Our Leadership
Our Leadership
Jim Corey
Managing Partner
Jim is a co-founder of Blue Ridge Partners and now serves as the firm’s Managing Partner. For 30 years he has assisted companies in North America, Europe and Asia accelerate profitable revenue growth. Jim has advised over 250 companies on revenue-related issues including growth strategy, pricing, sales and marketing management, customer segmentation and messaging.
Prior to founding Blue Ridge Partners, Jim was a partner at both McKinsey & Company and Accenture. He was the President of the Worldwide Professional Services Group at Unisys Corporation and the Managing Partner of AT&T Solutions, the professional services arm of AT&T. Jim served as Managing Partner of Potomac Partners and CEO of Luminant Worldwide.
Jim now lives in the Washington, DC, area.
W. Bradford Wilsted
Managing Director
bwilsted@blueridgepartners.com
Brad is a co-founder of Blue Ridge Partners and now leads the firm’s Healthcare Practice. Brad has nearly 20 years of experience helping healthcare clients accelerate profitable revenue growth. His expertise includes growth strategy development, sales and marketing effectiveness, referral source optimization, customer segmentation and pricing within healthcare, insurance, financial services and other industries.
Previously, Brad was a Principal at Luminant Worldwide and ran the strategic consulting practice as Senior Vice President of Client Services at XOR, Inc. He has also served as a Senior Manager at Braxton Associates strategic consulting group. Brad was a member of the Marketing Planning Group at Eli Lilly responsible for targeting the managed care sector. Brad earned his MBA at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
Brad now resides in Denver with his family.
Jeff Gurganus
Principal
jgurganus@blueridgepartners.com
Jeff, a Principal at Blue Ridge Partners, has over 15 years of experience working in a wide variety of corporate and consulting settings. With Blue Ridge Partners, Jeff’s work has focused on creating and implementing growth strategies, enhancing sales force effectiveness, optimizing go-to-market strategies and tactics, and improving cross selling and customer retention. In addition, he has expertise in supporting the due diligence efforts of private equity firms.
Prior to Blue Ridge Partners Jeff served as Vice President, Corporate Finance, with Simplexity, a leading online retailer of wireless products and services, and as an Advisor to the CFO of XM Satellite Radio, at the time the nation’s leading satellite radio service. In addition, he was an Engagement Manager with The Dealy Strategy Group, a boutique management consulting firm focused on clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.
Jeff earned his MBA from Georgetown University, an MA from The George Washington University and his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland College Park. He has also studied at Moscow State University and Oxford University.
Jeff currently resides in Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife and two children.
Jerry Hughes
Principal
Jerry is a Principal at Blue Ridge Partners, where he focuses on helping consumer-oriented businesses find new ways to accelerate profitable revenue growth. His clients have included companies in the consumer goods, financial services, retail, healthcare, and marketing services sectors.
With over 20 years of experience as a consultant and corporate executive, Jerry has led efforts to boost growth, sales and marketing effectiveness, and corporate value for clients ranging from private, middle market companies to Fortune 100 firms. He managed client relationships and engagements with consultancies Inforte Corp., Luminant Worldwide, and Braxton Associates. Jerry also led the Business Development and Product Management functions as an Executive Vice President at Rewards Network, a publicly traded loyalty and direct-marketing company.
Prior to his consulting career, Jerry held corporate lending and finance positions at UBS and Bank of Montreal. He holds an A.B. in government from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. in Finance and International Business from the University of Chicago.
Jerry lives in the Chicago area with his wife and four children.
Our Advisors
Donald S. Perkins
Advisory Board Chairman
Mr.Perkins is the chairman of the Blue Ridge Partners Advisory Board. Mr. Perkins was the Chairman of Jewel Companies, Inc., from which he retired after 30 years. Mr. Perkins serves as a Director for LaSalle Hotel Properties, Nanophase Technologies, and several other start-up companies. He has served for more than 30 years on corporate boards, including AON, AT&T, Corning Glass, Cummins Engine, Eastman Kodak, Firestone, Kmart, Springs Industries, Time Warner and the Putnam Funds. He has been a Trustee and Vice Chairman of Northwestern University and chaired Campaign Northwestern, a university-wide effort to raise $1.4 billion. He was the founder of The Civic Committee of The Commercial Club of Chicago and honorary chairman of The Illinois Coalition.
Mr. Perkins is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Business School.
Jerry K. Pearlman
Advisory Board Member
Mr. Pearlman is the retired Chairman and CEO of Zenith Electronics Corporation. Serving at Zenith for 24 years, Mr. Pearlman was Chief Financial Officer and General Manager of the company’s computer division before being selected as Chief Executive Officer in 1983. Earlier in his career, he served in management positions with Ford Motor Company and Behring Corporation. Mr. Pearlman is currently a director of Ryerson-Tull, Inc, Nanophase Technologies Corporation and of Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation. He was also previously a director of First Chicago Corporation and Luminant Worldwide. He has been very active in not-for-profit boards and commissions including Northwestern University, The Business Roundtable, Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare and Metropolis 2020 Committee of the Chicago Commercial Club.
Mr. Pearlman received an undergraduate degree from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Ellen R. Marram
Advisory Board Member
Ellen R. Marram is a Senior Advisor of Brock Capital Group and an Operating Advisor at North Castle Partners, LLC. Previously, she served as Managing Director of North Castle Partners, LLC. Ms. Marram was President and CEO of Tropicana and the Tropicana Beverage Group until its sale in 1998 to PepsiCo and was President and CEO of Nabisco Biscuit Company. Ms. Marram currently serves on the Board of Directors of Ford Motor Company, The New York Times Company, Eli Lilly, as well as several private companies. She is a Trustee of the Conference Board and also serves on the boards of The New York & Presbyterian Hospital, Lincoln Center Theater, Families and Work Institute and Citymeals-on-Wheels.
She is graduate of Wellesley College and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, and has received Alumni Achievement Awards from both institutions.
John M. Richman
Advisory Board Member
Mr.Richman is the former Chairman and CEO of Kraft Foods. After the acquisition of Kraft by Philip Morris, he served as Vice Chairman of Philip Morris. Earlier in his career, he served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Kraft. He serves as a trustee of Archstone-Smith Trust and as a director or advisory director of several other companies and as counsel to the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Mr. Richman is a retired director of Bank of America, USX Corporation and R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company, and served as acting Chairman and CEO of that company from October 1996 to April 1997. He also serves as Director of Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, Chicago Council on Foreign Relations and Lyric Opera of Chicago and as a trustee of the Norton Museum of Art. In addition, he is a life trustee of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Northwestern University.
Mr. Richman received an undergraduate degree from Yale University and has a LL.B. degree from Harvard Law School.