Bradley Scott Vander Ploeg

Founded in 1915, Howe Barnes Hoefer & Arnett is a full-service brokerage firm headquartered in Chicago. The firm provides sales, trading, research and corporate finance services for community banks and thrifts. Their equity capital markets department specializes in sales, trading, research and investment banking services for community banks and thrifts. Through their private client services department, the firm provides investment advice and products to both individual and institutional customers. Howe Barnes Hoefer & Arnett is the exclusive provider of capital markets services for the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA). Howe Barnes Hoefer & Arnett offers fixed-income products and services through a strategic initiative with Memphis, Tennessee-based Sparks IBG. A majority of the financial institutions followed by Howe Barnes Hoefer & Arnett's research analysts on the Nasdaq National Market although some are closely-held and are traded in the pink sheets or on the OTC bulletin board. The firm is a member of FINRA and the SICP. Clearing services are provided through First Clearing LLC.

Raymond James & Associates, Inc. (RJA) is a registered broker-dealer headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida. The firm was founded in 1962 and is a subsidiary of Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE: RJF), a diversified holding company. RJA offers a full array of capital markets services, strategic advice and planning for institutional investors.

Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc. (Equity) (Baird Equity Asset Management) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm was founded in 1971 and is a subsidiary of Baird Financial Corp., which is owned by Baird Financial Group, Inc. Baird Equity Asset Management is investment management department within Baird that provides investment management and other services to certain Baird Funds, which invests primarily in equity securities (Baird Equity Funds). The firm also serves as investment sub-adviser to a mutual fund series of the Principal Funds, Inc.

Founded in 1962, Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE: RJF) is a diversified holding company headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida. The firm provides services to individuals, corporations and municipalities through their wholly-owned subsidiaries: Raymond James & Associates, Raymond James Financial Services and Raymond James Ltd. Raymond James operates through eight segments: Private Client Group (PCG); Capital Markets; Asset Management; Raymond James Bank (RJ Bank); Emerging Markets; Securities Lending; Proprietary Capital; and Other. The Private Client Group segment provides securities transaction and financial planning services to client accounts through the branch office systems of the company's subsidiaries. The Capital Markets segment's activities consist primarily of equity and fixed income products and services. The Asset Management segment provides asset management services for individual investment portfolios and mutual funds. The RJ Bank segment provides corporate, residential and consumer loans, as well as Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. insured deposit accounts, to clients of the company's broker-dealer subsidiaries and to the general public. The Emerging Markets segment operates securities brokerage, investment banking, asset management and equity research businesses. The Securities Lending segment conducts its business through the borrowing and lending of securities from and to other broker-dealers, financial institutions and other counterparties. The Proprietary Capital segment consists of the company's principal capital and private equity activities, including various direct and third-party private equity and merchant banking investments. Raymond James' capital markets reach within the financial institutions segment focuses on community and regional banks and thrifts including equity research, sales, trading and investment banking resources and services. Raymond James is one of the largest research organizations in the brokerage industry and serves institutional investors domestically and abroad. The firm's capital markets activities are based on insightful, timely and comprehensive equity research. They publish research on over 1,000 companies in their core industries. Raymond James seeks attractive niches within broader industries and then covers these sectors deeply to develop differentiated sector expertise and relationships. Although their focus is mid- and small-cap companies, their coverage includes large, medium and small companies across each sector. Raymond James' Institutional Trading division is organized into 3 specialty departments: Sales Trading, Principal trading and Agency Trading. Their Sales Trading division covers over 800 domestic and 1,300 international financial institutions throughout North America and Europe. The firm's Principal Trading division consists of industry-focused teams and their OTC Principal Trading department makes markets in over 680 domestic stocks, 85% of which are covered by Raymond James Institutional Research department. Their Agency Trading department services the trading needs of over 5,500 financial advisors located in 2,500 retail offices across the US.

Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. provided wealth management, securities trading and sales, corporate finance and investment banking services. Merrill Lynch was a global trader and underwriter of securities and derivatives across a range of asset classes and serve as a strategic advisor to governments, institutions and individuals worldwide. The company was founded in 1913 and was headquartered in Charlotte, NC.