Rich is the Chief Operating Officer at Garden City Companies, where he oversees day-to-day operations and leads Portfolio Support. In this role, he works closely with the Garden City team and portfolio company leaders to identify and implement strategic initiatives that drive growth and profitability, and foster people-first cultures.

Before joining Garden City, Rich served as the CEO of Handel’s Ice Cream, where he led the company through significant growth—tripling systemwide sales and revenues, expanding unit count, and increasing average unit volume. Under his leadership, Handel's was named to Franchise Times' "Fast & Serious" list of the 40 "smartest-growing franchises" for three consecutive years. Prior to Handel’s, Rich spent over 21 years at Chick-fil-A, Inc., holding executive leadership roles in operations, marketing, and international operations. Earlier in his career, he focused on sales and distribution in the Asia/Pacific region.

Rich earned an MBA from The University of Texas’ McCombs School of Business and a BBA from Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business. He resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife, Becky, and they have two adult sons.