Employee-owned Baird announced today that Baird Advisors was named a finalist for the Morningstar 2016 U.S. Fixed-Income Fund Manager of the Year Award. The Baird Advisors fixed income team, led by Mary Ellen Stanek and including Gary Elfe, Charles Groeschell, Warren Pierson, Jay Schwister, Dan Tranchita and Sharon DeGuzman, was nominated for its management of the Baird Core Plus Bond Fund (BCOIX). Morningstar will announce the winner of the 2016 award on January 25th.

“We’re extremely proud of Mary Ellen and her team,” said Steve Booth, Baird President & CEO. “This recognition by Morningstar speaks to the consistent results this team has been able to generate over time. They’ve created a teamwork-oriented culture that’s been instrumental in delivering excellent results in a variety of market environments.”

“It’s an honor to be a finalist for Morningstar’s Fixed-Income Fund Manager of the Year Award,” said Mary Ellen Stanek, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of Baird Advisors. “In addition to the named portfolio managers of the funds, research director Jay Schwister, portfolio managers Jeff Schrom, Meg Dean, Duane McAllister along with our talented analysts contributed to this accomplishment. Our team delivered excellent results in 2016 using the same philosophy and risk-controlled process we always have. We don’t swing for the fences, just consistently deliver singles and doubles.”

Established in 1988, the Morningstar Fund Manager of the Year award recognizes portfolio managers who demonstrate excellent investment skill and the courage to differ from the consensus to benefit investors. The Fund Manager of the Year award winners are chosen based on research and in-depth qualitative evaluation by Morningstar’s Manager Research Group. Morningstar’s Manager Research Group consists of various wholly owned subsidiaries of Morningstar, Inc. including, but not limited to, Morningstar Research Services LLC. To qualify for the award, managers’ funds must have not only posted impressive returns for the year, but the managers also must have a record of delivering outstanding long-term risk-adjusted performance and of aligning their interests with shareholders’. Nominated funds must be Morningstar Medalists—a fund that has garnered a Morningstar Analyst Rating™ of Gold, Silver, or Bronze.

About Baird Advisors

Baird Advisors is Baird’s fixed income asset management division and advisor to the Baird Bond Funds. The group manages more than $47 billion in taxable and tax-exempt fixed income portfolios including Baird Ultra Short Bond Fund, Baird Short-Term Bond Fund, Baird Aggregate Bond Fund, Baird Core Plus Bond Fund, Baird Short-Term Municipal Bond Fund, Baird Core Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund, and Baird Quality Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund. For more information, visit www.bairdfunds.com.

About Baird

Baird is an employee-owned, international wealth management, capital markets, private equity and asset management firm with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Established in 1919, Baird has more than 3,300 associates serving the needs of individual, corporate, institutional and municipal clients. Baird has more than $160 billion in client assets. Committed to being a great place to work, Baird ranked No. 6 on FORTUNE’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2016 – its 13th consecutive year on the list. Baird is the marketing name of Baird Financial Group. Baird’s principal operating subsidiaries are Robert W. Baird & Co. in the United States and Robert W. Baird Group Ltd. in Europe. Baird also has an operating subsidiary in Asia supporting Baird’s investment banking and private equity operations. For more information, please visit Baird’s Web site at www.rwbaird.com.

Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Investors should carefully consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. This and other important information is contained in the fund prospectuses and summary prospectuses, which can be obtained from a financial professional and should be read carefully before investing.