Richard began his career at Otis Elevator Company in San Francisco, managing new equipment and serving territories inclusive of downtown Los Angeles and Seattle. In 1985, Richard went to work for one of his customers, Wright Runstad and Company, in property management and development. This included managing properties in Seattle and Bellevue. He was then tapped to serve as a Vice President for Harbor Properties, consolidating and managing its Seattle portfolio. In 1995, Richard was hired by Clise Properties to serve as Chief Operating Officer, later becoming its President and COO.
During Richard’s tenure, the company’s assets grew through acquisition, development and the eventual rezoning of downtown. Clise sold four city blocks to Amazon for its downtown campus, dramatically increasing the value of the company’s remaining land and properties. Richard initiated the idea to sell four megawatts of energy in the form of waste heat from its Westin Building data center to Amazon, leading to the creation of the Eco District. During his 22 years at Clise, assets owned and managed grew tenfold.
Richard was Board Chairman of the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA). He was also President of The Building Owners and Managers Association of Seattle and King County (BOMA). Richard was a member of the following boards: Downtown Emergency Services Center (DESC), Housing Resources Group, The Seattle Police Foundation, One Reel, Pacific Real Estate Institute and The Harbor View Marina Condominium. He is a graduate of Gonzaga and the Evergreen State College.
