Amid the verdant rolling hills of central Kentucky, in the heart of Appalachian coal country, youll WebGet Givens McNeill's email address (g*****@windstream.net) and phone number (972988.) at RocketReach. That's how quickly the energy industry shifted. AppHarvest CEO envisions 'couple-decade journey' after going public He has many impressive accomplishments. But if you look at all the problems in the agriculture system, this industry really solves most of those problems. By the end of next year, well quadruple that. Moser: Yeah. The greenhouse, completed in 2020, yields up to 30 times the crops a traditional farm would, Webb said. Moser: I guess you're saying, and a lot of us would agree, you can't have your cake and eat it too. CEOs can get lazy and only worry about the last 90 days; thats easy. To do that and look out for the long term is true sustainability, or resilience., Webb, who began his career developing renewable energy projects for the U.S. Army, believes any company is either part of destroying the planet or part of rebuilding its industry to align with the planet: I think its our obligation as CEOs to build companies that create long-standing values.. You can also compare Dr. Webb with other orthopedic surgeons in Eau Claire to find the one that best suits your needs. We'll head down here and then I would start or I would end with what I started with. Appharvest Stock Ownership The company is building some of the largest indoor farms in the world, combining conventional agricultural techniques with todays technology to grow non-GMO, chemical-free produce to be. We just have to keep our head down and execute and do our job every day here at AppHarvest. His military experience allows him to leverage private capital for his projects. A specialist in knee surgery, Webb has performed countless surgeries in elite rugby union teams. Executive Vice President and Head of Enterprise Development, Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry, Contract Support (U.S. Army Office of Energy Initiatives), Intelligent Assistance and Bots Ecosystem. Webb: Well, we built the company from day one. Typically, you would do 40 to 60 meetings to get a couple of investors. I could be in a penthouse in New York City, managing AppHarvest from the 32nd floor of some high-rise. Jonathan Webb was born on 24 August 1963, in London, England. Even with the help of AI, farm work at AppHarvest is still hard, manual labor. We'll talk a little bit about your quarterly results here in a minute because I want to get into that, but one of the things that stood out to me in the earnings call. He played against Australia on 23 May. People, planet, wonderful, but I'm trying to make money. Most people every day are just concerned about can they put food on the table? Its easier than ever to find a trustworthy doctor. I want to know what the problems are from them, not just our executive team. That lowers transportation costs by 75%, allowing AppHarvest's fresher produce to better compete against low-cost foreign imports. We're ramping up and scaling quickly. If you want to know how wealthy he is, read on! I love that passion. But then what have we done with Root AI? But the futuristic pieces, we've combined a technology team with a great plant science group. To me, at least, it feels like we are at the [] of a disruptive phase here, and a lot of that is thanks to technology. There won't be one automotive company transporting the world. Never miss a story: Follow your favorite topics and authors to get a personalized email with the journalism that matters most to you. I go directly into the facility and talk to entry-level employees and people sweeping the floors. For example, we use integrated pest management, good pest to kill bad pest. In the 1987 Rugby World Cup, Webb made his debut for England. Below, we look at some of his most popular tweets. Instead of just being able to tell a grocer 24-hours in advance here's the quality of product and here's when it will be shipped, with robotics going down the rows scanning the plants, we'll be able to get to days out and weeks out of being able to predict the yield, predict the quality, give more information to the grocer on when that product is going to be coming. But being true to our ESG values, we think it is a competitive advantage and going to make us more competitive in the years to come. The private markets don't need to be a part of the problem, but we can't just be quarterly earnings focused. The Motley Fool recommends AppHarvest, Inc. Also referred to as blank check companies, the mechanism has existed for several years but has received increased attention of late. *Average returns of all recommendations since inception. He has also held roles in movies and television series. It's so cool to think about what you guys are doing there. Again, tomatoes are our first crop, but by next year, strawberries and leafy greens. One of AppHarvest's mobile units ready to fight the food fight, outside of AppHarvest's offices in [+] Lexington, Kentucky, If we cant treat people with dignity and respect who put food on our table, where do we think humanity is going to end up? He actively engages with his followers through his various social media accounts, including Instagram and Twitter. Making the world smarter, happier, and richer. We want to be at Wendy's, we want to be at Walmart. Eventually, he found the right problem to solve. Is there any one thing or is it a collection of many things? Moser: Yeah. The history of the world is in many ways the history of technology, and of our reactions to it. WebInside is a tightly controlled environment that uses 90% less water than open-field agriculture and only rainwater to produce crop yields up to 30 times that of traditional Your email address will not be published. The High Stakes of the Roundup Cancer Lawsuit: Why Billions of Dollars are on the Line, 5 Ways to Get Money for Investment Property. Europe, Menlo Park, China), Where the person is located (e.g. That's not the conversation at all. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Powered and implemented by Interactive Data Managed Solutions. WebFounder & CEO, AppHarvest Kentucky native and University of Kentucky graduate Jonathan Webb is turning his dream of a high-tech farming hub in Appalachia into reality with AppHarvest. could be sentient says Microsofts chatbot feels like watching the Shark Tank investor Kevin OLeary says a new generation of employee has never worked in an officeand its totally I cant afford to sell because I dont want to lose that rate: 3% mortgage rates will loom large over the U.S. CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. Jonathan Webb, CEO, AppHarvest: AgTech Farming for Our Director recently sold US$216k worth of stock Nov 24 AppHarvest, Inc. Yes, today, we met our quarterly earnings projection, we hit our guidance, but we're making the hard investments and spending the hard time to set an organization up that's going to thrive 10 and 20 years from now. You look at California and the Southwest of the U.S., drying up, drought-stricken, flagged by wildfires. Were building robotics and software that will ultimately be able to service the entire global agriculture industry. The mission-driven approach Webb has prioritized is the companys main selling point both for investors and potential employees, whom he works to lure away from billion-dollar conglomerates. