Michael Eric Maestas

Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. (CSIM) is a registered investment advisor headquartered in San Francisco, California. The firm was founded in 1989 and is a subsidiary of The Charles Schwab Corp. (NASDAQ: SCHW). CSIM provides investment advice to pooled investment funds such as registered investment companies and non-US funds and to trustees of collective trust funds. They also provide non-discretionary investment management advice to their affiliate, Charles Schwab Bank (CSB).

Avalon Global Asset Management LLC (Avalon) is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor and hedge fund manager headquartered in San Francisco, California. The firm was founded by Nancy A. Kukacka in 1999. Avalon provides discretionary advisory services to private US investment limited partnerships and investment limited liability companies (US Funds), and non-US investment funds (Offshore Funds).

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.