Roark Capital Group was named after Howard Roark, the protagonist in Ayn Rand's classic The Fountainhead. For much of the book, Roark's unwavering commitment to his style of architecture put him at odds with the people in power and thus the people who influenced public opinion. While many of his peers altered their architectural designs to gain public approval and fame, Roark was always true to himself and his work, refusing to succumb to conventional wisdom. By the end of the book, the former architectural elite are exposed as frauds, and Howard Roark is discovered as a true visionary.Integrity, according to Ayn Rand, is commitment to one's own thinking and one's own mind. If a man sincerely believes a claim to be true, then he must hold to this belief even though society opposes him. He must think independently and form values that he never sacrifices. Howard Roark's life exemplified the true nature of this independence and integrity.Roark Capital Group's investment style and business philosophy is meant to emulate the life of Howard Roark. Roark Capital hope to invest in outstanding companies in partnership with exceptional operating executives, regardless of conventional wisdom or the latest trend. Further, Roark Capital Group will support its portfolio companies and its management partners, in good times and bad, as long as the fundamental long-term opportunity remains intact. In the end, this patient, independent approach, will generate superior risk adjusted investment returns for Roark Capital Group.

Founded in 1965, A-Mark has grown into a full service precious metals trading company offering a wide array of products and services. A-Mark products include gold, silver, platinum and palladium for storage and delivery in the form of coins, bars, wafers and grain. A-Mark services include financing, leasing, consignment, hedging and a variety of customized financial programs. A-Mark are an official distributor for many Government Mints throughout the world including The Royal Canadian Mint, The South African Mint, The Australian (Perth) Mint and an Authorized Purchaser for the US Mint. A-Mark makes an active two way market from our trading center in Santa Monica, California, Monday through Friday from 5:20 am to 5:00 pm, Pacific Time, even while many major world commodity markets are closed. A-Mark Precious Metals a leader in precious metals with the largest precious metals dealer network in North America, serving customers on six continents. A-Mark clients include coin and metal dealers, investors, collectors, mines, manufacturers, refiners, jewelers, investment advisors, merchants, commodity brokerage houses and central banks.

The partners at DFJ Esprit have worked together investing in venture capital for more than a decade, accumulating over 100 years of experience in the technology, new media, telecoms and medtech sectors. From early to later stage, we take pride in our track record of supporting extraordinary entrepreneurs and European high growth companies with global potential. With offices in London and Cambridge, and access to the DFJ Global Network of venture capital partnerships, including 135 investment professionals in 32 cities around the world, we are uniquely positioned to help build globally successful companies.

Terra Firma Capital Partners Limited was founded in 1994. Terra Firma Capital Partners Limited is a private equity firm specializing in buyouts of large, asset rich, and complex businesses in need of operational and strategic change. It seeks to invest in those companies that are under-performing in some way. The firm typically invests in mature companies based in Europe. It exits its investments by means of sale or listing on a public stock market.

ORIX USA was founded in 1981. ORIX USA Corporation is an investment banking and financial services company. It offers senior secured, unsecured, mezzanine, equipment leasing, and structured loan credit products to corporate, real estate, and public finance sectors, as well as to capital markets throughout the United States and Canada. ORIX USA Corporation company also offers investment banking and advisory services on mergers and acquisitions, and financial restructuring.

Fiera Capital was founded in 2002 and is based in Montréal, Canada with an additional office in Toronto, Canada. Fiera Capital Inc. is an employee owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional investors, mutual funds, charitable organizations, and private clients. It manages separate client-focused equity, fixed income, and balanced portfolios. The firm also manages mutual funds and income trusts for its clients. It invests in the public equity and fixed income markets across the globe. The firm primarily invests in growth and value stocks of large-cap companies. It also makes investments in small-cap companies, income trusts, and preferred shares. The firm employs quantitative analysis along with bottom-up stock picking approach to create its equity portfolios. It employs a top-down macro-economic research to make its fixed income investments. The firm also makes alternative investments, including the use of long/short equity strategy. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the S&P/TSX and S&P 500 indices. The firm conducts in-house research to make its investments.

Founded in 1985, International Monetary Systems (IMS) serves over 17,000 businesses and professional people representing 23,000 cardholders in 50 U.S. markets. The IMS network enables companies to acquire new business, create cost savings, and improve operations by taking advantage of barter opportunities in their business models. Based in New Berlin, WI and managed by seasoned industry veterans, IMS is one of the largest publicly traded barter companies in the world and is continually expanding its network by adding exchange locations. The company's proprietary transaction software, Trade Network Tracking System (TNT), enables businesses and individuals to trade goods and services throughout North America online using an electronic currency known as trade dollars.

Barclays Private Equity Ltd. was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in London, United Kingdom with additional offices across Europe. Barclays Private Equity Ltd. is the private equity arm of Barclays Capital specializing in middle market and change of ownership transactions. It invests in management buyout, management buy-in, institutional buyout, equity release, expansion capital, and going private transactions of lower middle market companies. The firm also provides equity funding to privately financed infrastructure projects. It seeks to invest in support services, specialist engineering, financial services, consumer and travel, and other sectors. Within the support services sector, investments are sought in staffing- recruitment of temporary or permanent staff; BPO/FM– outsourcing, facilities management, and property services; asset rental- vehicle or equipment; logistics- supply chain management, freight forwarding, contract logistics, distribution, and haulage; professional and IT services; and other miscellaneous support services companies.

School Employees Retirement System of Ohio was formed in 1937 and is based in Columbus, Ohio. School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS) provides pension, survivor, disability, and post-retirement health care benefits active and retired non-teaching public school employees of Ohio. As a limited partner, School Employees Retirement System of Ohio is a public pension fund with $8 billion in assets under management. The fund engages in the following alternative investment strategies: buyouts/corporate finance, international private equity, and venture capital. It has a net internal rate of return target of the S&P 500 + 3%. The fund allocates 1% to 5% of its total assets to alternative investments.

Montagu Private Equity participates in management-led buyouts, buyins, and other private equity deals. It invests in mid-market European companies in the retail, manufacturing, and consumer services industries. Montagu Private Equity has some E3 billion of assets and funds under management; deals are typically valued at between E100 million and E1 billion. Among the firm's investments are funeral services provider Dignity and electronics retailer Maplin Electronics. Montagu Private Equity has offices in France, Germany, Sweden, and the UK. HSBC owns a minority stake in Montagu Private Equity LLP.

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