Mary B. Safrai

Headquartered in New York City, Swiss American Securities, Inc., a subsidiary of Credit Suisse Group, (NYSE: CS) is a client-focused broker/dealer and custodian. The firm specializes in customized, technologically innovative solutions for both international execution and cross-border custody services. They offer products and services that connect small- to medium-sized financial institutions and their customers to global markets. Swiss American offers a full array of investment services. They do not provide internal research. The firm is a member of the NYSE, the NASD and the SIPC.

C.K. Cooper & Co. is a full-service investment banking and broker/dealer headquartered in Irvine, California. The firm was founded in 1982 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of C & K Capital Corp., and a sister company to Paladin Capital Partners, Inc. The services provided by C.K. Cooper & Co. were expanded in 1996, when a management team led by Alexander G. Montano purchased the firm. In 2001, C.K. Cooper & Co. began to offer brokerage services to individual investors. The firm is a member of the NASD. C.K. Cooper & Co. focuses on the oil and gas sectors. Their primary focus within the oil and gas sectors is the exploration and production sub-sector. The core thesis of the firm's research is based on what they refer to as the feeding frenzy, suggesting that there are constant business cycles within the E&P sector. These cycles are predicated on the need for larger oil and gas companies to acquire smaller exploration and production companies to maintain rates of growth.