Tom A. Escott

Founded in 2002, Natixis Securities Americas LLC is an investment bank and SEC-registered broker/dealer headquartered New York City with offices in several leading U.S. cities and affiliate offices in London and Paris. The firm is a division of Natixis and a subsidiary of Natixis SA. Their client base is located throughout North America and Europe and ranges from the largest mutual fund and pension fund managers to specialist hedge funds. Natixis Securities Americas' sales and trading teams are located in New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Houston. Natixis Securities Americas' research efforts focus on identifying new insights about companies that are not fully reflected in their stock prices. The firm also seeks to provide clients with access to the managements of listed companies and to other industry experts. They arrange for such marketing opportunities, in the form of road shows, conferences, meetings and conference calls. Natixis Securities Americas' institutional trading desk offers clients trading capabilities in equities all over the world. The firm focuses on specific global markets to provide clients with the best possible execution worldwide. Natixis Securities Americas employs a transatlantic approach that examines the effects of technological, market and regulatory developments across both continents on the companies under coverage. In the U.S., they provide in-depth sector coverage on energy (oil services, exploration and production, alternative energy and coal), healthcare (large-cap pharmaceuticals, specialty pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices and healthcare services) and media (media conglomerates, content creators, interactive TV and new media, as well as technical analysis. In Europe, Natixis Securities Americas applies a country-wide approach to all of the key sectors of France, Germany, Austria and Central and Eastern Europe. Combined, the firm's product offering includes more than 600 stocks. Natixis Securities Americas global trading group specializes in the trading, execution and settlement of international equities. The firm provides 24-hour access to 55 global markets. They cater to broker/dealer and institutional clients, providing ADR and ordinary share executions on an agency or proprietary basis. The firm can accommodate most client trading requirements from basket trading to block orders. To complement their international trading reach, Natixis Securities Americas domestic bulletin board trading group currently markets over 2000 U.S.-based companies. The firm offers their clients innovative trading technology through a proprietary Direct Market Access (DMA) platform, Enabler Direct. This product allows immediate access to a variety of liquidity sources through one anonymous interface. Natixis Securities Americas' global brokerage services group offers services to a select group of professional clients. The firm seeks to partner with banks, broker/dealers, hedge funds and high net-worth clients that can utilize their blend of international capabilities and traditional brokerage services to support and enhance their success. Their global brokerage services group is prominent in international securities, equity trading and brokerage operations in over 55 countries around the world. They have experience in both the pre-trade and post-trade requirements in each of these countries.

D. A. Davidson & Co. is a dually SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA broker-dealer headquartered in Great Falls, Montana. The firm was founded in 1935 and is a subsidiary of D.A. Davidson Companies, a financial service holding company. They provide liquidity and execution in small & mid-cap stocks to a wide range of institutional investors, including mutual fund and money managers around the world.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Founded in 1969, HSBC Securities (U.S.A.) Inc. is an SEC-registered brokerage firm and registered futures commission merchant located in New York City. The firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of HSBC North America Holdings, Inc. and their ultimate parent is HSBC Holdings Plc. (NYSE: HBC). HSBC Securities (U.S.A.) is a member of FINRA, the NYSE and the SIPC. Their securities and annuity products are provided by registered representatives and insurance agents of HSBC Securities (U.S.A.). In California, HSBC Securities (U.S.A.) conducts insurance business as HSBC Securities Insurance Services. Insurance products are offered through insurance agents of HSBC Insurance Agency (U.S.A.) Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of HSBC Bank U.S.A. NA and an indirectly wholly-owned subsidiary of HSBC Holdings plc. The company also engages in investment banking underwriting, dealing and brokering of debt and equity securities and futures contracts and is a primary dealer in U.S. Government and federal agency securities.

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 1987, Johnson Rice & Co. LLC is an institutional research and brokerage firm located in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1991, the firm began offering investment banking services. Johnson Rice & Co. focuses primarily on the energy and specialty retail sectors

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

FMR LLC engages in the provision of financial and investment services. It offers financial planning and advice, wealth management, retirement plans, trading and brokerage services, and investment products. The company was founded by Edward C. Johnson II in 1946 and is headquartered in Boston, MA.

HSBC Bank Plc (Broker) (HSBC Bank-Broker) is the broker/dealer division of HSBC Bank Plc, which is owned by HSBC Holdings Plc (LON: HSBA; NYSE: HSBC) in Great Britain. Headquartered in London, HSBC Bank-Broker was founded in 1880 and offers bespoke brokerage services across every major asset class for their corporate and institutional clients.