Alex Panos

Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc. is a global investment banking, securities trading and brokerage firm located in New York City with additional offices in Dallas, Boston and San Francisco. The firm is a subsidiary Bear Sterns Cos., Inc. (NYSE: BSC). Their equity research team consists of senior analysts located throughout the world. In addition to domestic coverage, they have research teams focusing on Latin America, Asia and Europe. The analysts use a bottom-up approach to stock selection. The Bear Stearns fixed-income research department provides coverage of every sector of the fixed-income universe. The financial analytics and structured transactions group (F.A.S.T) provides investment research, fixed-income portfolio management and analytical systems, trading technology and general financial expertise. The group also provides a broad range of services to financial institutions including asset-liability management, balance sheet restructuring, receivables-based financing analysis, security and portfolio analysis, peer analysis, and historical and real-time market-based information.

In 1915 Charles Edward Merrill founded Merrill Lynch & Co. (NYSE: MER) with Edmund C. Lynch in Baltimore, Maryland. The modern Merrill Lynch was formed in 1940 through mergers with E.A. Pierce & Cassatt and, soon after, Fenner & Beane. In 1973, Merrill Lynch adopted a holding company format, with Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. as the parent and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith as the operating subsidiary. Merrill Lynch Asset Management, Inc. (MLAM) was created as an integral business unit in the Merrill Lynch family in 1976. Fund Asset Management, doing business as Mercury Asset Management, was acquired in December 1997. In 2000, MLAM and Mercury were combined under the name Merrill Lynch Investment Managers. MLAM manages the Merrill Lynch family of mutual funds, as and acts as sub-advisor to other mutual funds.

popchips, Inc. engaged in the manufacture of snack food products. Its products include crazy hot, sea salt, barbeque, sea salt and vinegar, sour cream and onion, cheddar and sour cream, nutter puffs, and yes peas. The company was founded by Keith C. Belling and Patrick Turpin in 2007 and is headquartered in Playa Vista, CA.

TSG Consumer Partners LLC (TSG Consumer Partners) is a private equity firm founded in 1986 by Charles Howard Esserman. The firm is headquartered in Larkspur, California.

N.V. Perricone LLC engages in the provision of clinical skin care products. It offers anti-aging treatments, cleansers, moisturizers, eye treatments, serums, exfoliators and toners and neck and body treatments. The company was founded by Nicholas V. Perricone in 1997 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.

Boulder Brands, Inc. operates as a natural consumer packaged food company. The company was founded by Stephen B. Hughes on December 21, 2005 and is headquartered in Boulder, CO.

Island Oasis Frozen Cocktail Co., Inc. wholesales frozen beverage mixes and blending equipment. It brands include Island Oasis, Fuel, and Barista Fria. The firm’s product line includes frozen and shelf-stable fruit purees, coffee blends, nutrients for goal-specific drinks, and a line of custom blenders and ice shaving equipment. The company was founded by J. Michael Herbert in 1984 and is headquartered in Walpole, MA.

Stumptown Coffee Corp. operates as a boutique coffee roaster. It offers coffee blends; organic and decaf coffees; and Latin American, African, and Indonesian coffees. The company was founded by Duane Sorenson in 1999 and is headquartered in Portland, OR.

Bookend Capital Partners LLC (Bookend Capital Partners) is a private equity firm founded in 2015 by Alexander Steve Panos. The firm is headquartered in New York.