UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities

Exchange Act of 1934

Filed by the Registrant ☒

Field by a Party other than the Registrant ☐

Check the appropriate box:

INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS CORPORATION

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant))

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

4355 Shackleford Road

Norcross, Georgia 30093

Notice of annual meeting of shareholdersNOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS

YOU ARE INVITED TO attend the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of Intelligent Systems Corporation on Thursday, May 23, 201927, 2021 at 4:00 p.m., local time, at our principal executive offices located at 4355 Shackleford Road, Norcross, Georgia 30093. At the Annual Meeting, shareholders will consider and vote on:

Only shareholders of record at the close of business on April 5, 20192021 will receive notice of and be entitled to vote at the meeting or any adjournment thereof.

A Proxy Statement and a proxy solicited by the Board of Directors are enclosed with this mailing. To ensure a quorum for the meeting and that your vote may be recorded, please sign, date and return the proxy promptly in the enclosed business reply envelope. If you attend the meeting, you may revoke your proxy and vote in person. Our 20182020 Annual Report to Shareholders is enclosed in the same document as the Proxy Statement.

By order of the Board of Directors,

	Matthew A. White
	Secretary

April 12, 2019, 2021

Please complete and return the enclosed proxy promptly so that your vote may be recorded

PROXY STATEMENT

FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS TO BE HELD MAY 23, 201927, 2021

We are sending this Proxy Statement to the shareholders of Intelligent Systems Corporation (the “company”) in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) to be voted at the 20192021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Intelligent Systems Corporation and any adjournment thereof. The Annual Meeting will be held on May 23, 201927, 2021 at our principal executive offices located at 4355 Shackleford Road, Norcross, Georgia 30093 at 4:00 p.m. local time. We expect to mail this Proxy Statement and the accompanying proxy to shareholders on or about April 12, 2019.9, 2021.

votingVOTING

General

The securities that can be voted at the Annual Meeting consist of common stock of Intelligent Systems Corporation, $.01 par value per share. Each share entitles its owner to one vote on each matter submitted to the shareholders. There are no cumulative voting rights. The record of shareholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting was taken as of the close of business on April 5, 2019.2021. On that date, we had outstanding and entitled to vote 8,850,9888,882,350 shares of common stock with each share entitled to one vote.

Quorum

A majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock must be present, in person or by proxy, to constitute a quorum at the Annual Meeting. We will treat shares subject to abstentions or broker non-votes as present at the Annual Meeting for purposes of determining a quorum. Abstentions and broker non-votes occur when a bank, broker, or other nominee of shares held in street name is not permitted to vote without instructions from the shareholder and such instructions have not been given. Abstentions and broker non-votes are not counted as a vote cast and will have no effect on the vote on any proposal.

Required Vote

J. Leland Strange, the incumbent nominee for election as director, will be reelected if more votes are cast “For” than are cast “Against” him.  If more votes are cast Against, the nominee is required to submit his resignation subject to acceptance by the Board.  The other members of the Board will determine the action to be taken with respect to the resignation and will publicly announce their decision and the rationale therefor.

With respect to Proposal 2 – TO APPROVE, BY A NON-BINDING ADVISORY VOTE, THE COMPENSATION OF OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, the proposal will be approved if more votes are cast “For” than are cast “Against” the proposal.  The proposal is advisory and nonbinding.  The Board will review the result of the vote and take it into account when making future compensation decisions.

Proxies

At the Annual Meeting, the persons named as proxies will vote all properly executed proxy cards delivered in connection with this solicitation and not revoked in accordance with the directions given. Shareholders should specify their choices with regard to each proposal to be voted upon on the accompanying proxy card. If no specific instructions are given with regard to a proposal to be voted upon, then the shares represented by a signed proxy card will be voted “FOR”“FOR” such proposal. If any other matters properly come before the Annual Meeting, the persons named as proxies will vote upon such matters according to their judgment.

Some of our shareholders hold their shares through a broker, bank, custodian or other nominee, rather than directly in their own name. This is commonly referred to as holding shares in “street name.” If you hold shares in street name, these proxy materials are being forwarded to you by your broker, bank, custodian or other nominee, which is considered, with respect to such shares, to be the shareholder of record. As the beneficial owner of shares held in street name, you have the right to direct the nominee how such shares should be voted. You also have the right to attend the Annual Meeting. However, since you are not the shareholder of record, you must first obtain a signed proxy from the shareholder of record giving you the right to vote the shares at the Annual Meeting. Your broker, bank, custodian or other nominee has enclosed or provided you voting instructions for you to use in directing the nominee how to vote your shares or obtain a proxy from the nominee.

