John Baumgartner
D.A. Davidson & Co. has appointed veteran investment banker John Baumgartner as vice chairman and co-head of Equity Capital Markets, expanding its senior leadership team as the firm continues to grow its middle-market capital markets platform and investment banking franchise.
Baumgartner will share leadership of the Equity Capital Markets group with Josh Nolan, overseeing the origination, marketing, pricing and distribution of equity financing transactions. Based in the Greater Dallas area, he will also support D.A. Davidson’s continued expansion in Texas and the broader Southwest, a region the firm has targeted for investment in recent years.
The appointment adds more than 25 years of equity capital markets experience spanning D.A. Davidson’s four primary industry sectors: consumer, diversified industrials, financial institutions and technology. Throughout his career, Baumgartner has led more than 300 equity transactions, including initial public offerings, follow-on offerings, at-the-market programs, block trades and private placements for middle-market growth companies.
His background includes extensive work with private equity sponsors, corporate issuers and institutional investors, experience that aligns with D.A. Davidson’s strategy of expanding advisory and capital-raising services for growth-oriented businesses. The role will focus on strengthening the firm’s equity origination capabilities while supporting clients through the execution of public and private capital markets transactions.
Rory McKinney, president of Equity Capital Markets at D.A. Davidson, said Baumgartner’s experience across equity origination, execution and distribution, combined with his long-standing relationships throughout the private equity and corporate markets, will enhance the firm’s capital markets platform. He added that the appointment reflects D.A. Davidson’s broader strategy of recruiting senior leaders with deep industry expertise to support continued investment banking growth.
Baumgartner joins the firm from Lake Street Capital Markets, where he served as head of Equity Capital Markets and Financial Sponsors. Before that, he was managing director and co-head of Equity Capital Markets and Equity Origination at Stephens. Earlier in his career, he served as managing director and head of Equity Capital Markets at Robert W. Baird and held a series of increasingly senior positions at Piper Jaffray, where he began his career in equity capital markets.
Commenting on his appointment, Baumgartner said D.A. Davidson has built significant momentum across its core industry verticals and expressed enthusiasm about working with Nolan and the broader team to expand the firm’s origination capabilities and deliver capital markets solutions for clients.
The hire is the latest investment in D.A. Davidson’s senior leadership and regional expansion strategy. The firm has recently added executives in the Greater Dallas market as it broadens its presence in the Southwest while strengthening its advisory capabilities for middle-market companies seeking access to equity capital.
Founded in 1935, D.A. Davidson Companies is an employee-owned financial services firm providing wealth management, investment banking, equity and fixed-income capital markets services, asset management and trust services. Headquartered in Great Falls, Montana, the company employs approximately 1,625 people and operates offices in 32 states through subsidiaries including D.A. Davidson & Co., Davidson Investment Advisors and D.A. Davidson Trust Company.