Barry L. Becker retired in 2013 after spending twenty-two years as a sole proprietor for his independent manufacturers' rep firm, Becker Marketing Associates, covering the Pacific Northwest. He also provided marketing consultancy services to the Biometrics Technology industry. From 1984 to 1991, he served as vice president of international sales and marketing for Eyedentify, a Beaverton, Oregon-based company specializing in eye-retinal imaging technology for positive identification in sensitive and classified facilities. Their primary customers were intelligence agencies, defense and interior ministries, aerospace and defense contractors, nuclear power plants, banks, and financial institutions. During that period, he traveled over 500,000 miles.In 1987, his article "Eyedentify Counters Security Threat" appeared in the Journal of Defense & Diplomacy, Volume 5, Number 8.Mr. Becker earned a bachelor's degree in creative arts interdisciplinary and a minor in marketing at San Francisco State University. He has also completed Executive Programs at Columbia Business School and Stanford Business School. The Ericksen Connection was his first novel, and The Ryzhkov Vendetta is his second. The series is called "A Mark Ericksen Thriller Book 1 & 2." The San Francisco Book Review rated The Ericksen Connection novel 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. Mr. Becker is also a military veteran.