Richard's career spans multiple foodservice sectors, including restaurant/hospitality, consumer packaged goods, and retail; including leadership roles at RaceTrac, Mapco, Corner Store, HEB Grocery, Unilever, and The Ritz-Carlton. He is recognized for developing foodservice strategies for major grocery chains, optimizing total inside category sales and merchandising execution at convenience retailers, and directing product development on a global scale.
He founded the Food Trends Think Tank to further leverage his diverse background as an advisor to navigate the intersection between retailer and supplier. Recent advisory projects have included collaborating with OXXO USA, Advantage Group International, Gonnella Baking Co., and Vision Group Network.
He has a Culinary Arts degree from The Culinary Institute of America, a BS in Management from the University of Phoenix, and attended MIT’s Executive Education NACS Innovation Management. Richard actively supports the development of the next generation of the C-Store sector's future leaders through his frequent speaking engagements at industry conferences.
Richard enjoys exploring new countries and learning about cultures, ingredients, recipes, dishes, and food production. When not working, he splits his time between East Nashville, TN and Washington, DC.