D.A. Davidson & Co., the largest full-service investment firm based in the Pacific Northwest, today announced that a highly experienced team of public finance professionals has joined the company’s Fixed Income Capital Markets Group in Seattle, cementing the firm’s reputation as a national leader in public finance capabilities. The bankers will focus on education and local government transactions, allowing D.A. Davidson to establish one of the Northwest’s top public finance teams focused on K-12 education.
Joining D.A. Davidson & Co. are: David Trageser, Senior Vice President, Public Finance; Jack Eaton, Senior Vice President, Public Finance; Chad Cowan, Vice President, Public Finance; and Suzanne Eide, Vice President, Public Finance. The new team complements an already-strong public finance team in Seattle that works with clients across the Northwest and beyond.
“Each of these individuals represents our commitment to growing and strengthening our public finance practice so we are able to continue serving clients nationwide with professionalism and the personalized service that’s our company’s hallmark,” said Kreg Jones, Managing Director, Fixed Income Capital Markets. “This team has extensive knowledge of public finance in general, coupled with remarkable expertise in their sectors, and has helped us become a dominant force, particularly in the education sector, in the Northwest and the West.”
Eaton and Cowan will focus primarily on K-12 education transactions and together have 45 years of experience in education finance. They join Jon Gores, Senior Vice President, Public Finance, who already has an established practice with D.A. Davidson that makes the firm one of Washington state’s leaders in public education transactions. Combined, Eaton, Cowan, Trageser and Gores accounted for completion of more than 41 percent of the public finance market in Washington’s K-12 education transactions for 2007, according to the Securities Data Corp.
Trageser and Eide additionally will focus on general municipal finance with cities, counties, tribal governments, special districts, housing authorities, nonprofit organizations, and fire, water and sewer districts. They join Fred Eoff, Senior Vice President, Public Finance, who has focused on real estate issues, including work with nonprofit organizations and for-profit developers.
“We’re very pleased that this new public finance team is joining us in Seattle,” said Bill Johnstone, President and CEO of Davidson Companies, the financial services holding company that owns D.A. Davidson & Co. “These are some of the most recognized professionals in the Northwest within their respective fields. We strongly believe in public finance for the long run and we expect to continue our growth through attracting key professionals such as this group.”
Eaton has more than 35 years of experience in public finance, most recently as managing director and manager of the K-12 Education Public Finance Team with UBS Securities in Seattle. He previously worked with Banc of America.
Cowan most recently working alongside Eaton at UBS Securities, and has more than nine years of experience in public finance. He has worked with a wide range of clients, with a focus on Washington school districts.
Trageser has been in the Northwest municipal market for 23 years, specializing in general municipal finance, and has worked with cities, school districts, housing authorities and other government and nonprofit entities across Washington and in Oregon and Idaho. He joins D.A. Davidson after serving seven years with Banc of America in Seattle and previously with Dain Rauscher.
Eide also joins D.A. Davidson from Banc of America, where she has served as the lead debt structuring professional for senior managed financings on behalf of a variety of clients, with a focus on local government financing.
D.A. Davidson & Co.’s Fixed Income Capital Markets Group provides public finance banking and advisory services, fixed income sales and trading in both taxable and tax-exempt sectors. In addition, the group provides fixed income investment products and advisory services to public and private sector clients and non-profit institutions. The group works nationwide, providing public finance expertise in sectors that include public education and charter schools, higher education, local and state government, multi-family housing, special districts and utilities, tribal finance, resort communities, and alternative energy, among other areas.
Last year, D.A. Davidson ranked 14th nationwide in terms of public finance transactions closed, according to Securities Data Corp. figures.
About D.A. Davidson & Co.
Founded in 1935, D.A. Davidson & Co. is an employee-owned investment firm based in Great Falls, Montana. Besides its fixed income capital markets business, the firm offers a full array of integrated brokerage and equity capital markets products and services. D.A. Davidson & Co. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Davidson Companies.
Davidson Companies is one of the nation’s leading financial services holding companies, offering integrated brokerage, capital markets, money management, trust and wealth management services. Davidson Companies was entrusted with $24.8 billion of client assets as of September 2007. The company is employee-owned, with more than 940 associates working in 16 states. Besides operating D.A. Davidson, Davidson Companies also owns Davidson Fixed Income Management, a registered investment adviser providing money management and other fixed income advisory services; Davidson Trust Co., a wealth management and trust company; Davidson Investment Advisors, a professional money management firm; and Davidson Travel, a full-service travel agency.