Morehead, Kentucky-based AppHarvest has named one of its board members, Tony Martin, as chief operating officer, effective immediately.
Martin will retain his board seat, and as COO, he will lead efforts to optimize production and revenue across the AppHarvest four-farm network that includes 165 acres under glass.
“I expect Tony’s extensive background in controlled environment agriculture and his track record for optimizing the efficiency of core operations and achieving revenue growth will help us accelerate our path to profitability,” said Jonathan Webb, AppHarvest founder and CEO.
Martin joined AppHarvest following a 12-year career with Windset Farms, one of the largest CEA producers and marketers of indoor-grown crops in North America with more than 250 acres in the U.S. and Canada. At Windset, he supported infrastructure and revenue growth.
Martin has served as a consultant in the CEA sector and is a board member of the Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation, a nonprofit that sets standards for the trade of fresh fruits and vegetables in Canada.
“AppHarvest is at an exciting inflection point transitioning from a construction and development mode to an organization focused on core operational excellence,” Martin said.
“I believe AppHarvest has a tremendous opportunity to leverage its world-class CEA network at a time when both changing climate and major grocery retailers are demanding it. We’re working to ramp up production and revenue by ensuring efficient, cost-effective delivery of high-quality produce to major grocers and restaurants.”
The company has quadrupled the number of farms operating in its network in 2022. It has opened two other indoor farms – a 30-acre farm in Somerset for strawberries and cucumbers and a 15-acre farm in Berea for leafy greens.
AppHarvest is shipping strawberries under the “WOW Berries” brand and washed-and-ready-to-eat leafy greens under the “Queen of Greens” brand. In its third growing season, the Morehead farm has diversified its crop, adding snacking tomatoes sold under the Sunset brand as “Flavor Bombs” and “Sugar Bombs.”
For more information, visit appharvest.com.
