Board of Directors

John Bode joined the Board of SGRP in October 2023 and currently is a member of the Audit Committee (its Chairman), Compensation Committee, Governance Committee, and Special Committee [on Strategic Alternatives]. Mr. Bode was named Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Transformation Officer of Postmedia Network Canada Corp. effective October 6, 2023. Postmedia is a leading Canadian news media company. Additionally, Mr. Bode owns and operates a boutique strategic consultancy focused primarily on media. From 2018 to 2022, he was the EVP, Chief Operating Officer of Readerlink Distribution Services, LLC, which is the largest full-service distributor of books to retailers in North America. From 2013 to 2015, he was the Chief Financial Officer of Tribune Publishing Company. Mr. Bode began his career in 1996 as a CPA with BDO Seidman, LLP. He currently serves multiple public, private and charitable boards including McClatchy, Zevra Pharmaceutical, FISION Corporation and Veterans Ventures. Mr. Bode served on the board of Proficient Alpha Acquisition Corp. which ended when the acquisition of the Lion Group was completed in 2020. He earned his degree in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame.

James R. Brown, Sr. re-joined the Board on May 6, 2025, filling one of the two Brown Board Seats as the designee and the representative of Mr. Robert G. Brown (see Contractually Designated Seats in the Proxy Statement). Mr. James R. Brown, Sr. is the brother of Mr. Robert G. Brown, and Mr. Robert G. Brown is an affiliate, related party and significant stockholder and one of the founders of SGRP. Mr. James R. Brown, Sr., first joined the Board of SGRP in January 2021 and retired from the Board and its Committees on January 25, 2022, in connection with the CIC Agreement (see Change of Control, Voting and Restricted Stock Agreement in the Proxy Statement). Following his retirement from the SGRP Board, James R. Brown, Sr. contracted to be a paid advisor to the Corporation, which agreement expired the following year. He retired in 2015 from his position as Labor Counsel for the Public Massachusetts Community College System. James R. Brown Sr. received a BS in Finance and an MBA from Boston University. Mr. Brown received a JD from New England Law-Boston.

Tim Cook joined the Board of SGRP in August 2025 and currently is a member of the Governance Committee (its Chairman), Audit Committee, and Compensation Committee. As a manufacturing industry CEO, COO, and Board Member, Mr. Tim Cook has 30+ years of experience in creating organizational excellence. From 1983-1985, he was in the United States Marine Corps Reserves before being accepted to Office Candidate School (1985-1987). From 1995-2002 Mr. Cook was the VP Sales & Marketing at Marlen International, and from 2002-2012, he was the VP of Sales |Marketing| Product Management at AMF Bakery Systems. From 2012-2016, Mr. Cook served as the COO and President of Shick Solutions where he spent four years preparing the company for a transition event and then led the sale of the company to Breteche Group. Beginning in 2017, he was in various leadership roles in a connected portfolio that concluded in 2022 with his last role in a successful tenure as President and CEO, leading the growth of LINXIS Group and orchestrating its sale to publicly traded, US industrial, Hillenbrand. Mr. Cook held the positions of Vice President of LINXIS Group and CEO of Shick Esteve, a manufacturer of automated processing systems for the industrial food industry. Partnering with private equity firm IK Partners, Mr. Cook developed and implemented global expansion strategies for the organization during this time. He is now seeking opportunities to contribute his experience through service on corporate boards. Mr. Cook serves on the advisory boards of UltraSource LLC, WorkForge LLC, and on the industry board of the American Bakers Association (ABA). Additionally, he works as an advisor to private equity firms on select transactions. He earned his Bachelors of Arts degree in History, with a focus on Asian Studies, from the University of Kansas.

