Baird's reputation

How does their IBD compare with other MM banks in the country and in the Midwest? League tables? What are their best groups? Is Chicago a better office than Milwaukee? What other MM banks are they comparable to?

42 Comments
 

Thanks @"BTbanker". That's the impression I've gathered as well. Not sure if this is a permanent shift or Blair will return to form.

 

general strength of the firm in Chicago: Growing presence with a particular strength in Consumer and Industrials. Overall a very solid MM bank, on par in my opinion with HLHZ, Blair, etc.

culture: from what I hear, everyone I know likes it there. Good exposure to the deal making process, client interaction regularly as an analyst, upper levels (VP's, MD) are very willing to help and also support the move to the buy side if you're a solid analyst

hours & pay: they tend to get worked pretty hard, similar to that of a BB (80-90 a week, sometimes more sometimes less) and pay was raised, following suite with BB's, to 85k. bonuses undetermined. Saturdays protected now unless written exemption from MD's, which doesn't happen often I hear

and any other relevant points? overall a very solid shop, great place to be in the MM, and has relatively strong exit opps. From what i've see, MM PE placement, top business schools, or corp dev.

Another cool point is it's a privately owned bank who allow stock options for employees after 3 years, which is pretty tight in my opinion, because the employees who are shareholders are truly invested and care about the work they do.

"My name's Ralph Cox, and I'm from where ever's not gonna get me hit"
 
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general strength of the firm in Chicago: Growing presence with a particular strength in Consumer and Industrials. Overall a very solid MM bank, on par in my opinion with HLHZ, Blair, etc.

culture: from what I hear, everyone I know likes it there. Good exposure to the deal making process, client interaction regularly as an analyst, upper levels (VP's, MD) are very willing to help and also support the move to the buy side if you're a solid analyst

hours & pay: they tend to get worked pretty hard, similar to that of a BB (80-90 a week, sometimes more sometimes less) and pay was raised, following suite with BB's, to 85k. bonuses undetermined. Saturdays protected now unless written exemption from MD's, which doesn't happen often I hear

and any other relevant points? overall a very solid shop, great place to be in the MM, and has relatively strong exit opps. From what i've see, MM PE placement, top business schools, or corp dev.

Another cool point is it's a privately owned bank who allow stock options for employees after 3 years, which is pretty tight in my opinion, because the employees who are shareholders are truly invested and care about the work they do.

Thanks!

 

I am not sure about the San Fransisco office. However, I do know that Baird headquarters (Milwaukee) places a huge stress on culture. For the most part they have a no asshole policy and try to stay true to Midwestern roots. San Fran could differ just due to differences in West Coast culture.

First round normally consists of a behavioral interview where they evaluate fit. They will also require you to take an analytical test online along with a written exam. The written exam is just writing an essay in 30 minutes based on a given prompt.

In interviews make sure to mention the fact that they are employee owned and are consistently rated a top place to work.

 

A buddy of mine is an analyst for Baird in Chicago. Reputable shop, they have steady deal flow in the middle market. I haven't heard him say anything negative about his experience, and he has solid exit opportunities.

 

I was an Intern there this past winter and am going back FT in 2009. PM me if you have any questions, im glad to answer anything.

 

I was an Intern there this past winter and am going back FT in 2009. PM me if you have any questions, im glad to answer anything.

 

They're pretty well-respected in the middle market, but I recently looked at a Baird deal where the model was not inspiring. We're talking about mistakes in links that create inconsistent numbers from tab to tab, sloppy formatting, and so forth -- basically copious bad data. Maybe it was just the "B-team" that was working on this, but the mistakes were so egregious they were almost laughable. The company that's looking to get sold can't be pleased (assuming they ever found out). Anyway, I can't judge how they run their processes based on the one and only deal that I've seen, but all I can say is that someone needs to bring the "A-team" back.

​* http://www.linkedin.com/in/numicareerconsulting
 

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