Michael Stephen Thomas

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.

SouthernSun Asset Management LLC (SouthernSun) is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. The firm was founded by Michael Cook in 1989 as Michael W. Cook Asset Management, Inc. SouthernSun primarily provides portfolio management services to high net-worth individuals, corporate pension and profit-sharing plans, Taft-Hartley plans, public pension plans, charitable institutions, foundations, endowments, municipalities, pooled investment funds, registered mutual funds, trusts, banks, and other US and international institutions.

Regions Investment Management, Inc. (RIM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. The firm was founded in 1971 as Morgan Asset Management, Inc. In 2016, they became a wholly owned subsidiary of Regions Bank, which is another wholly owned subsidiary of Regions Financial Corp. (NYSE: RF). RIM provides model strategies and provides portfolio management to Regions Wealth Management (RWM), a business unit of Regions Bank, for use by RWM with their clients.

Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. (Broker) (CGMI-Broker) is the broker/dealer division of Citigroup Global Markets, Inc., an investment bank headquartered in New York City with additional offices across the US. The firm was founded in 2004 and is a subsidiary of Citigroup Financial Products, Inc., ultimately held by Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE: C). CGMI-Broker covers all market capitalizations of the major global indices and provides macro and quantitative analysis of global markets and sector trends. Their core focus of the group is to help investing clients make informed decisions by providing value-added, independent, insightful analysis.

Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. provides security brokerage services. It also offers investment banking and advice to high net worth investors, individuals, businesses and institutions. The company is headquartered in New York, NY.

Truist Securities, Inc. is a registered broker-dealer headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The firm was founded in 1894 as SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc. In 2020, the firm was renamed following the integration of SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and BB&T Capital Markets. The firm is a subsidiary of Truist Financial Corp. (NYSE: TFC) and is an active market maker in equity and fixed-income products. Truist Securities delivers a comprehensive range of strategic advisory, capital raising, risk management, and financing solutions, as well as a dynamic suite of sales, trading, and research services in both fixed-income and equity. Their strategies are carefully tailored to meet the needs and vision of their clients.

Founded in 1922, Weeden & Co. LP is a broker/dealer headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut with additional offices in Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis and San Francisco. The firm offers a full array of investment services with independent value-added research covering various sectors. Weeden's research goal is to produce independent, actionable long/short ideas that are free from the inherent conflicts created by investment banking. The firm vigilantly monitors proprietary, quantitative and fundamental indicators across all asset classes to identify and communicate important inflection points within the marketplace to clients. Their equities trading division specializes in difficult-to-execute orders. They are a member of the FINRA, NASDAQ and the SIPC.

Seaport Global Securities LLC is a full service investment bank, capital markets advisory and research platform headquartered in New York City with offices across the US and in Europe. They are a subsidiary of Seaport Global Holdings LLC. The firm offers access to a broad selection of fixed income and equity products, as well as the market intelligence to provide insight to dynamic opportunities for its clients. Seaport Global Securities provides clients access to innovative trading solutions, competitive rates, quality execution, and superior service. Their equity trading team focuses on identifying liquidity in US, Canadian and European markets. The fixed income distribution platform covers all areas of the credit spectrum.

JPMorgan Securities LLC (JPMS) is a securities brokerage firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1985 and is a subsidiary of JPMorgan Broker-Dealer Holdings, Inc., ultimately held by JPMorgan Chase & Co., Inc. (NYSE: JPM). JPMS provides research on fixed income, credit, derivatives, emerging markets, foreign exchange, structured finance, technical analysis and bond indices. Their equity analysts cover equities throughout North America, EMEA, Asia/Pacific and the emerging markets. The firm's fixed income team formulates trading and portfolio recommendations for investors in global bonds and other fixed-income markets based on valuations, analytics and market dynamics.

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.

Jefferies LLC is a global investment bank and institutional securities firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1962 and is a subsidiary of Jefferies Group LLC, ultimately held by Jefferies Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF). Jefferies provides corporate clients with research and execution services in equity, fixed income, and foreign exchange markets, as well as a full range of investment banking services such as underwriting, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and recapitalization, and other advisory services, with all businesses operating in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

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).

