Richard Berman

Berman grew up in the Bronx borough of New York City. His father ran gas stations and car washes. Berman did general labor at these businesses on weekends and summers while growing up. He attended Transylvania University in Kentucky.[8] After graduating from college in 1964, Berman went on to William and Mary School of Law and was class of 1967.[9] His late son was Silver Jews musician David Berman, who died by suicide on August 7, 2019 at age 52.[10] The two had been estranged due to David's strong disapproval of his father's work.[11][12]

After law school, Berman worked as a labor law attorney for Bethlehem Steel, and from 1969 to 1972 he served as a corporate lawyer for Dana, an automotive parts company in Toledo, Ohio. From 1972 to 1974 he was employed as labor law director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C.[9]

He moved into the food and beverage industry in 1975 under the mentorship of Norman Brinker, founder and owner of the Steak & Ale chain of restaurants. Berman started a government affairs program, launched his first PAC for Brinker, and worked there until 1984. He served as executive vice president of Pillsbury Restaurant Group from 1984 to 1986. In 1986, he formed Berman and Company. In 1991, he created the Employment Policies Institute to research entry-level work issues and argue "the importance of minimum wage jobs for the poor and uneducated." In practice, this translated to opposing minimum wage hikes on the theory that they would reduce employment.[13]

In the 1990s, Berman was the president of Beverage Retailers Against Drunk Driving (BRADD), an organization formed to combat Mothers Against Drunk Driving.[13] As president, he argued for "tolerance of social drinking."[13] He has also worked as a consultant for the Minimum Wage Coalition to Save Jobs.[13]

In a document released by The New York Times on October 30, 2014, from a talk Berman gave to the Western Energy Alliance, Berman reassured potential donors about the concern that they might be found out as a supporter of one of his organizations: "We run all of this stuff through nonprofit organizations that are insulated from having to disclose donors. There is total anonymity."[14] He also touted his "win ugly" method of personal attacks on labor union leaders, environmentalists, and others who opposed him.[15]

As of May 2009, Berman was the sole owner and executive director of Berman and Company, a for-profit management firm that ran fifteen corporate-funded groups, including the Center for Consumer Freedom. He has held at least sixteen positions within these interlocking organizations.[16] As of 2010, just six of these nonprofits provided as much as 70% of Berman and Company's revenue.[17] Bloomberg News reported that from 2008 to 2010, Berman and Company was paid $15 million from donations to his five nonprofit organizations.[18] Through these organizations, Berman and Company has received 60 "POLLIE Awards" since 2002 from the American Association of Political Consultants.[19]

Organizations founded and managed by Berman include:

Berman has appeared on 60 Minutes,[5] The Colbert Report,[32] and CNN[33] in support of his organizations. 60 Minutes has called him "the booze and food industries' weapon of mass destruction,"[5] labor union activist Richard Bensinger gave him the nickname "Dr. Evil,"[4][5] and Michael Kranish of the Boston Globe dubbed him a "pioneer" in the "realm of opinion molding."[34] In September 2013, the Huffington Post included Berman on its list of "America's Ruling Class Hall of Shame", described as a "sleazy corporate front man."[35]

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Restaurant Opportunities Center have criticized Berman. HSUS has carried out its own investigations of CCF and Berman, and filed complaints about CCF with the IRS.[36][37] CCF has responded by filing its own complaint with the IRS against HSUS.[38]

Labor groups pushing to increase the minimum wage are also taking a tough line against Berman and his clients. The Restaurant Opportunities Center has taken an aggressive approach in its campaigns against Berman's base of support within the National Restaurant Association and related enterprises.[39]

In a January 4, 2015 article, Salon criticized Berman as a propagandist, "a gifted translator of biz-think into the common sense of the millions".[40]

On February 3, 2015, an opinion piece in Guns Magazine passed criticism that Berman received for putting profit over principle was countered with the claim that critics have not "made that case with examples of documented unethical practices, or by refuting anything the man, who decries a government nanny state and endorses personal responsibility, claims."[41]

Berman has responded to such criticism by stating that his groups have acted as "watchdogs who question the motivation, tactics and fundraising efforts of these powerful groups" and that targets "throw mud" instead of "debating the actual issues".[42]