Ted started his professional career in Chile, where he founded a web-based translation company in the early 1990's. Born and raised in Dana Point, California, he later moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he worked for many years as the Vice President of Operations for Del Cabo Farming Cooperative, an alliance of small-scale, organic farms in Mexico. He currently is Director of Operations for Clif Bar, Inc., where he is responsible for maximizing sustainability and minimizing environmental impact along every step of the supply chain.

He lives in Marin County with his wife and children, where he has managed to maintain a delicate balance between family life and work, while trying to sneak in the occasional surf session at the notoriously fickle spots in Marin and points south.