Steve Buffington

Stephens, Inc. is a full-service investment bank and brokerage firm headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. The firm was founded in 1933 and is a subsidiary of Susi Holdings, Inc., which is owned by Stephens Financial Services LLC. Stephens provides comprehensive securities sales and trading services, including customized solutions for clients in North America and abroad.

The Vanguard Group, Inc. (VGI) is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania. The firm was founded in 1975 by John Bogle. In 1976, they introduced the first indexed mutual fund, the First Index Investment Trust (now known as the Vanguard 500 Index Fund), to individual investors. VGI provides investment advisory services to Vanguard family of funds and Vanguard's non-US clients, which are comprised of funds established as trusts under the laws of the Province of Ontario in Canada and separate account clients of Vanguard's international subsidiaries.

Fayez Sarofim & Co. (FSC) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Houston, Texas. The firm was founded by Fayez Sarofim in 1958 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Sarofim Group, Inc. FSC manages investment portfolios for a wide range of clients which includes pension plans, foundations, endowments and individuals.

Golub Capital Partners LLC (Golub Capital Partners) is a private equity firm founded in 1994 by Lawrence Eric Golub. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Avondale Partners LLC is an independent broker/dealer headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee with additional offices across the US. The firm was founded by Robert Shepherd and Philip Krebs in 2001. Avondale Partners provides financial advisory services as well as equity and fixed income underwriting and private placement services to public and private companies throughout the US, Canada and Europe. They focus on middle-market companies in the healthcare sector.

Part of Monex Group, Inc., TradeStation Securities, Inc. is a licensed securities broker-dealer and a registered futures commission merchant. The company is based in Fort Lauderdale, FL. TradeStation Securities offers a full suite of advanced trading technology, online brokerage services, and education. The company's technology subsidiary, TradeStation Technologies, Inc., develops and offers strategy trading software tools and subscription services, and hosts the TradingApp® store. TradeStation Securities provides a premier investing experience for the trader on the go, with their mobile trading app. The company also offers a futures options trading platform, allowing traders to identify and seize market opportunities with advanced trading technology. Customers can trade stocks, ETFs, options, or futures online.

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.

Eastover Investment Advisors LLC, dba Eastover Capital Management (Eastover Capital), is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor and wealth management firm headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The firm was founded in 2009 when it purchased Eastover Capital Management, which was originally formed in 1988 by Donn Toney and Robert Pharr. Eastover Capital provides active portfolio management for individual and institutional clients throughout the country.

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.

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.

Clearview Capital LLC (Clearview Capital) is a private equity firm founded in 1999 by James Andersen, Pete Doolittle and Calvin Neider. The firm is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.

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.

Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC (Cornerstone Wealth) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Huntersville, North Carolina. The firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Focus Operating LLC, ultimately held by Focus Financial Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: FOCS). Cornerstone Wealth provides individuals and other types of clients with a wide array of investment advisory services.

SpeedInvest GmbH (Speedinvest) was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Vienna.

Coastal Carolina National Bank provides banking services. It offers personal checking, savings and lending, business checking and savings, commercial loans, mortgage, and online banking. The company was founded on June 8, 2009 and is headquartered in Myrtle Beach, SC.

Gouws Capital LLC is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor and wealth management firm headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The firm was founded by Fanie Gouws in 2010. Gouws Capital manages both taxable and tax-exempt investment portfolios for individuals, trusts, and estates.

Lipper Advisory Services, Inc. is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Summit, New Jersey. The firm was founded by A. Michael Lipper in 1981. Lipper Advisory Services provides investment advisory and consulting services to retirement plan fiduciaries, trustees of tax-exempt foundations and endowments, charitable organizations, corporations, insurance companies and wealthy families and individuals.

Part of United Community Banks, Inc., FinTrust Brokerage Services LLC is a financial advisory firm based in Greenville, SC. The company's credentialed professionals handle personal, corporate, and institutional planning.

Cornerstone Advisory LLP is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland. The firm was founded in 2006 by Donald Huber Jr. and Thomas Biddison III. They are a subsidiary of Chesapeake Advisory Group LLC. Cornerstone Advisory offers investment advisory services to individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, business entities, and a private pooled investment vehicle.

Berman Capital Advisors LLC is a multi-family office headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The firm was founded by Justin Berman in 2010. In 2021, they were acquired by Cresset Asset Management LLC, which is ultimately owned by Cresset Capital Management LLC. Berman Capital Advisors provides family office services, wealth management, and investment consulting services to a select group of high-net-worth families.

Incline Management Corp.(Incline Equity Partners) is a private equity firm founded by Jack Glover, Wali C. Bacdayan and Justin Bertram. The firm is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

IMPACT Therapeutics, Inc. manufactures pharmaceutical products. The firm develops discovery and commercialization of novel therapeutics to treat cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The company was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Nanjing, China.

LAV Management Co., Ltd. (LAV) is a venture capital subsidiary of Eli Lilly & Co. founded in 2008. The firm is headquartered in Shanghai, China with branches located in Central, Hong Kong and California, United States.

Varagon Capital Partners LP (Varagon Capital Partners) is a private equity subsidiary of Man Group Plc (Jersey) firm founded in 2014 by Doug Kaden and Brett Shapiro. The firm is headquartered in New York.

Jb Fitzgerald Venture Capital (Jb Fitzgerald) is a venture capital firm. The firm is headquartered in Lincolnton, North Carolina.

Part of Van Buren Bancorporation ESOP (Iowa), First Iowa State Bank is a state-chartered commercial bank based in Keosauqua, IA. The company provides banking services to individuals and businesses in the local community.

New York City Economic Development Corp. provides economic assistance and financial incentives for large businesses. Its services include financing and incentives, strategic investments group, programs for entrepreneurs, programs for business recovery and resiliency, programs for nonprofits, workforce and local business programs, incubators and workspace resources, international programs, portnyc and central business districts. The company was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Ready Responders, Inc. engages in the development of mobile application which connects trained, licensed, and fully insured EMTs, paramedics, and nurses to 911 systems, hospitals, and payers. The company was founded by Benjamin Swig and Justin Dangel in 2016 and is headquartered in New Orleans, LA.

WOCstar Fund (WOCstar) is a venture capital firm founded in 2018 by Gayle Jennings-O'Byrne and Pialy Aditya. The firm is headquartered in New York.

7 Mile Advisors LLC provides investment banking and corporate advisory services. It offers middle-market investment banking, private company advisory, sell-side advisory, capital raises, and buy-side advisory and valuation advisory services. The company was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Charlotte, NC.

Keel Point LLC is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. The firm was founded by David Parks and Robert Brooks in 1998 by Robert Mayes as Blue Creek Investment Partners LLC. They are a subsidiary of Keel Point Partners LLC. Keel Point provides financial and strategic advice for families just starting out and for families with multi-generational wealth, and investment management designed to allow each family to reach their financial goals.

EIG Global Energy Partners LLC (EIG Global Energy Partners) is a private equity firm founded in 2011. The firm is headquartered in Washington, District of Columbia.

Intrepid Financial Partners LLC is a merchant bank that provides advisory and investing platforms to companies and investors in the energy sector. The private company is based in New York, NY and has subsidiaries in the United States. The company offers mergers & acquisitions, restructuring, and capital markets services, as well as makes principal equity and debt investments. Intrepid leverages the deep industry knowledge, relationships, and capital-raising expertise of its principals on behalf of its clients and investors.