Friday, June 13, 2014

Baird says Charlotte employment could triple

Purcell
Financial services firm Robert W. Baird & Co. could triple its Charlotte-area headcount over the next five years, boosting the figure to 150, its chief executive said.

The firm employs has about 50 people spread across an office in SouthPark and an office in Davidson. Charlotte is an important hub for the firm, which plans to continue expanding here, CEO Paul Purcell told the Observer this week during a visit to Charlotte.

Purcell said Charlotte Douglas International, which he called "a world class airport," and a "good and improving" business climate in North and South Carolina are among the key reasons Robert W. Baird has offices in the Carolinas.

"We think Charlotte's going to be one of the top five growth areas in the country for the next 20 years," he said. "We're going to grow with it."

The SouthPark office opened in 2010. The Davidson office opened last year.

In Charlotte, the company has private wealth management, investment banking and fixed-income operations. The company's co-head of global investment banking, Brian McDonagh, is also based in Charlotte.

Robert W. Baird has five business segments. Its largest, private wealth management, gives financial advice to individuals. Purcell estimates that line of business will generate $550 million in revenue this year, or roughly half of the company's annual revenue.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

What does an AIRPORT have to do with a Financial Services company? Zero...sounds like the KEY to Charlotte was the Bank and it's easy to STEAL Financial Wealth Managers and their Clients.

It would be GREAT to hear the truth sometimes.

Just sayin'

Anonymous said...

I'm sure the airport is not the BIGGEST reason they are here, but it does make a difference.

Being able to fly to NY, LA, SF, Boston, London, Frankfurt and Munich without changing planes is a concern for large institutions.