Rick began his career in the medical profession as an Air Force Medical Service Specialist in 1967, spending time in emergency care at Reese Air Force Base in Texas and Da Nang, Vietnam. After military service, he worked as a nurse assistant at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (TMH) and became a Florida paramedic in 1980, serving with TMH ambulances for nearly 11 years. During that time, Rick was also one of the original Aeromedical Specialists (Flight Medics) flying with Life Flight.
In 1987, Rick studied massage therapy at the North Florida School of Massage Therapy and went on to work with rehab clinics, resorts, chiropractors, and physical therapists. His spa experience includes time at The Grove Park Inn Resort in North Carolina, Francis Ford Coppola’s Blancaneaux Lodge in Belize, and the Ritz-Carlton Spa in Naples, Florida.