Michael J. Birk

Janus Henderson Investors US LLC (JHIUS) is a registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The firm was founded in 1969 and formerly known as Janus Capital Management LLC. They are a subsidiary of Janus Henderson US (Holdings) Inc., which is owned by Janus Henderson Group plc (NYSE: JHG, LON: 0RPW) in Great Britain. JHIUS provides investment management services, as an investment adviser or sub-adviser, to pooled investment vehicles.

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.

Marsico Capital Management LLC (MCM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The firm was founded by Thomas “Tom” Marsico in 1997. MCM manages assets for mutual funds, corporate retirement plans, endowments, foundations, family offices, separately managed wrap programs, and other clients. The firm also serves as the investment adviser to the Marsico Funds.

Stifel, Nicolaus & Co., Inc. (Stifel) is a dual-registered broker-dealer and investment adviser headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1890, the firm is a subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF), a financial service holding company. Stifel provides full-service brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals and their families, institutions and businesses, and financial advisors.

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.

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.

ICI Mutual Insurance Co. provides risk management studies and practical advice to help insureds improve the risk profiles of their organizations. The private company is based in Washington and has subsidiaries in the United States. The American company also publish an annual newsletter called Claims Trends that provides an overview of the fund industry claims environment, including recent litigation developments, court decisions, and recent claims data.

CONNECT creates and scales companies in the technology and life sciences sectors. It creates an environment in which entrepreneurs and C-suite executives have access to the people, capital, and technology resources. The organization was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in San Diego, CA.

Competitor Group, Inc. operates as a media and event entertainment company. It publishes and print magazine on information related to running, cycling, triathlon, and other multi sports. The company was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in San Diego, CA.

The La Jolla Foundation, Inc. provides grant making services. The non-profit company is based in La Jolla, CA. The company was founded by F. Mitchell Thrower.

Events.com, Inc. operates a social networking platform. It offers event management software, on site check-in, onsite-sales promotional tools, digital marketing services, virtual events, and sponsorship. The company was founded by Mitchell F. Thrower and Stephen Partridge and is headquartered in La Jolla, CA.

La Jolla Holding Co. LLC (La Jolla) is a private equity founded in 2014. The firm is headquartered in La Jolla, California.

NBCNews.com operates an Internet portal. It offers breaking news, videos, and the latest stories in world news, business, politics, health and pop culture. The company is headquartered in New York, NY.

Krusen Capital Management LLC (KCM) is an independent SEC-registered investment advisor and hedge fund management firm headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida. The firm was founded by Charles Krusen in 2009. KCM provides alternative investment solutions for family offices, high net worth individuals, and independent wealth advisers.

Nuveen Asset Management LLC (NAM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded in 2011 and is a subsidiary of Nuveen Fund Advisors LLC, which is ultimately owned by TIAA Board of Governors. NAM provides investment advisory and sub-advisory services to a broad range of individual and institutional clients, such as open-end and closed-end investment companies and other pooled investment vehicles.

Mastodon Ventures, Inc. engages in the provision of advisory services to the restaurant industry. It offers strategic advisory, restructuring advisory, capital formation advisory, valuation services, special situations, and investments. The company was founded in June 9, 2000 and is headquartered in Austin, TX.

Parthenon Capital LLC (Parthenon Capital) is a private equity firm founded in 1998 by John C. Rutherford. The firm is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Virtus Fund Advisers LLC (VFA) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1985, the firm was originally named Trusco Capital Management, Inc. and later became RidgeWorth Capital Management, Inc. and RidgeWorth Capital Management LLC. They were formerly a majority-owned subsidiary of SunTrust Banks, Inc. (NYSE: STI). They became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Virtus Partners, Inc., which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRTS), when the latter acquired the firm in June 2017 and subsequently changed their name into Virtus Fund Advisers LLC. VFA provides discretionary and non-discretionary advisory services to institutional clients including pension and profit-sharing plans, endowments and foundations, governmental entities, and other corporate entities as well as high net-worth clients.

American Society of Mechanical Engineers operates non-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing and skill development for engineering community. The company was founded in 1880 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

The American Society of Heating Refrigerating & Air-Conditioning (ASHRAE) provides resources to help designers make buildings more resilient to natural disasters. The non-profit company is based in Peachtree Corners, GA and has subsidiaries in the United States. The company's focus is on helping buildings and their systems withstand and recover from adverse events.