Milwaukee-based Baird Advisors, the institutional fixed income investment management division of Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc., has hired away from BMO Global Asset Management a three-person municipal investment team.
The team includes municipal bond portfolio managers Duane McAllister, CFA and Erik Schleicher, and analyst Joseph Czechowicz.
McAllister joined BMO Global Asset Management in 2007, where he served as co-manager of the BMO Intermediate Tax-Free Mutual Fund, the BMO Ultra Short Tax-Free Mutual Fund and the BMO Short Tax-Free Mutual Fund. McAllister also managed separate accounts in the Ultra Short, Short and Intermediate Tax-Free strategies. He previously worked in investment management at Wells/Strong Capital Management, AAL Capital Management Co. and The Northern Trust Co.
Schleicher co-managed the BMO Short Tax-Free Fund and the BMO Ultra-Short Tax-Free Fund, and also has managed separate accounts with a short-term objective. He previously served as a fixed income analust for the BMO Tax-Free Money Market Fund and the BMO Ultra Short Tax-Free Fund. Previously, Schleicher worked as a compliance officer at US Bancorp Funds Services.
Czechowicz began his career at BMO in 2010. He holds an MBA from the University of Wisconsin’s Applied Securities program.
“Duane, Erik and Joe are great additions to the Baird Advisors team,” said Mary Ellen Stanek, managing director and chief investment officer. “We have co-existed with them on a number of mutual client relationships and have admired their work for many years. We are excited to fully integrate them and their fixed income experience into the broader team efforts at Baird Advisors.
“Our team is well positioned in this environment to continue to grow, and the addition of the McAllister team adds additional bench strength to help us serve existing and new clients.”
Baird Advisors has been grabbing market share by proving its results and using risk controlled tactics. The company plans to add to its municipal product array through new strategies, Stanek said.
“This is an opportunity for us to join a leading institutional fixed income investment manager with a high quality team approach similar to our own,” McAllister said.
