employee directors receive an annual retainer payable in cash equal to $50,000. In addition, other than Mr. Einhorn and Mr. Brandler, each non-employee director will receive restricted stock with an aggregate grant date value equal to $50,000, which vests on the first anniversary of the grant date, subject to the director’s continued service, or, if earlier, upon such director’s death. In addition, the Chairman of the Audit Committee receives an additional annual retainer equal to $10,000, which is payable in cash. Mr. Brickman does not receive any additional compensation for his service as a director. In 2015, the Company’s director compensation program was modified to permit the directors to elect to receive all or a portion of their cash retainer fees in shares of restricted stock in lieu of cash. To the extent a director elects to receive restricted stock in lieu of cash, such restricted stock will vest on the earlier of the first anniversary of the grant date or the date of the Company’s next annual meeting of shareholders following the grant date, provided that the director is then serving on the Company’s board of directors.

26

SECTION 16(A) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE

Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires that our directors and executive officers, and persons who own more than 10 percent of a registered class of our equity securities, file reports of ownership and changes in ownership of our securities with the SEC and the NASDAQ. Based on our records and written representations from reporting persons, we believe that all reports for directors and executive officers that were required to be filed were filed in 2015 on a timely basis.

27

EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION

The following table provides information about our Common Stock that may be issued as of December 31, 2015 under the Plan, which is our only existing equity compensation plan.

Plan Category

Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights

(a)

Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights

(b)

Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a))

(c)

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders2,308,614
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders
Total2,308,614

REVIEW AND APPROVAL OR RATIFICATION OF TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PERSONS

The Audit Committee is responsible for the review, approval or ratification of all transactions with related persons that are required to be disclosed under the rules of the SEC. Management of Green Brick is responsible for disclosing to the Audit Committee all material information related to any covered transaction prior to entering into the transaction. The Audit Committee may use any process and review any information that it determines is reasonable under the circumstances in order to determine whether the covered transaction is fair and reasonable and on terms no less favorable to Green Brick than could be obtained in a comparable arms-length transaction with an unrelated third party.

TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PERSONS

During 2015, the Company had related party transactions through the normal course of business. These transactions include the following:

On October 27, 2014, in connection with the Transaction, the Company entered into a loan agreement, a guaranty and a pledge and security agreement with certain funds and accounts managed by Greenlight, our largest shareholder. Greenlight currently beneficially owns approximately 49.4% of the voting power of the Company. The loan agreement provides for a five year term loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of $150.0 million which funded part of the Transaction (the “Term Loan Facility”). Certain subsidiaries of the Company guarantee obligations under the Term Loan Facility pursuant to the guaranty. The Term Loan Facility bears interest at 9.0% per annum, payable quarterly, from October 27, 2014 through the first anniversary thereof and 10.0% per annum thereafter. On July 1, 2015, the Company used $154.9 million of the net proceeds from the July 2015 equity offering to repay the Term Loan. During the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company incurred and capitalized interest costs of $8.3 million under the Term Loan Facility.

On July 1, 2015, the Company completed an underwritten public offering of 17 million shares of its common stock at a price to the public of $10.00 per share and granted to the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an aggregate of 841,500 additional shares of common stock to cover over-allotments (the “Equity Offering”). On July 23, 2015, the underwriters exercised the option and purchased 444,897 additional shares.

In the Equity Offering, certain funds and accounts managed by Greenlight and Third Point purchased shares at $10.00 per share as follows:

