Since 1988 the ELCA has comprised the American Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, and the Lutheran Church in America, which together represent almost 11,000 congregations. Although its members are looking forward to a more lasting reward, the ELCA Board of Pensions tries to help them toward a little heaven on earth during their retirement years. The Board of Pensions of The Evangelical Lutheran Church In America (or ELCA Board of Pensions) provides health, retirement, and other benefits and services for some 50,000 pastors, employees, and their families connected to the Evangelical Lutheran Church In America.

Legg Mason, Inc. was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Legg Mason, Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a diversified group of global asset management firm serving individual and institutional investors worldwide. Its multi-affiliate business model provides clients with a spectrum of equity, fixed income, liquidity, and alternatives solutions, including mutual funds, college savings plans, variable annuities, and separately managed accounts. Legg Mason Company's affiliates operate with investment autonomy, with each affiliate pursuing its own unique investment philosophy and process, as well as maintaining its own investment culture. Legg Mason complements the investment expertise of its affiliates by providing distribution and client service, enabling affiliates to access new markets, new clients, and new opportunities. It also provides shared services, such as operations and technology, accounting, legal, compliance, and marketing, to allow the affiliates to maintain their full focus on delivering sustainable investment excellence.

Berkshire Partners, LLC was founded in 1986 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. Berkshire Partners, LLC is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in investments in private companies, public companies, and special situations. Within private companies, the firm seeks to invest in leveraged buyouts, acquisition; management buyouts; recapitalizations of a business in which management retains significant ownership either as a majority or a minority partner; growth capital; and privatization investments. It invests in companies where founder is seeking liquidity from his or her business for estate purposes; a company owned by another financial buyer seeking a realization on an investment; and a divestiture of a business line or segment from a larger corporation. In public companies, the firm primarily invests in going private transactions and PIPES. It also purchases preferred stock, common stock, and other public or non-public securities issued by public companies. Within special situations, the firm invests in private and public companies experiencing stress from financial or operating issues, requiring growth capital for new initiatives, requiring capital for internal expansion, minority investments in pre-IPO companies, and joint ventures with strategic operating partners.

Wingate Partners gets by on more than a wing and a prayer, rescuing lackluster manufacturing, distribution, and service businesses. The investment firm, founded in 1987, seeks long-term controlling stakes in US-based companies that are underperforming or are in transitional or out-of-favor industries. Targets typically have revenues of $50 million to $250 million and may or may not be profitable at the time of purchase. Wingate often invests between $25 million to $100 million per transaction and avoids financial services, media, high-tech, real estate, and certain other businesses. It typically invests in one or two companies a year.

Pacific Investment Management Company LLC was founded in 1971 and is based in New Port Beach, California with an additional office in New York City. Pacific Investment Management Company LLC is a privately owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to pension and profit sharing plans, investment companies, and foreign clients. It also manages accounts for high net worth individuals, banking or thrift institutions, pooled investment vehicles, charitable organizations, corporations, universities, foundations, endowments, and state or municipal government entities. The firm manages separate client focused equity and fixed income portfolios. It also manages mutual funds for its clients. The firm invests in the public equity and fixed income markets across the globe. It invests in value stocks of companies. The firm invests in fixed income securities including governments, corporates, mortgages, asset backs, money market, and hedged international bonds while creating its portfolios. It employs fundamental and quantitative analysis with a combination of bottom-up and top-down stock picking approaches while making 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.

RJO is the largest independent futures brokerage in the United States. A privately owned futures commission merchant, RJO is also one of the oldest futures brokerage firms, dating back to 1914. RJO is a full clearing member of: the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group (founding member of CME); Intercontinental Exchange (ICE); NYSE Liffe; and the Chicago Climate Exchange. RJO services a global network of more than 297 introducing brokers and some of the world's largest financial, industrial and agricultural institutions.RJO offers the latest in order entry technology coupled with 24-hour execution and clearing on every futures exchange worldwide. RJO services a nationwide network of Introducing Broker (IB) offices, as well as some of the world's largest financial, industrial and agricultural institutions.

Founded by Paul Singer in 1977, Elliott Associates is one of the oldest hedge funds under continuous management. Elliott means action: Hedge fund firm Elliott Management takes an activist approach to investing, frequently amassing significant but minority stakes in distressed or underperforming companies and attempting to foment change. Elliott Management Corporation company manages hedge funds Elliott Associates and Elliott International, which together manage more than $16 billion of capital for large institutional investors and wealthy individuals. Elliott Associates invests in corporate, real estate, and sovereign debt (most famously with its 1995 $20 million investment in Peru), with investments in North America, Asia, and Europe.

Vista Equity Partners was founded in 2000. Vista Equity Partners is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in investments in management and leveraged buyouts, growth and acquisition financings, recapitalizations, restructurings, spinouts, divestitures, special situations, and going private transactions. The firm seeks to invest in software, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), technology enabled business services, and technology enabled information services. It also seeks to invest in technology-enabled companies which have a proven and defensible technology that can be leveraged to build new products, solutions, and services; mature companies in which opportunities exist to create value through embracing and leveraging technology; and new or existing companies which have developed proprietary technologies that address specific niche markets. The firm seeks to acquire a majority stake in the portfolio companies.

Palomar Ventures was launched in 1999 by veteran venture capitalists to focus on early stage information technology companies that demonstrate the potential for exceptional growth and market leadership. The founding principle of Palomar is teamwork; we work closely with our portfolio companies to assist them in achieving their objectives. The partners at Palomar have contributed their strategic insight, network of corporate relationships, and recruiting skills to assist in building nearly 50 public companies.Palomar Ventures is currently investing Palomar III, a $225 million fund, bringing total capital under management to over $500 million. A typical investment involves $2 million to $5 million in capital, and we prefer to act as a lead or co-lead investor early in the process of value formation. We believe that beginning early with a company is the best way to utilize our experience in building value rapidly by focusing the company on a small number of key milestones.Given their personal experience in running venture-backed companies, Palomar's partners understand the frustrations of the entrepreneur in dealing with the venture community. Our philosophy includes a commitment to responding rapidly to new ideas and business plans, and to forming partnerships with the goal of creating sustainable companies for the long term.

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