Note 15. Share-Based Compensation

The Company previously adopted the 2007 Management Incentive Plan (the “2007 Plan”) and the 2011 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2011 Plan”). On April 22, 2015, the stockholders of the Company approved the 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”), and on April 27, 2017, the stockholders of the Company re-approved the 2015 Plan, as amended and restated. As of December 31, 2017, subject to adjustments as provided in the 2015 Plan, the maximum aggregate number of shares of the Company’s common stock that could be issued under the 2015 Plan could not exceed the sum of (i) 1.6 million shares plus (ii) any shares (A) remaining available for the grant of awards as of the 2015 Plan effective date (April 22, 2015) under the 2007 Plan or the 2011 Plan, and/or (B) subject to an award granted under the 2007 Plan or the 2011 Plan, which award is forfeited, cancelled, terminated, expires, or lapses without the issuance of shares or pursuant to which such shares are forfeited. As of the effectiveness of the 2015 Plan (April 22, 2015), there were 922 thousand shares available for grant under the 2015 Plan, inclusive of shares previously available for grant under the 2007 Plan and the 2011 Plan that were rolled over to the 2015 Plan. No further grants will be made under the 2007 Plan or the 2011 Plan. However, awards that are outstanding under the 2007 Plan and the 2011 Plan will continue in accordance with their respective terms. As of December 31, 2017, there were 1.3 million shares available for grant under the 2015 Plan.

For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, and 2015, the Company recorded share-based compensation expense of $4.3 million, $4.2 million, and $3.6 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2017, unrecognized share-based compensation expense to be recognized over future periods approximated $5.0 million. This amount will be recognized as expense over a weighted-average period of 1.7 years. Share-based compensation expenses are recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the agreement. All share-based compensation is classified as equity awards except for cash-settled performance units, which are classified as liabilities.

The Company allows for the settlement of share-based awards on a net share basis. With net share settlement, the employee does not surrender any cash or shares upon the exercise of stock options or the vesting of stock awards or stock units. Rather, the Company withholds the number of shares with a value equivalent to the option exercise price (for stock options) and the statutory tax withholding (for all share-based awards). Net share settlements have the effect of reducing the number of shares that would have otherwise been issued as a result of exercise or vesting.

Long-term incentive program: The Company issues nonqualified stock options, performance-contingent restricted stock units (“RSUs”), and cash-settled performance units (“CSPUs”) to certain members of senior management under a long-term incentive program. Recurring annual grants are made at the discretion of the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”). The annual grants are subject to cliff- and graded-vesting, generally concluding at the end of the third calendar year and subject to continued employment or as otherwise provided in the underlying award agreements. The actual value of the RSUs and CSPUs that may be earned can range from 0% to 150% of target based on the achievement of EBITDA and net income per share performance targets (2015 grants) or the percentile ranking of the Company’s compound annual growth rate of net income and net income per share compared to a public company peer group (2016 and 2017 grants), in each case over a three-year performance period.

In 2016, the Company introduced a key team member incentive program for certain other members of senior management. Recurring annual participation in the program is at the discretion of the Board and executive management. Each participant in the program is eligible to earn a restricted stock award, subject to performance over a one-year period. Payout under the program can range from 0% to 150% of target based on the achievement of five Company performance metrics and individual performance goals (subject to continued employment and certain other terms and conditions of the program). If earned, the restricted stock award is issued following the one-year performance period and vests ratably over a subsequent two-year period (subject to continued employment or as otherwise provided in the underlying award agreement).

Inducement and retention program: From time to time, the Company issues share-based awards in conjunction with employment offers to select new employees and retention grants to select existing employees. The Company issues these awards to attract and retain talent and to provide market competitive compensation. The grants have various vesting terms, including fully-vested awards at the grant date, cliff-vesting, and graded-vesting over periods of 18 months to 5 years (subject to continued employment or as otherwise provided in the underlying award agreements).

Non-employee director compensation program: In 2015 and 2016, the Company awarded its non-employee directors a cash retainer, committee meeting fees, shares of restricted common stock, and nonqualified stock options. The Board revised the compensation program in April 2017 to provide that the value of each director’s equity-based award be allocated solely to restricted stock, rather than split evenly between restricted stock and nonqualified stock options. The restricted stock awards are granted on the fifth business day following the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders and fully vest upon the earlier of the first anniversary of the grant date or the completion of the directors’ annual service to the Company. In 2015 and 2016, the nonqualified stock option awards were granted on the fifth business day following the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders and were immediately vested on the grant date.