You may revoke your proxy in connection with this solicitation at any time prior to voting at the Annual Meeting by:

You cannot revoke your proxy or voting instructions as to any matter upon which, prior to such revocation, a vote has been cast in accordance with the authority conferred by such proxy or voting instructions.

We will pay all expenses incurred in connection with the solicitation of proxies. Such costs include charges by brokers, fiduciaries and custodians for forwarding proxy materials to beneficial owners of stock held in their names. We may solicit proxies by mail, telephone and personal contact by directors, officers, and employees of the company without additional compensation.

Dissenters’Dissenters’ Rights of Appraisal

There are no dissenters’ rights of appraisal with respect to the matters being acted upon at the Annual Meeting.

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

The following table contains information concerning the persons who are known to us to be beneficial owners of more than 5 percent of our common stock as of March 15, 2019,2021, and the ownership of our common stock as of that date by each director and director nominee, each executive officer named in the Summary Compensation Table and by all directors, director nominees and named executive officers as a group. There are no arrangements known to us which may result in change of control of the company.

PROPOSAL 1 – THE ELECTION OF ONE DIRECTOR

Nominee

At the Annual Meeting of Shareholders, shareholders will elect one director to the Board to serve a three-year term until the 20222024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The other directors’ terms expire at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders listed in the following table for each category of directors, or upon their earlier death, resignation or removal from office. Directors are elected by a plurality of the shares present and voting at the meeting. A “plurality” means that the individuals who receive the largest number of votes cast are elected as directors up to the maximum number of directors to be chosen at the meeting. Therefore, shares that are withheld or abstain from voting and broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of the vote. Unless contrary instructions are given, the persons named as proxies will vote the shares represented by a signed proxy card “FOR” the nominee.

If the nominee withdraws for any reason or is not able to continue to serve as a director, the proxy will be voted for another person designated by the Board as substitute nominee, but in no event will the proxy be voted for more than one nominee. The Board has no reason to believe that the nominee will not serve if elected.

The Board has nominated the person named in the following table to serve as a director of the company. The nominee and other directors gave us the following information concerning their current age, other directorships, positions with the company, principal employment and shares of our common stock beneficially owned as of March 1, 2018.15, 2021.

The Board of Directors recommends that shareholders vote “FOR” proposalTHE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT SHAREHOLDERS VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL 1 to electTO ELECT ONE nominee To serve as director of the company.NOMINEE TO SERVE AS A DIRECTOR OF THE COMPANY.

A. Russell Chandler, III, has served as a director since 2017. Mr. Chandler has served as a director of Miller Industries, Inc., a publicly traded manufacturer of towing and recovery equipment, since April 1994. He is founder and Chairman of Whitehall Group Ltd., a private investment firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Chandler served as Chairman of Precyse Technologies Inc. in 2010 and as its Chief Executive Officer through May 2013. Mr. Chandler served as Chairman of Datapath, Inc., a company that built mobile communications trailers for military applications, from October 2004 until June 2006 and he served as the Mayor of the Olympic Village for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games from 1990 through August 1996. From 1987 to 1993, he served as Chairman of United Plastic Films, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of plastic bags. He founded Qualicare, Inc., a hospital management company, in 1972 and served as its President and Chief Executive Officer until its sale in 1983. The Board considered Mr. Chandler’s extensive experience as an executive and long term tenure as a member of the board of directors of a publicly traded company, as well as his operational and strategic insight in determining that he should serve as a director of the company. The Board has determined that Mr. Chandler qualifies as an independent director under the applicable rules of NYSE American.

Philip H. Moise has served as a director since 2013. He is being nominated for re-election to the Board for a three year term ending in 2022. Mr. Moise served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Immucor, Inc. from 2007 until 2012. Immucor manufactures and sells instruments and reagents used to classify components of human blood prior to blood therapies and transfusions. Previously a publicly-held company, Immucor was acquired and taken private in 2011. Before joining Immucor, Mr. Moise was in the private practice of law for almost 30 years, where he represented public and private companies in the technology and life sciences industries. He represented Intelligent Systems for approximately 25 years before joining Immucor in 2007. The Board considered Mr. Moise’s familiarity with the company’s business and history; his business experience as an executive with a publicly traded company; his extensive legal background and experience in corporate transactions and corporate governance; and his familiarity with board and regulatory matters impacting publicly traded companies in determining that he should serve as a director of the company. The Board has determined that Mr. Moise qualifies as an independent director under the applicable rules of NYSE American.

