CEO Michael Bieber was paid $3,637,831 in fiscal year 2025, ↑ up 51.6% from fiscal year 2024, the 55th percentile of its disclosed peer group (SEC filing 0001104659-26-048621 ↗): executive and director compensation, incentive-plan design, equity activity, and governance — every figure in this brief is traceable to its exact location in the company’s SEC filing — the document, the section, the page, and the table, linked directly.
$3,637,831 ↑ Michael Bieber total, FY2025 | 55th CEO pay percentile vs peers | — CEO-to-median pay ratio | 93.25% Say-on-pay support, latest vote |
Ask our research desk — $99, 24h, every figure cited to its filing.
| Named executive officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension / NQDC | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Bieber | $606,241 | $1,200,000 | $1,827,320 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $4,270 | $3,637,831 |
| President and Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
| Creighton Early | 466,359 | 500,000 | 438,557 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,250 | 1,409,166 |
| Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||
| Micah Chen | 420,992 | 500,000 | 438,557 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,250 | 1,363,799 |
| Executive Vice President and General Counsel | ||||||||
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.
| Named executive officer | FY2025 total | FY2024 total | FY2023 total | Δ FY2024→2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Bieber | $3,637,831 | $2,400,089 | $1,270,785 | ↑ +1,237,742 |
| Creighton Early | 1,409,166 | 936,568 | 924,687 | ↑ +472,598 |
| Micah Chen | 1,363,799 | 896,024 | 549,936 | ↑ +467,775 |
Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.
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Each company listed discloses WLDN in its own benchmarking peer group, as disclosed in each company's most recent proxy statement within the last two proxy seasons. Two companies are therefore absent by design: one that named WLDN in an earlier year and no longer does, and one whose own most recent disclosure is older than the last two seasons.
No insider equity transactions reported since the proxy statement.
| Executive | Award | Grant date | Threshold | Target | Granted | Maximum | Grant-date fair value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Micah Chen | RSU | 2025-03-17 | — | — | 4,620 | — | $191,869 |
| Micah Chen | PSU | 2025-03-17 | — | 5,940 | — | 14,850 | 246,688 |
| Creighton Early | PSU | 2025-03-17 | — | 5,940 | — | 14,850 | 246,688 |
| Creighton Early | RSU | 2025-03-17 | — | — | 4,620 | — | 191,869 |
| Named executive officer | Time-vested (RSU) | Performance-vested (PSU) | Options / SARs | % performance-vested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Micah Chen | $191,869 | $246,688 | $0 | 56.2% |
| Creighton Early | 191,869 | 246,688 | 0 | 56.2% |
% performance-vested = PSU grant-date fair value ÷ (RSU + PSU + Options), a computed value with the derivation shown in the register.
| Executive | Award | Shares unvested | Exercise price | Market value unvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Micah Chen | PSU | 3,960 | — | $70,607 |
| Creighton Early | RSU | 7,600 | — | 135,508 |
| Michael Bieber | PSU | 61,875 | — | 2,569,669 |
| Michael Bieber | PSU | 40,500 | — | 1,115,775 |
| Michael Bieber | RSU | 19,250 | — | 799,453 |
| Micah Chen | PSU | 9,720 | — | 267,786 |
| Creighton Early | PSU | 14,850 | — | 616,721 |
| Micah Chen | PSU | 14,850 | — | 616,721 |
| Michael Bieber | PSU | 18,810 | — | 335,382 |
| Michael Bieber | RSU | 11,667 | — | 321,416 |
| Creighton Early | PSU | 9,720 | — | 267,786 |
| Creighton Early | RSU | 4,620 | — | 191,869 |
| Micah Chen | RSU | 4,620 | — | 191,869 |
| Michael Bieber | RSU | 4,434 | — | 79,058 |
| Creighton Early | RSU | 2,800 | — | 77,140 |
| Micah Chen | RSU | 2,800 | — | 77,140 |
| Creighton Early | PSU | 3,960 | — | 70,607 |
| Micah Chen | RSU | 934 | — | 16,653 |
The primary objective of the executive compensation program is to align executives' pay with the long-term interests of stockholders by emphasizing variable, at-risk compensation that rewards short-term and long-term financial, strategic, and operational performance. The program aims to attract, motivate, and retain top contributors while remaining competitive with similarly sized companies.
