Expert Details
Non-GMO Seeds, Commodity Exports, Asian Grain Trading, Food Grade Agricultural, IP Handling, Bulk Grain Brokering, AgTech
ID: 732169
Florida, USA
Spearheaded the development of a major agricultural equipment manufacturer's new cotton harvesting machine by working closely with inventor and performing new product market analysis. Retained by expert witness team to determine estimated losses sustained due to seed piracy. Produced savings projections to support government sales contracts for a company's entomological monitoring device in Latin America. Retained for combined expertise of agribusiness, brand marketing, grain production, and export knowledge. Implemented the Go-To-Market strategies at the senior management level for agricultural input companies during a multi-national seed and biotech merger. Selected, interviewed, and hired brand marketing team to support a global marketing project. Coordinated the secondary research for a top capital investment firm for a global rice-manufacturing project.
Expert Witness for a Grain Bin Failure Case
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 2003 | Degree: MBA | Subject: International Marketing, Corporate Strategy, & eCommerce | Institution: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign |
| Year: 2000 | Degree: BBA | Subject: General Business Administration, Agribusiness | Institution: Mississippi State University |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2022 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Head of US Grains | Department: Management |
Responsibilities:Leads USA origination and sales of agricultural commodities in bulk, container, barge, rail, and truck. |
|||
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2021 to 2022 | Employer: Rantizo, Inc. | Title: Director of Strategy | Department: Executive |
Responsibilities:• Consultant to the C-Suite and Board of Directors on the strategic initiatives surrounding sales, marketing, operations, product development, and software engineering• Model and trial use cases with third parties such as universities, ag retailers, crop protection, and equipment companies • Source and create partnership opportunities to further drone application adoption • Establish competitive intelligence program to assist product development and marketing initiatives • Represent the Company at various trade shows and speaking engagements to foster the brand |
|||
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1998 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: President/Consultant | Department: Executive |
Responsibilities:He operates a private strategy consulting practice specializing in the food & agribusiness industries focusing on discovering and implementing process improvement and cost reduction systems, delivering new product development savings, and creating new marketing strategies as well as providing economic analyses for production agriculture systems. |
|||
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2019 to 2020 | Employer: GRANUM GROUP LLC | Title: Export Trader | Department: Sales |
Responsibilities:Increased a container trading footprint utilizing existing supplier and buyer relationships. Project lead on greenfield transloading facility. He educated an inexperienced management on risks associated with container trading markets. |
|||
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2018 to 2019 | Employer: FREY P/S | Title: Head of Trading/Co-Founder | Department: Executive |
Responsibilities:He established the first Danish container trading desk utilizing existing supplier and buyer relationships. He trained and implemented execution functions to an inexperienced team. He educated stakeholders on the grain, oilseed, and co-product trading industry. He averaged 5,000 metric tons of trades within the first 3 months of trading. He analyzed container imbalance market data to enhance trading models. |
|||
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2017 to 2018 | Employer: FARMERS BUSINESS NETWORK, INC | Title: Director, Crop Merchandising | Department: Crop Marketing Division |
Responsibilities:He started a commodity merchandising desk for a venture capital-backed AgTech Startup in Silicon Valley focused on farmer production contracts and crop input programs. He created specialty crop marketing contracts designed to shorten the value chain between farmer and food company. He created and implemented accounting and risk management policies for the company. He built brand awareness and successful partnerships with competitors. He led seed licensing and procurement as in-house seed industry expert. |
|||
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2015 to 2017 | Employer: STARFUELS | Title: Director | Department: US Grains Division |
Responsibilities:He established the American grain brokerage desk of the largest ethanol brokerage firm in the USA. He brokered domestic and export cargoes of corn, soybeans, wheat, soybean meal, DDGS, etc. via truck, rail, barge, containers and bulk vessels covering North and South American markets in conjunction with the company’s European grain team. He was responsible for desk P&L, cost reduction, broker performance, and client counterparty risk. He interviewed, hired, and coached employees on the desk. He was the primary liaison with the C-suite team on development of the Grains Division. |
|||
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2013 to 2015 | Employer: PHOENIX GROUP | Title: Trading Manager - U.S.A. | Department: Global Agri Division |
Responsibilities:He was the Commercial Business Head for the U.S. origination arm of a multinational commodity trading firm. |
|||
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2010 to 2013 | Employer: TOYOTA TSUSHO AMERICA, INC | Title: Manager | Department: Grain & Oilseeds Section, Food & Agricultural Products Division |
Responsibilities:He was the primary North American commodity merchandiser for the sixth largest Japanese Trading House. |
|||
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2010 to 2010 | Employer: HONEY B FARMS, INC. | Title: Contract Farmer | Department: Management |
Responsibilities:He managed the farming operations for a 2,500-acre rice and soybean farm in the Mississippi Delta. |
|||
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2008 to 2010 | Employer: UNITED PARCEL SERVICE, INC. | Title: Operations Management Specialist | Department: Greenville Package Center |
Responsibilities:He coordinated the package center logistics operations for the Fortune 50 shipping company. |
|||
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2004 to 2007 | Employer: IDENTITY SEED & GRAIN COMPANY | Title: Executive Vice-President | Department: Executive |
Responsibilities:He directed all business activities for a multi-million dollar non-GMO grain commodity (corn and soybean) exporting company, with accountability for all aspects of operations management including sales, marketing, R&D, merchandising, P&L, laboratory testing, quality control, new product development, production control, domestic and overseas intermodal shipping logistics/documentation, and regulatory affairs. He was responsible for maintaining and expanding customer base both domestically across the Midwest involving over a 100 suppliers and processors and internationally throughout Asia with major trading houses and food manufacturers. He negotiated complex contracts directly with producing, conditioning, trucking, forwarding, trading, and manufacturing entities. |
|||
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1998 to 2001 | Employer: MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY | Title: Research Assistant | Department: Department of Agricultural Economics |
Responsibilities:Initially as a student and later as a graduate assistant, he performed research on new production systems utilizing field tests, significant grower interaction, and computer-based systems to promote innovative process improvements for agricultural production. He presented working papers on process improvements to industry personnel at national and international conferences. |
|||
International Experience
| Years | Country / Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Years: 2018 to 2019 | Country / Region: Denmark | Summary: Moved to Aarhus to establish a container grain trading company |
Career Accomplishments
| Associations / Societies |
|---|
| AMERICAN MARKETING ASSOCIATION AMERICAN SEED TRADE ASSOCIATION NATIONAL GRAIN & FEED ASSOCIATION U.S. GRAINS COUNCIL YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN FOREIGN POLICY (FORMER MEMBER) |
| Publications and Patents Summary |
|---|
| Expert has 15 publications |
Additional Experience
| Expert Witness Experience |
|---|
| Supported expert witness team in cases involving Monsanto and John Deere determining crop loss economics. |
| Vendor Selection |
|---|
| Known for developing MidSouth, Midwest, and East Coast supplier bases and seed conditioning/processing facilities. |
| Marketing Experience |
|---|
| Often retained or asked to give an overview or trend analysis of food grade and/or specialty commodities pertaining to production, exports, and utilization. |
| Other Relevant Experience |
|---|
| Managed the M&;A teams for 3 agricultural companies pertaining to germplasm and hard assets both local and foreign. |