John W. Stichnoth

Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc. (MFIM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was established in 1986 and their sole shareholder is Mesirow Financial Services, Inc., which is wholly-owned by Mesirow Financial Holdings, Inc., a Chicago-based financial services firm that was founded in 1937. MFIM provides advisory services to individuals, corporations or other businesses, pension and profit-sharing plans, non-qualified plans, state or municipal government entities, and charitable organizations.

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.

Pekin Hardy Strauss, Inc. (Pekin Hardy) is an independent, SEC-registered investment adviser headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded by Rick Singer in 1990 as Pekin Singer Strauss Asset Management, Inc. Pekin Hardy serves as the investment manager to the Appleseed Fund, a mutual fund registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, and provides investment management services to separately managed accounts, retirement plans, and other client accounts.

Ernst & Young LLP engages in the provision of accounting, assurance, tax, transaction, and advisory services. It specializes in the actuarial, analytics and big data, cyber security, accounting compliance and reporting, center for board matters, international financial reporting standards, country tax advisory, global trade, tax accounting, and climate change and sustainability. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

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

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.

William Blair & Co. LLC (Investment Management) (William Blair-IM) is the investment management division of William Blair & Co. LLC, a registered broker/dealer headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded in 1935 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of WBC Holdings LP. William Blair-IM provides investment advisory and management services to a number of clients including high net worth clients, individuals, small institutions, William Blair Wrap Program clients and other registered investment advisers.

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.

KPMG LLP engages in the provision of audit, tax, and advisory services. It serves the banking and capital markets, building, construction and real estate, consumer and retail, energy, natural resources and chemicals, financial services, government and public sector, healthcare and life sciences, industrial manufacturing, insurance, media and entertainment, private equity, technology, telecommunications, and venture capital industries. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Longbow Research LLC is an independent investment research firm headquartered in Independence, Ohio. The firm was founded by David S. MacGregor in 2003 to provide the institutional equity research market with a high quality, independent product, free from the many conflicts of interest that plague bulge-bracket research. Longbow Research provides insights and research coverage on publicly-traded mid-cap companies in the industrial/basic materials, consumer and technology sectors.

Vcapital Inc (Vcapital) is a venture capital firm founded in 2000 by Len A Batterson and James Vaughan. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

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.

William Blair Investment Management LLC (William Blair) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded in 2014 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of WBC Holdings LP. William Blair provides investment solutions to corporations, pension funds, governments and public agencies, endowments, foundations, Taft-Hartley plans, and other institutional investors across the globe.

JPMorgan Securities LLC (JPMS) is a securities brokerage firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1985 and is a subsidiary of JPMorgan Broker-Dealer Holdings, Inc., ultimately held by JPMorgan Chase & Co., Inc. (NYSE: JPM). JPMS provides research on fixed income, credit, derivatives, emerging markets, foreign exchange, structured finance, technical analysis and bond indices. Their equity analysts cover equities throughout North America, EMEA, Asia/Pacific and the emerging markets. The firm's fixed income team formulates trading and portfolio recommendations for investors in global bonds and other fixed-income markets based on valuations, analytics and market dynamics.

State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS) is a state-owned pension fund manager headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. Founded in 1941, SURS provides retirement, disability, and related benefits to eligible participants and annuitants. The firm serves employers in Illinois including state universities, community colleges, and state agencies.

BP Products North America, Inc. engages in the exploration, production, refining and marketing of oil and natural gas. The company was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Warrenville, IL.

AISC Holdings, Inc. provides information, news, and publications related to structural steel design. The private company is based in Chicago, IL. The company's Steel Solutions Center offers technical assistance, innovative solutions, and tools for steel fabricators, structural engineers, architects, owners, developers, and other professionals.

The American Society of Civil Engineers, founded in 1852, is the oldest national engineering society in America. The non-profit company is based in Reston, VA and has subsidiaries in the United States. With over 150,000 members worldwide, the organization advocates for sustainable and resilient practices to maintain and modernize the nation's infrastructure. The company also works to increase investment in infrastructure and improve engineering knowledge and competency. The society's Civil Engineering Landmark Program recognizes historically significant civil engineering projects, structures, and sites.

WhiteHawk Capital Partners LP is a private credit investment manager that provides senior secured financings for refinancing, recapitalization, growth, acquisition, restructuring, bridge, and dip/emergence purposes. The private company is based in Los Angeles, CA, and has subsidiaries in the United States. The company focuses on asset-based financing solutions for middle market public and private companies across various industries. WhiteHawk is dedicated to providing creative and flexible non-traditional capital solutions to companies in need of liquidity. The company was founded by Jong-Doo Ahn, who has been the CEO since incorporation.

Breakwater Investment Management LLC (Breakwater) is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Seattle, Washington. The firm was founded by Jay Turley in 2009. Breakwater manages investment portfolios on a separately managed account basis for individuals, qualified retirement plans, trusts, businesses and non-profit organizations.

The Standard Club provides insurance services. The non-profit company is based in Chicago, IL.

Great American Capital Partners LLC (Great American Capital Partners) is a private equity subsidiary of B. Riley Financial, Inc. The firm is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Hanmi Bank provides banking services. The company was founded by y I. Joon Ahn in 1982 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.

Imperial Capital Asset Management LLC (ICAM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The firm was founded by Jason W. Reese in 1997 and is a subsidiary of ICAM Holdings LLC, owned by Imperial Capital Group Holdings LLC. ICAM serves as managing member and investment manager to certain private investment funds.

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.

Oracle Applications Users Group, Inc. operates professional organizations. The non-profit company is based in Atlanta, GA.