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Baird Private Equity is one of the only private equity firms with the breadth and depth of global experience and resources focused on smaller, high potential companies. The Baird Private Equity team includes 80 investment and operating professionals operating in 10 offices in five countries across the globe. Baird Private Equity is sector-focused with deep industry knowledge and a successful track record of investing in Business Services, Manufactured Products and Healthcare/Life Sciences. Over 45 investment professionals in the United States, Europe and Asia are complemented by 10 operating partners. Our dedicated team of over 20 operating professionals in Bangalore, Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai allows us to provide our portfolio companies with unique access to Asia sales/distribution, sourcing and manufacturing opportunities.
Baird Capital Partners is also supported by a Business Services Advisory Board and a Manufactured Products Advisory Board.
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Managing Partner
312-609-4911
Paul Carbone is Director of the Private Equity Group for Robert W. Baird & Co. Since 1999, Paul also has been Managing Partner and Chairman of the Investment Committees for both Baird Capital Partners and Baird Venture Partners. He was previously Co-Director of Investment Banking responsible for Baird's mergers and acquisitions advisory practice. Paul is also a member of the board of directors of Baird Financial Corporation, Robert W. Baird Group Limited, Baird Capital Partners Europe, Granville Baird Limited, Baird Asia Limited, Illinois Venture Capital Association, Wisconsin Venture Capital Association and the MCW Research Foundation. Prior to joining Baird in 1994, he was a Senior Vice President in the Investment Banking Group at Kidder, Peabody & Co.
He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of The College of the University of Chicago and a member of its Visiting Committee. Paul received his MBA from the Harvard Business School.
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Partner
414-765-7348
Dave focuses on acquisitions and late-stage growth investments in the Business Services sector. Dave joined Baird Capital Partners in 1994 and has served as a director of 16 Baird Capital Partners portfolio companies, including his current directorships at Accume Partners, Campbell Alliance Group, Encore Legal Services, Flatirons Solutions and Marshall Erdman & Associates.
Prior to Baird, Dave spent nine years making mezzanine and equity investments at Fiduciary Capital and Northwestern Mutual. He is a current board member of the Milwaukee chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Dave holds both a BA and MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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Partner
312-609-4702
Andrew Brickman focuses on acquisition opportunities in the manufactured products sector focusing specifically on indutrial and commercial companies. Prior to joining Baird Capital Partners in 1998, Andrew served as Vice President of Operations and Manufacturing for a regional retail chain. Andrew's operations background is complemented by considerable financial investment experience at a number of private equity investment firms. He is a director of The Mayline Group and Xaloy Incorporated. Andrew received his BA from Middlebury College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, with highest honors.
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Partner
312-609-5498
Gordon concentrates on acquisition opportunities in the manufactured products sector with a particular focus in consumer and healthcare companies. Gordon also oversees Baird Asia Limited, an operating company headquartered in Hong Kong which provides operations, sales and distribution support to portfolio companies in China.
Prior to joining Baird, he served as a principal with One Equity Partners and Marquette Venture Partners. Gordon was also the founder and CEO of The Pangaea Group, an international consulting firm, which specialized in assisting the portfolio companies of private equity firms to establish strategic alliances in China.
Gordon currently serves on the Board of Directors of Backyard Leisure Holdings, Ellman International PharMEDium Healthcare Corporation, Qualitor Incorporated and Baird Asia Limited.
Gordon earned a BA in Economics and Asian Studies from Colgate University, and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, with a concentration in Finance and Management Strategy.
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Partner
414-765-3818
Randy is a Partner with Baird Capital Partners focusing on investments in the business services sector. Prior to joining BCP, he was Managing Director and senior analyst in the Equity Research department at Baird.
As an analyst, he covered various Business Services sectors, including Human Capital Services and Technology Services, which include companies in the areas of outsourcing and professional services.
As an investment partner with Baird Capital Partners, Randy has led several investments in the Business Services area. He is currently a board member of Accume Partners and MedData Corporation.
As a research analyst, Randy was ranked highly in various surveys and publications, including Bloomberg’s TopAnalysts survey, The Wall Street Journal and Forbes. He was also named to the Business Journal's "Forty Under 40" list in 2006. Prior to joining Baird, he was a Senior consultant at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), with the Financial Services and Aerospace & Defense Groups.
He holds an MBA, with Honors, from the University of Chicago, and is a Chair Scholar graduate of Bowling Green State University. Randy is a Chartered Financial Analyst, member of the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society, and the Milwaukee Chapter of AIMR.
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Principal
312-609-4930
Rob Ospalik is responsible for Baird Private Equity's U.S. Portfolio Management Program. He joined Baird Private Equity in 1999 after two years in Baird’s Investment Banking Group. Rob previously served as a Certified Public Accountant at the Price Waterhouse LLP audit and business advisory services practice in St. Louis. He is a director of Pentagon Technologies Group, and graduated with a BS in Accounting from Washington University in St. Louis.
