Robert D. LaRocque

MacKay Shields LLC is a registered investment advisor headquartered in New York City. The original predecessor to the firm, MacKay-Shields Economics, was founded in 1938 as an economic consulting firm and it became MacKay Shields Financial Corp. (MSFC) in 1969. In 1984, MSFC was purchased by New York Life Insurance Co. (NYLIC). NYLIC established New York Life Investment Management Holdings LLC (NYLIM Holdings) in 1999 and transferred ownership of MSFC to NYLIM Holdings. In 1999, MSFC was converted to MacKay Shields LLC. The ownership, control and management of MacKay Shields did not change as a result of this conversion. The firm is wholly owned by NYLIM Holdings, which is wholly-owned by NYLIC. MacKay Shields provides discretionary investment management services primarily to institutional clients. The firm is a signatory of the United Nation Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI).

Van Eck Associates Corp. (VanEck) is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor and mutual fund management firm founded in 1955 by John van Eck to manage an international equity fund. In 1968, the firm began offering investments in gold shares and other hard assets. Headquartered in New York City, VanEck provides investment advisory services to registered investment companies and other pooled investment vehicles.

Founded in 2002, Natixis Securities Americas LLC is an investment bank and SEC-registered broker/dealer headquartered New York City with offices in several leading U.S. cities and affiliate offices in London and Paris. The firm is a division of Natixis and a subsidiary of Natixis SA. Their client base is located throughout North America and Europe and ranges from the largest mutual fund and pension fund managers to specialist hedge funds. Natixis Securities Americas' sales and trading teams are located in New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Houston. Natixis Securities Americas' research efforts focus on identifying new insights about companies that are not fully reflected in their stock prices. The firm also seeks to provide clients with access to the managements of listed companies and to other industry experts. They arrange for such marketing opportunities, in the form of road shows, conferences, meetings and conference calls. Natixis Securities Americas' institutional trading desk offers clients trading capabilities in equities all over the world. The firm focuses on specific global markets to provide clients with the best possible execution worldwide. Natixis Securities Americas employs a transatlantic approach that examines the effects of technological, market and regulatory developments across both continents on the companies under coverage. In the U.S., they provide in-depth sector coverage on energy (oil services, exploration and production, alternative energy and coal), healthcare (large-cap pharmaceuticals, specialty pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices and healthcare services) and media (media conglomerates, content creators, interactive TV and new media, as well as technical analysis. In Europe, Natixis Securities Americas applies a country-wide approach to all of the key sectors of France, Germany, Austria and Central and Eastern Europe. Combined, the firm's product offering includes more than 600 stocks. Natixis Securities Americas global trading group specializes in the trading, execution and settlement of international equities. The firm provides 24-hour access to 55 global markets. They cater to broker/dealer and institutional clients, providing ADR and ordinary share executions on an agency or proprietary basis. The firm can accommodate most client trading requirements from basket trading to block orders. To complement their international trading reach, Natixis Securities Americas domestic bulletin board trading group currently markets over 2000 U.S.-based companies. The firm offers their clients innovative trading technology through a proprietary Direct Market Access (DMA) platform, Enabler Direct. This product allows immediate access to a variety of liquidity sources through one anonymous interface. Natixis Securities Americas' global brokerage services group offers services to a select group of professional clients. The firm seeks to partner with banks, broker/dealers, hedge funds and high net-worth clients that can utilize their blend of international capabilities and traditional brokerage services to support and enhance their success. Their global brokerage services group is prominent in international securities, equity trading and brokerage operations in over 55 countries around the world. They have experience in both the pre-trade and post-trade requirements in each of these countries.

KeyBanc Capital Markets, Inc. is a registered investment bank and broker/dealer headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. The firm was founded in 1983 and is a subsidiary of KeyCorp. (NYSE: KEY). KeyBanc Capital Markets provides investment banking, commercial lending, treasury management, derivatives, foreign exchange, equity and debt underwriting and trading and syndicated finance products and services to large corporations and middle-market companies.

Cantor Fitzgerald Securities (CFS) is a financial services provider headquartered in New York City and was founded in 1945. They are a subsidiary of Cantor Fitzgerald LP and their ultimate parent is CF Group Management, Inc. CFS offers an array of financial products and services in the equity and fixed-income capital markets. The firm provides sales and trading, investment banking, asset management, market commentary and market data.

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. is the investment bank and brokerage subsidiary of CFS CF & Co. I Holdings LP, which is owned by Cantor Fitzgerald LP in the US. The firm was founded by Bernie Gerald Cantor and John Fitzgerald in 1945. Headquartered in New York City, Cantor Fitzgerald offers clients a global, multi-asset prime brokerage platform with a focus on the quality middle market.

Founded in 1972 by Candace King, C.L. King & Associates, Inc. is a self-clearing, service-oriented broker/dealer and investment bank located in Albany, New York with additional offices in Boston and New York City. The firm delivers investment research, equity and fixed-income sales and trading, prime brokerage, investment advisor and clearing services to institutional and high net-worth clients and to other broker/dealers. For corporations, they underwrite securities and provide strategic advice in connection with mergers, acquisitions, strategic alternatives and valuation. C.L. King & Associates is a member of FINRA and the SIPC. C.L. King & Associates follows 120 names in 9 sectors. They seek to discover uncovered investment opportunities by seeking out companies that may be ignored by other Wall Street research providers and by identifying value and growth that may be unrecognized by institutional equity investors. The firm provides comprehensive trading services including capital commitment, market making and listed block positioning for their institutional equity clients. C.L. King & Associates' fixed-income group focuses on trading fixed-income securities, primarily in the secondary market. They offer a broad cross section of agencies, convertibles, investment-grade corporates, mortgage-backed securities, municipals, CDs and preferred stock to other broker/Dealers and institutional investors. The firm's investment banking group provides strategic M&A advice and capital raising services to emerging and mid-cap companies, both public and private. In addition, they act as a WBE underwriter in stock and bond offerings by large corporate issuers. C.L. King & Associates' corporate services group offers specialized services to assist corporate clients and their executives in handling delicate stock holding matters. Their services include guiding clients through restricted stock/rule 144 transactions, developing customized rule 10b5-1 trading plans and managing corporate share repurchase programs. The firm's equity research is based on a fundamental, value-oriented approach that focuses on small- and mid-cap companies. The firm offers research on the following sectors: special situations, building materials companies, specialty retail/apparel/footwear, industrials/cyclicals, restaurants/franchising, business services/staffing companies, telecommunications equipment and medical technology/devices/supplies.

BNP Paribas Securities Corp. engages in the provision of brokerage services. It offers commercial banking, corporate and institutional banking, asset management, fleet services, and real estate. The company was founded on September 7, 1984 and is headquartered New York, NY.

Founded in 2002, Summer Street Research Partners is an investment banking and securities firm headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm is a subsidiary of Northland Securities, Inc. and their ultimate parent is Northland Capital Holdings, Inc. They were formerly known as Custom Equity Research, Inc. Summer Street Research firm focuses on the healthcare sector.

FOURPOINTS Asset Management, Inc. (FOURPOINTS) is an independent wealth management firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded by Béatrice Philippe in 1981. FOURPOINTS provides long-only equity investment advisory services to US and European-based individuals and institutions.

Harvard University engages in the provision of teaching and research. It has twelve degree-granting Schools in addition to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, offering a global education. The university was founded in 1636 and is headquartered in Cambridge, MA.

BAWAG P.S.K. AG operates as a credit union. The firm provides financial savings management and international banking services. It offers checking and savings accounts, deposits, loans, leases, mortgages, credit cards, automated teller machine networks, securities brokerage, investment banking, insurance, as well as mutual and pension funds. The company was founded by Georg Coch on May 28, 1882 and is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.

Hamburg Commercial Bank AG provides banking services for higher-end medium-sized companies and financing for real estate projects. Its products and solutions include financing, corporate finance/M&A advisory, financial markets and transaction banking. The company was founded on April 16, 2003 and is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.

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.

GoldenTree Asset Management LP (GoldenTree) is a registered independent investment advisor and hedge fund manager headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 2000 by Steven A. Tananbaum, Steven Shapiro, Frederick Haddad and Leon Wagner. GoldenTree manages discretionary investment funds and advisory accounts for institutional investors including public and corporate pensions, endowments, foundations, insurance companies, family offices and sovereign wealth funds.

Cornell University is an educational institution that offers undergraduate and post graduate programs. It was founded in 1865 and is based in Ithaca, NY.

Idaho First Bank engages in the provision of commercial banking services. It offers personal and business deposit products, including checking, savings, and money market accounts. The company also provides personal lending services, such as home mortgage and custom construction, home equity lines of credit, home equity, personal lines of credit, auto, and other secured personal loans; and commercial loans comprising working capital lines of credit, asset based lines of credit, equipment lines of credit, owner occupied commercial real estate loans, investor commercial real estate loans, equipment financing, airplane financing, SBA guaranteed loans, USDA B&I guaranteed loans, and letters of credit, as well as mortgage lending services. In addition, it offers credit cards; online and mobile banking services; and cash management services consisting of deposit and sweep services, payments and transfers, and fraud protection services. The company was founded by Greg Lovell on March 2, 2005 and is headquartered in McCall, ID.

Part of Equitable Holdings, Inc., AllianceBernstein Corp. is a company that provides investment management services. The company is based in Nashville, TN. Seth Perry Bernstein has been the CEO of the company since 2017.

Allston Supply Co., Inc. wholesales janitorial and cleaning equipment. The firm's products include bags; can liners, chemicals, janitorial supply, facility maintenance, safety supply, floor, carpet care, foodservice, mops, brooms, brushes, odor control, paper, dispensers and waste receptacles. The company was founded by Albert Cohen in 1945 and is headquartered in Springfield, MA.

JPMorgan Investment Bank operates as an investment banking firm. The company is headquartered in Houston, TX.