Meet Ron Harrison – Managing Director, Northern California

Allow us to introduce to some, and reintroduce to others, Ron Harrison, the Managing Director for our Northern California offices. With more than three decades of experience in the industry, Ron has honed his skills across various companies and roles. His passion for arts and culture enhances his ability to engage with our diverse range of clients. As a skilled conversationalist and adept problem-solver, Ron excels in navigating the complexities of maintaining order in our office operations, schedules, recruitment, and client relations. Let’s get to know Ron a little better with an anecdotal Q&A:

Tell us a little bit about your professional background:

I got my start in the court reporting profession working for a mom and pop court reporting company in San Francisco – Combs & Greenley. I was on a waiting list for a job as an English teacher in San Francisco shortly after moving here from Florida. To pay the bills until a teaching job opened up, I answered an ad in the San Francisco Chronicle for a job as a proofreader.  When I went in for an interview with one of the company owners, he told me, “We just purchased computers and we’re requiring all the reporters to stop dictating and start producing their transcripts by computer.” Would you be interested in managing our computer operations?” I signed on to that with no idea what I was getting myself into, and I’ve stayed with this amazing profession ever since. From computer manager, I was promoted to office manager, and when the mom-and-pop company sold to Legalink, I was promoted to VP of Operations for the San Francisco office. Legalink eventually became Merrill and after a couple of years with Merrill, I left and started working at Esquire as General Manager of the San Francisco office. There I worked with Derek Berg and Ashley Walton until they left Esquire in the early 2000’s. I stayed with Esquire until mid-2016, when I joined Aptus as Managing Director for Northern California – the best career move I ever made!

My mentor told me:

Don’t try to make all your money on one depo. By that, I believe he meant that you need to provide great service and charge clients a reasonable rate. Don’t overinflate bills with superfluous or hidden charges. Clients know when they’re not being treated fairly. You’re going to make a nice living in this business if you treat your clients with respect.

Song on your current playlist:  

A bunch of songs by Irma Thomas, a New Orleans R&B singer who’s been around since the sixties and Sofi Tukker, a great EDM DJ duo – Tukker spins the records and Sofi sings. 

Your most memorable meal:

Salt encrusted fish under the stars in Majorca.

On your bucket list:

India is high on my list. None of my friends are interested in visiting with me, but I am fascinated by the culture. I love Indian food and Bollywood movies and I can’t wait to go to India to see everyone dancing in the streets in colorful apparel.

Recently checked this off my bucket list:

Australia.  It was a wonderful experience.  Sydney is beautiful and I felt completely safe everywhere.

Best kept secret in your city:

Cinderella Café. It’s a Russian restaurant that has been around forever.  Locals know it well, but it’s in a remote neighborhood so it’s not on the tourist itinerary. Their borscht and stuffed cabbages are delicious. Also, Tank Hill is a great place to get a view of the city. The view is as nice as Twin Peaks, but it’s not overwhelmed by tourists like Twin Peaks is. Plus, it just happens to be two blocks from my house.

My current obsession:

I’m obsessed with the future of San Francisco. My city is going through troubled times, but we’ve been here before and we emerged better than ever. I know that the new San Francisco will be fantastic. It’s just going to take some time to figure things out and get some of our problems solved. I already feel like there’s movement in a positive direction.

Book on your nightstand:

Sapiens, a Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari.

A little something extra:

I’m a bit of an Italophile. I’ve been to Italy probably 14 or 15 times (I’ve lost count). I speak a decent Italian which quickly becomes even better after a few hours in Italy.