 Ritchie founded Chicago Research and Trading (CRT), an options and futures trading firm, in 1977.CRT was also one of the first to computerize the options value theory as they pioneered computer-driven trading strategies.In 1985, Institutional Investor Magazine stated, “CRT rides a wave of heady profits, thanks to its computer-driven trading strategies.” CRT's capacity to value options far more precisely enabled them to narrow the bid/ask spread in the options market.