Robert F. Hofeman

Beam Suntory, Inc. manufactures distilled spirits. Its brands include Innovation, Bourbons, Whiskies, Tequilas, and Cognacs. The company was founded by Shinjiro Torii in 1899 and is headquartered in Deerfield, IL.

Virtus Investment Advisers, Inc. (VIA) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRTS).The firm was originally formed in 1975 as Phoenix Investment Counsel, Inc. They completed a spin-off in 2009 to become independent of the Phoenix Companies. VIA serves as investment adviser to the Virtus mutual funds and closed-end funds.

The Talbots, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer that offers women's clothing, shoes and accessories. It operates under an integrated omni-channel platform selling its merchandise through its Talbots stores in the United States and Canada, its circulation of catalogs. The company was founded by Rudolf Lorbacher Talbot and Nancy Talbots in 1947 and is headquartered in Hingham, MA.

Bradlees, Inc. owns and operates department stores. The company was founded by Isadore Berson, Morris Kouzon and Edward Kouzon in 1958 and is headquartered in Braintree, MA.

Rampart Investment Management Co. LLC (RIM) is a registered investment advisor headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut and was founded in 1983. The firm is a subsidiary of Virtus Partners, Inc. and their ultimate parent is Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRTS). RIM provides advisory services to individuals; high-net worth individuals; tax exempt institutions; pension and profit sharing plans (other than plan participants); corporations or other businesses; and mutual funds.

Ironwood Investment Management LLC (Ironwood) is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm was founded by Warren Isabelle in 1997 as Ironwood Capital Management LLC. Ironwood provides portfolio management services to high net worth individuals, corporate pension and profit-sharing plans, Taft-Hartley plans, charitable institutions, foundations, and endowments. The firm also serves as portfolio manager to wrap fee programs.

Evergreen Investments & Management LLC is a venture capital firm founded in 1997 by Terry G. Bryant and Doug Smith. The firm is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.