Erik's is a disabled veteran with 11 years of service in the active US Army and National Guard, including the 1989 Panama campaign and the Persian Gulf War. He currently works as a Principal Security Consultant for QSI and is also the Director of Public Safety for a state college in the Twin Cities area.

His areas of expertise include firearms and self-defense, personal and industrial security, military operations, disasters, failure analysis and nuclear power. Interviews with Erik on these subjects have been appeared in and on the Minneapolis CityPages, Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, Minnesota Public Radio, WCCO, KSTP, and US News and World Report.

Erik served as a firearms consultant and stunt coordinator for the feature film "imnotjesusmommy" and as a consultant and unit director of the feature project "Grey State." He also appeared as an actor in both films.

A zombie preparedness enthusiast, Erik is a member of Team Paladin, which took top honors for four years running at the Outbreak Omega annual zombie shoot. Erik and other Paladin members have been profiled in Tactical Life, RomeoTangoBravo, Guns and Ammo, Outdoor Life, Rifle Firepower, and Shooting Illustrated.

As a professional firearms instructor, Erik has been teaching people to shoot since 1988. His clients have included over thirty different law enforcement agencies at the City, State, and Federal level, all branches of the US military, and private companies and individuals.