UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549


SCHEDULE 14A


(Rule 14a-101)
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION


Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Filed by the Registrant x
Filed by a Party other than the Registranto
Check the appropriate box:
oPreliminary proxy statement
oConfidential, for use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
xDefinitive Proxy Statement
oDefinitive Additional Materials
oSoliciting Material Pursuant to Section 240.14a-12
NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
xNo fee required.
oFee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
(1)Title of each class of securities to which the 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:
(4)Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
(5)Total fee paid:
oFee paid previously with preliminary materials.
oCheck box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the form or schedule and the date of its filing.
(1)Amount Previously Paid:
(2)Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
(3)Filing Party:
(4)Date Filed:












NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300
Midland, Texas 79705


Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Online Voting for the
Shareholder Meeting to be Held on Thursday, June 16, 202215, 2023


The proxy statementProxy Statement and annual report to shareholders are available at
www.ngsgi.com and www.proxyvote.com


NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
To be held on Thursday, June 16, 202215, 2023



NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., a Colorado corporation (the “Company”), will be held at 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705 on Thursday, June 16, 202215, 2023 at 8:30 a.m., Central Time, for the purpose of considering and voting upon proposals:

1To elect three Directors, one Director toof whom will serve until the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held in 2025 and two of whom will serve until the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held in 2026, or until his successor is elected and qualified;
2To consider an advisory vote on executive compensation of our named executive officers;
3To approveconsider an amendment toadvisory vote on the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the numberfrequency of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the plan by 650,000 shares;future advisory votes on executive compensation.
4To ratify the appointment of Moss AdamsHam, Langston & Brezina LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for 2022;2023; and
5To transact such other business as may properly be presented at the meeting, or at any adjournment(s) of the meeting.


Only shareholders of record at the close of business on April 14, 202218, 2023 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting and at any adjournment(s) of the meeting. On that day, 12,561,408 12,416,275 shares of our common stock were outstanding and entitled to vote. A complete list of our shareholders entitled to vote at the meeting will be available for examination at our offices in Midland, Texas during ordinary business hours for a period of ten (10) days prior to the annual meeting.Annual Meeting.


Our Board of Directors recommends that you vote FOR the (i) election of the Director nominees named in this proxy statement,Proxy Statement, (ii) approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation programs of our named executive officers, (iii) approvalwith respect to increaseitem 3 above, the numberBoard of shares reserved for issuance under the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan,Directors recommends that you vote to hold an advisory vote on executive compensation every year and (iv)(v) the ratification of the appointment of Moss AdamsHam, Langston & Brezina LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2022.2023.


We cordially invite you to attend the meeting. To ensure your representation at the meeting, please vote promptly even if you plan to attend the meeting. Voting now will not prevent you from voting in person at the meeting if you are a shareholder of record and wish to do so.
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
May 18, 20221, 2023/s/ John W. ChisholmStephen C. Taylor
John W. ChisholmStephen C. Taylor
Interim President, Chief Executive Officer and DirectorChairman of the Board














NATURAL GAS SERVICES GROUP, INC.
404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300
Midland, Texas 79705


PROXY STATEMENT
FOR THE
ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON THURSDAY, June 16, 202215, 2023




GENERAL INFORMATION


This proxy statementProxy Statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders of the Company to be voted at our Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) to be held at 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland Texas, 79705 on Thursday, June 16, 2022,15, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. Central Time and any adjournment thereof. YOUR PROXY IS SOLICITED BY THE COMPANY’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS.DIRECTORS. If not otherwise specified, except for Proposal #3, all proxies received pursuant to this solicitation will be voted “FOR” the Director nominees and proposals as specified in this proxy statementProxy Statement and, at the discretion of the proxy holder, upon such other matters as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any adjournment thereof.With respect to Proposal #3 relating to the frequency of holding an advisory vote on executive compensation, unspecified proxies will be voted to hold such an advisory vote every 1 YEAR. This proxy statementProxy Statement (including the Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders) and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 20212022 is first being made available to shareholders beginning on or before May 25, 2022.5, 2023. This proxy statement,Proxy Statement, including the Notice of Annual Meeting, proxy card,Proxy Card, and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021,2022, are collectively referred to herein as the “Meeting Materials.”


Notice and Access Model

We are making the Meeting Materials available to shareholders on the Internet under the SEC’s Notice and Access model. On or before May 5, 2023, we will mail to all our shareholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice”) in lieu of mailing a full printed set of the Meeting Materials. Accordingly, our Meeting Materials are first being made available to our shareholders on the Internet at www.ngsgi.com and www.proxyvote.comon or before May 5, 2023. The Notice includes instructions for accessing the Meeting Materials and voting by mail, telephone or on the Internet at the foregoing address. You will also find instructions for requesting a full printed set of the Meeting Materials in the Notice.

We believe that the electronic method of delivery under the Notice and Access model will decrease postage and printing expenses, expedite delivery of Meeting Materials to you, and reduce our environmental impact. We encourage you to take advantage of the availability of Meeting Materials on the Internet. If you received the Notice but would like to receive a full printed set of the Meeting Materials in the mail, you may follow the instructions in the Notice for requesting such materials.

Solicitation/Cost of the Meeting


Proxies are being solicited by the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”). The costs of the solicitation will be borne by the Company. Proxies may be solicited personally or by mail, telephone, facsimile or email by Directors, officers and employees of the Company, none of whom will receive any additional compensation for such solicitations. The Company will reimburse banks, brokers, nominees, custodians and fiduciaries for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in sending the Meeting Materials to beneficial owners of our shares.


Principal Executive Offices


Our principal executive offices are located at 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas, 79705.




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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Questions and Answers About the Proxy Materials and the Meeting
Householding of Proxy Materials
Proposal 1- Election of Directors
The Board of Directors and its Committees
Code of Ethics
Shareholder Engagement
Environmental, Social and GovernanceCode of Ethics
Executive OfficersShareholder Engagement
Executive CompensationCorporate Responsibility
Executive Officers
Executive Compensation
Principal Shareholders and Security Ownership of Management
Proposal 2 - Consideration of an Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation of our Named Executive Officers
Proposal 3 - Approve– Consideration of an Amendment toAdvisory Vote on the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan to Increase the NumberFrequency of Shares of Common Stock Reserved for Issuance under the Plan by 650,000 SharesFuture Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation
Report of the Audit Committee
Proposal 4 - Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Shareholder Proposals
Communications with the Board of Directors
Other Matters
2022Other Matters
2023 Proxy Card



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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE PROXY MATERIALS
AND THE MEETING



Q: Why am I receiving these materials?


A: Our Board is providing these proxy materialsMeeting Materials to you in connection with our 20222023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which will take place on Thursday, June 16, 2022.15, 2023. As a shareholder on the Record Date for the meeting, you are invited to attend the meeting. We also encourage you to vote on the matters described in this proxy statement.Proxy Statement.


Q: What information is contained in these materials?


A: This proxy statementProxy Statement includes information about the nomineenominees for Director and the other matters to be voted on at the meeting. The proxy statementProxy Statement also includes information about the voting process and requirements, the compensation of our Directors and named executive officers, and certain other required information.


Q:What can I vote on at the meeting?


A:There are four matters to be voted on at the meeting:
1To elect three Directors, one Director toof whom will serve until the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held in 2025 and two of whom will serve until the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held in 2026, or until his successor is elected and qualified;
2To consider an advisory vote on executive compensation of our named executive officers;
3To consider an advisory vote on the frequency of future advisory votes on executive compensation;
3To approve the amendment to the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares reserved for issuance under the plan by 650,000;
4To ratify the appointment of Moss AdamsHam, Langston & Brezina LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for 2022;2023; and
5To transact such other business as may properly be presented at the meeting, or at any adjournment(s) of the meeting.

Q: How does the Board recommend that I vote on each of the matters?


A: Our Board recommends that you vote FOR each of the Director nomineenominees (Proposal #1); FOR the amendment to increase the number of shares reserved for issuance under the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan by 650,000 shares (Proposal #3) and FOR the ratification of the appointment of Moss AdamsHam, Langston & Brezina LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 20222023 (Proposal #4). With respect to Proposal #2, the Board of Directors recommends that you vote FOR approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation programs of our named executive officers as set forth under the caption “Executive Compensation” of this proxy statement.Proxy Statement.And with respect to Proposal 3 above, the Board of Directors recommends that you vote to hold an advisory vote on executive compensation every 1 YEAR.


Q: Can I receive next year’s proxy materials by email?


A: Yes. All shareholders who have active email accounts and Internet access may sign up for email delivery of shareholder materials. To sign up, go towww.proxyvote.com and click on “Electronic Enrollment.” If you have multiple registered or beneficial accounts, you need to enroll for each account. If you elect to receive proxy materials by email, we will not mail you any proxy-related materials next year. Your enrollment in the email program will remain in effect as long as your account remains active or until you cancel it.


Q: Who is entitled to vote at our annual meetingAnnual Meeting of shareholders?Shareholders?


A: Holders of our outstanding common stock on April 14, 2022,18, 2023, are entitled to one vote per share on each of the items being voted on at the meeting. We refer to this date as the Record Date. On the Record Date, we had 12,561,40812,416,275 shares of common stock outstanding. We have no other classes of stock outstanding.






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Q: What shares can I vote?

A: You can vote all shares you owned on the Record Date. These shares include (1) shares held directly in your name as the shareholder of record and (2) shares held for you as the beneficial owner through a stockbroker, bank or other nominee.

Q: How do I vote my shares?


A: Shareholders of record may vote using one of the following four methods:
overOver the Internet, which you are encouraged to do so if you have access to the Internet;
byBy telephone;
byBy completing, signing and returning the included proxy card,Proxy Card, for those who requested to receive printed proxy materials in the mail; or
byBy attending the Annual Meeting and voting in person.


The Notice provides instructions on how to access your proxy, which contains instructions on how to vote via the Internet or by telephone. Alternatively, you may vote by marking the proxy cardProxy Card you received in the mail and return it to the address set forth in the instructions contained in the proxy card. Proxy Card. Due to timing issues in connection with mail delivery, we recommend that you vote your shares over the Internet or by telephone.


If you hold shares in street name, the organization holding your account is considered the shareholder of record for purposes of voting at the Annual Meeting. The shareholder of record will provide you with instructions on how to vote your shares. Internet and telephone voting will be offered to shareholders owning shares through most brokerage firms and banks. Additionally, if you would like to vote in person at the Annual Meeting, contact the brokerage firm, bank or other nominee who holds your shares to obtain a proxy from them and bring it with you to the Annual Meeting. You will not be able to vote at the Annual Meeting unless you have a proxy from your brokerage firm, bank or other nominee.


Q: What is the difference between holding shares as a shareholder of record and as a beneficial owner?


A: Most of our shareholders hold their shares through a stockbroker, bank or other nominee rather than directly in their own name. There are some important distinctions between shares held of record and those owned beneficially.


Shareholder of Record


If your shares are registered in your name with our transfer agent, Computershare, you are the shareholder of record for those shares and are receiving Meeting Materials directly from us. As the shareholder of record, you have the right to grant your voting proxy directly to us or to vote in person at the meeting.


Beneficial Owner


If your shares are held in a stock brokerage account, by a bank or other nominee (commonly referred to as being held in “street name”), you are the beneficial owner of those shares. Your broker, bank or nominee is the shareholder of record and therefore has forwarded Meeting Materials to you as beneficial owner. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker, bank or other nominee how to vote your shares and are also invited to attend the meeting. However, since you are not the shareholder of record, you may not vote your shares in person at the meeting unless you obtain a signed proxy from your broker, bank or nominee giving you the right to vote the shares.


Q: Can I change my vote or revoke my proxy?


A: Yes. You can change your vote or revoke your proxy at any time before the final vote at the meeting. You can do this by casting a later proxy through any of the available methods described above. If you are a shareholder of record, you can also revoke your proxy by delivering a written notice of your revocation to our Corporate Secretary at our principal executive office at 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705. If you are a beneficial owner, you can revoke your proxy by following the instructions sent to you by your broker, bank or other nominee.


Q: What does it mean if I get more than one set of Meeting Materials?


A: It means you hold shares registered in more than one account. Follow the instructions in each set of Meeting Materials to ensure that all of your shares are voted.





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Q: What is the quorum requirement for the meeting?


A: For a “quorum” to exist at the meeting, shareholders holding a majority of the votes entitled to be cast by the shareholders entitled to vote must be present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting. There must be a quorum for any action to be taken at the meeting (other than adjournment or postponement of the meeting). If you submit a properly completed proxy, even if you abstain from voting, then your shares will be counted for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum.


If a broker indicates on a proxy that it lacks discretionary authority as to certain shares to vote on a particular matter, commonly referred to as “broker non-votes,” those shares will still be counted for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum at the meeting. Please see the next question and answer for further information about "broker non-votes."


Q: What are broker non-votes and how are broker non-votes and abstentions counted?


A: If you are a beneficial owner and hold your shares in street name and do not provide your broker or other nominee with voting instructions, the broker, bank, or other nominee will determine if it has the discretionary authority to vote on the particular matter. The New York Stock Exchange permits brokers to vote their customers' shares on routine matters when the brokers have not received voting instructions from the customers. The ratification of independent public accountants is an example of a routine matter on which brokers may vote. Brokers may not vote their customers' shares on non-routine matters unless they have received instructions from the customers. Non-voted shares on non-routine matters are referred to as broker non-votes. The ratification of the appointment of Moss AdamsHam, Langston & Brezina LLP as our independent public accountants for 20222023 (Proposal 4) is a matter considered "routine" under applicable rules. The election of a DirectorDirectors (Proposal 1), the advisory vote to approve the named executive officers' compensation programs (Proposal 2) andthe advisory vote to approveregarding the increase in shares issuable under our 2019 Equity Incentive Planfuture frequency for holding advisory votes on the named executive officers' compensation programs (Proposal 3) are matters considered "non-routine" under applicable rules. For purposes of the election of a DirectorDirectors and all of the proposals set forth in this proxy statement,Proxy Statement, abstentions and broker non-votes, if any, will not be counted as votes cast and will have no effect on the result of the vote, although they will be considered present for the purpose of determining the presence of a quorum.


Q: What is the voting requirement to approve each of the matters?

ProposalsBoard RecommendationVotes RequiredEffect of AbstentionsEffect of Broker Non-Votes
Election of a DirectorDirectorsFOR the nomineenomineesMajority of votes castNoneNone
Advisory Vote to Approve Executive Compensation ("Say on Pay" Vote)FORMajority of votes castNoneNone
IncreaseAdvisory Vote to Set the Frequency of Reserved Shares under the 2019 Equity Incentive PlanFuture “Say on Pay” VoteFOR 1 YEARMajority of votes castNoneNone
Ratification of Independent Registered Public Accounting FirmFORMajority of votes castNoneNo Broker Non-Votes (Routine Matter)


We also will consider any other business that properly comes before the annual meeting.Annual Meeting.


Q: How can I vote on each of the matters and how will the votes be counted?


A: In the election of Directors, you may vote “FOR,” “AGAINST,” or “ABSTAIN” with respect to theeach nominee. For the (i) advisory vote on compensation of our named executive officers, (ii) approval of an amendment to the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares of Company common stock that may be issued thereunder by 650,000 shares and (iii)(ii) the ratification of the appointment of Moss AdamsHam, Langston & Brezina LLP as our independent auditors you may vote “FOR,” “AGAINST,” or “ABSTAIN” with respect to these two proposals.With respect to the advisory vote to set the frequency of future "say on pay" advisory votes, you have the option to vote for one of the following choices: to hold the advisory vote on executive compensation every 1 YEAR, 2 YEARS, 3 YEARS, or to abstain from voting. Under Colorado law (under which the Company is incorporated), abstentions are counted as shares present and entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting, and therefore counted as present for the purpose of determining
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whether a quorum is present, but they are not counted as shares cast and will therefore have no effect on the outcome of the vote.


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If you sign and return your proxy cardProxy Card or voting instruction form without giving specific voting instructions, your shares will be voted as recommended by our Board. If you are a beneficial holder and do not return a voting instruction form, your broker may only vote on the ratification of the appointment of Moss AdamsHam, Langston & Brezina LLP (Proposal 4)3).



Q: Who will count the votes?


A: Broadridge, an international investor relations company, is assisting us with the voting of proxies for our meeting. Prior to the meeting, Broadridge will provide us with a tabulation of the votes cast prior to the meeting. We believe that Broadridge will use procedures that are consistent with Colorado law concerning the voting of shares, the determination of the presence of a quorum and the determination of the outcome of each matter submitted for a vote. In addition, we will appoint a voting inspector at the meeting to count and tabulate any votes cast at the meeting.


Q: Who may attend the meeting?


A: All shareholders as of the Record Date may attend. Please bring to the meeting:

proof of ownership such as: a copy of your proxy or voting instruction card; the two-page notice regarding the internet availability of proxy materials you received in the mail; or a copy of a brokerage or bank statement showing your share ownership as of the Record Date; and
proofof identification such as a valid driver’s license or passport.


Q: How will voting on any other business be conducted?


A: We do not expect any matters to be presented for a vote at the meeting other than the fourthree matters described in this proxy statement.Proxy Statement. If you grant a proxy, either of the officers named as proxy holders, Stephen C. Taylor and Micah C. Foster,James D. Faircloth, or their nominees or substitutes, will have the discretion to vote your shares on any additional matters that are properly presented for a vote at the meeting and at any adjournment or postponement that may take place. If, for any unforeseen reason, our nomineeany one of the nominees is not available as a candidate for Director, the persons named as the proxy holder will vote your proxy for another candidate or other candidates nominated by our Board.


Q: May I propose actions for consideration at next year’s meeting of shareholders?


A: Yes. Please see the section entitled "Shareholder Proposals" in this proxy statementProxy Statement for information concerning making shareholder proposals and director nominations.


Q: Who is paying for this proxy solicitation?


A: We will pay the cost of soliciting the proxies. In addition, our officers, Directors and employees may solicit proxies or votes in person, by telephone or by email. These people will not be paid any additional compensation for these activities. We will send copies of proxy-related materials or additional solicitation materials to brokers, fiduciaries and custodians who will forward these materials to the beneficial owners of our shares. On request, we will reimburse brokers and other persons representing beneficial owners of shares for their reasonable expenses in forwarding these materials to beneficial owners.


Q: How can I find out the results of the voting at the Annual Meeting?


A: Preliminary voting results will be announced at the Annual Meeting. Final voting results will be published in a current report on Form 8-K that we expect to file with the SEC no later than four business days after the conclusion of the Annual Meeting. If final voting results are not available to us in time to file a Form 8-K on or before the fourth business day after the Annual Meeting, we intend to file a Form 8-K to publish preliminary results and, within four business days after the final results are known to us, file an additional Form 8-K to publish the final results.












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HOUSEHOLDING OF PROXY MATERIALS


In an effort to reduce printing costs and postage fees, we have adopted a practice called “householding.” Under this practice, shareholders who have the same address and last name and do not participate in email delivery of proxy-related materials will receive only one set of our proxy statement,Proxy Statement, annual report or notice of internet availability of proxy-related materials unless one or more of these people notifies us that he or she wishes to continue to receive individual copies.


If you share an address with another shareholder and receive only one set of proxy-related materials and would like to request a separate copy for this year’s annual meetingAnnual Meeting or for any future meetings, please: (1) call our Investor Relations contact at (432) 262-2700; (2) send an email to alicia.dada@ngsgi.com;ir@ngsgi.com; or (3) mail your request to Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705, Attn: Investor Relations. Similarly, you may also contact us through any of these methods if you receive multiple copies of the materials and would prefer to receive a single copy in the future.



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PROPOSAL 1 - ELECTION OF DIRECTORS


Our Board of Directors is divided into three classes, each class to be as nearly equal in number as possible. At each annual meetingAnnual Meeting of shareholders,Shareholders, members of one of the classes, on a rotating basis, are elected for a three-year term. The authorized number of Directors is currently set at nine. We currently have five Directors serving on our Board. Our Board may fill the vacancies if a qualified candidate is vetted. The following table sets forth, by class, the members of our Board of Directors as of the date of this proxy statement:Proxy Statement:


Term Expiring at the 2022 Annual MeetingTerms Expiring at the 2023 Annual MeetingTerms Expiring at the
2024 Annual Meeting
Terms Expiring at the 2025 Annual Meeting
John W. Chisholm
Leslie A. BeyerJustin C. JacobsDavid L. BradshawDonald J. Tringali
Stephen C. TaylorNigel J. Jenvey

Shareholders will be electing one Directorthree Directors at the meeting.Annual Meeting. The Board is recommending the re-election of Mr. John W. ChisholmStephen C. Taylor and the election of Justin C. Jacobs to the Board of Directors to serve a three-year term expiring at the annual meetingAnnual Meeting of shareholders in 2026. The Board is also recommending the election of Donald Tringali to serve a two-year term expiring at the Annual Meeting of shareholders in 2025.


Messrs. Jacobs and Tringali were appointed to the Board on April 28, 2023 pursuant to a Cooperation Agreement entered into by and among the Company and entities affiliated with Mill Road Capital Management LLC. See “Cooperation Agreement” at the end of this section for additional information. Mr. Jacobs was appointed to fill the vacancy left by Ms. Beyer who resigned on April 28, 2023, pursuant to the terms of the Cooperation Agreement. Mr. Tringali was appointed to fill the vacancy left by John Chisholm who retired from the Board on December 28, 2022. Although Mr. Tringali was placed in the class of director whose term expires at the 2025 annual meeting, our Bylaws require that directors who are appointed by the Board to fill a vacancy must be submitted for election at the next annual shareholders’ meeting.

The person named in our form of proxy will vote the shares represented by such proxy for the election of the nomineenominees for Director named above unless other instructions are shown on the proxy card.Proxy Card. If, at the time of the meeting, the nominee becomes unavailable for any reason, which is not expected, the persons entitled to vote the proxy will vote for such substitute nominee, if any, as they determine in their sole discretion, or we may reduce the size of the Board.


Biographical information and qualifications for the personpersons nominated as a Director, and for each person whose term of office as a Director will continue after the 20222023 Annual Meeting, is set forth below.


NomineeNominees for Director for Term to Expire in 2025


John W. ChisholmJustin C. Jacobs


John W. Chisholm, 67, was appointed asJustin C. Jacobs, 48, is a Management Committee Director of Natural Gas Services Group in December 2006. On May 17, 2022, Mr. Chisholm was appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Company in connection with the retirement of Stephen C. Taylor. Mr. Chisholm was appointed as Lead Independent Director in June 2020, althoughMill Road Capital Management LLC, where he will no longer act as Lead Independent Director while he remains Interim Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Chisholmhas worked since 2005. Mill Road Capital Management is the founder of Wellogix, an oil and gas software company that develops software aimed at expediting the exchange of enterprise data and communication of complex engineered services. Prior to founding Wellogix, Mr. Chisholm co-founded and served as President of ProTechnics Company from 1985 until its sale to Core Laboratories in December of 1996.  Mr. Chisholm served as Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing of Core Laboratories until 1998, when he started Chisholm Energy Partners, an investment fundfirm focused on mid-size energy serviceinvestments in small, publicly traded companies. The firm manages multiple funds with approximately $1.0 billion of assets under management. From 20021999 to 2009,2004, Mr. Chisholm servedJacobs was employed at LiveWire Capital, an investment and management group backed primarily by The Blackstone Group and Thomas Lee Partners that focused on operationally intensive buyouts of middle market companies. While employed at LiveWire, he held various operational positions in numerous portfolio companies, including interim Chief Operating Officer, in addition to investment responsibilities. Before joining LiveWire, Mr. Jacobs was an investment professional in the private equity group at The Blackstone Group from 1996 to 1999. Mr. Jacobs is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Flotek Industries,Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee, Inc. ("Flotek"), and became its interim President in August 2009. Mr. Chisholm became President of Flotek in August 2010, was appointedHe previously served as its Chief Executive Officer in March 2012, and served in those roles until January 2020. Flotek is a public company which files reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Mr. Chisholm is presently CEO of The John Chisholm Group. Mr. Chisholm holds a Business Administration degree from Fort Lewis College in Colorado.

Mr. Chisholm brings significant natural resources experience to our Board, in connection with his background in supplying drilling and production related products and services to the oil, gas and mining industries, and his investment fund experience with mid-size energy service companies is an invaluable resource as the Company assesses its capital and liquidity needs. In addition, Mr. Chisholm's experience as a board member and executive officer of a public company provides us with a wealth of leadership and management skills.

Required Vote for This Proposal

The election of the Director nominee requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting with respect to the nominee. The number of shares voted "for" the Director nominee must exceed the number of votes cast "against" that nominee for the nominee to be elected as a Director to serve until his term expires or until his successor has been duly elected and qualified. Abstentions and broker non-votes are not counted as votes cast in the election of directors and therefore will not have any effect on the outcome of the vote.

Pursuant to the resignation policy adopted by our Board and further described in our Corporate Governance

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Guidelines, any nominee for Director who is not elected shall promptly tender his or her resignation to our Board following certification of the stockholder vote. The Environmental, Social and Governance and Personnel Development ("ESG") Committee will consider the resignation offer and recommend to our Board the action to be taken with respect to the offered resignation. In determining its recommendation, the ESG Committee shall consider all factors it deems relevant. Our Board will act on the ESG Committee's recommendation within 90 days following certification of the stockholder vote and will publicly disclose its decision with respect to the Director's resignation offer (and the reasons for rejecting the resignation offer if applicable).

Any Director who tenders his or her resignation pursuant to the resignation policy shall not participate in the ESG Committee's recommendation or Board action regarding whether to accept the resignation offer. If each member of the ESG Committee is required to tender his or her resignation pursuant to the resignation policy in the same election then the independentBoards of Directors of our Board of Directors who are not required to tender a resignation pursuant to the resignation policy shall consider the resignation offersseveral public companies, including Ecology and make a recommendation to our Board.

To the extent that one or more Directors' resignations are accepted, our Board, in its discretion, may determine either to fill such vacancy or vacancies or to reduce the size of the Board within the authorized range.

Continuing Directors Whose Term Expires in 2023

Leslie A. Beyer

Leslie A. Beyer, 46, joined our Board in June 2020. Ms. Beyer is the Chief Executive Officer of the Energy WorkforceEnvironment, Inc., Galaxy Nutritional Foods, Inc., National Technical Systems, Inc., and Technology Council (“EWTC”) formed through the merger of the Petroleum EquipmentSchool Specialty, Inc., as well as numerous private companies, including Lignetics, Inc., Mother’s Market & Kitchen, Inc., PRT Growing Services Association (“PESA”)LTD and the Association of Energy Service Companies, a position she has held since the merger in February, 2021. EWTC represents more than 600 member companies in energy services, supply, manufacturing and drilling with a focus on enabling its members to safely, profitably and sustainably produce the energy needed to meet rising demand around the world. Prior to leading EWTC, Ms. Beyer was the Chief Executive Officer of PESA. Prior to joining PESA, Ms. Beyer served as Director, Member and Board Relations for the National Association of Manufacturers from 2012 to 2014. Previously, Ms. Beyer served in leadership roles at Burson-Marsteller Public Affairs and at a boutique public relations firm for more than six years. Prior to her time in public affairs, Ms. Beyer served in media relations capacities in The White House, Executive Office of the President and on the Bush 2000 Presidential Campaign. She began her career in legislative policy roles in the U.S. Senate, U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Housing. Ms. BeyerRubios Restaurants, Inc. Mr. Jacobs holds a BachelorB.S. from the McIntire School of Arts in Latin American Studies and Spanish fromCommerce at the University of Texas at Austin.Virginia with concentrations in accounting and finance.


As a strong advocate for the oilfield services and equipment sector, Ms. BeyerMr. Jacobs provides the Board with more than 25 years of experience as a wealthpublic investor, private equity investor, operator, and member of knowledgeBoard of Directors: he also has significant experience in turnaround situations. He has expertise in capital markets transactions, mergers and insight aboutacquisitions, capital allocation and strategic reviews, as well as significant experience with executive compensation, shareholder communications and the development of both short-and long-term strategic and tactical matters impacting our business and industry.growth plans. In addition, Ms. Beyer's public affairs, policyhis significant experience in both operational and leadership experience significantly addsoversight roles, particularly with small, publicly traded
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companies, positions him well to our Board's capabilities.help the Company navigate its current management position and to establish disciplined governance practices that will focus the Company's management on shareholder value creation.


Mr. Jacobs was appointed to the Board pursuant to a Cooperation Agreement entered into by and among the Company and entities affiliated with Mill Road Capital Management LLC.

Stephen C. Taylor


Stephen C. Taylor, 68,69, was President and Chief Executive Officer of Natural Gas Services Group from January 2005 until his retirement from the positions effective May 17, 2022. HeIn connection with the resignation of John W. Chisholm, who was appointed as our Interim Chief Executive Officer upon Mr. Taylor’s retirement, on November 11, 2022, the Board appointed Mr. Taylor to serve as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer until such time as a permanent President and Chief Executive Officer can be hired.

Mr. Taylor was elected as a Director of Natural Gas Services Group at the annual meetingAnnual Meeting of shareholdersShareholders in June 2005. Effective January 1, 2006, Mr. Taylorhe was appointed Chairman of the Board and he will continue in that role notwithstanding his retirementinterim position as an officer and employee of the Company. Immediately prior to joining Natural Gas Services Group, Mr. Taylor held the position of General Manager − US Operations for Trican Production Services, Inc. from 2002 through 2004. Mr. Taylor joined Halliburton Resource Management in 1976, becoming its Vice President − Operations in 1989. Beginning in 1993, he held multiple senior level management positions with Halliburton Energy Services until 2000 when he was elected Senior Vice President/Chief Operating Officer of Enventure Global Technology, LLC, a joint-venture deep water drilling technology company owned by Halliburton Company and Shell Oil Company. Mr. Taylor elected early retirement from Halliburton Company in 2002 to join Trican Production Services, Inc. Mr. Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Tech University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin.


Mr. Taylor’s senior management experience in the natural resources industry provides the Board and our company with significant insight into our business. Mr. Taylor’s engineering and advanced business training uniquely qualifies him to provide leadership, technical expertise and financial acumen to our Board.



Donald J. Tringali

Donald J. Tringali, 65, serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Augusta Advisory Group, a boutique financial and business consulting firm providing a full range of executive, operations and corporate advisory services to companies, a position he has held since founding the firm in 2001. Prior to founding Augusta Advisory Group, Mr. Tringali served as the Executive Vice President of Telemundo Group, Inc., a major media company serving the Hispanic population in the United States, from 1996 to 2001. Mr. Tringali has extensive experience serving on the boards of directors of public and private companies, including service as chairman, as well as on the audit, compensation, and nominating and governance committees of those companies. He currently serves on the boards of directors of Wavedancer, Inc., a Nasdaq-traded provider of information technology consulting and software development services for the government and the private sector, Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee, Inc., a green coffee decaffinator traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange, and POSaBIT Systems Corporation, a point-of-sale payments company focusing on the cannabis industry that is traded on the Canadian Stock Exchange. Mr. Tringali served as a director, and later as the Chairman of the Board, of National Technical Systems, Inc., a Nasdaq-traded international testing and engineering firm, from 1999 through its sale to a private equity firm in 2013. He is the former Executive Chairman of the Board of Cartesian, Inc., a Nasdaq-traded international telecommunications consulting company that was sold to a private equity group in 2018. Mr. Tringali began his career as a corporate attorney in Los Angeles, where he represented public and private companies in general business matters and mergers and acquisitions transactions. Mr. Tringali holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from UCLA and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

Mr. Tringali’s extensive board experience, including as a member or chairman of audit, compensation, and nominating and governance committees, combined with his experience as a public company executive, will enable him to contribute valuable insights into effective governance and oversight systems at the Company that will improve value for all shareholders.

Mr. Tringali was appointed to the Board pursuant to a Cooperation Agreement entered into by and among the Company and entities affiliated with Mill Road Capital Management LLC.

Required Vote for This Proposal

The election of the Director nominees requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast at the Annual Meeting with respect to the nominee. The number of shares voted "for" each Director nominee must exceed the number of votes

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cast "against" that nominee for the nominee to be elected as a Director to serve until his term expires or until his successor has been duly elected and qualified. Abstentions and broker non-votes are not counted as votes cast in the election of directors and therefore will not have any effect on the outcome of the vote.



Pursuant to the resignation policy adopted by our Board and further described in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, any nominee for Director who is not elected shall promptly tender his or her resignation to our Board following certification of the stockholder vote. The Nominating and Environmental, Social and Governance Committee (“Nominating Committee”) will consider the resignation offer and recommend to our Board the action to be taken with respect to the offered resignation. In determining its recommendation, the Nominating Committee shall consider all factors it deems relevant. Our Board will act on the Nominating Committee's recommendation within 90 days following certification of the stockholder vote and will publicly disclose its decision with respect to the Director's resignation offer (and the reasons for rejecting the resignation offer if applicable).


Any Director who tenders his resignation pursuant to the resignation policy shall not participate in the Nominating Committee's recommendation or Board action regarding whether to accept the resignation offer. If each member of the Nominating Committee is required to tender his or her resignation pursuant to the resignation policy in the same election then the independent Directors of our Board of Directors who are not required to tender a resignation pursuant to the resignation policy shall consider the resignation offers and make a recommendation to our Board.