Parker (Pete) H. PetitElizabeth W. Camp has served as a director since 1996. Mr. Petit2020. She is the President of The Petit Group, a private investment company. Mr. Petit was previously the CEO of MiMedx Group, Inc., an integrated developer, manufacturer and marketer of bio-material based products. Mr. Petit served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Matria Healthcare,DF Management, Inc., a comprehensive diseaseprivate investment and commercial real estate management services company, a position she has held since 2000. Previously and for 16 years, Ms. Camp served in various capacities, including President and Chief Executive Officer, of Camp Oil Company. Before its sale in 2000, Camp Oil developed and operated convenience stores, truck stops and restaurants in nine states. Ms. Camp holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a law degree from 1996 to 2008. The Board considered Mr. Petit’s extensive experiencethe University of Georgia, as well as a successful entrepreneurmaster’s degree in taxation from Georgetown Law Center. Ms. Camp is a current director or trustee on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including the Woodruff Arts Foundation, University of Georgia Foundation, the Atlanta chapter of the NACD, and asthe Boy Scouts of America, Atlanta Area Council. She has received the designation of Board Leadership Fellow by the NACD and is an executive andindependent member of the board of directors of several publicly traded technologyGenuine Parts Company, a public company engaged in the global distribution of automotive and healthcare companies,industrial replacement parts, where she serves on its audit committee. Ms. Camp is the Lead Director and Chair of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee of Synovus Financial Corp and formerly served as wellChair of its Audit and Compensation Committees. The Board considered Ms. Camp’s background as his familiarity withan executive officer, her experience on public-company boards of directors, particularly in the company since 1996banking industry, her experience in management and auditing and her expertise in accounting, tax and legal matters in determining that heshe should serve as a director of the company. The Board has determined that Mr. Petit isMs. Camp qualifies as an independent director under the applicable rules of NYSE American.

J. Leland Strange has served as our President since 1983 and our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board since 1985. He is being nominated for re-election to the Board for a three-year term ending in 2024. The Board considered Mr. Strange’s many years of experience as the company’s CEO, his familiarity with the industries and customers which our operating companies serve, and his past experience on several boards of directors and audit and compensation committees of other publicly traded companies in determining that he should serve as a director of the company.

There are no family relationships among any of the company’s directors or executive officers.

There have been no events under any bankruptcy act, no criminal proceedings and no judgments or injunctions material to an evaluation of the ability and integrity of any director, executive officer or control person of the company during the past ten years. There are no proceedings to which any director, officer, affiliate, any owner of recordOn or beneficially of more than 5 percent of our common stock, or any security holderabout February 14, 2020, two purported shareholders, derivatively and on behalf of the company, is an adversefiled substantially similar shareholder derivative actions in the Eastern District of New York against certain current and former directors and officers (the “Individual Defendants”), and the company as a nominal defendant.  The complaints assert claims against Messrs. Strange, Moise, Petit, Fuzzell and Chandler for a violation of Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act by issuing purportedly misleading statements in the company’s 2017 and 2018 Proxies, and against the Individual Defendants for breaches of fiduciary duty, waste of corporate assets, and unjust enrichment arising out of, among other things, purportedly undisclosed related party transactions and other relationships as well as certain allegations against former director Parker H. Petit in connection with his former position with MiMedx, Inc. and other companies. The relief sought in the complaints includes changes to the company or has a material interest adverse to the company.company’s corporate governance procedures, unspecified damages, equitable relief, restitution, and attorney’s fees and costs. 

Three of the directors and all of the members of the Audit Committee are independent, as such term is defined in the listing standards of the NYSE American and the rules of the SEC. The Audit Committee meets the composition requirements of NYSE American’s listing standards for Small Business Issuers (as defined by the rules of NYSE American).

