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CHAIRMAN AND CEO, BLUE RIDGE BEVERAGE, SALEM
CHAIRMAN AND CEO, BLUE RIDGE BEVERAGE, SALEM
Virginia Business// August 30, 2023//
It’s fitting that Archer lists running as a hobby, noting that he’s completed 13 marathons.
Archer’s entire life seems like a marathon toward leading his family business, beginning with earning a business degree from Virginia Tech in 1969, followed immediately by military service with the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg (now Fort Liberty) 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 non-alcoholic distributorship his family has owned and operated since 1959; he became chairman and CEO in 2001. The business employs 475.
Along the way, Archer retired from the Army Reserve in 1999 after 30 years of service. He was inducted into the Army ROTC Hall of Fame in 2021 and received the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Distinguished Alumni award in 2020.
Archer serves on Radford University’s board of visitors. He and his wife, Sandra, have three children. In addition to running, his other hobbies include international travel, photography and
history reading.