To the extent that one or more Directors' resignations are accepted, our Board, in its discretion, may determine either to fill such vacancy or vacancies or to reduce the size of the Board within the authorized range.

Continuing DirectorDirectors Whose Term Expires in 2024


David L. Bradshaw


David L. Bradshaw, 67,68, joined our board in December of 2011. On May 17, 2022, Mr. Bradshaw was appointed as the Lead Independent Director at the time John W. Chisholm was appointed as Interim Chief Executive Officer. Since 2005, Mr. Bradshaw has acted as a consultant in the oil and gas exploration and production sector and has overseen his investments in this area. From August 2007 through November 2009, Mr. Bradshaw served as a Director and Audit Committee Chairman for Triangle Petroleum, a publicly traded company listed on the American Stock Exchange. From November 2007 through November 2008, Mr. Bradshaw served as a Director for Comet Ridge Limited, an Australian company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. From 1986 to 2005, Mr. Bradshaw worked for Tipperary Corporation, a U.S. public company listed on the American Stock Exchange. During his tenure at Tipperary, the company was involved in oil and gas exploration and production, and natural gas processing and transportation. He held the positions of Chief Executive Officer from 1996 to 2005, Chairman of the Board from 1997 to 2005, Chief Financial Officer from 1990 to 1996 and Chief Operating Officer from 1993 to 1996. From 1999 to 2005, Mr. Bradshaw also served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Tipperary Oil & Gas (Australia) Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Tipperary, which explored for and produced natural gas in Queensland, Australia. From 1983 to 1986, Mr. Bradshaw was an owner and officer of Bradcorp, Inc., a private exploration and production company. Prior to this, Mr. Bradshaw spent six years in public accounting serving predominantly oil and gas clients. Mr. Bradshaw graduated from Texas A&M University with a BBA in Accounting in 1976 and a MBA in 1977, and is also a Certified Public Accountant.


Mr. Bradshaw's educational and professional training and achievements as a Certified Public Accountant and MBA, along with his past experience as both a Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer of a public company involved in the natural resources industry, provides us with considerable accounting and corporate finance skills. In addition, Mr. Bradshaw's career has spanned over forty years in the oil and gas industry and as a public accountant. His executive management positions in both private and public companies bring us significant leadership, planning and management skills and background.


Nigel J. Jenvey


Nigel. J. Jenvey, 49,50, was appointed as a Director of Natural Gas Services Group in April 2021. Mr. Jenvey is currently Executive - Strategy & Growth Initiatives at Baker Hughes and serves as a board member for their interests in a hydrogen production technology company called Ekona Power and the Long Duration Energy Storage Council, and previously held the position of Global Head of Carbon Management at their consultancy Gaffney, Cline & Associates. Prior to joining Baker Hughes, Mr. Jenvey spent eight years at BP as the company’s head of Carbon, Capture, Use and Storage (CCUS) and carbon solutions manager. He also led similar efforts at Maersk Oil as Technical Director of carbon & climate, and served in various managerial and project leadership roles at Royal Dutch Shell, including Shell’s global Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Center of Expertise and European operating business. He began his career as a petroleum engineer at Texaco in 1995 supervising offshore oil and gas production operations in the North Sea. Mr. Jenvey is an industry leader in Carbon Management and expert in CCUS having been involved in leading projects across the world since 2004. These have included providing study leadership to
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the National Petroleum Council, industry capability development in the Society of Petroleum Engineers, and provision of advise to various major energy companies in the US and Canada. Mr. Jenvey is the Editor of the annual Decarbonization feature in the SPE Journal of Petroleum Technology and has been a peer reviewer to the International Energy Agency. Mr. Jenvey has also provided testimony to Congress on CO2 Capture technologies. Mr. Jenvey holds a Bachelor degree (Hons.) in Mining Engineering from the University of Leeds and both a Diploma and a Master of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering from Imperial College in London.


Mr. Jenvey brings significant carbon management, sustainability and ESGEnvironmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) experience to our Board. His experience of working with companies, investors, governments, academia, and non-governmental organizations provides us a wealth of knowledge and insight regarding the challenges and solutions that exist for the oil and gas industry, and adds to our Board’s capabilities to successfully guide the Company through these matters that are impacting our business and industry.




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THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND ITS COMMITTEES


Natural Gas Services Group’s Board of Directors held six eight meetings in 2021.2022. Each Director attended at least 75% of the total number of Board meetings held while such person was a Director. Each Director also attended at least 75% of all of the meetings held by all committees of the Board for which he or she served (during the periods that he or she served). The Board acts from time to time by unanimous written consent in lieu of holding a meeting.


Our non-management Directors hold regularly scheduled executive sessions in which those Directors meet without management participation. Generally, our current Lead Director, John W. Chisholm,David L. Bradshaw, presides over these sessions.


We typically schedule a Board meeting in conjunction with our annual meetingAnnual Meeting of shareholders.Shareholders. We expect our Directors to attend each annual meeting,Annual Meeting, absent a valid reason, such as illness or an unavoidable schedule conflict. Last year, all of the individuals then serving as Directors attended our 20212022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

To assist it in carrying out its duties, the Board has delegated certain authority to four separately designated standing committees. These committees are described below.As Justin Jacobs and Donald Tringali were appointed to the Board on April 28, 2023, they have not yet been appointed to any committees.The Board intends to readjust its committee memberships at its June meeting which coincides with the annual meeting of shareholders.


The Audit Committee

The primary functions of our Audit Committee include:

assisting the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities as they relate to our accounting policies, internal controls, financial reporting practices and legal and regulatory compliance;
discussing with management policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management;
hiring our independent registered public accounting firm;
monitoring the independence and performance of our independent registered public accounting firm;
maintaining, through regularly scheduled meetings, a line of communication between the Board, our financial management and independent registered public accounting firm; and
overseeing compliance with our policies for conducting business, including ethical business standards.


TheThrough April 28, 2023 members of the Audit Committee arewere David L. Bradshaw (Chairman), Leslie A. Beyer, and     Nigel J. Jenvey. Ms. Beyer resigned from our Board on April 28, 2023.

Our common stock is listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange, or “NYSE”. Under rules of the NYSE, the Audit Committee is to be comprised of three or more Directors, each of whom must be independent. Our Board has determined that all of the members of the Audit Committee are independent, as defined under the applicable NYSE rules and listing standards. In addition, our Board has determined that David L. Bradshaw is qualified as an “audit committee financial expert” as that term is defined in the rules of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The Audit Committee met eight times during the last fiscal year. The audit committeeAudit Committee has also received from, and discussed with, Moss AdamsHam, Langston & Brezina LLP the matters required to be discussed by Public Accounting Oversight Board Auditing Standard No. 1301 (AS 1301) (Communications with Audit Committees).


Any shareholder may obtain free of charge a printed copy of our Audit Committee Charter by sending a written request to Investor Relations, Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705 or by visiting the “Governance” tab on the investor relations page of our website atwww.ngsgi.com.


The Compensation Committee


The primary functions of our Compensation Committee include:

assisting the Board in overseeing the management of our human resources;
evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance and compensation;
formulating and administering our overall compensation principles and plans; and
evaluating management.

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The Compensation Committee’s policy is to offer the executive officers competitive compensation packages that will

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permit us to attract and retain individuals with superior abilities and to motivate and reward such individuals in an appropriate fashion in the long-term interests of Natural Gas Services Group and its shareholders. Currently, executive compensation is comprised of salary and cash bonuses and awards of long-term incentive opportunities in the form of restricted stock or restricted stock unit awards under the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan, as well as other long-term incentives payable in cash.


TheFrom January 1, 2022 through May 16, 2022, the members of the Compensation Committee arewere Leslie A. Beyer. (Chairperson since April 2021)Beyer (Chairperson), John W. Chisholm, and David L. Bradshaw. However, due toBradshaw, and John Chisholm.In connection with Mr. Chisholm'sChisholm’s appointment on May 17, 2022, as an interim executive officer of the Company, Nigel J. Jenvey was appointed as a member of the Compensation Committee replacing Mr. Chisholm. Ms. Beyer resigned from our Interim Chief Executive Officer and pursuant to NYSE rules, his membershipBoard on this committee will be suspended while he acts as our Interim Chief Executive Officer.April 28, 2023. Our Board has determined that all of the members of the Compensation Committee are independent, as defined under the applicable NYSE rules and listing standards.  During the last fiscal year there were six meetings of the Compensation Committee.


Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation


The Compensation Committee members are not officers or employees of our company,Company, and there is not, nor was there during fiscal 2021,2022, any compensation committee interlock (in other words, no executive of our company serves as a Director or on the compensation committee of a company that has one or more executives serving on our Board or our Compensation Committee).


Any shareholder may obtain free of charge a printed copy of our Compensation Committee Charter by sending a written request to Investor Relations, Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705 or by visiting the “Governance” tab on the investor relations page of our website atwww.ngsgi.com.


The Environmental, Social and Governance and Personnel Development Committee

The primary functions of our Environmental, Social and Governance ("ESG") and Personnel Development Committee include:
overseeing the governance of the Board and its committees;
interpreting the Governance Guidelines, the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and other similar governance documents adopted by the Board;
overseeing the evaluation of the Board and its committees; and
developing, with input from executive leadership, the principles guiding our Environmental, Social and Governance efforts and monitoring our progress in meeting such principlesprinciples.


TheFrom January 1, 2022 through May 16, 2022, the members of the ESG and Governance and Personnel Development Committee arewere Nigel J. Jenvey (Chairman), David L. Bradshaw, and John W. Chisholm. However, due toIn connection with Mr. Chisholm'sChisholm’s appointment on May 17, 2022, as an interim executive officer of the Company, Leslie A. Beyer was appointed as a member of the ESG Committee. Ms Beyer resigned from our Interim Chief Executive Officer and pursuant to NYSE rules, his membershipBoard on this committee will be suspended while he acts as our Interim Chief Executive Officer.April 28, 2023. Our Board has determined that each of the ESG and Personnel Development Committee members were and are independent, as defined under the applicable NYSE rules and listing standards.  During the last fiscal year there were four meetings of the ESG and Personnel Development Committee.


Any shareholder may obtain free of charge a printed copy of our Environmental, Social and Governance and Personnel Development Committee Charter by sending a written request to Investor Relations, Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705 or by visiting the “Governance” tab on the investor relations page of our website atwww.ngsgi.com.


The Nominating Committee


The primary functions of our Nominating Committee include:
identifying individuals qualified to become board members, consistent with the criteria approved by the Board;
recommending Director nominees and individuals to fill vacant positions; and
overseeing executive development and succession and diversity efforts.
The
From January 1, 2022 through May 16, 2022, the members of the Nominating Committee are John C. Chisholmwere Nigel J. Jenvey (Chairman), Leslie A. Beyer, and Nigel J. Jenvey. However, due toJohn W. Chisholm.In connection with Mr. Chisholm'sChisholm’s appointment on May 17, 2022, as an interim executive officer of the Company, David L. Bradshaw was appointed as a member of the Nominating Committee. Ms. Beyer resigned from our Interim Chief Executive Officer and pursuant to NYSE rules, his

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membershipBoard on this committee will be suspended while he acts as our Interim Chief Executive Officer. April 28, 2023.Our Board of Directors has determined that each of the Nominating Committee members iswere and are independent as defined under the applicable NYSE rules and listing standards. During the last fiscal year there were six meetings of the Nominating Committee.

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Any shareholder may obtain free of charge a printed copy of our Nominating Committee Charter by sending a written request to Investor Relations, Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705 or by visiting the “Governance” tab on the investor relations page of our website atwww.ngsgi.com. The Committee’s goal is to nominate candidates who possess a range of experiences and backgrounds which will contribute to the board’s overall effectiveness in meeting its duties and forwarding the goals of our company.


The Board is responsible for identifying individuals qualified to become Directors, and nominees are selected by the Board. The Board takes into account many factors, including being highly qualified in terms of business experience, finance and other disciplines relevant to the success of a publicly traded company in today’s business environment; understanding of the Company’s business on a technical level and the industry in which it competes; and educational and professional background. The Board evaluates each individual in the context of the Board as a whole, with the objective of recommending a group that can best support the success of the business and, based on its diversity of experience and backgrounds, represent stockholder interests through the exercise of sound judgment.


The Nominating Committee will consider a Director candidate recommended by a shareholder. A candidate must be highly qualified based on the factors noted above and be both willing and expressly interested in serving on the Board. A shareholder wishing to recommend a candidate for the Committee’s consideration must follow Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 14a-8 or our advance notice provisions contained in our Bylaws. Please see "Shareholder Proposals" on page 5557 of this proxy statementProxy Statement for further information.


In order to streamline the committees, the Board is in process of combining the Nominating Committee and ESG Committee into a single committee.

Director Independence


The Board has determined that each of the following four current members of the Board is “independent” within the meaning of applicable listing standards of the NYSE and under the standards, set forth in Exhibit A to our Environmental Social and Governance and Personnel Development Charter which are consistent with the NYSE listing standards: Leslie A. Beyer, Nigel J. Jenvey, and David L. Bradshaw. John W. Chisholm was independent up until May 17, 2022, when he was appointed to act as our Interim Chief Executive Officer in connection with the retirement of StephenBradshaw, Justin C. Taylor. We anticipate that Mr. Chisholm will return as an independent director of the Board upon the conclusion of his term as Interim Chief Executive Officer, subject to NYSE regulationsJacobs and applicable law.Donald J. Tringali. The Board has made an affirmative determination that each of current Directors named above satisfies these categorical standards. In making its determination, the Board examined relationships between Directors or their affiliates with us and our affiliates and determined that each such relationship, if any, did not impair the Director’s independence. A copy of Exhibit A to our Governance Charter is available at our website at www.ngsgi.com, under the heading “Investor Relations-Governance.”


Board of Directors Diversity


The Company values diversity and the benefits that a diverse workforce can bring to the Company and to the Board of Directors. Diversity can promote the inclusion of different perspectives and ideas which can lead to more robust discussion regarding strategic and governance policy alternatives and, ultimately, result in better corporate governance and decision making.


The Company seeks to maintain a Board comprised of talented and dedicated Directors with a diverse mix of expertise, experience, skills and backgrounds. The skills and backgrounds collectively represented on the Board should reflect the diverse nature of the business environment in which the Company operates. As new members of the Board are considered, diversity considerations should include - but not be limited to - business expertise, geography, age, gender and ethnicity.


The Company is committed to a merit-based system for Board composition within a diverse and inclusive culture which solicits multiple perspectives and views and is free of conscious or unconscious bias. When assessing Board composition or identifying suitable candidates for appointment to the Board, the Company will consider candidates on merit with due consideration to the benefits of diversity and the needs of the Board. The Board and its Nominating Committee are especially cognizant of the benefits of gender and ethnic diversity and will continue to focus on important diversity metrics in future searches.


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The Board’s Leadership Structure


Under our Corporate Governance Guidelines, our Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") also serves as our Chairman of the Board, and that person is responsible to the Board for the overall management and functioning of the company. Stephen C. Taylor serves as Chairman of the Board and servedcurrently serves as our Interim President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) up until his retirement on May 17, 2022. Officer.

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The Board believed this was the most effective Board leadership structure at the time and believed that Mr. Taylor, in his role as Chairman and CEO, had the ability to execute on both our short-term and long-term strategies necessary for the challenging marketplace in which we compete. The independent Directors believed that Mr. Taylor's detailed and in-depth knowledge of the issues, opportunities and challenges facing us and our business make him the best qualified Director to develop agendas that ensure that the Board’s time and attention are focused on the most critical matters. Further, as the individual with primary responsibility for managing day-to-day operations, Mr. Taylor was best positioned to chair regular Board meetings and ensure that key business issues and risks are brought to the attention of our Board and/or Audit Committee. Notwithstanding his retirementinterim status as an officer and employee of the Company, Mr. Taylor will continuecontinued his position as Chairman of the Board.


Through May 17, 2022,Except as set forth below, each of our Directors, other than Mr. Taylor, was and is independent, and the Board believes that the independent Directors provide effective oversight of management. In connection with Mr. Chisholm's appointment as Interim Chief Executive Officer, under NYSE rules he willwas no longer be deemed independent while he actsacting in thisthat capacity. The Board may subsequently decide, however, to change that leadership structure which would require a revision to our Corporate Governance Guidelines. The Board believes that it has in place safeguards to ensure that we maintain the highest standards of corporate governance and continued accountability of the CEO to the Board. These safeguards include:

All members of the Board were and are independent Directors except for Mr. Taylor. Taylor and John Chisholm after May 17, 2022.Mr. Chisholm retired from the Board on December 28, 2022.
The establishment of the Lead Director position, described below, which assumes the role of ensuring fair, open and independent discussions and decisions amongst the Board. John W. Chisholm served as Lead Director until he was appointed as our Interim Chief Executive Officer. After May 17, 2022, David Bradshaw will serveassumed the role as our Lead Director during this transition period.Director.
Each of the Board’s standing committees, including the Audit, Compensation, ESG and Nominating Committees, are comprised of and chaired solely by non-employee Directors who meet the independence requirements under the NYSE listing standards and other governing laws and regulations. As noted above, these committees meet frequently.
ReviewA review and determination of Mr. Taylor’s compensation and performance remains within the purview of the Compensation Committee.
The independent Directors continue to meet in executive sessions without management present to discuss the effectiveness of the company’sCompany’s management, the quality of the Board meetings and any other issues and concerns.

Lead Director


To promote the independence of the Board and appropriate oversight of management and to demonstrate our commitment to strong corporate governance, the independent Directors designate an independent, non-employee Director to serve as our Lead Director. The Lead Director helps to facilitate free and open discussion and communication among the independent, non-employee Directors. The responsibilities of the Lead Director are set forth in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, which is available under “Investor Relations - Governance Documents” on our website at www.ngsgi.com. John W. Chisholm was appointed Lead Director in June 2020 but while he acts as our Interim Chief Executive Officer,until May 17, 2022, at which time David Bradshaw will serveassumed the role as our Lead Director during his transition period.Director.


Role in Risk Oversight


Our Board of Directors oversees the management of risks inherent in the operation of our business and the implementation of our strategic plan. Our executive management is responsible for the day-to-day management of risks we face. The Board is periodically advised by management on the status of various factors that could impact our business and operating results, including oil and gas industry issues, operational issues (such as compressor manufacturing issues, backlog for compressor equipment etc.), legal and regulatory risks. The full Board is also responsible for reviewing our strategy, business plan, and capital expenditure budget.

Our Board committees assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities in certain areas of risk. Our Audit Committee serves an important role in providing risk oversight, as further detailed in its charter. One of the Audit Committee’s

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primary duties and responsibilities is to monitor the integrity of our financial statements, financial reporting processes, systems of internal controls regarding accounting, and disclosure controls and procedures. The Compensation Committee assists the Board with risk management relating to our compensation policies and programs, and the Governance and Nominating Committee assists with risk management relating to Board organization, membership and structure, succession planning for our Directors and executive officers, and corporate governance.

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Cooperation Agreement

On April 28, 2023, the Company entered into a Cooperation Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Mill Road Capital III, L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership, and Mill Road Capital III GP LLC, a Cayman Islands limited liability company (such parties collectively, the “Mill Road Parties”) pursuant to which the Company agreed to appoint Justin C. Jacobs and Donald J. Tringali (the “Appointed Directors”) to its Board and agreed to include the Appointed Directors as part of the Company’s slate of nominees for election to the Board at the 2023 annual meeting of shareholders.Mr. Tringali was appointed to fill an existing vacancy on the Board.In addition, in connection with the Agreement, on April 28, 2023, Leslie A. Beyer resigned from the Board and Mr. Jacobs was appointed to fill the vacancy on the Board in connection with her resignation.The Board determined that each of Messrs. Jacobs and Tringali satisfies the requirements to serve as an independent director of the Company under applicable requirements of the New York Stock Exchange.

As part of the Agreement, the Mill Road Parties agreed, among other things, (i) to customary standstill provisions, and(ii) to vote its shares in favor of the Board’s slate of directors at the Annual Meeting. In addition, the Company reimbursed the Mill Road Parties for documented out-of-pocket fees and expenses incurred in connection with the nomination of directors of the Company by the Mill Road Parties.The Cooperation Agreement also contains customary mutual non-disparagement provisions.

The cooperation period, including the standstill restrictions on the Mill Road Parties, will generally terminate the day after the 2025 deadline for shareholders to submit a notice to nominate one or more directors under the Company’s Bylaws; provided, however, if the Company does not irrevocably agree with the Mill Road Parties to re-nominate and support for re-election the Appointed Director whose term ends on the date of the 2025 annual meeting of shareholders at least 60 days before the 2025 nomination deadline to submit a notice to nominate one or more directors under the Company’s Bylaws, then the cooperation period will expire 30 days prior to the 2025 deadline.The standstill provisions may also terminate upon a breach of the Agreement by the Company or in connection with the public proposal of certain extraordinary corporate transactions.

The foregoing description of the Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Agreement which has been filed with the SEC on May 5, 2023 as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K.


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CODE OF ETHICS


Our Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (“Code”), whichis posted on our website at www.ngsgi.com. You may also obtain a copy of our Code by requesting a copy in writing at 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705 or by calling us at (432) 262-2700.


Our Code provides general statements of our expectations regarding ethical standards that we expect our Directors, officers and employees, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to adhere to while acting on our behalf. Among other things, the Code provides that:

we will comply with all laws, rules and regulations;
our Directors, officers and employees are to avoid conflicts of interest and are prohibited from competing with us or personally exploiting our corporate opportunities;
our Directors, officers and employees are to protect our assets and maintain our confidentiality;
we are committed to promoting values of integrity and fair dealing; and that
we are committed to accurately maintaining our accounting records under generally accepted accounting principles and timely filing our periodic reports.


Our Code also contains procedures for our employees to report, anonymously or otherwise, violations of the Code.







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SHAREHOLDER ENGAGEMENT


The Company's Board of Directors and executive management believes that building long-term relationships with all Company stakeholders is vital to meeting our corporate governance goals, and to stand in support of our commercial success. Our shareholders, who invest in our companyCompany and elect the Board, are entitled to important information about the company'sCompany's business, policies and practices so they can make informed decisions and knowledgeably participate in the governance process.


TheDuring 2022 and continuing to date in 2023, the Company’s executive management has directly engaged shareholders throughout the year in many diverse ways includingprimarily through quarterly conference calls investor and industry conferences and individual calls and meetings, whether initiated by bothmanagement or the Company and shareholders.shareholders themselves. It is our policy to actively engage our shareholders in dialogue about our financial and operational trends, the structure of our business, and certain governance issues, including executive compensation.


As our engagement efforts relate to executive compensation and our annual advisory vote on executive compensation, in late 2021 and early 2022, the Natural Gas Services Group Compensation Committee, comprised exclusively of independent directors, solicited meetingsIn connection with shareholders representing approximately 65% of the Company's outstanding common shares. Of this group, the Compensation Committee held meetings with investors representing approximately 20% of shares outstanding. The Chairperson of the Compensation Committee and our lead independent director (and member of the committee) attended all meetings to understand the investor concerns. You will find more on these meetings and the outcome in the Executive Compensation section of this Proxy.

During 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, direct person-to-person meetings with shareholders were limited. However, through virtual road shows, conference calls, and video meetings,shareholder communication, we were able to meetdiscuss issues with nearly allmany of our largest institutional shareholders including multiple touch points with many. In addition, we held virtual road shows, conference calls and video meetings with other current and prospective shareholders. These meetings not only allowedIssues discussed with shareholders included, among other things, the following:

Outlook for the oil and natural gas industry amid political pressure to curtail domestic drilling.
Increased activity in our oil shale operating areas and the Company’s plans to position itself for opportunities.
The establishment of a larger credit line and the Company’s plans for its use.
The Company’s continuing strategy to increase its share of the large horsepower gas compression rental market.
Stephen C. Taylor’s retirement as President and Chief Executive Officer and Company plans going forward.
Management and Board transition.
New equipment designs that incorporate various environmental controls.

During these discussions, the Company to communicate about its current business operations with shareholders, the Company used these meetings to actively solicitsolicited shareholders’ views on key corporate governance issues including executive compensation as well as the Company’sand Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) initiatives. We have incorporated this feedback into both our compensation and ESG programs.issues.


Overall, the Company engages our shareholders on a regular basis. In addition to periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Company holds quarterly conference calls to discuss interim financial and operational results with its stakeholders, participates in several industry conferences which are available to Company stakeholders in person (temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic) or via various public online platforms and meets with shareholders in person throughout the year (also temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic and public health considerations).year. The Company believes that its consistent and continuous shareholder engagement strategy has created an environment in which shareholders are comfortable in providing candid feedback and critique of the Company’s operations, governance and executive compensation policies.


Additionally, independent Directors have taken a proactive approach in participating in shareholder engagement efforts resulting from feedback received from shareholders and proxy advisory services. Independent Directors continue to regularly review the Company’s shareholder outreach and communication programs and participate as appropriate. The Company anticipates continuing to increase the role of independent Directors in appropriate stakeholder outreach programs.


During 2021, the Company estimates it met with approximately 65 unique shareholders and prospective shareholders in various meetings across North America. These engagements provided detailed information about the Company’s financial and operational performance as well as key information of certain corporate governance matters, including executive compensation. SuchAll shareholder information is publicly disseminated in the form of periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, press releases and information on the Company’s website, including the investor relations section.










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CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY


Natural Gas Services Group believes that effective corporate governance is a combination of oversight, responsiveness and positioning of our business operations on a day-to-day basis with a focus on mitigation of our environmental impact, accountability in corporate governance and progress in our social policies.


Our Board of Directors believes that integrating these values into our everyday business practices creates a holistic approach to good governance and best aligns the interests of our leadership team, our employees and the Company’s other stakeholders. Moreover, as a smaller company, our holistic approach and consistent focus on these important tenets allows us to focus on continuous improvement without an untenable financial impact, providing a mechanism to optimize the interests of all stakeholders.


Further demonstrating our commitment to ESG matters, the Board of Directors has chartered the Environmental, Social and Governance and Personnel Development Committee to proactively engage with management and other NGS stakeholders on key ESG issues. The Committee, chaired by director Nigel J. Jenvey – a leader in environmental issues in the energy industry – will focus on continuous improvement of the Company’s ESG programs and policies.


Our Environmental Initiatives


We continuously work to eliminate or mitigate our impact on the environment through our innovative product designs, focus on reducing our environmental footprint across all operations, and remediation of our impact through control mechanisms and technologies in all aspects of our business. In addition, our innovation in product design and service delivery systems is intended to support the sustainability goals and initiatives of our customers.


The design and construction of our corporate headquarters in Midland is an example of our commitment to environmental stewardship. Our state-of-the art headquarters include the use of “daylight harvesting” technologies; “smart lighting” that use artificial intelligence to determine office occupancy times and adjust light accordingly; and advanced mechanical systems including variable refrigerant flow systems and energy recovery systems; and high-performance glass and advanced solar shades that reduce glare and heat gain. These are significant capital investments for a company our size that will have a long-term impact on our environmental footprint.

In addition, we strive to continuously improve the environmental footprint of our core compression equipment and services with new technology and innovations that focus on best-in-class emissions and impact on the environment. Recent innovations include:


We have and continue to pursue the most energy efficient and emissions-controlled engine systems available for our compression equipment. All of our engines have the latest catalytic technology and air-fuel ratio (AFR) controllers to provide the cleanest fuel burn available, well exceeding EPA standards. These advanced systems continuously monitor multiple engine and compressor parameters to ensure optimum engine emissions efficiencies and adjust to varying fuel quality available from wellhead production.
To ensure consistent efficient engine performance, we have invested in state-of-the-art emissions detection equipment to ensure our engines exceed all state and federal air emissions regulations. Additionally, we perform preventative maintenance on all engine systems twice per quarter and comprehensive emissions tests to ensure optimum performance. The company is acutely focused on reducing our environmentenvironmental impact on noise, emissions and carbon footprint.
Our compressor units are equipped with advanced safety and containment features that provide for safe containment and disposal of used oils, antifreeze and other fluids. Skid containment rails and fluid dumps are manifolded together to mitigate the risk of fluid spills and environmental leaks as a result of operating error or system failures. Active monitoring systems provide further assurance of safe and optimal operations.
In our mechanical compression packages, we have meaningfully reduced our oil consumption and associated disposal issues with a unique engine and compressor lubricating system.
In our flaring business, we have designed and exclusively sell “Quad O” flare systems which meet the most stringent federal standards, allowing our customers to exceed all emission standards when natural gas flaring is necessary.

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In our Michigan service location, we have installed two oil burner systems which allows us to efficiently recycle waste oil into energy and heat capacity for our service facility.
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We also work with our customers and suppliers toward policies and processes that reduce the environmental impact of our work. We continuously engage with our top customers to share best practices, new technologies and operating innovations that can be implemented to improve our collective environmental footprint.
We completed construction of our corporate headquarters in Midland, Texas where we incorporated the latest energy-efficient technologies designed for commercial buildings. Innovations include the use of “daylight harvesting” technologies; “smart lighting” that use artificial intelligence to determine office occupancy times and adjust light accordingly; and advanced mechanical systems including variable refrigerant flow systems and energy recovery systems; and high-performance glass and advanced solar shades that reduce glare and heat gain.
The Board of Directors regularly considers new technologies to further reduce the Company’s environmental footprint and has directed Company leadership to evaluate further opportunities for reducing the impact on the environment.

Our Social InitiativesThe Compensation Committee


In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented a sweeping work-from-home policy for the majorityThe primary functions of our office employees and we committed to minimize employment disruption to the best of our ability. For our service employees who provide critical services on customer locations, we invested in important personal protective equipment and developed additional safety protocols to ensure appropriate distancing and other COVID-19 safety measures. In 2020 and 2021, we also invested in significant employee training and development. While the COVID-19 pandemic created unique challenges related to employment and hiring, the Company remains committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce with both executive management and the Board of Directors focused on ensuring equality of opportunity in all our human resources practices.Compensation Committee include:


The Company also believes that workplace and workforce safety is a hallmark of our social responsibility initiatives. As a result, we also incorporate our Health, Safety, Environment and Quality (“HSEQ”) initiatives into these programs and policies. In addition to the protection of the environment, we are steadfastly committed to the safety of our employees and other stakeholders as well as the physical and mental well-being of all members of the NGS family. Our commitment centers on mitigating risks to employees and those with whom they interact and maintaining safe work environments and procedures. Our focus on regular, required safety and procedure training helps ensure a consistent and safe work environment. Our strong safety program has allowed us to consistently post one of the lowest Total Recordable Incident Rates (“TRIR”) in the industry.

Our Governance Initiatives

    The recent creation of the Environmental, Social and Governance and Personnel Development Committee of the Board of Directors is an important step and indication of the Company’s commitment to continuous improvement in corporate governance and responsibility.

This committee was chartered to be proactive in assisting the Board and Company leadership in its oversight of ESG-related policies and issues affecting Natural Gas Services Group, its stockholders, employees, customers andoverseeing the communities in which the Company operates. We believe that the integrationmanagement of our environmentalhuman resources;
evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance and social initiatives withcompensation;
formulating and administering our governance responsibilities is the best way to optimize our commitment to being an industry leader in corporate responsibility.overall compensation principles and plans; and

evaluating management.
In addition to the Board ESG Committee, our audit committee is engaged in independently reviewing the Company’s financial governance practices for accuracy and transparency as well as ensuring they provide the Company stakeholders with a consistent method by which to evaluate performance.

While qualifying as a smaller reporting company with fewer disclosure requirements, the Board of Directors and leadership of the Company nonetheless have continued to provide an array of disclosures and reports as it remains committed to a high level of transparency, a practice it believes is in the best interests of the Company’s shareholders and other stakeholders.




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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Biographical information forThe Compensation Committee’s policy is to offer the executive officers of Natural Gas Services Group who are not Directors is set forth below. There are no family relationships between any Director or executive officercompetitive compensation packages that will permit us to attract and any other Director or executive officer. Executive officers serve at the discretion of the Board of Directorsretain individuals with superior abilities and until their successors have been duly electedto motivate and qualified, unless sooner removed by the Board of Directors. Officers are elected by the Board annually at its first meeting following the annual meeting of shareholders.

James R. Hazlett, 67, has served as Vice President-Technical Services since June 2005. He also served as Vice President of Sales of Screw Compression Systems, Inc. from 1997 until June 2007 when Screw Compression Systems, Inc. was merged into Natural Gas Services Group.  After the mergerreward such individuals in June 2007, Mr. Hazlett continues to remain employed by Natural Gas Services Group as Vice President-Technical Services.  From 1982 to 1996, Mr. Hazlett served in management roles for Ingersoll Rand/Dresser Rand, working with compression of all types in several different departments from sales and service to engineering. From 1978 to 1982, Mr. Hazlett was employed by the down-hole tool division of Hughes Tool, designing and installing gas lift and plunger systems. Mr. Hazlett holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University and has over 40 years of industry experience.

