retired. Mr. Gruenes was a Partner with Grant Thornton, KPMG and Arthur Andersen and spent 40 years serving as a strategic advisor to boards of directors and senior executives of publicly traded and private equity-owned clients in the manufacturing and distribution industries. He also served as Grant Thornton s Central Region Managing Partner from 2014 to 2020 leading a team of 1,200 professionals in eleven offices comprising over twenty-five percent of U.S. operations. His responsibilities encompassed strategy, risk management, revenue growth, profitability, and talent development. Mr. Gruenes spent 2002 to 2005 based in London with KPMG s Capital Markets practice advising clients during their initial public offering, capital raising, merger and acquisition and restructuring activities. He collaborated with companies throughout Europe and the Middle East including Zurich, Vienna, Istanbul, Budapest, Stockholm, Madrid and London. Mr. Gruenes also actively served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Manufactures (NAM) and the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW) from 2009 to 2014 collaborating with senior executives on business and policy matters facing those industries. He has served as a board member of various civic and charitable organizations, such as the American Heart Association, Senior Source, Back on My Feet, Dallas Regional Chamber, Dallas Citizens Council and Toastmasters International. The Board believes that Mr. Gruenes deep knowledge and experience with public companies in the manufacturing and distribution industries, his operational experience and familiarity with capital markets transactions make him a valuable member of our Board.