Rick Altizer

Earnnest

In mid-2019, Rick Altizer was appointed CEO of Earnnest, a digital platform that allows for the secure deposit of funds directly to an escrow holder. Not long after joining the company, Altizer led Earnnest into a strategic partnership with Lone Wolf Technologies. This partnership will integrate Lone Wolf’s transaction management solutions, zipForm Plus and TransactionDesk, with Earnnest’s secure earnest payment platform, to digitize the entire earnest money deposit (EMD) process for real estate agents, brokerages and consumers.

Earnnest’s platform connects to more than 12,000 financial institutions nationwide with banking-level security and encryption to ensure money arrives securely through ACH payment transfers, mitigating the growing risks of wire fraud. The partnership with Lone Wolf extends this service to 1.4 million agents, 9,000 brokerages and 20,000 offices across Canada and the U.S.

“Today’s homebuyers expect an entirely digital experience, and Earnnest is uniquely positioned to deliver it,” says Altizer. “Our platform was built by real estate veterans who remember the days of chasing down paper checks, and we’re determined to make electronic payment the norm in real estate within two years.”

Altizer joined Earnnest from BP, where he was senior vice president of fuel sales and marketing for North America. Prior to BP, he served as regional vice president for McDonald’s, running a $1 billion region with 500 stores. Altizer was also president of Jiffy Lube International, vice president of marketing for Shell Oil Company, CEO of startup pioneer Elevation Burger and president of private-equity-owned McAlister’s Deli.