Meghan S. Paul

Loomis, Sayles & Co. LP (Loomis Sayles) is a SEC-registered investment adviser headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm was founded by Robert H. Loomis and Ralph T. Sayles in 1926. They are a direct subsidiary of Natixis Investment Managers LLC, ultimately owned by BPCE SA in France. Loomis Sayles provides investment advisory or sub advisory services to institutional clients through separate account management services. In addition, the firm provides investment advisory or sub-advised services to various investment funds.

Stephens, Inc. is a full-service investment bank and brokerage firm headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. The firm was founded in 1933 and is a subsidiary of Susi Holdings, Inc., which is owned by Stephens Financial Services LLC. Stephens provides comprehensive securities sales and trading services, including customized solutions for clients in North America and abroad.

Avondale Partners LLC is an independent broker/dealer headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee with additional offices across the US. The firm was founded by Robert Shepherd and Philip Krebs in 2001. Avondale Partners provides financial advisory services as well as equity and fixed income underwriting and private placement services to public and private companies throughout the US, Canada and Europe. They focus on middle-market companies in the healthcare sector.

Citadel Advisors LLC is a SEC-registered investment advisor and hedge fund manager headquartered in Miami, Florida. The firm was founded in 1990 by Kenneth Griffin and is wholly-owned by Citadel Advisors Holdings LP, ultimately held by GFH HFEVA LLC. Citadel Advisors manages private investment funds that are offered exclusively to sophisticated investors.

Premier Research Group Ltd. provides contract research services to pharmaceutical industry. It engages in analgesics, neuroscience, medical devices, rare diseases and pediatrics. The company offers pediatric experience with both familiar and extremely rare childhood illnesses, including work at PICUs, NICUs, clinics, ERs and neonatal studies. Premier Research Group was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Wokingham, the United Kingdom.

Fidus Partners LLC provides merger and acquisition advisory and related services to private equity firms, corporations, and private business owners. It focuses in the areas of corporate advisory, financial sponsors, family and privately held businesses, and industry expertise. The company was founded by Edward P. Imbrogno, John H. Grigg, John J. Ross, II and Patrick C. Clark in 2005 and is headquartered in Charlotte, NC.

Founded in 2002 by David Trainer, New Constructs LLC is a privately-held, independent equity research firm located in Brentwood, Tennessee. The firm is a long-time member of the Investorside Research Association, a non-profit trade association of investment research providers that do not engage in investment banking, company consulting or research-for-hire. In addition, they have been a Better Business Bureau Accredited business since December, 2009. New Constructs seeks to help their clients make more intelligent capital allocation decisions by more accurately identifying the companies that are the most undervalued relative to their profit potential and the most overvalued relative to their profit potential. The firm's research analyzes the entire financial reporting history of over 3000 companies, including 10-Ks, 10-K/As, 20-Fs, 40-Fs and 8-Ks. They employ a patented research platform for reversing accounting distortions and discounted cash flow analysis to identify 'hidden gems' and 'red flags' buried in financial footnotes. This information includes off-balance sheet debt, hidden charges, false revenues, option liabilities, pension liabilities and asset disposals. New Constructs seeks to help investors: (1) select stocks (2) measure profitability and valuation more accurately (3) fulfill fiduciary responsibilities by taking into account all relevant information and (4) lower their risk and protect their portfolio. The firm's products include: Written Research, Direct Data Feeds, Company Models and a Stock Screener.

Change Healthcare Engagement Solutions, Inc. provides healthcare cost transparency solutions. It offers Healthcare Transparency Index that shows medical procedures with high costs and price variances. The firm’s solutions enable consumers to better understand and utilize their healthcare benefits; make informed healthcare purchasing decisions based on quality, cost, and convenience; and manage out-of-pocket responsibility and realize savings. Its solutions also enable users to engage alerts that show savings opportunities, and help take advantage of company health and wellness programs; educate health plan enrollees; and leverage investment with third-party decision support tools. The company was founded by Christopher Parks in 2007 and is headquartered Nashville, TN.

