Rick began his business career in food retailing in Boston. There he ran Stop & Shop stores for a couple of years and learned about the critical interface between manufacturers, retailers, and consumers. Rick then spent nearly ten years in brand management with Quaker Oats. He managed virtually every pet food business in their portfolio, developing and launching many new products, including the highly successful Kibbles 'n Bits dog food (well over $2 billion in sales since its launch). Rick moved to Boulder in the early 1980s to head the marketing efforts of Celestial Seasonings. He tripled the company in less than three years by guiding them into grocery outlets, expanding the product line, and developing and communicating the unique Celestial positioning, "Soothing Teas for a Nervous World." Rick and Michael Rice formed the Sterling-Rice Group in 1983, predicated on their unique brand building experiences in both sophisticated marketing organizations and highly creative, entrepreneurial settings. For 20 years now, Rick has built Sterling-Rice Group to be the leading integrated brand development company in America.