Ed W. Edens

Advisory Research, Inc. (ARI) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded by David Heller in 1974 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ostara, Inc. They provide discretionary investment management services to institutional and high-net-worth clients through separately managed accounts, unregistered pooled investment vehicles, and model-based accounts.

Harris Associates LP (Harris) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded in 1976 and is a direct subsidiary of Natixis Investment Managers LLC, which is ultimately owned by BCPE’s Natixis SA (Natixis) (PAR: KN), a French investment banking and financial services firm. Harris primarily provides discretionary investment advisory services to individuals and institutions, including registered investment companies. The firm also provides investment advisory services to wrap programs, mutual funds, private investment partnerships and other pooled investment vehicles.

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP provides legal services. The firm specializes in corporate, financial services, litigation, real estate, commercial finance, intellectual property, trusts and estates, antitrust, bankruptcy, international trade, employee benefits and executive compensation, employment, environmental, public finance and tax. The company was founded in 1974 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

Driehaus Capital Management LLC (Driehaus) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded by Richard Driehaus in 1982 and is a subsidiary of Driehaus Capital Holdings LLLP. Driehaus manages growth-oriented equity and alternative investment strategies for institutional and individual clients. Driehaus is a Signatory of the United Nations-Supported Principles of Responsible Investment (PRI).

First Trust Advisors LP (FTA) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Wheaton, Illinois. The firm was founded in 1991 and is a direct subsidiary of Grace Partners of Dupage LP. Their general partner is The Charger Corp. FTA provides discretionary investment management services to institutional and individual clients who principally include open and closed-end mutual funds, collective investment funds (CIFs), exchange-traded funds, variable annuity sub-accounts and funds in countries other than the US. Investment management services are offered to individual clients through separate managed accounts (SMAs), either directly or through wrap fee programs sponsored by unaffiliated investment advisors.

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.

Founded in 2003, FIG Partners LLC is a broker/dealer specializing in mid- and small-cap bank and thrift stocks. They strive to generate superior returns for institutions and high net-worth individuals through integrated trading, sales and research. They are employee-owned. FIG Partners is a member of the NASD and the SIPC. They are located in Atlanta, Georgia.

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.

Arthur Andersen LLP used to provide accounting services. It was also into consulting services for clients that operate businesses throughout the United States and around the world. Arthur Andersen was founded in 1913 and was headquartered in Chicago, IL.

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

BMO Capital Markets Corp. (Broker) is the broker/dealer division of BMO Capital Markets Corp., a full-service North American financial services provider headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1998 and is a subsidiary of BMO Financial Corp., which is owned by Bank of Montreal (NYSE, TSX: BMO) in Canada. BMO Capital Markets offers corporate, institutional and government clients access to a variety of products and services including equity and debt underwriting, corporate lending and project financing, merger and acquisitions advisory services, merchant banking, securitization, treasury and market risk management, debt and equity research and institutional sales and trading.

Founded in 1999 by the late Thomas Watson, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC (JMS) is a full-service financial services firm and registered broker/dealer headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The firm is a subsidiary of Independence Square Properties LLC, itself a subsidiary of Penn Mutual Insurance Co. Their ultimate parent is Harleysville Mutual Insurance Co. JMS is a member of the NYSE, the SIPC and FINRA. The firm provides comprehensive financial advice and services to individual, corporate and institutional investors. Their primary coverage verticals include the consumer, technology, financials and infrastructure sectors.

Great Lakes Advisors LLC (GLA) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1981, the firm is a subsidiary of Whamco Holding Co. and their ultimate parent is Wintrust Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: WTFC), which acquired the firm in 2011. GLA offers customized investment advisory services to individual and institutional clients. In addition, the firm serves as adviser to mutual funds and is the General Partner to a Private Fund. GLA is a socially responsible investor and signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI) which integrates environmental, social, and governance considerations into their investment process.

Ziegler Capital Management LLC (ZCM) is an asset management firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded in 1991 as the investment management division of the Ziegler Companies. They became a wholly owned subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF), when it acquired ZCM in 2013. The firm provides tailored investment solutions to a wide range of investors.

The DuPage Community Foundation operates a nonprofit organization. Its grants include community needs, bright and early DuPage, JSC und, DuPage medical group charitable fund, Beles Christian education fund, and Gustafson family foundation fund. The company was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Downers Grove, IL.

Standard & Poor's Investment Advisory Services LLC (SPIAS) is investment research firm and registered investment advisor headquartered in New York City. The firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of S&P Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPGI), formerly McGraw Hill Financial, Inc. SPIAS’ advisory services are generally offered to institutions (e.g., broker-dealers, investment advisers, investment companies and other financial institutions). SPIAS does not generally provide its advisory services directly to retail clients, but its services may be used by its clients in advising their own underlying clients, which may include retail clients. SPIAS also provides advisory consulting services to institutional clients and investment managers-of-investment funds, and investment sub-advisory services for registered investment companies, including open-end mutual funds and other institutions. S&P Global's operations consist of three reportable segments: S&P Global Ratings, S&P Global Platts, and S&P Dow Jones Indices. S&P Global Ratings is an independent provider of credit ratings, research and analytics to investors, issuers and market participants. It includes the NRSRO and certain other ratings-related businesses. S&P Global Platts provides essential price data, analytics, and industry insight that enable commodities markets to perform with greater transparency and efficiency. S&P Dow Jones Indices is a global index provider that maintains a wide variety of indices to meet an array of investor needs. In 2016, CFRA acquired S&P Global Market Intelligence’s Equity and Fund Research business (formerly known as S&P Capital IQ and SNL) from S&P Global, Inc.

CFA Society of Chicago is an investment analysts society that brings together nearly 4,200 top professionals involved in investment analysis. The society is based in Chicago, IL and is the oldest of its kind. The CFA designation is recognized by the society as a recognition of knowledge, skills, and abilities in security analysis and portfolio management. Christopher Thomas Vincent has been the CEO of the non-profit company since 2020.

CFA Institute operates as non-profit organization, which engages in the provision of chartered financial analyst programs. It offers certificate in investment performance measurement program, investment foundations, and scholarship. The company was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Charlottesville, VA.

The CNA Corp. operates as a nonprofit research and analysis organization. It provides solutions to complex problems of national importance. The firm’s research portfolio includes criminal justice, homeland security, energy security, water resources, education, enterprise systems and data analysis. . The company was founded in 1942 and is headquartered in Arlington, VA.