Board Leadership Structure and Role in Risk Oversight

The Chief Executive Officer serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company. Given the small size and limited geographic and industry scope of the company’s operations, the company believes that the leadership structure of the Board, consisting of four directors of which three are independent, is appropriate. There is no lead independent director because there has been no need for such a role based on the continuity resulting from the tenure of the directors and the small size of the Board. Given the character, size and limited scope of the company’s operations and the stability and long tenure of its workforce and management team, there is limited exposure to external risks other than general business, product and market risks. The company has limited, if any, exposure related to financial instruments, environmental issues, off balance sheet entities and such external risks. The Audit Committee, which consists of the independent directors, provides risk oversight as part of the company’s internal controls process and regularly reviews reports from management and external auditors on risk analysis and tests of the design and effectiveness of the company’s internal controls. The Board considered and has determined that risks arising from its compensation policies and practices are not reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the company. This determination was based on the limited nature of the company’s compensation program.

Meetings and Committees of the Board of Directors

The Board met fourten times during the year ended December 31, 2018 and acted by unanimous consent on one occasion.2020. The Board has established an Audit Committee and a Compensation Committee but has no nominating committee. The Audit Committee of the Board met fourfive times in 2018.2020. During 2018,2020, the Audit Committee consisted of Mr. Chandler (chair), Mr. Moise and Messrs. Petit and Moise.Ms. Camp. In 2018,2020, the Audit Committee appointed the company’s independent auditor to review its report on the 20172020 audit and the 20182020 quarterly reviews, and carried out a number of other responsibilities, as outlined in the Audit Committee Charter.

All members of the Audit Committee currently meet the applicable independence and qualifications standards of the NYSE American. The Board has determined that Mr. PetitChandler is a financial expert as defined by the rules of the SEC and is financially sophisticated as defined in the listing standards of NYSE American. The Board based this determination, in part, on Mr. Petit’sChandler’s experience in actively supervising senior financial and accounting personnel and in overseeing the preparation of financial statements as the chief executive officer and chairmanaudit committee chair of publicly-traded companies.

The Board has a Compensation Committee consisting of three independent directors, Messrs.Mr. Chandler, Mr. Moise (chair) and Petit.Ms. Camp. The Compensation Committee met once in 2018.2020. The Compensation Committee reviews, makes recommendations and approves the appropriate compensation level for the officers of the company and any changes in the company’s various benefit plans covering executive officers or directors as well as administering the company’s option plans. The Compensation Committee does not have a charter. Neither the Compensation Committee nor management has engaged a compensation consultant to provide advice or recommendations on the form or amount of executive or director compensation. From time to time, the Compensation Committee has sought input from publicly available data compiled by executive officers of the company relating to compensation paid to executive officers and directors in similar size, publicly traded companies in the same geographic area as the company is located. The Compensation Committee has also solicited input from the CEO with respect to compensation of non-CEO executive officers.

The Compensation Committee considers compensation data based on a comparator group. Our comparator group is intended to be representative of the market in which we compete most directly for executive talent. The selection of companies comprising our comparator group is based on similarity in revenue size, lines of business, participation in global markets and market capitalization. The peer group is constructed to target Intelligent Systems near the median of the composite ranking of the financial and operating metrics of the companies in the comparator group. The comparator group used in 2019 to set 2020 compensation was:

In 2018,2020, each director attended all meetings of the Board and Committee meetingsCommittees on which he or she served, with the exception of Mr. Petit, who attended 75% of the Board and 75% of the Committee meetings.they served.

The company does not currently have a standing nominating committee. Please see “Nominations Process” for information regarding the company’s policies and procedures for director nominations.

Executive Officers

The following information is provided about our non-director executive officer:.

Matthew A. White was elected to succeed Karen J. Reynolds following the resignation of Ms. Reynolds on January 22, 2019, Matthew A. White was elected to succeed Ms. Reynolds as Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary. Mr. White was previously serving as VP Finance and CFO of CoreCard Software, the main operating subsidiary of Intelligent Systems and he will continue to serve in that role. Prior to joining CoreCard Software Mr. White held various accounting and financial reporting positions at Humana and, most recently, Equifax. Prior to that he was a Senior Manager in the audit practice at Deloitte and is a licensed CPA.

The Board of Directors elects the executive officers to serve until they are removed, replaced or resign.

