Frederick Lewis Gaskin

BlackRock Advisors LLC is a SEC-registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1994 and is a subsidiary of BlackRock Capital Holdings, Inc., ultimately held by BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK). BlackRock Advisors manages assets for US-registered investment companies and 529 Plans.

In 1915 Charles Edward Merrill founded Merrill Lynch & Co. (NYSE: MER) with Edmund C. Lynch in Baltimore, Maryland. The modern Merrill Lynch was formed in 1940 through mergers with E.A. Pierce & Cassatt and, soon after, Fenner & Beane. In 1973, Merrill Lynch adopted a holding company format, with Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. as the parent and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith as the operating subsidiary. Merrill Lynch Asset Management, Inc. (MLAM) was created as an integral business unit in the Merrill Lynch family in 1976. Fund Asset Management, doing business as Mercury Asset Management, was acquired in December 1997. In 2000, MLAM and Mercury were combined under the name Merrill Lynch Investment Managers. MLAM manages the Merrill Lynch family of mutual funds, as and acts as sub-advisor to other mutual funds.

Dividend Assets Capital LLC (DAC) is a registered investment advisor headquartered in Ridgeland, South Carolina. Formerly known as Dividend Growth Advisors LLC, the firm was founded by C. Troy Shaver, Jr. in 2003 and is a subsidiary of Dividend Assets Capital Holdings, Inc. DAC provides portfolio management services to individuals and families that seeks customized portfolios to meet their wealth management needs such as retirement planning, legacy planning and philanthropic initiatives.

Deutsche Bank Investment Management, Inc. is an investment advisor headquartered in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE: DB).