Ryan Merkel

Northwestern University is a private institution founded in 1851 to serve the Northwest Territory, an area that now includes the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota. Northwestern has three campuses

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.

Founded in 2001, Macquarie Capital (USA), Inc. is a registered broker/dealer located in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of Macquarie Bank Ltd. (ASX: MBL). They provide coverage of the following industries: resources, healthcare, security/defense, transportation, financial services, retail/consumer products, TMET (telecommunications, media, entertainment and technology), oil & gas, diversified manufacturing/distribution and infrastructure/utilities. Macquarie Capital (USA), Inc. is a member of FINRA.

Harvard University engages in the provision of teaching and research. It has twelve degree-granting Schools in addition to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, offering a global education. The university was founded in 1636 and is headquartered in Cambridge, MA.

Accenture LLC operates as a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. The company is headquartered in Reston, VA.

William Blair & Co. LLC (Investment Management) (William Blair-IM) is the investment management division of William Blair & Co. LLC, a registered broker/dealer headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded in 1935 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of WBC Holdings LP. William Blair-IM provides investment advisory and management services to a number of clients including high net worth clients, individuals, small institutions, William Blair Wrap Program clients and other registered investment advisers.

William Blair Investment Management LLC (William Blair) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded in 2014 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of WBC Holdings LP. William Blair provides investment solutions to corporations, pension funds, governments and public agencies, endowments, foundations, Taft-Hartley plans, and other institutional investors across the globe.

Founded by Dana Telsey in 2008, Telsey Advisory Group LLC (TAG) is an independent equity research and consulting firm focused on the consumer sector, including retail and apparel companies and restaurants. They provide hedge funds, mutual funds, private equity firms and private and public consumer companies the detailed analysis and market context that is necessary to make strategic and investment decisions. TAG covers both US-based and international companies across the consumer landscape, including apparel manufacturers, children and teen retailers, consumer electronics, department stores, discounters, home furnishings, luxury goods, off-price retailers, quick service and specialty restaurants and specialty apparel retailers. Their consulting services include acquisition due diligence, benchmarking, competitive analyses, financial analysis, investor relations functions, market assessments, and valuation.

Barclays Capital, Inc. is a registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1997 and is a subsidiary of Barclays Group US, Inc., ultimately owned by Barclays plc (LON: BARC) in Great Britain. Barclays Capital provides large corporate, government and institutional clients a full spectrum of prime brokerage services which includes equities and fixed income financing, OTC Clearing, Futures and Foreign Exchange Prime Brokerage and access to industry insights and analytics from their Strategic Consulting team.

UBS AG (Investment Management) (UBS-IM) is the Swiss investment management division of UBS AG, itself a subsidiary of UBS Group AG (SWX: UBSG, NYSE: UBS) in Switzerland. Formerly known as UBS Global Asset Management Switzerland, the firm was founded in 1998 when Union Bank of Switzerland and Swiss Bank Corporation merged. Headquartered in Zurich and has additional office in Basel, UBS-IM manages a range of investment funds and offers investment management services for institutional, corporate and private clients.

Oyat Advisors GmbH is an investment manager founded in 2015, based in Zurich, Switzerland. The Swiss company focuses on preserving and appreciating capital over the long-term through investment strategies that include a core of high-quality equities and physical gold. Oyat Advisors invests alongside its clients to ensure alignment with a disciplined investment process.

40/86 Advisors, Inc. (40/86) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Carmel, Indiana. Formerly known as Conseco Capital Management, Inc., the firm was founded in 1981 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: CNO). 40/86 provides portfolio management services primarily to affiliated and limited unaffiliated insurance companies.

Morningstar Investment Management LLC is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded in 1999 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN). Morningstar Investment Management offers various investment advisory services that focus on their core capabilities in asset allocation, investment selection, and portfolio construction to financial or other institutions.

Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children provides healthcare services. It offers pediatric orthopedics, dyslexia and other medical services. The company was founded in 1921 and is headquartered in Dallas, TX.

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.

PRIMECAP Management Co. (PRIMECAP) is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Pasadena, California. The firm was founded in 1983 by Theofanis Kolokotrones and Mitchell Milias. PRIMECAP manages US-focused equity portfolios for a select group of employee benefit and 401K plans, endowment funds, foundations, Taft Hartley plans, sovereign funds, and mutual funds for the Vanguard Group and the PRIMECAP Odyssey Funds.

Chicago Board of Trade provides trade derivative facilities. It allows speculators throughout the world to interpret economic data, news, and other information. The company was founded on April 3, 1848 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

Founded in 1989, BCP Securities LLC is a fully licensed U.S. investment bank that offers a select range of high-quality investment banking services, with a focus on emerging markets. The firm is registered with the SEC, FINRA, the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) of Singapore, and the Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV) of Spain. BCP provides fixed-income research on Latin American and Eastern European Markets. The macroeconomic research includes medium- and long-term forecasting of foreign exchange and economic activity. They provide in-depth credit analysis and coverage of corporate issuers.

Navigant Capital Advisors LLC provides investment banking services. It offers fairness opinion, mergers and acquisition, private placement, due diligence, divestiture, leveraged recapitalization and refinancing, debt and equity underwriting and business turnaround advisory services. The company is headquartered in Chicago, IL.