About Me
Caricature of Rick Koerber. "The Free Capitalist" (with Gabe the invisible hand, the "black box", a gold "Franklin", the Primer, and an Iceberg shake).
Pages like this are always so boring. I suppose its because people are posting information “online” that they are so sterile and guarded. I, on the other hand, have already made so much about me known via radio and the Internet, I figure hey, why not make this a bit more interesting.
Rick and Mom circa 1973. "I still love chocolate!"
My name is Rick Koerber. For the curious, I was born Claud Roderick Franklin. For the curious, Koerber is an adopted name. We were pretty poor growing up. I was raised by a single mom and a fantastic extended family (oddly, I think they were all Democrats – hmmm how is that possible?).
Yeah, I've pretty much always been cool. I guess you could say I was just born that way.
I’ve pretty much always felt strong and willing to take on the world. (Pay no attention to the exceptionally large forehead, I’ve always been told it means that one is “very smart.”) Somehow, I was born a capitalist. I’ve been an entrepreneur since I can remember and among all my varied business partners, my cousin and I started it all back when we were just small boys.
"Now the money, I can explain that—but the brown silk shirt and the super long bangs, nope."
Growing up, I had a vision of myself doing more than just “holding a job.” My entire family had as strong work ethic, and I learned to love work at an early age. But, I also valued thinking. The whole idea of “working smarter” always seemed to resonate with me.
Growing up, almost every year my mom, her sister and my grandmother would dress us up for the annual "Shriner's Parade." Hey, if you were going to be a Smurf (they were cool once), what Smurf would you be? Or Spock - now what's wrong with that? It is perfectly logical. The whole pirate thing on the other hand, can only be understood by those who know the name, "Ragnar Danneskjöld."
I don’t every remember wanting to “be rich,” as a goal in and of itself. I wanted to make money—that is for sure—but I was more interested in making my mark on the world. I’ve always naturally been involved in organizing others for a cause.
I suppose my first real “business venture” was mowing lawns in the summer with my cousin. As I got older, the businesses took on many different forms. Since age 19 I’ve started dozens of businesses, with most of them having both successes and failures. From 1996 through 2000 I built and ran an Internet start-up, that ultimately resulted in my personal bankruptcy. It was through that experience that I had my first taste of government bureaucracy and the very real challenges associated with choosing the course in life of being a businessman.
“It is time we realized that socialism can come without overt seizure of property or nationalization of private business. It matters little that you hold the title to your property or business if government can dictate policy and procedure and holds life and death power over your business. The machinery of this power already exists. Lowell Mason, former anti-trust law enforcer for the Federal Trade Commission, has written, “American business is being harassed, bled and even blackjacked under a preposterous crazy quilt system of laws.” There are so many that the government literally can find some charge to bring against any concern it chooses to prosecute.”[1]
[1] Ronald Reagan, “A Time for Choosing” (televised campaign address for Goldwater presidential campaign, October 27, 1964).
In 2004 my wife and I started Franklin Squires Investments. Between 2004 and 2007 I, along with the help of a handful of business partners, built this company (along with its subsidiaries) into a multi-million dollar company. In one year alone, between 2005 and 2006, our best estimates show that this FranklinSquires group of companies generated over $100,000,000 in gross revenues.
Rick getting ready to pay Christmas Bonuses with Sacagawea Dollars
I started my daily talk radio show (Free Capitalist Radio) in 2005 and started using the moniker “the FreeCapitalist” shortly thereafter. My driving motivation is my love of freedom and liberty.
I am married, the father of three and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After winning multiple gold medals in academic debate (including a national championship), I graduated with an Associates of Arts degree from Casper College and pursued my bachelors in Public Policy and Religious Area Studies at the University of Denver. I’m from Wyoming and my family and I now live in Utah with two smart Border Collies and one frustratingly dumb but lovable Australian Shepherd. I work primarily as an entrepreneur, managing interests in several companies.
I have little tolerance for meanness, duplicity, and pretended interests. I’m not afraid to take a stand on principle, and am often the subject of gossip and second-hand criticism. That’s the price we pay in my estimation, for resisting the tide of mediocrity.
Today my primary passion is the FreeCapitalist Project. I have had a very specific vision for the Project since I was a small boy watching the general election returns of the 1980 presidential contest. Building the Project is an undertaking I expect to last a lifetime. I often tell those who are engaged with me about a secret I discovered early on in my life journey. Even in abundance there are plenty of life difficulties to go around (and they usually seem to be accompanied by plenty of annoying, brain-off commissars, moochers, and those who are best described as just plain old schmucks.)
May 2009 Press Conference in Response to Federal Indictment
From mid 2007 to the present, several of my real estate related business ventures, including the bulk of the FranklinSquires businesses, began to feel the effects of both over aggressive government regulators and America’s largest economic downturn in our lifetimes. The sub-prime mortgage crisis and the related effects it has had on the mortgage, credit, and real estate markets has fueled what Steve Forbes described as our government’s ever increasing, “itch to indict.” In May of 2009 I was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of fraud and tax evasion. In their press conference the government accused me of orchestrating and running a $100M Ponzi-scheme.
My battle against these bogus charges is nothing new to those who have listened to my radio show or for those who have followed my business or political involvements over the last several years. Not only did I anticipate the current situation, I have spoken and written about it extensively. We live in an America today that is much different than the America I grew up in, and light years apart from the vision the Founder’s held for our great republic. I have dedicated my life to set of core principles in my own personal effort to help bring about a moral revolution to sanction and complete what the Founders started more than two centuries ago.
Faced with the current political, economic, and social insanity growing every so sticky and undeniable, there are a lot of us who have decided that there is no price too steep to pay for standing up and advocating for this revolution. As a Latter-day Saint, as a Christian, and even more broadly, as a principle based radical for capitalism – I live my life. In short I see myself as a Mormon, Capitalist, Dad.
I enjoy sharing my philosophy and life experiences with others who may also be looking for hope – not just hope for a better “after life” but for an amazing life today!
I started this website for two basic reasons. Those close to me often tell me that I’m lousy at keeping people informed about what’s going on in my life. Also, I’m exhausted by the anonymous cowards taking unanswered pot shots against my associates and me on the Internet without having a place to conduct some “Free Capitalist” apologetics.
This site is the most up to date, effective way to get in touch with me and to find general information about my goings on. If you’d like to contact me you can do so using the information below. On the other hand, if you have something irascible to say, just go away.
Sincerely,
C. Rick Koerber
Capitalist, Entrepreneur
Phone: 202-657-6340
Fax: 801-504-8069
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