Richard ("Rick") Hood graduated with a BS from Brown University in 1979 and an MS from MIT in 1981. In 1981 he entered the family marine business, The Ted Hood Companies, located in Marblehead, MA, which later relocated to Portsmouth, RI, in 1986. He was President of that business from 1991 until 1999 when it was sold to the investment group Bain Willard Companies, LP who had previously purchased Hinckley Yachts.

In 2000 Richard left the company to launch a new career in web development, video and graphic design. In 2009 Rick and launched the Yacht Insider's Guide with business partner Anne Vandromme which continues to grow each year. In 2011 Rick joined Common Media, where he was a Drupal developer and later responsible for managing Drupal projects. Rick continues to work with Common Media while continuing to pursue his freelance career and the Yacht Insider's Guide.

"My interest is to work with clients to help them structure how they present themselves online, with common sense website architecture and digital communication. I love brainstorming with clients on how to provide customers with a truly useful online experience."