Blue Ridge Associates

10/22/2026

Meet the Blue Ridge presenters at Employee Owned 2026!

Our team is ready to take the stage and share insights, ideas, and practical strategies to help ESOP companies strengthen plan operations and foster a thriving owership culture.

Planning your conference schedule? Check out our event page for the full list of sessions where you can find the Blue Ridge team: https://oneblueridge.com/events/employee-owned-2026/

We’ll also be at Copperleaf 2 throughout the conference. Be sure to stop by and say hello, connect with our team, and learn more about how we support employee-owned companies.

The ESOP Association

10/12/2026

Please join us in welcoming Christen Valentine, James Alley, and Kevin Chen to the Blue Ridge Associates team!

Christen joins our Retirement Plan Services team as an Internal Sales Support Consultant, James joins our ESOP Administration team as an ESOP Administration Analyst, and Kevin joins our ESOP Administration team as an ESOP Administration Analyst.

We're excited to have them on board and look forward to the experience, skills, and enthusiasm they'll bring to Blue Ridge!

Welcome Christen, James, and Kevin!

10/09/2026

Please join us in welcoming Melissa Daniels, Mohammed Ben Youness, and Sarahi De La Garza to the Blue Ridge Associates team!

Melissa joins our ESOP team as our Southwestern Regional Sales Director, Mohammed joins our Retirement Plan team as a DC Retirement Plan Consultant, and Sarahi joins our ESOP Administration team as a Senior ESOP Administration Consultant.

We're excited to have them on board and look forward to their contributions to the team.

Welcome Melissa, Mohammed, and Sarahi!

10/09/2026

Did you know your ESOPATHON donation helps fund scholarships and leadership development programs for employee-owners?

Last year, the campaign helped create educational opportunities for dozens of employee-owners and their families while supporting programs that prepare the next generation of ESOP leaders.

Your support makes a real impact by empowering employee-owners, investing in future leaders, and strengthening the ESOP community.

Help us make an even bigger impact this year! Support our team today!

https://www.esopathon.org/fundraisers/blueridgeassociates

09/30/2026

Please join us in welcoming Daniel Canaveral and JP Walker to the Blue Ridge Associates team!

Daniel joins our Learning & Development team as an E-Learning Developer, bringing more than seven years of Learning & Development experience and nearly two decades of experience in education and training.

JP joins our Retirement Plan team as a DC Retirement Plan Consultant, bringing more than 17 years of experience in 401(k) administration and a strong background in building client relationships.

We're excited to have them on board and look forward to their contributions to the team.

Welcome, Daniel and JP!

08/25/2026

Please join us in welcoming Nicholl Venzon to the Blue Ridge Associates team!

Nicholl joins our ESOP Administration team as a Senior ESOP Administration Consultant, bringing four years of experience auditing defined contribution and ESOP plans.

We're excited to have her on board and look forward to her expertise and contributions to the team.

Welcome, Nicholl!

08/12/2026

Please join us in welcoming Thom Sliney and Tyce McNair to the Blue Ridge Associates team!

Thom joins our ESOP Administration team as an ESOP Administration Consultant, bringing more than 16 years of experience in the retirement plan industry.

Tyce joins our Payments Department as a Payment Specialist, supporting ESOP participant payments and delivering exceptional client service.

We’re excited to have them on board and look forward to their contributions to the team.

Welcome, Thom and Tyce!

07/28/2026

As a proud Leader Sponsor of the Ohio/Kentucky Chapter of The ESOP Association, we’re excited to attend the 2026 Thoroughbred Conference in Louisville, KY, August 3–4.

Pete Shuler will be presenting two conference sessions and looks forward to sharing insights while connecting with fellow attendees throughout the event.

If you’ll be there, be sure to stop by and say hello!

07/24/2026

Members of our Iowa team recently spent time volunteering at the Families Forward Bidwell Pantry in Des Moines as part of the Blue Ridge Day of Giving.

They assisted guests with selecting food items, guided them through the process and ensured they received all of the items available to them.

We are grateful for this opportunity to give back to local communities and to make a difference in the lives of those in need.

07/24/2026

Looking forward to this upcoming National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) webinar featuring Jon Williams and Scott Foreman.

Distribution payments may seem straightforward, but the details around timing notices, tax withholding, and cash-versus-stock distributions can quickly become complex. Jon and Scott will share practical guidance to help ESOP administrators navigate these requirements with confidence and avoid common pitfalls.

NCEO members, be sure to register!

Distribution payments look simple until the timing notice, the tax withholding, and the cash-versus-stock rules all land on your desk at once. Next Thursday, we'll walk through how to get it right the first time. https://www.nceo.org/events/webinar-processing-participant-distribution-payments-101-esop