Alfredo (Rick) Franco is the Co-Founder of Four Branches Spirits Company. Rick is a U.S. Marine (Ret.) with 20-plus years of leadership, organizational management, and entrepreneurial experience. Rick’s career has been extremely diverse, from being a graduate of the prestigious Virginia Military Institute and later a Marine Infantry Officer, to one of the first Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection contractors with Booz Allen, to a covert protective agent for the U.S. intelligence community with more than 30 deployments to hostile areas.

Rick’s leadership experience as a Marine Infantry Officer enabled him to quickly become a lead contractor for one of the government’s most extensive covert protective contracts. During his tenure as a contractor, his leadership ability, drive and critical thinking resulted in his being awarded the Agency Seal medal for hostile actions encountered.

After stepping away from contracting, Rick went on to become the Chief Operating Officer for Heroes and Horses, a non-profit for combat veterans with PTSD based in Montana. Aside from being a decorated Marine and government contractor, Rick is also a co-founder and partner of a successful hunting decoy manufacturing company. Currently, Rick is the Director of Safety and Security for the Troubadour Club, a Discovery Land Company development in Tennessee.