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Vice President
312-609-4671
Gordon focuses on investment opportunities in the Manufactured Products sector with a particular focus on industrial companies. Prior to joining Baird in 2008, Gordon was a founding member of Reliant Equity Investors, where he spent seven years as a Principal focused on buyouts in the lower middle-market. Before Reliant, Gordon was an Associate with Wind Point Partners, a Chicago based middle-market private equity firm, and divine, Inc., a publicly traded internet incubator. Gordon started his career with Merrill Lynch in their investment banking group. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, graduating with Highest Honors and as a recipient of the Bronze Tablet. He received his MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Toigo Fellow. Gordon is also a founding Board Member of The Association of Asian American Investment Managers (AAAIM).
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Vice President
312-609-4661
Aaron Lillybridge focuses on investment opportunities in the Manufactured Products sector with a particular focus on healthcare companies. Prior to joining Baird in 2005, Aaron spent two years with Galen Partners a private equity firm in New York. Before Galen, Aaron spent three years within the investment banking group at U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray completing numerous equity financings and merger and acquisition transactions. He received a BA in Business Administration from the University of Washington and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University with concentrations in Management Strategy and Finance.
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Vice President
312-609-5423
Fred Niemeier focuses on portfolio management. Prior to joining Baird in 2007, Fred was the Global Director of Strategic Sourcing and Materials with the Motion Business Unit of Danaher Corporation, where he oversaw and improved operating profits and working capital for 12 plants globally within this $1.2 billion business unit. Prior to Danaher, Fred held several operational and supply-chain management positions, including strategic and operations improvement consulting with the firm Pittiglio Rabin Todd & McGrath (PRTM), and production and quality experience with General Motors. Fred holds a BS in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Missouri - Rolla and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
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Vice President
312-609-4704
Steve Warner focuses on investment opportunities in the business services and healthcare services sectors. Prior to joining Baird in 2006, Steve spent eight years making private equity investments on behalf of GE Equity, GE Capital's private equity business. He was a Vice President with GE Equity in its Stamford, Conn., and Chicago offices where he was responsible for investments in services and outsourcing providers in the healthcare, financial services and insurance sectors. Prior to GE Equity, Steve was a member of the investment banking firm Wasserstein Perella & Company's Mergers and Acquisitions Group in New York City. He began his career with Mesirow Financial's investment banking group in Chicago. Steve has served as a Director an observer with eleven portfolio companies including MedDATA and Campbell Alliance Group. Steve received his BS from Northern Illinois University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.
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Chief Adminstrative Officer
312-609-4664
Scott is Chief Administrative Officer for Baird Capital Partners and Baird Venture Partners. Prior to joining Baird in 2005, Scott served as Chief Financial Officer for LaSalle Capital Group, a Chicago-based middle-market private equity firm. In addition, Scott has worked extensively as a service provider to private equity firms as a member of Ernst & Young's Transaction Advisory Services group. Scott's experience also includes commercial banking and audit. Scott received his MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
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Director of Investor Relations
312-609-4677
Aaron manages Baird Private Equity’s relationships with current and prospective investors in the United States and abroad, and oversees its communication, sales and marketing activities. Aaron is also involved in broader strategic and new product development initiatives. Aaron joined Baird Private Equity in 2008 with nine years of private equity and entrepreneurial experience. He was previously a Principal at a Chicago-based private equity fund-of-funds Muller & Monroe, where he was a member of the firm’s investment team and helped manage the firm’s investor relationships. Prior to Muller & Monroe, Aaron spent time with two venture capital firms and was Director of Marketing at a venture-backed software company. Aaron began his career as a James H. Dunn Fellow in the press office of former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and received his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
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Associate
312-609-5495
Tom Costello is an Associate on the Business Services team of Baird Capital Partners. Prior to joining Baird in 2007, Tom spent four years with Chicago Growth Partners, a private equity firm in Chicago, where he sourced, evaluated and structured business service transactions in the middle market. Before Chicago Growth Partners, he spent two years as an investment banking analyst at Lehman Brothers Inc. in Chicago. Tom received a BA in Economics from the University of Chicago and an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.
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Associate
312-609-4662
Ivana Ruffini is an Associate at Baird Capital Partners on the Healthcare and Manufactured Products team. Prior to joining Baird in 2008, Ivana spent six years at JPMorgan where she provided analytical support on merger integration, leverage buyouts and other financial services. For the last three years, Ivana worked with JPMorgan's private equity group, One Equity Partners, and previously worked in Commercial Banking, Treasury Securities Services and Retail Financial Services. Ivana received a BA in Mathematics, Cum Laude, from Denison University and is currently pursuing an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University with concentrations in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Finance.
