Cynthia Marie Brown

Jefferies LLC is a global investment bank and institutional securities firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1962 and is a subsidiary of Jefferies Group LLC, ultimately held by Jefferies Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF). Jefferies provides corporate clients with research and execution services in equity, fixed income, and foreign exchange markets, as well as a full range of investment banking services such as underwriting, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and recapitalization, and other advisory services, with all businesses operating in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Wells Fargo Securities LLC (WFS) is the broker/dealer subsidiary of EVEREN Capital Corp., ultimately owned by Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC). Headquartered in New York, WFS delivers a comprehensive suite of banking, capital markets and advisory solutions, such as a full complement of sales, trading and research capabilities, to corporate, government and institutional clients.

Stifel, Nicolaus & Co., Inc. (Stifel) is a dual-registered broker-dealer and investment adviser headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1890, the firm is a subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF), a financial service holding company. Stifel provides full-service brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals and their families, institutions and businesses, and financial advisors.

Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc. (Broker) (Baird-Broker) is the broker-dealer division of Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc., an investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm was founded in 1919 and is ultimately owned by Baird Financial Group, Inc. Baird-Broker offers a full suite of comprehensive trading services for institutional clients.

Tudor Investment Corp. (TIC) is an independent, SEC-registered investment adviser and hedge fund manager headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The firm was founded in 1980 by Paul T. Jones, II. TIC provides discretionary investment advisory services to various hedge funds, private equity funds and managed accounts. Investors in these funds generally include high-net worth individuals and related entities, sovereign entities, pension funds, non-financial corporates, financial institutions, endowments and foundations, fund-of-fund vehicles and proprietary capital from current and former personnel.

Seaport Global Securities LLC is a full service investment bank, capital markets advisory and research platform headquartered in New York City with offices across the US and in Europe. They are a subsidiary of Seaport Global Holdings LLC. The firm offers access to a broad selection of fixed income and equity products, as well as the market intelligence to provide insight to dynamic opportunities for its clients. Seaport Global Securities provides clients access to innovative trading solutions, competitive rates, quality execution, and superior service. Their equity trading team focuses on identifying liquidity in US, Canadian and European markets. The fixed income distribution platform covers all areas of the credit spectrum.

Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. (Broker) (CGMI-Broker) is the broker/dealer division of Citigroup Global Markets, Inc., an investment bank headquartered in New York City with additional offices across the US. The firm was founded in 2004 and is a subsidiary of Citigroup Financial Products, Inc., ultimately held by Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE: C). CGMI-Broker covers all market capitalizations of the major global indices and provides macro and quantitative analysis of global markets and sector trends. Their core focus of the group is to help investing clients make informed decisions by providing value-added, independent, insightful analysis.

Part of Gleacher & Co., Inc., American Technology Research Holdings, Inc. provides research on information technology and defense companies. The company is based in Greenwich, CT. American Technology Research Holdings was acquired by BroadPoint Securities Group, Inc. on October 03, 2008 for $19.37 million.

A subsidiary of Davenport & Co., Davenport Securities is a broker/dealer headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. The firm provides a full array of investment services including comprehensive stock and bond brokerage, investment management, research, financial planning, insurance, public finance and corporate finance services. Their research includes coverage of several sectors including healthcare & special situations, media/telecommunications/technology, metals, REITs, specialty finance, technology, financial, energy, consumer staples, consumer discretionary, capital goods & construction materials, and business and professional services. They research local and regional firms making recommendations based on assessments of a company and the industry, regional and national trends, visits to the business, and meetings with the management. In addition to in-house research, Davenport uses several nationally-recognized research firms to provide them with investment information for larger national and international companies. They are a member of the SIPC.

JPMorgan Securities LLC (JPMS) is a securities brokerage firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1985 and is a subsidiary of JPMorgan Broker-Dealer Holdings, Inc., ultimately held by JPMorgan Chase & Co., Inc. (NYSE: JPM). JPMS provides research on fixed income, credit, derivatives, emerging markets, foreign exchange, structured finance, technical analysis and bond indices. Their equity analysts cover equities throughout North America, EMEA, Asia/Pacific and the emerging markets. The firm's fixed income team formulates trading and portfolio recommendations for investors in global bonds and other fixed-income markets based on valuations, analytics and market dynamics.

Founded in 1986, Merriman Capital, Inc. is an SEC-registered broker/dealer and investment banking firm headquartered in San Francisco. The firm is a subsidiary of Merriman Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MERR), a financial services firm that focuses on fast-growing companies and their institutional investors. Merriman provides advisory and investment banking, equity research, institutional services, corporate services and venture services primarily to corporate clients. Merriman Capital provides research, brokerage and trading services primarily to institutional clients. The firm offers a full range of specialized and integrated services including: equity research, specialized trade execution, equity capital markets, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, sales and trading, market making, corporate and venture services, restructurings and strategic advisory services. Merriman Capital employs bottom-up, fundamental analysis of small-cap companies in select industries including clean technology, healthcare, technology and consumer/Internet/media. The firm also has expertise in emerging markets, with emphasis on emerging markets in China. Merriman Capital is known to engage in shareholder activist investment strategies. Merriman Capital is a member of the NASD, the SIPC and FINRA. The firm serves as an introducing broker/dealer for Pershing LLC. They do not hold or maintain funds or securities or provide clearing services for other broker/dealers.

