Blake Robert Karls

Advisory Research, Inc. (ARI) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded by David Heller in 1974 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ostara, Inc. They provide discretionary investment management services to institutional and high-net-worth clients through separately managed accounts, unregistered pooled investment vehicles, and model-based accounts.

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.

American Century Investment Management, Inc. (ACIM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. The firm was founded by James E. Stowers, Jr. in 1958 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Century Cos., Inc. ACIM provides portfolio management services to financial advisors, individual investors and institutional clients.

Ernst & Young LLP engages in the provision of accounting, assurance, tax, transaction, and advisory services. It specializes in the actuarial, analytics and big data, cyber security, accounting compliance and reporting, center for board matters, international financial reporting standards, country tax advisory, global trade, tax accounting, and climate change and sustainability. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Wells Fargo Securities LLC (WFS) is the broker/dealer subsidiary of EVEREN Capital Corp., ultimately owned by Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC). Headquartered in New York, WFS delivers a comprehensive suite of banking, capital markets and advisory solutions, such as a full complement of sales, trading and research capabilities, to corporate, government and institutional clients.

Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc. (Broker) (Baird-Broker) is the broker-dealer division of Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc., an investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm was founded in 1919 and is ultimately owned by Baird Financial Group, Inc. Baird-Broker offers a full suite of comprehensive trading services for institutional clients.

Guggenheim Securities LLC is a SEC-registered broker-dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1999 and is a subsidiary of Links Holdings LLC, ultimately held by Guggenheim Partners LLC. Guggenheim Securities’ specializations include the sales and trading of fixed-income securities and sophisticated structured products. The firm offers in-depth analysis and expert execution of trading opportunities to large institutional investors and asset originators. They offer sales and trading services relating to a wide range of instruments.

UBS Securities LLC is an investment bank and registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1998 as UBS Warburg LLC. They are a subsidiary of UBS Americas Holding LLC, ultimately held by UBS Group AG (SWX: UBSG, NYSE: UBS) in Switzerland. UBS Securities is a primary dealer in US Government securities and provides a full range of investment banking services which includes corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, trading and sales, fixed-income, equity research, private banking, underwriting and prime brokerage operations. The firm also provides advisory services and access to capital markets for corporate, institutional, intermediary and alternative asset management clients.

Part of MediaTechnics Corp., San Francisco Funding, Inc. provides mortgage funding and services. The company is based in San Diego, CA. San Francisco Funding was acquired by MediaTechnics Corp. on November 17, 2003.

Humanscale Corp. specializes in office ergonomics. Its products include chairs, keyboard supports, monitor arms, task lighting, central processing unit holders, ergo tools, access rail, glare filters, foot machine, laptop holders, switch mouse, and copy holders. The company was founded by Robert King in 1982 and is headquartered in Greenwood Village, CO.

Beta Wealth Group, Inc. is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in San Diego, California. The firm was founded by Jodi Vleck in 2009. Beta Wealth Group provides a wide array of investment advisory services to a niche group of executives and professionals in the technology, engineering, life sciences, biotechnology, and telecommunications software industries.

Part of SVB Financial Group, MoffettNathanson LLC is a company that provides investment research. The company is based in New York, NY. The company was founded in 2013 by Michael Brian Nathanson, Craig Eder Moffett.

Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. (Broker) (Oppenheimer-Broker) is the global full-service brokerage division of Oppenheimer & Co., Inc., an investment boutique headquartered in New York City with additional offices nationwide. Founded in 1975, the firm is owned directly by Viner Finance Inc., an indirect subsidiary of Oppenheimer Holdings Inc. (NYSE: OPY). Oppenheimer-Broker offers a full array of brokerage services to retail, institutional, and corporate clients.

SRI Ventures (SRI Ventures) is a venture capital subsidiary of SRI International founded in 2000. The firm is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.

Amazon Web Services, Inc. engages in provision of information technology infrastructure services. Its solutions include archiving, backup and restore, blockchain, business applications, containers, content delivery, database migrations, data lakes and analytics, development operations, e-commerce, high performance computing, hybrid cloud architectures, Internet of Things, mobile services, modern application development, scientific computing, serverless computing, and websites. The company was founded by Andrew R. Jassy in 2006 and is headquartered in Seattle, WA.

In-Q-Tel, Inc. operates as alternative investment company. It offers services which include investing side-by-side with venture firms, help develop sustainable solutions and use off-the-shelf products to start-ups developing innovation technologies. The company was founded in February 1999 and is headquartered in Arlington, VA.

Center for Strategic & International Studies, Inc. provides strategic insights & policy solutions to decision makers in government, international institutions, the private sector, and civil society. Its projects focus on areas such as AIDS, arms control, conflict resolution, NATO, the environment, immigration, intelligence, trade, health care, OPEC, space policy, and terrorism. The company was founded in 1962 by David M. Abshire and Admiral Arleigh Burke and is headquartered in Washington, DC.

MetroStar Systems, Inc. provides information technology services. It offers support streamlining and integrating business, automation, metrics and analytic forecasting, customized information technology development, training, and strategies. The company was founded by Ali Rexa Manouchehri and Robert Santos in 1999 and is headquartered in Reston, VA.

Edward Jones Investments operates as a financial advisory firm.

Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Edward Jones Trust Company (EJT), a subsidiary of The Jones Financial Companies LP, is a registered investment advisor. The firm manages the assets of Boone National Savings and Loan Association.

