Daniel Patrick Ries

Founded in 2002, Maxim Group LLC is a registered broker/dealer located in New York City. The firm provides an array of financial services including: investment banking, equity research, private wealth management, structured products and global institutional equity, fixed-income and derivative sales and trading to a diverse range of corporate clients, institutional investors and high net-worth individuals. Maxim Group's niche is emerging-growth companies in a variety of sectors including healthcare, technology, retail and others. They utilize a fundamental, bottom-up approach to investment recommendations. The firm combines rigorous financial analysis of specific companies and industries with due diligence that includes frequent consults with suppliers, customers, competitors and senior management. The firm focuses on under-covered, small- to-mid-cap companies where valuation levels may be out of sync with fundamental trends. Maxim's coverage universe often represents attractive niche industries where stocks tend to be inefficient. This research coverage fills a void created by the downsized research ranks and shrinking coverage of small- to mid-cap stocks by large investment banks. Maxim Group is a member of FINRA, the MSRB, the SIPC, the ISE, NASDAQ and NYSE Arca.

Founded in 1991, Collins Stewart LLC is a broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of UK-based Collins Stewart Plc. Their research focuses on the aerospace and defense, technology, telecommunications, biotechnology, Internet/software and semiconductors sectors

Monness Crespi Hardt & Co., Inc. is an independent equity research firm and full-service broker/dealer located in New York City. Founded in 1996, the firm's origins can be traced to the establishment of their predecessor firm in 1964. Monness Crespi Hardt & Co. clears all trading activity through Goldman Sachs Execution & Clearing LLC. The firm's research team produces proprietary, fundamental research that seek to identify undervalued or undercover special situations without regard to size. They focus on the following industries: automotive services, chemicals, defense, pharmaceuticals, gaming, healthcare, home builders, industrials, medical instruments, oil & gas, retail, semiconductors and special situations. Monness Crespi Hardt & Co. is a member of FINRA and the SPIC

Schottenfeld Group LLC is a registered broker dealer located in New York City

Founded in 1982, Miller Tabak + Co. LLC is a broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm offers a full array of investment services to institutional investors ranging from hedge funds to large institutions, with emphasis on executing trading and hedging strategies with an aggressive approach. They provide clients with overview and analysis of a variety of markets including stocks, bonds, options, futures and currencies. Their research covers a variety of industries and focuses on undervalued companies.

C. E. Unterberg, Towbin is a global investment bank headquartered in New York City with additional offices in California and Israel. The firm provides investment banking, research and investment management services to emerging growth companies and investors in the technology, health care and defense, security and diversified technology sectors. C. E. Unterberg was founded in 1932 by Clarence Unterberg. In 1977, the firm merged with L. F. Rothschild to form L. F. Rothschild, Unterberg, Towbin. In 1990, the firm again became privately owned and independent when Clarence Unterberg's son, Thomas I. Unterberg, re-launched the firm as a full-service investment bank.

Founded in 1995, Kaufman Bros. LP is a broker/dealer headquartered in New York City with an additional office in San Francisco. The firm is a member of the NASD, the SIPC and FINRA. Kaufman Bros. provides investment banking, equity research and institutional sales and trading. The firm provides fundamental research on the following sectors: (1) cable, satellite and interactive media (2) communications equipment (3) digital media software (4) green technology (5) information technology hardware and storage (6) information technology services and software (7) semiconductors and (8) telecommunications & data services.

Nomura Securities International, Inc. (NSI) is a registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City and was founded in 1969. The firm is a division of Nomura Holding America, Inc. and their ultimate parent is Nomura Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NMR, TYO: 8604, AMS: 8604). NSI provides securities brokerage services, as well as asset management, domestic retail, global markets, global investment banking and global merchant banking services. The firm's fixed-income business consists of bond sales and trading, origination and product supply for securitization deals and real estate-focused asset finance operations (in cooperation with Investment Banking). In the equity markets, NSI offers sales and trading of domestic and foreign stocks on a global basis, primarily for institutional investors.