HireQuest, Inc.

HireQuest, Inc.

Table of Contents

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 and other documents incorporated herein by reference include, and our officers and other representatives may sometimes make or provide certain estimates and other forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act, including, among others, statements with respect to future revenue, franchise sales, system-wide sales, net income and Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP Financial Measure); operating results; dividends and shareholder returns; anticipated benefits and synergies of any proposed transaction and future opportunities, including statements regarding value, profitability or growth prospects, cost synergies of any merger or acquisitions including those we have completed in 2023 and 2024; intended office openings or closings; expectations of the effect on our financial condition of claims and litigation; strategies for customer retention and growth; strategies for risk management; and all other statements that are not purely historical and that may constitute statements of future expectations. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,” “seek,” “believe,” “project,” “estimate,” “expect,” “strategy,” “future,” “likely,” “may,” “should,” “will,” and similar references to future periods.

While we believe these statements are accurate, forward-looking statements are not historical facts and are inherently uncertain. They are based only on our current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy, and other future conditions. We cannot assure you that these expectations will materialize, and our actual results may be significantly different. Therefore, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in any forward-looking statements made by us include the following: the level of demand in and financial performance of the temporary staffing and permanent placement industry; the financial performance of our franchisees; our franchisees' and our customers' ability to navigate successfully the challenges posed by instability in the financial and capital markets and the overall economic environment including the impact of increases in the price of oil and gas and any potential recession; changes in customer demand; the extent to which we are successful in gaining new long-term relationships with customers or retaining existing ones, and the level of service failures that could lead customers to use competitors’ services; workers' compensation expenses that fluctuate from period to period based on the mix of classifications, the level of payroll, recent claims resolution, and cumulative experience; significant investigative or legal proceedings including, without limitation, those brought about by the existing regulatory environment or changes in the regulations governing the temporary staffing and permanent placement industry and those arising from the action or inaction of our franchisees and temporary employees; strategic actions, including acquisitions and dispositions and our success in integrating acquired businesses including, without limitation, successful integration following the acquisitions of Ready Temporary Staffing, TEC Staffing Services, MRI Network, Snelling Staffing, LINK, Recruit Media, Dental Power, Temporary Alternatives, Inc., and subsequent or smaller acquisitions; the possibility that any strategic target will not agree to consummate a transaction or that any such transaction is consummated on different terms than currently anticipated; the possibility that conditions to the completion of a proposed transaction, including the receipt of any required shareholder approvals and any required regulatory approvals, will not be met; the possibility that we may be unable to achieve expected synergies and operating efficiencies within an expected time frame or at all and to successfully integrate any acquired operations with ours; the possibility that such integration may be more difficult, time-consuming, or costly than expected, or that operating costs, customer loss and business disruption (including, without limitation, difficulties in maintaining relationships with employees, customers, or suppliers) may be greater than expected following a proposed transaction or the public announcement of a proposed transaction; disruptions to our technology network including computer systems and software whether resulting from a cyber-attack or otherwise; natural events such as pandemics, severe weather, fires, floods, and earthquakes, or man-made or other disruptions of our operating systems or the economy including by war or political turmoil; and the factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Any forward-looking statement made by us in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. The Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, based on the occurrence of future events, the receipt of new information, or otherwise, except as required by law.

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