Brent Cobb
About Brent R. Cobb
Brent R. Cobb (age 49) has served as an independent director of QCR Holdings since 2020. He is Chief Executive Officer of World Class Industries (joined 2002 as VP; President in 2005; CEO in 2019), Chair of Morton Industries, and a director of Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust, a QCR subsidiary. He is active in the Iowa business community (past chair of Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation; founding board chair of Hiawatha Economic Development Corporation; YPO Iowa former Chapter Chair; chair of the Zach Johnson Foundation board) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Class Industries | Vice President; President; Chief Executive Officer | VP since May 2002; President since 2005; CEO since 2019 | Leads manufacturing supply and integration business; regional leadership relevance to CRBT market |
| Morton Industries | Chair | Ongoing | Oversees strategic direction for tube fabrication supplier |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust (QCR subsidiary) | Director | Ongoing | Subsidiary board service within QCR group |
| Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation | Past Chair | Historical | Community leadership |
| Hiawatha Economic Development Corporation | Founding Board Chair | Historical | Regional economic development |
| YPO Iowa | Former Chapter Chair | Historical | Executive networking |
| Zach Johnson Foundation | Board Chair | Ongoing | Philanthropy leadership |
| Other public company boards | None disclosed | — | Proxy notes only Besong and certain pre-merger directors have public company board service in past five years; not Cobb |
Board Governance
- Independence: Cobb is classified as “independent” under Nasdaq rules; the board determined he has no other relationships preventing objective decisions .
- Committees: Audit Committee Vice Chair; Audit met 4 times in 2024. Risk Oversight Committee member; ROC met 4 times in 2024 .
- Attendance: All incumbent directors attended ≥75% of board and committee meetings in 2024; all directors attended the annual meeting .
- Term and classification: Class II nominee (new term expires 2028) .
- Board leadership: Independent Chair structure; independent directors held four executive sessions in 2024 .
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned ($) | 55,000 | 59,600 |
| Stock Awards ($) | 27,500 | 28,000 |
| Total ($) | 82,500 | 87,600 |
- Cash fee structure: QCR Holdings quarterly retainer was $10,150 in 2024 (moving to $10,625 in 2025). Additional quarterly retainers: Audit Committee Chair $1,500; Audit Committee Member $625; Risk Oversight Committee Member $625; other committee members $300, etc. (see full schedule) .
- Deferral and alignment: Directors may defer cash fees; in 2024, all directors other than Batten, Griesemer, Sorensen, and Ziegler deferred 100% of cash fees to purchase QCRH stock at market prices—Cobb is among those deferring .
Performance Compensation
| Award Detail | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Grant Date | March 1, 2024 | March 3, 2025 [ReadFile: /tmp/insider_trades_20251120_025210.json lines 5-19] |
| Award Type | Restricted Stock (Board service grants) | Restricted Stock (Form 4 “A-Award”) [ReadFile: /tmp/insider_trades_20251120_025210.json lines 15-19] |
| Shares Granted | 493 shares [ReadFile: /tmp/insider_trades_20251120_025210.json lines 52-55] | 374 shares [ReadFile: /tmp/insider_trades_20251120_025210.json lines 16-19] |
| Grant Price ($/share) | 56.79 | 75.04 [ReadFile: /tmp/insider_trades_20251120_025210.json lines 16-19] |
| Fair Value ($) | 28,000 total (HQ $24,000 + subsidiary $4,000; immediate vesting) | — (Proxy detail not disclosed; Form 4 provides price and shares) [ReadFile: /tmp/insider_trades_20251120_025210.json lines 16-19] |
- Vesting: 2024 awards vested immediately on the grant date .
- Director stock program: Each non-employee QCR director received $24,000 restricted stock; each non-employee subsidiary director received $4,000 restricted stock on March 1, 2024 .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Public/Private | Potential Interlock/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Class Industries | CEO | Private | Regional industry presence; no related-party transactions disclosed with QCR |
| Morton Industries | Chair | Private | Supplier to equipment manufacturers; no related-party transactions disclosed with QCR |
| Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust | Director | QCR subsidiary | Internal group board role |
| Public company boards | None | — | Proxy identifies other public boards only for Besong/Griesemer/Batten; Cobb not listed |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Operating leadership: Two decades of leadership at World Class Industries, culminating as CEO; regional manufacturing and supply-chain exposure relevant to QCR’s Midwest markets .
- Committee expertise: Serves as Audit Committee Vice Chair; not designated as “Audit Committee Financial Expert” (designation given to Batten and Field) .
- Community/Network: Deep civic leadership and regional networks (YPO, foundations), potentially beneficial for market development and governance diversity .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | 2024 (as of Mar 25, 2024) | 2025 (as of Mar 27, 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Shares Beneficially Owned | 40,604 | 42,344 |
| Percent of Class | <1% | <1% |
| Trust/Indirect Holdings | Includes 4,924 shares held in trust (shared voting/investment power) | Includes 4,924 shares held in trust (shared voting/investment power) |
| Ownership Guideline | Directors expected to own 5x cash retainer; for 2025 guideline is 2,945 shares | Compliance: “each QCR director” in compliance |
| Outstanding awards | None vested or unvested stock/option awards outstanding as of Dec 31, 2024 | None vested or unvested stock/option awards outstanding as of Dec 31, 2024 |
Insider Trades
| Filing Date | Transaction Date | Form | Type | Shares | Price ($) | Post-Transaction Ownership |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-03-05 | 2024-03-01 | 4 | Award (Restricted Stock) | 493 [ReadFile: /tmp/insider_trades_20251120_025210.json lines 52-55] | 56.79 [ReadFile: /tmp/insider_trades_20251120_025210.json lines 52-55] | 36,598.93 shares [ReadFile: /tmp/insider_trades_20251120_025210.json lines 46-47] |
| 2025-03-04 | 2025-03-03 | 4 | Award (Restricted Stock) | 374 [ReadFile: /tmp/insider_trades_20251120_025210.json lines 16-17] | 75.04 [ReadFile: /tmp/insider_trades_20251120_025210.json lines 16-19] | 37,046.95 shares [ReadFile: /tmp/insider_trades_20251120_025210.json lines 9-11] |
| 2025-02-14 | 2024-12-31 | 5 | Annual statement | — | — | — (annual Form 5, no share change data) [ReadFile: /tmp/insider_trades_20251120_025210.json lines 33-37] |
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent status and service as Audit Committee Vice Chair contribute to oversight quality; consistent attendance; strong ownership alignment (significant shareholding, 100% cash fee deferral into stock) .
- Compensation structure: Director pay balanced between cash and immediately vesting RSUs; no outstanding option awards and anti-hedging/anti-pledging policies; Nasdaq-compliant clawback policy in place (for executives) indicating governance rigor .
- Conflicts/Related parties: No specific related-party transactions involving Cobb disclosed; robust review thresholds and committee oversight for any such transactions (policy triggers at >$10k; committee approval above $1m) . Service on a subsidiary bank board is typical within QCR’s structure and not, by itself, a red flag .
- Red flags observed: None disclosed—no pledging or hedging noted; attendance acceptable; no public-company interlocks that raise competitive concerns; director stock ownership guidelines satisfied .
Overall, Brent Cobb’s board profile signals alignment and effective oversight through Audit and Risk roles, significant personal share ownership, and a straightforward director pay structure without performance-linked complexities—supportive of investor confidence, with no material governance red flags disclosed in current filings .