Micah C. Foster, 42, has served as our Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Corporate Secretary since his appointment on May 11, 2021. Mr. Foster has over 17 years of professional experiencean appropriate fashion in the energy industry and public accounting. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Foster served as the Chief Accounting Officer of Legacy Reserves Inc. and its predecessor Legacy Reserves LP, a publicly traded oil and natural gas production company from April 2012 to April 2020. Legacy Reserves Inc. filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code in July, 2019 and emerged from bankruptcy in December, 2019. Prior to his appointment as Chief Accounting Officer in 2012, Mr. Foster served in various roles for Legacy ranging from Financial Accountant to Corporate Controller. Prior to joining Legacy, Mr. Foster worked as a staff auditor and senior auditor for Ernst&Young, LLP from July 2003 to January 2006. Mr. Foster holds a BBA in Accounting and Finance from Abilene Christian University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

G. Larry Lawrence (a former officer), 70, served as our interim Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Corporate Secretary from January 5, 2021 to May 11, 2021. Mr. Lawrence also served as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary prior to his retirement from the Company on November 15, 2019. Mr. Lawrence was originally appointed to those positions on July 1, 2011. Previously, Mr. Lawrence was our Controller since September 2010. From June 2006 to August 2010, Mr. Lawrence was self-employed as a management consultant doing business as Crescent Consulting. Overlapping this time, from September 2006 to August 2009, he also served as the CFO of Lynx Operating Company. Lynx is a private company engaged in oil and gas production and gas processing activities. From May 2004 through April 2006, Mr. Lawrence served as Controller of Pure Resources, an exploration and production company and wholly owned subsidiary of Unocal Corporation which was acquired by Chevron Corporation. From June 2000 through May 2004, Mr. Lawrence was a practice manager of the Parson Group, LLC, a financial management consulting firm whose services included Sarbanes Oxley engagements with oil and natural gas industry clients. From 1973 through May 2000, Mr. Lawrence was employed by Atlantic Richfield Company, where he most recently (from 1993 through 2000) served as Controller of ARCO Permian. From May 2006 to December 2019, Mr. Lawrence served as a director of Legacy Reserves Inc. and its predecessor, Legacy Reserves LP. Mr. Lawrence currently serves as a Director of ProPetro Holding Corporation. Mr. Lawrence has a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting, with honors, from Dillard University.








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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION


Note From the Compensation Committee Chairperson
Fellow Shareholders:

As you consider your vote on Executive Compensation, we encourage you to review the information provided in this discussion of our Executive Compensation program. My colleagues on the Compensation Committee - in response to your concerns and suggestions - have worked diligently over the past year to improve our disclosures, respond to your concerns and recraft portions of our compensation program to better address your expectations.

As our Committee and the independent directors of the Company engage in a dialogue regarding the goals of our compensation program, we have focused on three tenets: encourage long-term accountability, reward outstanding performance and promote retention of highly-qualified leaders. Based on our discussions with many of you, we believe these core values should drive our compensation decisions.

As a relative newcomer to the Board of Directors and Chair of the Compensation Committee I am committed to making sure we maintain an open dialogue with all our stakeholders on issues related to compensation and governance. Throughout 2021, our committee and independent directors -as well as senior management - engaged with shareholders representing well over half of our institutional base to discuss Company operations, strategy and compensation matters. On behalf of the Compensation Committee, we appreciate the time and effort expended by each of you and your honesty and candor regarding our Company, our compensation program and, especially, the constructive suggestions made that will assist us in our continuing quest to improve all aspects of our business, especially our compensation program and communication with you.

While we believe this year’s discussion of Executive Compensation and changes made to our program are meaningful improvements in the Company’s policies, we will continue to evolve and adjust our program to ensure alignment with our core values as well as the best ideas from our stakeholders.

In addition to changes to our Executive Compensation program, we are asking shareholders to approve a modest addition of common shares to our 2019 Equity Incentive Plan. We believe this plan – which provides equity ownership to our executive leadership team and other associates – aligns the interests of our employees with our shareholders and serves as an excellent tool for retention of today’s – as well as tomorrow’s – highly qualified leaders.

On behalf of the Compensation Committee, I appreciate your support of Natural Gas Services Group and hope you will vote “FOR” Items 2its shareholders. Currently, executive compensation is comprised of salary and 3cash bonuses and awards of long-term incentive opportunities in this year’s proxy.the form of restricted stock or restricted stock unit awards under the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan, as well as other long-term incentives payable in cash.



Leslie Beyer
Chair,From January 1, 2022 through May 16, 2022, the members of the Compensation Committee were Leslie A. Beyer (Chairperson), David L. Bradshaw, and John Chisholm.In connection with Mr. Chisholm’s appointment on May 17, 2022, as an interim executive officer of the Company, Nigel J. Jenvey was appointed as a member of the Compensation Committee replacing Mr. Chisholm. Ms. Beyer resigned from our Board on April 28, 2023. Our Board has determined that all of the members of the Compensation Committee are independent, as defined under the applicable NYSE rules and listing standards.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

The Compensation Committee members are not officers or employees of our Company, and there is not, nor was there during fiscal 2022, any compensation committee interlock (in other words, no executive of our company serves as a Director or on the compensation committee of a company that has one or more executives serving on our Board or our Compensation Committee).

Any shareholder may obtain free of charge a printed copy of our Compensation Committee Charter by sending a written request to Investor Relations, Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705 or by visiting the “Governance” tab on the investor relations page of our website at www.ngsgi.com.


The Environmental, Social and Governance Committee

The primary functions of our Environmental, Social and Governance ("ESG") include:
overseeing the governance of the Board and its committees;
interpreting the Governance Guidelines, the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and other similar governance documents adopted by the Board;
overseeing the evaluation of the Board and its committees; and
developing, with input from executive leadership, the principles guiding our Environmental, Social and Governance efforts and monitoring our progress in meeting such principles.

From January 1, 2022 through May 16, 2022, the members of the ESG Committee were Nigel J. Jenvey (Chairman), David L. Bradshaw, and John W. Chisholm. In connection with Mr. Chisholm’s appointment on May 17, 2022, as an interim executive officer of the Company, Leslie A. Beyer was appointed as a member of the ESG Committee. Ms Beyer resigned from our Board on April 28, 2023. Our Board has determined that each of the ESG Committee members were and are independent, as defined under the applicable NYSE rules and listing standards.

Any shareholder may obtain free of charge a printed copy of our Environmental, Social and Governance Committee Charter by sending a written request to Investor Relations, Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705 or by visiting the “Governance” tab on the investor relations page of our website atwww.ngsgi.com.

The Nominating Committee

The primary functions of our Nominating Committee include:
identifying individuals qualified to become board members, consistent with the criteria approved by the Board;
recommending Director nominees and individuals to fill vacant positions; and
overseeing executive development and succession and diversity efforts.

From January 1, 2022 through May 16, 2022, the members of the Nominating Committee were Nigel J. Jenvey (Chairman), Leslie A. Beyer, and John W. Chisholm.In connection with Mr. Chisholm’s appointment on May 17, 2022, as an interim executive officer of the Company, David L. Bradshaw was appointed as a member of the Nominating Committee. Ms. Beyer resigned from our Board on April 28, 2023.Our Board of Directors has determined that each of the Nominating Committee members were and are independent as defined under the applicable NYSE rules and listing standards.

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Overview

This Compensation DiscussionAny shareholder may obtain free of charge a printed copy of our Nominating Committee Charter by sending a written request to Investor Relations, Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705 or by visiting the “Governance” tab on the investor relations page of our website atwww.ngsgi.com. The Committee’s goal is to nominate candidates who possess a range of experiences and Analysis (“CD&A”) is intended to assist shareholders in understanding the executive compensation relatingbackgrounds which will contribute to the named executive officers herein. board’s overall effectiveness in meeting its duties and forwarding the goals of our company.

The CD&ABoard is responsible for identifying individuals qualified to become Directors, and nominees are selected by the Board. The Board takes into account many factors, including being highly qualified in terms of business experience, finance and other disciplines relevant to the success of a supplement topublicly traded company in today’s business environment; understanding of the Company’s business on a technical level and should be usedthe industry in conjunctionwhich it competes; and educational and professional background. The Board evaluates each individual in the context of the Board as a whole, with the compensation tablesobjective of recommending a group that can best support the success of the business and, related narrativesbased on its diversity of experience and backgrounds, represent stockholder interests through the exercise of sound judgment.

The Nominating Committee will consider a Director candidate recommended by a shareholder. A candidate must be highly qualified based on the factors noted above and be both willing and expressly interested in serving on the Board. A shareholder wishing to recommend a candidate for the Committee’s consideration must follow Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 14a-8 or our advance notice provisions contained in our Bylaws. Please see "Shareholder Proposals" on page 57 of this Proxy Statement as well as Part IIIfor further information.

In order to streamline the committees, the Board is in process of combining the Nominating Committee and ESG Committee into a single committee.

Director Independence

The Board has determined that each of the following four current members of the Board is “independent” within the meaning of applicable listing standards of the NYSE and under the standards, set forth in Exhibit A to our annual report on Form 10-K filedGovernance Charter which are consistent with the United States SecuritiesNYSE listing standards: Nigel J. Jenvey, David L. Bradshaw, Justin C. Jacobs and Exchange Commission. For 2021Donald J. Tringali. The Board has made an affirmative determination that each of current Directors named above satisfies these categorical standards. In making its determination, the Board examined relationships between Directors or their affiliates with us and our named executive officers are:affiliates and determined that each such relationship, if any, did not impair the Director’s independence. A copy of Exhibit A to our Governance Charter is available at our website at www.ngsgi.com, under the heading “Investor Relations-Governance.”


Stephen C. Taylor,Board of Directors Diversity

The Company values diversity and the benefits that a diverse workforce can bring to the Company and to the Board of Directors. Diversity can promote the inclusion of different perspectives and ideas which can lead to more robust discussion regarding strategic and governance policy alternatives and, ultimately, result in better corporate governance and decision making.

The Company seeks to maintain a Board comprised of talented and dedicated Directors with a diverse mix of expertise, experience, skills and backgrounds. The skills and backgrounds collectively represented on the Board should reflect the diverse nature of the business environment in which the Company operates. As new members of the Board are considered, diversity considerations should include - but not be limited to - business expertise, geography, age, gender and ethnicity.

The Company is committed to a merit-based system for Board composition within a diverse and inclusive culture which solicits multiple perspectives and views and is free of conscious or unconscious bias. When assessing Board composition or identifying suitable candidates for appointment to the Board, the Company will consider candidates on merit with due consideration to the benefits of diversity and the needs of the Board. The Board and its Nominating Committee are especially cognizant of the benefits of gender and ethnic diversity and will continue to focus on important diversity metrics in future searches.

The Board’s Leadership Structure

Under our Corporate Governance Guidelines, our Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") also serves as our Chairman of the Board, and that person is responsible to the Board for the overall management and functioning of the company. Stephen C. Taylor serves as Chairman of the Board and currently serves as our Interim President and Chief Executive Officer.

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The Board believed this was the most effective Board leadership structure at the time and believed that Mr. Taylor, in his role as Chairman and CEO, had the ability to execute on both our short-term and long-term strategies necessary for the challenging marketplace in which we compete. The independent Directors believed that Mr. Taylor's detailed and in-depth knowledge of the issues, opportunities and challenges facing us and our business make him the best qualified Director to develop agendas that ensure that the Board’s time and attention are focused on the most critical matters. Further, as the individual with primary responsibility for managing day-to-day operations, Mr. Taylor was best positioned to chair regular Board meetings and ensure that key business issues and risks are brought to the attention of our Board and/or Audit Committee. Notwithstanding his interim status as an officer and employee of the Company, Mr. Taylor continued his position as Chairman of the Board.

Except as set forth below, each of our Directors, other than Mr. Taylor, was and is independent, and the Board believes that the independent Directors provide effective oversight of management. In connection with Mr. Chisholm's appointment as Interim Chief Executive Officer, under NYSE rules he was no longer be deemed independent while acting in that capacity. The Board may subsequently decide, however, to change that leadership structure which would require a revision to our Corporate Governance Guidelines. The Board believes that it has in place safeguards to ensure that we maintain the highest standards of corporate governance and continued accountability of the CEO to the Board. These safeguards include:

All members of the Board were and are independent Directors except for Mr. Taylor and John Chisholm after May 17, 2022.Mr. Chisholm retired from the Board on December 28, 2022.
The establishment of the Lead Director position, described below, which assumes the role of ensuring fair, open and independent discussions and decisions amongst the Board. John W. Chisholm served as Lead Director until he was appointed as our Interim Chief Executive Officer. After May 17, 2022, David Bradshaw assumed the role as our Lead Director.
Each of the Board’s standing committees, including the Audit, Compensation, ESG and Nominating Committees, are comprised of and chaired solely by non-employee Directors who meet the independence requirements under the NYSE listing standards and other governing laws and regulations. As noted above, these committees meet frequently.
A review and determination of Mr. Taylor’s compensation and performance remains within the purview of the Compensation Committee.
The independent Directors continue to meet in executive sessions without management present to discuss the effectiveness of the Company’s management, the quality of the Board meetings and any other issues and concerns.

Lead Director

To promote the independence of the Board and appropriate oversight of management and to demonstrate our commitment to strong corporate governance, the independent Directors designate an independent, non-employee Director to serve as our Lead Director. The Lead Director helps to facilitate free and open discussion and communication among the independent, non-employee Directors. The responsibilities of the Lead Director are set forth in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, which is available under “Investor Relations - Governance Documents” on our website at www.ngsgi.com. John W. Chisholm was appointed Lead Director in June 2020 until May 17, 2022, at which time David Bradshaw assumed the role as our Lead Director.

Role in Risk Oversight

Our Board of Directors oversees the management of risks inherent in the operation of our business and the implementation of our strategic plan. Our executive management is responsible for the day-to-day management of risks we face. The Board is periodically advised by management on the status of various factors that could impact our business and operating results, including oil and gas industry issues, operational issues (such as compressor manufacturing issues, backlog for compressor equipment etc.), legal and regulatory risks. The full Board is also responsible for reviewing our strategy, business plan, and capital expenditure budget.

Our Board committees assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities in certain areas of risk. Our Audit Committee serves an important role in providing risk oversight, as further detailed in its charter. One of the Audit Committee’s primary duties and responsibilities is to monitor the integrity of our financial statements, financial reporting processes, systems of internal controls regarding accounting, and disclosure controls and procedures. The Compensation Committee assists the Board with risk management relating to our compensation policies and programs, and the Governance and Nominating Committee assists with risk management relating to Board organization, membership and structure, succession planning for our Directors and executive officers, and corporate governance.
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Cooperation Agreement

On April 28, 2023, the Company entered into a Cooperation Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Mill Road Capital III, L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership, and Mill Road Capital III GP LLC, a Cayman Islands limited liability company (such parties collectively, the “Mill Road Parties”) pursuant to which the Company agreed to appoint Justin C. Jacobs and Donald J. Tringali (the “Appointed Directors”) to its Board and agreed to include the Appointed Directors as part of the Company’s slate of nominees for election to the Board at the 2023 annual meeting of shareholders.Mr. Tringali was appointed to fill an existing vacancy on the Board.In addition, in connection with the Agreement, on April 28, 2023, Leslie A. Beyer resigned from the Board and Mr. Jacobs was appointed to fill the vacancy on the Board in connection with her resignation.The Board determined that each of Messrs. Jacobs and Tringali satisfies the requirements to serve as an independent director of the Company under applicable requirements of the New York Stock Exchange.

As part of the Agreement, the Mill Road Parties agreed, among other things, (i) to customary standstill provisions, and(ii) to vote its shares in favor of the Board’s slate of directors at the Annual Meeting. In addition, the Company reimbursed the Mill Road Parties for documented out-of-pocket fees and expenses incurred in connection with the nomination of directors of the Company by the Mill Road Parties.The Cooperation Agreement also contains customary mutual non-disparagement provisions.

The cooperation period, including the standstill restrictions on the Mill Road Parties, will generally terminate the day after the 2025 deadline for shareholders to submit a notice to nominate one or more directors under the Company’s Bylaws; provided, however, if the Company does not irrevocably agree with the Mill Road Parties to re-nominate and support for re-election the Appointed Director whose term ends on the date of the 2025 annual meeting of shareholders at least 60 days before the 2025 nomination deadline to submit a notice to nominate one or more directors under the Company’s Bylaws, then the cooperation period will expire 30 days prior to the 2025 deadline.The standstill provisions may also terminate upon a breach of the Agreement by the Company or in connection with the public proposal of certain extraordinary corporate transactions.

The foregoing description of the Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Agreement which has been filed with the SEC on May 5, 2023 as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K.

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CODE OF ETHICS

Our Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (“Code”), whichis posted on our website at www.ngsgi.com. You may also obtain a copy of our Code by requesting a copy in writing at 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705 or by calling us at (432) 262-2700.

Our Code provides general statements of our expectations regarding ethical standards that we expect our Directors, officers and employees, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to adhere to while acting on our behalf. Among other things, the Code provides that:

we will comply with all laws, rules and regulations;
our Directors, officers and employees are to avoid conflicts of interest and are prohibited from competing with us or personally exploiting our corporate opportunities;
our Directors, officers and employees are to protect our assets and maintain our confidentiality;
we are committed to promoting values of integrity and fair dealing; and that
we are committed to accurately maintaining our accounting records under generally accepted accounting principles and timely filing our periodic reports.

Our Code also contains procedures for our employees to report, anonymously or otherwise, violations of the Code.





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SHAREHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

The Company's Board of Directors and executive management believes that building long-term relationships with all Company stakeholders is vital to meeting our corporate governance goals, and to stand in support of our commercial success. Our shareholders, who invest in our Company and elect the Board, are entitled to important information about the Company's business, policies and practices so they can make informed decisions and knowledgeably participate in the governance process.

During 2022 and continuing to date in 2023, the Company’s executive management has engaged shareholders primarily through quarterly conference calls and individual calls and meetings, whether initiated by management or the shareholders themselves. It is our policy to actively engage our shareholders in dialogue about our financial and operational trends, the structure of our business, and certain governance issues, including executive compensation.

In connection with these shareholder communication, we were able to discuss issues with many of our largest institutional shareholders and with other current and prospective shareholders. Issues discussed with shareholders included, among other things, the following:

Outlook for the oil and natural gas industry amid political pressure to curtail domestic drilling.
Increased activity in our oil shale operating areas and the Company’s plans to position itself for opportunities.
The establishment of a larger credit line and the Company’s plans for its use.
The Company’s continuing strategy to increase its share of the large horsepower gas compression rental market.
Stephen C. Taylor’s retirement as President and Chief Executive Officer and Company plans going forward.
Micah C. Foster, Vice PresidentManagement and Chief Financial OfficerBoard transition.
James R. Hazlett, Vice President of Technical ServicesNew equipment designs that incorporate various environmental controls.
G. Larry Lawrence,
During these discussions, the Company actively solicited shareholders’ views on key corporate governance issues including executive compensation and Environmental, Social and Governance issues.

Overall, the Company engages our former interim Chief Financial Officer

Summary of Business Highlights for 2021

While we discuss our operational and financial performance in more detail elsewhere in this Proxy as well as in our annual reportshareholders on Form 10-Ka regular basis. In addition to periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Compensation Committee consideredCompany holds quarterly conference calls to discuss interim financial and operational results with its stakeholders, participates in several industry conferences which are available to Company stakeholders in person or via various public online platforms and meets with shareholders in person throughout the year. The Company believes that its consistent and continuous shareholder engagement strategy has created an environment in which shareholders are comfortable in providing candid feedback and critique of the Company’s operations, governance and executive compensation policies.

Additionally, independent Directors have taken a proactive approach in participating in shareholder engagement efforts resulting from feedback received from shareholders and proxy advisory services. Independent Directors continue to regularly review the Company’s shareholder outreach and communication programs and participate as appropriate. The Company anticipates continuing to increase the role of independent Directors in appropriate stakeholder outreach programs.

All shareholder information is publicly disseminated in the form of periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, press releases and information on the Company’s website, including the investor relations section.

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CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY

Natural Gas Services Group believes that effective corporate governance is a combination of oversight, responsiveness and positioning of our business operations on a day-to-day basis with a focus on mitigation of our environmental impact, accountability in corporate governance and progress in our social policies.

Our Board of Directors believes that integrating these factors to completevalues into our compensation program for 2021 and setting the compensation program for 2022.

Operational Highlights of 2021

We continued to adjust oureveryday business practices creates a holistic approach to work in response togood governance and best aligns the COVID-19 pandemic. We continued our stay-at-home work policies for muchinterests of our office personnelleadership team, our employees and added additional healththe Company’s other stakeholders. Moreover, as a smaller company, our holistic approach and safety measuresconsistent focus on these important tenets allows us to protectfocus on continuous improvement without an untenable financial impact, providing a mechanism to optimize the interests of all stakeholders.

Further demonstrating our field personnel. That said, we were ablecommitment to maintain high operational standards while preservingESG matters, the health and welfareBoard of our team.
We continued our penetration into the high horsepower market through the addition of 65 new rental fleet units that totaled 18,035 HP with 38% of this being classified as larger horsepower. We also increased our average rental fleet horsepower to 207 horsepower per unit. This is an increase of 43% per unit since 2017.
NGS recorded a TRIR (Total Recordable Incident Rate) of 0.63 in 2021. This is an OSHA approved calculation that conveys the number of recordable injuries for every 200,000 man-hours worked in the year.
Through the creation ofDirectors chartered the Environmental, Social and Governance Committee to proactively engage with management and other NGS stakeholders on key ESG issues. The Committee, chaired by director Nigel J. Jenvey – a leader in environmental issues in the energy industry – will focus on continuous improvement of the Company’s ESG programs and policies.

Our Environmental Initiatives

We continuously work to eliminate or mitigate our impact on the environment through our innovative product designs, focus on reducing our environmental footprint across all operations, and remediation of our impact through control mechanisms and technologies in all aspects of our business. In addition, our innovation in product design and service delivery systems is intended to support the sustainability goals and initiatives of our customers.

The design and construction of our corporate headquarters in Midland is an example of our commitment to environmental stewardship. Our state-of-the art headquarters include the use of “daylight harvesting” technologies; “smart lighting” that use artificial intelligence to determine office occupancy times and adjust light accordingly; and advanced mechanical systems including variable refrigerant flow systems and energy recovery systems; and high-performance glass and advanced solar shades that reduce glare and heat gain. These are significant capital investments for a company our size that will have a long-term impact on our environmental footprint.
In addition, we strive to continuously improve the environmental footprint of our core compression equipment and services with new technology and innovations that focus on best-in-class emissions and impact on the environment. Recent innovations include:

We have and continue to pursue the most energy efficient and emissions-controlled engine systems available for our compression equipment. All of our engines have the latest catalytic technology and air-fuel ratio (AFR) controllers to provide the cleanest fuel burn available, well exceeding EPA standards. These advanced systems continuously monitor multiple engine and compressor parameters to ensure optimum engine emissions efficiencies and adjust to varying fuel quality available from wellhead production.
To ensure consistent efficient engine performance, we have invested in state-of-the-art emissions detection equipment to ensure our engines exceed all state and federal air emissions regulations. Additionally, we perform preventative maintenance on all engine systems twice per quarter and comprehensive emissions tests to ensure optimum performance. The company is acutely focused on reducing our environmental impact on noise, emissions and carbon footprint.
Our compressor units are equipped with advanced safety and containment features that provide for safe containment and disposal of used oils, antifreeze and other fluids. Skid containment rails and fluid dumps are manifolded together to mitigate the risk of fluid spills and environmental leaks as a result of operating error or system failures. Active monitoring systems provide further assurance of safe and optimal operations.
In our mechanical compression packages, we have meaningfully reduced our oil consumption and associated disposal issues with a unique engine and compressor lubricating system.
In our Michigan service location, we have installed two oil burner systems which allows us to efficiently recycle waste oil into energy and heat capacity for our service facility.
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We also work with our customers and suppliers toward policies and processes that reduce the environmental impact of our work. We continuously engage with our top customers to share best practices, new technologies and operating innovations that can be implemented to improve our collective environmental footprint.
The Board of Directors we elevated both actionregularly considers new technologies to further reduce the Company’s environmental footprint and visibility on our efforts on key ESG initiatives.

Financial Highlights of 2021
Whilehas directed Company leadership to evaluate further opportunities for reducing the overall compression industry remained anemic, NGS delivered 5% higher rental revenue than the prior year and 6% higher overall revenue.
In a market that continued to pressure margins, we generated cash flow from operations of $28.5 million in 2021. We provided conversion of revenue to operating cash flow of 39%; for every dollar of revenue collected, over one-third was available as cash to the Company.
NGS ended 2021 with $22.9 million in cashimpact on the balance sheet and no debt while repurchasing 737,405 shares of our outstanding common stock for approximately $7.9 million.environment.


The Compensation Committee


The primary functions of our Compensation Committee include:

assisting the Board in overseeing the management of our human resources;
evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance and compensation;
formulating and administering our overall compensation principles and plans; and
evaluating management.

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The Compensation Committee’s policy is to offer the executive officers competitive compensation packages that will permit us to attract and retain individuals with superior abilities and to motivate and reward such individuals in an appropriate fashion in the long-term interests of Natural Gas Services Group and its shareholders. Currently, executive compensation is comprised of salary and cash bonuses and awards of long-term incentive opportunities in the form of restricted stock or restricted stock unit awards under the 2019 Equity Incentive Plan, as well as other long-term incentives payable in cash.

From January 1, 2022 through May 16, 2022, the members of the Compensation Committee were Leslie A. Beyer (Chairperson), David L. Bradshaw, and John Chisholm.In connection with Mr. Chisholm’s appointment on May 17, 2022, as an interim executive officer of the Company, Nigel J. Jenvey was appointed as a member of the Compensation Committee replacing Mr. Chisholm. Ms. Beyer resigned from our Board on April 28, 2023. Our Board has determined that all of the members of the Compensation Committee are independent, as defined under the applicable NYSE rules and listing standards.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

The Compensation Committee members are not officers or employees of our Company, and there is not, nor was there during fiscal 2022, any compensation committee interlock (in other words, no executive of our company serves as a Director or on the compensation committee of a company that has one or more executives serving on our Board or our Compensation Committee).

Any shareholder may obtain free of charge a printed copy of our Compensation Committee Charter by sending a written request to Investor Relations, Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705 or by visiting the “Governance” tab on the investor relations page of our website at www.ngsgi.com.

The Environmental, Social and Governance Committee

The primary functions of our Environmental, Social and Governance ("ESG") include:
overseeing the governance of the Board and its committees;
interpreting the Governance Guidelines, the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and other similar governance documents adopted by the Board;
overseeing the evaluation of the Board and its committees; and
developing, with input from executive leadership, the principles guiding our Environmental, Social and Governance efforts and monitoring our progress in meeting such principles.

From January 1, 2022 through May 16, 2022, the members of the ESG Committee were Nigel J. Jenvey (Chairman), David L. Bradshaw, and John W. Chisholm. In connection with Mr. Chisholm’s appointment on May 17, 2022, as an interim executive officer of the Company, Leslie A. Beyer was appointed as a member of the ESG Committee. Ms Beyer resigned from our Board on April 28, 2023. Our Board has determined that each of the ESG Committee members were and are independent, as defined under the applicable NYSE rules and listing standards.

Any shareholder may obtain free of charge a printed copy of our Environmental, Social and Governance Committee Charter by sending a written request to Investor Relations, Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705 or by visiting the “Governance” tab on the investor relations page of our website atwww.ngsgi.com.

The Nominating Committee

The primary functions of our Nominating Committee include:
identifying individuals qualified to become board members, consistent with the criteria approved by the Board;
recommending Director nominees and individuals to fill vacant positions; and
overseeing executive development and succession and diversity efforts.

From January 1, 2022 through May 16, 2022, the members of the Nominating Committee were Nigel J. Jenvey (Chairman), Leslie A. Beyer, and John W. Chisholm.In connection with Mr. Chisholm’s appointment on May 17, 2022, as an interim executive officer of the Company, David L. Bradshaw was appointed as a member of the Nominating Committee. Ms. Beyer resigned from our Board on April 28, 2023.Our Board of Directors has determined that each of the Nominating Committee members were and are independent as defined under the applicable NYSE rules and listing standards.
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Any shareholder may obtain free of charge a printed copy of our Nominating Committee Charter by sending a written request to Investor Relations, Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705 or by visiting the “Governance” tab on the investor relations page of our website atwww.ngsgi.com. The Committee’s goal is to nominate candidates who possess a range of experiences and backgrounds which will contribute to the board’s overall effectiveness in meeting its duties and forwarding the goals of our company.

The Board is responsible for identifying individuals qualified to become Directors, and nominees are selected by the Board. The Board takes into account many factors, including being highly qualified in terms of business experience, finance and other disciplines relevant to the success of a publicly traded company in today’s business environment; understanding of the Company’s business on a technical level and the industry in which it competes; and educational and professional background. The Board evaluates each individual in the context of the Board as a whole, with the objective of recommending a group that can best support the success of the business and, based on its diversity of experience and backgrounds, represent stockholder interests through the exercise of sound judgment.

The Nominating Committee will consider a Director candidate recommended by a shareholder. A candidate must be highly qualified based on the factors noted above and be both willing and expressly interested in serving on the Board. A shareholder wishing to recommend a candidate for the Committee’s consideration must follow Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 14a-8 or our advance notice provisions contained in our Bylaws. Please see "Shareholder Proposals" on page 57 of this Proxy Statement for further information.

In order to streamline the committees, the Board is in process of combining the Nominating Committee and ESG Committee into a single committee.

Director Independence

The Board has determined that each of the following four current members of the Board is “independent” within the meaning of applicable listing standards of the NYSE and under the standards, set forth in Exhibit A to our Governance Charter which are consistent with the NYSE listing standards: Nigel J. Jenvey, David L. Bradshaw, Justin C. Jacobs and Donald J. Tringali. The Board has made an affirmative determination that each of current Directors named above satisfies these categorical standards. In making its determination, the Board examined relationships between Directors or their affiliates with us and our affiliates and determined that each such relationship, if any, did not impair the Director’s independence. A copy of Exhibit A to our Governance Charter is available at our website at www.ngsgi.com, under the heading “Investor Relations-Governance.”

Board of Directors Diversity

The Company values diversity and the benefits that a diverse workforce can bring to the Company and to the Board of Directors. Diversity can promote the inclusion of different perspectives and ideas which can lead to more robust discussion regarding strategic and governance policy alternatives and, ultimately, result in better corporate governance and decision making.

The Company seeks to maintain a Board comprised of talented and dedicated Directors with a diverse mix of expertise, experience, skills and backgrounds. The skills and backgrounds collectively represented on the Board should reflect the diverse nature of the business environment in which the Company operates. As new members of the Board are considered, diversity considerations should include - but not be limited to - business expertise, geography, age, gender and ethnicity.

The Company is committed to a merit-based system for Board composition within a diverse and inclusive culture which solicits multiple perspectives and views and is free of conscious or unconscious bias. When assessing Board composition or identifying suitable candidates for appointment to the Board, the Company will consider candidates on merit with due consideration to the benefits of diversity and the needs of the Board. The Board and its Nominating Committee are especially cognizant of the benefits of gender and ethnic diversity and will continue to focus on important diversity metrics in future searches.

The Board’s Leadership Structure

Under our Corporate Governance Guidelines, our Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") also serves as our Chairman of the Board, and that person is responsible to the Board for the overall management and functioning of the company. Stephen C. Taylor serves as Chairman of the Board and currently serves as our Interim President and Chief Executive Officer.

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The Board believed this was the most effective Board leadership structure at the time and believed that Mr. Taylor, in his role as Chairman and CEO, had the ability to execute on both our short-term and long-term strategies necessary for the challenging marketplace in which we compete. The independent Directors believed that Mr. Taylor's detailed and in-depth knowledge of the issues, opportunities and challenges facing us and our business make him the best qualified Director to develop agendas that ensure that the Board’s time and attention are focused on the most critical matters. Further, as the individual with primary responsibility for managing day-to-day operations, Mr. Taylor was best positioned to chair regular Board meetings and ensure that key business issues and risks are brought to the attention of our Board and/or Audit Committee. Notwithstanding his interim status as an officer and employee of the Company, Mr. Taylor continued his position as Chairman of the Board.

Except as set forth below, each of our Directors, other than Mr. Taylor, was and is independent, and the Board believes that the independent Directors provide effective oversight of management. In connection with Mr. Chisholm's appointment as Interim Chief Executive Officer, under NYSE rules he was no longer be deemed independent while acting in that capacity. The Board may subsequently decide, however, to change that leadership structure which would require a revision to our Corporate Governance Guidelines. The Board believes that it has in place safeguards to ensure that we maintain the highest standards of corporate governance and continued accountability of the CEO to the Board. These safeguards include:

All members of the Board were and are independent Directors except for Mr. Taylor and John Chisholm after May 17, 2022.Mr. Chisholm retired from the Board on December 28, 2022.
The establishment of the Lead Director position, described below, which assumes the role of ensuring fair, open and independent discussions and decisions amongst the Board. John W. Chisholm served as Lead Director until he was appointed as our Interim Chief Executive Officer. After May 17, 2022, David Bradshaw assumed the role as our Lead Director.
Each of the Board’s standing committees, including the Audit, Compensation, ESG and Nominating Committees, are comprised of and chaired solely by non-employee Directors who meet the independence requirements under the NYSE listing standards and other governing laws and regulations. As noted above, these committees meet frequently.
A review and determination of Mr. Taylor’s compensation and performance remains within the purview of the Compensation Committee.
The independent Directors continue to meet in executive sessions without management present to discuss the effectiveness of the Company’s management, the quality of the Board meetings and any other issues and concerns.

