Rich is a Managing Director with Lazear, leading the firm’s presence in Buffalo and Western New York while extending his expertise to business owners nationwide. He brings a distinctive combination of legal expertise, private equity insight, and multi-generational entrepreneurial experience to his role, helping owners navigate succession planning and ownership transition opportunities.

A fourth-generation entrepreneur, Rich has built a track record of acquiring, operating, and selling privately held lower middle-market companies across Western New York. As Co-Founder and Chairman of Gioia Capital, a family-based investment firm, and former Managing Member of Lorraine Capital, he has worked extensively with companies developing thoughtful transition strategies. His experience as a business owner gives him unique perspective on the financial, operational, and emotional complexities of succession planning.