Rico AustinBorn and raised in Southwestern Idaho, Rico is the oldest of five boys, growing up on a meager existence but in an area that was ripe for several adventures for him, his four younger brothers, and numerous cousins. Rico grew up near farmland that prouced potatoes, hay, hops, grain, and corn. There were several fruit orchards and vineyards in the Snake River Valley as well, due to the extraordinary fertile soil. A couple of years out of high school he moved to Boise and enrolled at Boise State University as a student and walk-on football player. However, he could not escape the allure of traveling the world and began writing and storing his experiences in hopes of someday becoming a novelist. He began by reading every chance he had. From contemporary novels to classical literature, Rico's love of storytelling was uncontrollable. He appeared occasionally at Boise's former Comedy Club as a standup comedian retelling his stories of growing up in a comedic fashion. Rico earned an Associate Degree in Marketing and Sales from BSU. After a few years of low-level management positions Rico moved to Hawaii for a short time, surfing the waters of Kauai and enjoying the outdoors. He then moved to Southern California for less than a year before heading back to Idaho. In 1991 Rico moved to the Phoenix/Scottsdale area and continued his education, receiving a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business at Grand Canyon University and received "Outstanding International Business Graduate of 1995." That same year he was also selected as "Mr. Future Business Executive" at the State Leadership Conference, which included all universities in the State of Arizona. The summer before graduating Rico went to Vilnius, Lithuania and taught English (ESL). During the fall semester of his senior year at GCU, Rico attended Staffordshire University in England where he also started on the American Football Team for the Staffordshire Stallions. Rico finished his Masters, an MBA in International Management, at Thunderbird School of Global Management with a focus on the Latin American Region and the Spanish language. He did this while working full time as a feature writer and freelance journalist at the T-Bird school paper "DAS TOR." A few of his articles at "DAS TOR" were written in Spanish by Rico, specifically for the foreign students of Latin America. Rico is an avid fisherman and has traveled far and wide to cast his line into many waters, including streams, lakes, ponds, rivers, seas, and oceans. He has worked for a few international companies as both a sales manager and a marketing manager. In his spare time he has worked as a land developer and was a licensed realtor in Arizona. Rico now is happily married to a graphic artist from Minnesota who works for a prominent company. They make their home in the "Land of the Sun" Scottsdale, Arizona. He and his wife Connie enjoy snorkeling, hiking, hanging by their swimming pool, and traveling to the beaches of Mexico while sipping on a cold cerveza or margarita blended with Rico's favorite TEQUILA which just so happens to be his own - BAJARRIBA. Read More Read Less