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. In February 2018, encouraged by investors, advisors including Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Jonathan Webb, AppHarvest Inc: Profile and Biography We've had record amounts of rainfall. But with that said, what we have at AppHarvest is fairly unique. But if you look at the world, China and India account for 40% of the world's population. Webb is one of very few knee surgeons to have played for both the England-France national teams. You are speaking our language here at The Fool. Webb Net Worth Most of those employees were hired in the midst of 2020, something that Webb considers a testament to the trust his community has placed in AppHarvest. This is a BETA experience. We're feeding our country with people in Mexico who are making $5 a day. To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podcast center. Moser: That's exciting. The deal is slated to bring in $475 million in gross proceeds for Kentucky-based AppHarvest, including a private investment in public equity (PIPE) transaction Again, if you look at the U.S. right now, this is a USDA statistic, nearly 40% of fresh fruit and vegetables end up in a landfill. AppHarvest I want to talk with you about in regard to AppHarvest. Linked companies : AppHarvest, Inc. Summary. We want to be at Kroger. AppHarvest is known for its approach to CEA, which Webb called the "third wave of sustainable infrastructure." One, our geographic location. His fund's based in DC, we had them as early investors. Let's prove to the world what we're doing through results and even that, our first quarterly earnings call today, there's a level of rigor that you're acquired through the public markets. WebAppHarvest salary income and net worth data provided by People Ai provides an estimation for any internet celebrity's real salary income and net worth like AppHarvest based on real We've just been selling product for a matter of months. ", As a CEO, Webb admitted that this focus on the long-term outlook has not been easy to prove to Wall Street, especially when compared to those who are "selling a worthless product that's not good for people and not good for planet and arguably questionable for shareholders. Dr. Jonathan Webb, a specialist knee surgeon at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, is the doctor. That greenhouse is just the proof of conceptAppHarvest has broken ground on two more that will be just as impressive. What is AppHarvest to you? All rights reserved. We're a public benefit corporation, and we're B Corp certified. They ask themselves, Did we help five people today? Jonathan Webb - Biography - MarketScreener.com But its confident in its approach. Moser: Yeah. As part of that, in order to bring trust and transparency to agriculture, you have to be a public company. We've moved most of our fruit and vegetable production down to Mexico and we're importing and shipping in 2,000 miles. AppHarvest WebGet Chad Hill's email address (c*****@appharvest.com) and phone number at RocketReach. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The human spirit is willing to do a lot. What are you trying to accomplish? We could've raised capital privately on the balance sheet and kept building. I like thinking about a future where AppHarvest and companies like you all are helping make our food supply not only here domestically, but really around the world better, more reliable, more transparent. There's going to be a lot of companies hopefully working to solve our food and agriculture problems. No. This is the direction in which the world is going, so companies better get on board [laughs] or get out of the way. Webb: Regulators are pounding on them, consumers are pounding on them. That might sound straight from science fiction, but AppHarvests CTO Josh Lessing, who designed many of these universal harvesting systems says we only think that because farming has been so slow to innovate. Again, if we look at agriculture, there's a lot of trouble in our current agriculture system and we can use ESG metrics to clean up our food supply and create better food systems. We're selling to Kroger, we're selling in fast food chains like Wendy's. Its the single largest LED installation in the United States despite using constant passive solar, waters its plants using recycled rainwater, employs an integrated pest management system to avoid any pesticides, has a 30x higher production yield than traditional open field agriculture, and has the ever so modest goal of transforming the future of agriculture. Get the latest news and research from AFN & AgFunder in your inbox. Originally from Kentucky, Webb is dedicated to sustainable projects in Central Appalachia. AppHarvest The Great Resignation has not affected AppHarvest, because people who were leaving companies were leaving worthless companies that added no value to society, or were destroying society, Webb said. Webbs England career totaled 67 points, breaking Hodgkinsons 60-point record. Let's let the consumer of our product also be the buyer in our company. I mean, all of the stuff that you just talked about really does matter. Jonathan Webb, Founder & CEO, AppHarvest Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Flipboard, and LinkedIn. Like every Kentuckian, Jonathan grew up knowing of the devastating job losses in the region. ET More on the future of agriculture and vertical farming innovator According to AppHarvest's earnings report released Feb. 24, the company had net sales of $9.1 million and net loss of of $166.2 million in 2021. Project Access offers ESL/ESL classes, after school programs, and computer literacy. Also referred to as blank check companies, the mechanism has existed for several years but has received increased attention of late. Just wondering if you could share some of the highlights, some of the things you're proud of in regard to this earnings release, and your excitement here for the year to come. We were just talking earlier and you mentioned how you're in the DC area, it was fortunate that we had Steve Case, the founder of AOL, and he fundraised the rest. Our team is built to scale and you look at where we're at today, we've launched our first facility. ESG should be at the core of profitability and it should be at the core of building a resilient company. Tomatoes will be the first fruit rolling out of AppHarvest's soon-to-launch facility in Morehead, Kentucky. I'm sitting in the heart of coal country right now. Those are always famous last words as we move into some disruptive phase.