Edward S. Barr, Founder and President, is responsible for Portfolio Management. He is also Manager of Sandfly Management Partners, the general partner to Sandfly Partners, Ltd, a hedge fund partnership with approximately $40 million in assets. Prior to founding E. S. Barr & Company in 1992, Ed was Executive Vice President at First Security Bank prior to its sale to Bank One (now JP Morgan Chase). In that capacity, he was responsible for corporate finance matters, including Mergers & Acquisitions as well as establishing and managing a holding company’s regional bank equity portfolio. Ed also previously managed several hundred million dollars of fixed income assets for First Security, including Treasuries, Agencies, Municipals, Mortgage-Backed Securities, and Collateralized Mortgage Obligations. Ed is Chairman of the Triangle Corporation, a philanthropic organization responsible for initiating, privately funding, and building three parks in Lexington. He is also past Treasurer and a current Trustee of Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill. Ed graduated from the University of Kentucky with a B.B.A. in Finance in 1981.
Josh Buckman joined E. S. Barr & Company in April 2019 and is responsible for researching individual holdings as well as portfolio management. Prior to joining E. S. Barr & Co., Josh worked in investment banking as an associate at Deutsche Bank in New York. Josh is a summa cum laude graduate of Transylvania University with a B. A. in Economics and Business Administration. While attending Transylvania University, he was a member of the varsity tennis team.
Eryn Clayton joined E. S. Barr & Company in January 2023 and is responsible for client services, general administration, and office management. Prior to joining E. S. Barr, Eryn worked in the Student Success Administration at the University of Kentucky where she managed the university’s COVID-19 response team, worked alongside developers to build a student wellness CRM, and developed a successful student retention program for first year students. Eryn has a myriad of experience in multiple industries. Prior to working at UK, Eryn was the General Manager at Sunrise Bakery – you may find a few treats in the office every now and again. Eryn was also the Business Manager at West Sixth, where she managed HR for 50 employees, all company operations, procurement, payroll and all financial oversight. She graduated from Transylvania University in 2013 with a B.A. in Exercise Science with a concentration in Nutrition.
Margaret joined E.S. Barr & Company in June 2017 and is engaged in all facets of the company, with an emphasis on compliance. Prior to joining E.S. Barr & Company, Margaret worked as an associate attorney at McBrayer, McGinnis, Leslie & Kirkland, PLLC in the firm’s estate planning and administration practice group, and later at Little English, LLC, where she assisted with production and manufacturing. Margaret is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, and a graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Law with her Juris Doctor.
Ryan Kelsch joined the company in 2014 and is responsible for Client Service and Business Development. Ryan previously worked as a Commercial Credit Analyst at U.S. Bank in Lexington, where he was responsible for analyzing and risk-rating companies. Ryan is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Transylvania University with a B.A. in both Accounting and Business Administration, with a concentration in Finance. Ryan serves on the Audit Committee of the YMCA of Central Kentucky.
John Maddox, Partner, joined the company in 1994 and is responsible for Client Service and Business Development. John was previously Vice President in Commercial Lending at First Security Bank and Bank One. While attending the University of Kentucky, he was Captain of the UK football team and graduated with a B.B.A. in Finance.