| CEO STI target (% of salary) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO LTI target (% of salary) | — |
| Independent consultant | Pearl Meyer |
| Clawback policy | true |
| Anti-hedging | true |
| Anti-pledging | true |
| Meeting year | Meeting date | For | Against | Abstain | Support | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-06-17 | 8,650,776 | 409,216 | 217,303 | 93.25% | Passed |
| 2025 | 2025-06-12 | 8,555,301 | 860,644 | 15,703 | 90.71% | Passed |
| 2024 | 2024-06-13 | 6,339,272 | 3,684,400 | 5,718 | 63.21% | Passed |
| 2023 | 2023-06-08 | 4,082,317 | 5,121,812 | 132,572 | 43.72% | Failed |
| 2022 | 2022-06-09 | 6,045,808 | 4,518,181 | 20,601 | 57.12% | Passed |
| 2021 | 2021-06-10 | 7,794,668 | 1,400,764 | 38,654 | 84.41% | Passed |
Rows are labeled by annual-meeting year, with the meeting date beside each; the vote held in a given year acts on the prior fiscal year's compensation.
| Meeting year | Meeting date | Approval — company's computation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-06-17 | 93.25%a |
| 2025 | 2025-06-12 | 90.71%b |
| 2024 | 2024-06-13 | 63.21%c |
a. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “2, 3, and 4, abstentions will have the same effect of a vote "AGAINST" such proposal.”.
b. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “2, 3, and 5, abstentions will have the same effect of a vote "AGAINST" such proposal.”.
c. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “2, 3, and 4, abstentions will have the same effect of a vote "AGAINST" such proposal.”.
Approval percentages are the company's own reported computations under its own stated standard, not recomputed by Velarion. Where a company does not state a standard, none is assumed.
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas D. BrisbinNot independent · Board Chair | $65,000 | $100,003 | $0 | — | $303,000 | $468,003 |
| Steven A. CohenIndependent · Lead Independent Director | 93,000 | 100,003 | 0 | — | 0 | 193,003 |
| Cynthia A. DownesIndependent | 77,500 | 100,003 | 0 | — | 0 | 177,503 |
| Dennis V. McGinnIndependent | 77,000 | 100,003 | 0 | — | 0 | 177,003 |
| Mohammad ShahidehpourIndependent | 75,500 | 100,003 | 0 | — | 0 | 175,503 |
| Wanda K. RederIndependent | 73,500 | 100,003 | 0 | — | 0 | 173,503 |
| Michael A. BieberEmployee director | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| Annual cash retainer | $50,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | $100,000 |
| Per board meeting fee | — |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | 20,000 / 15,000 / 12,000 |
| Stock ownership guideline | $115,000 |
| Component | FY2025 |
|---|---|
| Cash retainers and fees | $461,500 |
| Equity awards (grant-date value) | $600,018 |
| All other compensation | $303,000 |
| Total cost of the board | $1,364,518 |
Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.
The compensation peer group as the company disclosed it in its own proxy — the reference set behind the percentile above.
Of the companies Willdan Group names as compensation peers, which name it back in their own disclosed peer groups. A peer set the market reciprocates reads differently from one selected in a single direction.
Reciprocity shown where the peer's own current proxy has been read — each mark is cited in the register to that peer's filing. A dash means the peer's current proxy was read and names no reciprocal group including Willdan Group.
Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company's own proxy statement.
| Rank | Company | FY | Chief executive | Salary | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Superconductor Corporation | 2025 | Daniel McGahn | $715,769 | $5,644,800 | $0 | $1,149,125 | $7,529,025 |
| 2 | ICF International, Inc. | 2025 | John Wasson | 1,003,096 | 4,715,918 | 0 | 1,122,332 | 6,857,678 |
| 3 | LSI Industries Inc. | 2022 | Joseph Saffire | 740,000 | 3,645,433 | 0 | 1,332,000 | 5,722,466 |
| 4 | CRA International, Inc. | 2025 | Paul Maleh | 900,000 | 2,099,925 | 0 | 1,125,000 | 4,156,568 |
| 5 | Exponent, Inc. | 2025 | Catherine Ford Corrigan | 970,000 | 1,120,164 | 678,510 | 0 | 3,736,574 |
| 6 | Willdan Group | 2025 | Michael Bieber | 606,241 | 1,827,320 | 0 | 0 | 3,637,831 |
| 7 | Ameresco, Inc. | 2025 | George Sakellaris | 1,500,000 | 155,100 | 1,385,999 | 0 | 3,339,804 |
| 8 | CECO Environmental Corporation | 2024 | Todd Gleason | 717,383 | 1,627,505 | 289,575 | 382,656 | 3,051,771 |
| 9 | Limbach Holdings, Inc. | 2025 | Michael McCann | 800,000 | 1,192,150 | 0 | 741,306 | 2,759,456 |
| 10 | Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. | 2025 | Bruce Thames | 715,035 | 1,299,963 | 0 | 543,620 | 2,579,122 |
| 11 | Bowman Consulting Group Ltd. | 2025 | Gary Bowman | 739,892 | 1,609,784 | 0 | 0 | 2,404,863 |
| 12 | TIC Solutions | 2025 | Benjamin Heraud | 232,692 | 750,005 | 0 | 0 | 986,249 |
| — | Huron Consulting Group, Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
Each peer's compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer's figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.
| Company | Annual incentive payout | Long-term vehicle mix | PSU measures include TSR | Compensation consultant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Willdan Group | not disclosed | PRSU 55 · RSU 45 | not disclosed | Pearl Meyer |
| Ameresco, Inc. | 95% | not disclosed | No | FW Cook |
| American Superconductor Corporation | 159% | RSU 50 · PSU 50 | No | Compensia, Inc. |
| Bowman Consulting Group Ltd. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | PricewaterhouseCoopers |
| CECO Environmental Corporation | 40% | PSU 75 · Options 25 | No | Meridian Compensation Partners LLC |
| CRA International, Inc. | not disclosed | PRSU 60 · RSU 40 | not disclosed | Semler Brossy |
| Exponent, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Compensia |
| Huron Consulting Group, Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| ICF International, Inc. | 86.41% | PSU 50 · RSU 50 | No | Aon Human Capital Solutions Practice |
| Limbach Holdings, Inc. | not disclosed | PRSU 67 · RSU 33 | not disclosed | CAP |
| LSI Industries Inc. | 180% | PRSU 50 · RSU 50 | Yes — Relative TSR | NFP |
| Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. | 76% | not disclosed | No | Mercer |
| TIC Solutions | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | Mercer and Aon |
Read from each company's Compensation Discussion and Analysis: annual incentive payout as a percentage of target, the disclosed long-term vehicle mix, whether performance-share measures include a total shareholder return component, and the retained compensation consultant. “Not disclosed” appears only where the company's filing does not state the item.
Answers are drawn only from the figures disclosed in this brief and cited to their location in the source filing. Where a figure required for an answer is not disclosed, that is stated rather than estimated.
Each figure's location is given both for the eye (section · page · table · row · column) and for a script (table/row/column index and exact character span in the filed document). Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.
