Nick Potonak

Founded in 2006, CastleOak Securities LP is a minority-owned broker/dealer located in New York City with additional offices in Atlanta and Chicago. CastleOak engages in sales and trading, capital markets and financial advisory services. The firm offers expertise in primary and secondary market transactions and is structured to handle mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, valuations and general strategic assessments. Their clients range from Fortune 500 to middle-market corporations, institutional investors and financial sponsors. CastleOak is in partnership with Cantor Fitzgerald. They do not provide any internal research.

Blaylock Beal Van LLC (BBV) is a full service minority-owned investment banking and financial services company headquartered in New York City. The firm was formerly known as Blaylock Robert Van LLC. In 2007, Blaylock Robert Van LLC was formed when Blaylock & Co., an investment bank founded in 1993 by Ronald E. Blaylock, and Robert Van Securities, a financial services firm founded in 1991 by Eric V. Standifer joined forces. In January 2014, Bernard B. Beal, Founder and CEO of M.R. Beal & Co., joined the firm as Chairman, and the firm was renamed Blaylock Beal Van LLC. BBV focuses on the execution of domestic and international equity securities and baskets. Their domestic equity services include listed trading, NASDAQ trading, program trading, direct market access, algorithmic and dark pool access and transition management. Their international equity services include 24 hour global trading, FIX-enabled direct market access and individual stocks and baskets. BBV implements trading strategies globally through a network of brokerage relationships in all European, Latin American and African markets. They specialize in direct execution and step-out trades of international equities. The firm's fixed-income unit focuses on the competitive, cost-effective trading of U.S. Treasury bills, notes, bonds and agency securities.