Lead Director

To promote the independence of the Board and appropriate oversight of management and to demonstrate our commitment to strong corporate governance, the independent Directors designate an independent, non-employee Director to serve as our Lead Director. The Lead Director helps to facilitate free and open discussion and communication among the independent, non-employee Directors. The responsibilities of the Lead Director are set forth in our Corporate Governance Guidelines, which is available under “Investor Relations - Governance Documents” on our website at www.ngsgi.com. John W. Chisholm was appointed Lead Director in June 2020 until May 17, 2022, at which time David Bradshaw assumed the role as our Lead Director.

Role in Risk Oversight

Our Board of Directors oversees the management of risks inherent in the operation of our business and the implementation of our strategic plan. Our executive management is responsible for the day-to-day management of risks we face. The Board is periodically advised by management on the status of various factors that could impact our business and operating results, including oil and gas industry issues, operational issues (such as compressor manufacturing issues, backlog for compressor equipment etc.), legal and regulatory risks. The full Board is also responsible for reviewing our strategy, business plan, and capital expenditure budget.

Our Board committees assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities in certain areas of risk. Our Audit Committee serves an important role in providing risk oversight, as further detailed in its charter. One of the Audit Committee’s primary duties and responsibilities is to monitor the integrity of our financial statements, financial reporting processes, systems of internal controls regarding accounting, and disclosure controls and procedures. The Compensation Committee assists the Board with risk management relating to our compensation policies and programs, and the Governance and Nominating Committee assists with risk management relating to Board organization, membership and structure, succession planning for our Directors and executive officers, and corporate governance.
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Cooperation Agreement

On April 28, 2023, the Company entered into a Cooperation Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Mill Road Capital III, L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership, and Mill Road Capital III GP LLC, a Cayman Islands limited liability company (such parties collectively, the “Mill Road Parties”) pursuant to which the Company agreed to appoint Justin C. Jacobs and Donald J. Tringali (the “Appointed Directors”) to its Board and agreed to include the Appointed Directors as part of the Company’s slate of nominees for election to the Board at the 2023 annual meeting of shareholders.Mr. Tringali was appointed to fill an existing vacancy on the Board.In addition, in connection with the Agreement, on April 28, 2023, Leslie A. Beyer resigned from the Board and Mr. Jacobs was appointed to fill the vacancy on the Board in connection with her resignation.The Board determined that each of Messrs. Jacobs and Tringali satisfies the requirements to serve as an independent director of the Company under applicable requirements of the New York Stock Exchange.

As part of the Agreement, the Mill Road Parties agreed, among other things, (i) to customary standstill provisions, and(ii) to vote its shares in favor of the Board’s slate of directors at the Annual Meeting. In addition, the Company reimbursed the Mill Road Parties for documented out-of-pocket fees and expenses incurred in connection with the nomination of directors of the Company by the Mill Road Parties.The Cooperation Agreement also contains customary mutual non-disparagement provisions.

The cooperation period, including the standstill restrictions on the Mill Road Parties, will generally terminate the day after the 2025 deadline for shareholders to submit a notice to nominate one or more directors under the Company’s Bylaws; provided, however, if the Company does not irrevocably agree with the Mill Road Parties to re-nominate and support for re-election the Appointed Director whose term ends on the date of the 2025 annual meeting of shareholders at least 60 days before the 2025 nomination deadline to submit a notice to nominate one or more directors under the Company’s Bylaws, then the cooperation period will expire 30 days prior to the 2025 deadline.The standstill provisions may also terminate upon a breach of the Agreement by the Company or in connection with the public proposal of certain extraordinary corporate transactions.

The foregoing description of the Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Agreement which has been filed with the SEC on May 5, 2023 as an exhibit to a Current Report on Form 8-K.

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CODE OF ETHICS

Our Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (“Code”), whichis posted on our website at www.ngsgi.com. You may also obtain a copy of our Code by requesting a copy in writing at 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705 or by calling us at (432) 262-2700.

Our Code provides general statements of our expectations regarding ethical standards that we expect our Directors, officers and employees, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to adhere to while acting on our behalf. Among other things, the Code provides that:

we will comply with all laws, rules and regulations;
our Directors, officers and employees are to avoid conflicts of interest and are prohibited from competing with us or personally exploiting our corporate opportunities;
our Directors, officers and employees are to protect our assets and maintain our confidentiality;
we are committed to promoting values of integrity and fair dealing; and that
we are committed to accurately maintaining our accounting records under generally accepted accounting principles and timely filing our periodic reports.

Our Code also contains procedures for our employees to report, anonymously or otherwise, violations of the Code.





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SHAREHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

The Company's Board of Directors and executive management believes that building long-term relationships with all Company stakeholders is vital to meeting our corporate governance goals, and to stand in support of our commercial success. Our shareholders, who invest in our Company and elect the Board, are entitled to important information about the Company's business, policies and practices so they can make informed decisions and knowledgeably participate in the governance process.

During 2022 and continuing to date in 2023, the Company’s executive management has engaged shareholders primarily through quarterly conference calls and individual calls and meetings, whether initiated by management or the shareholders themselves. It is our policy to actively engage our shareholders in dialogue about our financial and operational trends, the structure of our business, and certain governance issues, including executive compensation.

In connection with these shareholder communication, we were able to discuss issues with many of our largest institutional shareholders and with other current and prospective shareholders. Issues discussed with shareholders included, among other things, the following:

Outlook for the oil and natural gas industry amid political pressure to curtail domestic drilling.
Increased activity in our oil shale operating areas and the Company’s plans to position itself for opportunities.
The establishment of a larger credit line and the Company’s plans for its use.
The Company’s continuing strategy to increase its share of the large horsepower gas compression rental market.
Stephen C. Taylor’s retirement as President and Chief Executive Officer and Company plans going forward.
Management and Board transition.
New equipment designs that incorporate various environmental controls.

During these discussions, the Company actively solicited shareholders’ views on key corporate governance issues including executive compensation and Environmental, Social and Governance issues.

Overall, the Company engages our shareholders on a regular basis. In addition to periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Company holds quarterly conference calls to discuss interim financial and operational results with its stakeholders, participates in several industry conferences which are available to Company stakeholders in person or via various public online platforms and meets with shareholders in person throughout the year. The Company believes that its consistent and continuous shareholder engagement strategy has created an environment in which shareholders are comfortable in providing candid feedback and critique of the Company’s operations, governance and executive compensation policies.

Additionally, independent Directors have taken a proactive approach in participating in shareholder engagement efforts resulting from feedback received from shareholders and proxy advisory services. Independent Directors continue to regularly review the Company’s shareholder outreach and communication programs and participate as appropriate. The Company anticipates continuing to increase the role of independent Directors in appropriate stakeholder outreach programs.

All shareholder information is publicly disseminated in the form of periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, press releases and information on the Company’s website, including the investor relations section.

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CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY

Natural Gas Services Group believes that effective corporate governance is a combination of oversight, responsiveness and positioning of our business operations on a day-to-day basis with a focus on mitigation of our environmental impact, accountability in corporate governance and progress in our social policies.

Our Board of Directors believes that integrating these values into our everyday business practices creates a holistic approach to good governance and best aligns the interests of our leadership team, our employees and the Company’s other stakeholders. Moreover, as a smaller company, our holistic approach and consistent focus on these important tenets allows us to focus on continuous improvement without an untenable financial impact, providing a mechanism to optimize the interests of all stakeholders.

Further demonstrating our commitment to ESG matters, the Board of Directors chartered the Environmental, Social and Governance Committee to proactively engage with management and other NGS stakeholders on key ESG issues. The Committee, chaired by director Nigel J. Jenvey – a leader in environmental issues in the energy industry – will focus on continuous improvement of the Company’s ESG programs and policies.

Our Environmental Initiatives

We continuously work to eliminate or mitigate our impact on the environment through our innovative product designs, focus on reducing our environmental footprint across all operations, and remediation of our impact through control mechanisms and technologies in all aspects of our business. In addition, our innovation in product design and service delivery systems is intended to support the sustainability goals and initiatives of our customers.

The design and construction of our corporate headquarters in Midland is an example of our commitment to environmental stewardship. Our state-of-the art headquarters include the use of “daylight harvesting” technologies; “smart lighting” that use artificial intelligence to determine office occupancy times and adjust light accordingly; and advanced mechanical systems including variable refrigerant flow systems and energy recovery systems; and high-performance glass and advanced solar shades that reduce glare and heat gain. These are significant capital investments for a company our size that will have a long-term impact on our environmental footprint.
In addition, we strive to continuously improve the environmental footprint of our core compression equipment and services with new technology and innovations that focus on best-in-class emissions and impact on the environment. Recent innovations include:

We have and continue to pursue the most energy efficient and emissions-controlled engine systems available for our compression equipment. All of our engines have the latest catalytic technology and air-fuel ratio (AFR) controllers to provide the cleanest fuel burn available, well exceeding EPA standards. These advanced systems continuously monitor multiple engine and compressor parameters to ensure optimum engine emissions efficiencies and adjust to varying fuel quality available from wellhead production.
To ensure consistent efficient engine performance, we have invested in state-of-the-art emissions detection equipment to ensure our engines exceed all state and federal air emissions regulations. Additionally, we perform preventative maintenance on all engine systems twice per quarter and comprehensive emissions tests to ensure optimum performance. The company is acutely focused on reducing our environmental impact on noise, emissions and carbon footprint.
Our compressor units are equipped with advanced safety and containment features that provide for safe containment and disposal of used oils, antifreeze and other fluids. Skid containment rails and fluid dumps are manifolded together to mitigate the risk of fluid spills and environmental leaks as a result of operating error or system failures. Active monitoring systems provide further assurance of safe and optimal operations.
In our mechanical compression packages, we have meaningfully reduced our oil consumption and associated disposal issues with a unique engine and compressor lubricating system.
In our Michigan service location, we have installed two oil burner systems which allows us to efficiently recycle waste oil into energy and heat capacity for our service facility.
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We also work with our customers and suppliers toward policies and processes that reduce the environmental impact of our work. We continuously engage with our top customers to share best practices, new technologies and operating innovations that can be implemented to improve our collective environmental footprint.
The Board of Directors regularly considers new technologies to further reduce the Company’s environmental footprint and has directed Company leadership to evaluate further opportunities for reducing the impact on the environment.

Our Social Initiatives

In 2022, we invested in significant employee training and development. While the COVID-19 pandemic created unique challenges related to employment and hiring, the Company remains committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce with both executive management and the Board of Directors focused on ensuring equality of opportunity in all our human resources practices. As of the end of 2022, substantially all of our office employees are working on-site.

The Company also believes that workplace and workforce safety is a hallmark of our social responsibility initiatives. As a result, we also incorporate our Health, Safety, Environment and Quality (“HSEQ”) initiatives into these programs and policies. In addition to the protection of the environment, we are steadfastly committed to the safety of our employees and other stakeholders as well as the physical and mental well-being of all members of the NGS family. Our commitment centers on mitigating risks to employees and those with whom they interact and maintaining safe work environments and procedures. Our focus on regular, required safety and procedure training helps ensure a consistent and safe work environment. Our strong safety program has allowed us to consistently post one of the lowest Total Recordable Incident Rates (“TRIR”) in the industry.

Our Governance Initiatives

The Environmental, Social and Governance Committee of the Board of Directors is an important step and indication of the Company’s commitment to continuous improvement in corporate governance and responsibility.

This Committee was chartered to be proactive in assisting the Board and Company leadership in its oversight of ESG-related policies and issues affecting Natural Gas Services Group, its stockholders, employees, customers and the communities in which the Company operates. We believe that the integration of our environmental and social initiatives with our governance responsibilities is the best way to optimize our commitment to being an industry leader in corporate responsibility.

In addition to the ESG Committee, our Audit Committee is engaged in independently reviewing the Company’s financial governance practices for accuracy and transparency as well as ensuring they provide the Company stakeholders with a consistent method by which to evaluate performance.

While qualifying as a smaller reporting company with fewer disclosure requirements, the Board of Directors and leadership of the Company nonetheless have continued to provide an array of disclosures and reports as it remains committed to a high level of transparency, a practice it believes is in the best interests of the Company’s shareholders and other stakeholders.


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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Biographical information for the executive officers of Natural Gas Services Group who are not Directors is set forth below. There are no family relationships between any Director or executive officer and any other Director or executive officer. Executive officers serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors and until their successors have been duly elected and qualified, unless sooner removed by the Board of Directors. Officers are elected by the Board annually at its first meeting following the Annual Meeting of shareholders.

James R. Hazlett, 68, currently our Chief Technical Officer, has served in this capacity and as our Vice President-Technical Services since June 2005. He also served as Vice President of Sales of Screw Compression Systems, Inc. from 1997 until June 2007 when Screw Compression Systems, Inc. was merged into Natural Gas Services Group. After the merger in June 2007, Mr. Hazlett continues to remain employed by Natural Gas Services Group as Vice President-Technical Services. From 1982 to 1996, Mr. Hazlett served in management roles for Ingersoll Rand/Dresser Rand, working with compression of all types in several different departments from sales and service to engineering. From 1978 to 1982, Mr. Hazlett was employed by the down-hole tool division of Hughes Tool, designing and installing gas lift and plunger systems. Mr. Hazlett holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University and has over 40 years of industry experience.

Until February 28, 2023, Micah C. Foster, 43, served as our Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Corporate Secretary since his appointment on May 11, 2021. Mr. Foster has over 18 years of professional experience in the energy industry and public accounting. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Foster served as the Chief Accounting Officer of Legacy Reserves Inc. and its predecessor Legacy Reserves LP, a publicly traded oil and natural gas production company from April 2012 to April 2020. Legacy Reserves Inc. filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code in July, 2019 and emerged from bankruptcy in December, 2019. Prior to his appointment as Chief Accounting Officer in 2012, Mr. Foster served in various roles for Legacy ranging from Financial Accountant to Corporate Controller. Prior to joining Legacy, Mr. Foster worked as a staff auditor and senior auditor for Ernst & Young, LLP from July 2003 to January 2006. Mr. Foster holds a BBA in Accounting and Finance from Abilene Christian University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

As a result of Mr. Foster’s announced resignation, on February 8, 2023, James D. Faircloth entered into an employment agreement with the Company, effective February 13, 2022, to serve as Interim Chief Financial Officer until such time as a permanent Chief Financial Officer can be hired.Mr. Faircloth, 73, has approximately 25 years of public accounting audit experience and approximately 25 years of accounting experience serving primarily public and privately owned entities.In 2004, Mr. Faircloth joined Johnson, Miller & Co., CPA’s PC as an audit supervisor and became an audit partner in 2008 and served in that capacity until September 2020, at which time Johnson, Miller & Co. merged with Whitley Penn LLP, a public accounting firm, where Mr. Faircloth subsequently retired as an Audit Principal in June 2021.From 1980 through 2004, Mr. Faircloth served various public and privately owned entities as chief executive, chief financial officer or financial accounting consultant.From 1972 to 1980, Mr.Faircloth was an auditor with Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. (now KPMG LLP) serving mostly public and privately owned oil and gas entities.Mr. Faircloth holds a BBA in Accounting from Hardin-Simmons University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and has been a Certified Public Accountant in Texas since 1974.


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EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Note From the Compensation Committee

Fellow Shareholders:

As you consider your vote on Executive Compensation, we encourage you to review the following Compensation Discussion and Analysis (CD&A) information provided in this discussion of our Executive Compensation program. The independent directors that comprised the Compensation Committee during 2022 were committed to best-in-class governance of the Company’s executive compensation program, including the furnishing of this CD&A which is not required as a Smaller Reporting Company. The Compensation Committee continued its diligent work throughout fiscal 2022, meeting numerous times as it ensured proper governance of the Company’s compensation programs through multiple leadership transitions and continued to enhance the Company’s programs and disclosures in response to concerns and suggestions noted by shareholder and shareholder advisory groups in recent years. Going forward, the Committee believes the Company’s executive compensation program better addresses shareholder expectations, aligns with market best practices and supports the Company’s go-forward strategy.

As the Compensation Committee engaged in dialogue over the past year regarding the goals of our compensation program, we focused on three tenets that support our compensation philosophy:
encourage long-term accountability;
reward outstanding performance; and,
provide market competitive pay opportunities that promote attraction and retention of highly-qualified leaders.

As evidenced in prior discussions with many of our shareholders, we believe these core values are appropriate drivers of our compensation decisions.

The Compensation Committee is committed to making sure it maintains an open dialogue with all our stakeholders on issues related to compensation and governance. Throughout 2022, our Committee - as well as senior management - engaged with various shareholders to discuss Company operations, strategy and compensation matters. The Compensation Committee appreciates the time and effort that has been expended by each of you in recent years and your honesty and candor regarding our Company, our compensation program and, especially, the constructive suggestions made that will assist us in our continuing quest to enhance our business and maximize value creation for all stakeholders.

The Company operated in an extremely dynamic environment in 2022, and this year’s discussion of Executive Compensation and the decisions made by the Compensation Committee reflect that reality. As the Company navigates the volatile operating environment and establishes a foundation in go-forward leadership team dynamics, we commit to continued evolutions of our compensation program that will ensure maintained alignment with our core values, reflect market best practices where appropriate, and align with feedback from our stakeholders.

The Compensation Committee appreciates your support of Natural Gas Services Group and your affirmational vote “FOR” Item 2 in this year’s proxy.


The Compensation Committee For 2022
Natural Gas Services Group, Inc.
Leslie A. Beyer, Chairman
David L. Bradshaw
Nigel J. Jenvey











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Compensation Discussion and Analysis

Overview

This Compensation Discussion and Analysis (“CD&A”) is intended to assist shareholders in understanding the executive compensation relating to the named executive officers herein. The CD&A is a supplement to and should be used in conjunction with the compensation tables and related narratives of this Proxy Statement. The following executive officers served as Named Executive Officers during fiscal year 2022:

Stephen C. Taylor, Chairman of the Board, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer
Micah C. Foster, Former Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
James R. Hazlett, Vice President of Technical Services and Chief Technical Officer
John W. Chisholm, Former Interim President and Chief Executive Officer

Leadership Transition in 2022 and early 2023

The Company had a unique year in 2022 and early 2023 regarding management transition which is summarized below:

On May 17, 2022, Mr. Stephen Taylor, the Company’s then President and Chief Executive Office, entered into a Retirement Agreement, whereby Mr. Taylor resigned as President and Chief Executive Officer and agreed to continue employment as an employee until June 30, 2023.

On May 17, 2022, in connection with Mr. Taylor’s retirement, Mr. John W. Chisholm, a member of the Company’s Board of Directors, was appointed by the Company’s Board of Directors as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

On November 11, 2022, Mr. Chisholm resigned his employment with the Company and Mr. Taylor was appointed by the Board to serve as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer until a permanent President and Chief Executive Officer was hired, subject to the expiration of his transitional services under his Retirement Agreement.

On February 28, 2023, Mr. Micah C. Foster, the Company’s Vice President and Chief Financial Officer resigned from his position in order to pursue another opportunity.

On February 8, 2023, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Mr. James D. Faircloth, effective February 13, 2022, to serve as Interim Chief Financial Officer upon Mr. Foster’s departure. Mr. Faircloth has approximately 25 years of public accounting audit experience and approximately 25 years of experience serving primarily public and privately owned entities. Mr. Faircloth has agreed to serve as Interim Chief Financial Officer until a permanent Chief Financial Officer can be hired.

These management transitions resulted in reduced compensation decisions and performance reviews. With respect to Mr. Taylor, the compensation payments under his Retirement Agreement reflected negotiated payouts in connection with the termination of his employment agreement and outside of these contractual obligations, he has not received and is not entitled to any further fixed or performance-based employment compensation.

During Mr. Chisholm’s approximate six-month tenure as Interim Chief Executive Officer and President, Mr. Chisholm received a base salary of $50,000 per month and a $100,000 agreement signing bonus but did not receive any cash incentive awards for his service during his tenure.In addition, he retained two vested stock options:(i) one for 25,000 shares of Company common stock at an exercise price of $17.00 per share which expires in November 2025 and (ii) another option for 25,000 shares at an exercise price of $15.00 per share, which expires in December 2023.

Summary of Business Highlights for 2022

While we discuss our operational and financial performance in more detail elsewhere in this Proxy as well as in our annual report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Compensation Committee considered these factors in determining our compensation program for 2022 and setting the compensation program for 2023.



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Operational Highlights of 2022

We continued our penetration into the high horsepower market through the addition of 35 new rental fleet units that totaled 26,320 HP. We also increased our average rental fleet horsepower to 227 horsepower per unit. This is an increase of 57% per unit since 2017.
Refined the development of our SMART operating system that ensures a higher operating percentage for our customers
Began development of our eComp compressor package features that significantly reduce the methane emission of our large horsepower units.
Implemented across-the-board rental price increase to recapture margins lost over the past years.
NGS recorded a TRIR (Total Recordable Incident Rate) of 0.35 in 2022 compared to 0.63 in 2021. This is an OSHA approved calculation that conveys the number of recordable injuries for every 200,000 man-hours worked in the year.
Through the Environmental, Social and Governance Committee of the Board of Directors, we elevated both action and visibility on our efforts on key ESG initiatives.

Financial Highlights of 2022

NGS delivered 17.0% higher rental revenue and 17.1% higher total revenue for 2022 than the prior year.
Adjusted gross margin increased by 42% or $11.4 million.
Increased EBITDA by $10.5 million for as 56% gain.
In a market that continued to pressure margins, we generated cash flow from operations of $27.8 million in 2022 compared to $28.5 million in 2021. We provided conversion of revenue to operating cash flow of 32.7% for 2022.
Closing NGS stock price at December 31, 2022 was $11.46 compared to $10.47 at December 31, 2021.

The Compensation Committee

The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors is responsible for determining the types and amounts of compensation paid to our named executive officers. The Compensation Committee operates under a written charter that may be viewed on our website at www.ngsgi.com. The Board has determined that each member of the Compensation Committee meets the independence and financial literacy requirements of the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"). The Board determines, in its business judgment, whether a particular Director satisfies the requirements for membership on the Compensation Committee set forth in the Compensation Committee’s charter. None of the members of the Compensation Committee are current or former employees of Natural Gas Services Group or any of its subsidiaries.

As of April 30, During 2022, the members of the Compensation Committee are:were:

`
Leslie Beyer, Committee Chairperson and Independent Director
David L. Bradshaw, Independent Director and Committee Member
John W. Chisholm, Lead Independent Director
Nigel J. Jenvey, Independent Director

On April 28, 2023, Leslie A. Beyer resigned from our Board in connection with the Cooperation Agreement between the Company and Committee Memberentities affiliated with Mill Road Capital Management.See Cooperation Agreement on page 14 for further information.


20Oversight of Executive Compensation and Role of the Compensation Committee








The Compensation Committee is responsible for formulating and administering our overall compensation principles and plans. This includes establishing the compensation paid to our Chief Executive Officer, meeting and consulting with our Chief Executive Officer to establish the compensation paid to our other named executive officers, counseling our Chief Executive Officer as to different compensation approaches, administering our stock equity plans, monitoring adherence to our compensation philosophy and conducting annual, and interim, reviews of our compensation programs and philosophy regarding executive compensation.


The Compensation Committee periodically meets in executive session without members of management or management Directors present and reports to the Board of Directors on its actions and recommendations. The Compensation Committee, from time-to-time, engages compensation consultants and other experts to provide data and guidance on
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appropriate compensation practices, industry standards, peer selection and other items relevant to the responsibilities and deliberations of the Compensation Committee. For 2021,Initially in 2022, the Compensation Committee engaged Korn Ferry to provide certain services related to compensation analysis and program development.On December 1, 2022, the Compensation Committee ended its engagement with Korn Ferry and engaged Zayla Partners, LLC (“Zayla”) to serve as its independent consultant for the remainder of 2022 and going into 2023.


The Compensation Committee is also responsible for shareholder outreach and engagement to ascertain shareholder feedback on the Company’s compensation program and philosophy. Over the course of the past year, the Compensation Committee contacted shareholders representing over 60% of the Company’s outstanding shares and directly engaged with shareholders representing nearly 20% of the outstanding common shares. We detail our outreach program, the input from shareholders and our responsiveness in this CD&A under Response to 20212022 Shareholder Say-on-Pay Advisory Vote.


Compensation Philosophy and Objectives


As part of our annual review of our compensation program, the Compensation Committee has reviewed the tenets of our compensation philosophy. After review and considering the input from Company stakeholders, the Compensation Committee has established three core values for our executive compensation program:


Tenet Number One:
The Natural Gas Services Group Executive Compensation Program should encourage long-term accountability.


The Company’s primary objective is to create long-term value for our shareholders. While we are engaged in a cyclical industry, our compensation program should encourage executives to create opportunities for durable value through innovation, strategic vision and with a keen sense of trends that impact the future of our industry. The Compensation Committee is taking a more proactive role in developing annual and multi-year goals and plans that will be used to assess performance and award future compensation.


Tenet Number Two:
The Natural Gas Services Group Executive Compensation Program should reward superior performance.


Performance is the foundation of the Company’s compensation program design. The development and achievement of pre-established goals – based on both near- and longer-term time horizons – is a key factor in committee deliberations on executive pay. For example, the Company's Compensation Committee, in conjunction with other independent directors responsible for developing the Company’s nascentand ESG strategy, will assignCommittees assigned a higher weighting to ESG performance beginning in 2022. Going forward, individual performance evaluation will directly impact base salary and short-term incentives as well have a role in long-term share incentives.


Tenet Number Three:
The Natural Gas Services Group Executive Compensation Program should promote retention of highly-qualified leaders.


Exceptional leadership, continuity of leadership and the development of high-potential leaders are all critical aspects of corporate success. As such, the Compensation Committee is committed to a compensation program that promotes retention of today’s high-performance leaders and incentivizes tomorrow’s exceptional leaders to join and remain a part of the Natural Gas Services Group team. The Committee’s goal is to design a compensation program that attracts and retains talent across the career lifecycle through remuneration which is market competitive, differentiated by individual performance and with award vesting periods that promote retention.


The Compensation Committee believes these tenets to be fundamental to the development of an equitable, attractive and lasting compensation program that balances the interests of all Natural Gas Services Group stakeholders. The

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implementation of these tenets in the compensation program may, from time-to-time, be adjusted and adapted based on market conditions, competitive needs and new and emerging trends in and around our industry. Through our program of intra-year reviews, shareholder engagement, counsel from our compensation consultants and other resources available, it is the intent of the Compensation Committee to remain true to these tenets while remaining a leader in an equitable and responsive compensation program.


Response to the 2021 Shareholder Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (“Say on Pay”)

At the Company’s 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders held on June 17, 2021, only approximately 26% of the Company’s shareholders cast votes in support of the agenda item related to Named Executive Officer compensation as disclosed in the Company’s 2021 proxy statement. Members of the Compensation Committee were disappointed with this level of support and, as a result, were proactive in engaging shareholders to understand the reasons for the unacceptably low support for the Company’s executive compensation program.

In late 2021 and early 2022, Natural Gas Services Group solicited meetings with shareholders representing approximately 65% of the Company’s outstanding common shares. Of this group, the Compensation Committee held meetings with investors representing approximately 20% of shares outstanding. The Chairperson of the Compensation Committee and our lead independent director (and member of the committee) attended all meetings to understand the investor concerns.

While comments from our shareholders varied significantly, the following key, universal themes emerged from these engagements:

Incentive targets were not viewed as sufficiently challenging in some cases, and the Compensation Discussion and Analysis did not sufficiently explain and detail the goal setting.
Shareholders would like a greater commitment to pay for performance.
Shareholders expressed concern around the lack of clear disclosure of several compensation decisions, such as incentive goal setting as well as the creation and use of the peer group.
Targeted CEO pay was too high relative to the company’s selected peer group.

As a result of our outreach efforts and the valuable feedback received, the Compensation Committee sought to address these key themes as well as make other improvements to the compensation program.

Following the shareholder engagement process and consideration of the feedback provided, the Committee made several modifications to the Chief Executive Officer’s incentive programs:

In the Long-Term Incentive Program, the Compensation Committee has adjusted the administration of the Relative Total Shareholder Return (R-TSR”) awards.
The R-TSR component of the program will require performance at the 60th percentile to earn target awards. (The target award was previously granted at the 50th percentile).
Awards will be capped at target if TSR is negative over the performance period, regardless of relative performance. (Previously, no “negative performance cap” existed.)
The Committee commits to not making discretionary awards outside of the short- and long-term incentive programs for a period of three years, with the exception of new-hire awards that are consistent with industry practice.
The Committee will adjust the short-term incentive program metrics to reduce the weighting on revenue and increase weighting more closely tied to profitability.
CD&A disclosure will be enhanced to explain the Company’s decisions more thoroughly, particularly as they relate to peer groups and goal setting.
Beginning in 2023, the Committee will work to better align the Chief Executive Officer’s compensation with the median of the selected peer group.

The Compensation Committee is grateful for the time and candor of the Company’s shareholders in assisting with the evolution and improvements in the Company’s executive compensation program. While the committee is confident that these changes provide for significant improvement in our overall compensation program, the committee will continue to reach out to and engage shareholders in the future as we endeavor to continuously review and improve our compensation programs.

Peer Group Philosophy, Development and Selection Process

In the fourth quarter, 2021 the Compensation Committee – in conjunction with our consultants and other independent directors – undertook a detailed review of our peer group. We identified companies with qualities similar to Natural Gas

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Services Group. We looked across the energy and industrial spectrum for companies with similar qualities and characteristics as Natural Gas Services Group. We considered a number of variables including: (1) the industry in which a company operates and the business lines it offers, looking at companies in and around the Global Industry Classification (GICS) codes in which Natural Gas Services operates; (2) the size of a company relative to Natural Gas Services Group, understanding size can be measured in many ways including revenue, market capitalization and asset base; and (3) the human capital and talent pool of a company, while subjective, is an important consideration in that companies with which we compete for talent provide important insights into competitive compensation practices. Although secondary, we also considered the operating regions of potential peers, understanding that cost-of-living differences can impact compensation. While our focus was on companies in the oil and gas services business, we did not limit our search to just those companies, rather expanding our search to a broader energy and industrial universe.

Specifically, the Compensation Committee considered the following strategic criteria in selection of the 2022 peer group:

EVALUATE the 2021 peer group for relevance and to ensure each peer is a fit for the criteria identified above.

IDENTIFY and REMOVE 2021 peers that are no longer appropriate. Key Energy Services was removed due to bankruptcy; RigNet was removed due to acquisition; Mammoth Energy Services was removed due to revenue mismatch.

SEARCH and IDENTIFY potential new peer group members based on criteria of industry/functional fit, size based primarily on revenue and market capitalization and strategic competitors for compensation relevance. Secondary considerations include location and other strategic fit.

SELECT most relevant peers from pool of candidates by focusing on our GICS code, Oil & Gas Equipment & Services; expanding to Energy Equipment and Services; Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels and the broader industry code of Energy.


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The Compensation Committee’s process resulted in a peer group of fourteen (14) companies, inclusive of Natural Gas Services Group.

Peer Group MemberCompany Description
CSI Compressco, LPCSI Compressco, LP provides compression services and equipment for natural gas and oil production, gathering, transportation, processing and storage. The company is a strategic competitor with which NGS competes for talent.
Dawson Geophysical CompanyDawson Geophysical Company provides onshore seismic data acquisition and processing services in the United States.
DMC Global, Inc.*DMC Global, Inc. operates a portfolio of differentiated businesses that lead niche segments of the energy, industrial infrastructure and building products industries.
Geospace Technology CorporationGeospace Technology Corporation designs and manufactures instruments and equipment used in the acquisition and processing of seismic data and markets its instruments primarily in the global oil and gas industry.
Independence Contract Drilling, Inc.Independence Contract Drilling, Inc. provides land-based contract drilling services for oil and natural gas producers in the United States.
ION Geophysical CorporationION Geophysical Corporation provides geophysical technology, services and solutions for the global oil and gas industry.
NCS Multistage Holdings, Inc.NCS Multistage Holdings, Inc. provides engineered products and support services that facilitate the optimization of oil and natural gas well completions and field development strategies for the onshore oil and gas exploration and production industry.
Nuverra Environmental Solutions, Inc.Nuverra Environmental Solutions, Inc. provides environmental solutions and oilfield support services including removal, treatment, recycling, transportation, and disposal of restricted solids, fluids, and hydrocarbons for exploration and production companies.
PrimeEnergy Resources Corp.*PrimeEnergy Resources Corporation acquires, explores, develops, and produces crude oil and natural gas. The Company offers site preparation, construction and oil and gas drilling services.
Ranger Energy Services, Inc.Ranger Energy Services, Inc. provides well site services and associated equipment, including well rigs, water transfer, plug and abandonment, wireline, fluid management and handling, snubbing, transportation, and equipment renting services.
Smart Sand, IncSmart Sand, Inc. provides industrial sand. The Company offers proppants, sand products and renders logistics services to oil and gas companies in North America.
Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure, Inc.Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure, Inc. provides mobile sand silo and rail-to-truck transload systems to enhance drilling, completions, and safety in shale plays in the United States.
US Well Services, Inc.*US Well Services, Inc. provides hydraulic fracturing services, including natural gas powered electric frac, for customers in the oil and gas industry in the United States.
* New peers for 2022; not utilized in establishing 2021 awards.


