Christopher M. Born

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.

Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc. (DBSI) is a SEC-registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1971 and is a wholly-owned investment banking and brokerage arm of DB U.S. Financial Markets Holding Corp., ultimately held by Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE: DB, FRA: DBK) in Germany. DBSI provides securities brokerage and investment advisory services to domestic and international private clients and institutions. They are also a primary dealer in US government securities as designated by the Federal Reserve.

The Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) is a state-owned pension fund manager headquartered in Austin, Texas. The firm was founded by the Texas Legislature in 1937 to provide service and disability retirement benefits to teachers and administrators of the public school systems of Texas, which include institutions of higher education. In 1949, legislation expanded membership eligibility to include all employees of public education institutions. In 1985, TRS was assigned responsibility to administer health insurance program for public school retirees. The firm invests funds under its stewardship and delivers benefits to members as authorized by the Texas Legislature.

Salient Partners LP (Salient) is an asset management boutique headquartered in Houston, Texas. The firm was founded in 2002 by Andrew Linbeck, Jeremy Radcliffe and Haag Sherman. In 2003, the firm merged with Pinnacle Management & Trust Co. to form Salient Partners & Pinnacle Trust Co. Two years later the firm adopted the name Salient Partners LP. In 2022, they were acquired by Westwood Holdings Group, Inc. (NYSE: WHG). Salient provides real assets, tactical equity alternatives, and private solutions for institutional investors and investment advisors.

Quantum Capital Group LLC (Quantum Capital Group) is a private equity firm founded in 1998 by Wil VanLoh, Toby R. Neugebauer and A. V. Jones. The firm is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

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.

Eagle Global Advisors LLC (Eagle Global) is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor and wealth management firm headquartered in Houston, Texas. The firm was founded in 1996 and is principally owned by Edward Allen and Steven Russo. Eagle Global provides investment advice to high-net-worth individuals, retirement plans for corporations and unions, financial institutions, trusts, endowments, foundations, and registered and unregistered investment companies.

Scotia Capital (USA), Inc. (SCUSA) is a SEC-registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of Scotia Holdings (USA) LLC, which is owned by The Bank of Nova Scotia (NYSE: BNS; TSE: BNS) in Canada. They provide debt research coverage on US investment grade and high yield debt markets. SCUSA focuses on 6 industries which includes automotive, financial services, healthcare, media and communications, REGAL - real estate/gaming and leisure and technology. They also focus on 4 main global sectors such as power, mining, infrastructure and oil & gas/energy.

Herndon Plant Oakley Ltd. (HPO) is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor and broker-dealer firm headquartered in Corpus Christi, Texas. It was founded in 1998 by Brent Herndon, Phillip Plant and Ted Oakley. The firm’s broker-dealer activities comprise approximately 70% of their business activities with the remaining 30% estimated to be spent on investment advisor activities. HPO provides a full array of trading and execution services for their clients.

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.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (GS&Co.) is a securities brokerage firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1927, the firm is a subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS). GS&Co. provides services to help hedge funds manage risk, monitor portfolios, maintain liquidity and build their businesses. They offer clients access to global equity and derivatives markets, as well as foreign exchange, commodities, European Lefts, rates and credit across the Americas, Europe and Asia. The firm proactively monitors capital markets, searching for pockets of liquidity and news that may require changes to those strategies. Integration with the Goldman Sachs network gives clients access to the firm's sectored block trades and their insights into price discovery. Their electronic trading program provides clients with tools to manage their trades from pre-trade analytics to post-trade analysis.

Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. Securities LLC (TPH) is a broker/dealer headquartered in Houston, Texas. The firm was founded in 2007 by Robert Tudor III. They are a subsidiary of Perella Weinberg Partners Group LP, which is ultimately owned by Perella Weinberg Partners (NASDAQ: PWP). TPH provides a full array of trading and execution services for their institutional and corporate clients in the energy sector. They focus on the upstream, midstream and oilfield service sectors.

Founded in 1958, Merrill Lynch Piece Fenner & Smith, Inc. is an SEC registered broker/dealer located in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of BAC North America Holding Co. and their ultimate parent is Bank of America Corp. (NYSE BAC).

EIG Global Energy Partners LLC (EIG Global Energy Partners) is a private equity firm founded in 2011. The firm is headquartered in Washington, District of Columbia.

Wells Fargo Securities LLC (WFS) is the broker/dealer subsidiary of EVEREN Capital Corp., ultimately owned by Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC). Headquartered in New York, WFS delivers a comprehensive suite of banking, capital markets and advisory solutions, such as a full complement of sales, trading and research capabilities, to corporate, government and institutional clients.

Oxbow Advisors LLC (Oxbow) is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor and wealth management firm headquartered in Austin, Texas. The firm was founded by James Theodore (Ted) Oakley in 2011. Oxbow provides investment management services to high net-worth individuals and families.

The Sterling Group LP (The Sterling Group) is a private equity firm founded in 1982 by Frank J. Hevrdejs. The firm is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

University of Houston System offers higher education degrees and job training or vocational study programs. It offers about 280 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in fields such as business, education, humanities and law. It was founded in 1927 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.

The CapStreet Group LLC (Capstreet Group) is a private equity firm founded in 1990 by George B. Kelly and Fred R. Lummis. The firm is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Part of Stagecoach Group Ltd., Coach USA, Inc. is one of the largest transportation companies in the US, operating more than 2,400 motorcoaches and employing over 5,000 people. Coach USA maintains the highest safety compliance rating from the US Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The company is based in Paramus, NJ. The company owns more than 25 bus carriers, operating scheduled bus routes, motorcoach tours, and charters. Coach USA provides passengers with essential information pertaining to their bus travel to make their commute as convenient as possible. The company was founded by Jon M. Garfield.

SPB Partners LLC (SPB Partners) is a private equity firm founded in 2004 by Roger Bulloch, Kenneth Pressberg and Scott Bulloch. The firm is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.

Sidoti & Co. LLC (S&C) is a registered broker and equity research firm headquartered in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of Sidoti Holding Co. LLC and was founded in 1999. S&C provides research exclusively to institutional investors. The firm covers the following sectors: housing, retail, basic industries, technology, business services, capital goods, automotive, computer software, regional banking, telecommunications, entertainment, healthcare and consumer products. Their analysts conduct their own due diligence which includes visiting companies and meeting with operating and financial management. In addition, the firm's analysts focus on fundamentals, particularly cash flow from operations and EPS.

Klingman & Associates LLC (K&A) is an independent registered investment advisor and wealth management firm headquartered in New York City. The firm founded by Gerald Klingman in 2001. K&A provides wealth management services primarily to high net worth individuals and their families, trusts, estates, charitable organizations/endowments, and pension or profit-sharing plans.

BofA Securities, Inc. is a registered broker-dealer subsidiary of NB Holdings Corp., ultimately held by Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC). Headquartered in New York, the firm was founded in 2015 and offers trade execution, trading or brokerage services to institutional clients.

Ticketometer LLC is a private company that specializes in selling websites. The company is based in Houston, TX. The company's website, ticketometer.com, provides a wide range of information on various topics. The company was founded by Jaron S. Lukasiewicz.

Kainos Capital LLC (Kainos Capital) is a private equity firm founded in 2012. The firm is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

UBS Investment Bank provides investment banking and securities brokerage services. Its clients include institutional and corporate clients, intermediaries, governments, and hedge funds. The firm also provides merger and acquisition advisory, private placement, investment research, foreign exchange, equity, and leverage finance advisory services. The firm is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.