Greenlight Capital Qualified, LP: 2,017,093 shares

Greenlight Capital, LP: 453, 674 shares

Greenlight Capital Offshore Partners: 3,571,553 shares

Greenlight Reinsurance, Ltd.: 1,218,456 shares

Greenlight Capital (Gold), LP: 612,039 shares

Greenlight Capital Offshore Master (Gold), Ltd.: 604,048 shares

Third Point Offshore Master Fund L.P.: 764,569 shares

Third Point Partners L.P.: 945,668 shares

28

Third Point Partners Qualified L.P.: 599,298

Third Point Ultra Master Fund L.P.: 384,396 shares

Third Point Reinsurance Company Ltd.: 18,639 shares

Third Point Reinsurance: 128,328 shares

In 2012, we formed Centre Living Homes, LLC (“Centre Living”), a builder that focuses on a limited number of homes and luxury townhomes each year in the Dallas, Texas market. Trevor Brickman, the son of Green Brick's Chief Executive Officer, is the President of Centre Living. Effective as of January 1, 2015, Centre Living's operating agreement was amended and restated to the same general terms as with our other builders, such that Green Brick's ownership interest in Centre Living is 50% and Trevor Brickman's ownership interest is 50% for future operations beginning January 1, 2015. Subsequent to this amendment, Green Brick has 51% voting control over the operations of Centre Living. During 2015, compensation paid to Mr. Trevor Brickman totaled approximately $115,920.

In September 2015, the Company purchased 11 lots from an entity affiliated with the president of TPG, one of its controlled builders. The lots are part of a 19-home community, The Parc at Cogburn in Atlanta. The total paid for the lots in 2015 was $1.8 million. Under the option agreement in place, the total that would be expected to be paid for the remaining lots would be $1.3 million, all during 2016.

In November 2015, the Company purchased 12 lots from an entity affiliated with the president of TPG, one of its controlled builders. The lots are part of a 92-townhome community, Glens at Sugarloaf in Atlanta. No deposits were paid by the Company in contracting for the lots. The total paid for the lots in 2015 was $1.0 million. During March 2016, the Company purchased the remaining 80 townhome lots within the community at a discounted price of $4.8 million from the affiliated entity.

During March 2016, the Company purchased undeveloped land for an eventual 83 lot community, Academy Street in Atlanta. Simultaneously, the Company entered into a partnership agreement with an entity affiliated with the president of TPG to develop the community for sale of the lots to TPG. Contributions, voting percentages, and profits will be 80% for the Company and 20% for the affiliated entity. Total capital contributions are estimated at $12.0 million.

During March 2016, the Company purchased undeveloped land for an eventual 73-townhome community, Suwanee Station in Atlanta. Simultaneously, the Company entered into a partnership agreement with an entity affiliated with the president of TPG to develop the community for sale of the lots to TPG. Contributions, voting percentages, and profits will be 50% for the Company and 50% for the affiliated entity. Total capital contributions are estimated at $2.0 million.

29

STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS FOR THE 2017 ANNUAL MEETING

In order for an item of business or a nomination for election of a director proposed by a stockholder to be considered properly brought before the annual meeting of stockholders as an agenda item, our Bylaws require that the stockholder give written notice to our Secretary at 2805 Dallas Parkway, Suite 400, Plano, TX 75093. The notice must specify certain information concerning the stockholder and the item of business or the nominee, as the case may be, proposed to be brought before the meeting. The notice must be received by our Secretary not less than 90 nor more than 120 calendar days before the first anniversary of the previous year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the annual meeting is more than 30 days earlier or more than 60 days later than such anniversary, notice by the stockholder must be received no earlier than the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such annual meeting and the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made. Accordingly, assuming the date of the 2017 annual meeting of stockholders is between April 28, 2017 and July 24, 2017, proper notice of a stockholder proposal or nomination must be received by us no earlier than January 25, 2017 and no later than the close of business on February 24, 2017.

Proposals intended to be included in the Company’s proxy materials for the 2017 annual meeting of stockholders must be received by the Company’s Secretary at 2805 Dallas Parkway, Suite 400, Plano, TX 75093, on or before December 22, 2016. The proposal must comply with SEC regulations regarding the inclusion of stockholder proposals in company-sponsored proxy materials.

2015 FORM 10-K

Our 2015 Form 10-K, including financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015, is availablecharge, on the Internet at www.greenbrickpartners.com. Stockholders who wish to obtain a paper copy of our 20152022 Form 10-K may do so without charge by writing toGreen Brick Partners, Inc., 2805 Dallas Parkway, Suite 400, Plano, TX 75093, Attention: Investor Relations. A copy of any exhibit to the 2022 Form 10-K will be forwarded following receipt of a written request with respect thereto addressed to Investor Relations.