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Analyst
312-609-4673
Tony Bellagamba provides analytical support to Baird Capital Partners. Prior to coming to Baird, Tony worked as a financial analyst at Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin in Chicago within the Basic Industrial Group, where he provided analytical support on mergers and acquisitions, financial restructurings and other financial advisory services. Tony holds a BA in Finance from Loyola University Chicago.
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Analyst
800-537-9854
John provides analytical support to Baird Capital Partners' Business Services team. Prior to coming to Baird, John worked as an investment banking analyst at Banc of America Securities in Chicago where he provided analytical support on mergers and acquisitions, financial restructurings, equity and debt offerings, and other financial advisory services.
John holds a BA in Finance, with Honors, with an emphasis in English, from Michigan State University.
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Analyst
312-609-4690
Matt Parsons provides analytical support to Baird Capital Partners. Prior to coming to Baird, Matt worked as a financial analyst at Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin in Chicago, where he provided analytical support on mergers and acquisitions, financial restructurings and other financial advisory services. Matt holds a BBA in Finance, magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame.
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Operating Partner
312-609-4980
Bill Alldredge is an Operating Partner of Baird Capital Partners. Prior to joining Baird in 2004, he served as president of corporate development and CFO of Newell Rubbermaid, a firm he joined in 1983. Bill played an integral role in the company’s significant transactions and sales growth from $200 million to $8 billion. Prior to Newell Rubbermaid, Bill was President and Chief Executive Officer of Mirro Corporation, which Newell acquired in 1983, and prior to that was with Whirlpool and Ford Motor Company. Bill is a frequent lecturer on growth through acquisition, strategy and acquisition integration. He is a member of the Corporate Council for the Interlochen Center for the Arts. Bill received his BA and MBA from Michigan State University.
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Operating Partner
312-609-4700
Irwin Pfister is a private investor and an Operating Partner with Baird Capital Partners. He retired from Schlumberger in 2005. During his 19-year tenure at Schlumberger, Irwin served as Executive Vice President of Schlumberger and Chief Executive Officer of SchlumbergerSema, where he was responsible for all of the technology businesses of Schlumberger, a business group with over $4 billion in revenue and over 30,000 employees in 130 countries. Irwin also served as President of Schlumberger Test & Transactions, which provided test, metrology and diagnostic equipment to the semiconductor industry; the company was subsequently acquired by Credence Systems (NASDAQ: CMOS). Irwin also expanded Schlumberger operations to include Smart Cards, broadband network security consulting and systems design, business process consulting, system integration and process outsourcing. Prior to Schlumberger, Irwin served in senior management roles with Computer Automation, Electronic Associates and Computer Science Corp. He has served as the Chairman of Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Veeco Instruments (NASDAQ: VECO), Circuit Check and Pentagon Technologies Irwin received his BS degree in applied mathematics from California State University in Los Angeles.
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Operating Partner
312-609-4700
Tom joined Baird Capital Partners as an Operating Partner with more than 30 years experience in healthcare products and services. Tom is the CEO of NeuroSource where he is responsible for NeuroSource vision, strategic direction and financial performance. Founded in 1997, NeuroSource is the nation's only health care company focused exclusively on the business of neuroscience and allied specialties.
Previously, Tom was Senior Vice President, CFO and Director for Caremark International where he helped build the organization from its inception into a $3.2 billion provider of health services.
Before the Caremark spinoff, Tom spent nearly 20 years at Baxter International in a variety of financial and operating positions. He has also served as a director for Apache Medical Systems, CallConnect and PharMEDium Healthcare.
Tom received his bachelor's degree in Business and Economics from Lehigh University and earned his MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.
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Operating Partner & Advisory Board Chairman
312-609-5497
Jim is Chairman of the Advisory Board of Baird Venture Partners and a member of the Advisory Board of Baird Capital Partners. He is also an Operating Partner for Baird Private Equity.
Jim retired in 2003 as co-founder and Managing Partner of Marquette Venture Partners. He has been involved in the venture capital industry for twenty-five years.
His venture capital career began in 1980 at First Chicago Venture Capital (the principals of which later formed Madison Dearborn Partners), one of the largest and most active private equity investors in the industry, and later as a founding general partner of Wind Point Partners, a Midwest-based private equity fund.
