Gene Podkaminer

Falcon Point Capital LLC (Falcon Point) is an independent investment manager headquartered in Orinda, California. The firm was founded in 1986 and formerly known as Emerging Growth Management LLC and EGM Capital LLC. Falcon Point serves as the general partner of investment limited partnerships and serves as the investment adviser to other accounts.

DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. (DIMA) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1984 and formerly known as Deutsche Investment Management Americas Inc. In 2018, they changed their name to DWS as part of the rebranding of Deutsche Asset Management. They are a subsidiary of DWS USA Corp., ultimately held by Deutsche Bank AG (ETR: DBK) in Germany. DIMA provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services to various institutional clients. They also provide investment advisory services for their municipal bond strategies through wrap fee programs.

Wafra, Inc. is a registered investment adviser headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1985 and is wholly owned by Wafra InterVest Corp., which in turn is ultimately wholly beneficially owned by the Public Institution for Social Security of Kuwait (PIFSS), an autonomous agency controlled by the government of Kuwait. Wafra provides advisory and consulting services to funds, separately managed accounts and joint venture arrangements.

Franklin Advisory Services LLC (FAS) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in San Mateo, California. The firm was founded in 1999 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Advisers, Inc., which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE: BEN). FAS provides investment advisory and portfolio management services under investment management agreements to clients in jurisdictions worldwide, which include registered open-end and closed-end funds and unregistered funds, as well as separate accounts.

Voya Investment Management Co. LLC (Voya IM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in New York City. Formerly known as ING Investment Management Co. LLC, the firm was founded in 1972 under the name of Aetna Capital Management, Inc. They are a wholly-owned subsidiary of Voya Investment Management LLC, ultimately held by Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA). Voya IM manages assets for institutions, financial intermediaries and individual investors. The firm serves as adviser or sub-adviser to many investment vehicles.

Invesco Advisers, Inc. is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a subsidiary of Invesco Group Services, Inc., ultimately held by Invesco Ltd. (NYSE: IVZ). The firm was founded in 1986 and previously known as Invesco Institutional NA, Inc. until April 2010 when Invesco Ltd. consolidated the businesses of their US investment advisors (Invesco AIM Advisors, Inc., Invesco AIM Capital Management, Inc., Invesco AIM Private Asset Management, Inc. and Invesco Global Asset Management NA, Inc.) under the name Invesco Advisers, Inc. They provide discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services to individuals, institutional and high net-worth clients through separate accounts, wrap fee programs and US registered investment companies and other Commingled Funds.

Voya Investment Management LLC (Voya IM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The firm was founded in 1997 and formerly known as ING Investment Management LLC. They are a wholly owned subsidiary of VIM Holdings LLC, which is ultimately owned by Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), formerly known as ING U.S. Inc. Voya IM primarily provides portfolio management services to affiliated and unaffiliated insurance companies utilizing a variety of investment styles. The firm also advises other insurance-related entities (e.g., reinsurance companies) as well as various types of institutional investors, such as pension plans, with respect to certain investment strategies.

G.research (formerly known as Gabelli & Co., Inc.) is a registered institutional research and brokerage firm headquartered in Rye, New York and was founded in 1976. The firm is a subsidiary of Gabelli Securities, Inc. and their ultimate parent is GAMCO Investors, Inc. (NYSE: GBL). G.research has an emphasis on small and mid-cap ideas. Their core competencies include aerospace and defense, automotive aftermarket, food and beverage, gaming and lodging, industrials, media, specialty chemicals, telecom and utilities. They publish daily research notes and full reports utilizing their proprietary Private Market Value (PMV) with a Catalyst methodology.

ProShare Advisors LLC (PSA) is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor and ETF fund manager headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. The firm was founded in 2006 by Michael Sapir and Louis Mayberg. PSA provides investment advisory and management services to the ProShares Trust, an open-end series management investment company. The firm also regularly develops customized solutions such as portfolio diversification strategies, risk management solutions, tactical portfolio alignment, exposure adjustments and liquidity management. Their clients include hedge funds, asset managers, consultants, pensions, foundations and endowments and insurance companies.

Part of abrdn Plc, Standard Life Investments Securities LLC is a brokerage firm. The company is based in Boston, MA. Standard Life Investments Securities was founded in 2011.

Franklin Templeton Investment Management Ltd. (FTIML) is the Great Britain-based global investment management subsidiary of Franklin Templeton Global Investors Ltd., itself a subsidiary of Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE: BEN) in the US. Founded in 1985, FTIML is headquartered in London and provides investment advisory and portfolio management services to clients in jurisdictions worldwide, which include registered open-end and closed-end funds and unregistered funds, as well as Separate Accounts for institutional and high net-worth clients.

The Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (Investment Management) (BNY Mellon) is the investment management arm of The Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (NYSE: BK), an American investment banking services holding company headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 2007 due to the merger of The Bank of New York Company, Inc. and Mellon Financial Corporation. BNY Mellon is the umbrella organization for BNY Mellon's affiliated investment management firms and global distribution companies. They provide investment management services to financial institutions, corporations, government entities, endowments/foundations and high-net-worth individuals.

QS Investors LLC (QSI) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded and formed in August 2010 through an MBO of the Quantitative Strategies Group within DB Advisors, the institutional asset management division of Deutsche Asset Management. QSI is a wholly-owned subsidiary of QS Investors Holdings LLC, ultimately owned by Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE: BEN). The firm provides investment advisory and sub-advisory services to a diverse array of institutional and retail clients and funds.

Merk Investments LLC is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Menlo Park, California. The firm was founded by Alexander “Axel” Merk in 2000. Merk Investments provides discretionary investment advice to registered investment companies and a closed-end fund.

ASA Gold & Precious Metals Ltd. (Mutual Fund Manager) (ASA) is the mutual fund management division of ASA Gold & Precious Metals Ltd. (NYSE: ASA), a closed-end, non-diversified precious metals and mining fund headquartered in San Mateo, California. The firm was founded in Bermuda and is the successor to a closed-end investment company of the same name organized in the Republic of South Africa in 1958. ASA focuses solely on the precious metals and mining industry.

Transamerica Asset Management, Inc. (TAM) is a registered investment advisor headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The firm was founded in 1996 and formerly known as Transamerica Fund Advisors, Inc. and as WRL Investment Management, Inc. They are a subsidiary of Transamerica Life Insurance Co., ultimately held by Aegon NV (AMS: AGN) in The Netherlands. TAM provides investment management and investment advisory services to investment companies registered under the 1940 Act. They also provide investment advisory services to a foreign registered investment company, privately-offered pooled investment vehicles that are not registered under the 1940 Act, such as the MFTC Trust and WT CITs, and an affiliated recordkeeper.

BTIG LLC is an institutional brokerage and fund services firm headquartered in San Francisco, California. The firm was founded in 2002 through the merger of Baypoint Trading LLC and Bass Trading LLC. They are a subsidiary of Condor Trading LP. BTIG offers institutional and corporate clients with personalized multi-asset class execution, expertise and insights worldwide across equities, equity derivatives, ETFs, fixed income, futures, commodities, foreign exchange, interest rates, credit, and convertible and preferred securities. The firm’s core capabilities include global sales, portfolio, electronic and outsource trading, transition management, investment banking, prime brokerage, capital introduction, corporate access, research and strategy, commission management and more.

BAE Systems, Inc. provides support and service solutions for defense, intelligence and civilian systems. The firm offers ship repair, maintenance, modernization, conversion and overhaul services for the U.S. Navy, government, commercial and private customers. It operates full-service shipyards in Alabama, Florida, California, Virginia and Hawaii. The company was founded on November 30, 1999 and is headquartered in Arlington, VA.

GNP is a premier provider of complex systems manufacturing for the embedded control and communications marketplace. The company designs, manufactures and customizes open system platforms to meet the demanding requirements of its customers' programs, using Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology enhanced by system building blocks of its own design

The Phi Beta Kappa Society operates as an organization for liberal arts and science education. The non-profit company is based in Washington.

CFA Society of San Francisco provides educational services. It offers a multi-review course which provides structured, classroom-based approach to preparing for the examination. The firm focuses on the assigned materials in the study guides from CFA Institute, with an emphasis on the Learning Outcome Statements (LOS). The company was founded in 1929 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.

Franklin Templeton Asset Management (India) Pvt. Ltd. (FTAM-India) is a fund management firm headquartered in Mumbai, India. The firm was founded in 1996 and is a subsidiary of Franklin Templeton Holding Ltd., ultimately owned by Franklin Resources, Inc. (NYSE: BEN) in the US. FTAM-India manages a range of mutual funds for Indian investors.

Lazard Asset Management LLC (LAM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1970 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lazard Frères & Co. LLC, ultimately held by Lazard, Inc. (NYSE: LAZ). LAM manages investment portfolios and provides investment advice to institutional and individual investors around the world.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (GS&Co.) is a securities brokerage firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1927, the firm is a subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS). GS&Co. provides services to help hedge funds manage risk, monitor portfolios, maintain liquidity and build their businesses. They offer clients access to global equity and derivatives markets, as well as foreign exchange, commodities, European Lefts, rates and credit across the Americas, Europe and Asia. The firm proactively monitors capital markets, searching for pockets of liquidity and news that may require changes to those strategies. Integration with the Goldman Sachs network gives clients access to the firm's sectored block trades and their insights into price discovery. Their electronic trading program provides clients with tools to manage their trades from pre-trade analytics to post-trade analysis.