Raymond James Hires Health Care Vet Pete Lawson

BRADENTON, Fla. — Raymond James has hired health care veteran Pete Lawson as a managing director to co-head hospital mergers and acquisitions in the firm's health care finance group.

Lawson has worked 37 years in the health care industry with three decades in operations and development for nonprofit and investor-owned health systems. He is based in Naples, Fla.

He will implement new strategic initiatives, including physician equity models and partnership strategies for nonprofit systems, while performing traditional merger and acquisition functions, the firm said.

"Pete's breadth and depth of experience as a hospital operator are invaluable to our firm and our clients," said Rob Baird, senior managing director and head of public finance/debt investment banking. "He brings a unique perspective to banking."

Most recently, Lawson was executive vice president of development for Community Health Systems, formerly Health Management Associates, where he worked 16 years in both operations and development.

Lawson also worked previously at Phymatrix in West Palm Beach, Fla.; Winter Park Memorial Hospital, Winter Park, Fla.; St. Petersburg General Hospital and Humana in St. Petersburg and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and Duke Medical Private Diagnostic Clinic in Durham, N.C.

His work in the nonprofit arena has included transactions involving Munroe Regional Medical Center in Ocala, Fla.; the former Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Fla.; Ohio-based Cleveland Clinic Hospital; University of Florida Shands Healthcare in Gainesville; and North Carolina-based Novant Health.

Lawson received his bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame and his master's from Duke University. He is an American College of Healthcare Executives Fellow, and holds memberships in the Medical Group Management Association and Healthcare Financial Management Association.

"The health care sector is constantly evolving, which means there are always new opportunities for our clients to grow," said Joe Beck, managing director and co-head of the healthcare finance group. "Pete's relationships and expertise in the health care sector will be a great asset to the firm as we expand our platform and remain committed to serving the changing needs of our clients."

The health care group has seven offices across the country offering investment banking platforms with a focus on the nonprofit sector that has executed more than $41 billion in transactions since 2007, the firm said.

Raymond James Financial Inc., headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla., provides private client, capital markets, asset management, banking, and other services primarily in the United States and Canada. The firm said it has more than 6,200 financial advisors overseeing $486 billion in client assets. 

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Healthcare industry Florida
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