Shareholder Alignment Through Compensation Practices

In 2021 we continued to adhere to core principles and practices that, the Compensation Committee believes, strengthen the alignment between the compensation of our named executive officers, Company performance and shareholder returns. Important principles related to our compensation program include:

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WHAT WE DOWHAT WE DON’T DO
+
Independent Compensation Committee: Only independent directors set our compensation policies, practices and programs as well as measure performance, allowing for objective, conflict-free compensation programs.
_
No Repricing or Exchange: We do not allow for the repricing or exchange of outstanding equity units or options without shareholder approval.
+
Independent Compensation Consultant: The Committee engages independent consultants to assist with compensation reviews.
_
No gross-ups: Executive Officers are not eligible to receive any tax reimbursement payments or “gross ups” in connection with any severance or change-in-control payments or benefits.
+
Share ownership requirements: Our executive officers as well as all of our Directors are subject to minimum holding levels, providing for alignment between Company leadership and shareholders.

_
No Pledging of Shares: We do not permit pledging of NGS common shares as collateral for a loan. We also strongly discourage our executives and Directors from entering into hedging or similar monetization transactions with respect to our common stock. Any exceptions to our hedging policy must be approved in advance by the Compensation Committee and Chief Executive Officer.
+
Annual Compensation Review & Annual Shareholder Advisory “Say-on-Pay” Vote:
The Committee conducts a comprehensive review of all executive compensation matters on an annual – or more frequent – basis. The Company has chosen to ask Shareholders to opine on its Executive Compensation program on an annual basis.
_
No Excessive Perquisites: With the exception of certain expense reimbursements which stand in support of key business strategies and are fully disclosed in the Summary Compensation Tables herein, we do not provide any perquisites.
+
Total Shareholder Return Governor: New in 2022, the Long-Term Equity Compensation program caps awards at the target level if TSR is negative, regardless of relative performance with the peer group.

_
No unlimited/subjective incentives:New in 2022, both our short-term and long-term incentive programs are capped at maximum payout levels. In addition, the Committee has determined that discretionary awards outside our established incentive plans will be restricted to new hires.
+
More Stringent Performance Guidelines: New in 2022, the Long-Term Equity Compensation program requires Total Shareholder Return relative to the peer group reach the 60th percentile before the plan pays out at the target level.
_
No Related Party Transactions: There are no related party transactions.
+
Shareholder Engagement Program: Improved in 2022,the Committee and independent directors proactively engage with shareholders to receive feedback and consider improvements to the executive compensation program.
_
No Excessive Employee Equity Grants: We have consistently operated our stock-based incentive compensation programs within expected industry burn rates.
+
Shareholder Alignment: Align pay with financial and operational performance using relative and absolute metrics; moving greater levels of executive pay to “performance based”/”at risk” standards.”
_
No Future Gross-Ups: There will be no tax gross-ups in future executive officer agreements.
+
Longer-Term Equity Awards: Vesting of Executive Officer Long-Term Incentive Awards occurs over three years.




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Other Participants in the Compensation Policy Process


In addition to our Compensation Committee, members of the Natural Gas Services Group leadership team and our compensation consultants play an important role in the determination of our executive compensation program.

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Role of Executive Leadership Team


As noted in this CD&A,above, the Compensation Committee is responsible for all compensation decisions regarding our named executive officers. Our Chief Executive Officer annually reviews the performance of each of our executive officers (with the exception of the Chief Executive Officer which is reviewed solely by the Compensation Committee) and provides important data and recommendations to the Committee with respect to salary and incentives under the Company’s short-term and long-term incentive programs. The Compensation Committee relies on these evaluations in establishing compensation for the other named executive officers, although the Committee may exercise its discretion in modifying any recommendation provided by the Chief Executive Officer.


The Committee may, from time-to-time, also seek input from the Chief Executive Officer regarding other financial and operating performance, metrics and data that may be relevant in the evaluation and establishment of compensation policy. In addition, the Company may seek input from other members of the Company’s leadership team and associates as they evaluate financial and operational data in support of executive compensation decisions.


Role of Compensation Consultants


The Compensation Committee has the sole authority to retain, obtain the advice of, and terminate, any compensation consultant, independent legal counsel, or other advisors to assist the Compensation Committee in the discharge of its duties and responsibilities, including the evaluation of director and executive compensation. In completing its duties, the Compensation Committee may rely on independent consultants and legal counsel to:


Provide information and analysis on executive compensation trends and market developments;
Advise on potential peer group members to evaluate our named executive officers compensation;
Review and analyze peer group information to assist with developing our executive compensation program;
Update the Compensation Committee periodically on legislative and regulatory developments impacting executive compensation;
Provide assistance in developing and executing the Committee’s shareholder engagement program;
Provide assistance to the Committee in developing its narrative describing the Company’s executive compensation program; and
Provide additional assistance as requested by the Compensation Committee.


In 2021 and into 2022, the Compensation Committee engaged Korn Ferry, an international management consulting firm, to provide independent compensation consulting services. In addition to other assistance, Korn Ferry assisted the Company with its shareholder outreach and engagement program as well as responding to shareholder concerns which arose as a result of such outreach. Korn Ferry also provided a review of the Company’s overall executive compensation program. The Company determined that Korn Ferry qualified as an independent compensation consultant under the standards established by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the New York Stock Exchange.


In late 2022, the Compensation Committee engaged Zayla to serve as its independent executive compensation consultant for the remainder of 2022 and going into 2023.The Company determined that Zayla is qualified as an independent compensation consultant under the standards established by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the New York Stock Exchange.

Response to the 2022 Shareholder Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (“Say on Pay”)

At the Company’s 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders held on June 16, 2022, only approximately 40.5% of the Company’s shareholders cast votes in support of the agenda item related to the Named Executive Officers’ compensation as disclosed in the Company’s 2022 Proxy Statement. Members of the Compensation Committee were disappointed with this level of support and, as a result, were proactive in engaging shareholders to understand the reasons for the unacceptably low support for the Company’s executive compensation program.

While comments from our shareholders varied significantly, the following key, universal themes emerged from these engagements:

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Incentive targets were not viewed as sufficiently challenging in some cases, and the Compensation Discussion and Analysis did not sufficiently explain and detail the goal setting.
Shareholders would like a greater commitment to pay for performance.
Shareholders expressed concern around the lack of clear disclosure of several compensation decisions, such as incentive goal setting as well as the creation and use of the peer group.
Targeted CEO pay was too high relative to the Company’s selected peer group.



As a result of the prior comments, the Compensation Committee made the following improvements to the Chief Executive Officer’s incentive programs:

In the Long-Term Incentive Program, the Compensation Committee has adjusted the administration of the Relative Total Shareholder Return (R-TSR”) awards.
The R-TSR component of the program will require performance at the 60 percentile to earn target awards. (The target award was previously granted at the 50 percentile).
Awards will be capped at target if TSR is negative over the performance period, regardless of relative performance. (Previously, no “negative performance cap” existed.)
The Committee commits to not making discretionary awards outside of the short- and long-term incentive programs for a period of three years, with the exception of new-hire awards that are consistent with industry practice.
The Committee will adjust the short-term incentive program metrics to reduce the weighting on revenue and increase weighting more closely tied to profitability.
CD&A disclosure will be enhanced to explain the Company’s decisions more thoroughly, particularly as they relate to peer groups and goal setting.
Beginning in 2023, the Committee will work to better align the permanent Chief Executive Officer’s compensation with the median of the selected peer group.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Compensation Committee made no additional changes to the Chief Executive Officer’s incentive programs.

The Compensation Committee engaged additional legal counselis grateful for the time and data services duringcandor of the term to assistCompany’s shareholders in assisting with the evolution and improvements in the Company’s executive compensation program. While the Committee is confident that these changes provide for significant improvement in our overall compensation program, the Committee will continue to reach out to and engage shareholders in the future as we endeavor to continuously review and improve our compensation programs.

Peer Group Philosophy, Development and Selection Process

In the fourth quarter of 2022, the Compensation Committee – in conjunction with Zayla – undertook a detailed review of the Company’s current compensation peer group to ensure its appropriateness going forward. The Committee and Zayla also conducted an in-depth analysis of publicly traded companies across the energy and industrial spectrum to identify potential peer group memberscomparators with similar qualities and characteristics as Natural Gas Services Group. This analysis considered several variables including:

(1)The industry in which a company operates, and the business lines it offers, looking at companies in and around the Global Industry Classification (GICS) codes in which Natural Gas Services operates;
(2) The size of a company relative to Natural Gas Services Group, evaluated on multiple metrics including revenue, EBITDA, asset base, market capitalization and total enterprise value; and
(3) The human capital and talent pool of a company, which while subjective, is an important consideration in that companies with which we compete for talent provide legal adviceimportant insights into competitive compensation practices.

Although secondary, we also considered the operating regions of potential peers, understanding that cost-of-living differences can impact compensation. While our focus was on companies in the oil and gas services business, we did not limit our search to just those companies, rather expanding our search to a broader energy and industrial universe.
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Considering the above criteria, the Compensation Committee took the following actions leading to the Committee.selection of the 2023 peer group:


EVALUATE the 2022 peer group for relevance and to ensure each peer is a fit for the criteria identified above.

IDENTIFY and REMOVE 2023 current peers that were no longer appropriate.
ION Geophysical Corporation – removed due to bankruptcy filing effective April 12, 2022
Nuverra Environmental Solutions, Inc. – removed due to acquisition by Select Energy Services, Inc. on February 23, 2022
USWS Inc. – removed due to acquisition by ProFrac Holding Corp. on November 1, 2022

SEARCH and IDENTIFY potential new peer group members based on criteria of industry/functional fit, size based primarily on revenue and market capitalization and strategic competitors for compensation relevance. Secondary considerations include location and other strategic fit.

SELECT most relevant peers from pool of candidates by focusing on our GICS code, Oil & Gas Equipment & Services; expanding to Energy Equipment and Services; Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels and the broader industry code of Energy.


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The Compensation Committee’s process resulted in a peer group of fourteen (14) companies, inclusive of Natural Gas Services Group.

Peer Group MemberCompany Description
CSI Compressco, LPCSI Compressco, LP provides compression services and equipment for natural gas and oil production, gathering, transportation, processing and storage. The company is a strategic competitor with which NGS competes for talent.
Dawson Geophysical CompanyDawson Geophysical Company provides onshore seismic data acquisition and processing services in the United States.
DMC Global, Inc.DMC Global, Inc. operates a portfolio of differentiated businesses that lead niche segments of the energy, industrial infrastructure and building products industries.
Geospace Technology CorporationGeospace Technology Corporation designs and manufactures instruments and equipment used in the acquisition and processing of seismic data and markets its instruments primarily in the global oil and gas industry.
Independence Contract Drilling, Inc.Independence Contract Drilling, Inc. provides land-based contract drilling services for oil and natural gas producers in the United States.
KLX Energy Services Holdings, Inc. *KLX Energy Services Holdings, Inc. delivers mission critical oilfield services to primarily independent major oil and gas companies focused on drilling, completion, production and intervention activities for technically demanding wells from over 50 service facilities located in the United States.
Mammoth Energy Services, Inc. *Mammoth Energy Services Inc is an integrated, growth-oriented energy services company focused on providing products and services to enable the exploration and development of North American onshore unconventional oil and natural gas reserve as well as the construction and repair of the electric grid for private utilities, public investor-owned utilities and co-operative utilities through our infrastructure services businesses.
NCS Multistage Holdings, Inc.NCS Multistage Holdings, Inc. provides engineered products and support services that facilitate the optimization of oil and natural gas well completions and field development strategies for the onshore oil and gas exploration and production industry.
Nine Energy Services, Inc. *Nine Energy Services, Inc. is a leading completion services provider that targets unconventional oil and gas resource development across North American basins and abroad.
PrimeEnergy Resources Corp.PrimeEnergy Resources Corporation acquires, explores, develops, and produces crude oil and natural gas. The Company offers site preparation, construction and oil and gas drilling services.
Ranger Energy Services, Inc.Ranger Energy Services, Inc. provides well site services and associated equipment, including well rigs, water transfer, plug and abandonment, wireline, fluid management and handling, snubbing, transportation, and equipment renting services.
Smart Sand, IncSmart Sand, Inc. provides industrial sand. The Company offers proppants, sand products and renders logistics services to oil and gas companies in North America.
Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure, Inc.Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure, Inc. provides mobile sand silo and rail-to-truck transload systems to enhance drilling, completions, and safety in shale plays in the United States.
ION Geophysical Corporation **ION Geophysical Corporation provides geophysical technology, services and solutions for the global oil and gas industry.
Nuverra Environmental Solutions, Inc. **Nuverra Environmental Solutions, Inc. provides environmental solutions and oilfield support services including removal, treatment, recycling, transportation, and disposal of restricted solids, fluids, and hydrocarbons for exploration and production companies.
US Well Services, Inc. **US Well Services, Inc. provides hydraulic fracturing services, including natural gas powered electric frac, for customers in the oil and gas industry in the United States.

* New peers for 2023; was not utilized in establishing 2022 awards.
** Peer group member for 2022; will not utilized in establishing awards in 2023.

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Shareholder Alignment Through Compensation Practices

In 2022, we continued to adhere to core principles and practices that, the Compensation Committee believes, strengthen the alignment between the compensation of our named executive officers, Company performance and shareholder returns. Important principles about what we do and what we don't do related to our compensation program include:

WHAT WE DOWHAT WE DON’T DO
+
Independent Compensation Committee: Only independent directors set our compensation policies, practices and programs as well as measure performance, allowing for objective, conflict-free compensation programs.
_
No Repricing or Exchange: We do not allow for the repricing or exchange of outstanding equity units or options without shareholder approval.
+
Independent Compensation Consultant: The Committee engages independent consultants to assist with compensation reviews.
_
No gross-ups: Executive Officers are not eligible to receive any tax reimbursement payments or “gross ups” in connection with any severance or change-in-control payments or benefits.
+
Share ownership requirements: Our executive officers as well as all of our Directors are subject to minimum holding levels, providing for alignment between Company leadership and shareholders.

_
No Pledging of Shares: We do not permit pledging of NGS common shares as collateral for a loan. We also strongly discourage our executives and Directors from entering into hedging or similar monetization transactions with respect to our common stock. Any exceptions to our hedging policy must be approved in advance by the Compensation Committee and Chief Executive Officer.
+
Annual Compensation Review & Annual Shareholder Advisory “Say-on-Pay” Vote: The Committee conducts a comprehensive review of all executive compensation matters on an annual – or more frequent – basis. The Company has historically held, and is recommending in Item 2 of this proxy for the go-forward, annual advisory Say-On-Pay votes to ensure Shareholders have the opportunity to opine on its Executive Compensation program every1 year.
_
No Excessive Perquisites: With the exception of certain expense reimbursements which stand in support of key business strategies and are fully disclosed in the Summary Compensation Tables herein, we do not provide any perquisites.
+
Total Shareholder Return Governor: The Long-Term Equity Compensation program caps awards at the target level if TSR is negative, regardless of relative performance with the peer group.

_
No unlimited/subjective incentives: Both our short-term and long-term incentive programs are capped at maximum payout levels. In addition, the Committee has determined that discretionary awards outside our established incentive plans will be restricted to new hires.
+
More Stringent Performance Guidelines: The Long-Term Equity Compensation program requires Total Shareholder Return relative to the peer group reach the 60th percentile before the plan pays out at the target level.
_
No Related Party Transactions: There are no related party transactions.
+
Shareholder Engagement Program: The Committee and independent directors proactively engage with shareholders to receive feedback and consider improvements to the executive compensation program.
_
No Excessive Employee Equity Grants: We have consistently operated our stock-based incentive compensation programs within expected industry burn rates.
+
Shareholder Alignment: Align pay with financial and operational performance using relative and absolute metrics; moving greater levels of executive pay to “performance based”/”at risk” standards.”
_
No Future Gross-Ups: There will be no tax gross-ups in future executive officer agreements.
+
Longer-Term Equity Awards: Vesting of Executive Officer Long-Term Incentive Awards occurs over three years.


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Annual Base Salaries


The base salary of our named executive officers is the exclusive fixed component of our executive officers’ annual cash compensation. The Compensation Committee periodically reviews and makes its determination, taking into account various factors, including the Company’s performance, the executivesexecutive experience and expertise in business and the industry (including, to a certain extent, the tenure and cumulative performance of the executive), industry conditions, and shareholder feedback.

In addition, the Compensation Committee may take into account certain competitive factors which can include:


Compensation levels of similarly-situated executives ofat companies in the Company’s compensation peer group, including other compression companies, oilfield service concerns and other relevant comparable companies in our peer group;companies;
Levels of compensation necessary to attract and retain highly talented executives, both within and outside our industry; and
Comparable starting base salaries at comparable companies for new hires.

26








The Compensation Committee reviews the base salaries of all named executive officers on an annual basis and makes adjustments based on the above criteria, the results of which can be found in the summary compensation tables.Summary Compensation Table. For 2022, the Compensation Committee chose not to change the salary of the Chief Executive Officer from the previous year. The Committee did provide cost-of-living and merit increases to both the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President ofChief Technical Services.Officer.


Annual Cash Incentive Program


The Company’s annual cash incentive awards are based on selected performance metrics. The annual cash incentive is only paid if certain threshold levels are reached. The annual cash incentive program sets targets that, if reached, provide a cash payment of 100% of the named executive officers base salary. Should certain “stretch targets” be met, the annual cash incentive payments could be paid at 125% of the named executive officers’ base salary. The hierarchy of payments under our Annual Cash Incentive Program is set forth in the following table:


Below Minimum Threshold – No Cash Bonus Payment
Threshold Levels Reached – 75% of Base Salary
Target Levels Reached – 100% of Base Salary
Stretch Levels Reached – 125% of Base Salary


A primary purpose of the short-term incentive program is to create a collection of key objectives on which the entire enterprise can focus. The Compensation Committee expects the named executive officers to communicate the financial and operational goals to the various business units and functions of the Company to ensure all associates are focused on the same goals. Early in the year, following the plan year, the Compensation Committee determines whether the financial and operational goals have been attained and approves cash awards based on the level of achievement of the previously established annual performance goals.


In 2021, the Compensation Committee approved the following financial and operational metrics to be used in assessing and awarding awards on the Annual Cash Incentive Program: (1) Cash Flow from Operations (35%); (2) Revenues (25%); (3) Environmental, Social and Governance Objectives (20%); and (4) Strategic and Tactical Initiatives (20%).

The measurement metrics used in determining the awardsFor 2022, as well as the actual awards made under the Annual Cash Incentive Program for 2021 can be found in the Summary Compensation Tables found on page 30.

As a result of the Compensation Committee’s shareholder outreach and engagement program and a comprehensive review by the Compensation Committee, the Committee has chosen to adjustapproved the following criteria for awards:

Cash flow from operations - 30%;
EBITDA – 30%;
Total revenues – 5%;
ESG objectives – 20%; and
Strategic and tactical initiatives – 15%.

The measurement metrics to be used in determining the assessment andaward as well as the actual awards made under the Annual Cash Incentive Program. ForProgram for 2022 can be found in the Committee will use the following criteria for awards: (1) Cash Flow from Operations (30%); (2) Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (30%); (3) Revenue (5%); (4) Environmental, Social and Governance Objectives (20%); and (5) Strategic and Tactical Initiatives (15%)Summary Compensation tables found on page 32.


The Compensation Committee will continue to review the metrics used in the Annual Cash Incentive Program on an annual basis with an emphasis on both input from our shareholders received through our outreach and engagement program as well as trends ascertained from a review of our peer group companies. The Committee believes this approach allows us to be responsive to the input of our shareholders as well as competitive with practices among our peers and the compression and oilfield services industry.

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Long-Term Equity Incentive Program


Our named executive officers are eligible to earn performance-based equity awards, based on the relative performance of the Company’s common shares relative to the performance of our peer group members, referred to as “Relative Total Shareholder Return”.


The 20212022 Long-Term Equity Incentive Program was governed by the following guidelines:


Awards made on an annual basis with vesting occurring, in equal amounts, over the following three years.
Relative Total Shareholder Return minimum threshold must be reached for awards to be granted.
Target award (100% of base salary) is achieved when Relative Total Shareholder Returns falls at or above the 50th percentile of the identified peer group.
Maximum award (200% of base salary) is achieved only if the Company’s relative TSR is at the 100th percentile (ranked first) of the identified peer group.



The table below shows the Long-Term Equity Incentive Award Payout Levels for 2022.2023 Award Payout Levels will be determined later in 2023.

Long-Term Equity Incentive Award Payouts
2021Percentile2022
Relative TSR RankPayout vs. TargetPayout LevelRelative TSR RankPayout vs. TargetPayout Level
1200%Maximum100%1200%Maximum
2190%93%2180%
3172%86%3160%
4154%79%4140%
5136%71%5120%
6118%64%6100%Target
7100%Target57%780%
875%50%860%
950%43%940%
1025%Threshold36%1025%Threshold
110%Below Threshold29%110%Below Threshold
120%21%120%
130%14%130%
140%7%140%

















27

30








In 2021,
For the fiscal 2022 performance period, our peer groupPeer Group included CSI Compressco, LP; Dawson Geophysical Corporation; Independence Contract Drilling, Inc.; ION Geophysical Company; Key Energy Services, Inc.; Mammoth Energy Services, Inc.; NCS Multistage Holdings, Inc.;the following companies and their TSR Performance levels:

CompanyTicker
TSR Performance (1)
Performance PercentileRelative TSR RankPayout (% of TargetPayout Level
Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure, Inc.SOI57.46%100%1200%Maximum
PrimeEnergy Resources Corp.PNRG23.92%92%2175%
CSI Compressco, LPCCLP15.27%83%3150%
Natural Gas Service Group, Inc.NGS9.46%75%4125%
Independence Contract Drilling, Inc.ICD9.00%67%5100%Target
Ranger Energy Services, Inc.RNGR7.21%58%681%
Smart Sand, IncSND0.56%50%763%
NCS Multistage Holdings, Inc.NCSM-13.76%42%844%
Dawson Geophysical CompanyDWSN-15.52%33%925%Threshold
Geospace Technology CorporationGEOS-36.92%25%100%
DMC Global, Inc.BOOM-50.92%17%110%
ION Geophysical Corporation (2)
-100.00%8%120%
Nuverra Environmental Solutions, Inc. (3)
U.S. Well Services, Inc. (4)

(1)    Calculated for the performance periods of January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022.
(2)    Filed for bankruptcy effective April 12, 2022
(3)    Effective February 23, 2022, Nuverra Environmental Solutions, Inc.; Ranger operates as a subsidiary of Select Energy
Services, Inc.; RigNet,
(4)    As of November 1, 2022, U.S. Well Services, Inc.; Smart Sand, Inc.; and Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of ProFrac Holding Corp.


Based on the Company's share performance from January 1 - December 31, 2021,2022, the Company's relative Total Shareholder Return performance was 64th out of the 14-member11-member adjusted group. Note that three peer group.companies were involved in corporate transactions that were material to the performance outcomes.ION Geophysical Corporation filed for bankruptcy effective April 12, 2022, and as a result was placed at the bottom the performance grid.Both Nuverra Environmental Solutions, Inc. and U.S. Well Services, Inc. were acquired during fiscal 2022 – as a result these companies were removed from the performance grid and the performance and award level scale was reallocated to reflect this change. Based on the 2021 compensation plan, that resultsrevised schedule, the Company’s performance resulted in an award at 118% of therestricted stock with a grant date fair value equal to 125% of each applicable named executive officer’s target award (100% of base salary). As noted below, in response to our shareholder engagement and outreach efforts, the award metrics will be changed, creating more rigorous performance standards.level.


For 2022, in response to recommendations received in conjunction with the Company’s shareholder outreach and engagement program, the Compensation Committee hasThe awards made the following changes tounder the Long-Term Equity Incentive Program:

TargetProgram for 2022 can be found in the Summary Compensation Tables. The $612,000equity award (100% of base salary) will be achieved only when Relative Total Shareholder Return reachesgranted to Mr. Stephen Taylor, the 60th percentileCompany’s Chairman of the identified peer group, creating a more rigorous standard for achieving the target award level. In addition, the Committee made additional adjustments to the payout levels of the program, consistent with change in the target payout percentile.
Awards will be capped at the target level if absolute Total Shareholder Return is negative over the performance period, regardless of relative performance. Previously, there was no “negative performance cap” on equity awards.
The Compensation Committee adjusted the peer group for 2022 to be more relevant, to better reflect the Committee’s core tenets of peer group selectionBoard, Interim President and the remove and replace peers that were no longer appropriate given certain corporate actions.

Also, and in response to feedback received from the Committee’s shareholder outreach and engagement efforts, other than the performance-based equity awards described herein, the Compensation Committee did not grant any time-based or discretionary awards to the Chief Executive Officer, in 2021represents the Company’s contractual obligation previously agreed to within the Retirement Agreement entered into on May 17, 2022. For 2022, Mr. Hazlett, the Company's Chief Technology Officer, received an equity award of $289,816. The Company’s former Vice President and is committedChief Financial Officer, Mr. Micah Foster, did not receive an equity award for 2022 pursuant to not grating such awards in anythe terms and conditions of his departure from the next three years.Company on February 28, 2023.


The Compensation Committee will continue to review the award vehicles, performance metrics and hurdle rates used in the Long-Term Equity Incentive Program on an annual basis with an emphasis on both input from our shareholders received through our outreach and engagement program as well as trends ascertained from a reviewreviews of our peer group companies. The Committee believes this approach allowswill allow us to be responsive to the input of our shareholders as well as competitive with practices among our peers and the compression and oilfield services industry.


The table below shows the Long-Term Equity Incentive Award Payout Levels for both 2021 and 2022, side-by-side, providing a comparison of the changes made by the Compensation Committee as a result of its shareholder outreach and engagement program.



28

31








Long-Term Equity Incentive Award Payouts
20212022
Relative TSR RankPayout vs. TargetPayout LevelPercentileRelative TSR RankPayout vs. TargetPayout Level
1200%Maximum100%1200%Maximum
2190%93%2180%
3172%86%3160%
4154%79%4140%
5136%71%5120%
6118%64%6100%Target
7100%Target57%780%
875%50%860%
950%43%940%
1025%Threshold36%1025%Threshold
110%Below Threshold29%110%Below Threshold
120%21%120%
130%14%130%
140%7%140%

The awards made under the Long-Term Equity Incentive Program for 2021 can be found in the Summary Compensation Tables. The Compensation Committee only granted equity awards to the Chief Executive Officer in 2021 based on performance goals and did not make any additional discretionary awards based on tenure or otherwise.



29







The table below sets forth the compensation earned by our CEO, Stephen C. Taylor, and our other named executive officers for services rendered to us for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 2020 and 2019.2020.


Summary Compensation Table
Name
and
Principal Position
Year
Salary(4)
Bonus (5)
Stock
Awards(6)
Option Awards(7)
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation(8)
Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings(9)
All Other Compensation(10)
Total
(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)(i)(j)
Stephen C. Taylor, Chairman, President & CEO*2021$612,000 $— $722,160 $— $397,800 $— $17,319 $1,749,279 
2020612,000 — 973,079 — 1,585,080 — 18,790 3,188,949 
2019607,181 — 530,910 — 1,289,513 — 15,733 2,443,337 
James R. Hazlett, Vice President-Technical Services2021225,100 — 184,025 — 73,158 — 30,726 513,009 
2020225,100 — 178,200 — 112,550 — 23,619 539,469 
2019224,596 — 56,400 — 42,112 — 34,824 357,932 
Micah C. Foster, VP & Chief Financial Officer(1)
2021153,863 — 196,300 — 78,000 — 16,312 444,475 
2020— — — — — — — — 
2019— — — — — — — — 
G. Larry Lawrence, Former VP & Chief Financial Officer(2)
2021— — — — — — — — 
2020— — — — — — — — 
2019198,858 — — — 32,871 — 15,461 247,190 
James R. Lawrence, VP & Chief Financial Officer(3)
2021— — — — — — — — 
2020205,346 — — — — — 19,022 224,368 
201945,385 — 61,300 — — — 4,381 111,066 


Name
and
Principal Position
Year
Salary (4)
Bonus (5)
Stock
Awards(6)
Option Awards(7)
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation (8)
Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings (9)
All Other Compensation (10)
Total
(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)(i)(j)
Stephen C. Taylor, Chairman, President & CEO
2022(1)
$313,545 $— $313,545 $— $313,545 $— $9,362 $949,997 
2021612,000 — 722,160 — 397,800 — 17,319 1,749,279 
2020612,000 — 973,079 — 1,585,080 — 18,790 3,188,949 
John W. Chisholm Former Interim President & CEO
2022(2)
269,494 100,000 — 59,635 — — — 429,129 
2021— — — — — — — — 
2020— — — — — — — — 
James R. Hazlett, Vice President, Technical Services2022229,485 — 289,816 — 144,908 — 33,168 697,377 
2021225,100 — 184,025 — 73,158 — 30,726 513,009 
2020225,100 — 178,200 — 112,550 — 23,619 539,469 
Micah C. Foster, VP & Chief Financial Officer
2022(3)
247,792 — — — 157,500 — 36,660 441,952 
2021153,863 — 196,300 — 78,000 — 16,312 444,475 
2020— — — — — — — — 
*
(1)    Mr. Taylor resignedretired from his officer positionsposition as President and CEO on May 17, 2022 and was later appointed Interim President and CEO by the Board on November 11, 2022 upon the resignation of Mr. Chisholm. Mr. Taylor served 137 days as President and CEO, 178 days as an employee and 50 days as Interim President and CEO during the year ended December 31, 2022. Mr. Taylor’s $612,000 annual salary, $612,000 non-equity incentive plan compensation awards pursuant to the 2022 Annual Incentive Bonus Plan, $612,000 equity grant pursuant to the 2022 long-term incentive plan award, and $18,274 total all other compensation for 2022 excludes $298,455, $298,455, $298,455 and $8,912, respectively, based on the 178 days Mr. Taylor served as an employee in 2002.


(1)(2)    Mr. Chisholm, a Board member, was appointed as Interim President and CEO by the Board on May 17, 2022 and resigned as Interim President and CEO on November 11, 2022. In accordance with a Letter Agreement, effective May 17, 2022, Mr. Chisholm received a $100,000 signing bonus, a monthly salary of $50,000, and immediately vested options covering 25,000 shares at a price of $15.00 per share, fair valued at $59,635.

(3)    Mr. Foster was appointed as our Vice President and Chief Financial Officer on May 11, 2021.
(2)     Mr. G.L. Lawrence retired from the Company on November 15, 2019. Mr. G.L. Lawrence rejoined the Company in January 2021 and was appointed our interimresigned as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer until the appointment of Mr. Foster on May 11, 2021.effective February 28, 2023.
(3)    Mr. J.R. Lawrence joined the Company on October 1, 2019 and was appointed as our Vice President and Chief Financial Officer on November 16, 2019. Mr. J.R. Lawrence gave notice of his resignation in December 2020.
(4)    The amounts in column (c) includesinclude amounts deferred under our Deferred Compensation Plan and 401(k) Plan. The Company has not made any contributions to the Deferred Compensation Plan.

32




(5)    The amounts reflected in column (d) reflect discretionary bonus payments not covered under our Annual Incentive Bonus Plan.

(6)    The amounts in column (e) reflect the grant date fair value of restricted stock/unit awards in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. The amounts shown for 2021 reflect the grant date fair value of stock granted contingent upon the approval

30






by our shareholders of Proposal #3 to increase the number of shares of our common stock reserved for issuance under the718 Natural Gas ServicesService Group, Inc. 2019 Equity Incentive Plan (the "2019 Plan") by 650,000 shares. To the extent that we are unable to obtain shareholder approval to increase the reserved shares under the 2019 Plan, we intend to pay the value of the awards in cash as they vest.Plan.

(7)    The amounts in column (f) reflect the dollar amounts recognized for financial statement reporting purposes for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 2020 and 2019,2020, in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, associated with stock option grants under our Stock Option Plan.

(8)    The amounts in column (g) reflect the cash bonus awards to the named executive officers under our Annual Incentive Bonus Plan, including amounts deferred under our Deferred Compensation Plan. This is discussed in further detail on page 31 under the caption “Short-Term Incentives - Annual Incentive Bonus Plan.” The amount in column (g) for Mr. Taylor also includes adeferred long-term incentive award ofawards $973,080 and $1,061,820 (50% of his long-term incentive awards earned for each year)earned), for 2020, and 2019, respectively, payable in either cash or a variable number of shares at the discretion of the Compensation Committee. These fixed value awards are subject to three-year vesting in equal, annual tranches.

(9)    The Deferred Compensation Plan referred to column (h) does not pay above-market or preferential earnings.

