Ross Licero

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (Credit Suisse Securities USA) is the broker/dealer division of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, an investment banking company headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1998 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Credit Suisse (USA), Inc., ultimately owned by Credit Suisse Group AG (SWX: CSGN) in Switzerland. Credit Suisse Securities USA offers a suite of equities, solutions and credit products and services which includes global securities sales, trading and execution, prime brokerage and comprehensive investment research. Their clients include financial institutions, corporations, governments, institutional investors, such as pension funds and hedge funds, and private individuals around the world.

Heartland Advisors, Inc. is a mutual fund manager and SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm's predecessor was founded in 1983 as an investment advisory subsidiary of a regional brokerage firm, The Milwaukee Co., owned in part by William J. Nasgovitz. In 1984, Mr. Nasgovitz purchased a majority interest in the investment advisory subsidiary from his partners and started managing Heartland's first mutual fund, the Heartland Value Fund. In 1988, Mr. Nasgovitz and his partners sold The Milwaukee Co. to Dain Bosworth. In the same transaction, Mr. Nasgovitz acquired the remaining shares of the investment advisory subsidiary and changed its name to Heartland Advisors, Inc. In 2000, the firm was reorganized into a wholly owned subsidiary of Heartland Holdings, Inc., but it remains a 100% employee-owned independent firm. Heartland Advisors provides investment advice to individual and institutional clients.

Janus Henderson Investors US LLC (JHIUS) is a registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The firm was founded in 1969 and formerly known as Janus Capital Management LLC. They are a subsidiary of Janus Henderson US (Holdings) Inc., which is owned by Janus Henderson Group plc (NYSE: JHG, LON: 0RPW) in Great Britain. JHIUS provides investment management services, as an investment adviser or sub-adviser, to pooled investment vehicles.

Nicholas Co., Inc. is a privately-owned, SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm was founded by Albert Nicholas in 1967 and they provide investment advice to individuals, institutions, trusts, estates and charitable organizations, corporations and other business entities, pensions and profit sharing plans, and investment companies.

The State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB) is a state-owned pension fund management firm headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. SWIB was founded in 1951 and is responsible for managing the assets of the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS), the State Investment Fund (SIF) and other state trust funds. The WRS includes the Core Retirement Investment Trust Fund (Core Fund) and the Variable Retirement Investment Trust Fund (Variable Fund).

UBS Financial Services, Inc. is a registered investment advisor and wealth management firm headquartered in Weehawken, New Jersey. The firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UBS Americas Inc., ultimately held by UBS Group AG (SWX: UBSG; NYSE: UBS) in Switzerland. Founded in 1969, UBS Financial Services provides investment advisory services to individuals, banks, thrift institutions, mutual funds and other investment companies, pension and employee benefit plans, trusts, estates, charities, corporations and other business and government entities.

Allspring Global Investments LLC (Allspring) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Prior to November 2021, the firm was known as Wells Capital Management, Inc. They are a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC, ultimately held by Allspring Group Holdings LLC. Allspring provides investment management services to mutual funds, private funds, offshore funds, collective investment trusts (CITs), pooled vehicles and client accounts.

Victory Capital Management, Inc. (Investment Management) (Victory Capital-IM) is the investment management division of Victory Capital Management, Inc., a financial services company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. The firm was founded in 1894 and formerly known as Key Asset Management, Inc. They are an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Victory Capital Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: VCTR). Victory Capital-IM provides specialized investment strategies to institutions, intermediaries, retirement platforms and individual investors.

North Star Asset Management, Inc. (NSAM) is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Neenah, Wisconsin. The firm was founded in 1996 by Kenneth Brusda, Michael Flesch, Geoffry Penn, David Risgaard and Eric Richter. NSAM provides investment advice on a discretionary/non-discretionary basis to individual and institutional clients.

UBS Securities LLC is an investment bank and registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1998 as UBS Warburg LLC. They are a subsidiary of UBS Americas Holding LLC, ultimately held by UBS Group AG (SWX: UBSG, NYSE: UBS) in Switzerland. UBS Securities is a primary dealer in US Government securities and provides a full range of investment banking services which includes corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, trading and sales, fixed-income, equity research, private banking, underwriting and prime brokerage operations. The firm also provides advisory services and access to capital markets for corporate, institutional, intermediary and alternative asset management clients.

Piper Sandler & Co. (Broker) (PSC-Broker) is the full-service brokerage division of Piper Sandler & Co., a financial service firm headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are a subsidiary of Piper Sandler Companies (NYSE: PIPR). The firm was founded in 1969 and previously known as Piper Jaffray & Co. They became Piper Sandler & Co. when Piper Jaffray Companies and Sandler O’Neill & Partners, L.P. merged to become Piper Sandler Companies in 2020. PSC-Broker provides brokerage and investment banking services to financial institutions, corporations and other financial investors. Their core focus sectors are Agriculture, renewables & cannabis, Business services, Chemicals & Materials, Consumer, Diversified industrials & services, Energy, Financial services, financial sponsors, Healthcare, and Technology.

KPMG LLP engages in the provision of audit, tax, and advisory services. It serves the banking and capital markets, building, construction and real estate, consumer and retail, energy, natural resources and chemicals, financial services, government and public sector, healthcare and life sciences, industrial manufacturing, insurance, media and entertainment, private equity, technology, telecommunications, and venture capital industries. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Longbow Research LLC is an independent investment research firm headquartered in Independence, Ohio. The firm was founded by David S. MacGregor in 2003 to provide the institutional equity research market with a high quality, independent product, free from the many conflicts of interest that plague bulge-bracket research. Longbow Research provides insights and research coverage on publicly-traded mid-cap companies in the industrial/basic materials, consumer and technology sectors.

