Mark Karstrom

Principal Life Insurance Co. provides insurance brokerage services. It offers term life, major medical, annuities, disability, long term care, health, and consultancy services to trades unions, individuals, and business marketplace. The company was founded on June 24, 1879 and is headquartered in Des Moines, IA.

PNC Bank, NA (Investment Management) (PNC-IM) is the asset management division of PNC Bank, NA, a banking company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The firm is ultimately held by The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). PNC-IM manages assets for institutions and high-net worth individuals and provides tailored investments, wealth planning, trust and estate administration and private banking to high-net-worth families and individuals.

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

Public Ventures LLC is a registered broker-dealer headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The firm was founded by Christopher Marlett and Anthony DiGiandomenico in 1997. They are a wholly-owned subsidiary of MDB Capital Holdings LLC. Public Ventures offers Go-to-Market Strategy, Market Assessments, Revenue Generation and Product Strategy for technology companies that targets the Public Sector.

USAA Investment Services Co. (ISCO) is a SEC-registered investment adviser headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. The firm was founded in 1970 as USAA Investment Management Co. (IMCO). They are a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of USAA Investment Corp. and an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of the United Services Automobile Association (USAA), a diversified financial services organization. In 2020, ISCO’s brokerage and advisory businesses, including client accounts, were sold to Schwab Holdings, Inc., an affiliate of The Charles Schwab Corp. (Schwab) (NYSE: SCHW). ISCO’s business is now limited to referring prospective clients to Schwab or Victory Capital, performing certain referral-related marketing activities, and providing advice with respect to saving for retirement and retirement income.

Wilshire Advisors LLC (Wilshire) is a privately-held investment technology and advisory firm headquartered in Santa Monica, California. The firm was founded by Dennis Tito in 1972 as Wilshire Associates, Inc. Wilshire provides innovative investment solutions, consulting services and multi-asset analytics to institutional and intermediary clients worldwide.

Winslow Capital Management LLC (Winslow) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The firm was founded by Clark Winslow in 1992. They are a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nuveen WCM Holdings LLC, which is ultimately owned by TIAA Board of Governors. Winslow provides investment advisory and sub-advisory services to pension and profit-sharing plans (ERISA and non-ERISA), corporations, trusts, charitable organizations, foundations, endowments, registered mutual funds, collective investment trusts, foreign funds such as UCITS, and individuals and high net-worth individuals through several wrap/managed account programs.

Victory Capital Management, Inc. (Investment Management) (Victory Capital-IM) is the investment management division of Victory Capital Management, Inc., a financial services company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. The firm was founded in 1894 and formerly known as Key Asset Management, Inc. They are an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Victory Capital Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: VCTR). Victory Capital-IM provides specialized investment strategies to institutions, intermediaries, retirement platforms and individual investors.

US Bancorp Asset Management, Inc. (USBAM) is a registered investment advisor headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The firm was founded in March 2001 and formerly known as FAF Advisors, Inc. They are a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of US Bank National Association, which is owned by US Bancorp (NYSE: USB), a diversified financial holding company. USBAM provides investment advisory services through managed accounts to institutional clients, money market mutual funds, and privately offered investment fund.

Allspring Funds Management LLC (AFM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The firm was founded as Wells Fargo Funds Management LLC (WFFM) in 2001 to succeed the former mutual fund advisory responsibilities of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. In November 2021, Wells Fargo & Co. sells its asset management business, which includes WFFM and certain affiliates, to a third-party purchaser. As part of the sale, WFFM has changed its name to Allspring Funds Management LLC. AFM is a wholly owned subsidiary of Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC, ultimately held by Allspring Group Holdings LLC. The firm serves as investment adviser for the portfolios of the Allspring Funds. The firm also participates as an investment adviser in several managed account programs offered by other financial institutions to their respective clients.

Part of First National of Nebraska, Inc., Cybus Capital Markets LLC is a company that provides investment banking. The company is based in Des Moines, IA. The company was founded by Ron Flaherty. Cybus Capital Markets was acquired by First National Investment Banking, Inc. on June 04, 2007.

TRG Management LP, dba The Rohatyn Group (TRG), is a SEC-registered alternative asset management firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 2002 by Nicolas Rohatyn. They are owned by TRG Management Principals LP. TRG provides both discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory services to several pooled investments vehicles and separately managed accounts, which from time to time may include a wide variety of investors.

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC (ETC) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The firm was founded in 2011 by Garrett Stevens as FaithShares Advisors LLC. They are principally owned by Cottonwood ETF Holdings LLC. ETC offers both passive and active discretionary investment advisory services for the (i) US-registered exchange traded funds (ETFs) and (ii) pooled investment vehicles that are not US-registered mutual funds (e.g., a private investment vehicle and offshore funds).