Jim has been active in the formation, financing and development of early stage companies; the expansion financing and redirection of later stage companies; and the leveraged acquisition of existing businesses. He is Managing Partner of Redfish Partners, L.P., a venture investment and consulting company. Jim is former Chairman of Marshall Erdman & Associates, Inc., a former Director of PharMEDium Healthcare Corporation and former Chairman of the Board of Directors of CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and earned a MBA degree from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
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Operating Partner
312-609-4700
Bob Dods is a member of the Board of Directors of Baird Asia Limited. He served as RC2 Corporation's (NASDAQ: RCRC) Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board from April 1996 through December 2002. Bob continues to serve as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of RC2. He co-founded Racing Champions, Inc. ("RCI"), RC2's predecessor, along with Peter Chung and Boyd Meyer in 1989. Prior to founding RCI, Bob and Boyd Meyer owned and operated Dods-Meyer, Ltd., a manufacturers' representative agency that focused on selling products to mass merchants. He began doing business in Asia in the late 1970s. Bob is a non-executive Chairman of Hygenic Corp, director of Qualitor and director of Advanced Equities.
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Operating Partner
+852 2827 8822
Peter joined BPE in 2003 as an operating partner working with portfolio companies to develop distribution and sourcing strategies in Asia. Peter oversees BAL from the China perspective. Peter served as President of Racing Champions Limited (“RCL”) from 1996 through 2003, the Hong Kong-based subsidiary of RC2 Corporation (NASDAQ: RCRC). Peter formed RCL's predecessor in 1989 to handle the overseas operating activities of RC2’s Asian manufacturing requirements. Prior to 1989, Peter founded and operated Deles International Ltd., a manufacturer and marketer of consumer products exported to the U.S., Japan and Europe.
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Executive-in-Residence & Operating Partner
312-609-4700
Mohan is an Executive-In-Residence with Baird Venture Partners’ business services team and an Operating Partner with Baird Capital Partners. Mohan works with the team to source and evaluate new investment opportunities and contribute value-added operating experience to portfolio companies. Prior to joining Baird Private Equity, Mohan worked at Apple as a Vice President reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, where he led a team focused on establishing offshore operations in India and Eastern Europe. Prior to Apple, Mohan was Vice President and Managing Director of Dell International Services, where he was responsible for establishing and rapidly scaling Dell’s India operations. Within a two-year period, Mohan launched and grew Dell’s India operation to over 6,400 employees in three cities and four campuses. He also previously served as Vice President of Customer Experience for Dell’s Americas business unit, and held high-level, executive roles at Cummins Engine, Honeywell and Xerox. Mohan earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Minnesota.
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Dugald K. Campbell
Operating Partner
312-609-4700
Dug Campbell is an Operating Partner of Baird Capital Partners. Prior to joining Baird in 2005, he served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Tower Automotive from 1993 through 2005, where he grew the business to a $2.8 billion revenue enterprise from $60 million in 1993. Prior to Tower, Dug served as Vice President and General Manager of the Sensor Systems Division of Siemens Automotive, a manufacturer of engine management systems and components. From 1972 to 1988, he held various executive, engineering and marketing positions with Allied Automotive, a manufacturer of vehicle systems and components and a subsidiary of Allied Signal Dug is a member of the Board of Directors of J.L. French Automotive Castings and MTS Systems Corporation. He holds a Bachelor of Science and Engineering degree from the University of Western Ontario.
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Operating Partner
312-609-4600
Harry D. Schulman joined Baird Capital Partners as an Operating Partner with more than 30 years experience in consumer products, including 20 years of Asian sourcing and manufacturing experience. Harry was previously President and CEO of Applica, a then publicly traded company that markets and distributes a wide range of small appliances for use in and outside the home. Applica markets products under licensed brand names such as Black & Decker®, company-owned brand names such as LittermaidTM, a product targeting the pet industry, Belson Professional®, leading personal care products, and private label brand names. Upon becoming Chairman and CEO, Harry increased shareholder value by over 100% within 2 years, and eventually executed an industry consolidation strategy which resulted in the sale of the company to a major private equity firm at 18 times EBITDA. Harry brings extensive operations, consumer product and Asian manufacturing experience to the Baird portfolio. Harry received his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from University of Dayton and earned his MBA from the University of Miami.
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A.J. Wasserstein
Operating Partner
800-799-5770
A.J. joins BCP as an Operating Partner with 20 years experience in business services, specifically the facilities/rental services area. Wasserstein is the founder and former President and CEO of ArchivesOne, a pan-regional full service records management company that he grew to become the third largest provider of records and information management in the U.S. before selling the company to Iron Mountain. Backed by private equity at ArchivesOne, Wasserstein executed a consolidation strategy that included over 30 acquisitions. Wasserstein graduated from Colgate University and received his MBA from New York University. He has also completed the Owner President Managed executive education program at Harvard Business School. The Hartford County Business Journal and New Haven Business Times have both selected Mr. Wasserstein as an award winner in their respective “Forty Under 40” programs. The U.S. Small Business Administration named Mr. Wasserstein the 2000 Small Business Person of the Year in Connecticut.
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