My Story: Tidbits About Me

So you’re bored and browsing the internet one day and then you stumble upon richbrown.io. After reading my blog and looking at all my great photography, you were probably thinking what’s this Rich Brown all about. Well you’ve come to the right page. Check out the space below for some tidbits about my life.

Basic Information

Hometown:

Philadelphia Suburbs, Pennsylvania

Education

Penn State University
University Park, Pennsylvania
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Hotel, Restaurant & Institutional Management (HRIM)

Western Governors University
Salt Lake City, Utah
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Information Technology Management
(In-Progress, 2025 Graduation)

Additional Studies:

Computer Science
Computer Engineering
Digital Marketing
Direct Marketing

Languages Spoken:

English (Native), German (Intermediate)

Favorite Quote:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr., P.S. I Love You

The Story Behind Rich Brown

The story runs deep for those who know me. I’m self-made. I wasn’t born into wealth but I was born into an extremely loving family who wanted nothing but the best for me. I’d like to think I wasn’t spoiled as an only child but I can’t help to realize that I had most things I wanted as a child.

I was an exceptionally great student in High School, making the national honor society and getting my name on a plaque on the wall. I started off as a marginally bad student at university because I discovered beer, fraternity parties, and the thought that I could cram all the materials for the entire semester the night before an exam. I pulled myself together and finally graduated from university with about four years of Computer Science and Computer Engineering classes but, coincidentally, a degree in Hospitality Management, a story for another day. While at university, I worked as a server and bartender at a local restaurant and also designed and built an inventory and billing software package for a local business.

After graduation, I moved to Arizona, where I worked for a year as a control auditor and part-time assistant restaurant manager at a popular resort in Scottsdale. Then, randomly, a call from one of my CompSci professors helped me land a technology integration role, officially kicking off my technology career.

My Work

While I love people, I’m a technologist at heart. I’ve worked for various companies throughout the United States, as well as in England, Germany, Switzerland, and Australia. During my career, I've learned new technology, worked with clients, built high-performing teams, and constantly exceeded expectations in digital transformation. I have an ingrained work ethic, and I enjoy the satisfaction that comes along with the achievements gained from exceptional work.

I’d like to believe that I'm at the top of my corporate career, with over 15 years of consecutive C-level executive roles, but we’ll see what the future has in store.

I’ve always been ambitious, and I also advise a few small startups on the side, which keeps me busy when I’m not busy.

In January 2024, I started 310Brands, a boutique CxO consulting firm that provides clients with fractional CTO/CIO/COO services. I enjoy the consultative and advisory side of technology, and it's very rewarding for me to help companies develop a solid technology strategy and far exceed their goals by properly leveraging best practices and technology.

My Family

Family is what you make of it, right? I’m married to my best friend, who just happens to have been born and raised in Austria. I’d love to say we speak German at home, but that’s only reserved for video calls with our family in Austria. Our extended family consists of our dogs, cats, and a thoroughbred horse, which is a testament to the fact that we’re both animal lovers.

My Other Passion, Photography

There are very few little things in life that bring true excitement. Aside from my love of science and technology, my biggest passion in life is photographing the world around me. When I was a young man, my Grandfather gave me my first camera, an old Pentax 35mm. I took that camera with me while traveling through Europe, and I still have it today. That camera set off in me a lifelong interest in photography. I continue to spend my free time traveling the world and taking photos whenever I have a free moment. I feel fortunate that I’ve had the opportunities to explore and photograph different parts of the world and I’m looking forward to continued new and exciting travel photography adventures.

My Family

Family is what you make of it, right? I’m married to my best friend Daniel, who just happens to have been born and raised in Austria. I’d love to say we speak German at home, however that’s only reserved for video calls with our family in Austria. Our extended family consists of our dogs, cats, and a thoroughbred horse. We’re both animal lovers, Daniel perhaps a little more than me.

Why richbrown.io

One of my other passions in life is writing. I enjoy writing and I enjoy helping others. To understand the origin of richbrown.io we have to go back a bit. While at Penn State in 1994, just after the inception of the World Wide Web, I started a personal website. This original website was a testbed for me to experiment with web design and new technology. That website eventually morphed into the blog located at rich.cyrek.net where I wrote about current events and posted photos of my travels with friends. It became extremely popular in the LGBTQ community before I decided to shut it down in 2009 to focus on my professional career as a technology executive. Fast forward 10 years later to 2019 and I decided to create the richbrown.io site as a showcase for my photography and my career. in 2022, I decided to relaunch richbrown.io as a place for me to not only showcase my photography but also a space where I can write, share my thoughts about current events, technology, leadership and just life in general. I’m on a quest to help other people grow and also provide my own perspective to the world.