2009-11-13 11:20:05 -

Ready to apply her more than 25 years of broad experience in public finance banking, regulatory leadership and corporate management, Amelia A.J. Bond is joining Kansas City (MO)-based George K. Baum & Company : . Bond will open the St. Louis office for the nation’s 12 th -ranked public finance firm 1 and the highest-ranking Missouri-based firm in 2008. 2

“We’re thrilled to have such an accomplished professional with a great national reputation join our team. Amelia understands issuers and their financing needs,” said Jonathan E. Baum, chairman and chief executive officer of George K. Baum & Company. “Her experience and understanding, combined with her proven managerial abilities and her past leadership within the industry as chair of the Municipal Securities

Rulemaking Board, will be a great asset. Most importantly, her wealth of knowledge will enable us to provide consistent, high-quality service throughout the State of Missouri, as well as broaden our presence nationally.”

Formerly, Bond worked as the managing director and head of public finance for Wachovia Securities for two years after its merger with A.G.

Edwards in 2007. Prior to the merger, Bond served as senior vice president and director of public finance for the St. Louis-based brokerage for seven years. Before heading the department and its 15 offices, she led the St. Louis Municipal Group and developed it into the number one ranked Missouri banking team for A.G. Edwards.

“I am eager to help municipal issuers in Missouri and the Midwest develop and implement financial strategies that will enable them to build the schools they need to educate children, repair roads to facilitate commerce, and deliver the municipal services that their constituents depend on,” said Bond. “As a banker, manager, and an industry leader, I have dedicated myself to one important element above all else – serving clients. I was looking for a firm that shares this commitment and found it in George K. Baum & Company, and I look forward to helping them expand their successful practice here in Missouri and beyond.”


While leading the A.G. Edwards public finance effort from 2001 to 2007, Bond doubled annual revenues for the department and banker productivity.

As head of the St. Louis Municipal Group, she not only applied her diverse banking, credit and analytics experience on behalf of her clients, she was also an advocate and problem-solver for issues affecting all Missouri issuers. She was instrumental in the passage of legislation that created the Missouri Direct Deposit Program and legislation that permitted the use of Capital Appreciation Bonds by Missouri municipal issuers.

After the merger with Wachovia, Bond played an integral role merging the two public finance teams, while maintaining continuity of client service.

From 2003 to 2006, Bond served on the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) and was elected by the Board to serve as its chairman during the 2005-2006 fiscal year. Bond is only the second woman to hold that position in the organization’s 30-year history.

Joining an established team


For the Kansas City (MO)-based George K. Baum & Company, Bond will establish an office in St. Louis and join a group of senior bankers in serving Missouri-based issuers from both Kansas City and now St. Louis.
She will be working directly with Dick Bartow and Greg Bricker, both executive vice presidents in the firm’s Kansas City office.

Bartow joined George K. Baum & Company in 1997 and has headed the company’s Kansas and Missouri practices since 2007. Throughout his career in public finance, he has personally structured hundreds of general obligation and lease purchase bond issues. He also has considerable experience solving short-term cash flow concerns and has served as program administrator for the Missouri School District Advance Funding Note Program, helping Missouri school districts raise more than $1 billion for short-term cash flow needs. Prior to his career in public finance, Bartow spent 14 years in service to school districts in the State of Missouri as an educator, coach and superintendent.

With a professional emphasis on tax-exempt general obligation, lease purchase and utility revenue issues supported by user fees, property- and sales-taxes, Bricker has provided underwriting and advisory services to more than 150 municipal issuers throughout Missouri. He has been the senior banker on more than $4 billion in Missouri bonds, including financings for school districts, cities, counties, special districts, colleges and universities, and various state agencies throughout Missouri.

Combined, the two individuals have nearly 40 years of experience in public finance and have helped underwrite more than $7 billion for Missouri issuers. Over the last five years, the firm also ranked first in Missouri K-12 financings, underwriting nearly $1.9 billion, which represents a 31 percent market share. The closest Missouri-based competitor earned an 18 percent market share, underwriting $1.14 billion.

“For years Amelia was a formidable competitor on Missouri issues. She worked hard for her clients and her ideas were always cutting edge,” said Bartow. “We’re excited to have her on our team as we work with our clients to create financing solutions that will maximize the impact of their projects – especially in this challenging fiscal environment.”


With established strengths in K-12, housing, and county and municipal financings, the firm has some of Missouri’s largest issuers as clients, including: Missouri Housing Development Commission, Environmental Improvement Energy Resources Authority (EIERA), and multiple county and municipal issuers.

About George K. Baum & Company


Founded more than 80 years ago in Kansas City, MO, George K. Baum & Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of George K. Baum Holdings, Inc., is one of the nation’s oldest privately-held investment banking firms.
Since 1990, George K. Baum & Company has been involved with more than 7,500 municipal bond issues, totaling more than $249.9 billion. Staffed with more than 200 professionals, the company has 16 offices nationwide, including public finance offices in 14 cities, trading desks in Denver, CO, and Kansas City, MO, and institutional sales operations in Kansas City, MO, Boston, MA, Denver, CO, Manasquan, NJ and Philadelphia, PA.

All of the firm’s sales professionals focus exclusively on the distribution of municipal securities to institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals.

1 2008 Negotiated Rankings, by Number of Issues, 1/1/2008 to 12/31/2008. Source: Thomson Financial


2 Missouri Overall Rankings by Dollar Volume, 1/1/2008 to 1/1/2009. Source: Thomson Financial

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For George K. Baum & CompanyMargaret Welch, 314-703-1215 margaret@mgwcommunications.com : mailto:margaret@mgwcommunications.com