Raymond James Recruits $1.1B Team From Baird
Raymond James has recruited a second $1 billion-plus firm in as many weeks with the addition of The Carlson Group of Raymond James, a Cranberry Township, Pa.-based team with about $1.1 billion in client assets. The team joins the firm’s employee advisor channel from Baird.
The team includes advisors Kurt Carlson, Kenneth Breaden, Cassidy Carlson and Brian Koble. They are joined by client service associates Teresa Davis and Jacquelin Croissant.
Managing Director Kurt Carlson began his career in financial services at Hefren-Tillotson, a privately held wealth management firm established in 1948. The firm was acquired by Baird in 2022. His daughter, Cassidy, joined the team in 2017. Breaden has been in financial services for 14 years, while Koble has 23 years of experience.
“Our decision to join Raymond James was proactive and rooted in the firm’s genuine commitment to helping clients succeed,” Kurt Carlson said in a statement. “We were also drawn to the firm’s willingness to reinvest in its business, particularly in technology and innovation, to enhance the client experience and support long-term growth as the industry enters a transformative era of artificial intelligence.”
This follows last week’s news that Raymond James added Capital Reserve Group of Raymond James from Comerica, a regional commercial bank, where the team managed $5.4 billion in client assets. That team also joined the firm’s employee channel.
During the second quarter of 2026, Raymond James recruited advisors with trailing 12-month production of $156 million and nearly $23 billion in client assets to its independent and employee channels. CEO Paul Shoukry said the firm is on pace for a record recruiting year.
