After graduating with a BA in Philosophy and a Master’s in Clinical Psychology, Richard completed his psychology training at the San Francisco Gestalt Institute and practiced group and family therapy.

However as an avid amateur trader, he was itching to test the financial markets and joined Merrill Lynch in San Francisco as a futures broker. Eager to trade for himself rather than for clients, Rich leased a seat on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange where he traded S&P futures and options. Hooked by the opportunity to leverage his time, talent and money, he joined Chicago Research and Trading in 1983.

Returning to San Francisco, Rich built a trading desk for CRT on the Pacific Stock Exchange where he also served on the exchange’s Board of Directors. In 1989, Rich started his own trading firm, Trade Management LLC, with seats on the Pacific Stock Exchange and the Chicago Board of Options Exchange. Trade Management was one of the most consistently profitable trading companies in his clearing firm.

Sensing a major sea change for floor traders with the coming of electronic trading, Rich sold Trade Management in 1998 and founded ePIT Systems, a software company that produced exchange software solutions for financial institutions. As an innovator in electronic exchanges, he has received two significant patents on electronic trading interfaces. After the sale of ePIT's system to Hitachi in 2001, he consulted to major names in the futures trading community, wrote books and articles for financial publications and developed trading seminars.

Recognizing that improving communication skills was a fundamental element of his next business plan, Rich partnered with Lee Glickstein and Speaking Circles® technology, a series of exercises that focus on “personal presence” as a way of leveraging leadership. Combining elements of this process with his experiences as a therapist and businessman, Rich has developed the Alpha Presence training program for professionals that teaches leaders the power of absolute engagement and hones their public speaking tools.

Rich, past President of Marin Toastmasters, is an award winning speaker on topics of politics, business and personal development. He currently lives in Fairfax, California with his wife Marty. His hobby is finding back roads in the Sierras for his motorcycle.

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