Baird Grabs Smith Barney FA; Will Head New Portland Office

By Janet Levaux

April 12, 2010 at 08:00 PM

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Baird says that veteran financial advisor David J. Perez has joined the employee-owned international wealth management firm as senior vice president. The former Smith Barney branch manager will open a new Baird wealth management office in Portland, Ore.

Perez has 29 years of industry experience, 23 of which were in branch-management roles at Smith Barney, Shearson Lehman Brothers and E.F. Hutton in Oregon and Northern California.

"David is a tremendous addition to our Private Wealth Management business and to Baird," said Mike Schroeder, president of Baird Private Wealth Management in a press release.

"With his deep industry knowledge and appreciation for Baird's unique culture, he is well suited to recruit other talented and committed financial professionals and help the firm establish a presence in the Pacific Northwest," said Schroeder. "We're very pleased he has chosen to continue his career at Baird."

Baird also says its private wealth business continues to grow around the country:

? Baird added more than 100 financial advisors to its private wealth Management group in 2009, the vast majority of whom are industry veterans.

? The firm has added 24 advisors and branch managers since the beginning of 2010.

? Since the beginning of 2009, Baird has opened or announced plans to open wealth management offices in several new markets; new office locations include Winston-Salem, Denver, Sacramento, Calif., Lynchburg, Va., and Baltimore and Easton, Md., among others; and the firm also has announced plans to open offices in Charlotte and St. Paul, Minn.