Richard Maris

Background

About Richard Maris

Where I love to spend time: Small to medium-sized business building, financial education and markets, energy, real estate, technology, blockchain, crypto, bow hunting and the outdoors. I'm an avid reader who enjoys applying what I've learned to solve business problems, such as when I applied a strategy that saved my employer over in taxes. I'm no stranger to the challenges and rewards found in small to medium-sized businesses. I was instrumental in the growth of a small start-up outdoor advertising company which reached a valuation of over $2 million, and I later started a similar business of my own. I helped a small retailer nearly triple its revenues to over $3.6 million while wearing multiple hats (controller, manager, HR, etc.). I have also experienced "trial by fire" management training and financial triage, utilizing my business skills to help keep companies from failing as they experienced bank defaults, loss of business reputation, key employee and customer defections, dropping revenues and cash flows. I've spent eight years in public accounting providing audit and tax services, and several more assisting Fortune public companies in the areas of internal audit and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) related activities while gaining valuable insight into their business operations, objectives, and strategies. I have a passion for learning, and I enjoy sharing my business experiences with my fellow Toastmaster members, often helping them to connect the dots between business, politics, and cultural trends through my speeches. I also seek opportunities to promote blockchain solutions to society. While I enjoy the daily challenges that the business world provides, I seek to find time to take a walk in the woods during a steady rain or sit in a pristine hunting location where the only sound is that of snow falling to the ground around me.