Tortoise Capital Advisors LLC (Tortoise) is a SEC-registered investment advisor firm headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas. The firm was founded by Harold Birzer in 2002 and is a subsidiary of TortoiseEcofin Borrower LLC (formerly Tortoise Borrower LLC), ultimately held by TortoiseEcofin Investments LLC. Tortoise provides investment management services to individual and institutional investors and pooled investment vehicles.

Part of Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc., Mercer Investment Consulting LLC is a company that redefines the world of work, reshapes retirement and investment outcomes, and unlocks real health and well-being. The company is based in Chicago, IL. Mercer provides solutions for both the federal government as well as state agencies. The company has an action plan and a commitment to inclusion and diversity. Mercer offers forward-looking ESG ratings and operational due diligence reports on thousands of managers and strategies across public and private markets. The company meets the needs of today and tomorrow by understanding the data and applying it with a human touch, and by turning ideas into action to spark positive change.

1858 Capital Partners LLC is a boutique M&A advisory firm that specializes in mergers and acquisitions and principal investments. The private company is based in Winter Park, FL, and has subsidiaries in the United States. The company has a focus on the middle market and utilizes its network, internal resources, and the latest technology to attain successful transactions. Unlike traditional investment banks, 1858 was formed with a community banking model in mind. The 1858 team is very selective regarding engagements and looks to limit the number of engagements taken on at any one time so maximum client interfacing is achieved. The company was founded in 2022 by Jay Chaudhari, Michael Skat, Michael Ward, Michael A. Okaty.

Penta Mezzanine Fund (Penta Mezzanine) is a private equity firm founded in 2007 by Grant Hill, Seth D. Ellis and Rebecca Irish. The firm is headquartered in Orlando, Florida.

Evercore Group LLC is a SEC-registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1995 and is a subsidiary of Evercore BD Investco LLC, which is owned by Evercore, Inc. (NYSE: EVR). Evercore Group delivers equity research and equity sales and agency trading execution, in addition to providing wealth and investment management services to high net worth and institutional investors.

Houlihan Lokey Capital, Inc. is a registered broker/dealer headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The firm was founded in 1996 and they are a subsidiary of Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE: HLI). Houlihan Lokey Capital provides an array of trading and execution services for their clients. They also have the ability to serve as underwriter or bookrunner with respect to traditional debt and equity offerings, including leveraged loans and public offerings of debt, equity-linked, and equity securities.

Founded in 1984, Noble Financial Capital Markets is a broker/dealer headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. The firm is a subsidiary of Noble Financial Group, Inc. Noble Financial Capital Markets' sales & trading team provides strategic insight and reliable solutions to nearly 500 of the dominant small-cap money managers in North America. They are members FINRA, SIPC and MSRB. Noble Financial Capital Markets offers a full array of investment services with a particular focus on under-followed, undervalued, out-of-favor small-cap emerging growth companies. Their research coverage universe includes healthcare, business services & software, defense/defense technology, energy, enterprise hardware, and media & entertainment.

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.

Truman State University Foundation provides scholarships for student of the Truman State University. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Kirksville, MO.

BB&T Securities LLC, doing business as BB&T Capital Markets, is the broker/dealer subsidiary of BB&T Corp. (NYSE: BBT). The firm is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. They offer a full array of investment, trading and execution services to middle-market companies. BB&T Capital Markets' sales and trading arm is comprised of 2 groups: Debt Securities Sales & Trading and Equity Sales & Trading. The Debt Securities Sales & Trading group focuses on: (1) Government and agency securities (2) corporate bonds (3) municipal bonds (4) asset-backed securities (5) mortgage-backed securities (6) preferred securities and (7) money market desk (short-term securities including BB&T funding). The Equity Sales & Trading group focuses on: (1) institutional block execution services (2) institutional distribution of proprietary research (3) providing proprietary access to industry leading conferences and management teams (4) serving as a NASDAQ market maker for over 250 securities (5) stock buybacks including 10b-18 and 10b5-1 trading plans and (6) 144 stock sales, individual 10b5-1 trading plans (buy and sell) and employee cashless stock option programs. BB&T Capital Markets provides research coverage of the communications, defense and government services, energy, financial services, furnishings and consumer durables, healthcare, industrial services, retail/consumer durables and transportation services sectors.

Part of SCMI, Inc., Savant Wealth Management LLC is an independent, fee-only wealth management firm providing comprehensive financial advice to financially established individuals and institutions. The company offers investment management, financial planning, retirement planning, and family office services. Additionally, Savant also offers corporate accounting, tax preparation, payroll, and consulting through its affiliate, Savant Tax & Consulting, and estate planning document preparation and other legal services through its affiliated law firm, Savant Legal LLP. Savant's headquarters are in Rockford, IL, with locations across the nation. Savant is an SEC registered investment adviser with $13.50 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2022. The company was founded in 1986 by Brent Raymond Brodeski, who has been the CEO since then.

Savant Capital LLC, do-business-as Savant Wealth Management (Savant), is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Rockford, Illinois. The firm was founded by Thomas Muldowney in 1986 and is a subsidiary of Savant Capital Holdings LLC, owned by SCMI, Inc. (formerly known as Savant Capital Management, Inc.). Savant offers investment management, financial planning, retirement planning, and family office services to financially established individuals, families, and businesses.