Christopher Hermance

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (Credit Suisse Securities USA) is the broker/dealer division of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, an investment banking company headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1998 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Credit Suisse (USA), Inc., ultimately owned by Credit Suisse Group AG (SWX: CSGN) in Switzerland. Credit Suisse Securities USA offers a suite of equities, solutions and credit products and services which includes global securities sales, trading and execution, prime brokerage and comprehensive investment research. Their clients include financial institutions, corporations, governments, institutional investors, such as pension funds and hedge funds, and private individuals around the world.

PPM America, Inc. (PPM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded in 1990 and is a subsidiary of PPM Holdings, Inc., ultimately held by Jackson Financial, Inc. (JFI) (NYSE: JXN). PPM is the primary investment manager for the general account assets of JFI’s insurance subsidiaries and serves as sub-adviser to US mutual funds sponsored by Jackson National Asset Management LLC (JNAM), a subsidiary of Jackson National Life Insurance Co. (Jackson), and adviser to the PPM Funds, a family of institutional share class mutual funds. Additionally, PPM provides advisory services to non-US pooled investment vehicles, structured vehicles such as collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), private equity funds, and separately managed accounts for third-party institutional clients.

Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc. (DBSI) is a SEC-registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1971 and is a wholly-owned investment banking and brokerage arm of DB U.S. Financial Markets Holding Corp., ultimately held by Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE: DB, FRA: DBK) in Germany. DBSI provides securities brokerage and investment advisory services to domestic and international private clients and institutions. They are also a primary dealer in US government securities as designated by the Federal Reserve.

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.

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.

U.S. Bank NA (Cincinnati Ohio Investment Management) (USB-IM) is the asset management division of U.S. Bank NA, which is ultimately held by the US Bancorp (NYSE: USB). The firm is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. USB-IM provides tailored investment management services to individuals and institutional investors.

Fifth Third Bank, NA (Investment Management) (Fifth Third Private Bank) is the private banking division of Fifth Third Bank, NA, ultimately owned by Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB). The firm is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Fifth Third Private Bank offers banking, investment and insurance products and services to private clients.

RBC Capital Markets LLC is a full-service brokerage and financial services firm headquartered in New York City. They are a direct subsidiary of RBC USA Holdco Corp. and a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada (TSE, NYSE: RY). Founded in 2010, the firm is comprised of 3 major business lines: the Private Client Group, the Fixed-Income Group and the Clearing and Execution Services Group. The Private Client Group serves individual investors, while the Fixed-Income Group provides services to institutions, municipalities and non-profit organizations. The Clearing and Execution Services Group is a provider of clearing and execution services to independent brokers/dealers throughout the US. RBC Capital Markets focuses on the following sectors: communications, media, consumer/retail, diversified industries, energy, financial institutions, forest products, healthcare, infrastructure finance, mining & metals, real estate, social infrastructure, technology and the US municipal markets.

Founded in 1958, Merrill Lynch Piece Fenner & Smith, Inc. is an SEC registered broker/dealer located in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of BAC North America Holding Co. and their ultimate parent is Bank of America Corp. (NYSE BAC).

NextGen Growth Partners LLC (NextGen Growth Partners) is a private equity firm founded in 2016 by Brian O'Connor. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Northwestern University is a private institution founded in 1851 to serve the Northwest Territory, an area that now includes the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota. Northwestern has three campuses

Alpaca VC Investment Management LLC (Alpaca VC ) is a venture capital arm of Corigin Holdings LLC founded in 2010 by Ryan Freedman. The firm is headquartered in New York.

Nuveen Asset Management LLC (NAM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded in 2011 and is a subsidiary of Nuveen Fund Advisors LLC, which is ultimately owned by TIAA Board of Governors. NAM provides investment advisory and sub-advisory services to a broad range of individual and institutional clients, such as open-end and closed-end investment companies and other pooled investment vehicles.

