Dante Francis Ferrarie

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. (MLPFS) is the SEC-registered broker/dealer subsidiary of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., ultimately held by Charlotte-based Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC). The firm was founded in 1958 and is headquartered in New York City. In 2010, Banc of America Securities LLC merged with MLPFS and the firm uses the trade name Bank of America Merrill Lynch. MLPFS's global strategy and economics team serves institutional and individual investors using a wide range of macroeconomic disciplines. Their analysis of global issues provides clients with investment ideas, market forecasts, macro overviews and specific sector recommendations across asset classes, regions and disciplines. Their equity research team conducts fundamental analysis on companies globally and provides institutional and retail clients with industry-specific and in-depth research and analysis on numerous industries. The firm's global fixed-income and equity-linked research focuses on fixed-income and equity derivatives, fixed-income strategy, convertibles, commodities, high-yield, mortgages, municipals and global foreign exchange.

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.

Guggenheim Securities LLC is a SEC-registered broker-dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1999 and is a subsidiary of Links Holdings LLC, ultimately held by Guggenheim Partners LLC. Guggenheim Securities’ specializations include the sales and trading of fixed-income securities and sophisticated structured products. The firm offers in-depth analysis and expert execution of trading opportunities to large institutional investors and asset originators. They offer sales and trading services relating to a wide range of instruments.

Founded in 2003, Soleil Securities Corp. is a broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of Ticonderoga Securities LLC and their ultimate parent is Cayman Islands-based GEROVA Financial Group Ltd. (NYSE: GFC). Soleil Securities Corp. is a member of FINRA and the SIPC. The firm offers in-depth company-specific equity research to institutional clients. They provide coverage across a variety of significant growth sectors of the economy. Soleil Securities Corp.'s research process integrates macroeconomic considerations with investment-relevant policy insights. They seek to produce alpha-generating, actionable information that can help their clients achieve their investment objectives. The firm covers the following industries: (1) basic materials including agricultural chemicals, specialty chemicals and paper/forest products (2) capital goods and industrials including autos and auto parts (3) consumer including gaming, lodging, eTravel, agribusiness, sustainable agriculture, specialty foods, specialty retail, homebuilders and retailing/automotive (4) financial institutions including financial services, property and casualty and regional banks (5) healthcare including pharmaceuticals, medical technology, biotechnology and medical devices (6) special situations (7) strategy and policy (8) technology including software/Internet, semiconductors and solar power (9) telecommunications and telecommunications equipment (10) transportation (11) airlines and (12) utilities

Founded in 1979 as Reynders Gray & Co., Inc., Ticonderoga Securities LLC is an SEC-registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of GEROVA Financial Group Ltd. (NYSE: GFC), a specialty reinsurance company based in St. George, Cayman Islands. In May 2009, Ticonderoga Securities acquired Reynders, Gray & Co., Inc. and in May 2011, they acquired Soleil Securities Corp. Ticonderoga Securities focuses on domestic and international equities and with emphasis on high quality, order execution, as well as a differentiated research offering to support their execution capabilities. The firm's analysis focuses primarily on the following sectors: basic materials, capital goods/industrials, consumer, energy, financials, healthcare, strategy/policy, technology, transportation and utilities. The firm clears their equity business through National Financial Services Corp., a wholly-owned, guaranteed subsidiary of the Fidelity organization and their fixed-income business through Pershing LLC, a BNY Mellon company.