Principal & Creative Director

Call it a Renaissance resume, or a circuitous career path. Whatever the term, Rich Layton’s job experiences have provided him with a deeply held appreciation for the world of work and for the people whose efforts keep it turning. Since receiving his Social Security card, Rich has punched the clock as a grocery stocker, a drugstore cashier, a Volkswagen mechanic, a fork lift driver, a paint formulator, a film production assistant, a copywriter, an AV technician, a video producer, a corporate photographer, a rock and roll musician, a marketing guru, a litigation consultant, a creative director and a video production company vice president.

In 1992, all of those experiences brought Rich to his ultimate job – as founding principal of Transform Communications in Houston, Texas. It’s here where  “Cutting the Cost of Confusion”™  has become both a passion and a methodology delivering millions of dollars in bottom line impact to clients in energy, high technology, healthcare, manufacturing, non-profit and more.

Prior to establishing Transform, Rich was vice president and creative director for Lunar Productions in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was involved in brand-building and advertising for such notable brands as Federal Express, White-Westinghouse, Holiday Inns, Embassy Suites and Wyndham Hotels.

Recognition for Richard’s work includes: Bronze Quill Award-International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), Society for Technical Communications, International Telly Awards, Houston International Film Festival and the Blue Chip Enterprise Award. His articles, editorials and white papers have appeared in professional publications, on websites and course reading lists around the world. Richard also has been a keynote presenter and workshop leader in a variety of forums including the Software Association of Oregon, Portland State University (MBA program), HR Network, IABC and the Association for Quality Improvement and Productivity. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas School of Communications.

After 25 years as Houstonians, Rich and his wife Shelley relocated to coffee capital Portland, Oregon in order to better espresso themselves. The addition of son Zachary soon after brought new meaning to their relationship with caffeine. To recharge his creative batteries, Rich also performs with his band “The Troublemakers”, playing rock and roll with no parole on nightclub and festival stages throughout the Northwest.