Eddie Ventrice — at home with his wife, Elyse, and golden retriever, Bronx — works with the George Snow Scholarship Fund and Men Giving Back. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Faran Fagen
Eddie Ventrice was thrilled to make it through Boca’s Ballroom Battle in one piece, without falling, dropping anyone or breaking anything.
“It was many weeks of practice leading up to the event, and not knowing exactly how we would fare against the competition was nerve-racking,” Ventrice said of the 2019 battle, which he won as top fundraiser.
“To have the support that I did, to give back to the community and be announced the winner was just pure elation, with friends and family cheering me on.”
Ventrice, or “Steady Eddie” as he’s known to his friends and Boca Raton neighbors, raised more than $250,000 for the George Snow Scholarship Fund, which benefits college students.
It’s one of the many nonprofits the community service devotee has supported while living in Boca Raton with his wife and five children.
Ventrice is a founding member of BV Group, a team with more than $2 billion in assets under advisement. He has more than 27 years’ experience in wealth management, supporting the needs of corporate executives, business owners, multigenerational families and professional athletes.
Ventrice received a community service award during the Snow foundation’s Boots & Bling Cowboy Ball event on Feb. 11. But the award won’t lead to any break in his fundraising for the organizations that rely on him.
“After many years of working, I can give back to the community,” said Ventrice, who turned 60 on Feb. 17. “I’m enjoying the success raising funds from the Ballroom Battle to now Men Giving Back.”
The mission of Men Giving Back (www.mengivingback.org) is to fund grants to nonprofit initiatives that positively influence South County.
The organization has surpassed Ventrice’s “wildest dreams” and continues to grow. It raised $500,000 last year with 160 members and is on target for 200 members and $700,000 this year.
“We were able to award grants last year to some of the most deserving nonprofits,” Ventrice said. “We also appreciate the opportunity to bring the community together.”
Ventrice understands what it means to be a struggling young man. He was born in the Bronx, New York. His parents got divorced, and his mom moved the family to Florida, which Ventrice said “was a good move, looking back.”
He grew up in Deerfield Beach, and worked at the then Boca Raton Resort and Club, flipping burgers in high school before attending the University of Florida and majoring in accounting.
Today, he’s nationally recognized as a top adviser by Barron’s, Forbes and Financial Times. Ventrice holds the CPA, CFP and the CIMA designations through Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania.
His favorite pursuit is using his position to help young men faced with similar challenges to his own. Boca’s Ballroom Battle and Snow foundation provide this purpose.
“It’s a great charity,” Ventrice said. “The money raised sends many deserving children to college. I relate to this since I came from the same background and had to pay for my college with student loans and working 30 hours a week in college.”
In 2019, becoming a dancer in Boca’s Ballroom Battle was “so much work,” he says. When a friend finally persuaded him, he immersed himself in it. He took dance lessons three times a week for five months, concentrating and practicing the routine nearly every day.
He said the attributes that have contributed to his prowess in the community are love, people, passion and drive.
“I laugh every day and I enjoy meeting people from all different diverse backgrounds,” Ventrice said. “Anyone that knows me can tell you that I do have a very serious side, but I’m also able to find the humor and the fun of everyday life. I love interacting with my clients — most I have known for years.”
Ventrice’s hobbies are travel, pickleball, tennis, golf, food, wine and reading.
His wife, Elyse, and their five children — Alec, Zach, Taylor, Chase and Cole — like to travel together. They also enjoy relaxing with a movie on the couch and playing basketball, tennis or chess.
Before founding the BV group, Ventrice was a practicing CPA.
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