Richard T. French: Operations Leader, From the Plant Floor to the Job Site
I'm Richard T. French, an operations executive in the Richmond, Virginia area with 15 years of management behind me. I've run a manufacturing plant and a construction and land-development company as an owner-operator, and I'm looking for my next COO, VP Operations or General Manager seat.
See my track recordGet in touch
- Manufacturing operations. Production, supply chain, quality control, regulatory compliance and ERP/MRP/CRM systems.
- Construction and land development. Raw land to finished homes, with utilities, subdivision and site work along the way.
- Owner's view. I think about cost, cash and the P&L, because I've had to.
About Richard T. French
I've spent 15 years in management, most of it as an owner-operator. In Utah I led Home Free, Inc., a construction, development and excavation company, where we bought raw land, put in the utilities, subdivided it and built and sold the homes. In Virginia I was CEO of Barefoot Spas, a hot tub and swim spa manufacturer, from 2013 until it closed on June 30, 2025. I ran operations: the plant, the supply chain, and all the systems. I also built the company's Spa Blowout sales program.
Today I own HOME FREE OF VIRGINIA (HOME FREE LLC), an owner-operated land clearing, grading, driveway and site work business in Amelia, Chesterfield, Powhatan and Dinwiddie counties (https://homefree.pro).
I'm an outcome-driven operator. I pair high-level strategy with tactical project management, so projects finish on time and within budget, and I've learned that build quality matters and process efficiency is the key to both quality and profit. I like work where the plan meets the ground: scheduling crews, fixing a production line, getting materials where they need to be. I'm as comfortable on a job site as in a plant or a boardroom. I speak fluent Spanish and have used it throughout my career, since returning from a mission in Santiago, Chile, to lead crews and work with suppliers and customers directly.
Education
- B.S., Business Management (minor in Project Management), University of Phoenix
- A.S., Business Management, Utah Valley University
- A.S., Automotive Technologies, Universal Technical Institute
Training: AutoCAD Drafting and Design · Tom Hopkins Sales · Franklin Time Management
Community: Scout Leader, Boy Scouts of America
Languages: English, Spanish (fluent)
Track Record
HOME FREE OF VIRGINIA (HOME FREE LLC): Owner
Owner-operated land clearing, grading, driveway and site work in Amelia, Chesterfield, Powhatan and Dinwiddie counties, by appointment only. https://homefree.pro
Barefoot Spas: CEO
Virginia hot tub and swim spa manufacturer.
- Rebuilt the company from the assets of a failed nationwide manufacturer; rebranded it; overhauled manufacturing; put in ERP/MRP/CRM; redesigned compensation.
- Led a large team of employees and subcontractors.
- Grew revenue severalfold and rebuilt a failed manufacturer's brand into a successful, fast-growing nationwide direct-to-consumer business.
- Initiated and closed a major sale-leaseback.
- Led the commercial remodel of the factory for spa manufacturing: demolished much of the existing building, redid most of the MEP and installed all-new production equipment.
- Moved the entire operation into the newly purchased building while keeping staff and customer obligations in place.
- Did the 3D modeling in AutoCAD for every hot tub and swim spa the company built, and used a spatial scanner to audit finished product for quality.
Spa Blowout: Sales Program (retail arm of Barefoot Spas)
- Built the sales pitch from scratch.
- Hired and trained the sales staff.
- Ran face-to-face, one-call-close sales events.
- Managed delivery and logistics for remote weekend sales in markets across the U.S.
- Once the system was running, handed it to national sales managers and returned my focus to production.
Home Free, Inc.: President / CEO
Construction, development, excavation and home sales.
- Bought raw land, installed utilities and infrastructure, subdivided it into buildable lots and built every home in the subdivision.
- Sold homes directly: pre-sold, build-to-order, investor builds and specs.
- Led large-scale development projects from initial site preparation through final completion, making sure every phase met regulatory and quality standards.
- Ran dozens of concurrent jobsites with a dozen employees and a dozen full-time subcontractors.
- Grew a start-up into one of Utah's largest residential builders by permits pulled (2006).
What I'm Looking For
I'm looking for my next operating role with an owner-led company that builds or makes something real.
- Chief Operating Officer
- VP of Operations
- General Manager
- Fractional or interim operations leadership: for a company that needs an experienced operator for a project, a transition or a few days a month.
Where I fit best: manufacturers, homebuilders, and site-work and land-development companies.
Where: Richmond, Virginia area, remote, or relocation for the right role.
What I bring: I've run the plant and I've run the job site. I bring systems that hold up, schedules people can keep, and an owner's eye on cash.
HOME FREE OF VIRGINIA (HOME FREE LLC)
Home Free is my owner-operated site work business, started in 2021. It carries the name of the Utah company I led from 1996 to 2009, and the same idea: take land from raw ground to something people can build on.
I do land clearing, grading, driveways and site work in Amelia, Chesterfield, Powhatan and Dinwiddie counties, by appointment only.
Get in Touch
I'm glad to talk about a role, a project or a referral.
- Email: [email protected]
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/richard-french-484ab73a2
- Location: Richmond, Virginia area