James R. Gillis joined the Board of SGRP in August 2023 and was elected Chairman of the Board in October 2023. He currently is a member of the Special Committee (on Strategic Alternatives) (its Chairman). Mr. Gillis is currently the CEO of Gillis & Associates, Inc., an M&A advisory firm that helps buyers and sellers in complex transactions. From 1993 to 2011, he was the CEO of Source Interlink Companies, Inc. From 1989 to 1993, Mr. Gillis was Managing Partner of Aders, Wilcox, Gillis Group, a global developer of trade relationships serving major brand marketers and retailers worldwide. He currently serves on the boards of American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC (AST), and Travelport Worldwide LTD, and is an advisor to Siris Capital Group and Platinum Equity. Mr. Gillis has served on the boards and committees of multiple companies including Source Interlink, Park City Group, and Globe Communications. He attended Nova University in Fort Lauderdale.

Linda Houston joined the Board of SGRP in October 2023 and currently is a member of the Compensation Committee (its Chairman), Audit Committee, Governance Committee, and Special Committee [on Strategic Alternatives]. Ms. Houston is currently an Affiliate for Bates Consulting Group providing expert witness testimony on wealth management. She is also a Consultant for LGH Consulting LLC, an independent consulting firm that consults wealth management teams and trust departments. From 2011 to 2017, she was the Managing Director/Division Executive, and the Head of Global Wealth and Investment Management Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Council for Bank of American/Merrill Lynch. From 1999 to 2011, Ms. Houston held positions, also at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, as New Jersey Regional Managing Director (2010-2011), National Marketing and Sales Manager (2008-2009) and Managing Director/Marketing Executive (1999-2008). She serves on the board of Virginia National Bank, Florida Oceanographic, Community Foundation of Martin and St. Lucie Counties, Sailfish Point Foundation, Alvin Ailey Dance Company and Baruch College Zicklin School of Business. Ms. Houston earned her Bachelors of Arts degree from Southern Illinois University. She completed the Women's Executive Business Leadership Program at Harvard Business School and the Women's Executive Leadership Development Program at Keenan Flagler School of Business University of North Carolina.

Panagiotis Lazaretos re-joined the Board on May 6, 2025, filling the other Brown Board Seat as the designee and the representative of Mr. Robert G. Brown (see Contractually Designated Seats in the Proxy Statement). Mr. Lazaretos first joined the SGRP Board on December 10, 2019, and retired from the Board and its Committees on January 25, 2022, in connection with the CIC Agreement (see Change of Control, Voting and Restricted Stock Agreement in the Proxy Statement). Mr. Lazaretos served as a paid consultant to the Corporation following his retirement through July 31, 2023, pursuant to a Consulting Agreement with his company, Thenablers, Ltd. Mr. Lazaretos received a BS in Computer Science from the State University of New York.

William serves as SPAR’s President and Chief Executive Officer, leading the company’s overall market performance. A transformative leader, William has a guiding hand in SPAR’s mergers and acquisitions, expansion of strategic capabilities, service offerings, revenue growth and a relentless focus on expanding SPAR’s market leadership across North America.

With more than 15 years of senior leadership experience—and over 25 years in retail—William brings a deep understanding of the global retail and consumer goods landscape. He has successfully delivered shareholder value by leading strategic change, driving operational efficiencies, and growing the top line across different businesses and markets. He has held leadership roles in Tesco in the UK and Ireland, in Sears and Kmart in the US, and Eason & Son Ltd. in Europe. His career has spanned roles in merchandising, operations, category management, vendor relations, inventory optimization, marketing, data management, digital strategy, finance, and M&A.

Before joining SPAR, William served as CEO of Fortfield Capital Group, an advisory and investment firm focused on M&A, restructuring, and value creation for retail and business services clients. Earlier in his career, he led Tesco’s $5 billion+ Beverage, Candy, and Snacks division and served as President of Grocery, Drugstore, and Pharmacy businesses for Kmart, where he drove top-line growth, margin expansion and operational transformation.

William holds an M.A. in Economics from Trinity College, University of Dublin, and is a qualified management accountant. Outside of work, he enjoys reading and spending time with his wife and three daughters.