(10)    The amounts shown in column (i) include matching contributions made by Natural Gas Services Group to each named executive officer under our 401(k) plan and the aggregate incremental cost to Natural Gas Services Group of perquisites provided to our named executive officers as shown in the table below.



All Other Compensation Table
 
 
 
Name
 
 
 
Year
 
Automobile
Allowance
Personal Use of Company Provided AutomobilesAdditional
Incremental Portion
of Health Insurance
Premiums Paid for Officers Only
 
401(k)
Plan
 
 
Total
Stephen C. Taylor2021$— $1,800 $7,698 $7,821 $17,319 
2020— 1,800 8,440 8,550 18,790 
2019— 1,800 8,103 5,830 15,733 
James R. Hazlett202110,200 — 13,467 7,059 30,726 
202010,200 — 6,360 7,059 23,619 
201910,200 — 17,580 7,044 34,824 
Micah C. Foster20215,538 — 8,619 2,155 16,312 
2020— — — — — 
2019— — — — — 
G. Larry Lawrence2021— — — — — 
2020— — — — — 
20199,219 — — 6,242 15,461 
James R. Lawrence2021— — — — — 
20209,000 — 3,567 6,455 19,022 
20192,008 1,650 723 4,381 


The table below sets forth all other compensation earned by Mr. Taylor as our Chief Executive Officer, Interim Chief Executive Officer and employee and the other named executive officers for services rendered to us for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020. Mr. Chisholm did not earn any other compensation as Interim Chief Executive Officer.

 
 
 
Name
 
 
 
Year
 
Automobile
Allowance
Personal Use of Company Provided AutomobilesAdditional
Incremental Portion
of Health Insurance
Premiums Paid for Officers Only
 
401(k)
Plan
 
 
Total
Stephen C. Taylor2022$— $1,800 $7,924 $8,550 $18,274 
2021— 1,800 7,698 7,821 17,319 
2020— 1,800 8,440 8,550 18,790 
James R. Hazlett202210,200 — 14,418 8,550 33,168 
202110,200 — 13,467 7,059 30,726 
202010,200 — 6,360 7,059 23,619 
Micah C. Foster20229,000 — 20,972 6,688 36,660 
20215,538 — 8,619 2,155 16,312 
2020— — — — — 


For purposes of the Summary Compensation Table, Mr. Taylor's total other compensation of $18,248 for 2022 has been pro-rated based on the 187 days he served as CEO/Interim CEO for 2022.








33





Grants of Plan-Based Awards for 2022


The table below sets forth the estimated future payouts under non-equity incentive plan awards and restricted stock/unit awards granted and the grant date fair value of such awards.



  Estimated Future
Payouts Under Non-Equity
Incentive Plan Awards
Estimated Future Payouts Under Equity Incentive
Plan Awards
    
NameGrant DateThreshold ($)Target ($)Maxi-mum
($)
Threshold (#)TargetMaxi-mum ($)All Other Stock
Awards: Number of Shares of Stock or Units (#)
All Other Option
Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Option (#)
Exercise or Base
Price of Option Awards ($/Sh)
Grant Date Fair
Value of Stock and Option Awards ($)
(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)(i)(j)(k)(l)
Stephen C. Taylor
4/25/2023(1)
$— $— $— $— $— $— 58,790 — $— $612,000 
4/25/2023(2)
459,000 612,000 612,000 — — — — — — — 
James R. Hazlett
4/25/2023(1)
— — — — — — 27,840 — — 289,816 
4/25/2023(2)
86,495 115,927 144,908 — — — — — — — 
Micah C. Foster— — — — — — — — — — — 
4/25/2023(2)
94,500 126,000 157,500 — — — — — — — 
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Grants of Plan-Based Awards for 2021
  Estimated Future
Payouts Under Non-Equity
Incentive Plan Awards
Estimated Future Payouts Under Equity Incentive
Plan Awards
    
NameGrant DateThreshold ($)Target ($)Maxi-mum
($)
Threshold (#)TargetMaxi-mum ($)All Other Stock
Awards: Number of Shares of Stock or Units (#)
All Other Option
Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Option (#)
Exercise or Base
Price of Option Awards ($/Sh)
Grant Date Fair
Value of Stock and Option Awards ($)
(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)(i)(j)(k)(l)
Stephen C. Taylor
4/25/2022(1)
$— $— $— — — $— 60,839 — $— $722,160 
3/29/2021(2)
$474,300 $612,000 $749,700 — — — — — — — 
James R. Hazlett
4/25/2022(1)
— — — — — — 15,503 — — 184,025 
3/29/2021(3)
$87,188 $112,500 $137,813 — — — — — — — 
Micah C. Foster
4/25/2022(1)
— — — — — — 16,537 — — 196,300 
3/29/2021(3)
$93,000 $120,000 $147,000 — — — — — — — 


(1)    The amounts shown on these rows reflects the awards of restricted stock or units earned in 2021 to be2022 and issued in 2022, contingent upon the approval by our shareholders of Proposal #3 to increase the number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the 2019 Plan by 650,000 shares. To the extent we are unable to obtain shareholder approval to increase the reserved shares under the 2019 plan, we intend to pay the value of the award in cash as they vest.April 2023.
(2)    The amounts on these rows assume, under the structure of our Annual Incentive Bonus Plan, that each of the metrics are      achieved under threshold (75% payout), target (100% payout), and maximum/maximum / stretch (125% payout) levels. The actual payouts in April 20222023 that were earned in 20212022 were as follows: Mr. Taylor - $397,800,$612,000, Mr. Hazlett - 73,158$144,908 and Mr. Foster - $78,000.$157,500.


Short-Term Incentives - Annual Incentive Bonus Plan


In 2006, the Committee adopted an Annual Incentive Bonus Plan or, the “IBP,”(“IBP”) that provides guidelines for the calculation of annual non-equity incentive based compensation in the form of cash bonuses to our executives, subject to Committee oversight and modification. The bonuses awarded under the IBP are short-term awards in recognition of the overall performance and efforts made by certain of our executives during a particular year. Each year, the Committee approves the group of executives eligible to participate in the IBP and establishes target award opportunities for such executives. For 2021,2022, the Committee maintained Mr. Taylor’s target award opportunity at 100% of his base salary. Target award opportunity was 50% of average base salary for Mr. Hazlett and Mr. Foster.


For 2021,2022, 100% of an executive officer’s IBP award was based on achievement of companyCompany financial and other objectives relating to:
.
Cash flow from operations;operations(1);
EBITDA(2);
Total revenues;
ESG objectives; and
Strategic and tactical initiatives.


CashIBP award components consist of cash flow from operations accounts for 35% of the IBP,- 30%; EBITDA - 30%; total revenues accounts for 25% of the IBP,- 5%; ESG objectives accounts for- 20% of the IBP; and strategic and tactical initiatives accounts for the remaining 20%- 15%.


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Each year, the Committee sets the performance levels for each component of the company objective portion of the IBP. The payment of awards under the IBP is based upon whether these performance levels are achieved for the year. Payout on each of the three financial objectives is as follows:

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75% of the bonus amount attributable to a financial component will be paid if we achieve the "threshold" amount;
100% of the bonus amount attributable to a financial component will be paid if we achieve the "target" amount; and
125% of the bonus amount attributable to a financial component will be paid if we achieve the "stretch" amount.


20212022 Annual Incentive Bonus Plan
2021 Executive Bonus Criteria
Cash Flow from Operations (1)
Revenue
Threshold achievement pays 75% of bonus$22,398,000 $69,672,000 
Target achievement pays 100% of bonus22,973,000 71,458,000 
Stretch achievement pays 125% of bonus23,547,000 73,245,000 


2022 Executive Bonus Criteria
Cash Flow from Operations(1)
EBITDA(2)
Revenue
Threshold achievement pays 75% of bonus$25,016,000$26,155,000$74,140,000
Target achievement pays 100% of bonus25,876,00027,099,00076,041,000
Stretch achievement pays 125% of bonus26,736,00028,044,00077,942,000

(1)    Cash flow from operations is an indicator of operating performance and is defined as the Company's rental and service and maintenance gross margins, before depreciation, less selling, general and administrative expenses adjusted to exclude (i) non-cash charges related to the Company's Non-qualified Deferred Compensation Plan, (ii) non-cash stock compensation expenses, and (iii) director and officer cash long-term incentive compensation expenses and severance expenses.
(2)    EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure that we define as net income (loss) before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, as well as an increase in inventory allowance and inventory write-offs, retirement of rental equipment, non-recurring severance expenses and non-cash equity compensation expenses.

The following table sets forth the maximum bonus eligibility set by the Committee for 20212022 for each of our named executive officers, and based upon the payout percentages noted in the table above, the bonus payout amount earned by each named executive for 20212022 under our Annual Incentive Bonus Plan:
CriteriaActual 2021 PerformanceTarget MetricStretch MetricEligible Bonus Payment
Percentage
Bonus ComponentPayable Bonus
Cash flow from operations (1)
$20,344,000 $22,973,000 $23,547,000 — %35 %— %
Revenue72,420,000 71,458,000 73,245,000 100 %25 %25.0 %
ESG objectives100 %20 %20.0 %
Strategic and tactical initiatives100 %20 %20.0 %
Total65.0 %


(1)Cash
CriteriaActual 2022 PerformanceTarget MetricStretch MetricEligible Bonus Payment
Percentage
Bonus ComponentPayable Bonus
Cash Flow Operations (1)
$29,483,220 $25,876,000 $26,735,000 125%30.00 %37.50%
EBITDA (2)
29,164,243 27,099,000 28,044,000 125 %30.00 %37.50 %
Revenue84,825,723 76,041,000 77,942,000 125 %5.00 %6.25 %
ESG objectives125 %20.00 %25.00 %
Strategic and tactical initiatives125 %15.00 %18.75 %
Total100 %125.00 %

In 2022, our executives received (i) a stretch financial metric payout on cash flow from operations, is an indicator of operating performance and is defined as the Company's rental and service and maintenance gross margins, before depreciation, less selling, general and administrative expenses adjusted to exclude (i) non-cash charges related to$29.5 million actual cash flow from operations exceeded its stretch achievement level of $26.7 million; (ii) a stretch financial metric payout on EBITDA, as the Company's Non-qualified Deferred Compensation Plan, (ii) non-cash stock compensation expenses and$29.2 million actual EBITDA exceeded its stretch achievement level of $28.0 million; (iii) director and officer cash long-term incentive compensation expenses.

In 2021, the Compensation Committee determined the following metrics justified the annual incentives paid to our named executives officers:

Noa stretch financial metric payout was justified on the Cash Flow From Operations ("CFFO") metricrevenues, as the $20.3Company's actual $84.8 million in CFFO for the 2021 measurement year fell shortrevenue exceeded its stretch achievement level revenue of the threshold level of $22.4 million.
Revenue of $72.4 million for the 2021 measurement year exceeded the target of $71.5 million but was less than the$77.9 million; (iii) a stretch level of $73.2 million. As a result, the revenue metric justified payout at the target level.
As noted in the operational highlights found on page 20 of this Proxy, the named executive officers achieved strong safety performance as well as provided support for the development of the Board's newly-formed ESG Committee. In addition, the named executive officers were instrumental in the early development of new metrics to assist the Company in assessing various environmental measures. Finally, the Board recognized the extraordinary efforts needed to maintain appropriate governance controls in a remote work environment. As such, the Compensation Committee believes a target payout on ESG objectives is justified.
As noted inas management's performance met the operational highlights found on page 20 of this Proxy, the named executive officers were instrumental in continuing the growth of the Company's large horespower deployment during 2021, adding to the Company's revenueBoard approved metrics; and earnings growth potential in future years. The named executive officers also provided leadership necessary to continue uninterrupted operations while under social distancing guidelines related to the

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COVID-19 pandemic. The Compensation Committee also recognizes the strategic benefits of maintaining(iv) a strong balance sheet during the recent uncertainty in the energy markets, largely a result of the global pandemic. As such, the Compensation Committee believes a targetstretch payout on strategic and tactical objectives is justified.initiatives as the Committee considered the Company's 2022financial and operational performance as the individual performance of Company executives related to meeting strategic and tactical goals of the Company.

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Additional information on operational and financial objectives and performance can be found on page 2022 of this Proxy as well as in the Company's annual report filed on Form 10-K and quarterly reports filed on Form 10-Q with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.


The following table summarizes the bonuses awarded under the IBP for 2021:2022:
NameTitleBase SalaryMax Bonus EligibilityBonus BaseBonus Payout %Bonus Payouts
Stephen C. TaylorPresident & CEO$612,000 100.0 %$612,000  65 %$397,800  
Micah C. FosterVP & CFO153,863 50.0 %240,000 65 %78,000 
James R. HazlettVP- Technical Services225,100  50.0 %225,100  65 %73,158  


NameTitleBase SalaryMax Bonus EligibilityBonus BaseBonus Payout %Bonus Payouts
Stephen C. Taylor
President & CEO(1)
$612,000 100 %$612,000  100 %$612,000 
Micah C. FosterVP & CFO252,000 50 %252,000 125 %157,500 
James R. HazlettVP- Technical Services231,853  50 %231,853  125 %144,908 

(1)    Includes $313,545 earned as President and CEO and interim President and CEO and $298,455 earned as an employee based on 178 days served as an employee in 2022.

1998 Stock Option Plan


Our 1998 Stock Option Plan, as amended and restated, provides for the issuance of stock options to purchase up to 1,000,000 shares of our common stock. The purpose of this plan is to attract and retain the best available personnel for positions of substantial responsibility and to provide long-term incentives to employees and consultants and to promote the long-term growth and success of our business. The plan is administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. At its discretion, the Compensation Committee determines the persons to whom stock options may be granted and the terms upon which options will be granted. In addition, the Compensation Committee may interpret the plan and may adopt, amend and rescind rules and regulations for its administration. Option awards are generally granted with an exercise price equal to the closing price of our common stock at the date of grant and generally vest based on three years of continuous service and have ten-year contractual terms.


As of December 31, 2021,2022, stock options to purchase a total of 200,834201,584 shares of our common stock were outstanding under the 1998 Stock Option Plan, as amended and restated, and a total of 345,003344,253 shares of common stock were available at December 31, 20212022 for future grants of stock options under the plan. Since the beginning of 2022,2023, we have issued 2,500 no stock options to purchase shares of our common stock with an additional 12,500 stock 15,667 stock options that were either forfeited or expired,, leaving 355,003 359,920 shares available under the 1998 Stock Option Plan as of April 29, 2022.March 31, 2023.


2019 Equity Incentive Plan


On June 20, 2019, the Company's shareholders approved our 2019 Equity Incentive Plan ("2019 Plan"). Except with respect to awards then outstanding, unless sooner terminated by the Board, the Plan will expire on the tenth anniversary of the date it was approved by shareholdersshareholders (June 20, 2029) and no further awards may be granted after such date. The purposes of the 2019 Plan are to enable the Company to attract and retain the types of employees, consultants and Directors who will contribute to the Company’s long range success; provide incentives that align the interests of employees, consultants and Directors with those of the shareholders of the Company; and promote the success of the Company’s business.


The following summary of the material terms of the 2019 Plan is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the 2019 Plan, a copy of which was filed with our proxy statement for 2019 and may be obtained, free of charge, by writing to the Company, Attention: Alicia Dada, Investors Relations, 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705.


Shares Available for Awards and Limits on Awards. The Company has reserved an aggregate of 500,0001,150,000 shares of common stock to be awarded under the 2019 Plan. Up to 250,000570,473 of these shares may be issued under the 2019 Plan, in the aggregate, through the exercise of incentive stock options. No non-employee Director may be granted awards, during any fiscal year, with respect to shares of common stock that, together with any cash fees paid to the Director during the fiscal year, have a total value that exceeds $250,000 (calculating the value of any awards based on the grant date fair value for financial reporting purposes).


As of March 31, 2022, we have issued 456,198591,804 shares under the 2019 Plan. Of these shares, 287,011398,410 have vested and are no longer subject to any restrictions or possible forfeiture and 3,33317,690 shares were forfeited and returned to the pool. Vested shares include shares that were withheld for taxes and, under the terms of the 2019 Plan, cannot be re-issued. 165,854190,061 unvested shares of common stock remain reserved for potential issuance under outstanding awards and may be issued if the vesting terms

34






of such outstanding awards are met. Accordingly, 47,135575,886 shares are available to be issued under the 2019 Plan as of March 31, 2022.2023.


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If any outstanding award expires or is canceled, forfeited, or terminated without issuance of the full number of shares of common stock to which the award related, then the number of shares available under the 2019 Plan will be increased by the portion of the award that expired, or was canceled, forfeited or terminated. Shares tendered in payment of the option exercise price, shares delivered or withheld by the Company to satisfy any tax withholding obligation, or shares covered by a stock-settled stock appreciation right or other awards that were not issued upon the settlement of the award will not again become available for future grants under the 2019 Plan.


Awards may be granted under the 2019 Plan in assumption of, or in substitution for, outstanding awards previously granted by an entity acquired by the Company or with which the Company combines. The Committee (as defined below) will make appropriate adjustments to these limits to prevent dilution or enlargement of the rights of participants under the 2019 Plan.


Administration and Amendment. The 2019 Plan will be administered by the one or more Directors appointed by the Board (the "Committee"), or, in the Board’s discretion, by the Board. The Committee will have the authority to, among other things, interpret the 2019 Plan; determine who will be granted awards under the 2019 Plan; prescribe the terms and conditions of each award; interpret, administer, reconcile any inconsistency in, correct any defect in, and supply any omission in the 2019 Plan; and exercise discretion to make any and all other determinations which it determines to be necessary or advisable for the administration of the 2019 Plan.


The Committee may also amend the terms of any one or more awards. However, the Committee may not affect any amendment which would otherwise constitute an impairment of the rights under any award unless the Company requests the consent of the participant and the participant consents in writing.


The Board may amend the 2019 Plan. However, except in the case of adjustments upon changes in common stock, no amendment will be effective unless approved by the shareholders of the Company to the extent shareholder approval is necessary to satisfy any applicable laws.


Eligibility.  The Board selects participants from among the key employees, consultants and Directors of the Company and its affiliates. Only employees are eligible to receive incentive stock options.


Available Awards. Awards that may be granted under the 2019 Plan include restricted stock, restricted stock units (RSUs), performance awards, stock options (including both incentive stock options (ISOs) and nonqualified stock options), stock appreciation rights (SARs), and other stock-based awards. The terms of each award will be set forth in a written agreement.


Restricted Stock. A restricted stock award is an award of actual shares of common stock which are subject to certain restrictions for a period of time determined by the Committee. Restricted stock may be held by the Company in escrow or delivered to the participant pending the release of the restrictions. The participant generally has the rights and privileges of a shareholder as to such restricted stock during the restricted period, including the right to vote the restricted stock and the right to receive dividends


Restricted Stock Units. An RSU is an award of hypothetical common stock units having a value equal to the fair market value of an identical number of shares of common stock, which are subject to certain restrictions for a period of time determined by the Committee. No shares of common stock are issued at the time an RSU is granted, and the Company is not required to set aside any funds for the payment of any RSU award. Prior to settlement of an RSU award and the receipt of shares, the participant does not have any rights as a shareholder with respect to such shares. The Committee may grant RSUs with a deferral feature (deferred stock units or DSUs), whereby settlement of the RSU is deferred beyond the vesting date until a future payment date or event set out in the participant’s award agreement. The Committee has the discretion to credit RSUs or DSUs with dividend equivalents.


Performance Share Awards. A performance share award is an award of shares of common stock that are only earned if certain conditions are met. The Committee has the discretion to determine the following: the number of shares of common stock or stock-denominated units subject to a performance share award; the applicable performance period; the conditions that must be satisfied for a participant to earn an award; and the other terms, conditions and restrictions of the award. The number of performance shares earned by a participant depends on the extent to which the performance goals established by the Committee

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are attained within the applicable performance period. No payout is made with respect to any performance share award except upon written certification by the Committee that the minimum threshold performance goal(s) have been achieved.


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Stock Options. A stock option is the right to purchase shares of common stock at a future date at a specified price per share called the exercise price. An option may be either an ISO or a nonqualified stock option. ISOs and nonqualified stock options are taxed differently. Except in the case of options granted pursuant to an assumption or substitution for another option, the exercise price of a stock option may not be less than the fair market value (or in the case of an ISO granted to a ten percent shareholder, 110% of the fair market value) of a share of common stock on the grant date. As of the record date, the closing price of our common stock was $9.05.$10.50. Full payment of the exercise price must be made at the time of such exercise either in cash or bank check or in another manner approved by the Committee.


Stock Appreciation Rights. A SAR is the right to receive payment of an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of a share of common stock on the date of exercise of the SAR over the exercise price. The exercise price of a SAR may not be less than the fair market value of a share of common stock on the grant date. SARs may be granted alone ("freestanding rights”) or in tandem with options ("related rights”).


Other Equity-Based Awards. The Committee may grant other equity-based awards, either alone or in tandem with other awards, in amounts and subject to conditions as determined by the Committee as set out in an award agreement.


Vesting. The 2019 Plan allows for awards subject to either time-based vesting or performance-based vesting, or both. All awards granted under the 2019 Plan must have a minimum vesting period of at least one year. The Committee has the authority to determine the vesting schedule of each award (subject to the minimum one-year requirement), and to accelerate the vesting and ability to exercise any award. The Company’s practice over the last several years has been to grant restricted stock/unit awards to its executive officers and independent Directors, and stock options to selected non-executive employees. Restricted stock/unit awards to our (i) executive officers have been subject to time-based vesting in equal one-third installments over a three-year period from the grant date and (ii) independent Directors have been subject to time-based vesting in equal quarterly installments beginning in the year following the year in which they are granted. Starting in 2020, the awards to independent Directors are subject to one-year cliff vesting. Stock options granted to our non-executive employees typically vest in equal, one-third tranches over a three-year period. Past vesting requirements may not be indicative of future vesting requirements set by the Committee, which may be less or more onerous than in prior years.


Clawback and Recoupment. The Company may cancel any award or require the participant to reimburse any previously paid compensation provided under the 2019 Plan or an award agreement in accordance with the Company’s clawback policy.


Termination of Service.  Unless otherwise set forth in an individual award agreement or in an employment agreement approved by the Committee, any unvested restricted shares, performance shares, RSUs, PSUs and other equity-based awards will immediately be forfeited upon termination of continuous service under the 2019 Plan. Under the Company's restricted stock and RSU award agreements, if the grantee's continuous service terminates as a result of the grantee's death, Disability (as defined in the 2019 Plan), termination without Cause (as defined in the 2019 Plan and below) or termination for Good Reason (as defined), 100% of the grantee's unvested shares will vest.


Unless otherwise set forth in an individual award agreement or in an employment agreement approved by the Committee, in the event an option holder's continuous service terminates, an option holder may exercise his or her option (to the extent the option holder was entitled to exercise such option at the date of termination) within the earlier of three months following the date of termination or the expiration of the option term. Unless otherwise set forth in an individual award agreement, in the event an option holder's continuous service terminates upon his or her death or Disability (as defined), an option holder or his or her estate may exercise his or her option (to the extent the option holder was entitled to exercise such option at the date of termination), within the earlier of 12 months following the date of termination or the expiration of the option term.


In regard to the definition of Cause under the 2019 Plan, if a participant is under an employment or service agreement with the Company and such agreement provides for a definition of Cause, that definition should be used. If no such agreement exists, or if such agreement does not define Cause, then Cause is defined as (i) the conviction of, or plea of guilty or no contest to, a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude or the commission of any other act involving willful malfeasance or material fiduciary breach with respect to the Company or an Affiliate; (ii) conduct that results in or is reasonably likely to result in harm to the reputation or business of the Company or any of its Affiliates; (iii) gross negligence or willful misconduct with respect to the Company or an Affiliate; or (iv) material violation of state or federal securities laws.


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In regard to the definition of Good Reason under the 2019 Plan, if a participant is under an employment or service agreement with the Company and such agreement provides for a definition of Good Reason, that definition should be used. If no such agreement exists, or if such agreement does not define Good Reason, Good Reason is defined as the occurrence of one
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or more of the following without the participant’s express written consent, which circumstances are not remedied by the Company within thirty (30) days of its receipt of a written notice from the participant describing the applicable circumstances (which notice must be provided by the participant within ninety (90) days of the participant's knowledge of the applicable circumstances): (i) any material, adverse change in the participant's duties, responsibilities, authority, title, status or reporting structure; (ii) a material reduction in the participant’s base salary or bonus opportunity; or (iii) a geographical relocation of the participant's principal office location by more than fifty (50) miles.


Change in Control. A Change in Control is defined as (a) the acquisition by one person or more than one person acting as a group, of Company stock representing more than 50% of the total fair market value or total voting power of the Company’s stock; (b) a merger, consolidation or other reorganization in which the Company is not the surviving entity unless the Company’s shareholders immediately prior to the merger, consolidation or other reorganization maintain at least 50% of the voting power; (c) a majority of the incumbent members of the Board are replaced by Directors whose appointment or election is not endorsed by at least two-thirds of the Board; or (d) the acquisition by one person or more than one person acting as a group, of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets.


Unless otherwise provided in an award agreement, in the event of a participant’s termination of service without Cause or for Good Reason during the 18-month period following a Change in Control, the vesting of all awards will fully accelerate and all outstanding options and SARs will become immediately exercisable as of the date of the participant’s termination of service.


In the case of performance awards, in the event of a participant’s termination of service without Cause or for Good Reason, in either case, within 18 months following a Change in Control, all performance goals or other vesting criteria will be deemed achieved at 100% of target levels and all other terms and conditions will be deemed met as of the date of the participant’s termination of service.


In the event of a Change in Control, the Committee may in its discretion and upon at least 10 days’ advance notice to the affected persons, cancel any outstanding awards and pay to the holders the value of the awards based upon the price per share of common stock received or to be received by other shareholders of the Company in the event. In the case of any option or SAR with an exercise price that equals or exceeds the price paid for a share of common stock in connection with the change in control, the Committee may cancel the option or SAR without the payment of any consideration.































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Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End


The following table shows certain information about unvested restricted stock/units and unexercised stock options outstanding as of December 31, 2021 2022 and held by our Chief Executive Officer, Stephen C. Taylor, and each other named executive officer.



Outstanding Equity Awards at 20212022 Fiscal Year-End

 Option AwardsStock Awards
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Name
 
 
 
 
 
 
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable
 
 
 
 
 
 
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable
 
 
 
Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options
(#)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Option Exercise Price
($)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Option Expiration Date
 
 
 
 
 
Number of Shares of Stock That Have Not Vested
(#)
 
Market Value of Shares of Stock that Have Not Vested ($)
Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares or Other Rights that Have
Not Vested (#)
Equity
Incentive Plan Awards:
Market or Payout Value
of Unearned
Shares or
Other Rights
that Have
Not Vested ($)
(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)(i)(j)
Stephen C. Taylor— — — — — 31,378 $359,592 — — 
— — — — — 72,808 834,380 — — 
— — — — — 60,839 697,215 — — 
James R. Hazlett— — — — — 3,333 38,196 — — 
— — — — — 13,333 152,796 — — 
— — — — — 15,503 177,664 — — 
Micah C. Foster— — — — — 3,333 38,186 — — 
16,537 189,514 
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 Option AwardsStock Awards
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Name
 
 
 
 
 
 
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable
 
 
 
 
 
 
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable
 
 
 
Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options
(#)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Option Exercise Price
($)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Option Expiration Date
 
 
 
 
 
Number of Shares of Stock That Have Not Vested
(#)
 
Market Value of Shares of Stock that Have Not Vested ($)
Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares or Other Rights that Have
Not Vested (#)
Equity
Incentive Plan Awards:
Market or Payout Value
of Unearned
Shares or
Other Rights
that Have
Not Vested ($)
(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)(i)(j)
Stephen C. Taylor— — — — — 43,891 $459,539 — — 
— — — — — 62,755 657,045 — — 
— — — — — 109,212 1,143,450 — — 
James R. Hazlett— — — — — 6,667 69,803 — — 
— — — — — 6,667 69,803 — — 
— — — — — 20,000 209,400 — — 
Micah C. Foster— — — — — 5,000 52,350 — — 


Option Exercises and Stock Vested in 20212022


In the table below, we show certain information about (i) the number of shares of common stock acquired upon exercise of stock options by each of the named executive officers in 20212022 and the value realized on exercise of the stock options and (ii) stock awards.
Option AwardsStock Awards Option AwardsStock Awards
NameNameNumber of Shares Acquired
on Exercise (#)
Value Realized on Exercise ($)
Number of Shares
Acquired on Vesting(1)
Value Realized
on Vesting(1)
NameNumber of Shares Acquired
on Exercise
Value Realized on Exercise ($)
Number of Shares
Acquired on Vesting(1)
Value Realized
on Vesting(1)
(a)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)
Stephen C. TaylorStephen C. Taylor$—80,075 $744,316 Stephen C. Taylor$—97,562 $1,143,865 
James R. HazlettJames R. Hazlett15,332 143,601 James R. Hazlett16,668 194,416 
Micah C. FosterMicah C. Foster1,667 21,388 


(1) Excludes the following shares that vested (with values upon vesting) and were contributed to the Company's nonqualified deferred compensation plan as follows: Mr. Taylor - 23,428 14,110 shares for $220,208; and Mr. Hazlett - 1,333 shares for $12,983.$168,788.









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Nonqualified Deferred Compensation


We adopted a Deferred Compensation Plan in December 2015, which permits eligible employees, including our NEOs, and our Directors to annually elect to defer a portion of their salary, commissions, cash bonus, Director fees and/or stock awards they would otherwise have received when earned.  Under this plan, participants can defer up to 90% of their salary, commissions, cash bonus, Director fees and stock awards. Cash amounts deferred under the Deferred Compensation Plan are deemed invested in the investment funds selected by the participant with similar options as available under the Company’s 401(k) Plan. We have option to contribute but do not currently contribute to the Deferred Compensation Plan on behalf of its participants or match the deferrals made by participants.


At the time of deferral, a participant must indicate whether he or she wishes to receive the amount deferred while in-service or upon separation of service. In either case, the payment will be in either a lump sum or in substantially equal annual installments. In-service installments cannot exceed five years, while installments elected to start upon separation of service cannot exceed ten years. If separation is due to a disability or a change in control, deferrals will be paid similar to deferrals paid upon separation of service, while deferrals related to death will be paid in a lump sum to the participant’s beneficiary. If a

38






participant experiences an unforeseeable emergency during the deferral period, the participant may petition to receive a partial or full payout from the Deferred Compensation Plan. All distributions are made in cash, except for deferred stock awards which are settled in Company stock.
   
Deferred Compensation Table
NameBeginning Aggregate Balance
Executive Contributions in Last FY ($) (1)
Registrant Contributions in Last FY ($)Aggregate Earnings in Last FY ($)Aggregate Withdrawals/Distributions ($)Aggregate Balance at Last Fiscal Year End ($)
Stephen C. Taylor$2,573,055 $278,251 $— $551,250 $— $3,402,556 
G. Larry Lawrence157,550 — — 18,651 (65,865)110,336 
James R. Hazlett339,004 24,672 — 63,469 — 427,145 


NameBeginning Aggregate Balance
Executive Contributions in Last FY ($) (1)
Registrant Contributions in Last FY ($)Aggregate Earnings in Last FY ($)Aggregate Withdrawals/Distributions ($)Aggregate Balance at Last Fiscal Year End ($)
Stephen C. Taylor$3,402,556 $466,902 $— $(122,302)$— $3,747,156 
James R. Hazlett427,145 26,804 — (18,670)— 435,279 

(1) All contributions were from salary, bonus and stock deferrals in 2021.2022. The Company has made no contributions to the Deferred Compensation Plan.


Pay Versus Performance

In the table below, we show certain required information about Pay Versus Performance for our Principal Executive Officer (“PEO”) Steven C. Taylor and our two other named executive officers Micah C. Foster and James R. Hazlett (“NEO”) reflecting executive compensation actually paid compared to Total Shareholder Return (“TRS”) for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021:

For PEO and Interim PEO TaylorFor Interim PEO Chisholm
Year
Summary Compensation Table Total for Taylor (1) (2) (3)
Compensation Actually Paid to Taylor
Summary Compensation Table Total for Chisholm (4) (5)
Compensation Actually Paid to Chisholm
Average Summary Compensation Table Total for non-PEO NEOs (6)
Average Compensation Actually Paid to non-PEO NEOsValue of initial fixed $100 investment based on TRSNet Income (Loss) (in thousands)
2022$949,997$1,452,146$429,129 $429,129 $569,665$621,088$120.89 $(569)
20211,749,279 2,259,464 — — 478,742 377,955 110.44 (9,183)

(1)    Stephen C. Taylor served as President and Chief Executive Officer (“PEO”) during all of 2021 and for 137 days until May 17, 2022 and 50 days as Interim PEO from November 11, 2022. For 2022, Mr. Taylor’s $612,000 salary and $612,000 IBP award and $612,000 LTIP award included in non-equity incentive plan compensation presented in the accompanying Summary Compensation Table has been pro-rated based on the 187 days he served as PEO. Mr. Taylor served 178 days as an employee during 2022.

