Milwaukee-based Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc. posted record revenues of $925 million in 2011, up 9 percent from 2010, according to the company’s annual report.
“Our sole mission is to provide great financial advice and service to our clients and to be a great place to work for our associates,” said Paul Purcell, Baird chairman, president and chief executive officer. “We are independent and employee owned, so we make decisions based on what we believe is in the best long-term interests of our clients and our associates. That is a winning combination – and the secret to our ongoing success.”
While the past several years have been challenging for many financial services firms, Baird continued to expand by opening new offices in strategic locations.
Among Baird’s milestones of the past five years, the company:
* Increased employment more than 25 percent, while employment in the U.S. securities industry decreased nearly 4 percent.
* Hired hundreds of experienced financial advisors and opened more than 20 Private Wealth Management offices across the United States.
* Expanded its Investment Banking team by nearly 75 percent and managed approximately 500 M&A and financing transactions with a combined value of more than $120 billion
“Our independence and employee ownership give us the ability to focus on what makes a meaningful difference to our clients, including further building our capabilities and expertise. That is important always, but takes on added meaning in a year like 2011 when investors again faced volatile markets and economic uncertainties,” Purcell said. “Particularly during challenging times, clients look to Baird for advice, long-term partnerships and creative solutions to help keep them moving toward their financial objectives.”
In addition to record firm revenues, Baird reported record results for its Private Wealth Management, Equity Capital Markets and Asset Management businesses.
Baird also announced it has opened a second wealth management office in Sarasota, Fla.
The new office is led by Paul Buskey a producing branch manager who joined Baird earlier in the year. The office has six financial advisors total, including new additions Charles Fortenberry, Chip Alario and Meredith Woods.
Fortenberry, Alario and Woods were all previously with Wells Fargo Advisors.
Baird has added nearly 250 financial advisors and branch managers to its Private Wealth Management group since the beginning of 2009. Baird has opened or announced plans to open wealth management offices in several new markets, including Portland, Maine, Salt Lake City, Portland, Ore., Denver, Fort Worth, Texas, Sacramento, Calif., San Francisco, Charleston, S.C., Charlotte, N.C., Winston-Salem, N.C., Raleigh, N.C., and Lynchburg, Va.