The following are the terms and amounts of the awards issued under the Company’s share-based incentive programs:

Nonqualified stock options: The exercise price of all stock options is equal to the Company’s closing stock price on the date of grant. Stock options are subject to various vesting terms, including graded- and cliff-vesting over 18-month to 5-year vesting periods. In addition, stock options vest and become exercisable in full or in part under certain circumstances, including following the occurrence of a change of control (as defined in the option award agreements). Participants who are awarded options must exercise their options within a maximum of ten years of the grant date.

The fair value of option grants is estimated on the grant date using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions for option grants during the periods indicated below:


	Year Ended December 31,
	2017			2016			2015
Expected volatility		43.95	%		46.04	%		47.15	%
Expected dividends		0.00	%		0.00	%		0.00	%
Expected term (in years)		5.96			5.80			6.15
Risk-free rate		2.09	%		1.32	%		1.62	%

Expected volatility is based on the Company’s historical stock price volatility. The expected term is calculated by using the simplified method (average of the vesting and original contractual terms) due to insufficient historical data to estimate the expected term. The risk-free rate is based on the zero coupon U.S. Treasury bond rate over the expected term of the awards.

The following table summarizes the stock option activity for the year ended December 31, 2017:


In thousands, except per share amounts	Number of Shares			Weighted-Average Exercise Price Per Share		Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Life (Years)		Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Options outstanding at January 1, 2017		1,166		$	14.66
Granted		116			19.99
Exercised		(289	)		7.35
Forfeited		(35	)		18.30
Expired		—			—

Options outstanding at December 31, 2017		958		$	17.39		7.1	$	8,747

Options exercisable at December 31, 2017		771		$	16.99		6.8	$	7,351

Available for grant at December 31, 2017		1,275

The following table provides additional stock option information for the periods indicated:


	Year Ended December 31,
In thousands, except per share amounts	2017		2016		2015
Weighted-average grant date fair value per share	$	8.90	$	7.74	$	7.13
Intrinsic value of options exercised	$	4,981	$	1,397	$	1,524
Fair value of stock options that vested	$	3,004	$	2,131	$	1,207

Performance-contingent restricted stock units: Compensation expense for RSUs is based on the Company’s closing stock price on the date of grant and the probability that certain financial goals are achieved over the performance period. Compensation cost is estimated based on expected performance and is adjusted at each reporting period.

The following table summarizes RSU activity during the year ended December 31, 2017:


In thousands, except per unit amounts	Units			Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value Per Unit
Non-vested units at January 1, 2017		164		$	16.07
Granted		85			19.99
Vested		—			—
Forfeited		(48	)		17.69

Non-vested units at December 31, 2017		201		$	17.33

The following table provides additional RSU information for the periods indicated:


	Year Ended December 31,
	2017		2016		2015
Weighted-average grant date fair value per unit	$	19.99	$	17.02	$	14.89

Cash-settled performance units: CSPUs will be settled in cash at the end of the performance measurement period and are classified as a liability. The value of CSPUs bears no relationship to the value of the Company’s common stock. Compensation cost is estimated based on expected performance and is adjusted at each reporting period.

The following table summarizes CSPU activity during the year ended December 31, 2017:


In thousands, except per unit amounts	Units			Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value Per Unit
Non-vested units at January 1, 2017		2,641		$	1.00
Granted		1,686			1.00
Vested		—			—
Forfeited		(843	)		1.00

Non-vested units at December 31, 2017		3,484		$	1.00

Restricted stock awards: The fair value and compensation cost of restricted stock is calculated using the Company’s closing stock price on the date of grant.

The following table summarizes restricted stock activity during the year ended December 31, 2017:


In thousands, except per share amounts	Shares			Weighted-Average Grant Date Fair Value Per Share
Non-vested shares at January 1, 2017		39		$	16.46
Granted		83			18.38
Vested		(60	)		16.30
Forfeited		(9	)		18.25

Non-vested shares at December 31, 2017		53		$	19.36

The following table provides additional restricted stock information.


	Year Ended December 31,
In thousands, except per share amounts	2017		2016		2015
Weighted-average grant date fair value per share	$	18.38	$	16.37	$	15.36
Fair value of restricted stock awards that vested	$	983	$	347	$	2,198