Born and raised in Los Angeles, Richard Taite is the founder and Executive Chairman of Carrara Treatment Wellness & Spa, an “ultra” luxury addiction treatment facility, and the Executive Chairman of 1 Method Centers, affordable substance use disorder treatment facilities. Richard graduated from UCLA with a degree in Political Science and Public Law and intended to become a lawyer, but after struggling with addiction himself, he learned what worked, what didn’t work, and where programs fell short and failed clients. In 2005 he founded Cliffside Malibu, a boutique rehab with only six beds which Richard steadily grew to 83 beds. In June of 2018, Richard sold Cliffside Malibu and took a much-needed break. Due to the exploding fentanyl epidemic, Richard came back to work to help combat this growing issue, and thus Carrara was born. One of Richard’s core beliefs is there is nothing to get, there is only to give. Building this legacy of giving people the life they were always meant to live, and leaving this world better than he found it he believes his children will be proud of. As he always says, a good father only cares about two things, that his children are proud of him, and that they are okay in the world when he is gone.

As a celebrated entrepreneur and visionary leader in the world of addiction treatment during the ever-burgeoning opioid crisis, Richard was a constant presence on television, radio and in magazine articles throughout his tenure at Cliffside, including featured appearances on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, ABC News’ Nightline, CBS’ This Morning, Entertainment Tonight and was the addiction expert in Prescription Thugs, an award-winning documentary, among many others.