Shannon S. Cross

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (Credit Suisse Securities USA) is the broker/dealer division of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, an investment banking company headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1998 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Credit Suisse (USA), Inc., ultimately owned by Credit Suisse Group AG (SWX: CSGN) in Switzerland. Credit Suisse Securities USA offers a suite of equities, solutions and credit products and services which includes global securities sales, trading and execution, prime brokerage and comprehensive investment research. Their clients include financial institutions, corporations, governments, institutional investors, such as pension funds and hedge funds, and private individuals around the world.

Formed by Shannon Cross in 2003, Cross Research LLC is an independent research firm located in Livingston, New Jersey. They specialize in technology equity research. Coverage areas include information technology hardware, imaging technology and enterprise software.

Founded in 2003, Soleil Securities Corp. is a broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of Ticonderoga Securities LLC and their ultimate parent is Cayman Islands-based GEROVA Financial Group Ltd. (NYSE: GFC). Soleil Securities Corp. is a member of FINRA and the SIPC. The firm offers in-depth company-specific equity research to institutional clients. They provide coverage across a variety of significant growth sectors of the economy. Soleil Securities Corp.'s research process integrates macroeconomic considerations with investment-relevant policy insights. They seek to produce alpha-generating, actionable information that can help their clients achieve their investment objectives. The firm covers the following industries: (1) basic materials including agricultural chemicals, specialty chemicals and paper/forest products (2) capital goods and industrials including autos and auto parts (3) consumer including gaming, lodging, eTravel, agribusiness, sustainable agriculture, specialty foods, specialty retail, homebuilders and retailing/automotive (4) financial institutions including financial services, property and casualty and regional banks (5) healthcare including pharmaceuticals, medical technology, biotechnology and medical devices (6) special situations (7) strategy and policy (8) technology including software/Internet, semiconductors and solar power (9) telecommunications and telecommunications equipment (10) transportation (11) airlines and (12) utilities

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. (MLPFS) is the SEC-registered broker/dealer subsidiary of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., ultimately held by Charlotte-based Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC). The firm was founded in 1958 and is headquartered in New York City. In 2010, Banc of America Securities LLC merged with MLPFS and the firm uses the trade name Bank of America Merrill Lynch. MLPFS's global strategy and economics team serves institutional and individual investors using a wide range of macroeconomic disciplines. Their analysis of global issues provides clients with investment ideas, market forecasts, macro overviews and specific sector recommendations across asset classes, regions and disciplines. Their equity research team conducts fundamental analysis on companies globally and provides institutional and retail clients with industry-specific and in-depth research and analysis on numerous industries. The firm's global fixed-income and equity-linked research focuses on fixed-income and equity derivatives, fixed-income strategy, convertibles, commodities, high-yield, mortgages, municipals and global foreign exchange.