John Gerdes

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.

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 2006, Canaccord Genuity, Inc. is a registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm is the U.S. arm of Toronto-based Canaccord Genuity Corp., the global capital markets division of Canaccord Financial, Inc. (CF: TSX / CF: AIM). Canaccord Genuity's research focuses on the following sectors of the global economy: metals/mining, energy, agriculture, technology, telecommunications, financials, consumer products, real estate, transportation, infrastructure, sustainability, life sciences, support services and investment trusts. Canaccord Genuity, Inc. is a member of FINRA/SIPC.

Founded in 1999, Frost Securities, Inc. (FSI) is an investment banking firm and broker/dealer located in Dallas, Texas. The firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (NYSE: CFR). They provide clients with financial advisory services related to mergers & acquisitions, recapitalizations and board-level analyses of strategic alternatives. FSI's execution capabilities include raising private institutional capital such as senior debt, mezzanine debt, preferred stock and common stock. The firm provides services primarily to middle-market companies in the Southwestern US. FSI's experience covers a wide range of comprehensive capital structure alternatives across a variety of industries including general industrial, healthcare, manufacturing, media, restaurant/food services, retail, business services, financial services, technology and telecommunications. Frost Securities is a member of FINRA.

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.

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.

Founded in 2012, KLR Group LLC is an SEC-registered broker/dealer located in Houston, Texas. The firm is a subsidiary of KLR Group Holdings LLC, a full service investment and merchant bank. KLR focuses on the natural resources sector including oil & gas, metals & mining and agriculture. Their area of expertise includes exploration & production companies, service providers and midstream/infrastructure carriers and processors.

MKM Partners LLC (MKM) is a premier institutional equity trading, sales, and research firm headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The firm was founded by Thomas G. Messina in 2002. They were acquired in 2023 by ROTH Capital Partners LLC, a subsidiary of CR Financial Holdings LLC. MKM provides timely, insightful, and actionable proprietary research to hedge funds, mutual funds, family offices, endowments, corporates, private equity, pension plans, RIAs, etc. The firm combines high-impact fundamental analysis with macroeconomics, technical insights, derivatives strategies, event-driven commentary, alternative research, and first-rate execution. They take a client-centric approach to the trading desk and utilize both a top-down and bottom-up approach.