William R. Prather

Headquartered in El Dorado Hills, California, J. M. Dutton & Associates is a broker/dealer. The firm offers a full array of investment services with a focus on small-cap public companies. They provide issuer-paid research and widely distribute their research to institutions and individuals, both domestic and international.

Founded in 1947 by Oscar Gruss and Emanuel Gruss, Oscar Gruss & Son, Inc. is a full-service broker/dealer located in New York City. The firm offers focused independent research and trading and execution services focusing particularly on special situations and convertibles. They conduct business with major Israeli institutional clients who execute trades in U.S. equities and options. Oscar Gruss & Son also maintains a trading desk in New York solely dedicated to European investors. The firm is a member of the NYSE and the SIPC.

Founded in 1995 by Steven Bathgate, GVC Capital LLC, formerly Bathgate Capital Partners LLC, is an investment banking firm and broker/dealer located Greenwood Village, Colorado. The firm focuses primarily on providing comprehensive investment banking services to underexposed and undervalued micro-cap companies. GVC Capital's brokerage services include retail investment sales, institutional equity and fixed-income securities. The firm is a member of FINRA and the SIPC. GVC Capital seeks to provide their retail clients with greater exposure to institutional investors as efficient means to raising capital in the form of institutional private placement financings and a variety of other investment products including municipal bonds, government securities, mutual funds, annuities, options and equities. The firm also offers accredited investors periodic opportunities to participate in private placements (Regulation D) and IPOs for select emerging growth companies. GVC Capital's accounts are maintained and cleared by First Southwest Company. The firm's fixed-income group seeks to provide their clients with best execution. They provide independent advisory services and research focusing on a diverse universe of fixed-income securities including corporate, government and municipal bonds, convertible and mortgage-backed securities and preferred stocks. GVC Capital's equity trading group focuses on efficient trade execution of micro-cap companies and identifying and creating liquidity in illiquid markets.

Part of Stifel Financial Corp., Hanifen Imhoff Holdings, Inc. is a company that provides investment banking services. The company is based in Glenwood Springs, CO. Hanifen Imhoff Holdings was acquired by Stifel Financial Corp. on January 12, 2000 for $5.93 million.

Founded in 1990 by Alan Donenfeld, Bristol Investment Group, Inc. is a private investment firm that focuses on investing in and raising capital for high growth and special situation public and private companies, in industries such as communications, information technology, healthcare, manufacturing and other technology based businesses. They provide a full array of trading and execution services for their clients. They do not provide any internal research. Bristol is located in New York City.

Hill Physicians Medical Group, Inc. provides healthcare services. Its network includes primary care and specialty physicians. The company was founded in 1984 by Darryl Cardoza and Steve F. McDermott and is headquartered in San Ramon, CA.