| # | Supports | Document | Filed | Accession | Location in document |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Section 01, Michael Bieber | DEF 14A | 2026-04-24 | 0001104659-26-048621 | Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 3,637,831. Filing ↗machine: r5 · c16 · span 1375991–1376000 |
| 2 | Section 01, Creighton Early | DEF 14A | 2026-04-24 | 0001104659-26-048621 | Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 1,409,166. Filing ↗machine: r9 · c16 · span 1396256–1396265 |
| 3 | Section 01, Micah Chen | DEF 14A | 2026-04-24 | 0001104659-26-048621 | Section “Executive Compensation”. As printed: 1,363,799. Filing ↗machine: r13 · c16 · span 1416592–1416601 |
| 4 | Section 03, Micah Chen RSU | DEF 14A | 2026-04-24 | 0001104659-26-048621 | Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards in Fiscal Year 2025” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: span 1488491–1488498 |
| 5 | Section 03, Micah Chen PSU | DEF 14A | 2026-04-24 | 0001104659-26-048621 | Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards in Fiscal Year 2025” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: span 1492142–1492149 |
| 6 | Section 03, Creighton Early PSU | DEF 14A | 2026-04-24 | 0001104659-26-048621 | Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards in Fiscal Year 2025” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: span 1481343–1481350 |
| 7 | Section 03, Creighton Early RSU | DEF 14A | 2026-04-24 | 0001104659-26-048621 | Section “Grants of Plan-Based Awards in Fiscal Year 2025” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: span 1477692–1477699 |
| 8 | Section 08, Thomas D. Brisbin | DEF 14A | 2026-04-24 | 0001104659-26-048621 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 468,003. Filing ↗machine: span 682739–682939 |
| 9 | Section 08, Steven A. Cohen | DEF 14A | 2026-04-24 | 0001104659-26-048621 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 193,003. Filing ↗machine: span 686483–686683 |
| 10 | Section 08, Cynthia A. Downes | DEF 14A | 2026-04-24 | 0001104659-26-048621 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 177,503. Filing ↗machine: span 690229–690429 |
| 11 | Section 08, Dennis V. McGinn | DEF 14A | 2026-04-24 | 0001104659-26-048621 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 177,003. Filing ↗machine: span 694012–694212 |
| 12 | Section 08, Mohammad Shahidehpour | DEF 14A | 2026-04-24 | 0001104659-26-048621 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 175,503. Filing ↗machine: span 701543–701743 |
| 13 | Section 08, Wanda K. Reder | DEF 14A | 2026-04-24 | 0001104659-26-048621 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 173,503. Filing ↗machine: span 697774–697974 |
| 14 | Section 08, Michael A. Bieber | DEF 14A | 2026-04-24 | 0001104659-26-048621 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. Filing ↗ |
| 15 | Section 06, 2026 vote | Form 8-K | 2026-06-18 | 0001104659-26-075795 | Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 93.25% (votes for as printed: 8,650,776). Filing ↗ |
| 16 | Section 06, 2025 vote | Form 8-K | 2025-06-13 | 0001558370-25-008623 | Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 90.71% (votes for as printed: 8,555,301). Filing ↗ |
| 17 | Section 06, 2024 vote | Form 8-K | 2024-06-14 | 0001558370-24-009208 | Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 63.21% (votes for as printed: 6,339,272). Filing ↗ |
| 18 | Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed) | Computed | — | — | Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.machine: formula: Δ = FY(n) − FY(n−1) |
| 19 | Section 03b vehicle mix (computed) | Computed | — | — | RSU / PSU / Options grant-date fair values summed per officer from the grants table; % performance-vested = PSU ÷ (RSU+PSU+Options).machine: formula: sums + PSU ratio |
| 20 | Section 09b board cost (computed) | Computed | — | — | Cash 461,500 + equity 600,018 + all other 303,000 = 1,364,518, summed across the director compensation table rows.machine: formula: Σ = 1,364,518 |
| 21 | American Superconductor Corporation, Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-06-18 | 0001193125-26-275809 | CEO total compensation as printed in American Superconductor Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 7,529,025. Filing ↗machine: span 394587–394596 |
| 22 | ICF International, Inc., Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-04-22 | 0001140361-26-016102 | CEO total compensation as printed in ICF International, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 6,857,678. Filing ↗machine: r2 · c19 · span 1792780–1792789 |
