Joseph R. Klein

KeyBanc Capital Markets, Inc. is a registered investment bank and broker/dealer headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. The firm was founded in 1983 and is a subsidiary of KeyCorp. (NYSE: KEY). KeyBanc Capital Markets provides investment banking, commercial lending, treasury management, derivatives, foreign exchange, equity and debt underwriting and trading and syndicated finance products and services to large corporations and middle-market companies.

NISA Investment Advisors LLC is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. The firm was founded in 1994 by Jess Yawitz and Bill Marshall as National Investment Services of America, Inc. They are a wholly-owned subsidiary of NISA LLC. NISA Investment Advisors provides investment advice to institutional clients.

Allspring Global Investments LLC (Allspring) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Prior to November 1, 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, collective investment trusts (CITs), pooled vehicles, and other institutional clients and high net-worth individuals.

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.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is a registered broker-dealer subsidiary of Morgan Stanley Domestic Holdings, Inc., ultimately owned by Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) in the US. Headquartered in New York City, the firm was founded in 1987 and provides debt and equity services including underwriting, M&A advice, securities dealing and brokerage and trade execution. Their client base ranges from large global institutional investors to hedge funds at the cutting edge of innovation in the industry.

William Blair & Co. LLC (William Blair) is a SEC-registered broker/dealer firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded by William McCormick Blair in 1935 and is a subsidiary of WBC Holdings LP. Until 1941, they were known as Blair, Bonner & Co. William Blair provides broking services to individual, institutional and issuing clients.

Barclays Capital, Inc. is a registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1997 and is a subsidiary of Barclays Group US, Inc., ultimately owned by Barclays plc (LON: BARC) in Great Britain. Barclays Capital provides large corporate, government and institutional clients a full spectrum of prime brokerage services which includes equities and fixed income financing, OTC Clearing, Futures and Foreign Exchange Prime Brokerage and access to industry insights and analytics from their Strategic Consulting team.

GTCR LLC (GTCR) is a private equity firm founded in 1980 by Charlie Thomas. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Sheridan Capital Partners LLC (Sheridan CP LP) is a private equity firm founded in 2011 by Richard J Stephenson and Jonathan B Lewis. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Harvard University engages in the provision of teaching and research. It has twelve degree-granting Schools in addition to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, offering a global education. The university was founded in 1636 and is headquartered in Cambridge, MA.

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).

Marlin Management Co LLC (Marlin Equity Partners) is a private equity firm founded in 2005 by David McGovern. The firm is headquartered in Hermosa Beach, California.

Golden Gate Private Equity, Inc. (Golden Gate Capital) is a private equity firm founded in 2000 by David C. Dominik and Jesse T. Rogers. The firm is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

7wire Ventures LLC (7wire ventures) is a venture capital firm founded in 2011 by Matthew A. Tullman and Glen E. Tullman. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Asset Allocation & Management Co. LLC (AAM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded in 1982 and is principally owned by Securian AAM Holdings LLC, ultimately owned by Minnesota Mutual Cos., Inc. AAM provides discretionary and non-discretionary investment advice to insurance companies across all business segments of the industry including Property and Casualty, Life, Health and Captive insurers.

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.

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.

Northwestern University is a private institution founded in 1851 to serve the Northwest Territory, an area that now includes the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota. Northwestern has three campuses

Great Lakes Advisors LLC (GLA) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1981, the firm is a subsidiary of Whamco Holding Co. and their ultimate parent is Wintrust Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: WTFC), which acquired the firm in 2011. GLA offers customized investment advisory services to individual and institutional clients. In addition, the firm serves as adviser to mutual funds and is the General Partner to a Private Fund. GLA is a socially responsible investor and signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI) which integrates environmental, social, and governance considerations into their investment process.

Chicago Pacific Capital LP (Chicago Pacific Capital) is an independent private equity firm founded in 2014 by Mary Tolan, Larry Leisure and Vance Vanier. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with an additional office in San Francisco, California.

Hammond Kennedy Whitney & Co., Inc. (HKW) is an independent private equity firm founded in 1903. The firm is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Manulife Investment Management Private Markets (US) LLC (Manulife Investment Management) is a private equity subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corp founded in 1997. The firm is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Ocean Tomo LLC provides opinion, management and advisory services. It offers address financial expert testimony, valuation, technical insights, strategy, ratings, risk management, venture development, investments and transaction brokerage. The company was founded by James E. Malackowski and Andrew W. Carter in 2003 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

Maranon Capital LP (Maranon Capital) is a private equity firm founded in 2007 by Tom Gregory and Ian Larkin. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

WP Global Partners LLC (WP Global Partners) is a private equity firm founded by Donald Phillips in 2005.The firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with additional offices in New York, California, and Florida.

Wintrust Investments LLC (WTI) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded in 1931 and formerly known as Wayne Hummer Investments LLC and changed their name to Wintrust Investments LLC in 2018. They are a subsidiary of Wintrust Bank, NA, which is owned by Wintrust Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: WTFC). WTI provides portfolio management services to individuals, high-net worth individuals, banking or thrift institutions, corporate pension and profit-sharing plans, foundations, endowments, trust programs, and other US institutions.

True Wind Capital Management LP (True Wind Capital Management) is a Private Equity firm founded in 2015 by Adam Clammer and James H. Greene, Jr.. The firm is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Draper & Kramer, Inc. provides commercial, residential brokerage and financial services. It offers mortgages, transactions, and development services, and also risk & property management, insurance, and leasing. The company was founded by Adolph Kramer in 1893 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

Canaccord Genuity LLC is an independent, full-service financial services firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 2004 and provides a full spectrum of brokerage services to corporate and institutional clients. They cover a wide range of sectors globally with an emphasis on growth companies such as: Block chain, Business Services, Cannabis, Consumer and Retail, Energy, Financials, Gaming, Healthcare, Industrials, Metals and Mining, Real Estate, Sustainability and Technology.

Shore Capital Partners LLC (Shore Capital Partners) is a private equity firm founded in 2009 by Justin Ishbia. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Planes Moving & Storage, Inc. engages in the provision of trucking, logistics, and storage services. It offers local moving, long distance moving, packing services, storage, and global moving. The company was founded in 1921 and is headquartered in West Chester, OH.

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.

Founded in 2008, Wellington Shields & Co. LLC is a broker/dealer located in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of Wellington Shields Holdings LLC. Wellington Shields & Co was formed as the result of a merger between Shields & Company and H.G. Wellington & Co., Inc. The firm offers a variety of products and services including equity research and equity and fixed-income investment capabilities. Wellington Shields & Co. is a member of the NYSE, NASDAQ, FINRA and the SIPC.

Hilco Global LLC operates as a financial services company that engages in the provision of valuation, monetization, and advisory solutions. It specializes in asset categories, results, case histories and client list, association partnerships, retail solutions, energy services, grocery solutions, pet, and sports. The firm serves retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and manufacturers. The company was founded by Jeffrey B. Hecktman in 1987 and is headquartered in Northbrook, IL.

Apple Tree venture Managemnet LLC (Apple Tree Partners) is a venture capital firm founded by Seth Harrison in 1999. The firm is headquartered in New York with an additional offices in London, San Francisco and Cambridge.

The Variable is an advertising agency and innovation consultancy that helps well-known brands accelerate business transformation through an integrated offering that includes strategy, design, product innovation, advertising, social, community building, and more. The company is based in Winston-Salem, NC and has subsidiaries in the United States. The agency has received impressive awards from leading publications for its unique combination of creativity and innovation. The Variable champions change and strives to make great work.