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Jonathan S. Blue

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, health care 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 family 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. 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 and New York Times.  He has been interviewed on Bloomberg Television and CNBC. Blue has served on numerous professional panels relating to private equity, sports and entertainment and a variety of business issues and sectors.