Southern Methodist University is a private university near the center of Dallas, SMU offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs through seven schools in the humanities and sciences, business, the performing, visual, and communication arts, engineering, education and human development, law, and theology.

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.

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 2012, KLR Group LLC is an SEC-registered broker/dealer located in Houston, Texas. The firm is a subsidiary of KLR Group Holdings LLC, a full service investment and merchant bank. KLR focuses on the natural resources sector including oil & gas, metals & mining and agriculture. Their area of expertise includes exploration & production companies, service providers and midstream/infrastructure carriers and processors.

Wolfe Research LLC is a FINRA-registered sell-side research firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded by Edward Wolfe in 2008 and is a subsidiary of Wolfe Holdco LLC. Wolfe Research provides bespoke research of various stocks in every major GIC sector for institutional clients. The firm has established a reputation for macro research underpinning coverage in Industrials, Utilities/Energy, Consumer/Retail, Financials/REITS, Healthcare and TMT.

Founded in 1990, Capital One Southcoast, Inc., formerly Hibernia Southcoast Capital, is a full-service investment banking firm and broker/dealer located in New Orleans, Louisiana with an additional office in Houston, Texas. The firm is a subsidiary of Capital One Financial Corp. (NYSE: COF). They are provide corporate finance, equity research, institutional equity sales and trading services to private and mid-market public companies. The firm offers broad coverage of over 1,000 domestic and foreign institutional accounts for mutual funds, pension funds, hedge funds, insurance firms and other institutional investors. Capital One Southcoast's analysts provide coverage across the energy sector including energy infrastructure, oilfield services and oil & gas exploration and production.

Clarkson Capital Markets LLC (dba Clarksons Platou Securities) is a SEC-registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 2001 as CIS Capital Markets LLC. They are a subsidiary of Clarkson USA, Inc., ultimately held by Clarkson Plc (LON: CKN) in Great Britain. Clarksons Platou Securities offers services such as equity and fixed income sales and trading, equity and credit research, corporate access and corporate finance services, including advising clients on a range of equity and debt capital markets and M&A transactions. They have a broad and diverse global institutional client base, specializing in the Clarksons Group’s core maritime, oil services and natural resources sectors.

The National Association of Certified Valuators & Analysts (NACVA) is a professional association that provides training from leading experts in consulting fields such as business valuation, financial litigation forensics, business fraud, and mergers and acquisitions. The non-profit company is based in Salt Lake City, UT. NACVA's recognized CVA designation is the most widely recognized business valuation credential and the only business valuation credential accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). The certification process consists of a five-hour proctored exam and a case study. NACVA offers a range of support services, reference materials, software, and customized databases to enhance the professional capabilities and capacities of its members. The CEO of the company is Parnell Black.

Arlington Partners LLC is a SEC-registered investment advisor and multi-family office headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. The firm was founded by Kenneth Polk in 1998 and is owned by Arlington Holdings LLC. Arlington Partners offers family office services to multigenerational families of significant net worth.

Esplanade Capital LLC is an independent hedge fund management firm headquartered in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The firm was founded by Shawn Kravetz in 1999. It manages capital for a small number of like-minded families, private investors, and institutions.

Davis Securities LLC is a private company based in New York, NY.

The Atlas Economic Research Foundation is a nonprofit organization. It connects a global network of free market organizations to the ideas and resources needed to advance the cause of liberty. The company was founded by Antony Fisher in 1981 and is headquartered in Washington, DC.

Barfield, Murphy, Shank & Smith engages in the provision of accounting, auditing, estate planning, business consulting and retirement fund services. The firm serves the architectural and engineering; construction; credit unions; healthcare, and real estate industries. The company was founded in 1991 by Keith Barfield, Don Murphy and John Shank and is headquartered in Birmingham, AL.