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(2)    The Company has agreed that unless Mr. Taylor’s employment with the Company is terminated for Cause it will: (i) pay Mr. Taylor a salary of $51,000 per month, (ii) award Mr. Taylor $612,000 pursuant to the 2022 Annual Incentive Bonus Plan (“IBP”) of the Company as and when payments are generally made by the Company pursuant to such plan, and (iii) grant to Mr. Taylor an equity award (or cash in lieu of equity if there are not sufficient shares available) with a value of $612,000 pursuant to the 2022 LTIP of the Company as and when awards are generally made by the Company pursuant to such plan.

(3)    In accordance with a Retirement Agreement, dated May 17, 2022, unless terminated by the Company for Cause prior to June 30, 2023: (i) all equity awards (and all cash awards in lieu of equity) to Mr. Taylor by the Company which have not previously vested will immediately vest, (ii) Mr. Taylor will be entitled to receive from the Company on July 17, 2023 a cash payment of $1,224,000, (iii) Mr. Taylor will be entitled to receive from the Company on July 17, 2023 a cash payment in the amount of $1,530,000 in lieu of participation in the 2023 Annual Incentive Bonus Plan of the Company, and (iv) a grant of shares of common stock of the Company on July 17, 2023 with a value of $100,000.

(4)    During 2022, John W. Chisholm served 178 days as Interim PEO from May 17, 2022 until November 11, 2022. Pursuant to a Letter Agreement, dated June 9, 2022, the Company has agreed (i) to pay Mr. Chisholm a cash payment of $100,000 compensation in connection with the execution of the agreement, (ii) to pay cash compensation of $50,000 per month during the term of the agreement, but for not less than a minimum of twelve months, (iii) to reimburse legal fees Mr. Chisholm incurred in connection with the negotiation and review of the agreement, not to exceed $5,000, and (iv) grant Mr. Chisholm a stock option award of 175,000 shares of common stock (of which 25,000 shares at a grant price of $15.00 per share were immediately vested at a fair value of $11.46 per share) pursuant to the Company’s 1998 Stock Option Plan.

(5)    On November 11, 2022, Mr. Chisholm’s employment agreement as Interim President and Chief Executive officer was terminated by the Company and, on December 21, 2022, Mr. Chisholm resigned from the Company’s Board of Directors pursuant to a Severance Agreement whereby stock option awards covering 150,000 shares of common stock of the previously granted stock option award of 175,000 shares were cancelled.

(6)    During 2022 and 2021, the non-PEO NEO’s are Micah C. Foster, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and James R. Hazlett, Chief Technical Officer.

The following supplementary tables presents the adjustments necessary to determine the compensation actually paid to the named PEO and Interim PEO’s and Non-PEO NEO’s:

Adjustments to Determine Compensation "Actually Paid" for PEO/Interim PEO Taylor20222021
Total amount per Summary Compensation Table$949,997 $1,749,279 
Adjustments to determine compensation actually paid:— — 
Deduct amount reported under Stock Awards column for Taylor(313,545)(722,160)
Deduct amount reported under Option Awards column for Taylor— — 
Increase for Fair Value of Awards Granted during the year that remain unvested at year end697,215 1,143,450 
Increase/decrease for change in Fair Value from Prior Year-end to Current Year-end of Awards Granted Prior to year that were Outstanding and Unvested as of Year-end103,144 105,580 
Increase for Fair Value of Awards Granted during year that Vest during year— — 
Increase (deduction) for Change in Fair Value from Prior Year-end to Vesting Date of Awards Granted Prior to year that Vested during year15,335 (16,684)
Increase based on Dividends or Other Earnings Paid during year prior to Vesting Date of Award.— — 
Deduct Fair Value of Awards Granted Prior to year that were Forfeited during year— — 
Total adjustments502,149 510,185 
Compensation Actual Paid to PEO/Interim PEO Taylor$1,452,146 $2,259,464 

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Adjustments to Determine Compensation "Actually Paid" for Interim PEO Chisholm20222021
Total amount per Summary Compensation Table$429,129 $— 
Adjustments to determine compensation actually paid:
Deduct amount reported under Stock Awards column for Chisholm— — 
Deduct amount reported under Option Awards column for Chisholm(59,635)— 
Increase for Fair Value of Awards Granted during the year that remain unvested at year end— — 
Increase/decrease for change in Fair Value from Prior Year-end to Current Year-end of Awards Granted Prior to year that were Outstanding and Unvested as of Year-end— — 
Increase for Fair Value of Awards Granted during year that Vest during year59,635 — 
Increase (deduction) for Change in Fair Value from Prior Year-end to Vesting Date of Awards Granted Prior to year that Vested during year— — 
Increase based on Dividends or Other Earnings Paid during year prior to Vesting Date of Award.— — 
Deduct Fair Value of Awards Granted Prior to year that were Forfeited during year— — 
Total adjustments— — 
Compensation Actual Paid to Interim PEO Chisholm$429,129 $— 

Adjustments to Determine Average Compensation "Actually Paid" for Non-PEO NEOs Hazlett and Foster20222021
Total average amount per Summary Compensation Table for Hazlett and Foster$569,665 $478,742 
Adjustments to determine average compensation actually paid:— — 
Deduct average amount reported under Stock Awards column for Hazlett and Foster(144,908)(190,163)
Deduct average amount reported under Option Awards column for Hazlett and Foster— — 
Increase for Fair Value of Awards Granted during the year that remain unvested at year end183,589 130,875 
Increase/decrease for change in Fair Value from Prior Year-end to Current Year-end of Awards Granted Prior to year that were Outstanding and Unvested as of Year-end9,900 6,600 
Increase for Fair Value of Awards Granted during year that Vest during year— — 
Increase (deduction) for Change in Fair Value from Prior Year-end to Vesting Date of Awards Granted Prior to year that Vested during year2,842 (700)
Increase based on Dividends or Other Earnings Paid during year prior to Vesting Date of Award.— — 
Deduct Fair Value of Awards Granted Prior to year that were Forfeited during year— (47,400)
Total adjustments51,423 (100,787)
Average Compensation Actual Paid to Non-PEO NEOs Hazlett and Foster$621,088 $377,955 
Shareholder Return (“TSR”) for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 is as follows:
TSR - (P1-P0) + D20222021
P1 - Ending NGS stock price - December 31,$11.46 $10.47 
P0 = Initial stock price - December 31, 2020$9.48 $9.48 
D = Dividends$— $— 
TSR =1.98 0.99 
TSR/P0TSR %20.89 %10.44 %
TSR based on $100 investment$120.89 $110.44 
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Compensation of Directors

We use a combination of cash and equity-based incentive compensation to attract and retain qualified candidates to serve on our Board of Directors. In setting compensation for our Directors, we consider the substantial amount of time that Directors expend in fulfilling their duties to us and our shareholders, as well as the skill-sets required to fulfill these duties.

The following table discloses the cash, equity awards and other compensation earned, paid or awarded, as the case may be, to each of our non-employee Directors during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019:
Name Year
Fees Earned
Or Paid
($)(1)
Stock
Awards ($)(2) 
Option Awards ($)Non-Equity Incentive
Plan Compensation
($) 
Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation EarningsAll
Other
Compensation
($)
Total
($)
(a) (b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)
Leslie A. Beyer2021$66,250 $50,003 $— $50,000 $— $— $166,253 
202027,500 12,499 — 25,000 — — 64,999 
2019— — — — — — — 
David L. Bradshaw202168,750 50,003 — 50,000 — — 168,753 
202065,000 24,996 — 50,000 — — 139,996 
201965,000 100,005 — — — — 165,005 
John Chisholm202168,750 50,003 — 50,000 — — 168,753 
202060,000 24,996 — 50,000 — — 134,996 
201955,000 100,005 — — — — 155,005 
Charles G. Curtis2021— — — — — — — 
202032,500 24,996 — — — — 57,496 
201960,000 100,005 — — — — 160,005 
William F. Hughes, Jr.202116,250 — — — — — 16,250 
202065,000 24,996 — 50,000 — — 139,996 
201965,000 100,005 — — — — 165,005 
Nigel J. Jenvey202152,500 50,000 — 50,000 — — 152,500 
2020— — — — — — — 
2019— — — — — — — 
(1)    Our non-employee Directors are paid a quarterly cash fee.  The cash fee payable to our non-employee Directors was $13,750 per quarter for2022, 2021 and $12,500 per quarter for 2020 and 2019. In addition, the Chairman of the Audit Committee, David L. Bradshaw, the Chairman of the Compensation Committee, Leslie A. Beyer, the Chairman of the ESG and Personnel Development Committee, Nigel J. Jenvey and the Chairman of the Nominating Committee and Lead Director, John Chisholm, were entitled to an additional quarterly cash fee in the amount of $3,750.2020:


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NameYear
Fees Earned or Paid ($) (1)
Stock Awards ($)(2)Option Awards ($)Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($)Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation EarningsAll Other Compensation ($)(3)Total ($)
(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(h)
Leslie A. Beyer2022$ 70,000$49,996 $$ 50,000$$169,996 
202166,25050,00350,000166,253
202027,50012,49925,00064,999
David L. Bradshaw202270,00049,996 50,000169,996 
202168,75050,00350,000168,753
202065,00024,99650,000139,996
Nigel J. Jenvey202279,33349,996 50,000179,329 
202152,50050,00050,000152,500
2020
John Chisholm202226,444248,803100,000110,000485,247
202168,75050,00350,000168,753
202060,00024,99650,000134,996
Charles G. Curtis2022
2021
202032,50024,99657,496
William F. Hughes, Jr.2022
202116,25016,250
202065,00024,99650,000139,996







(2)    On March 18, 2021, each of our non-employee Directors were granted 5,612 restricted shares at an issue price of $8.91 per share; on April 1, 2021, Mr. Jenvey was granted 5,291 restricted shares at an issue price of $9.45; on April 28, 2020, each of our non-employee Directors were granted 4,432 restricted shares at an issue price of $5.64 per share; on October 15, 2020, Ms. Beyer was granted 1,324 restricted shares at an issue price of $9.44; and on March 29, 2019, each of our non-employee Directors were granted 5,784 restricted shares/units at an issue price of $17.29 per share.
Cash Compensation Paid to Independent Directors


We pay our(1)    Our non-employee Directors are paid a quarterly cash fee for their attendance at each meeting of our Board of Directors.fee. The cash fee payable to our non-employee Directors for 2021 was $13,750 per quarter and $12,500$13,750 per quarter for 2020 and 2019.2022. In addition, the Chairmen of the Audit, Compensation, ESG and Nominating CommitteesCommittee Chairman were entitled to an additional quarterly cash fee in the amount of $3,750.Mr. Chisholm’s fees were pro-rated for time served as a director.

For(2)    On December 29, 2022, the Compensation recommended and the BoardMr. Chisholm was granted 16,935 shares at $11.00 per share in connection with his Severance Agreement.

(3)    As part of Directors approved no changes to the current compensation structureMr. Chisholm’s Severance Agreement, he also received a cash payment of our Directors.$110,000.


Equity Based Compensation Paid to Independent Directors


Our compensation policy for independent Directors is to grant an annual award of restricted shares based upon a review of equity award values paid by other public companies in the Company's peer group and the Company's market and
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financial performance in comparison to such peer group companies.

The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors intends to meet in May 2023 to approve the total compensation of the non-employee directors for year 2023


For 2021,2022, based upon the Company's performance compared to its peer group, the Compensation Committee recommended and the Board approved an equity award value of approximately $100,000 in restricted stock. However, because of the depressed nature of the energy industry and dilutive nature of the Company's stock at then current market prices, the Board determined to modify the award into a 50/50 split of stock and cash. In connection therewith, on March 18, 2021, each of our three independent Directors were granted the following:

An award of $50,000 in cash (50% of the total) that vests one year from the date of grant; and

An award of 5,612 shares of restricted stock, which was calculated by dividing $50,000 by the closing share price of $8.91 on that day. These awards of restricted stock vest one year from the date of grant and are subject to acceleration in certain events.

On April 1, 2021, William F. Hughes retired and resigned from his position as a member of the Board of Directors of the Company. In recognition of Mr. Hughes’ longstanding service, the Compensation Committee voted to accelerate the vesting of the following unvested shares, free of any further restrictions:

3,989 restricted stock units

443 restricted stock awards

On April 1, 2021, the Board appointed Nigel J. Jenvey as a Director of the Company. Consistent with the compensation of the other non-employee Directors, the Compensation Committee awarded Mr. Jenvey the following:

An award of $50,000 in cash (50% of the total) that vests one year from the date of grant; and
An award of 5,291 shares of restricted stock, which was calculated by dividing $50,000 by the closing share price of $9.45 on that day. These awards of restricted stock vest one year from the date of grant and are subject to acceleration in certain events.
On April 25, 2022, the Compensation Committee recommended and the Board approved the continuation of its annual equity award policy of $100,000 in value of restricted stock and cash, for 2022. In connection therewith, four independent Directors were granted the following:


An award of $50,000 in cash (50% of the total) that vests one year from the date of grant; and
An award of 4,212 shares of restricted stock, which was calculated by dividing $50,000 by a deemed share price of $11.87. These awards of restricted stock vest one year from the date of grant and are subject to acceleration in certain events.


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Directors who are our employees do not receive any compensation for their services as Directors.


Other


All Directors are reimbursed for their expenses incurred in connection with attending meetings. We provide liability insurance for our Directors and officers. The cost of this coverage for 20212022 was $221,723.$245,415. We do not offer non-employee Directors travel accident insurance, life insurance, or a pension or retirement plan.


Compensation Agreements with Management


Retirement of Stephen C. Taylor as President and Chief Executive Officer

On May 17, 2022, the Company and Stephen C. Taylor, our then President and Chief Executive Officer, terminated his Employment Agreement dated April 24, 2015, in connection with Mr. Taylor'shis retirement. The Company has agreed that unless Mr. Taylor’s employment with the Company is previously terminated for Cause it will:

i.Pay Mr. Taylor a salary of $51,000 per month;
ii.Award Mr. Taylor $612,000 pursuant to the 2022 Annual Incentive Bonus Plan of the Company as and when payments are generally made by the Company pursuant to such plan, and
iii.Grant to Mr. Taylor an equity award (or cash in lieu of equity if there are not sufficient shares available) with a value of $612,000 pursuant to the 2022 Long-Term Incentive Plan of the Company as and when awards are generally made by the Company pursuant to such plan.

Provided that the employment of Mr. Taylor by the Company pursuant to the Retirement Agreement is not terminated by the Company for Cause prior to June 30, 2023:

i.All equity awards (and all cash awards in lieu of equity) to Mr. Taylor by the Company which have not previously vested will immediately vest,
ii.Mr. Taylor will be providing further informationentitled to receive from the Company on July 17, 2023 a cash payment of $1,224,000,
iii.Mr. Taylor will be entitled to receive from the Company on July 17, 2023 a cash payment in the amount of $1,530,000 in lieu of participation in the 2023 Annual Incentive Bonus Plan of the Company, and
iv.A grant of shares of common stock of the Company on July 17, 2023 with a Current Report on Form 8-Kvalue of $100,000.






45





Employment of John W. Chisholm as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer

On June 9, 2022, the Company entered into a Letter Agreement with Mr. Chisholm, the Company’s then Lead Director, regarding compensation and other matters in connection with his appointment as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer. Pursuant to be filedthe Letter Agreement, the Company agreed to:

i.Pay Mr. Chisholm a cash payment of $100,000 compensation in connection with the Securitiesexecution of the agreement;
ii.Pay cash compensation of $50,000 per month during the term of the agreement, but for not less than a minimum of twelve months;
iii.Reimburse legal fees Mr. Chisholm incurred in connection with the negotiation and Exchange Commission regardingreview of the agreement, not to exceed $5,000; and
iv.Grant Mr. Chisholm a stock option award of 175,000 shares of common stock pursuant to the Company’s 1998 Stock Option Plan with the following terms:
a. 25,000 options to purchase common shares of the Company at a price of $15.00 per share. The options are
immediately vested and expire 18 months from the Effective Date.
b. 50,000 options to purchase common shares of the Company at a price of $16.00 per share. The options will
vest on the first anniversary of the Effective Date and expire on the second anniversary of the Effective Date.
c. 50,000 options to purchase common shares of the Company at a price of $16.50 per share. The options will
vest on the first anniversary of the Effective Date and expire thirty (30) months from the Effective Date.
d. 50,000 options to purchase common shares of the Company at a price of $17.00 per share. The options will
vest on the first anniversary of the Effective Date and expire on the third anniversary of the Effective Date.

Employment Resignation and Board Retirement of John W. Chisholm

On December 21, 2022, the Company and John W. Chisholm entered into a Severance Agreement and Release (the “Agreement”), memorializing the terms of Mr. Chisholm’s resignation of employment with the Company on November 11, 2022, and effective December 28, 2022, Mr. Chisholm retirement from the Company’s Board of Directors.

The following is a summary of the material terms of the Severance Agreement and Release pursuant to which Mr. Chisholm received:

i.A cash payment of $110,000, less applicable taxes, deductions and withholdings;
ii.An immediately exercisable stock option for 25,000 shares of Company common stock at an exercise price of $17.00 per share which shall expire on November 11, 2025;
iii.Issuance of 16,935 shares of Company common stock pursuant to the Company’s 2019 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended, which are immediately vested;
iv.Vesting acceleration of his retirement.restricted stock award for 4,212 shares of the Company’s common stock granted last year which was scheduled to vest on April 26, 2023 in connection with his annual director service compensation; and

v.Vesting acceleration and payment of his restricted cash award of $50,000 granted last year which was scheduled to vest on April 26, 2023, in connection with his annual director service compensation.
We
In addition, Mr. Chisholm will retain the vested stock option that he was awarded in his Letter Agreement for 25,000 shares at an exercise price of $15.00 per share, which shall continue and remain outstanding pursuant to its terms. The remaining unvested stock options under the Letter Agreement have been cancelled.

Except for the foregoing compensation items, no further compensation will be owed to Mr. Chisholm in connection with his Letter Agreement or his remaining directorship term which was set to expire at the annual meeting of shareholders in 2025.

Appointment of Stephen C. Taylor as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer

In connection with John W. Chisholm’s resignation as the Company’s Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, the Board of Directors appointed Stephen C. Taylor as our Interim Chief Executive Officer and President as of November 11, 2022. In addition, the Board, through its Nominating Committee, is in the process of searching for a qualified, permanent Chief
46




Executive Officer. Mr. Taylor continues to serve as the Company’s Chairman of the Board. In connection with his service as Interim CEO and President, Mr. Taylor is not receiving additional compensation other than the contractual payments and obligations set forth in the Retirement Agreement dated May 17, 2022, between the Company and Mr. Taylor which will be fully paid by June 30, 2023.

Appointment of James D. Faircloth as Interim Chief Financial Officer

In conjunction with Mr. Foster’s announced resignation effective February 28, 2023 as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, on February 13, 2023, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Mr. James D. Faircloth to serve as Interim Chief Financial Officer until such time as a permanent Chief Financial Officer can be hired.In accordance with the employment agreement, the Company has agreed to pay Mr. Faircloth $100 per hour for his services.In addition, Mr. Faircloth will be eligible to receive benefits available to all employees.

As of April 30, 2023, we do not have any other written employment agreements with our other named executive officers.


Limitation on Directors’ and Officers’ Liability


Our Articles of Incorporation provide our Directors and Officers with certain limitations on liability to us or any of our shareholders for damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a Director or officer involving certain acts or omissions of any such Director or Officer.


This limitation on liability may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against Directors and Officers, and may discourage or deter shareholders or management from bringing a lawsuit against Directors and Officers for breach of their duty of care even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise have benefited our shareholders and us.


Our Articles of Incorporation and bylaws provide certain indemnification privileges to our Directors, employees, agents and officers against liabilities incurred in legal proceedings.  Also, our Directors, employees, agents or officers who are successful, on the merits or otherwise, in defense of any proceeding to which he or she was a party, are entitled to receive indemnification against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred in connection with the proceeding.


We are not aware of any pending litigation or proceeding involving any of our Directors, officers, employees or agents as to which indemnification is being or may be sought, and we are not aware of any other pending or threatened litigation that may result in claims for indemnification by any of our Directors, officers, employees or agents.


Even though we maintain Directors’ and Officers’ liability insurance, the indemnification provisions contained in our Articles of Incorporation and bylaws remain in place.























41

47









PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS AND SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF MANAGEMENT


For purposes of the following tables, "beneficial ownership" is determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, pursuant to which a person or group of persons is deemed to have "beneficial ownership" of any shares of Common Stock that such person has the right to acquire within 60 days.


The following table indicates the beneficial ownership of our Common Stock as of MayApril 18, 20222023 by: (1) each of our Directors and nominees for election; (2) our Chief Executive Officer, principal accounting officer and our other named executive officers (as defined in Item 402(a) (3) of Regulation S-K) (together as a group, the "Named Executive Officers "); and (3) all of our current Directors, nominees and executive officers as a group, based on our records and data supplied by each of the current Directors, nominees and executive officers.



Schedule of Beneficial Ownership
Name of Beneficial Owner and Position
Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership (1)
Percent of Class
 
Directors & Nominees Who Are Not Named Executive Officers
  
   
Leslie A. Beyer - Current Director11,148*
David L. Bradshaw - Current Director36,256*
John W. Chisholm - Director Nominee13,004*
Nigel J. Jenvey - Current Director9,503*
   
Named Executive Officers  
   
Stephen C. Taylor - Chief Executive Officer and Current Director(2)
645,7405.18%
James R. Hazlett - Vice President - Technical Services(3)
95,018*
Micah C. Foster - Vice President and Chief Financial Officer5,000*
All Directors (and nominees) and executive officers as a group (7 persons)815,6696.54%


Name of Beneficial Owner and Position
Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership(1)
Percent of Class
Directors & Nominees Who Are Not Named Executive Officers
David L. Bradshaw - Current Director36,256 *
Nigel J. Jenvey - Current Director9,503 *
Jacob C. Jacobs - Director Nominee— — 
Donald J. Tringali - Director Nominee— — 
Named Executive Officers
Stephen C. Taylor - Interim Chief Executive Officer and Director Nominee(2)
691,474 5.57 %
James R. Hazlett - Vice President - Technical Services(3)
103,892 *
Micah C. Foster - Vice President and Chief Financial Officer(4)
18,880 *
All Directors (and nominees) and executive officers as a group (7 persons)860,005 6.93 %

* Less than one percent.


(1)The number of shares listed includes all shares of common stock owned or indirectly owned by, which vest within 60 days of MayApril 18, 2022,2023, under outstanding restricted stock units. Beneficial ownership is calculated in accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Unless otherwise indicated, all shares of common stock are held directly with sole voting and investment powers. As of MayApril 18, 2022,2023, none of the shares of common stock owned by our officers and Directors had been pledged as collateral to secure repayment of loans.


(2)Includes 130,563133,701 shares of common stock held indirectly by a “rabbi trust” the receipt of which has been deferred by Mr. Taylor pursuant to the Company’s Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan.


(3)Includes 19,000 shares of common stock held indirectly by a “rabbi trust” the receipt of which has been deferred by Mr. Hazlett pursuant to the Company’s Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan.



(4)Mr. Foster resigned from his positions and employment from the Company on February 28, 2023.







42

48









The following table sets forth information as of MayApril 18, 20222023 regarding the beneficial owners of more than five percent of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock. To our knowledge, there are no beneficial owners of more than five percent of the 12,416,275 outstanding shares of our Common Stock as of MayApril 18, 20222023 other than those set forth below.below:
Name and Address of Beneficial OwnerAmount and Nature of Beneficial OwnershipPercent of Class
   
FMR LLC(1)
1,315,54010.54%
245 Summer Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02210
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP(2)
943,2557.56
Palisades West, Building One, 6300 Bee Cave Road
Austin, Texas 78746
Mill Road Capital III, LP(3)
839,4456.73%
382 Greenwich Avenue, Suite One
Greenwich, CT 06830
Franklin Mutual Advisors, LLC(4)
768,8346.16%
101 John F. Kennedy Parkway
Short Hills, New Jersey 07078
AWM Investment Company, Inc.(5)
678,0085.43%
c/o Special Situations Funds
527 Madison Avenue, Suite 2600
New York, New York 10022


Name and Address of Beneficial OwnerAmount and Nature of Beneficial OwnershipPercent of Class
Hoak Public Equities, L.P. (1)
1,150,0009.26%
3963 Maple Avenue, Suite 450  
Dallas, Texas 75219  
FMR LLC (2)
1,074,0878.65%
245 Summer Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02210
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP(3)
925,6307.45%
Palisades West, Building One, 6300 Bee Cave Road
Austin, Texas 78746
Mill Road Capital III, LP(4)
905,0887.29%
382 Greenwich Avenue, Suite One
Greenwich, CT 06830
AWM Investment Company, Inc.(5)
769,2336.20%
c/o Special Situations Funds
527 Madison Avenue, Suite 2600
New York, New York 10022

(1) As reported in Schedule 13G filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 11, 2023.

(2) As reported in Amendment No. 34 to Schedule 13G filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 10, 2022.February 9, 2023. According to the filing, FMR LLC holds voting and/or investment power over the shares, but economic ownership is beneficially held by two investment companies. FMR LLC has sole dispositive and voting power over all of the shares reported in the table above.


(2)(3) As reported in Amendment No. 1011 to Schedule 13G filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 8, 2022.10, 2023. According to the filing, Dimensional Fund Advisors holds voting and/or investment power over the shares, but economic ownership is beneficially held by four investment companies. Dimensional Fund Advisors has sole dispositive power over all and sole voting power over 916,154100% of the shares reported in the table above.


(3)(4) As reported in Schedule 13D filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 4, 2021.March 10, 2023.


(4)    As reported in Amendment No. 4 to Schedule 13G filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 2, 2022. According to the filing, Franklin Advisory Services, LLC is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc., and it holds investment power over all the securities and sole voting power over 732,020 of the shares reported in the table above. However, economic ownership is held by one or more open-end investment companies or other managed accounts that are investment management clients of Franklin Advisory Services, LLC or affiliated companies.
(5)As reported in Schedule 13G filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 11, 2022.14, 2023. According to the filing, AWM Investment Company Inc. holds voting and/or investment power over the shares, but economic ownership is beneficially held by three investment companies. AWM Investment Company Inc. has sole dispositive and voting power over all of the shares reported in the table above.










49





Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports


Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, requires our Directors, officers and persons who beneficially own more than 10% of our Common Stock to file certain reports of beneficial ownership with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These reports show the Directors’, officers’ and greater than 10% shareholders' ownership and the changes in ownership of our common stock and other equity securities. The SEC regulations also require that a copy of all such

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Section 16(a) forms filed must be furnished to us by the person or entity filing the report. To the Company’s knowledge, during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021,2022, all reports required to be filed pursuant to Section 16(a) were filed on a timely basis.basis, except the reports listed below:


Leslie Ann Beyer, a then Director, filed one late report: a Form 4 filed on December 8, 2022, regarding a sale of shares of Company common stock on December 1, 2022.
John W. Chisholm, a former Director and Interim Chief Executive Officer, filed one late report: a Form 4 on December 19, 2022, regarding a transfer of shares of Company common stock pursuant to a divorce decree on June 8, 2017.

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PROPOSAL 2 - CONSIDERATION OF AN ADVISORY VOTE ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION OF OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS


The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), gives the shareholders the right to endorse or not endorse the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement in accordance with the SEC's rules. The proposal, commonly known as a “Say-on-Pay” proposal, gives our shareholders the opportunity to express their views on the Company's executive compensation.


At the Company's annual meetingAnnual Meeting of shareholders held in June 2017, our shareholders recommended that the advisory vote on the Say-on-Pay of our named executives in our proxy materials be submitted annually pursuant to the recommendation of our Board of Directors that the advisory vote be submitted annually. Thus we include the Say-on-Pay advisory vote in our proxy materials on an annual basis until the next shareholder vote on the frequency of Say-on-Pay or our Board of Directors otherwise determines that a different frequency of Say-on-Pay vote is in the best interests of the shareholders.

We are asking our shareholders to indicate whether or not they support the compensation program as described in this proxy statement.Proxy Statement. This proposal is not intended to address any specific item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of the named executive officers and the compensation policies, methodologies and practices described in this proxy statement.Proxy Statement. Accordingly, we ask our stockholders to vote “FOR” the following resolution at our annual meeting:Annual Meeting:

“RESOLVED, that the shareholders approve the compensation of the Company's named executive officers, as disclosed in the compensation section, the compensation tables, and the related disclosure contained in the proxy statementProxy Statement set forth under the caption “Executive Compensation” of this proxy statement.Proxy Statement.

The Company believes its compensation philosophy and programs are strongly linked to performance and results and appropriately aligned with the interests of shareholders. Our compensation philosophy is to provide an executive compensation program that:

rewards performance and skills necessary to advance our objectives and further the interests of our shareholders;
is fair and reasonable and appropriately applied to each executive officer;
is competitive with compensation programs offered by our competitors; and
is appropriately focused on achieving annual financial and operational goals through the Company's cash bonus plan and on maximizing stockholder value over the long term, through grants of restricted shares and stock options.


The Board of Directors recommends that you vote FOR approval, on an advisory basis, of the compensation programs of our named executive officers as disclosed in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the compensation tables, and the related disclosure contained in the proxy statementProxy Statement set forth under the caption “Executive Compensation” of this proxy statement.Proxy Statement.



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PROPOSAL 3 - APPROVALCONSIDERATION OF AN AMENDMENT TOADVISORY VOTE ON THE 2019 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN TO INCREASE THE NUMBERFREQUENCY OF SHARES RESERVED FOR ISSUANCE UNDER THE PLAN BY 650,000 SHARESFUTURE ADVISORY VOTES ON EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION


Introduction

The New York StockIn accordance with Section 14A of the Securities Exchange requires shareholder approvalAct of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), the Company’s shareholders have the opportunity to cast a non-binding advisory vote regarding how frequently the Company should seek from its shareholders a non-binding advisory vote (similar to Proposal 2 above) on the compensation disclosed in the Company’s proxy statement of its executive officers who are named in the proxy statement’s summary compensation table for the establishmentyear in question. By voting on this proposal, shareholders may indicate whether they prefer that we seek such advisory vote every one, two or material amendment of any equity compensation arrangement,three years. Shareholders may also abstain from voting on the proposal.

Our shareholders voted on a similar proposal in 2017, with limited exceptions. We are seeking the approval of our shareholders of an amendment to our 2019 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2019 Plan”) to increase thehighest number of shares reserved under the 2019 Plan by 650,000 shares.votes cast to hold future advisory votes on named executive officer compensation every year. Our Board has approved the amendment to the 2019 Plan and recommends the approval of the amendment by our stockholders.

The 2019 Plan was originally adopted by our stockholders on June 20, 2019 and, at that time, we initially reserved 500,000 shares of our common stock under the 2019 Plan. As of March 31, 2022, we have issued a total of 456,198 shares of common stock under the 2019 Plan, of which 165,854 continue to be subject to vesting requirements.

Our Board has reviewed the 2019 Plan and the lack of available shares thereunder and determined that the 2019 Plan requires additional shares to provide the flexibility with respect to stock-based compensation that our Board believes is necessary to establish appropriate long-term incentives to achieve our objectives. The amount of available shares under the 2019 Plan has been negatively impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic shut down which precipitated material decline in the market values of equity securities of companies in the oil and gas industry, including service providers such as Natural Gas Services. These unanticipated and unavoidable stock price declines, which were beyond the control of companies in our industry, have had drastic effects on equity incentive plans because more shares have been required to cover the value of customary long-term incentive grants. Thus, our Board believes that itsay-on-pay votes should be conducted every year so that our shareholders may provide us with their direct input on our compensation philosophy, policies and practices, as disclosed in our proxy statement each year. Our Board’s determination was based upon the premise that executive officer compensation is advisable to increaseevaluated, adjusted and approved on an annual basis by our Compensation Committee. Our Compensation Committee, which administers our executive compensation programs, values the share limit in the 2019 Plan in order to attract and compensate employees, officers, directors and others upon whose judgment, initiative and effort we depend. The issuance of common shares and stock options to eligible participants is designed to align the interests of such participants with those of our stockholders.

Proposal 3 increases the number of shares of common stock that may be issued under the 2019 Plan by 650,000 shares, or approximately 5.17% of the 12,561,408 shares of common stock outstanding on April 14, 2022. The closing price of our common stock on April 14, 2022 was $13.54. The major features of the 2019 Plan are summarized below. This summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the 2019 Plan, a copy of which is attached to this Proxy Statement as APPENDIX A.

If shareholders do not approve this proposal, the current share limit under the 2019 Plan, which has been nearly exhausted, will continue in effect.

Board Recommendation

Our Board recommends a vote “for” an amendment to our 2019 Stock Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares of common stock reserved under the plan by 650,000 shares.

Material Terms of the Plan

The following summary of the material terms of the 2019 Plan is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the 2019 Plan, a copy of which is attached to this Proxy Statement as Annex 1. You also may obtain a copy of the 2019 Plan, free of charge, by writing to the Company, Attention Alicia Dada, Investors Relations, 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705.

