Freight Farms, Inc. Announces New CEO
The Board of Directors of Freight Farms has unanimously appointed Brad Griffith, former CCO of Compass Minerals and 23-year Agri-Food veteran, as Chief Executive Officer.
Boston – October 16, 2023 – Freight Farms, Inc. (“Freight Farms” or “the Company”), a leading provider of integrated hardware and software in vertical farming, is pleased to announce the appointment of Brad Griffith as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Griffith has also joined the Board of Directors. As a global Life Sciences executive and strategic advisor with a passion for sustainable Agri-Food systems, Brad has accelerated startups and turnarounds, transformed commercial and manufacturing operations, and grown multibillion-dollar P&Ls. Previously as Chief Commercial Officer at Kansas-based Compass Minerals, Brad led the global commercial Plant Nutrition and Salt businesses, global supply chain, and global R&D. Prior to Compass Minerals, Brad spent over 17 years with Monsanto Company in agriculture and pharmaceuticals. Brad is also an Operating Partner at Ajax Strategies and Skyline Global Partners, and he is an Independent Board Director for Midwestern BioAg.
“After a decade of successful innovation, Freight Farms is beginning to institutionalize and scale its agronomic efficiency for growers, and we are excited for Brad to lead the next phase of the company’s growth,” said Zach Morse, Board Director of Freight Farms and Senior Analyst at Ospraie Ag Science, Freight Farms’ largest investor. “It’s very exciting to combine Brad’s strategic and commercial expertise with an organization that is already delivering platform technologies, customer service, and software that make Freight Farms’ products turnkey for customers and has created a meaningful brand with customers,” added Zach.
Brad Griffith commented, “I am thrilled to be joining the talented team at Freight Farms who have become a category leader in CEA farming applications. This decade-old innovation company has evolved their product offerings, putting the success of the farmer first in the provision of hyper-fresh, nutritious, tasty, and affordable produce. I am excited about our opportunity to scale this business in the USA and internationally to put farms within easy reach of grocery shelves, restaurant tables, and those in food deserts. We will be easy to do business with, solutions-oriented alongside our customers, and open to partnerships that drive mutual benefit. I look forward to speaking with many of these constituents in the coming days and weeks and look forward to inventing our futures together.”
Rick Vanzura, former CEO of Freight Farms, will remain Advisor to the Board to ensure a smooth transition. “After 5 years of working with the Freight Farms team to drive growth and innovation in our category-dominant solutions, I am excited to turn the reins over to Brad and watch the Company reach its full potential,” said Rick. “It has been an honor to be part of this incredible company, and I look forward to continuing to provide support as an advisor,” added Rick.
About Freight Farms
Founded in 2012, Freight Farms debuted the first vertical hydroponic farm built inside an intermodal shipping container with the mission of democratizing and decentralizing the local production of fresh, healthy food. Since its inception, Freight Farms has refined its product offering to arrive at the Greenery™ container farm. With global customers ranging from small business farmers to the corporate, hospitality, retail, education, and nonprofit sectors, Freight Farmers make up one of the largest network of IoT connected farms in the world. AgTech Breakthrough named Freight Farms the 2022 "IoT Monitoring Solution of the Year" for its farmhand® IoT automation software.