Electronic Delivery

This year we have elected to take advantage of the SEC’s rule that allows us to furnish proxy materials to you online. We believe electronic delivery will expedite stockholders’ receipt of materials, while lowering costs and reducing the environmental impact of our Annual Meeting by reducing printing and

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

61     


OTHER MATTERS

mailing of full sets of materials. If you would like to receive a paper copy of the proxy materials, the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials contains instructions on how to receive a paper copy.

Householding

We utilize a procedure approved by the SEC called “householding.” Under this procedure, stockholders of record who have the same address and last name will receive only one copy of the Notice, unless one or more of these stockholders notifies us that they wish to continue receiving individual copies. This procedure reduces duplicative printing costs and postage fees.

If you are eligible for householding, but you and other stockholders of record with whom you share an address currently receive multiple copies of the Notice, or if you hold shares of our Common Stock in more than one account, and in either case you wish to receive only a single copy of the Notice for your household, please contact Broadridge Householding Department by phone at 1-800-542-1061 or by mail to Broadridge Householding Department, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, New York 11717. If you participate in householding and wish to receive a separate copy of the Notice, or if you do not knowwish to participate in householding and prefer to receive separate copies of the Notice in the future, please contact Broadridge as indicated above.

LOGO

2023 Proxy Statement

LOGO

62     


LOGO

SCAN TO VIEW MATERIALS & VOTE VOTE BY INTERNET—www.proxyvote.com or scan the QR Barcode above GREEN BRICK PARTNERS, INC. Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of C/O BROADRIDGE CORPORATE ISSUER SOLUTIONS information. Vote by 11:59 P.M. ET on 06/12/2023. Have your proxy card in hand when P.O. BOX 1342 BRENTWOOD, NY 11717 you access the web site and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronic voting instruction form. During The Meeting—Go to www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/GRBK2023 You may attend the meeting via the Internet and vote during the meeting. Have the information that is printed in the box marked by the arrow available and follow the instructions. VOTE BY PHONE—1-800-690-6903 Use any touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions. Vote by 11:59 P.M. ET on 06/12/2023. Have your proxy card in hand when you call and then follow the instructions. VOTE BY MAIL Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope we have provided or return it to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717. TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS: KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED. For Withhold For All To withhold authority to vote for any All All Except individual nominee(s), mark “For All Except” and write the number(s) of the The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following: nominee(s) on the line below. 0 0 0 1. Election of Directors Nominees 01) Elizabeth K. Blake 02) Harry Brandler 03) James R. Brickman 04) David Einhorn 05) Kathleen Olsen 06) Richard S. Press 07) Lila Manassa Murphy The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following proposal: For Against Abstain 2. To approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers. 0 0 0 The Board of Directors recommends you vote 3 YEARS on the following proposal: 1 year 2 years 3 years Abstain 3. To approve, on an advisory basis, the frequency of future advisory votes on executive compensation. 0 0 0 0 The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following proposal: For Against Abstain 4. To ratify the appointment of RSM US LLP as the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm of the Company to 0 0 0 serve for the 2023 fiscal year. NOTE: Any other matters that may come before the meeting or any adjournments thereof will be voted in the best judgment of the proxies. . 6 . 0 . 0 R1 _ 1 Please sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s) hereon. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, or other fiduciary, please give full title as such. Joint owners should each sign personally. All holders must sign. If a corporation or 0000611857 partnership, please sign in full corporate or partnership name by authorized officer. Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX] Date Signature (Joint Owners) Date