Walton Street Capital LLC is a Private Equity firm, a subsidiary of Walton Capital Advisors LP founded in 1994. Walton Street Capital LLC is headquartered in Chicago.

Uptake Technologies, Inc. develops predictive analytics platform. It serves agriculture, aviation, buildings, fleet, manufacturing, oil and gas, construction, energy and mining industries. The company was founded by Bradley A. Keywell and Eric Paul Lefkofsky in 2014 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

Morningstar, Inc. (Research) is the investment research arm of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), an American financial services firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded by Joseph Mansueto in 1984 and provides independent portfolio information offering star ratings and analysis of managed funds. They also provide economic commentary and asset allocation information based on qualitative research.

The Carlyle Group LP (Global Private Equity) is a private equity firm founded in the year 1990 by William E. Conway, Jr. and Daniel A. D'Aniello. The firm is headquartered in Washington DC.

William Blair & Co. LLC (William Blair) is a SEC-registered broker/dealer firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded by William McCormick Blair in 1935 and is a subsidiary of WBC Holdings LP. Until 1941, they were known as Blair, Bonner & Co. William Blair provides broking services to individual, institutional and issuing clients.

Cleveland Research Co. (CRC) is an investment research firm headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. The firm was founded in 2006 by Eric Bosshard and Chris Byke. They are a subsidiary of Cleveland Research Management Co. LLC. CRC offers high-quality equity and market research for institutional clients. They provide insight and detailed analysis into the largest companies and sectors across five primary industries: Technology, Consumer, Healthcare, Agricultural and Industrial.

Curi RMB Capital LLC (Curi RMB) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and wealth management firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded by Richard M. Burridge and Frederic Paulman in 2005 as RMB Capital Management LLC. They were acquired by Curi Capital LLC in 2024. Curi RMB delivers specialized financial advice and innovative investment solutions that are designed to preserve and grow assets for individuals, families, institutions, and employers.

MillerPierce, Inc. is an integrated marketing and advertising firm. The private company is based in Indianapolis, IN.

Dynamic Knowledge Transfer LLC engages in the development of educational software. It specializes in the distance learning, classroom management, blended learning, and progressive learning. The company was founded by David B. Becker in 2003 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN.

Hendricks Regional Health operates as a hospital. The non-profit company is based in Danville, IN.

NorthKey Community Care provides services for mentally challenged people. It offers adult, substance use, development disabilities services. The company was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Covington, KY.

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.

Meural, Inc. develops digital wall displays and frames. The company was founded by Vladimir Vukicevic and Jerry Hu in August 2014 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Ameriprise Financial Services LLC (AFS) is a registered broker-dealer headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The firm was founded in 1971 and is a subsidiary of AMPF Holding Corp., which is owned by Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (NYSE: AMP). AFS offers brokerage services that enable clients to invest in many different types of investments including mutual funds, stocks, bonds, exchange traded products, unit investment trusts, annuities and alternative investments.

Grupo Finaccess SAPI de CV provides financial advisory and portfolio management services. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Delegación Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (Investment Management), dba Morgan Stanley Wealth Management (MSWM), is the investment management division of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a registered broker-dealer headquartered in Purchase, New York. The firm was founded in 2009 and is ultimately owned by Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS). MSWM provides investment advisory program to individuals, trusts, banking or thrift institutions, pension and profit-sharing plans, plan participants, other pooled investment vehicles, charitable organizations, corporations, other businesses, state or municipal government entities, investment clubs and other entities.

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 Ltd. (NYSE: LAZ). LAM provides investment advisory services to a variety of clients.

Grant Thornton LLP provides accounting, tax and business consulting services. It offers advisory, business consulting, business risk, enterprise technology and innovation, transaction services, data analytics, cyber risk, and data integrity services. The firm serves the construction, real estate and hospitality, consumer and industrial products, energy, financial services, health care and life sciences, not for profit organizations, private equity, public sector, and technology industries. The company was founded in 1924 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL.