Derek S. van Eck

Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust (MIMBT) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The firm was founded in 1988 and formerly known as Delaware Management Business Trust. They are a subsidiary of Delaware Investment Management Co. LLC, ultimately held by Macquarie Group Ltd. (ASX: MQG) in Australia. MIMBT advises a variety of institutional clients. The firm also provides investment services to certain affiliates and acts as a sub-advisor to unaffiliated sponsors and investment products.

LB Hercules Holdings LLC provides investment management and broker dealer services. It offers tax and financial planning, fiduciary services, financial advocacy and trust services to individuals, pension and profit sharing plans, banking and thrift institutions, investment companies, pooled investment vehicles, charitable organizations, corporations and state government entities. The company manages separate client focused equity, fixed income, balanced portfolios, no-load equity, fixed income mutual funds, closed-ended municipal bond funds, real estate funds and hybrid funds. Neuberger Berman Holdings was founded by Roy R. Neuberger, Robert Berman and Howard Lipman in 1939 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

BNP Paribas operates as an investment advisor. It provides capital markets, securities services, financing, treasury and advisory solutions. The firm’s services are provided via four core business lines: Global Markets, Securities Services, Financing Solutions and Advisory. The company is headquartered in New York, NY.

BlackRock Advisors LLC is a SEC-registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1994 and is a subsidiary of BlackRock Capital Holdings, Inc., ultimately held by BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK). BlackRock Advisors manages assets for US-registered investment companies and 529 Plans.

Advent Capital Management LLC (Advent) is a privately-owned, SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded by Tracy V. Maitland in 1995 as a division of Utendahl Capital Management LP and became independent in 2001. They manage assets across several traditional and alternative strategies on behalf of both institutional investors and private clients. Advent is a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI) and supporter of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).

UBS Securities LLC is an investment bank and registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1998 as UBS Warburg LLC. They are a subsidiary of UBS Americas Holding LLC, ultimately held by UBS Group AG (SWX: UBSG, NYSE: UBS) in Switzerland. UBS Securities is a primary dealer in US Government securities and provides a full range of investment banking services which includes corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, trading and sales, fixed-income, equity research, private banking, underwriting and prime brokerage operations. The firm also provides advisory services and access to capital markets for corporate, institutional, intermediary and alternative asset management clients.

Truist Securities, Inc. is a registered broker-dealer headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The firm was founded in 1894 as SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc. In 2020, the firm was renamed following the integration of SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and BB&T Capital Markets. The firm is a subsidiary of Truist Financial Corp. (NYSE: TFC) and is an active market maker in equity and fixed-income products. Truist Securities delivers a comprehensive range of strategic advisory, capital raising, risk management, and financing solutions, as well as a dynamic suite of sales, trading, and research services in both fixed-income and equity. Their strategies are carefully tailored to meet the needs and vision of their clients.

Founded in 1984, Aegis Capital Corp. is a broker-dealer located in New York City. They provide a full array of trading and execution services for their clients. They do not provide any internal research

Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Inc. (MSIM) is an investment management firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1975 and is a subsidiary of Morgan Stanley Domestic Holdings, Inc., ultimately held by Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS). MSIM provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment management services and products to institutional clients and individual investors. The firm also advises clients as to the appropriate allocation of assets among multiple separate accounts and/or investment companies or other pooled vehicles that the firm advises.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is a registered broker-dealer subsidiary of Morgan Stanley Domestic Holdings, Inc., ultimately owned by Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) in the US. Headquartered in New York City, the firm was founded in 1987 and provides debt and equity services including underwriting, M&A advice, securities dealing and brokerage and trade execution. Their client base ranges from large global institutional investors to hedge funds at the cutting edge of innovation in the industry.

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.

Morgan Stanley Investment Management Co. (MSIM-Singapore) is an asset management firm headquartered in Singapore. The firm was founded in 1990 and is a subsidiary of Morgan Stanley (Singapore) Holdings Pte Ltd., ultimately held by Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) in the US. MSIM-Singapore manages assets for a range of institutional clients, which includes endowments, foundations, pension funds, corporations, governments, and high-net worth individuals. The Singapore office focuses on managing portfolios of Asian securities.

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.

Part of Standard Bank Group Ltd., Standard Corporate & Merchant Bank Ltd. provides commercial banking services.

Townsend Frew & Co. LLC provides investment banking services. The company provides merger and acquisition advisory services, strategic and financial assessments, private placements of debt and equity, and fairness opinion services to health care organizations. The company was founded by W. L. Douglas Townsend Jr. and Jill S. Frew in 1995 and is headquartered in Durham, NC.

Van Eck Absolute Return Advisers Corp. (VEARA) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and hedge fund manager headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1955 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Van Eck Associates Corp. VEARA provides investment advisory services to registered investment companies, private funds, and other pooled investment vehicles.

CAZ Investments /Private Equity/ (CAZ investments) is a private equity firm founded in 2001 by Christopher Zook. The firm is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Gratitude Management LLC (Gratitude Railroad) is a venture capital firm founded in 2013 by Howard Fischer and Eric Jacobsen. The firm is headquartered in Park City, Utah.

Part of State Street Corp., State Street Advisors, Inc. provides investment advice. The company is based in Dallas, TX.

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.