Michael J. Scharf

North Atlantic Trading Company, Inc. operates as a holding company. The firm engages in the business of manufacturing and marketing tobacco and related products through its subsidiaries. The company was founded in May 1997 and is headquartered in Louisville, KY.

Part of BPCE SA, Solomon Partners LP is a leading financial advisory firm based in New York, NY. Solomon Partners offers unmatched industry knowledge in the sectors they cover, providing superior value through unrivaled wisdom for their clients. As an independently operated affiliate of Natixis, they advise clients on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, recapitalizations, SPACs, capital markets solutions, and activism defense across a range of industries. With nearly 30 years of experience, Solomon Partners is one of the leading financial advisory firms on Wall Street with a legacy as one of the first independent investment banks. The company was founded in 1989 by Peter J. Solomon and is currently led by CEO Marc S. Cooper.

BGC Partners, Inc. engages in the provision of brokerage services to the financial markets. The firm offers integrated voice, hybrid and fully electronic brokerage in a broad range of products, including fixed income, foreign exchange, equities, insurance, energy and commodities and futures. It also provides trade execution, brokerage, clearing, trade compression, post-trade, information and other back-office services. The company was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Duke University is an academic university that offers undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. It also has publications and research services. The university was founded in 1838 and is headquartered in Durham, NC.

Peter J. Solomon Co. provides investment advisory services. The company offers corporate finance, restructuring, private financings, merger and acquisitions services. It also offers services to the retail, wholesale, catalogue distribution, consumer products, healthcare and media industries. Peter J. Solomon Co. was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in New York City, NY

BGC Partners LP is a broker/dealer located in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of BGC Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: BGCP), a leading global intermediary to the wholesale financial markets, specializing in the brokering of a broad range of financial products including fixed-income, rates, foreign exchange, equity derivatives, credit derivatives, futures and structured product markets. Previously a subsidiary of Cantor Fitzgerald, BCG separated from that firm in 2004. In 2005, BGC merged with Maxcor Financial Group, integrating two leading brokerage firms. This was followed by the acquisitions of ETC Pollak and Aurel in Paris. On April 1, 2008, BGC merged with eSpeed to form a world-class provider of voice and electronic brokerage services in the global marketplace. The combined company is BGC Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: BGCP). BGC offers a full range of brokerage services including price discovery, trade execution, straight through processing and clearing, settlement and access to electronic trading services through its eSpeed and BGC Trader brands.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP engages in the provision of accounting services. Its services include audit and assurance, accounting advisory, risk assurance, tax management, corporate insolvency, life cycle assessment, forensic services, private equity advisory, and financial reporting valuations. The company is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Barington Capital Group LP provides investment advisory services. It invests in the public equity markets of the United States. The firm manages limited partnerships for its clients. The company was founded in 1991 by James Anthony Mitarotonda and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Hudson Institute, Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides interdisciplinary studies in defense, international relations, economics, health care, technology, culture, and law. The company was founded by Herman Kahn and Max Singer in 1961 and is headquartered in Washington, DC.

Euro Brokers operates as a financial brokerage company. The company is headquartered in New York, NY.

The Fedcap Group, Inc. is a non-profit organization that promotes well-being. It offers an array of services through its four practice areas Education, Workforce Development, Occupational Health, and Economic Development. The company was founded by Michael Bertero, Ralph Rice, and Robert Boster in 1935 and is headquartered in New York, NY.