UBS Securities LLC is an investment bank and registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1998 as UBS Warburg LLC. They are a subsidiary of UBS Americas Holding LLC, ultimately held by UBS Group AG (SWX: UBSG, NYSE: UBS) in Switzerland. UBS Securities is a primary dealer in US Government securities and provides a full range of investment banking services which includes corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, trading and sales, fixed-income, equity research, private banking, underwriting and prime brokerage operations. The firm also provides advisory services and access to capital markets for corporate, institutional, intermediary and alternative asset management clients.

Goldman Sachs Asset Management LP (GSAMLP) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in New York City. The firm is a wholly owned subsidiary of GSAM Holdings LLC, and their ultimate parent is Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS). Founded in 1988, GSAMLP provides investment solutions to a range of individual and institutional investors worldwide.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is a registered broker-dealer subsidiary of Morgan Stanley Domestic Holdings, Inc., ultimately owned by Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) in the US. Headquartered in New York City, the firm was founded in 1987 and provides debt and equity services including underwriting, M&A advice, securities dealing and brokerage and trade execution. Their client base ranges from large global institutional investors to hedge funds at the cutting edge of innovation in the industry.

Wedbush Securities, Inc. is a full-service investment bank and brokerage firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The firm was founded in 1955 as Wedbush Morgan Securities, Inc. They are a subsidiary of Wedbush Financial Services LLC, which is owned by Wedbush, Inc. Wedbush Securities provides a wide range of securities brokerage, wealth management, and investment banking services to private and institutional clients. Their research focuses on providing coverage of small and mid-sized companies in the following industries: (1) consumer products and services (2) technology (3) entertainment and media (4) life sciences and (5) industrial growth and clean technology.

Guggenheim Securities LLC is a SEC-registered broker-dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1999 and is a subsidiary of Links Holdings LLC, ultimately held by Guggenheim Partners LLC. Guggenheim Securities’ specializations include the sales and trading of fixed-income securities and sophisticated structured products. The firm offers in-depth analysis and expert execution of trading opportunities to large institutional investors and asset originators. They offer sales and trading services relating to a wide range of instruments.

Avondale Partners LLC is an independent broker/dealer headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee with additional offices across the US. The firm was founded by Robert Shepherd and Philip Krebs in 2001. Avondale Partners provides financial advisory services as well as equity and fixed income underwriting and private placement services to public and private companies throughout the US, Canada and Europe. They focus on middle-market companies in the healthcare sector.

Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. provides security brokerage services. It also offers investment banking and advice to high net worth investors, individuals, businesses and institutions. The company is headquartered in New York, NY.

BB&T Securities LLC, doing business as BB&T Capital Markets, is the broker/dealer subsidiary of BB&T Corp. (NYSE: BBT). The firm is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. They offer a full array of investment, trading and execution services to middle-market companies. BB&T Capital Markets' sales and trading arm is comprised of 2 groups: Debt Securities Sales & Trading and Equity Sales & Trading. The Debt Securities Sales & Trading group focuses on: (1) Government and agency securities (2) corporate bonds (3) municipal bonds (4) asset-backed securities (5) mortgage-backed securities (6) preferred securities and (7) money market desk (short-term securities including BB&T funding). The Equity Sales & Trading group focuses on: (1) institutional block execution services (2) institutional distribution of proprietary research (3) providing proprietary access to industry leading conferences and management teams (4) serving as a NASDAQ market maker for over 250 securities (5) stock buybacks including 10b-18 and 10b5-1 trading plans and (6) 144 stock sales, individual 10b5-1 trading plans (buy and sell) and employee cashless stock option programs. BB&T Capital Markets provides research coverage of the communications, defense and government services, energy, financial services, furnishings and consumer durables, healthcare, industrial services, retail/consumer durables and transportation services sectors.

Founded in 1988 by Richard Messina, the Benchmark Co. LLC is a full-service broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm provides equity research, sales and trading services for institutional and private clients. They focus on the media, energy, enterprise software, infrastructure software, biotechnology, specialty pharmaceuticals, REITs, Internet and communications sectors. The Benchmark Co.'s clearing agent is JP Morgan Clearing Corp.

Founded in 1898, Northeastern University is a private research university located in the heart of Boston. Northeastern teaches worldwide experiential learning, urban engagement, and interdisciplinary research that meets global and societal needs. The University offers a range of undergraduate and graduate programs leading to degrees through the doctorate in nine colleges and schools.

Putnam Investment Management LLC (PIM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1971, the firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Putnam US Holdings I LLC and became an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE: BEN) in 2024. PIM provides investment advice across all asset classes to individuals and institutions worldwide through separately managed accounts and pooled investment funds.

Columbia Management Investment Advisers LLC (CMIA) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (NYSE: AMP). The firm was formed in 2010 due to Ameriprise Financial Services' (AFS) acquisition of the long-term asset management business of Columbia Management Group (CMG) from Bank of America. AFS merged CMG's long-term asset management business with their subsidiary, RiverSource Investments LLC, under the name Columbia Management Investment Advisors. CMIA offers equity and fixed-income retail and institutional investment products for various types of clients.

KeyBanc Capital Markets, Inc. is a registered investment bank and broker/dealer headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. The firm was founded in 1983 and is a subsidiary of KeyCorp. (NYSE: KEY). KeyBanc Capital Markets provides investment banking, commercial lending, treasury management, derivatives, foreign exchange, equity and debt underwriting and trading and syndicated finance products and services to large corporations and middle-market companies.

UTC Financial Corp provides title insurance. The private company is based in Los Angeles, CA and has subsidiaries in the United States.