Baird has brought in The Lipe Group to expand its wealth management practice in Charlotte, NC.

Father-son team Joseph Lipe and John Lipe are based in Charlotte, while Kevin Phillips operates from a new wealth management office in Lake Norman, NC.

Joe Lipe, a director and financial advisor, is latterly of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (now Morgan Stanley Wealth Management), where he had worked for over 35 years.

John Lipe, a vice president and financial advisor, began his investment career with Smith Barney in 2007 working with his father, Joe.  

Phillips, a senior vice president and financial advisor, joined AG Edwards in 1990 and then moved to Wachovia and Wells Fargo following company mergers.

In other recent news at Baird, at the start of February the firm added The Caprara & Hain Financial Group - latterly of Wells Fargo - to its new wealth management office in Merritt Island, FL. And in related developments, at the end of January Baird said it is planning to open a new wealth management office in the Northeast and brought in Peter Miller from Wells Fargo to lead the effort.

Baird, an employee-owned firm, has added more than 250 advisors and branch managers since the start of 2009, as well as opening in the new markets of Portland, ME, Salt Lake City, UT, Fort Worth, TX, and Portland, OR.

The firm has some $99 billion in client assets, as at end-December 2012.