Erik Andrew Klepps is an American businessman, most notable for his recent ventures into private security services. Born the Johann and Catherine Klepps, the first of their three children, is currently the sole heir to the fortune amassed by his father's large multinational, KGCO. His own company, BearClaw, formed in 2001 in anticipation in a boon in the security markets following the events of September, 11, 2001. BearClaw has come under much scrutiny of late because of several incidents, both domestically and internationally.
Klepps was born to Catherine and Johann Klepps in 1957 in Clyde, Ohio. His father had just settled his corporations base of operations in the small city. Raised alongside his two younger siblings, Klepps often kept to himself, preferring books and strategy games to sports or outdoorsmanship. He was often intolerant of his siblings, striking out in intense fits of rage. His mother recalled, in an interview for Redbook from 1972, that there were times she would find Erik beating Johann Alfred, or pushing Dorothy into a small linen closet. She would confront him, and he would begin sobbing. She noted that although they never quite sorted out the problem, there were fewer incidents as he got older. As he grew, Klepps became more interested in sports including soccer and wrestling. He also joined the local Boy Scouts troop, eventually raising to the rank of Eagle Scout. The Klepps family was raised in the Lutheran tradition, and young Erik took to the ideas at a very young age, focusing intently on the minister's lessons and the readings.
Throughout high school, Klepps maintained strong grades, and excelled in athletics, particularly his passion, wrestling. He participated in the Model United Nations club, as well as the Debate team and Texaco Challenge team. Although he was well liked by those in his circle, he would occasionally fly into fits of rage during group meetings or team practices, suddenly becoming violent. After graduation, Klepps decided to enroll at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, IN. As a student he double-majored in Business Administration and Political Science. He also participated as a student athlete on the wrestling team, holding a NCAA Divison II record for consecutive wins in his weight class, and several other records in the Mid-Continent Conference that still stand today. Klepps graduated in 1978 and immediately enrolled in Princeton University, focusing his master's degree on Political Science. His master's thesis was titled "Modeling and Analyzing Private Military Effectiveness in the Modern Nation-State". It was advised by Dr. George Tucker.
Following his graduation, Klepps returned to Clyde, Ohio to work along side his father at KGCO. Under his supervisory role, KGCO. began focusing a great deal of it's capitol on munitions technology research, as well as on funding prominent "think-tanks" in the greater Washington, DC area. His father allowed him some degree of autonomy, only stopping funding on a few of the research projects, considering them to be out of the realm of what he thought tasteful.
Klepps was very hands on with the research projects, maintaining a strong control of the direction of the research, and often times, accompanying the researchers in their field tests. In May of 1979, Klepps followed one of his research teams, consisting of five members, into the remote mountain villages of Nicaragua. The researchers were intending to research a new chemical compound that was meant to strip trees of their folliage in a manner that would not be harmful to their surroundings, or the people around the chemical. During one of the experiments, Klepps and his research team were captured by the locally popular Sandinistas. Klepps was one of only three men who were kept alive by the group. Held hostage for 2 months, Klepps and the other two researchers were eventually freed after negotiations bargained through KGCO lawyers who promised munitions and an undisclosed sum of moneys. Returning from this ordeal, Klepps now featured a very prominent facial scar. After a short stay at a psychiatric facility, Klepps returned to KGCO, although in a more limited role.
While on a ski trip to Aspen, CO, Klepps met a local woman, Linda Whitney, whom after a short courtship, he married. The ceremony took place in June 18, 1980 at an Aspen Lutheran chapel, and was followed by a very boisterous and celebratory reception. The following May brought the birth of Erik and Linda Klepps' only child, John Erik Klepps (b. May 29, 1981, Clyde, Ohio).
Through the 1980s and 1990s, Klepps profile was raised through a series of business moves and newly acquired political prominence. Playing on the Sandinista incident in 1979, Klepps was essential to the reelection of Ronald Regan in 1984, and was in turn awarded a position as an assistant in his Cabinet. Following this run, many believed that Klepps was the first choice for George HW Bush's vice president. It is rumored that he lost out on the slot to Dan Quayle after a series of exposes about KGCO's endeavors into military and scientific experiments. Klepps himself has never run for public office, however, he has been given several influential positions in various administrations and government posts.
Following the events of September 11, 2001, Klepps, with seed money from his holdings in KGCO., founded BearClaw, a private military company. BearClaw initially acted as a security firm for various government outposts in what are considered "hot zones", or areas that needed further support for military installations. Throughout the following years, BearClaw has been awarded multiple billion dollar contracts for services aiding the National Guard in times of national emergencies (i.e. hurracaines, earthquakes, riots, etc.). It was during one of these incidents, in August of 2004 following an earthquake in the San Francisco metro area where BearClaw has seen most of it's criticism stem from. Brought into various districts of San Francisco, BearClaw was being overseen by Generals in the National Guard who directed BearClaw supervisors and contractors to maintain a level of security while aid workers were searching for survivors, to stem any rioting, and to use only riot control munitions.
Erik Klepps, acting as de facto general of BearClaw ignored these orders, and dispatched his men to the affected areas, allowing them to use live ammunition, and to shoot on sight if they felt threatened. One of his groups came upon a long line of people waiting by a Red Cross water truck. According to accounts, there was some amount of discourse between the people in line and the contractors. A contractor, C. Coffer, fired upon the crowd, later insisting that he felt that the crowd was beginning to act in a "disorderly and violent fashion", and that, "some of them started throwing bottles and rocks." Coffer opened fire, setting off the others in his group to do the same, in the process killing 30 people, including aid workers and children.
Following the incident, KGCO. distanced itself from BearClaw, demanding the investment moneys back and paid in full. Erik Klepps was called to a Congressional hearing about the incident, and during the process, several other incidents that preceded the "San Francisco Massacre" came into the open. These other situations took place on foreign soil, including Rwanda, Chechnya and Burma. The hearing reached a fever pitch when Klepps took part in a shouting match with Congressman Bernie Sanders (I, VT). The findings of the hearing did not place BearClaw or Klepps in danger of criminal prosecution, due in large part to scarce physical evidence and several people who were brought into testify either invoking their 5th ammendment right, or changing their testimony. However, as a result of the incident, the US federal government has opted out of any further contracts with BearClaw, and they are still open to civil litigation.
Klepps currently lives in New Mexico, on a piece of land fifty miles outside of Taos where BearClaw still maintains a base of operations. As reported by contractors who have defected from BearClaw, the company still conducts research and limited training on the base. He is absent from the lives of his son and wife, who still reside in Clyde, OH at the "New Valhalla" compound built by his father. He still holds a board position at KGCO. and regularly attends quarterly board meetings.