Southern Methodist University is a private university near the center of Dallas, SMU offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs through seven schools in the humanities and sciences, business, the performing, visual, and communication arts, engineering, education and human development, law, and theology.

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.

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).

Salt Blockchain, Inc. provides asset-backed lending platform. Its platform allows holders of blockchain assets to leverage their holdings as collateral for cash loans. The firm provides investors with secure opportunity to lend against a high-growth asset class through a fully-collateralized debt vehicle. The company was founded by Shawn Owen in 2016 and is headquartered in Denever, CO.

Cressey & Co. LP (Cressey & Co) is a private equity firm. The firm is founded in the year 2008 by Bryan Charles Cressey and it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and Nashville, Tennessee.

Leadership Foundations provides mentoring, networking, and leadership development training services. The private company is based in Tacoma, WA, and has subsidiaries in the United States. The company was founded in 1978 by Kate Rubin.

Kissner Group Holdings LP produces and supplies bulk salt and specialty packaged salt. The company is headquartered in Toronto, CA.

Nashville Entrepreneur Center is a non-profit organization that serves as the center for entrepreneurship in Nashville, TN. The private company supports entrepreneurs from all backgrounds and industries by connecting them to critical resources and championing their desire to change the world. The company was founded in 2010 by business leaders who wanted to support the next generation of entrepreneurs and to celebrate the spirit and tenacity of the entrepreneurial community. Sam Davidson has been the CEO of the company since 2023.

National Seating & Mobility, Inc. provides wheelchairs and adaptive seating systems. It specializes in providing custom seating and mobility systems for teens, adults and seniors who are challenged with severe trauma, disease, and skeletal disorders. The firm offers services for individuals with permanent or long-term loss of mobility. The company was founded by William Michael Ballard in 1992 and is headquartered in Franklin, TN.

Friends of Warner Parks operates as a non-profit organization specializing in preservation, protection, and stewardship of Percy ad Edwin Warner Parks. Its programs include environmental education, bird information, research and data, special work, education and trails, camp warner park, and people exploring nature. The company is headquartered in Nashville, TN.

Virtus Fund Advisers LLC (VFA) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1985, the firm was originally named Trusco Capital Management, Inc. and later became RidgeWorth Capital Management, Inc. and RidgeWorth Capital Management LLC. They were formerly a majority-owned subsidiary of SunTrust Banks, Inc. (NYSE: STI). They became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Virtus Partners, Inc., which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRTS), when the latter acquired the firm in June 2017 and subsequently changed their name into Virtus Fund Advisers LLC. VFA provides discretionary and non-discretionary advisory services to institutional clients including pension and profit-sharing plans, endowments and foundations, governmental entities, and other corporate entities as well as high net-worth clients.

Storage Solutions, Inc. distributes new and used warehouse equipment. It provides industrial storage and material handling equipment. The firm also offers an equipment buy-back guarantee program to help minimize the cost of a warehouse redesign. The company was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Westfield, IN.

A3 Alternative Credit Fund is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company that is operated as an interval fund. Its investment objective is to seek total return through investments that offer regular income or the potential for price appreciation. The company was founded on May 9, 2019 and is headquartered in Denver, CO.

A3 Financial Investments LLC (A3 Financial) is an independent investment advisory firm headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Formerly known as Ascent Alternative Advisors LLC, the firm was founded in 2019 by Gregory Bell, Christian Aymond and Kimberly Merriman. A3 Financial serves as an investment manager to The A3 Alternative Income Fund (ticker: AAACX), a closed-end interval fund.

Alternative Investment Management LLC (AIM13) is a private equity firm founded in 1999 by M Jonathan Harris. The firm is headquartered in New York.

Merrill Lynch International, Inc. provides investment and financial services. The company was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

EIG Global Energy Partners LLC (EIG Global Energy Partners) is a private equity firm founded in 2011. The firm is headquartered in Washington, District of Columbia.