Tim Collins

Mason Street Advisors LLC (MSA) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm was founded in 2001 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. MSA provides professional portfolio management services for institutional investors by providing continuous investment advice and management based upon the individual needs and objectives of each client.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. provides annuities, mutual funds, long-term care insurance and disability income insurance through subsidiaries. Among Northwestern Mutual's majority-owned subsidiaries are the Frank Russell Co., Northwestern Mutual Investment Services LLC (NMIS), the Northwestern Mutual Trust Co. and Mason Street Advisors LLC. NMIS has been a member of the Northwestern Mutual family of companies since 1968. They serve the investment planning and product needs of individuals and businesses. NMIS offers an array of individual planning solutions ranging from college education funding to IRA solutions, retirement planning solutions for corporations, institutions, foundations and endowments. They also offer a variety of investment products, including mutual funds, unit investment trusts, certificates of deposit, money market accounts, treasuries, individual equity and fixed-income investments and variable life and variable annuities. Northwestern Investment Management Co. is a wholly owned subsidiary of NMIS and offers full-time opportunities in private debt and equity and real estate investments at their corporate headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Mason Street Advisors provides investment advisory services not only to Northwestern Mutual, but also to the Mason Street Funds and the separate accounts for Northwestern Mutual's variable life and annuity products.

Blacksand Energy, Inc. extracts oil and natural gas properties. It engages in acquisition and development of natural gas properties. The company was founded in 2003 and is located in Denver, CO.

Northwestern Mutual Capital LLC (Northwestern Mutual Capital) is a private equity firm founded in 1980. The firm is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.