Personality+: Horsing Around - Nancy Ridge

At the end of the day when Nancy Ridge climbs out of her saddle as vice president at Telcombrokers, she jumps right onto another one as a horse enthusiast and competitive show jumper. Nancy has owned horses, trained and competed for 20 years. She still rides three to four times per week.

Nancy says her passion for horses and show jumping is great motivation for sales because its such an expensive habit. Buying a good jumper for $30,000 to $50,000, racking up about $2,000 per month in upkeep and paying for all of the accoutrements (boots, saddle, bridle, etc.) can add up quickly. But its money shes happy to spend in order to care for her 10-year-old horse, Gemini. Nancy says Geminis name reflects his two personalities very gentle when being handled or groomed and extremely aggressive when being ridden, especially in competition. “He knows the minute he walks in the show ring that its time to go for it,” she says.

Competing around four or five times per year, Nancy has brought home a handful of titles, including a Show Champion Modified Amateur Jumper title, which she won last September at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa, Calif. Nancy and Gemini won five of the six classes they competed in, getting second place in the sixth class. Her favorite recent winning moment was during last years season when Gemini really pulled out the stops during a “jump off,” where more than one competitor goes “clean” in the first round of jumps, and then must jump a shortened course judged on speed and accuracy. “Gemini can turn on a dime and he is very fast, being a Thoroughbred,” says Nancy. “We shaved off the time it took to win due to his courage and agility in making a fantastic, crazy turn on the course.”

Nancy says she loves the sport of jumping because it is a very physically and mentally challenging sport that is extremely technical and requires a high level of teamwork. And as part of the Telcombrokers team, Nancy is charged with growing and supporting the agent channel and helping agents achieve their business goals. She says she does this by nurturing vendor relationships and creating a dynamic, effective back office and also by having fun and being creative.

Previously, Nancy was vice president of sales at ATI, while the company grew more than 2,000 percent and was No. 41 on the Inc. 500 List of Fastest Growing Companies. Prior to that, she was vice president of telecommunications at Utility Resource Management Group, a consulting company to Fortune 1000 companies and pioneer in the telecom expense management business.

Nancys first job: Assistant to the deputy superintendent of schools at the Detroit Board of Education at age 14.

Words to live by: “Be curious.”

Family matters: Nancy comes from a family of artists. Her brother-in-law is a well-known animator, her sisters ceramic tiles decorate the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, her husband is a professional artist, and her 10-year-old sons drawing recently won second place in the state of California. “I always say my art is the art of the deal,” says Nancy.

Thoughts on telecom: “I love telecom because it is so dynamic like going to a horse show, every day is a different set of obstacles! Being an agent is the best part of the business because we can easily shift and change in step with technology and the needs that drive it. I particularly love the wholesale side of the business where the dreams, the deals and the risks are the biggest.”

About PHONE+: “Ive been going to Channel Partners shows since 1998 and PHONE+ has been my source for industry news ever since. Ive also made some great friends at PHONE+ over the years, so its more than a magazine to me its part of our community.”

Do you know someone who has Personality+? Were looking for interesting characters in telecom to take the spotlight! Please send nominations to Cara Sievers at [email protected].