Isabel Sterk

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (Credit Suisse Securities USA) is the broker/dealer division of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, an investment banking company headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1998 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Credit Suisse (USA), Inc., ultimately owned by Credit Suisse Group AG (SWX: CSGN) in Switzerland. Credit Suisse Securities USA offers a suite of equities, solutions and credit products and services which includes global securities sales, trading and execution, prime brokerage and comprehensive investment research. Their clients include financial institutions, corporations, governments, institutional investors, such as pension funds and hedge funds, and private individuals around the world.

Part of Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., Shearson Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. provides security broker services. The company is based in New York, NY.

Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP (Kayne Anderson) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and alternative investment management firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Formerly known as Kaim Non Traditional LP, the firm was founded in 1984 by Richard Kayne and John Anderson. They are owned by Richard Kayne through his majority ownership of Kayne Anderson Investment Management, Inc. Kayne Anderson provides investment supervisory services through privately offered pooled investment vehicles, and to a lesser extent, through separate accounts and mutual funds.

SouthStateDuncanWilliams Securities Corp. (SouthStateDuncanWilliams) is a registered broker-dealer and financial services firm headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. Formerly known as Duncan-Williams, Inc., the firm was founded in 1969 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of South State Corp. (NASDAQ: SSB). SouthStateDuncanWilliams offers sales, finance and underwriting of fixed-income securities to banks and other financial institutions. They focus on securities such as US treasury notes and bonds, federal agency securities, mortgage-backed securities, corporate bonds, municipal bonds, certificates of deposit and mutual funds.

Venturis Therapeutics, Inc. operates as a biopharmaceutical company, which engages in the developing protein drug candidates to address diseases such as diabetic wounds, severe coronary heart disease and peripheral artery disease. The company develops injectable and topical formulations of its active pharmacological ingredient to facilitate the growth of new blood vessels in the heart, tissues and organs. It focuses on developing protein drug candidates to be used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. CardioVascular BioTherapeutics was founded by Daniel C. Montano, Thomas J. Stegmann and Grant Gordon in March 1998 and is headquartered in Dallas, TX.

Founded in 1988 by Richard Messina, the Benchmark Co. LLC is a full-service broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm provides equity research, sales and trading services for institutional and private clients. They focus on the media, energy, enterprise software, infrastructure software, biotechnology, specialty pharmaceuticals, REITs, Internet and communications sectors. The Benchmark Co.'s clearing agent is JP Morgan Clearing Corp.

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.

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.

Hill River Capital, Inc. (Hill River Capital) is a private equity subsidiary of Raymond James Financial, Inc. founded in 1997. The firm is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida.

IHS Herold, Inc. is an investment research firm headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut. The firm was founded in 1948 and is a subsidiary of IHS Markit, Inc., which is owned by S&P Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPGI). IHS Herold typically offers research, advisory and strategic planning advice on company evaluations, company strategies and associated company and industry transactions for energy-related domestic and foreign equity securities.

Hilltop Securities, Inc. (dba HilltopSecurities) is a broker/dealer firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The firm was founded in 1946 as Southwest Securities, Inc. and they a subsidiary of Hilltop Securities Holdings LLC. Hilltop Securities provides a full array of trading and execution services for their clients.

Founded in 2000, EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. is a broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm provides a full array of trading and execution services for their clients. They do not provide any internal research. The firm is a subsidiary of EBC Holdings, Inc. and their ultimate parent is Firebrand Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFGI).

National Defense Industrial Association engages in the defense and national security education. It offers courses such as configuration and data management certification program, defense systems acquisitions management, mastering business development, and certified modeling and simulation professional certification program. The company was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Arlington, VI.

IHS Global Insight (USA), Inc. (IHS Global Insight USA) is an investment research firm headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts. The firm was founded in 2001 and is owned by S&P Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPGI). IHS Global Insight USA provides economic and financial analysis, market forecasting and market intelligence to a variety of clients in the industry, finance and government sectors. The firm provides coverage for over 170 industries in over 200 countries. Their coverage area includes North and South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Research focuses on the following industries: agriculture, automotive, commerce/transportation, construction, consumer goods, energy, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, lending and payment services, manufacturing, steel, technology, telecommunications and travel/tourism.