Executive Compensation

The table above sets forth information regarding compensation awarded to, earned by or paid to the company’s CEO and the company’s most highly compensated person serving as an executive officer during the fiscal year other than the CEO (the “Named Executive Officers”). The Compensation Committee endeavors to provide compensation arrangements that are reasonable given the company’s size, the nature of its business and the executive’s duties; align pay with creating shareholder value; minimize risky behavior; and reward the executive for his/her contribution to achieving our business goals. Given the nature of our business, the small number of executives and the significant ownership held by Mr. Strange, the Compensation Committee believes that a straight-forward compensation plan that is economical to administer and that consists of a reasonable base salary as well as occasionaland appropriate periodic bonuses and option grants, is appropriate for the company. None of the Named Executive Officers has an employment agreement with the company and the company does not have any corporate non-equity incentive plans or nonqualified deferred compensation plans. From time to time, officers may be awarded bonuses to recognize achievement of corporate or subsidiary goals or other accomplishments. Mr. Strange wasand Mr. White were awarded a bonusbonuses in 20182019 and 2020 in recognition of the growth of the company in 2018. No bonuses were awarded in 2017.2019 and 2020. No options were re-priced in the two year period ended December 31, 2018.2020. All Other Annual Compensation shown above includes matching contributions by the company to the respective accounts of the executive officers pursuant to the terms of our Tax-Deferred Savings and Protection Plan (the “401(k) Plan”). Such amounts are fully vested. It is our policy to provide executives with the same benefits provided to other employees with respect to medical, dental, life insurance and 401(k) plans.

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End

The company does not have any Stock Award Plans and does not have any plans for executive officers that provide for the payment of retirement benefits.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

The following table gives information as of December 31, 20182020 about the company’s common stock that may be issued under the Non-Employee Directors’ Stock Option Plan, the 2011 Non-Employee Directors’ Stock Option Plan, the 2003 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended in 2011, the 2015 Stock Incentive Plan and the 20152020 Non-Employee Directors’ Stock Incentive Plan. All plans were approved by shareholders except the Non-Employees Directors’ Stock Option Plan.shareholders.

Director Compensation

The table below sets forth all compensation earned by non-executive directors in the year ended December 31, 2018. The company does not have a stock award plan or non-equity incentive plan for directors.2020. The company has a Non-Employee Directors’ Stock OptionIncentive Plan, which expired in 2010. It was replacedallows for an annual grant of $50,000 of common stock with the number of shares determined by the 2011 Non-Employee Directors’ Stock Option Plan, approved by shareholders in 2011.closing price on the date of the Annual Meeting.

AllIn 2020, all non-employee directors havehad the same compensation plan. Non-employee directors earn $8,000 per year plus a fee of $2,000 per meeting of the Board of Directors. There iswas no additional compensation for serving on a committee of the Board of Directors. Total cash compensation for annual board service is capped at $16,000 annually.was $50,000, earned quarterly. Effective January 1, 1992,August 7, 2020, the company adopted the Outside Directors’ Retirement Plan which provided for each non-employee director, upon resignation from the Board after reaching the age of 65, to receive a lump sum cash payment equal to $5,000 for each full year of service as a director of the company (and its predecessors and successors) up to $50,000. Effective March 1, 2011, the company terminated the Outside Directors’ Retirement Plan and provided that the outside directors then serving would receive the retirement benefits to which they were entitled under the plan before it was terminated. At December 31, 2018 and 2017, we have accrued $50,000 for future payments under the Outside Directors’ Retirement Plan. Effective August 22, 2000, the company adopted a2020 Non-Employee Directors’ Stock OptionIncentive Plan, which providedallows for an initialannual grant to each director of 5,000 options to purchase$50,000 of common stock with the number of the company and annual grants of 4,000 options on the date of each subsequent Annual Meeting. Options are granted at fair market value on the date of grant. The Non-Employee Directors’ Stock Option Plan has expired and was replacedshares determined by the 2011 Non-Employee Directors’ Stock Option Plan, the terms of which are identical in all material respects to the expired plan and which was approved by shareholders in 2011. In 2018, three directors received a grant of 4,000 options eachclosing price on May 24, 2018, the date of the Annual Meeting of Shareholders.Meeting.

Audit Committee Report

The Audit Committee Charter, which is reviewed annually, includes organization and membership requirements, a statement of policy and the Committee's authority and responsibilities.

Management is responsible for our company’s internal controls and the financial reporting process. The independent auditors are responsible for performing an independent audit of the company’s consolidated financial statements in accordance with auditing standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and for issuing a report thereon. As outlined in more detail in the Audit Committee Charter, the Audit Committee’s responsibility is generally to approve all services provided by and compensation paid to the independent auditors; review the adequacy of the company’s internal and disclosure controls and risk management practices; review and monitor the annual audit of the financial statements including the financial statements produced and notes thereto; review SEC filings containing the company’s financial statements; regularly meet with the independent auditors and management in separate sessions; and authorize investigations into any matter within the scope of their responsibilities. During fiscal year 20182020 and through March 15, 2019,2021, among its other activities, the Audit Committee:

Based upon the reviews and discussions summarized above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board (and the Board has approved) that the audited financial statements be included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 20182020 for filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

AUDIT COMMITTEE

A. Russell Chandler, III (Chair)

Philip H. Moise

Parker H. PetitElizabeth W. Camp

Nominations Process

The Board has not appointed a standing nominating committee or adopted a formal nominating committee charter because the Board has determined that due to the size, make-up, independence, long tenure and relatively low turnover of the current Board, there would be limited benefit to the company or its shareholders to do so. Currently, A. Russell Chandler, III, Parker H. Petit and Philip H. Moise and Elizabeth W. Camp, all of whom meet the applicable NYSE American independence requirements, participate in the consideration of director nominees. The same individuals also nominate the officers of the company for election by the Board.

The Board has not previously formed a policy with respect to consideration of candidates nominated by shareholders since there have been no such nominations. However, it is the Board’s intent to consider any security holder nominees that may be properly and timely put forth in the future. The Board has not identified any specific, minimum qualifications or skills that it believes must be met by a nominee for director. The company does not have a specific policy with respect to diversity in identifying nominees for director. In considering nominations for the 20192021 Annual Meeting, the Board reviewed the appropriate size of the Board and the skills and characteristics of directors in the context of the current make-up, background and experience of the Board and the requirements and needs of the company in the foreseeable future. Security holders wishing to nominate a candidate for consideration at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders in 20202021 should submit the nominee’s name, affiliation and other pertinent information along with a statement as to why such person should be considered for nomination. Such nominations should be addressed to the Board in care of the Secretary of the company and be received no later than 1460 days before the date of the Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The Board will evaluate any such nominees in a manner similar to that for all director nominees.

Communication Between Security Holders and the Board of Directors

Security holders wishing to communicate with members of the Board should send a letter to the Secretary of the company with instructions as to which director(s) is to receive the communication. The Secretary will forward the written communication to each member of the Board identified by the security holder or, if no individual director is identified, to all members of the Board. The company has not in the past required members of the Board to attend each Annual Meeting of Shareholders because the formal meetings have been attended by very few shareholders and have generally been very brief and procedural in nature. The Board will continue to monitor shareholder interest and attendance at future meetings and reevaluate this policy as appropriate.

PROPOSAL 2 – TO APPROVE, BY A NON-BINDING, ADVISORY VOTE, THE COMPENSATION OF OUR NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

We are asking our shareholders to provide advisory approval of the compensation of our Named Executive Officers, as described in the Executive Compensation section of this Proxy Statement. While this vote is advisory and non-binding on the company, it will provide information to our Compensation Committee regarding investor sentiment about our executive compensation philosophies, policies and practices which the Compensation Committee will be able to consider for the remainder of 20192021 and beyond. The compensation of our Named Executive Officers and our compensation philosophies and practices are described in the Executive Compensation discussion and accompanying tables.

The Compensation Committee endeavors to provide compensation arrangements that are reasonable given the company’s size, the nature of its business and the executive’s duties and that align pay with creating shareholder value, minimize risky behavior, and reward the executive for his/her contribution to achieving our business goals. Given the nature of our business, the small number of our executives, and the significant ownership held by Mr. Strange, the Compensation Committee believes that a straight-forward compensation plan that is economical to administer and that consists of a reasonable base salary and option grants, as well as an occasional bonus,appropriate periodic bonuses is appropriate for the company.

Neither the approval nor the disapproval of this proposal will be binding on us or the Board or will be construed as overruling decisions by us or the Board. The company intends to provide shareholder advisory votes on its compensation of Named Executive Officers annually.

The Board of Directors recommends that shareholders vote “FOR” proposalTHE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RECOMMENDS THAT SHAREHOLDERS VOTE “FOR” PROPOSAL 2 ApprovingAPPROVING THE COMPENSATION OF OUR NAMED eXECUTIVE oFFICERS.EXECUTIVE OFFICERS.

CODE OF ETHICS

The company has adopted a Code of Ethics that applies to all directors, officers, and employees.  The Code of Ethics is posted on our website at www.intelsys.com.  The company discloses on its website, within the time required by the rules of the SEC, any waivers of, or amendments to, the Code of Ethics for the benefit of an executive officer.

