Edward S. Barr
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.
Lilian Ball
Lili joined E.S. Barr & Company in September 2026 and is responsible for the firm’s compliance program. Before joining E.S. Barr, she spent five years as an Associate Attorney with Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC, where she maintained a broad litigation and appellate practice. Lili graduated magna cum laude from Transylvania University and earned her J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law.
Josh Buckman
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.
Caswell Fuller
Caswell Fuller joined E.S. Barr & Company in June 2026 and is responsible for Client Service and Business Development. Prior to joining the firm, Caswell worked in Transaction Advisory Services at Berkeley Research Group (BRG), advising private equity firms and business owners on mergers and acquisitions and financial due diligence. He began his career with PwC in Audit and Risk Advisory. Caswell is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Transylvania University, where he earned a B.A. in Accounting and Economics. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with experience in financial analysis, transaction advisory, and business operations.
Margaret Gess
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
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.
Jake Keys
Jake Keys joined E.S. Barr & Company in September 2026 and is responsible for researching individual holdings as well as portfolio management. Jake previously operated his own investment management firm, Appalaches Capital, managing portfolios on behalf of individuals and trusts while also providing research to institutional investors. He began his career with Aristides Capital in Kentucky and Point72 Asset Management in New York. Jake is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Kentucky with a B.B.A. in Finance and Mathematics.
Madison McCrady
Madison McCrady joined E.S. Barr & Company in August 2025 and currently oversees client services, office management, and general administrative operations. Before transitioning into this role, Madison spent five years as a third-grade teacher at Cassidy Elementary School, where she held several leadership positions at both the school and district levels. Prior to that she taught for two years in Greenup, Kentucky. Madison earned her B.S. in Economics and Finance from Centre College in 2018, where she was a four-year member of the women’s golf team. She later completed her M.A. in Elementary Education at the University of the Cumberlands in 2020.