Widely regarded as a pioneer in the ongoing development of the Internet, Mr. Richards leads The NTI Group, Inc. (NTI) with proven success as an entrepreneur and visionary strategist. His leadership has fueled the company's meteoric rise to prominence as the #1 provider of hosted, time-based mass notification services focused upon assisting government leaders to communicate quickly and efficiently with their constituents using the power of their own voices.

Mr. Richards is a recent recipient of Customer Interaction Solutions Magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes those individuals who have made substantial innovations advancing the success and reputation of today's call center industry.

Prior to forming NTI, he served as the CEO of Vivendi Universal Net USA, an entity created in the fall of 2001 to oversee the U.S. Internet-related companies owned by Vivendi Universal. In this role, Mr. Richards oversaw all aspects of six interrelated entities. Mr. Richards was the founding President and Chief Operating Officer of MP3.com, Inc. the Internet's first and preeminent digital music provider. Mr. Richards led the public offering of MP3.com in 1999, resulting in the largest IPO for an Internet company at the time, raising almost $400 million and subsequently serving on the company's Board of Directors. He then served as lead negotiator in the sale of MP3.com to Vivendi Universal in 2001.

Previous to MP3.com, Mr. Richards served as Managing Director of Tickets.com, Inc., an Internet ticketing service company, which he successfully sold to Advantex within six months of taking the helm. As the Founder, President, and CEO of Lexi International, Mr. Richards brought the company to its ranking as the largest tele-services and database management company in the United States by mid-1991. Lexi International earned the rare distinction of appearing on two consecutive Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Companies listings, and Mr. Richards successfully sold Lexi to Thayer Capital.

Highly active in charitable and community initiatives, Mr. Richards currently serves as President of the Chase Foundation; as a Member of the Board of Directors of The Prostate Cancer Foundation, which he served as President and COO from December 2002 thru June 2003; as a Board Member of the National School Boards Foundation; and as a Board Member of the California State Summer School for the Arts (InnerSpark).

Mr. Richards concurrently serves on the Board of Directors of Cash Technologies, Inc. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University and has attended Whittier College School of Law.