Chris W. Krueger

Thurston Group LLC (Thurston Group) is a private equity firm founded in 1986 by Patrick J. Haynes III. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

Piper Sandler & Co. (Broker) (PSC-Broker) is the full-service brokerage division of Piper Sandler & Co., a financial service firm headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are a subsidiary of Piper Sandler Companies (NYSE: PIPR). The firm was founded in 1969 and previously known as Piper Jaffray & Co. They became Piper Sandler & Co. when Piper Jaffray Companies and Sandler O’Neill & Partners, L.P. merged to become Piper Sandler Companies in 2020. PSC-Broker provides brokerage and investment banking services to financial institutions, corporations and other financial investors. Their core focus sectors are Agriculture, renewables & cannabis, Business services, Chemicals & Materials, Consumer, Diversified industrials & services, Energy, Financial services, financial sponsors, Healthcare, and Technology.

Founded in 1997, Oak Ridge Financial Services Group, Inc. is an independent, full-service financial services firm and SEC-registered broker/dealer located in Golden Valley, Minnesota. The firm was formerly known as Equity Securities Investments, Inc. Oak Ridge Financial Services Group provides a full array of trading and execution services to individual, institutional and corporate clients. They do not provide any internal research. They are a member of FINRA. The firm maintains clearing relationships with both Southwest Securities, Inc. and J.P. Morgan Clearing Corp.

TTCP Management Services LLC (TT Capital Partners) is a private equity firm founded in 2011 by Dave A. Henderson and Kevin R. Green. The firm is headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Colliers Securities LLC is a registered broker-dealer headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The firm was founded in 1997 and formerly known as Dougherty & Co. LLC. They are a wholly owned subsidiary of Colliers Mortgage Holdings LLC, ultimately owned by Colliers International Group, Inc. (NASDAQ; TSX: CIGI) in Canada. Colliers Securities generally provides brokerage, custody and execution services through a clearing arrangement with National Financial Services LLC, a nonaffiliated firm, member NYSE, SIPC and a Fidelity Investments® Company.

Feltl & Co. is a securities brokerage and investment banking firm located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They focus on emerging growth companies, primarily located in the Upper Midwest. They are comprised of two major business lines: the private client group serves individual investors, providing advice on stocks, the equity capital markets group encompasses corporate finance, equity research, institutional equity sales, and equity trading. They are a member of the NASD.

Sidoti & Co. LLC (S&C) is a registered broker and equity research firm headquartered in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of Sidoti Holding Co. LLC and was founded in 1999. S&C provides research exclusively to institutional investors. The firm covers the following sectors: housing, retail, basic industries, technology, business services, capital goods, automotive, computer software, regional banking, telecommunications, entertainment, healthcare and consumer products. Their analysts conduct their own due diligence which includes visiting companies and meeting with operating and financial management. In addition, the firm's analysts focus on fundamentals, particularly cash flow from operations and EPS.

Northland Securities, Inc. (NSI) is a dually registered, full-service broker dealer and investment advisor headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The firm was founded in 2002 and is owned by Northland Capital Holdings, Inc., which was acquired by First National of Nebraska, Inc. (OTCMKTS: FINN) in 2023. NSI is actively engaged in buying and selling securities for its own account as well as for clients.

Cornell University is an educational institution that offers undergraduate and post graduate programs. It was founded in 1865 and is based in Ithaca, NY.

Digi-Key Corp. distributes electronic components. It also distributes semiconductors, discrete, electromechanical parts. Its products include audio products, batteries, cable assemblies, capacitors, computer & video accessories, connectors, crystals & oscillators, discrete semiconductor products and many more. The company was founded by Ronald A. Stordahl in 1972 and is headquartered in Thief River Falls, MN.

RBC Capital Markets LLC is a full-service brokerage and financial services firm headquartered in New York City. They are a direct subsidiary of RBC USA Holdco Corp. and a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada (TSE, NYSE: RY). Founded in 2010, the firm is comprised of 3 major business lines: the Private Client Group, the Fixed-Income Group and the Clearing and Execution Services Group. The Private Client Group serves individual investors, while the Fixed-Income Group provides services to institutions, municipalities and non-profit organizations. The Clearing and Execution Services Group is a provider of clearing and execution services to independent brokers/dealers throughout the US. RBC Capital Markets focuses on the following sectors: communications, media, consumer/retail, diversified industries, energy, financial institutions, forest products, healthcare, infrastructure finance, mining & metals, real estate, social infrastructure, technology and the US municipal markets.

RBC Capital Markets LLC (Investment Management) (RBC-IM) is the asset management division of RBC Capital Markets LLC, a broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of RBC USA Holdco Corp., ultimately held by Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE, TSE: RY) in Canada. RBC-IM provides advisory services to individuals, foundations, endowments, employee benefit plans, trusts and estates, educational institutions, corporations, businesses, government entities and other entities.

Hwabao Securities Co., Ltd. (Broker) is the securities brokerage arm of Hwabao Securities Co., Ltd., a wholly funded securities company headquartered in Shanghai, China. The firm was founded in 2002 and is owned by Hwabao Investment Co., Ltd., ultimately held by China State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, a special commission of the People's Republic of China. Their business scope encompasses securities brokerage, securities proprietary trading business, securities investment consultation.

Shanghai Pudong Development (Group) Co., Ltd. engages in the development and operation management of land and real estates. The company was founded on November 14, 1997 and is headquartered in Shanghai, China.

The University of St. Thomas is an institution that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. The private company is based in St. Paul, MN. It offers over 150 undergraduate majors and minors, as well as graduate programs in various fields such as business, engineering, law, education, social work, and arts and humanities. The University of St. Thomas was founded in 1885 by John Ireland.