Gregory Brunk

Crossmark Global Investments, Inc. (Crossmark) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and faith-based boutique investment management firm headquartered in Houston, Texas. The firm was founded in 1987 and is wholly-owned by Crossmark Global Holdings, Inc. Crossmark provides a full suite of investment strategies to institutional investors, financial advisors, and the clients they serve.

BlackRock Advisors LLC is a SEC-registered investment advisor and mutual fund manager headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1994 and is a subsidiary of BlackRock Capital Holdings, Inc., ultimately held by BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK). BlackRock Advisors manages assets for US-registered investment companies and 529 Plans.

In 1915 Charles Edward Merrill founded Merrill Lynch & Co. (NYSE: MER) with Edmund C. Lynch in Baltimore, Maryland. The modern Merrill Lynch was formed in 1940 through mergers with E.A. Pierce & Cassatt and, soon after, Fenner & Beane. In 1973, Merrill Lynch adopted a holding company format, with Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. as the parent and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith as the operating subsidiary. Merrill Lynch Asset Management, Inc. (MLAM) was created as an integral business unit in the Merrill Lynch family in 1976. Fund Asset Management, doing business as Mercury Asset Management, was acquired in December 1997. In 2000, MLAM and Mercury were combined under the name Merrill Lynch Investment Managers. MLAM manages the Merrill Lynch family of mutual funds, as and acts as sub-advisor to other mutual funds.

Nuveen Securities LLC, formerly known as the John Nuveen & Co., Inc., is the brokerage subsidiary of Nuveen Investments, Inc., ultimately held by TIAA Board of Overseers in the US. Headquartered in Chicago, the firm engages in the asset management and related research, as well as the development, marketing, and distribution of investment products and services for the institutional market segments. Investment products and services include closed-end exchange-traded funds, mutual funds and individually managed accounts.

Invesco Capital Markets, Inc. provides financial services. It offers investment brokerage services to individual investors. The company is headquartered in Downers Grove, IL.

A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. is a full-service brokerage firm. A.G. Edwards equity research team covers a wide range of industries including: consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, health care, industrials, information technology, material, telecommunication services and utilities. They also provide fixed-income research in the utility, auto, banking and finance, and telecom industries. A.G. Edwards was founded in 1887 by General Albert Gallatin Edwards and his son Benjamin Franklin Edwards. They are a broker/dealer subsidiary of A.G. Edwards, Inc. They are a member of the SIPC.