Effective Date; Duration of the 2019 Plan

The 2019 Plan became effective upon approval by the Company’s shareholders at our June 2019 annual meeting. Except with respect to awards then outstanding, unless sooner terminated, the 2019 Plan will expire on June 20, 2029 and no further awards may be granted after such date.

Plan Administration

The 2019 Plan is administered by the Committee or, in the Board’s discretion, by the Board. The Committee has the authority to, among other things, interpret the 2019 Plan, determine who will be granted awards under the 2019 Plan, prescribe the terms and conditions of each award, interpret, administer, reconcile any inconsistency in, correct any defect in and supply any omission in the 2019 Plan, and exercise discretion to make any and all other determinations which it determines to be necessary or advisable for the administration of the 2019 Plan.


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Eligibility

The Committee selects participants from among the key employees, consultants and directors of the Company and its affiliates. Only employees are eligible to receive incentive stock options.

Shares Available for Awards; Limits on Awards

The Company initially reserved an aggregate of 500,000 shares of common stock to be awarded under the 2019 Plan. If this proposal is approvedopinions expressed by our shareholders atin these votes and will consider the Meeting,outcome of these votes in making its decisions on executive compensation.

You may cast your vote on your preferred voting frequency by selecting the aggregate shares that may awarded under the 2019 Plan will increase to 1,150,000 (the “Total Share Reserve”). We anticipate that, basedoption of holding an advisory vote on our recent historical awards, the amount of shares reserved would provide about 3 years of availability under the 2019 Plan, although since the number of shares granted under the 2019 Plan in any single year can fluctuate significantly due to fluctuations in the market price of our common stock. Seeexecutive compensation everyOverhang and Burn Rate 1 YEAR,below for further information.

One of the requirements for the favorable tax treatment available to incentive stock options under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), is that the 2019 Plan must specify, and our stockholders must approve, the maximum number of shares available for issuance pursuant to incentive stock options. As a result, in order to provide flexibility, the 2019 Plan will provide that up to 575,000 of the Total Share Reserve may be issued pursuant to incentive stock options.

No non-employee director may be granted awards, during any fiscal year, with respect to shares of common stock that, together with any cash fees paid to the director during the fiscal year, have a total value that exceeds $250,000 (calculating the value of any awards based on the grant date fair value for financial reporting purposes).

If any outstanding award expires or is canceled, forfeited, or terminated without issuance of the full number of shares of common stock to which the award related, then the number of shares available under the 2019 Plan will be increasedrecommended by the portion of the award that expired,Board, “2 YEARS” or was canceled, forfeited“3 YEARS,” or terminated.

Shares tendered in payment of the option exercise price or delivered or withheld by the Company to satisfy any tax withholding obligation, or shares covered by a stock-settled stock appreciation right or other awards that were not issued upon the settlement of the award will not again become available for future grants under the 2019 Plan.

Awardsyou may be granted under the 2019 Plan in assumption of, or in substitution for, outstanding awards previously granted by an entity acquired by the Company or with which the Company combines. The Committee will make appropriate adjustments to these limits to prevent dilution or enlargement of the rights of participants under the 2019 Plan (see “Adjustments upon Changes in Stock“ABSTAIN.below for further information).

Available Awards

Awards that may be granted under the 2019 Plan include stock options (including both incentive stock options (ISOs) and nonqualified stock options), stock appreciation rights (SARs), restricted stock, restricted stock units (RSUs), performance awards, and other stock-based awards. The terms of each award will be set forth in a written agreement.

Stock Options

A stock option is the right to purchase shares of common stock at a future date at a specified price per share called the exercise price. An option may be either an ISO or a nonqualified stock option. ISOs and nonqualified stock options are taxed differently, as described under Federal Income Tax Treatment of Awards under the 2019 Plan. Except in the case of options granted pursuant to an assumption or substitution for another option, the exercise price of a stock option may not be less than the fair market value (or in the case of an ISO granted to a ten percent shareholder, 110% of the fair market value) of a share of common stock on the grant date. Full payment of the exercise price must be made at the time of such exercise either in cash or bank check or in another manner approved by the Committee.

Stock Appreciation Rights

A SAR is the right to receive payment of an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of a share of common stock on the date of exercise of the SAR over the exercise price. The exercise price of a SAR may not be less than the fair market value of a share of common stock on the grant date. SARs may be granted alone (”freestanding rights”) or in tandem with options (”related rights”).

Restricted Stock


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A restricted stock award is an award of actual shares of common stock which are subject to certain restrictions for a period of time determined by the Committee. Restricted stock may be held by the Company in escrow or delivered to the participant pending the release of the restrictions. The participant generally has the rights and privileges of a shareholder as to such restricted stock during the restricted period, including the right toYour vote the restricted stock and the right to receive dividends

Restricted Stock Units

An RSU is an award of hypothetical common stock units having a value equal to the fair market value of an identical number of shares of common stock, which are subject to certain restrictions for a period of time determined by the Committee. No shares of common stock are issued at the time an RSU is granted, and the Company is not required to set aside any funds for the payment of any RSU award. Prior to settlement of an RSU award and the receipt of shares, the participant does not have any rights as a shareholder with respect to such shares. The Committee may grant RSUs with a deferral feature (deferred stock units or DSUs), whereby settlement of the RSU is deferred beyond the vesting date until a future payment date or event set out in the participant’s award agreement. The Committee has the discretion to credit RSUs or DSUs with dividend equivalents.

Performance Share Awards

A performance share award is an award of shares of common stock that are only earned if certain conditions are met. The Committee has the discretion to determine: the number of shares of common stock or stock-denominated units subject to a performance share award; the applicable performance period; the conditions that must be satisfied for a participant to earn an award; and the other terms, conditions and restrictions of the award.

The number of performance shares earned by a participant depends on the extent to which the performance goals established by the Committee are attained within the applicable performance period. No payout is made with respect to any performance share award except upon written certification by the Committee that the minimum threshold performance goal(s) have been achieved.

Other Equity-Based Awards

The Committee may grant other equity-based awards, either alone or in tandem with other awards, in amounts and subject to conditions as determined by the Committee as set out in an award agreement.

Vesting

The 2019 Plan allows for awards subject to either time-based vesting or performance-based vesting, or both. The Committee has the authority to determine the vesting schedule of each award, and to accelerate the vesting and exercisability of any award. The Company’s practice over the last several years has been to grant restricted stock awards to its executive officers and independent directors, and stock options to selected non-executive employees. Restricted Stock awards to our (i) executive officers have been subject to time-based vesting in equal one-third installments over a three year period from the grant date and (ii) independent directors have been subject to time-based vesting in equal quarterly installments beginning in the year following the year in which they are granted. Stock options granted to our non-executive employees typically vest in equal one-third installments over a three year period. Past vesting requirements may not be indicative of future vesting requirements set by the Committee, which may be less or more onerous than in prior years.
Adjustments upon Changes in Stock

In the event of changes in the outstanding common stock or in the capital structure of the Company by reason of any stock or extraordinary cash dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, an extraordinary corporate transaction such as any recapitalization, reorganization, merger, consolidation, combination, exchange, or other relevant change in capitalization occurring after the grant date of any award, awards granted under the 2019 Plan and any award agreements, the exercise price of options and SARs, the maximum number of shares of common stock subject to all awards will be equitably adjusted or substituted, as to the number, price or kind of a share of common stock or other consideration subject to such awards to the extent necessary to preserve the economic intent of the award.

Unless the Committee specifically determines that such adjustment is in the best interests of the Company or its affiliates, the Committee will, in the case of ISOs, ensure that any adjustments made will not constitute a modification, extension or renewal of the ISO within the meaning of Code Section 424(h)(3) and in the case of non-qualified stock options, ensure that any adjustments will not constitute a modification of such non-qualified stock options within the meaning of Code Section 409A. Any adjustments will be made in a manner which does not adversely affect the exemption provided under Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act. The Company will give participants notice of any adjustment.

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Change in Control

Unless otherwise provided in an award agreement, in the event of a participant’s termination of service without cause or for good reason during the 18-month period following a change in control, the vesting of all awards will fully accelerate and all outstanding options and SARs will become immediately exercisable as of the date of the participant’s termination of service.

In the case of performance awards, in the event of a participant’s termination of service without cause or for good reason, in either case, within 18 months following a change in control, all performance goals or other vesting criteria will be deemed achieved at 100% of target levels and all other terms and conditions will be deemed met as of the date of the participant’s termination of service.

In the event of a change in control, the Committee may in its discretion and upon at least 10 days’ advance notice to the affected persons, cancel any outstanding awards and pay to the holders the value of the awards based upon the price per share of common stock received or to be received by other shareholders of the Company in the event. In the case of any option or SAR with an exercise price that equals or exceeds the price paid for a share of common stock in connection with the change in control, the Committee may cancel the option or SAR without the payment of any consideration.

A change in control is defined as (a) the acquisition by one person or more than one person acting as a group, of Company stock representing more than 50% of the total fair market value or total voting power of the Company’s stock; (b) a merger, consolidation or other reorganization in which the Company is not the surviving entity unless the Company’s shareholders immediately prior to the merger, consolidation or other reorganization maintain at least 50% of the voting power; (c) a majority of the incumbent members of the Board are replaced by directors whose appointment or election is not endorsed by at least two-thirds of the Board; or (d) the acquisition by one person or more than one person acting as a group, of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets.

Amendment or Termination of the 2019 Plan

The Board may amend or terminate the 2019 Plan. However, except in the case of adjustments upon changes in common stock, no amendment will be effective unless approved by the shareholders of the Company to the extent shareholder approval is necessary to satisfy any applicable laws. The 2019 Plan shall terminate on June 20, 2029, unless previously terminated by the Board.

Amendment of Awards

The Committee may amend the terms of any one or more awards. However, the Committee may not affect any amendment which would otherwise constitute an impairment of the rights under any award unless the Company requests the consent of the participant and the participant consents in writing.

Clawback and Recoupment

The Company may cancel any award or require the participant to reimburse any previously paid compensation provided under the 2019 Plan or an award agreement in accordance with the Company’s clawback policy.

Federal Income Tax Consequences of Awards

The following is a summary of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of awards granted under the 2019 Plan. This summary is based on U.S. federal income tax laws and regulations in effect on the date of this Proxy Statement and is not a complete description of the U.S. federal income tax laws. This summary is not intended to be exhaustive and does not constitute legalapprove or tax advice. This summary does not address municipal, state or foreign income tax consequences of awards, or federal employment taxes.

Nonqualified Stock Options

The grant of a nonqualified stock option will not result in taxable income todisapprove the participant. The participant will recognize ordinary income at the time of exercise equal to the excessrecommendation of the fair market value ofBoard. Rather, we will consider the shares on the date of exercise over the exercise price and the Company will be entitledshareholders to have expressed a corresponding deduction for tax purposes. Gains or losses realized by the participant upon the sale of the shares acquired on exercise will be treated as capital gains or losses.

Incentive Stock Options (ISOs)

The grant of an ISO will not result in taxable income to the participant. The exercise of an ISO will not result in taxable income to the participant if at the time of exercise the participant has been employed by the Company or its subsidiaries

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at all times beginning on the date the ISO was granted and ending not more than 90 days before the date of exercise. However, the excess of the fair market value of the shares on the date of exercise over the exercise price is an adjustment that is included in the calculation of the participant’s alternative minimum tax liabilitypreference for the yearoption that receives the shares are sold.most votes.

If the participant does not sell the shares acquired on exercise within two years from the date of grant and one year from the date of exercise then on the sale of the shares any amount realized in excess of the exercise price will be taxed as capital gain. If the amount realized in the sale is less than the exercise price, then the participant will recognize a capital loss.
If these holding requirements are not met, then the participant will generally recognize ordinary income at the time the shares are sold in an amount equal to the lesser of (a) the excess of the fair market value of the shares on the date of exercise over the exercise price, or (b) the excess, if any, of the amount realized on the sale of the shares over the exercise price, and the Company will be entitled to a corresponding deduction.

SARs

The grant of a SAR will not result in taxable income to the participant. The participant will recognize ordinary income at the time of exercise equal to the amount of cash received or the fair market value of the shares received and the Company will be entitled to a corresponding deduction for tax purposes. If the SARs are settled in shares, then when the shares are sold the participant will recognize capital gain or loss on the difference between the sale price and the amount recognized at exercise. Whether it is a long-term or short-term gain or loss depends on how long the shares are held.

Restricted Stock and Performance Shares

Unless a participant makes an election to accelerate the recognition of income to the grant date (as described below), the grant of restricted stock or performance shares awards will not result in taxable income to the participant. When the restrictions lapse, the participant will recognize ordinary income on the excess of the fair market value of the shares on the vesting date over the amount paid for the shares, if any, and the Company will be entitled to a corresponding deduction.

If the participant makes an election under Code Section 83(b) within thirty days after the grant date, the participant will recognize ordinary income as of the grant date equal to the fair market value of the shares on the grant date over the amount paid, if any, and the Company will be entitled to a corresponding deduction. Any future appreciation will be taxed at capital gains rates. However, if the shares are later forfeited, the participant will not be able to recover any taxes paid.

RSUs and PSUs

The grant of an RSU or Performance Share Units will not result in taxable income to the participant. When the RSU or PSU is settled, the participant will recognize ordinary income equal to the fair market value of the shares or the cash provided on settlement and the Company will be entitled to a corresponding deduction. Any future appreciation will be taxed at capital gains rates.

Section 409A

Code Section 409A imposes complex rules on nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements, including requirements with respect to elections to defer compensation and the timing of payment of deferred amounts. Depending on how they are structured, certain equity-based awards may be subject to Code Section 409A, while others are exempt. If an award is subject to Code Section 409A and a violation occurs, the compensation is includible in income when no longer subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture and the participant may be subject to a 20% penalty tax and, in some cases, interest penalties. The 2019 Plan and awards granted under the 2019 Plan are intended to be exempt from or conform to the requirements of Code Section 409A.

Section 162(m) and the Company’s Deduction

Generally, whenever a participant recognizes ordinary income under the 2019 Plan, a corresponding deduction is available to the Company provided that the Company complies with certain reporting requirements. However, under Code Section 162(m), the Company will be denied a deduction for compensation paid to certain senior executives that exceeds $1,000,000.

The foregoing is only a summary of the current effect of certain U.S. federal income taxation upon the participant and us with respect to the grant and exercise of awards or compensation granted under the Amended Plan. Participants are hereby notified that (i) any discussion of U.S. federal tax issues in this proxy statement is not intended to be written or used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed under the Code, and (ii) participants should seek advice based on their particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor.


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Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table provides information related to our Voting Common Stock which may be issued under our two existing equity compensation plans as of March 31, 2022, including the 2019 Plan:

Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rightsWeighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rightsNumber of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column a)
PLAN CATEGORY(a)(b)(c)
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders:(1)
355,688 (2)$21.59 (3)402,138 
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders:— — — 
Total355,688 $21.59 (3)402,138 

(1)    We have two equity incentive plans approved by our shareholders: (a) our legacy 1998 Stock Option Plan, as amended and restated, which is of limited nature as only stock options may be granted under that plan and (b) the 2019 Plan, which is described above.

(2)    Of this total (i) 189,834 shares represents the number of shares of common stock underlying outstanding stock options and (ii) 165,854 shares represent underlying outstanding time-vested restricted stock and restricted stock unit ("RSU") awards to our executive officers and independent directors and assumes a 100% issuance related to the RSUs.

(3)    The outstanding restricted stock and RSU awards do not have an exercise price.

Overhang and Burn Rate.

As of March 31, 2022, 189,834 shares of the Company’s common stock were subject to outstanding stock options at a weighted average exercise price of $21.59 granted under our 1998 Stock Option Plan, as amended and restated. In addition, our 1998 Stock Option Plan, as amended and restated, has an additional 355,003 shares reserved for potential issuance pursuant to future awards that may be granted during the remaining term of that plan.

As of March 31, 2022, we have issued a total of 456,198 shares of common stock under the 2019 Plan, of which 165,854 continue to be subject to vesting requirements and 47,135 remain reserved for subsequent issuance. The total of these 212,989 shares represents 1.7% of our shares outstanding. We believe this "overhang" is reasonable compared to that of our peers.

“Burn rate” refers to the number of shares that are subject to awards that we grant over a particular period of time. The total number of shares of the Company’s common stock subject to awards that the Company granted under the 2019 Plan in each of the last three calendar years, and to date (as of March 31, 2022), are as follows:

● 199,810 shares in 2019 (which was 1.5% of the number of shares of the Company’s common stock issued and outstanding at the end of 2019);

● 123,185 shares in 2020 (which was 0.9% of the number of shares of the Company’s common stock issued and outstanding at the end of 2020);

● 156,339 shares in 2021 (which was 1.2% of the number of shares of the Company’s common stock issued and outstanding at the end of 2021);

● No shares in 2022, althoughWhile we intend to grant restricted stock awards totaling 92,879 shares ifcarefully consider the voting results of this proposal, the final vote is approved byadvisory in nature and therefore not binding on us, our Board or the Compensation Committee. Our Board and Compensation Committee value the opinions of all of our shareholders atand will consider the Annual Meeting (see "New Plan Benefits" below);


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Thus, the total number of shares of the Company’s common stock subject to awards granted under the 2019 Plan per year over the last three fiscal years (2019, 2020 and 2021) has been, on average, 1.3% of the weighted-average number of shares of the Company’s common stock issued and outstanding for the corresponding year.

We anticipate that the Total Share Reserve will provide us with flexibility to continue to grant equity awards under the 2019 Plan through approximately the end of 2025. However, this is only an estimate, in the Company’s judgment, based on current circumstances. The total number of shares that are subject to the Company’s award grants in any one year or from year-to-year may change based on a number of variables, including, without limitation, the value of the Company’s common stock (since higher stock prices generally require that fewer shares be issued to produce awards of the same grant date fair value), changes in competitors’ compensation practices or changes in compensation practices in the market generally, changes in the number of employees, changes in the number of directors and officers, whether and the extent to which vesting conditions applicable to equity-based awards are satisfied, acquisition activity and the need to grant awards to new employees in connection with acquisitions, the need to attract, retain and incentivize key talent, the type of awards the Company grants, and how the Company chooses to balance total compensation between cash and equity-based awards.

New Plan Benefits

The following table sets forth the number of shares of common stock underlying awards that will be issued to the officers listed below under the 2019 Plan if this proposal to increase the reserved shares under the plan is approved by our shareholders at the Meeting.

Name and PositionDollar Value ($)
Number of Restricted Stock Shares/Units(1)
Stephen C. Taylor, CEO$722,160 60,839 
Micah C. Foster, CFO196,300 16,537 
James R. Hazlett, VP - Technical Services184,025 15,503 
Executive Group (three persons)$1,102,485 92,879 
(1)    The awards vest in annual one-third increments. If this proposal is not approved by our shareholders at the Meeting, the awards will be paid in cash as they vest to the extent the reserved shares under the 2019 Plan have been exhausted.

Except as set forth above, additional awards under the 2019 Plan are subject to the discretion of the Compensation Committee, and no determination has been made as to the types or amounts of awards that will be granted in the future to specific individuals pursuant to the 2019 Plan. Therefore, it is not possible to determine the future benefits that will be received by participants.

Required Vote

Approvaloutcome of this Proposal #3 requires a majority ofvote when making future decisions on the votes cast at the meeting.frequency with which we will hold an advisory vote on executive compensation. Abstentions and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of this Proposal.


Our Board Recommendation

The Boardunanimously recommends that the shareholders vote ‘FOR” the approval of the amendment to the 2019 Plan to increase the number of shares reserved for issuance under the plan by 650,000 shares of common stock.FOR conducting future advisory votes on executive compensation every 1 YEAR.

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REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE


On May 26, 2022, after the Company’s May 18, 2022 Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders on June 16, 2022, was sent to shareholders, Moss Adams LLP (“Moss Adams”), our then independent registered public accounting firm since 2020, resigned as our Company’s independent auditors.The auditor’s resignation was not the result of any disagreement on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or audit scope or procedures which, if not resolved to Moss Adams’ satisfaction, would have caused it to make reference to the subject matter of disagreement(s) in connection with its reports on the Company’s financial statements.Because there was not ample time for the Audit Committee to select another independent registered public accounting firm before the June 16, 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Moss Adams was not removed from the 2022 Proxy Statement.Consequently, our shareholders approved the appointment of Moss Adams LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm despite their resignation.On July 21,2022, the Audit Committee appointed Ham, Langston & Brezina LLP (“HL&B”) as our independent registered public accounting firm replacing Moss Adams.

The primary function of the Audit Committee of Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. is oversight of the Company’s financial reporting process, public financial reports, internal accounting and financial controls, and the independent audit of the annual consolidated financial statements. The Committee acts under a charter, which can be found on the Company’s website at www.ngsgi.com.www.ngsgi.com. The adequacy of the charter is reviewed at least annually. The Chairman and all members of the Audit Committee are independent directors within the meaning of Section 303A of the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual.


The Audit Committee met eight (8) times in 2021.2022. In these meetings, as discussed in more detail below, it had extensive reports and discussions with the independent auditors, internal accounting professionals, and members of management.


In performing its oversight function, the Committee reviewed and discussed the consolidated financial statements with management and Moss Adams LLP (“Moss Adams”),HL&B, the Company’s independent auditors. Management indicated, and Moss Adams'HL&B' audit opinion stated, that the Company’s consolidated financial statements were fairly stated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The Committee discussed significant accounting policies applied by the Company in its financial statements, as well as alternative treatments. It also discussed with Moss AdamsHL&B matters covered by Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) standards, including PCAOB AS 1301 Communication with Audit Committees. In addition, the Committee reviewed and discussed management’s report on internal control over financial reporting, which confirmed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.


The Audit Committee also discussed with Moss AdamsHL&B its independence from the Company and management, including the communications Moss AdamsHL&B is required to provide under applicable PCAOB rules. The Committee considered any non-audit services provided or proposed by Moss AdamsHL&B to the Company, and concluded that the auditors’ independence has been maintained. In the year ended December 31, 2021 and up until the filing of this Proxy statement, Moss AdamsStatement, HL&B had not provided any material non-audit services to the Company.


The Audit Committee discussed with the Company’s internal accounting professionals and Moss AdamsHL&B the overall scope and plans for the audit and met periodically with Moss Adams,HL&B, both with and without management present. Discussions included the results of their reviews and examination, their evaluations of the Company’s internal controls, and the overall quality of the Company’s financial reporting.


The Audit Committee met with the Company’s management to discuss the comprehensive risk management and compliance processes of the Company, and reviewed other topics of interest.


Based on the reviews and discussions referred to above, in reliance on management and the opinion Moss AdamsHL&B included in its report on the financial statements, and subject to the limitations of its role described below, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board, and the Board approved, the inclusion of the audited financial statements in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021,2022, for filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.


In carrying out its responsibilities, the Audit Committee looks to management and the independent auditors. Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the Corporation’s financial statements and for maintaining effective internal control. Management is also responsible for assessing and maintaining the effectiveness of internal control over the financial reporting process in compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 requirements. The independent auditors are responsible for auditing the Company’s annual financial statements, and expressing an opinion as to whether the statements are fairly stated, in all material respects, in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.
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The independent auditors perform their responsibilities in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Audit Committee members are not professionally engaged in the practice of accounting or auditing, and are not experts under the Securities Act of 1933 in either of those fields or in auditor independence.

Shareholders approved the appointment of Moss Adams as the Company’s independent auditors at the annual meeting of the Company held on June 17, 2021. The Audit Committee appointed Moss Adams to audit the Company’s financial statements for 2022, subject to shareholder ratification of the appointment.


The Committee, along with the other members of the Board, management, and the Company’s internal accounting professionals annually evaluates Moss AdamsHL&B qualifications, performance, and independence, including the performance of the lead audit partner, in deciding whether or not to retain Moss Adams.HL&B. That evaluation includes consideration of: (1) Moss Adams’HL&B’ quality control; (2) Allall relationships between Moss AdamsHL&B and the Company covered by the PCAOB; (3) Moss

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Adams’HL&B’s expertise and experience in the oil and gas industry with specific attention to the oilfield services and compression sectors; and (4) Thethe quality of Moss Adams’HL&B’ audit plans.


The Committee believes that Moss Adams’HL&B’ role as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm is appropriate given their experience and expertiseexpertise's with middle market public companies in the oilfield service industry and their knowledge of the Company’s business, as well as the effectiveness of their audit plans. Based on the Audit Committee’s evaluation of Moss Adams’HL&B’s qualifications, performance, and independence, as well as regular meetings with the lead partner, the Audit Committee believes that the continued retention of Moss AdamsHL&B as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm is in the best interest of the Company and its stockholders.




Respectfully submitted by the Audit Committee,

David L. Bradshaw, Chairman
Leslie A. Beyer
Nigel J. Jenvey


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PROPOSAL 4 - RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM


We are asking the shareholders to ratify the Audit Committee’s appointment of Moss AdamsHam, Langston & Brezina LLP (“HL&B”) as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. Moss Adams LLP2023. HL&B is a registered public accounting firm with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules of the PCAOB. Shareholder ratification of the appointment is not required under the laws of the State of Colorado, but the Board believes it is important to allow shareholders to vote on the proposal. In the event the shareholders fail to ratify the appointment, the Audit Committee will reconsider this appointment. Even if the appointment is ratified, the Audit Committee, in its discretion, may direct the appointment of different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if the Audit Committee determines that such a change would be in our best interests and that of our shareholders.

Moss Adams LLPHL&B representatives are expected to attend the 20222023 Annual Meeting in person or via video conference. They will have an opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so and will be available to respond to appropriate shareholder questions.


The Board of Directors recommends that the shareholders vote “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of Moss Adams LLPHL&B as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022.2023.


Principal Accountant Fees


Our Principal Accountantprincipal accountant for the period from July 21, 2022 (date of appointment) through our fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 was HL&B.Our principal accountant for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020,through May 26, 2022 (date of resignation) was Moss Adams.Adams LLP.


Audit Fees

The aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by HL&B for the audit of our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022 and the review of the financial statements on Forms 10-Q for the quarters ended June 30, 2022 and September 30, 2022 was approximately $369,591.

The aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by Moss Adams LLP for the audit of our consolidated financial statements for the yearsyear ended December 31, 2021, and 2020, and the review of the financial statements on Forms 10-Q for the quarters in such yearsyear were approximately $242,250 and $257,575, respectively.$242,250.The aggregate fee billed for professional services rendered in connection with the Moss Adams’ review of our financial statements on Forms 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 was approximately $24,200.


Audit Related Fees


During the years ended December 31, 20212022 and 2020,2021, there were no audit related fees.


Tax Fees


Prior to their appointment as our auditor, HL&B provided certain federal and state income tax services for the year ended December 31, 2021.The aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered by HL&B for 2021 tax services for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $52,380.

We were not billed by nor was there any tax work performed by Moss Adams during the years ended December 31, 20212022 and 2020.2021.


All Other Fees


No other fees were billed by HL&B or Moss Adams during our fiscal years ended December 31, 20212022 and 2020,2021, other than as described above.




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Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures


As of the date of this proxy statement,Proxy Statement, our Audit Committee has not established general pre-approval policies and as of December 31, 2021,2022, our Audit Committee had not established pre-approval policies and procedures for the engagement of our principal accountant to render audit or non-audit services. However, in accordance with Section 10A(i) of the Exchange Act, our Audit Committee, as a whole, approves the engagement of our principal accountant prior to the accountant rendering audit or non-audit services.


Certain rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission provide that an auditor is not independent of an audit client if the services it provides to the client are not appropriately approved, subject, however, to ade minimis exception contained in the rules. The Audit Committee pre-approved all services provided by Moss AdamsHam, Langston & Brezina LLP in 20212022 and thede minimis exception was not used.

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SHAREHOLDER PROPOSALS


Under SEC Rule 14a-8, if a shareholder wants us to include a proposal in our proxy statementProxy Statement and form of proxy for presentation at our 202222024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, the proposal must be received by us at our principal executive offices at 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705 by January 25, 20236, 2024 unless the date of our 20232024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders is more than 30 days from the anniversary date of our 20222023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, in which case the deadline is a reasonable time before we print and mail our proxy materials for the 20222024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The proposal should be sent to the attention of the Corporate Secretary of Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. In order to curtail controversy as to the date on which a proposal was received by us, it is suggested that proponents submit their proposals by certified mail-return receipt requested. Such proposals must also meet the other requirements established by the SEC for stockholder proposals.


In addition, pursuant to our Bylaws, a stockholder who intends to nominate a candidate for election to the Board or to propose other business for consideration at the 20232024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders must deliver to the Company notice and certain information concerning themselves and their shareholder proposal or director nomination not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meetingAnnual Meeting (the “annual meeting“Annual Meeting anniversary date”); provided, however, that, if the annual meetingAnnual Meeting is scheduled to be held on a date more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after the annual meetingAnnual Meeting anniversary date, notice must be delivered to us not later than the close of business on the later of the 120th day prior to the scheduled date of such annual meetingAnnual Meeting and not later than the latest of (i) the 90th day prior to such annual meeting,Annual Meeting, or (ii) the 10th day after public disclosure of the date of such annual meeting.Annual Meeting.


Accordingly, any notice given by or on behalf of a stockholder pursuant to these provisions of our Bylaws (and not pursuant to Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act) must be received no earlier than February 16, 2023,17, 2024, and no later than March 20, 2023 18, 2024. Such notice should be addressed to: Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., Corporate Secretary, at 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705.


In addition to satisfying the requirements under our Bylaws set forth above, shareholders who intend to solicit proxies in support of director nominees other than our nominees must provide notice that sets forth the information required by Rule 14-19 under the Exchange Act (including a statement that such stockholder intends to solicit the holders of shares representing at least 67% of the voting power of the Company’s shares entitled to vote on the election of directors in support of director nominees other than our nominees) to comply with the universal proxy rules, which notice must be postmarked or transmitted electronically to us at our principal executive offices no later than 60 calendar days prior to the anniversary date of the 2023 Annual Meeting (for the 2024 Annual Meeting, no later than April 16, 2024). However, if the date of the 2024 Annual Meeting is changed by more than 30 calendar days from such anniversary date, then notice must be provided by the later of 60 calendar days prior to the date of the 2024 Annual Meeting and the 10th calendar day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the 2024 Annual Meeting is first made.

With respect to special meetings of the shareholders, the business that may be brought at the meeting will be limited to that stated in the Company's notice of meeting. In the event we call a special meeting of shareholders for the purpose of electing one or more directors to the Board, any such shareholder entitled to vote in such election of directors may nominate a person or persons (as the case may be) for election to such position(s) as specified our notice of meeting, if such shareholder delivers a notice that complies with the requirements of our Bylaws to the secretary of the Company at its principal executive offices not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to such special meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of: (x) the 90th day prior to such special meeting; or (y) the tenth (10th) day following the first date of public disclosure of the date of the special meeting and of the nominees proposed by the Board.


These requirements are separate from and in addition to the SEC’s requirements described in the first paragraph of this section relating to including a proposal in our proxy statements.





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COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS


Because of our relatively small size, to date we have not developed formal processes by which shareholders or other interested parties may communicate directly with Directors. Until formal procedures are developed and posted on our website (at www.ngsgi.com), any communication to one or more members of our Board of Directors may be made by sending them in care of Investor Relations, Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705.  Shareholders should clearly note on the mailing envelope that the letter is a “Shareholder-Board Communication.” All such communications will be forwarded to the intended recipients.



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OTHER MATTERS


Our Board of Directors does not know of any matters to be presented at the meeting other than the matters set forth herein. If any other business should come before the meeting, the person’s named in the enclosed proxy cardProxy Card will vote such proxy according to their judgment on such matters.


New York Stock Exchange Certification.Certifications. We listed our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) in October 2008. The certification ofOn an annual basis, our Chief Executive Officer submits to theNYSE the annual certificationsrequired by the NYSE Listing Standards, Section 303A.12(a), relating to our compliance with of the NYSE Corporate Governance Listing Standards, was submitted to the NYSE on July 22, 2019, in connection with our listing on the exchange. Listed Company Manual. The certifications of our Chief Executive Officer and principal accounting officerPrincipal Accounting Officer required by the SEC in connection with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021,2022, were submitted to the SEC on March 18, 2022,31, 2023, with our Annual Report on Form 10-K.


You may obtain our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021,2022, without charge upon written request to John W. Chisholm,Stephen C. Taylor, Interim President, at Natural Gas Services Group, Inc., 404 Veterans Airpark Lane, Suite 300, Midland, Texas 79705. In addition, the exhibits to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021,2022, may be obtained by any shareholder upon written request to Mr. Chisholm.Taylor.


In addition, we use our website as a channel of distribution for company information. We make available free of charge on the Investor Relations section of our website (at www.ngsgi.com) our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K. We also make available through our website other reports filed with or furnished to the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including our proxy statementsProxy Statements and reports filed by officers and Directors under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, as well as our Code of Business Ethics and the charters to our various Committees of our Board of Directors. We do not intend for information contained in our website to be part of this proxy statement.Proxy Statement.


 
 
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
May 18, 20221, 2023/s/ John W. ChisholmStephen C. Taylor
Midland, TexasJohn W. Chisholm    Stephen C. Taylor
    Interim President, Chief Executive Officer and DirectorChairman of the Board















































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