Keith L. Barksdale

Founded in 2002, Maxim Group LLC is a registered broker/dealer located in New York City. The firm provides an array of financial services including: investment banking, equity research, private wealth management, structured products and global institutional equity, fixed-income and derivative sales and trading to a diverse range of corporate clients, institutional investors and high net-worth individuals. Maxim Group's niche is emerging-growth companies in a variety of sectors including healthcare, technology, retail and others. They utilize a fundamental, bottom-up approach to investment recommendations. The firm combines rigorous financial analysis of specific companies and industries with due diligence that includes frequent consults with suppliers, customers, competitors and senior management. The firm focuses on under-covered, small- to-mid-cap companies where valuation levels may be out of sync with fundamental trends. Maxim's coverage universe often represents attractive niche industries where stocks tend to be inefficient. This research coverage fills a void created by the downsized research ranks and shrinking coverage of small- to mid-cap stocks by large investment banks. Maxim Group is a member of FINRA, the MSRB, the SIPC, the ISE, NASDAQ and NYSE Arca.

Dell, Inc. engages in the manufacture of electronic devices. Its products include laptops, desktops, tablets, thin clients, printers, monitors, software, workstations and accessories. The company was founded by Michael Saul Dell on February 1, 1984 and is headquartered in Round Rock, TX.

Ableco Finance LLC provides financial services. It invests in leveraged buyouts and leveraged rollups, bridge loans, recapitalizations, refinancing, debt restructurings, acquisitions and Chapter 11 reorganizations, including debtor-in-possession and exit financing services. The company is headquartered in New York, NY.

Part of The Toronto-Dominion Bank, Commerce Capital Markets, Inc. is a company that provides securities brokerage services. The company is based in Philadelphia, PA.

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.

Global Resale LLC engages in the provision of chain solutions for their IT, wireless, and enterprise assets. It offers planning and reverse logistics. The company was founded by Jeff Zeigler and is headquartered in Austin, TX.

Bradford Equities Management LLC (BEM) is a private equity firm founded in 1974. The firm is headquartered in White Plains, New York.

The TCW Group, Inc. provides investment management services. The firm's clients include corporate and public pension plans, financial institutions, endowments and foundations in the United States, as well as a number of foreign investors and individuals. It works in partnership with financial advisors to help build the businesses and meet the needs of clients. The company was founded by Robert Addison Day in 1971 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.

Grocery Outlet, Inc. owns and operates grocery stores. The firm offers frozen foods, deli, meat, drugs, house wares, toys, gifts, health and beauty products. The firm also exports its goods to the other countries. The company was founded by Jim Read in 1946 and is headquartered in Emeryville, CA.

McFarland, Dewey & Co. LLC provides investment banking services. The private company is based in Cleveland, OH.

Harvest Capital Strategies LLC (Harvest) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and hedge fund manager headquartered in San Francisco, California. The firm was founded in 1999 and formerly known as JMP Asset Management LLC. They are wholly owned by JMP Holding LLC, ultimately held by Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: CFG). Harvest provides discretionary investment advisory services to a number of private investment funds that operate as private investment funds.

Evercore Trust Co. NA (Investment Management) (Evercore-IM) is the investment management division of Evercore Trust Co. NA, a national trust bank headquartered in New York City. They are ultimately owned by Evercore, Inc. (NYSE: EVR). Evercore-IM was founded in 2009 following Evercore Partners' acquisition of US Trust's Special Fiduciary Services business from Bank of America. The firm provides specialized investment management, independent fiduciary, and trustee services to employee benefit plans. They provide ongoing discretionary responsibility for qualified and non-qualified employee benefit plans, such as defined benefit pension plans, VEBAs, ESOPs, 401(k) plans, profit-sharing plans, and rabbi trusts.

Cougar Trading LLC is a hedge fund manager located in New York City.

Allen & Co., Inc. engages in private placement, underwriting and brokerage services to entertainment and media companies. The company is headquartered in New York, NY.

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.

Consumer Edge Research LLC, dba Consumer Edge (CE), is an equity research holding firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded by Bill Pecoriello in 2009. They offer consumer data solutions for everyone from public and private investors to corporate decision makers and strategists. CE focuses on the global consumer sector such as the beverages, food, cosmetics, household/personal care and tobacco industries. Data is gathered both from global syndicated sources as well as primary research surveys, channel checks and other proprietary data collection.

Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP provides legal services. Its practice areas include antitrust, bankruptcy and restructuring, corporate governance and investigations, crisis advisory and management, employee benefits, insurance, intellectual property, litigation, media, real estate, tax, and trusts. The company was founded by Joseph P. Cotton, George S. Franklin, William G. McAdoo and Francis McAdoo in 1919 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

SternAegis Ventures LLC (SternAegis Ventures) is a private equity/venture capital firm, a subsidiary of Aegis Capital Corp. founded in 2012. The firm is headquartered in New York.

Brown & Wood LLP provides legal services.

Barclays Capital, Inc. is a registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1997 and is a subsidiary of Barclays Group US, Inc., ultimately owned by Barclays plc (LON: BARC) in Great Britain. Barclays Capital provides large corporate, government and institutional clients a full spectrum of prime brokerage services which includes equities and fixed income financing, OTC Clearing, Futures and Foreign Exchange Prime Brokerage and access to industry insights and analytics from their Strategic Consulting team.

Vinson & Elkins LLP provides legal services. It maintains civil practice, covering areas such as litigation, public policy, transaction, and energy law. The firm serves the clients including companies from the aviation, energy, financial services, health care, and technology industries. The company was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.