Morehead, Kentucky-based AppHarvest Inc. has announced the appointment of J. Kevin Willis as a director of the company, as chair of the board’s audit committee and as a member of the nominating and corporate governance committee, effective Feb. 19.
Willis currently serves as the SVP and CFO of Ashland, a global specialty materials company, and joins the board of directors with nearly 35 years of corporate governance and financial leadership experience. At Ashland, he shares responsibility for setting global strategy, managing capital and upholding Ashland’s operating principles with a commitment to sustainability.
He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Eastern Kentucky University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
“Kevin is a seasoned leader who brings expertise, talent and independence to complement the skill sets of the board,” said AppHarvest Board Member Kiran Bhatraju. “I expect that Kevin’s leadership, including as audit committee chair, will accelerate our efforts to create long-term value for all shareholders.”
The 15-acre Berea, Kentucky, salad greens facility and the 60-acre Richmond, Kentucky, tomato facility are both approximately 65 percent complete, and the 30-acre Somerset, Kentucky, berry facility is more than 50 percent complete. All three new farms are expected to be operational by the end of 2022.
AppHarvest’s flagship Morehead farm has been harvesting since January 2021, and its tomatoes have been sold in more than 1,000 stores and restaurants across six states.
Willis fills a board seat vacated by Robert Laikin, who served as chairman of Novus Capital Corp., which was the company that AppHarvest merged with to become publicly traded.
“Bob’s contributions during our first year of hyper-growth got us where we are today,” said Jonathan Webb, founder and CEO of AppHarvest. “As he pursues more environmental and social impact investing opportunities, we wish him well.”
AppHarvest is an applied technology company that develops and operates some of the world’s largest high-tech indoor farms, designed to grow non-GMO, chemical pesticide-free produce, using up to 90 percent less water than open-field agriculture.
The company claims to combine conventional agricultural techniques with world-class technology including artificial intelligence and robotics to improve access for all to nutritious food, farming more sustainably, building a domestic food supply, and increasing investment in Appalachia.
For more information, visit appharvest.com.
