By John Ritter
I wanted to share a little about a fun day our team recently enjoyed celebrating the launch of Bluespring Wealth River Valley.
After about 18 months of planning, meetings, decisions, and plenty of work behind the scenes, we finally had the chance to bring nearly the entire team together in one place. Nineteen of our 21 employees from Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Lexington joined us for the day.
Jon Bartholomew and Adam Sokolic also made the trip up from Bluespring Wealth Partners in Austin to help us mark the occasion. We spent part of the day in leadership meetings, but I’ll spare everyone those details. The afternoon and evening were much more interesting.
We started at the Moxy hotel lounge with drinks, tacos, and team trivia. Michele Daniher once again served as our Trivia Queen and came prepared with some creative categories. We had to identify musical artists from short song clips, recognize spices from small samples, name breakfast cereals after a few bites, identify board games from a single game piece, and correctly guess Jelly Belly flavors.
Personally, the results confirmed that I enjoy cooking and listening to music. On the other three categories, I was just happy it was a team event.
The winning team included Emma and Leanne from Cincinnati, Vinson and Allie from Lexington, and Ryan from Cleveland.
The trivia was fun, but the best part of the afternoon was seeing people from all three offices spend time together. Many had worked alongside one another for months through calls, emails, and meetings, but had never actually met in person. There is a big difference between seeing someone on a screen and sitting down together, sharing a meal, and getting to know each other.
From the Moxy, we headed to Great American Ball Park to watch the Reds take on the Phillies. We enjoyed the game from the Champion Room, where everyone could move between watching the game, grabbing food, and picking conversations back up throughout the evening.
It turned into a solid pitchers’ duel. We broke out the rally hats in the ninth inning, but unfortunately they did not do the trick. The Reds fell to the Phillies 1-0.
Even with the loss, it was a great way to close out the day.
The last 18 months have asked a lot of everyone. Bringing three firms together takes patience, flexibility, and a willingness to work through a long list of details. I’m grateful for how our team handled the process and for the effort everyone put in to get us to launch day.
I’m also proud of how our three offices have come together. Each location has its own history, relationships, and personality, and that is something we want to hold onto. At the same time, we now have the opportunity to share ideas, resources, and expertise as one River Valley team.
This kickoff gave us a chance to take a breath and celebrate what everyone accomplished. There was good food, plenty of laughs, some competitive trivia, and a great night at the ballpark. More than anything, it was the start of the personal relationships that will shape the future of Bluespring Wealth River Valley.
We look forward to introducing more members of our expanded team in future communications. We are all here to serve our clients, so please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us.
It was a fun day and a well-earned celebration. I’m excited for what comes next.
John
John Ritter is Executive Managing Director and Lead Financial Advisor at Bluespring Wealth River Valley, where he helps individuals, families, and business owners pursue their financial goals while providing strategic leadership for the firm. With more than 30 years of industry experience, John enjoys sharing practical insights on investing, financial planning, and the decisions that shape long-term financial success.
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