Baird Public Finance Expands in Southeast Region

Firm Adds Team of Five, Opens Atlanta and Winston-Salem Public Finance Offices

Baird, an employee-owned, international wealth management, capital markets, private equity and asset management firm, today announced that it has expanded its Public Finance presence in the southeast, adding a team of five professionals and opening two public finance offices in Atlanta and Winston-Salem, N.C.

The team – Todd Barnes, Managing Director, Dick Layton, Managing Director, Ryan Maher, Director, Stephen Anderson, Assistant Vice President, and Ellen Dickson, Assistant Vice President, all formerly of Wachovia Securities – has almost a century of public finance and banking experience. Barnes, Layton and Dickson are working out of Atlanta; Maher and Anderson out of Winston-Salem.

“We are thrilled to add this talented group of public finance professionals and extend Baird’s reach in the southeast region,” said Keith Kolb, Managing Director of Baird’s Public Finance group. “The competitive landscape is incredibly dynamic right now, and growing our team with these high caliber professionals in other areas of the country enables us to better serve our clients.”

“Baird has the resources, commitment to Public Finance and stability to provide our clients with the great service they deserve,” said Barnes. “We are excited to join a firm which considers Public Finance to be a critical component, and we are looking forward to contributing to its further success and expanding Baird’s southeast presence.”

Baird’s Public Finance group has grown steadily, recently adding veteran talent in several new markets. Within the past two years, Baird has added Public Finance professionals to its Cincinnati and Nashville offices and opened operations in Exton, Pa. and Denver, Colo. Since the beginning of 2009, Baird’s Public Finance team has added 15 professionals.

The steady successful recruitment of top talent and expanding footprint has enabled Baird’s Public Finance business to grow its market share. In 2008 Baird significantly increased its national standing in public finance rankings. That growth has continued in the first half of 2009. Ipreo MuniAnalytics ranks Baird as the number one national managing underwriter for small issues and the number one national managing underwriter for competitive issues of $100 million or less.

About Baird’s New Public Finance Professionals

Todd Barnes, Managing Director
Todd Barnes has nearly three decades of public finance experience. Most recently, he served as a Managing Director in the Public Finance Department and Manager of the Southeast General Infrastructure Group at Wachovia Securities (formerly AG Edwards). During the past 16 years, Todd has served as managing underwriter or financial advisor on 220 debt financings totaling more than $9.0 billion, with a focus on K-12 education, higher education and general infrastructure issues. He began his public finance career in 1981 with Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc. and later also worked at SunTrust Bank. Todd holds a bachelor of business administration degree from the University of Georgia.

Dick Layton, Managing Director
Dick Layton has nearly three decades of public finance experience. Prior to joining Baird, Dick worked as a Managing Director at Wachovia Securities (formerly AG Edwards) for nearly 20 years, managing the firm's public finance operations in the Southeast for 18 of those years. During that time, Dick served as managing underwriter or financial advisor for more than 335 debt financings worth over $14.5 billion, including virtually every form of municipal financing and more recently focusing on urban economic development transactions. Prior to working in investment banking, Dick served as Commissioner of Budget and Planning for the City of Atlanta. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University and a master’s degree from Trinity University.

Ryan Maher, Director
Ryan Maher has more than ten years of public finance and banking experience. Maher began his career at Wachovia Securities, and, prior to joining Baird, served at Wachovia (formerly AG Edwards) as Director in the Public Finance group. In between he spent several years at Legg Mason Wood Walker, Inc. He holds a bachelor of science degree in Business Administration and Finance from North Carolina State University.

Stephen Anderson, Assistant Vice President
Stephen Anderson has more than eight years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Baird, Stephen worked as an Associate at Wachovia Securities and as a Management and Program Analyst at the Internal Revenue Service. He has a bachelor of science degree in Financial Management from Bob Jones University and a master of business administration from Clemson University.

Ellen Dickson, Assistant Vice President
Ellen Dickson has seven years of banking and finance experience. Prior to joining Baird, Ellen worked as an Associate in the Public Finance group at Wachovia Securities. Before that, she worked in the Investment Banking group of AG Edwards. Ellen holds a bachelor of science degree in Management Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

About Baird’s Public Finance Group
Baird is a major underwriter and financial advisor to municipalities, schools, government agencies and corporations. During the past five years, Baird has served as senior manager, co-manager or financial advisor for debt issues totaling $79 billion. Ipreo MuniAnalytics ranks Baird as the number one national managing underwriter for small issues and the number one national managing underwriter for competitive issues of $100 million or less. Baird was honored as advisor of the “Midwest Regional Deal of the Year” by The Bond Buyer in 2007.

About Baird
Baird is an employee-owned, international wealth management, capital markets, private equity and asset management firm with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Established in 1919, Baird has more than 2,400 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients. Baird oversees and manages client assets of $66 billion. Committed to being a great place to work, Baird ranked number 14 on the FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in 2009 -- its sixth consecutive year on the list. Baird’s principal operating subsidiaries are Robert W. Baird & Co. in the United States and Robert W. Baird Group Ltd. in Europe. Baird also has an operating subsidiary in Asia supporting Baird’s private equity operations. For more information, please visit Baird’s Web site at www.rwbaird.com.