BAIRD HIRES BAUMGARTNER AS DIRECTOR OF EQUITY CAPITAL MARKETS

Baird, an employee-owned international investment banking, private equity, wealth and asset management firm, is pleased to announce it has hired John Baumgartner as Director of Equity Capital Markets. Baumgartner is based in Baird’s Milwaukee office and manages the structuring, marketing, pricing, and distribution of the firm’s equity underwritings. Baird is one of the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For®.

“We are really pleased to have John as part of the Baird team,” said Bill Mahler, Baird’s Director of Institutional Equity Services. “Our equity capital markets underwriting business continues to be a very significant opportunity for our firm and we see tremendous growth potential. John’s leadership and experience provide a terrific addition to this important effort.”

“The marketplace is as competitive as ever, and the velocity at which companies and sponsors are accessing the equity capital markets continues to accelerate,” said Baumgartner. “In this environment, the keys to success are very deep industry expertise and very strong relationships, two areas where Baird clearly excels. Our equity underwriting business clearly has great potential because of this foundation at Baird.”

An experienced capital markets veteran, Baumgartner came to Baird after eight years with Piper Jaffray, where he focused on the Consumer and Financial Institutions sectors. His experience includes the completion of more than 300 public offering transactions, including initial public offerings, follow-on financings and equity private placements. Baumgartner received his BBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

About Baird
Baird is an employee-owned international investment banking, private equity, wealth and asset management firm with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Established in 1919, Baird has nearly 2,200 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients. Baird oversees and manages client assets of nearly $73 billion. Committed to being a great place to work, Baird was recognized as one of the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. 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.