Ryan Breed

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).

New York Life Investment Management LLC (NYLIM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 2000 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of New York Life Investment Management Holdings LLC, owned by New York Life Insurance Co. NYLIM provides a broad array of investment advisory services to third-party institutional clients, affiliated insurance companies, investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles, individuals and wrap fee programs sponsored by unaffiliated entities.

Stuart Frankel & Co., Inc. is an independent, FINRA-registered broker/dealer headquartered in Great Neck, New York City. It was founded in 1973 and offers unparalleled access to The New York Stock Exchange Trading Floors and The European Unions by providing an array of trading and execution services for their clients. They also track corporate buybacks, offer corporate access to management, and coordinates meetings and conference calls with industry experts, politicians, and corporate executives.

Ergoteles LLC is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor and hedge fund management firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded by Michael Bos, Mark Mancini and Amit Manwani in 2012. Ergoteles provides investment advisory services to pooled investment vehicles via a managed account agreement. The limited partners and shareholders of such pooled investment vehicles may include individuals, private funds, non-profits, pension plans, sovereign wealth funds and others.

McKinsey & Co., Inc. provides management consulting services. It specializes in design, marketing and sales, analytics, operations, transformation and restructuring, risk, strategy and corporate finance, and sustainability and resource productivity. The company was founded by James O. McKinsey in 1926 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

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.

University of Washington functions as a College/University. The company is headquartered in Seattle, WA.

Moody's Investors Service, Inc. is a credit rating and investment research firm headquartered in New York City. They are a subsidiary of Moody's Corp. (NYSE: MCO). The firm performs international financial research and analysis on commercial and government entities and provides a variety of analytic tools for assessing credit risk. Their clients include creditors, investment banks and commercial banks.

Fitch Ratings, Inc. is a global rating agency and investment research firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded by John Knowles in 1913 as Fitch Publishing Co. They are a subsidiary of Fitch Group, Inc., ultimately owned by The Hearst Family Trust. Fitch Ratings seeks to provide independent and prospective credit opinions, research and data to the world's credit markets. Their approach is based on a foundation of local market experience that covers capital markets in over 150 countries. The firm's ratings analysis and rating decisions are based on established criteria, methodologies and ratings definitions which they apply in a consistent manner. Fitch Ratings provides coverage of the following markets: Economics, Banks, Insurance, Sovereigns, Corporates, Structured Finance, Public Finance – International, Public Finance – US, Infrastructure & Project, and Finance.

Nomura Securities International, Inc. (NSI) is a registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City and was founded in 1969. The firm is a division of Nomura Holding America, Inc. and their ultimate parent is Nomura Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NMR, TYO: 8604, AMS: 8604). NSI provides securities brokerage services, as well as asset management, domestic retail, global markets, global investment banking and global merchant banking services. The firm's fixed-income business consists of bond sales and trading, origination and product supply for securitization deals and real estate-focused asset finance operations (in cooperation with Investment Banking). In the equity markets, NSI offers sales and trading of domestic and foreign stocks on a global basis, primarily for institutional investors.

Part of Yahoo, Inc., HyperParallel, Inc. develops software for the data mining industry. The American company was founded by Jerry Modes.

Northwestern University is a private institution founded in 1851 to serve the Northwest Territory, an area that now includes the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota. Northwestern has three campuses

Jet Propulsion Laboratory operates a national research facility. It is a federally funded research and development center. The firm specializes in robotic space and Earth science missions. The company was founded by Frank Malina, Ed Forman, and Jack Parsons on October 31, 1936 and is headquartered in Pasadena, CA.

Massachusetts High Technology Council is an organization that advocates for public policies and programs that create and maintain a competitive business climate. The non-profit company is based in Waltham, MA. The company has been nurturing tech companies for over 70 years, despite its reputation as a high-tax expensive place to do business. The Massachusetts High Technology Council provides resources and hosts events for its members, and offers membership to organizations that want to join other thought leaders in the Commonwealth. Massachusetts High Technology Council Member Testimonials are available on their website. The company was founded by Raymond S. Stata.

Part of The National Academies of Science, the National Academy of Engineering operates as a professional membership organization. The company is based in Washington.

National Venture Capital Association provides business association services. It facilitates networking opportunities and provides research data to its members. The company is headquartered in Washington, DC.

The State Bar of California operates as an official attorney licensing agency. The non-profit company is based in San Francisco, CA. Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker has been the CEO of the company since 2015.

Regional Plan Association for New York is a non-profit organization that focuses on improving the tri-state region's future. Recently, the non-profit company commented on the US Army Corps of Engineers' Draft Integrated Feasibility Report and Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement for the NY-NJ Harbor and Tributaries Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study. The company is based in New York, NY, and has subsidiaries in the United States. The company's Transportation program aims to enhance the region's network of railways, roads, airports, and ports. Additionally, the company is celebrating its Centennial Gala and Exhibition, which highlights a century of research, planning, and advocacy for the tri-state region.

Arden Road Investments LLC operates as a venture capital firm. The private company is based in Wilmington, DE.

Gideon Hixon Ventures (Gideon Hixon) is an venture capital firm founded in 1990 by Eric Hixon. The firm is headquartered in Summerland, California.

LabSmith, Inc. is a private company that specializes in microfluidic chips and accessories. The company is based in Livermore, CA. The company offers microfluidic kits, components, and starter kits that coordinate fluid flow, automation, pressure, temperature, and high voltage. The company designs and manufactures laboratory equipment for research, prototyping, and OEM product development. The company's products control all aspects of experimentation, including microfluidic fluid routing and automation, voltage control, synchronization, and event capture and visualization. The company also offers inverted fluorescence video microscopes for microfluidics and microbiology, synchronized LED illumination, and innovative video capture and analysis software. LabSmith was founded by Eric Cummings, a researcher, in 1995.

Sandia National Laboratories develops science based technologies. The company provides research services in nuclear weapons, energy and infrastructure assurance, nonproliferation, and defense systems. The company was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Albuquerque, NM.

Cool Earth Solar, Inc. engages in the development of solar power plants. Its project services includes site survey, financial analysis, engineering and design, permitting, procurement, construction, utility interconnection, start-up and commissioning, plant monitoring, and on-going operation and maintenance. The company was founded by Kirsten Pace, Eric Cummings, Jacques Belanger and Aurelius Prochazka in 2007 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, CA.

Audio Design Experts, Inc. designs and manufactures audio products. Its products include Voice series, Multi-Room+, battery and other accessories. The company was founded by Rikki Farr in 2012 and is headquartered in Fountain Valley, CA.

Hixon Properties, Inc. is a real estate investment company that operates in the United States. The private company is based in San Antonio, TX and has subsidiaries in the country.