Baird (investment bank)

Robert W. Baird & Co.

Company type	Employee-owned
Industry	Financial services
Founded	1919
Founder	Robert W. Baird
Headquarters	Milwaukee, Wisconsin , United States
Area served	United States, Europe, Asia
Products	Investment banking, capital markets, private equity, wealth management, asset management
Number of employees	4500+
Parent	Baird

Robert W. Baird & Co. is a U.S.-based multinational independent investment firm and financial services provider, functioning as the main American operating subsidiary of Baird. As an employee-owned organization, it delivers a range of services including investment banking, capital markets, private equity, wealth management, and asset management to individuals, corporations, institutional investors, and governmental entities.

Employing more than 4,500 professionals across locations in the United States, Europe, and Asia, Baird is recognized as one of the largest privately held, comprehensive investment firms within the U.S., managing client assets exceeding $355 billion.

Among its principal international branches are Robert W. Baird Group Ltd. in Europe and an Asian subsidiary that supports private equity and investment banking activities.

History

Established in 1919 as the securities division of First Wisconsin National Bank (currently part of U.S. Bancorp) based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Baird gained independence in 1934 under the name The Securities Company of Milwaukee, Inc.

The firm joined the New York Stock Exchange in 1948 and adopted the name of its founder and chief partner, Robert W. Baird. From 1982 until 2004, majority ownership belonged to Northwestern Mutual Life. In 2004, Baird became a fully independent, employee-owned financial services company while retaining its Milwaukee headquarters.

Businesses

Baird’s operations are divided into five core segments: private wealth management, asset management, investment banking/equity capital markets, fixed income capital markets, and private equity.

Private wealth management (PWM)

Baird Financial Advisors provide comprehensive financial guidance, planning solutions, and investment oversight for high-net-worth individuals and institutional clients, managing assets exceeding $235 billion. Their services are supported by an internal team of investment research experts offering portfolio management, retirement planning, philanthropic strategies, risk mitigation, stock option execution programs, hedging techniques, and business succession planning for executives and corporations.

PWM operates through more than 160 branch offices located within 33 states across the U.S.

Asset management

The firm’s equity and fixed income portfolio managers cater to public and private retirement funds, corporations, foundations, institutional investors, and affluent individuals. Established in 2008 to serve public sector clients, Baird Public Investment Advisors complements Baird Advisors and Baird Equity Asset Management in overseeing a combined asset base exceeding $120 billion.

Baird Funds provides mutual fund offerings including fixed income products managed by Baird Advisors and equity funds managed by Baird Investment Management.

Equity capital markets

Baird’s global investment banking division specializes in advising middle-market companies and completed nearly 200 financing and advisory deals valued at over $70 billion in 2020. Its equity sales and trading teams offer research coverage on upwards of 725 stocks to institutional investors throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

The firm consistently ranks among the leading Small/Mid-Cap Equity platforms according to Greenwich Associates’ annual survey of U.S. equity investors.

Fixed income capital markets

Baird’s Public Finance division offers a comprehensive range of underwriting, advisory, consulting, and placement services tailored to public, private, and nonprofit clients. For 12 straight years, it has held the top position as the leading municipal underwriter in the United States by issue count and consistently ranks within the top five municipal advisory firms nationwide.

The Fixed Income Sales & Trading group consists of more than 135 experts providing services to clients across the country. Recently, Baird recorded unprecedented revenue figures, with average monthly trading volumes reaching $23.7 billion—a 21% rise compared to the previous year—highlighting its strengthened presence in vital fixed income markets.

Private equity

BAIRD Baird Capital specializes in venture capital, growth equity, and buyout investments focused on three primary industries: business services, manufactured products, and healthcare. It operates through partnerships spanning the United States, Europe, and Asia. Within the U.S., Baird Capital Partners concentrates on buyouts in the lower-middle market, whereas Baird Venture Partners targets early to expansion-stage enterprises in business services and life sciences sectors.

In the United Kingdom, Baird Capital Partners Europe supplies change-of-control financing to lower-middle-market companies within business services, healthcare, and manufactured products. Concurrently, Baird Capital Partners Asia invests in firms with substantial operations and growth prospects in China.

Since its inception in the late 1980s, Baird Capital and its affiliates have raised and managed $3.8 billion in capital commitments and have invested in over 325 portfolio companies, underscoring its proven expertise and leadership in private equity investment management.