2025 Living Legends: ARCHER, ROBERT A. ‘BOB’

Archer’s career began after earning a business degree in 1969, followed immediately by military service and a tour in Vietnam.

Upon his discharge in 1972, Archer was named general manager and vice president of Blue Ridge Beverage, the wholesale beer, wine and nonalcoholic distributorship his family has owned and operated since 1959. He became chairman and CEO in 2001, and in 2023, his sister, Jacqueline Archer, was promoted to president and CEO. The business, which has assets in Waynesboro, Lynchburg and Abingdon along with Salem, employs about 540 people.

A Virginia Tech graduate, Archer is also a former rector of Radford University and was inducted into the Army ROTC Hall of Fame in 2021. He serves on the board of the Virginia War Memorial Foundation and chairs the Roanoke Higher Education Center Foundation board.

INTERESTING PLACE I’VE TRAVELED: New Zealand, France, Vietnam, Turkey, to name a few. Looking forward to a trip in November to Antarctica. And don’t forget: There is a lot to see in America.

BOOK I’D RECOMMEND: “American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America,” by Colin Woodard

FAVORITE TEAM: Virginia Tech for sure