Digi-Key Corp. distributes electronic components. It also distributes semiconductors, discrete, electromechanical parts. Its products include audio products, batteries, cable assemblies, capacitors, computer & video accessories, connectors, crystals & oscillators, discrete semiconductor products and many more. The company was founded by Ronald A. Stordahl in 1972 and is headquartered in Thief River Falls, MN.

Golden Angels Investors LLC (Golden Angels Investors) is a venture capital firm founded in 2002 by Timothy J Keane. The firm is headquartered in Brookfield, Wisconsin.

Mason Wells Inc (Private Equity)(Mason Wells) is a private equity subsidiary of Marshall & Ilsley Corporation founded in 1998 by John Thomas Byrnes. The firm is headquartered in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The University of St. Thomas is an institution that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. The private company is based in St. Paul, MN. It offers over 150 undergraduate majors and minors, as well as graduate programs in various fields such as business, engineering, law, education, social work, and arts and humanities. The University of St. Thomas was founded in 1885 by John Ireland.

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.

Edward D. Jones & Co. LP (Edward Jones) is a registered broker-dealer and investment adviser headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. The firm was founded in 1993 and is the primary operating subsidiary of The Jones Financial Cos. LLLP. Edward Jones provides financial services for individual investors and businesses in the US, Canada and the UK.

Thoma Bravo LP(Thoma Bravo) is a private equity firm founded in 2008 by Carl Dee Thoma and Orlando Bravo. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. provides insurance and financial security solutions. The firm offers life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability insurance, annuities, and investment products. It also provides financial planning strategies and solutions. The company was founded by John C. Johnston on March 2, 1857 and is headquartered in Milwaukee, WI.

Piper Sandler & Co. operates as an investment company, which engages in the provision of securities brokerage and investment banking services. The company is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN.

Northland Securities, Inc. (NSI) is a dually registered, full-service broker dealer and investment advisor headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The firm was founded in 2002 and is owned by Northland Capital Holdings, Inc., which was acquired by First National of Nebraska, Inc. (OTCMKTS: FINN) in 2023. NSI is actively engaged in buying and selling securities for its own account as well as for clients.

Hong Kong Industrial & Commercial Association Ltd. is a business association based in Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Young Industrialists Council operates an association for the development of careers. The private company is based in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. The Chinese company was founded by Wai Lap Chan.

SnowShoeFood, Inc. produces and markets smart phone applications. Its product bridges physical items and digital assets ranging from toys that unlock video game characters to gift and credit cards for digital currencies. The firm also provides software that identifies stamps when touched to the screen of multi-touch devices; and an application program interface that processes the stamp interactions and determines the stamp being used by the users. It serves developers, entrepreneurs, and makers. The company was founded by Claus Christopher Moberg and Jami Li Morton in 2010 and is headquartered in Portland, OR.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC provides assurance, tax and advisory services. Its services include audit and assurance, consulting, deals, human resources, legal, tax, and family business. The firm also offers accountability, risk management, structuring, mergers and acquisitions, and performance and process improvement. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Buffalo, NY.

Part of Deloitte LLP (New York), Deloitte Services LP is a professional services network that provides audit & assurance, consulting, risk and financial advisory, risk management, and tax services to selected clients. The company is based in Washington and offers industry-leading services to many of the world's most admired brands, including 80 percent of the Fortune 500. As a member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, they are proud to be part of the largest professional services network, serving clients in the markets that are most important to them.

Morningstar, Inc. (Research) is the investment research arm of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), an American financial services firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded by Joseph Mansueto in 1984 and provides independent portfolio information offering star ratings and analysis of managed funds. They also provide economic commentary and asset allocation information based on qualitative research.

Allspring Funds Management LLC (AFM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The firm was founded as Wells Fargo Funds Management LLC (WFFM) in 2001 to succeed the former mutual fund advisory responsibilities of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. In November 2021, Wells Fargo & Co. sells its asset management business, which includes WFFM and certain affiliates, to a third-party purchaser. As part of the sale, WFFM has changed its name to Allspring Funds Management LLC. AFM is a wholly owned subsidiary of Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC, ultimately held by Allspring Group Holdings LLC. The firm serves as investment adviser for the portfolios of the Allspring Funds. The firm also participates as an investment adviser in several managed account programs offered by other financial institutions to their respective clients.

Alpha IR Group LLC is an investor relations and transactions/crisis advisory firm that helps to protect, enhance, and build the investment brands of leading companies. The private company is based in Chicago, IL, and has offices in New York, NY, and San Francisco, CA. The company has a small company, holistic approach and brings significant Wall Street, financial, and large agency experience to its clients. Alpha IR has deep sector expertise and senior-driven programs to manage its clients' reputations, credibility, and ultimately, their valuation. The company was founded in 2012 by Christian Hodges, who has been the CEO since 2012.

First Analysis Securities Corp. (FAS) is a research-driven investment organization headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and was founded in 1981. The firm is a subsidiary of First Analysis Corp. FAS serves emerging growth companies with private equity/venture capital investments, corporations with corporate finance and merger and acquisition services, and financial institutions with the public equity research and private equity limited partnerships.