Annual Report
 
 
A Message from Paul Purcell
Baird Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer

Call the global financial crisis of 2008 what you will – breathtaking, unprecedented, inconceivable – words do little to convey the painful reality for clients who invest or raise capital. For most, it was simply an awful year.

While Baird was not immune to the effects of the global economic downturn, we proved beyond any doubt that we have the right associates, the right strategy and the right focus to help clients weather the storm. Each of our five businesses was profitable in 2008, and we performed far better than most of the financial services industry.

Baird’s net revenues for the year totaled $680 million, a 7% decrease from our record results in 2007. Operating income was $70.6 million, down 33% from a year ago, while the firm’s book value appreciated more than 8%. Given the steep losses posted by many of our competitors, Baird had a very strong year.


There are compelling reasons why Baird enjoys such relative strength. We are independent and employee-owned, which gives us the freedom to keep our focus on the long-term building blocks that serve our clients’ interests. We are conservative by nature and take a longer-term, strategic approach to growth. And we have developed five complementary businesses – Private Wealth Management, Equity Capital Markets, Private Equity, Fixed Income Capital Markets and Asset Management – that provide Baird with a stable platform on which some operations prosper when others are impacted by market cycles.

Complete Message from Paul Purcell |  Baird 2008 Annual Report
 
Related Information

2008 Annual Report

2009 Baird Annual Report


Message from Paul Purcell

Baird Annual Report Client Letter
Careers|Help|Site Map|Important Disclosures|Privacy Policy|Financial Information|Business Continuity
©2010 Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated.
The services featured on this Web site may not be available in all jurisdictions or to all persons/entities. For more information, please see Important Disclosures. Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated. Member SIPC.