Leadership Team
Tim Ryan
Founder & CEO
Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Tim began his career in the Merchant Services industry at the age of only 17. He found the industry fascinating and quickly grew a passion for helping small business owners. He continuously saw the frustrations these owners face and decided to start his own company at 21 years old to make a difference. Now over a decade later, his passions lie in helping business owners solve problems, scale their companies and realize their lifestyle goals. “Your value is determined by how much more value you give than is expected of you” Tim says. He strives to apply that rule to everything he does regardless of the setting. Outside of work, Tim loves working out, trying new foods, going on hikes and mentoring others in the area of entrepreneurship and lifestyle design. He is married and living happily in Richmond with their newborn son.
Forrest Shearin
Head of Sales & Partnerships
Forrest Shearin is from Richmond Va and brings 12 years industry experience in sales and merchant services. Joining a start-up in 2009, Forrest helped grow the company to 25 bank partners and 3500 merchants. From there Forrest went on to earn Salesperson of the Year Award in 2016 prior to running the bank sales channel in the Mid-Atlantic region for a fortune 500 company, working with Community banks and merchants from Florida to Maine. Forrest joined Blueswipe in 2019 and is in charge of the company's direct and indirect sales efforts, strategic partnerships and business development strategies.
Forrest and wife Kristina along with their yellow lab Easton are avid boaters. Forrest holds a OUPV Captains license and enjoys fishing, golfing, fitness, traveling, a cold beer and a good bottle of rum.
Norah Hazelgrove
Chief Client Officer
Originally from Philadelphia, Norah moved to Richmond, VA in 2007 to work in education and business development. In 2014 she shifted gears to take on content management and digital marketing for a fortune 500 company where she led their search engine marketing efforts to develop paid search content resulting in a 12% increase in revenue and 40% increase in CTR and was recognized for her Exemplary Work and Outstanding Contributions. Norah joined Blueswipe in 2017 and is responsible for the full client experience. Norah is passionate about solving complex problems, building relationships, and driving growth.
In her down time, Norah loves spending time with her husband and three children. Norah is a certified yoga instructor, enjoys scuba diving, hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, and cooking up fun new recipes for her friends and family.
Sam Vrba
Senior Customer Support Specialist
Sam Vrba is from Omaha, Nebraska and started working in the payments space in 2014 as a Client Service Analyst at a fortune 500 company. While there, she provided consultative servicing and account support to help clients grow their businesses. After a successful few years there, she joined Blueswipe in 2016 as a Customer Support Specialist and quickly advanced to a senior level specialist. Sam helps customers through every aspect of their processing including onboarding, account maintenance, integrations and technology support.
Outside of work Sam enjoys traveling and exploring new places with family and friends.
Mark NeSmith
Senior Sales Specialist
Mark is a Richmond native and brings over 10 years of sales experience to Blueswipe. Coming from a fortune 500 company as well as a local wholesaler, Mark's experience in being a pivotal developer of major accounts has earned him great standing during his time in Blueswipe's sales management. Though new to the industry of merchant services, Mark is thoroughly enjoying developing partner relationships and eager to pursue new accounts throughout his region.
Mark and his Fiance, Tessa, enjoy going out to the mountains or having some friends over for a cookout whenever they can. Mark also enjoys golfing, tennis, watching football & baseball, and spending time with his dog Freya and cat Gurt. Mark and Tessa are excited to be married in October of 2022.
Victoria Ward
Customer Support Specialist
Victoria is from Charlotte County, Virginia. After a successful career performing account management and technical support at a Fortune 100 company for 10 years, Victoria chose a fresh start. In 2021, she joined Blueswipe and serves as a Customer Support Specialist providing total account care to our clients from the beginning of our relationship.
When not serving our clients, Victoria loves visiting beaches, national parks and traveling to new places both stateside and internationally.
Jakob Dismukes
Jakob is a Greenville, South Carolina native bringing 5 years of sales experience to Blueswipe. He has a passion for helping businesses succeed and grow. Although he is new to the industry, he enjoys developing meaningful partner relationships by applying a standard of excellence and integrity to everything he does.
In his free time Jakob enjoys reading, lifting weights, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and finding new ways to challenge himself and be better daily. He enjoys the mountains just as much as he enjoys the beach. He is a big believer in working hard and playing harder.