Blue Ridge Associates Expands ESOP Administration Practice with Acquisition of AmbroseAdvisors' ESOP TPA Services

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Feb. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Ridge Associates ("Blue Ridge"), a leading provider of technology enabled administration and compliance solutions for employer-sponsored, tax-advantage equity compensation and savings plan benefits, today announced the acquisition of the ESOP third-party administration ("TPA") services of AmbroseAdvisors, an investment banking and financial advisory firm that provides a full range of liquidity transaction options, capital placement, and M&A services and has a long-standing reputation for technical excellence in employee ownership.

As part of the transaction, the AmbroseAdvisors ESOP administration team and clients will transition to Blue Ridge, further strengthening the firm's position as the market leader in ESOP administration. Marcus R. Piquet, CPA, co-founder of AmbroseAdvisors, will remain an active part of AmbroseAdvisors, continuing to support its advisory and employee-ownership initiatives.

This strategic move reflects the evolving needs of the ESOP marketplace.

"In light of recent unprecedented demand for ESOP formation and related advisory services, AmbroseAdvisors has decided to transition all ESOP third-party administration services to Blue Ridge Associates, the market leader in this space," said Piquet. "This decision allows us to concentrate our focus on expanding employee-ownership opportunities, while ensuring ESOP clients are fully supported by the industry's leading ESOP administration firm, Blue Ridge."

Blue Ridge was Piquet's first and only choice to assume responsibility for its ESOP administration clients—a testament to Blue Ridge's depth of expertise, scalable infrastructure, and unwavering commitment to service excellence.

"This is an exciting growth milestone for Blue Ridge," said Mark Agustin, Chief Executive Officer at Blue Ridge. "Through this strategic partnership, we add a team of ESOP professionals with deep ESOP knowledge, strong client relationships and shared commitment to employee ownership, a premier group of ESOP plan clients, and the opportunity to partner with AmbroseAdvisors to offer an end-to-end solution to meet the growing demand for ESOP formations."

The acquisition supports Blue Ridge's continued growth amid accelerating demand for ESOP administration and compliance services. Clients transitioning as part of this transaction will benefit from the Blue Ridge dedicated ESOP administration platform, experienced leadership team, and proven onboarding approach designed to ensure continuity and long-term success.

For more information, please contact [email protected].

About Blue Ridge Associates

Founded in 1988, Blue Ridge Associates is a leading provider of retirement plan administration solutions, offering technology-enabled compliance services for employer-sponsored, tax-advantaged equity compensation and savings benefit plans. Together with acquired firms, Blue Ridge has been serving clients across the United States since 1966, providing innovative solutions and expertise to 8,700 plans sponsors covering 870,000 employees with over $60 billion of assets, and supporting thousands of retirement plan professionals. Through a commitment to excellence, Blue Ridge continues to set the standard for service, reliability, and client satisfaction in the retirement benefits industry.

About AmbroseAdvisors

Founded in 2015, AmbroseAdvisors is a boutique middle-market investment banking and financial advisory firm dedicated to guiding business owners through strategic liquidity and exit planning. With deep expertise in Employee Stock Ownership Plan transactions, sell-side M&A processes, dual-track strategies, capital placements, and business valuations. For more information, visit ambroseadvisors.com.

About Levine Leichtman Capital Partners

Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, LLC is a global middle-market private equity firm with a 41-year track record of investing across various targeted sectors, including Business Services, Franchising & Multi-unit, Education & Training and Engineered Products & Manufacturing. LLCP utilizes a differentiated Structured Private Equity investment strategy, combining debt and equity capital investments in portfolio companies. LLCP believes that by investing in a combination of debt and equity securities, it offers management teams growth capital in a highly tailored, flexible investment structure that can be a more attractive alternative than traditional private equity.

LLCP's global team of dedicated investment professionals is led by 9 partners who have worked at LLCP for an average of 20 years. Since inception, LLCP and its affiliates have managed approximately $18.3 billion of capital across nearly 20 investment funds and invested in approximately 120 portfolio companies. LLCP currently manages $12.6 billion of assets and has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami, London, Stockholm, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.

SOURCE Blue Ridge Associates