The Salem Bridge Group at Morgan Stanley

Ernie began his career Shearson Lehman Brothers, a Morgan Stanley predecessor, in 1992 after working with Carolina Freight Carriers. In 2000, Brett and he founded The Osborn-Berrier Group. For more than 33 years, Ernie has been dedicated to helping individuals and families achieve their financial goals, while leading his team and fostering lasting client relationships. He holds Series 7, 31, 63, 65 licenses, as well as designations including Certified in Long Term Care, Insurance Planning Director, Financial Planning Specialist and Certified Investment Management Consultant.

A Winston-Salem native, Ernie graduated from Wake Forest University in 1987 majoring in Business and minoring in Sociology. He and his wife are the proud parents of Ross, Clark and Caroline – all WFU graduates working in NYC and share their home with Annie, an Airedale and Bella, a Javanese. Ernie has served with Summit School, Keep Winston Salem Beautiful, Centenary United Methodist Church, and the UNCSA Dean’s Council. He enjoys golf, travel, family time and supporting WFU Athletics.

I describe myself as a 'recovering attorney'. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, I spent 17 years at Wachovia and Wells Fargo as a lawyer and senior vice president leading a team of investment professionals, sales and relationship managers overseeing 401k / pension plans, executive compensation and corporate trusts.

Before joining Wells Fargo, I practiced law at Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice's subsidiary, FirmLogic and worked at CNN where I analyzed and summarized opinions coming from the U.S. Supreme Court, often within minutes after their rulings, so our television correspondents could report on breaking news.

A Double Deacon, with both undergraduate and law school degrees from Wake Forest University, I was a walk-on player on the women's basketball team. I continued to get my basketball "fix" by coaching girls' teams at our local YMCA and St. Leo's Catholic School in Winston-Salem.

A lifelong North Carolinian, I am past president of Reynolda Rotary and Treasurer for Senior Services, Inc., which provides Meals-on-Wheels and adult day care for individuals with memory issues.

Actively involved with the Summit Church in Kernersville, I am also a huge sports fan, regularly attending and cheering on Wake Forest athletics. For the past 15 years the highlight of each week has been taking one of my three goddaughters out to dinner. I love to travel, go white-water rafting and attempt to play golf -- with limited success and constant frustration.

Brett joined Morgan Stanley in August 2000 as a financial advisor after a four-year stint with Bank of America where he focused on Mergers and Acquisitions. His current responsibilities on the team are primarily developing and monitoring the financial plans for existing and prospective clients and maintaining the client relationships once the financial plan has been implemented.

Brett was born and raised in Germanton, NC and attended South Stokes High School and then furthered his education at Appalachian State University where he received both academic and athletic scholarships and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Business Degree and a concentration in Finance. He was a four-year letterman on the varsity baseball team and was awarded the Eloise Brakefield Academic Award in 1997, which is given to the graduating senior athlete with the highest GPA.

Brett and his wife, Jessica, have a daughter, Molly, and a chocolate lab named Chesney. They attend Revo Church and his hobbies include cheering for the Wake Forest athletic teams, live music, and exercising.

Blake grew up in Cary, NC and then attended NC State University where he played on the university tennis team and majored in Biological Sciences. After graduating in 2005, he moved to Charlotte where he met his wife Lindsay, who is a Winston-Salem native. After working for 6 years with GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, they returned to Winston-Salem in 2010 when he joined Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.

His current responsibility on the team is monitoring the financial plans for existing and prospective clients and then maintaining those relationships once the plan has been implemented. In addition to their two children, McCall and Worth, they have a golden retriever named Addy.

Blake is active in the community coaching his daughter's and son's soccer and basketball teams and attending Centenary United Methodist Church where he serves on the Mission Committee. Outside of the office, Blake enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, tennis, running and supporting both NC State and Wake Forest Athletics.

Lauren has been a member of The Salem-Bridge Group since 2011. Prior to taking time off to raise her family, Lauren was a Vice President in Equity Research at Independence Investment Associates in Boston and Prudential Securities in Boston and New York. She has a combined 27 years of experience in the investment industry and currently holds a Series 7 and 66 license.

Lauren and her husband, Rob, have four children. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with/visiting her children in Boston, New York and Jackson Hole. She is a sports enthusiast and can often be found either cheering or participating.

Todd Welch joined Morgan Stanley in 2000 as a Service Associate / Operations Manager in Charleston, SC. In 2006, he moved to Raleigh, NC where he was a Business Service Manager for Wealth Management. In 2020, he moved into his current role as a Wealth Management Associate. He has over 25 years of industry experience and currently holds Series 3, 7, 9, 10, 63 and 66 licenses.

Todd enjoys spending time with his family, anything sports related and planning for the next adventure.

Linda joined Morgan Stanley in October 2017 after working as a stay-at-home mom for 15 years. During that time, she enjoyed jobs in sales, catering, office management, health and physical fitness, as well as, a wide variety of community volunteer services, while raising her four children. She graduated from Meredith College with a B.S. in Biology, and after college was a nuclear medical technologist at NC Baptist Hospital, Bowman Gray School of Medicine for twelve years. She is a client service associate and team administrator who also supports our clients and Financial Advisors with scheduling and correspondence.

Linda and her husband, Chris, live in Winston-Salem. In her free time, she enjoys entertaining and traveling with her family. She leads an active life playing pickle ball, tennis, treading water, golfing, and gardening.

Sarah joined Morgan Stanley in February of 2023. She spent the previous 10 years in New York & Boston working in business development and category management in the furniture industry. She’s a Clemson grad and when not at work loves bartending, travel, and a good book.

A Registered Client Service Associate, Sarah holds her Series 7 and Series 66 license. She assists with client relationship management and oversees the teams marketing & social media.

Stephen joined Morgan Stanley in August 2025, as a Registered Client Service Associate. Prior to becoming a member of the Salem Bridge Group, Stephen worked as a Market Research Intern within the Home Improvement industry and as a Financial Advisor Trainee with UBS. Stephen was raised in Kernersville, NC where he attended East Forsyth High School as a student-athlete (baseball). Afterwards, he furthered his education and baseball experience at Carolina University and Surry Community College before graduating from North Carolina A&T in 2024.

Outside of work, Stephen enjoys exercising, reading, spending time with loved ones and trying new restaurants/local coffee shops with his fiancé Jessica.