Rick Phipps was born in 1964 in Denver Colorado, and grew up in and around Longmont and Berthoud Colorado. He moved to California in 1983 where he lived for ten years in Blythe on a ranch that had no electricity. There he helped power a small community with Photovoltaic Solar arrays. He also built solar ovens, grew hydroponic tomatoes, and built solar water heaters. He moved to Orange County in 1998 to join staff at the Church of Scientology of Orange County. He currently resides in San Francisco and is a staff member at the local Church of Scientology.