John M. Roberts

J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons LLC is a broker/dealer headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. The firm is a subsidiary of HL Financial Services LLC. They provide a full array of investment services. J.J.B. Hilliard specializes in a variety of industries including banks, REITs, technology, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, utilities, telecommunications providers, entertainment and leisure. The firm focuses on companies that provide niche products or services not easily duplicated. The companies they recommend must exhibit a combination of attributes including high returns on assets and equity, reliable earnings that are growing and manageable debt. J.J.B. Hilliard also prefers companies that generate excess cash. Through its predecessors, the firm's origins can be traced to 1854. In 1965, J.J.B. Hilliard & Son and W.L. Lyons and Co. combined to become J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons. In 1972, Hilliard Lyons exchanged its traditional partnership form of business for a corporation model. Then, in 1998, Hilliard Lyons was acquired by PNC Financial Services GroupI. In 2008, ownership of Hilliard Lyons was transitioned from PNC Financial Services Group to joint ownership by Hilliard Lyons’ own employees and Houchens Industries, Inc. of Bowling Green, Kentucky, a diversified, employee-owned company.

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.

Stifel Nicolaus Canada, Inc. is a broker/dealer headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The firm is a subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF), a full-service regional brokerage and investment banking firm that was founded in 1890. Stifel Nicolaus offers institutional investors differentiated, research-driven equity products with a focus on value and service. In addition to the company's comprehensive institutional coverage, the firm also maintains one of the largest retail distribution networks in the U.S. Stifel Nicolaus' Fixed Income Group offers the company’s institutional clients a comprehensive combination of products and services. The company expertise in trading, research and investment banking enables us to partner with the company clients to develop solutions designed to meet their needs. Stifel Nicolaus' research focuses on all market-caps, but the firm has particular expertise in small- and mid-cap research. The company research efforts focus on 45 specialties in 12 sectors including: aerospace, business services, consumer/retail, diversified industrials, education, energy/power, financial institutions, healthcare, Internet, metals/mining, real estate, technology and transportation.