| 23 | LSI Industries Inc., Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2023-04-13 | 0001193125-23-100620 | CEO total compensation as printed in LSI Industries Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 5,722,466. Filing ↗machine: r2 · c25 · span 776188–776198 |
| 24 | CRA International, Inc., Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-04-24 | 0001104659-26-048570 | CEO total compensation as printed in CRA International, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 4,156,568. Filing ↗machine: r1 · c41 · span 517291–517300 |
| 25 | Exponent, Inc., Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-04-20 | 0001193125-26-163945 | CEO total compensation as printed in Exponent, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 3,736,574. Filing ↗machine: r2 · c25 · span 495437–495446 |
| 26 | Willdan Group (subject), Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-04-24 | 0001104659-26-048621 | CEO total compensation as printed in Willdan Group's own proxy. As printed: 3,637,831. Filing ↗machine: r5 · c16 · span 1375991–1376000 |
| 27 | Ameresco, Inc., Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-04-23 | 0001628280-26-026695 | CEO total compensation as printed in Ameresco, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 3,339,804. Filing ↗machine: r2 · c39 · span 713614–713623 |
| 28 | CECO Environmental Corporation, Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2025-04-10 | 0001558370-25-004649 | CEO total compensation as printed in CECO Environmental Corporation's own proxy. As printed: 3,051,771. Filing ↗ |
| 29 | Limbach Holdings, Inc., Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-04-23 | 0001628280-26-026892 | CEO total compensation as printed in Limbach Holdings, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 2,759,456. Filing ↗machine: span 551364–551373 |
| 30 | Thermon Group Holdings, Inc., Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2025-06-18 | 0001489096-25-000097 | CEO total compensation as printed in Thermon Group Holdings, Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 2,579,122. Filing ↗machine: r2 · c55 · span 730045–730054 |
| 31 | Bowman Consulting Group Ltd., Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-04-28 | 0001193125-26-186892 | CEO total compensation as printed in Bowman Consulting Group Ltd.'s own proxy. As printed: 2,404,863. Filing ↗machine: r2 · c34 · span 214110–214119 |
| 32 | TIC Solutions, Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-05-21 | 0001213900-26-060056 | CEO total compensation as printed in TIC Solutions's own proxy. As printed: 986,249. Filing ↗machine: span 728558–728565 |
| 33 | Section 10a, CRA International, Inc. reciprocity | DEF 14A | — | 0001104659-26-048570 | CRA International, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Willdan Group. Filing ↗ |
| 34 | Section 10a, LSI Industries Inc. reciprocity | DEF 14A | — | 0001193125-23-100620 | LSI Industries Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Willdan Group. Filing ↗ |
| 35 | Section 10a, American Superconductor Corporation reciprocity | DEF 14A | — | 0001193125-26-275809 | American Superconductor Corporation's most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Willdan Group. Filing ↗ |
| 36 | Section 10a, Ameresco, Inc. reciprocity | DEF 14A | — | 0001628280-26-026695 | Ameresco, Inc. names Willdan Group in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). Filing ↗ |
| 37 | Section 10a, Exponent, Inc. reciprocity | DEF 14A | — | 0001193125-26-163945 | Exponent, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Willdan Group. Filing ↗ |
| 38 | Section 10a, CECO Environmental Corporation reciprocity | DEF 14A | — | 0001558370-25-004649 | CECO Environmental Corporation's most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Willdan Group. Filing ↗ |
| 39 | Section 10a, ICF International, Inc. reciprocity | DEF 14A | — | 0001140361-26-016102 | ICF International, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Willdan Group. Filing ↗ |
| 40 | Section 10a, Limbach Holdings, Inc. reciprocity | DEF 14A | — | 0001628280-26-026892 | Limbach Holdings, Inc. names Willdan Group in its own disclosed peer group (read from its most recent proxy). Filing ↗ |
| 41 | Section 10a, Thermon Group Holdings, Inc. reciprocity | DEF 14A | — | 0001489096-25-000097 | Thermon Group Holdings, Inc.'s most recent proxy was read; its disclosed peer group does not include Willdan Group. Filing ↗ |
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