The Operator Behind the Partnership

Richard Riordan

Founder & Managing Partner

Professional headshot of a middle-aged man with gray hair, wearing a navy suit, white shirt, and light blue tie, smiling against a plain gray background.

I don’t sit in a remote tower throwing theoretical slide decks and charts at you. I get directly in the trenches with your team. With over 20 years of hands-on supply chain leadership, including serving as an enterprise Chief Operating Officer and scaling brands from early-stage chaos to successful acquisitions, I founded Elevate Operations to give growth-stage founders the exact operational muscle they need, precisely when they need it.

Our mandate is to serve as the master orchestrator of your backend. I bring a deep, execution-tested blueprint for navigating highly regulated industries where operational mistakes carry immense cost:

  • FDA Medical Devices & OTC Drugs: Driving strict cGMP compliance, site-transfer protocols, validation testing runs, and stability testing windows.

  • Cosmetics & High-End CPG: Synchronizing premium component sourcing, multi-CMO facility scheduling, and global freight lines to mitigate tariff impact.

  • USDA Food Products: Securing temperature controlled cold chain logistics, strict batch/lot tracking, and production schedules built around shelf-life vulnerabilities.

  • HAZMAT Chemicals (DOT): Managing specialized chemical containment requirements, dangerous goods transport routing, and strict Title 49 CFR carrier safety compliance.

  • Reverse Logistics & Recall Management: Manage product collection, segregation, and final disposition loops while coordinating with CMO’s to minimize market disruptions.

From auditing your Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMO) production runs and streamlining Third-Party Logistics (3PL) warehouse distribution to optimizing your inbound and outbound freight routes, Elevate Ops handles the tactical friction. We free you from the exhausting operational noise so you can step back into your true superpower as a visionary CEO.

My operating philosophy is simple: Fix the immediate fire fast, then build the automated process to ensure it never breaks again. Whether you need a relentless operator to step in tomorrow to rescue a chaotic retail launch timeline, or a high-level strategic architect to completely restructure your global co-packer and manufacturer network, we treat your business like our own. You get a centralized, dependable point of operational accountability. Your team gets their creative freedom back. Your business gets a bulletproof infrastructure engineered to insulate your cash flow and protect your net margins.

© 2026 Elevate Operations, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Managed by Richard Riordan.