Ares Capital Corporation

Good afternoon. Welcome to Aries Capital Corporation's first quarter, ended March 31st, 2025, earnings conference call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. As a reminder, this conference is 9th, 2025. I will now turn the call over to Mr. John Silmar, a partner on Aries Public Markets' investor relations team.

Thank you. And let me start with some important reminders. Comments during the course of this conference call and webcast and the accompanying documents contain forward-looking statements and are subject to risks and uncertainties. The company's actual results could differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements for any reason, including those listed in its SEC filings. Aries Capital Corporation assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Please also note that past performance or market information is not a guarantee of future results. During this conference call, the company may discuss certain non-GAAP measures as defined by SEC Regulation G, such as core earnings per share or core EPS. The company believes that core EPS provides useful information to investors regarding financial performance because it is one method the company uses to measure its financial condition and the results of its operations. A reconciliation of GAAP net income per share, the most commonly direct comparable GAAP financial measure to core EPS, can be found in the accompanying slide presentation for this call. In addition, reconciliation of these measures may also be found in our earnings release filed this morning with the SEC on Form 8K. Certain information discussed in this conference call and the information relating to portfolio companies was derived from third-party sources and has not been independently verified. Accordingly, the company makes no such representations or warranty with respect to this information. The company's first quarter ended March 31st, 2025 earnings presentation can be found on the company's website at www.ariescapitalcorp.com by clicking on the first quarter 2025 earnings presentation link on the homepage of the investor resources section of our website. Aries Capital Corporation's earnings release and form 10-Q are also available on the company's website. I would like to now turn the call over to Kip DeVere, Aries Capital Corporation's Chief Executive Officer. Kip?

Thanks, John. Hello, everyone, and thanks for joining our earnings call today. I'm joined by Court Schnabel, our incoming CEO, Jim Miller, our president, Jana Markowitz, our chief operating officer, and Scott Lem, our chief financial officer, as well as other members of the management team who will be available during the Q&A session. I just wanted to briefly open the call to express what an honor it's been to lead this company over the past 10 years. I'm incredibly grateful for the hard work, and the dedication of our team, and I'm very proud of the growth and the success that Aries Capital has experienced. Together, we've navigated challenges, we've seized opportunities, and we've achieved meaningful milestones. Looking ahead, I couldn't be more confident about the future for ARCC, and it's my privilege to pass the torch to Cort, who will undoubtedly provide great leadership for the company, along with Jim, Jana, and Scott. I've had the pleasure of working alongside all of them for close to 20 years, and I've seen firsthand their vision, leadership, and deep understanding of our business. I have no doubt that Courtney and the ARCC leadership team will continue to push us forward, and I know the company is in excellent hands. To our investors, Our team and other stakeholders, thank you for your trust and support to an end today. I look forward to continuing to serve Aries Capital as a director, and I know the company will continue to thrive under the new leader. So with that, many thanks again to all for the support over the years. Let me turn the call over to Court.