LOGO

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting: The Notice and Proxy Statement and Annual Report are available at www.proxyvote.com GREEN BRICK PARTNERS, INC. Annual Meeting of Stockholders June 13, 2023 at 11:00 A.M. Eastern Time This proxy is solicited by the Board of Directors. The stockholder(s) hereby appoint(s) James R. Brickman and Richard A. Costello, or either of them, as proxies, each with the power to appoint his substitute, and hereby authorize(s) them to represent and to vote, as designated on the reverse side of this ballot, all of the shares of common stock of GREEN BRICK PARTNERS, INC. that the stockholder(s) is/are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held at 11:00 A.M. Eastern Time on June 13, 2023 in virtual only format at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/GRBK2023, and any adjournment or postponement thereof. This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted in the manner directed herein. If no such direction is made, this proxy will be voted in accordance with the Board of Directors’ recommendations and will be voted in the best judgment of the proxies on any other matters that may be presented for consideration at the Annual Meeting. If any other business does properly come before the meeting the persons named as proxiesor any adjournments thereof. Continued and to be signed on the enclosed proxy card will vote as they deem in the best interests of Green Brick.

Richard A. Costello

Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Secretary

Green Brick Partners, Inc.

2805 Dallas Parkway, Suite 400

Plano, TX 75093

Dated: April 21, 2016

30

reverse side

GREEN BRICK PARTNERS, INC.

C/O BROADRIDGE CORPORATE ISSUER SOLUTIONS

P O BOX 1342

Brentwood, NY 11717

VOTE BY INTERNET - www.proxyvote.com

Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions and for electronic delivery of information up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time on May 24, 2016. Have your proxy card in hand when you access the web site and follow the instructions to obtain your records and to create an electronic voting instruction form.

ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OF FUTURE PROXY MATERIALS

If you would like to reduce the costs incurred by our company in mailing proxy materials, you can consent to receiving all future proxy statements, proxy cards and annual reports electronically via e-mail or the Internet. To sign up for electronic delivery, please follow the instructions above to vote using the Internet and, when prompted, indicate that you agree to receive or access proxy materials electronically in future years.

VOTE BY PHONE - 1-800-690-6903

Use any touch-tone telephone to transmit your voting instructions up until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time on May 24, 2016. Have your proxy card in hand when you call and then follow the instructions.

VOTE BY MAIL

Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope we have provided or return it to Vote Processing, c/o Broadridge, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717.
















TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS:

KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS

DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY

THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED.
ForWithholdFor All

To withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee(s), mark “For All Except” and write the number(s) of the nominee(s) on the line below.

AllAllExcept
The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR the following:

1.

Election of Directors

Nominees

01

James R. Brickman

02     Harry Brandler 03     Elizabeth K. Blake 04     David Einhorn

05     Kathleen Olsen

06

Richard S. Press

07     John R. Farris
The Board of Directors recommends you vote FOR proposals 2 and 3.ForAgainstAbstain
2To approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers.
3To ratify the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm of the Company to serve for the 2016 fiscal year.

NOTE: Any other matters that may come before the meeting or any adjournments thereof.

Please sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s) hereon. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, or other fiduciary, please give full title as such. Joint owners should each sign personally. All holders must sign. If a corporation or partnership, please sign in full corporate or partnership name, by authorized officer.



Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX]DateSignature (Joint Owners)Date

0000289164_1     R1.0.1.25 

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting:The Form 10-K, Notice, Proxy Statement are available atwww.proxyvote.com

GREEN BRICK PARTNERS, INC.

Annual Meeting of Stockholders

May 25, 2016 at 10:00 A.M. Central Time

This proxy is solicited by the Board of Directors.

The Stockholder(s) hereby appoints James R. Brickman and Richard A. Costello, or either of them, as proxies, each with the power to appoint his substitute, and hereby authorizes them to represent and to vote, as designated on the reverse side of this ballot, all of the shares of common stock of GREEN BRICK PARTNERS, INC. that the Stockholder(s) is/are entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held at 10:00 A.M., CDT on May 25, 2016, at the Corporate Offices of Green Brick Partners, Inc. at 2805 Dallas Parkway, Suite 400, Plano, TX 75093, and any adjournment or postponement thereof.

This proxy, when properly executed, will be voted in the manner directed herein. If no such direction is made, this proxy will be voted in accordance with the Board of Directors’ recommendations.

Continued and to be signed on reverse side

0000289164_2     R1.0.1.25