Chairman and
Managing Director
Jonathan S. Blue is Chairman and Managing Director of Blue Equity, LLC.  Blue Equity is a private equity firm with a diverse and innovative portfolio of lower middle market segment business enterprises in media, publishing, financial services, real estate, and sports & entertainment.

Prior to forming Blue Equity in late 2004, Blue served as Managing Director of another private equity firm with a wide-ranging portfolio of businesses. Most of the active business enterprises developed and grown during Blue's tenure at that firm are now part of Blue Equity's diverse and innovative portfolio of business operations and investments.  

From June 1998 until he became involved with private equity investments, Blue served as Vice President for Progress Rail Services Corporation, which was then a subsidiary of Progress Energy, Inc. (NYSE:PGN), and has subsequently sold to Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT). While employed by Progress Rail, Blue was responsible for the commercial and marketing aspects of its Mexican subsidiary, Progress Rail Services de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.  During Blue's tenure, Progress Rail expanded its Mexican focus by creating a network of facilities and landing corresponding clients in Mexico that mirrored the company's U.S. operations. Specific areas of focus included freight car and locomotive leasing, the marketing of railcar repair services, and railcar parts transactions. Blue hired a marketing team and developed an infrastructure with Mexican employees that eventually reported directly to senior management in the U.S. Prior to working on the Mexican operations, Blue served in Atlanta, Georgia as a Vice President for Railcar, Ltd., a subsidiary of Progress Rail Services Corporation engaged in leasing freight cars and locomotives.

For six years prior to the June 1998 sale of the business of Louisville Scrap Material Co., Inc. and its affiliates to Progress Rail Services Corporation, Blue served as Senior Vice President, Rail Services for such companies. Responsible for worldwide business development of the companies' railroad and rail related services, Blue succeeded in establishing these companies, collectively, as industry leaders.

Blue began his post-college career as a Senior Associate for APM, Inc., a leading international management consulting firm, which concentrated in turnarounds, operations improvement, strategic planning and continuous quality initiatives.  

Blue received a BA in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and is proficient in the Spanish language. Blue, a Louisville, Kentucky native, is a graduate of St. Francis High School and currently resides in Louisville with his wife and two children.

A frequent speaker, Blue has been profiled in many national and international publications. His ideas and views have been featured in the Wall Street Journal.   He has been interviewed on Bloomberg Television and CNBC-TV.  Blue has served on numerous professional panels relating to private equity, sports and a variety of business issues.

Awards and civic involvement:

• Recipient of the Small Company Business Leader of the Year Award in December 2006.
• In 2006, Blue was appointed by Governor Ernie Fletcher to the University of Louisville Board of Trustees.
• In January 2006, Blue was named the 18th most powerful person in the city of Louisville by Louisville Magazine. He is the youngest person in the top 20 ranking.
• Recipient of the 2004 Governor's Economic Development Award, Blue has been labeled by the Courier-Journal newspaper as "one of Kentucky's most vibrant young entrepreneurs...".
• Named in Business First's prestigious "40 under 40" listing (2003) and as one of Louisville's future leaders in a 2005 profile in Louisville Magazine.
• Board of Trustee for Jewish Hospital and St. Mary's HealthCare Services (youngest elected trustee at the time).
• Board of Directors member at Central Bank and Trust.
• 2008 Chairman and Board of Directors member for Greater Louisville Inc. (Chamber of Commerce)
• Appointed by former Governor Paul Patton to serve on the Kentucky State Treasurer's Postsecondary Education Prepaid Tuition Trust Fund Board of Directors.
• Governor's appointee to the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute.
• Louisville Downtown Development Corporation Board of Directors.
• Founding member of the Bluegrass Chapter of the Young Entrepreneurs' Organization (YEO), a worldwide organization with membership of more than 3,000 successful entrepreneurs dedicated to fostering the future of young leaders.
• 2002 graduate of Leadership Louisville and 2003 graduate of Bingham Fellows.
• Serves as a University of Pennsylvania Alumni Career Advisor.

Blue is actively involved in several other civic and charitable activities and participates in triathlons throughout the United States.