SECTION 16(a) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE

Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder require our executive officers and directors and persons who own more than ten percent of our common stock, as well as certain affiliates of these persons, to file initial reports of ownership of our common stock and changes in such ownership with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Securities and Exchange Commission also requires executive officers, directors and persons owning more than ten percent of our common stock to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file. Based solely on our review of the copies of such forms received by us, we believe that, during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, the executive officers, directors, and persons owning more than ten percent of our common stock and affiliates of these persons have complied with all applicable filing requirements in a timely manner.

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS

Nichols, Cauley & Associates, LLC (“Nichols Cauley”) acted as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal years ended December 31, 20182020 and 2017.2019. We expect that representatives of Nichols Cauley will be present at the Annual Meeting. They will have the opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so and to respond to appropriate questions. The Audit Committee has not yet selected auditorsNichols Cauley for the audit for the fiscal year 2019 because historically this decision is made in the second half of the year.2021. The following is a summary of fees and expenses billed to the company by Nichols Cauley for services during 20182020 and 2017:2019:

Audit Fees - We were billed aggregate fees of $83,000$105,000 and $84,000$157,000 for review and audit services by Nichols Cauley in the years ended December 31, 20182020 and 2017,2019, respectively.

All Other Fees - We were billed fees of $27,000$242,000 and $33,000$72,000 in other fees by Nichols Cauley in the years ended December 31, 20182020 and 2017,2019, respectively. Such fees were for independent attestation services provided to a subsidiary of the company related to SSAE-18 Type IIassociated with service auditor SOC reports for the subsidiary’s processing services.

It is the policy of the Audit Committee to approve in advance, either verbally or in writing, all audit services and permitted non-audit services provided to the company by the independent accountants. All such services were pre-approved by the Audit Committee in the two years ended December 31, 2018.2020.

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS

The lease on our headquarters and primary facility at 4355 Shackleford Road, Norcross, Georgia is held by ISC Properties, LLC, an entity controlled by our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, J. Leland Strange. Mr. Strange holds a 100% ownership interest in ISC Properties, LLC. In boththe years ended December 31, 20182020 and 2017,2019, we paid $214,000 and $210,000, respectively, in rent to ISC Properties, LLC, which the company believes to be market rate.

SHAREHOLDERS’SHAREHOLDERS’ PROPOSALS FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING IN 20202022

Shareholders who wish to submit a proposal for inclusion in our proxy statement for the 20202022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders must submit such proposals so that they are received by the company no later than December 14, 2019.13, 2021. Such proposals must comply with Exchange Act Rule 14a-8 and all other applicable proxy rules and requirements contained in our Bylaws relating to shareholder proposals to be included in our proxy materials. Shareholders intending to present proposals at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders in 20202022 but who do not wish to submit the proposal for inclusion in our proxy statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 should submit these proposals to the Secretary of the company by certified mail, return receipt requested, at our offices in Norcross, Georgia on or before December 16, 2019.15, 2021. Our bylaws contain an advance notice provision that states that, among other things, in order for business to be brought properly before an annual meeting of shareholders by a shareholder, the shareholder must have given timely notice of the business in writing to the Secretary of the company. To be timely under the Bylaws, a shareholder’s notice must be received at our principal offices by December 16, 2019.15, 2021.

OTHER MATTERS WHICH MAY COME BEFORE THE MEETING

The Board is not aware of any matter other than those stated above that are to be brought before the meeting. However, if any other matter should be presented for consideration and voting, the persons named in the enclosed form of proxy intend to vote the proxy in accordance with their judgment of what is in the best interest of the company.

Additional InformationADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Any record or beneficial owner of our common stock as of April 5,, 2019 2021 may request a copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018,2020, including financial statements, schedules and exhibits. Shareholders may also view and download a free copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K from our web site at www.intelsys.com. Any request for the Form 10-K should be in writing addressed to: Matthew A. White,, Intelligent Systems Corporation, 4355 Shackleford Road, Norcross, Georgia 30093. We will provide copies of any exhibits to the Form 10-K upon request and upon the payment of our reasonable expenses in furnishing such exhibits.

IMPORTANT NOTICE CONCERNING THE AVAILABLITY OF PROXY MATERIALS

This Proxy Statement and our Annual Report to Shareholders are available at https://materials.proxyvote.com/45816D

 

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