Charlie Bellows

Merced Capital LP is a privately-held, SEC-registered investment advisor and hedge fund manager headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The firm was founded as EBF & Associates in 1988 by three executives from Cargill's Financial Markets Department. The firm provides investment advisory services to privately offered pooled investment vehicles. Investors in the clients include public and private pension funds, foundations, endowment funds, funds of funds, high net worth individuals and family offices.

Securian Asset Management, Inc. (Securian AM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota. The firm was founded in 1984 and formerly known as MIMLIC Asset Management, Inc. and Advantus Capital Management, Inc. They are a wholly-owned subsidiary of Securian Financial Group, Inc., ultimately owned by Minnesota Mutual Cos., Inc. Securian AM offers discretionary and non-discretionary asset management for registered investment companies, insurance companies, including separate accounts of insurance companies, and other institutional investors.

Sit Investment Associates, Inc. (Sit Investment) is a privately-owned, SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The firm was founded by Eugene Sit in 1981. Sit Investment manages client assets on a discretionary basis for several types of clients, which includes public and private institutional investors, pension funds, Taft-Hartley plans, charitable institutions, foundations, endowments, corporations, insurance companies, municipalities, registered investment companies, private investment companies, collective investment trusts and high-net-worth individuals.

Northern States Power Co. engages in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity. It operates through the following segments: Regulated Electric, Regulated Natural Gas, and Other. The Regulated Electric segment generates electricity which is transmitted and distributed in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. The Regulated Natural Gas segment includes transports, stores, and distributes natural gas in portions of Minnesota and North Dakota. The company was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN.

Edward D. Jones & Co. LP is a broker-dealer and registered investment advisor located in St. Louis, Missouri. The firm is a subsidiary of the Jones Financial Cos. LLLP. Edward Jones provides financial services for individual investors and businesses in the US, Canada and the United Kingdom. Edward Jones registered as a broker–dealer in 1941 and as an investment adviser in 1993. The firm offers a full array of investment services. They cover stocks that perform over the long-term, focusing on US, Canadian and Western European companies with long, stable, operating histories.

Colliers Securities LLC is a registered broker-dealer headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The firm was founded in 1997 and formerly known as Dougherty & Co. LLC. They are a wholly owned subsidiary of Colliers Mortgage Holdings LLC, ultimately owned by Colliers International Group, Inc. (NASDAQ; TSX: CIGI) in Canada. Colliers Securities generally provides brokerage, custody and execution services through a clearing arrangement with National Financial Services LLC, a nonaffiliated firm, member NYSE, SIPC and a Fidelity Investments® Company.

Part of Lloyds Banking Group Plc, ASCO US LLC provides logistic services to the oil and gas industry.

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.

Cornell University is an educational institution that offers undergraduate and post graduate programs. It was founded in 1865 and is based in Ithaca, NY.

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.

RBC Capital Markets LLC is a full-service brokerage and financial services firm headquartered in New York City. They are a direct subsidiary of RBC USA Holdco Corp. and a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada (TSE, NYSE: RY). Founded in 2010, the firm is comprised of 3 major business lines: the Private Client Group, the Fixed-Income Group and the Clearing and Execution Services Group. The Private Client Group serves individual investors, while the Fixed-Income Group provides services to institutions, municipalities and non-profit organizations. The Clearing and Execution Services Group is a provider of clearing and execution services to independent brokers/dealers throughout the US. RBC Capital Markets focuses on the following sectors: communications, media, consumer/retail, diversified industries, energy, financial institutions, forest products, healthcare, infrastructure finance, mining & metals, real estate, social infrastructure, technology and the US municipal markets.

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.

Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum operates museums. The company was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Washington, DC.

Part of Tidewater, Inc., Tidewater Marine, Inc. is a company that provides deep sea freight forwarding and cargo handling services. The company is based in Galveston, TX.

Xcel Energy Services, Inc. provides electric and natural gas utility services. The company is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN.

RBC Wealth Management (RBCWM) is wealth management division of RBC Capital Markets Equity Research, which is ultimately owned by Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE; TSE: RY). Formerly known as RBC Dain Rauscher, Inc., the firm was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. RBCWM provides trusted advice and wealth management solutions to individuals, families and institutions.

Foundry Partners LLC is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The firm was founded by Timothy Ford and Seamus Morphy in 2012 and is wholly-owned by Foundry Management Partners LLC. Foundry Partners provides investment management services to high net-worth individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, and other legal entities. The firm advises clients through accounts in Separately Managed Account (SMA) programs and provides sponsors access to its investment models through UMA programs.