Edgar Roesch

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Banc of America Securities (BAS) is the investment banking subsidiary of Bank of America Corp (NYSE: BAC). The firm provides both the domestic and international equity and investment banking markets, and pursues a strategy pioneered by Citigroup that combines corporate lending with investment banking advice and services. They provide high-yield debt underwriting and leveraged finance, in addition to industry coverage groups such as healthcare, media and telecom, financial institutions, real estate and gaming. BAS also does a significant amount of work for Financial Sponsors, or private equity firms, often financing leveraged transactions. Following the strategy of Goldman Sachs, the firm lacks a standalone mergers and acquisitions department, instead employing mergers and acquisitions senior bankers throughout the industry coverage groups. The firm is registered as a broker/dealer with the SEC, is a member of the NYSE, and the NASD. The use of Banc in the BAS's name is indicative of the fact that the company is not a bank, and their deposits and other holdings are not insured by the FDIC.

Founded in 2003, Soleil Securities Corp. is a broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of Ticonderoga Securities LLC and their ultimate parent is Cayman Islands-based GEROVA Financial Group Ltd. (NYSE: GFC). Soleil Securities Corp. is a member of FINRA and the SIPC. The firm offers in-depth company-specific equity research to institutional clients. They provide coverage across a variety of significant growth sectors of the economy. Soleil Securities Corp.'s research process integrates macroeconomic considerations with investment-relevant policy insights. They seek to produce alpha-generating, actionable information that can help their clients achieve their investment objectives. The firm covers the following industries: (1) basic materials including agricultural chemicals, specialty chemicals and paper/forest products (2) capital goods and industrials including autos and auto parts (3) consumer including gaming, lodging, eTravel, agribusiness, sustainable agriculture, specialty foods, specialty retail, homebuilders and retailing/automotive (4) financial institutions including financial services, property and casualty and regional banks (5) healthcare including pharmaceuticals, medical technology, biotechnology and medical devices (6) special situations (7) strategy and policy (8) technology including software/Internet, semiconductors and solar power (9) telecommunications and telecommunications equipment (10) transportation (11) airlines and (12) utilities

Cantor Fitzgerald Securities (CFS) is a financial services provider headquartered in New York City and was founded in 1945. They are a subsidiary of Cantor Fitzgerald LP and their ultimate parent is CF Group Management, Inc. CFS offers an array of financial products and services in the equity and fixed-income capital markets. The firm provides sales and trading, investment banking, asset management, market commentary and market data.

Credit Suisse First Boston LLC provides global investment banking services in the United States. It provides private banking and financial advisory services and banking products. Its businesses include securities underwriting, sales & trading, investment banking, private equity, alternative assets, financial advisory services, investment research and asset management. It is headquartered in New York, NY.

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.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC provides assurance, tax and advisory services. Its services include audit and assurance, consulting, deals, human resources, legal, tax, and family business. The firm also offers accountability, risk management, structuring, mergers and acquisitions, and performance and process improvement. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Buffalo, NY.

Nomura Securities International, Inc. (NSI) is a registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City and was founded in 1969. The firm is a division of Nomura Holding America, Inc. and their ultimate parent is Nomura Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NMR, TYO: 8604, AMS: 8604). NSI provides securities brokerage services, as well as asset management, domestic retail, global markets, global investment banking and global merchant banking services. The firm's fixed-income business consists of bond sales and trading, origination and product supply for securitization deals and real estate-focused asset finance operations (in cooperation with Investment Banking). In the equity markets, NSI offers sales and trading of domestic and foreign stocks on a global basis, primarily for institutional investors.

Sidoti & Co. LLC (S&C) is a registered broker and equity research firm headquartered in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of Sidoti Holding Co. LLC and was founded in 1999. S&C provides research exclusively to institutional investors. The firm covers the following sectors: housing, retail, basic industries, technology, business services, capital goods, automotive, computer software, regional banking, telecommunications, entertainment, healthcare and consumer products. Their analysts conduct their own due diligence which includes visiting companies and meeting with operating and financial management. In addition, the firm's analysts focus on fundamentals, particularly cash flow from operations and EPS.