Principal Global Investors (Europe) Ltd. (PGI-Europe) is the London-based subsidiary of Principal Global Investors LLC, itself a subsidiary of Principal Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: PFG) based in the US. PGI-Europe offers European institutional investors access to the global investment capabilities of the Principal Financial Group through segregated mandates and a range of mutual funds. The firm offers UK pension schemes access to a range of investment capabilities which include equity, specialist fixed-income, currency and real estate strategies.

Northern Trust Investments, Inc. (Investment Management) (NTI-IM) is the asset management division of Northern Trust Investments, Inc., ultimately held by Northern Trust Corp. (NASDAQGS: NTRS), a multi-bank holding company established in 1889. The firm was founded in 1988 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. NTI-IM provides a wide range of discretionary and non-discretionary investment advisory and sub-advisory services to individual and institutional clients.

Invesco Capital Management LLC (ICM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois. The firm was founded in 2003 and was formerly known Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC. They are a direct subsidiary of Invesco Group Services, Inc. and their ultimate parent is Invesco Ltd. (NYSE: IVZ). ICM serves as the investment adviser to the exchange-traded funds.

Founded in 2001, Quantitative Services Group LLC (QSG) is a research firm located in Naperville, Illinois. The firm is a subsidiary of Markit Group Holdings Ltd. They seek to leverage the latest technology, construction techniques and specialty data to provide institutional investors a variety of global stock selection models focused on outperformance. QSG's Value Momentum Model provides a balanced approach to stock selection within the U.S. market. This model favors stocks with strong earnings quality, good valuation, strong balance sheets, positive momentum, and good earnings growth. The Value Momentum Model's approach is best for investors seeking broad exposure to a variety of proven stock selection methods and a core approach portfolio construction. The model is applied across all market-caps, investment styles and asset classes. The firm's Relative Value Model includes themes of price multiples, profitability, earnings expectations, intrinsic value and financial strength. This model is designed to avoid value traps, augment sector-relative and industry-relative viewpoints and provide a consistent source of value. QSG's Price Momentum Model provides a powerful, consistent 1- to 3-month investment signal. This model leverages put and call options and trading volume information to reduce the inherent risk-seeking nature of momentum-based strategies. The firm's GARP Model identifies growth stocks with strong value characteristics. The model consists of a proprietary combination of long-term earnings growth and relative value signals. It employs first-order partial correlation to create a blend of sustainable earnings growth and current cheapness. This model is best for strategies targeting stocks that demonstrate high long-term growth potential and the sustainability to realize that potential. QSG's Deep Value Model is a proven approach to selecting undervalued stocks across the broad US market. The Deep Value Model is designed to select future out performers over the next 9 to 12 months. The firm's Deep Value Model uses free-cash-flow, dividend yield and asset turnover to identify stocks that are currently trading at a deep discount to their intrinsic value. The Deep Value model provides discriminatory power for both long-only and long-short strategies and compliments more short term-oriented momentum and growth strategies. QSG's Earnings Momentum Model uses a proprietary search algorithm to combine analyst forecasts with the company's past earnings strength, along with several indicators of future earnings potential. The Earnings Momentum model has consistently outperformed in both pre- and post- Regulation FD environments. Utilizing a unique k-clustering factor selection technique, QSG's Historical Growth Model selects stocks with an above-average track-record of earnings growth, strong sales growth and high sustainable growth. This blended approach enables the model to identify traditional growth stocks, as well as value stocks on the verge of growth.

Ocean Park Asset Management LLC (OPAM) is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Santa Monica, California. The firm was founded in 2007 as Wright Fund Management LLC and changed their name to Ocean Park Asset Management LLC in 2023. OPAM is the investment adviser to the Sierra Mutual Funds and does not provide advisory services to retail investors.

AXS Investments LLC is a registered asset management firm headquartered in Port Chester, New York. The firm was founded in 2019 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AXS Holdings LLC, which is owned by SR Partners LLC. AXS Investments provides investors and financial advisors access to institutional-quality alternative investments and education to drive improved portfolio outcomes.

Digi-Key Corp. distributes electronic components. It also distributes semiconductors, discrete, electromechanical parts. Its products include audio products, batteries, cable assemblies, capacitors, computer & video accessories, connectors, crystals & oscillators, discrete semiconductor products and many more. The company was founded by Ronald A. Stordahl in 1972 and is headquartered in Thief River Falls, MN.

RBC Wealth Management (RBCWM) is wealth management division of RBC Capital Markets Equity Research, which is ultimately owned by Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE; TSE: RY). Formerly known as RBC Dain Rauscher, Inc., the firm was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. RBCWM provides trusted advice and wealth management solutions to individuals, families and institutions.