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Richard Berman — news, coverage & facts — IJR

Career

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.

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. Considering Brinker his "hero," 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 1987, he formed Berman and Company, a Washington, D.C.-based public affairs firm specializing in research, communications, and advertising. The company is known for placing opinion editorials in over 100 top newspapers every year.

In 1991, Berman 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 that reduce employment, as determined by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and other sources.

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

In a document released by The New York Times on October 30, 2014, from a talk that Berman gave to the Western Energy Alliance, he 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." He also touted his "win ugly" method of personal attacks on labor union leaders, environmentalists, and others who opposed him.

Berman left Berman and Company and started his own consulting firm, RBB Strategies, in January 2023. He is the executive director of the RAM Veterans Foundation, which operates the website CharitiesForVets.org, helping potential donors recognize the veteran charities most worthy of their support. Berman’s goal is to “call out veteran charity scams,” grading thousands of American charities with military missions.

Berman says, his motto is to “win ugly or lose pretty.” He argues, “I believe in offense. Public relations firms mainly deal with crisis management. That is defensive in nature.” According to The New Yorker, “Richard Berman is something of a legend, often credited with taking the art of negative campaigning on behalf of undisclosed corporate clients to the next level.” He devised an acronym to summarize his approach to public relations messaging (“FLAGS,” or fear, love, anger, greed, and sympathy), claiming that anger and fear are the most effective emotions to convey.

The Center for Organization Research and Education

The Center for Organizational Research and Education (CORE), formerly the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) and Guest Choice Network (GCN), is a non-profit advocate for the food industry and was formed in 1995 with funding from tobacco giant Phillip Morris. The organization underwent a name change to become The Center for Organization Research and Education in 2017. CORE generally promotes de-regulation in the marketplace against what it believes is encroachment by government or scare tactics promulgated by activist groups. CCF also runs the organizations HumaneWatch and PETA Kills Animals, which criticize the practices of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), respectively. The group also launched the Environmental Policy Alliance, or EPA for short, with a focus on exposing the financial support and undisclosed motivations of environmental advocacy groups.

In 2011, the Los Angeles Times called CCF a “feisty and unapologetic warrior against what it sees as over-regulation of consumers’ habits.” Berman smear campaigns allege that HSUS "gives less than one percent of the money it raises to local pet shelters," and that "PETA kills 89% of the adoptable dogs and cats in its care. Berman's attacks on animal rights organizations have gained support from many individuals and organizations working in the agriculture and agribusiness sector, with The Intercept describing him as “skilled in engineering campaigns against public interest groups.

In 2013, Charity Navigator issued a Donor Advisory stating that "the majority of the Center for Consumer Freedom's program expenses are being directed to its CEO Richard Berman's for-profit management company, Berman and Company." The Chicago Tribune depicted CCF as an organization that "employs razor-sharp wit and unconventional tactics."

Berman and Company does not publicly name its clients. 60 Minutes obtained a list of companies that received Center for Consumer Freedom marketing materials in 2002. Among the parties named were The Coca-Cola Company, Tyson Foods, Outback Steakhouse, Wendy's International, Inc., Brinker International (parent company of Chili's and Macaroni Grill), Arby's, Hooters, and Red Lobster.

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. CCF has responded by filing its own complaint with the IRS against HSUS. As of July 2023, the IRS has not taken action against either group.