John S. Hantak has joined the employee-owned international wealth management firm as Senior Vice President, Branch Manager, and will oversee both Houston offices. Hantak is joined by seven veteran financial advisors, all of whom are legacy A.G. Edwards & Sons advisors who were most recently with Wells Fargo Advisors. Their business model is primarily focused on the retirement planning needs of professionals in the oil and gas industries. Collectively, these advisors bring more than 90 years of combined industry experience and oversee more than $770 million in client assets.

The advisors joining Baird in Houston include:

– J. Gillette Burns, CFP®, CPA, Director
– Orlando C. Montesino, CFP®, CPA, Senior Vice President
– Andrew A. Atkinson, CFP®
– Richard G. Pfeil, CFP®, Vice President
– Matthew Leatherwood, CFP®
– Thomas S. Davis, Vice President
– C. Nelson Shields, Jr., CFP®, CPA, Vice President

All of the advisors will serve clients from Baird’s new Houston office located at 945 Bunker Hill Road. Baird also has an office at Five Post Oak Park in The Galleria district.

"We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome John and these highly regarded financial advisors to Baird," said Michael J. Schroeder, President of Baird Private Wealth Management. "Baird’s culture celebrates their entrepreneurial accomplishments and highly specialized expertise in the area of retirement planning for oil and gas industry professionals. We appreciate the opportunity to help them build further on their success for the benefit of our clients."

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"We are excited to expand our footprint in Houston, a market that continues to represent significant growth potential," said Jarrett Kovics, Director of the Texas Market for Baird’s Private Wealth Management business. "We extend a warm welcome to these seasoned wealth management professionals, all of whom are legacy A.G. Edwards employees. They will be a tremendous asset to Baird, our financial advisors and our clients."

Hantak joins Baird from UBS Financial Services where he was most recently an Executive Director/Complex Director who oversaw more than 50 financial advisors in Stamford and Greenwich, Ct., managing $48 million in client assets. Prior to that, he worked for Citi Smith Barney as a Senior Vice President/Complex Manager in Houston. His career started at Prudential where he held the roles of branch manager, sales manager and financial advisor. Active in the community, Hantak is a lifetime member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and board member for The Regis School of the Sacred Heart. He will be relocating back to Houston with his family.

Burns, Montesino and Atkinson have worked together as The Burns Financial Group for more than eight years. Both Burns and Montesino began their careers in public accounting. Montesino also held the roles of Corporate Controller and Chief Financial Officer of the Investment Division with American General Corporation in Houston prior to joining A.G. Edwards. Atkinson started his career as a financial advisor directly with A.G. Edwards. Burns holds a BBA from Baylor University, while Montesino and Atkinson are graduates of The University of Texas. All three live in Houston. They are joined by Client Relationship Assistant Cynthia Silva.

Pfeil and Leatherwood also began their careers with A.G. Edwards and are graduates of Texas A&M. They are both residents of Houston where Leatherwood is a volunteer middle school football coach. They are joined by Client Relationship Assistant Ogochukwu (Didi) Obianagu.

Prior to joining A.G. Edwards, Shields owned his own accounting firm, Shields & Associates CPAs, for nearly 25 years. He earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas. Davis began his career with Rotan Mosle before joining A.G. Edwards as a financial advisor in 1990. He is a graduate of Texas A&M. Houston is home to both Shields and Davis.

Baird has added more than 275 Financial Advisors and Branch Managers to its Private Wealth Management group since the beginning of 2009, the vast majority of whom are industry veterans. Beyond adding talent, Baird has opened wealth management offices in markets including Charlotte, N.C.; Sarasota, Fla.; Portland, Maine; Salt Lake City; Fort Worth, Texas; and Portland, Ore.