I am very excited to share that we have an open position on the WG Innovation team. This is a Senior Director of Innovation role, and it will be a replacement for Dennis Donohue’s role. So yes, whoever gets this job has big shoes to fill! Here is what you need to know about the position.
1) The primary focus will be on managing the “less chemistry” portfolio that includes: (1) precision spraying technologies (overlap with automation here); (2) bio-control solutions (bio-pesticides et al. – not bio-stimulants); (3) resistant genetics (pest resistance, etc.); (4) regenerative ag practices that improve soil health, which needs less chemistry; (5) UV lighting pest solutions (like TRIC and SAGA); and (6) anything else that shows up and can help achieve pest and pathogen control while adjusting the portfolio to less chemistry usage while maintaining grower economics. This is the key portion of this person’s responsibilities – allocating time and capital to make this space happen faster and cheaper for the startups so growers know what’s working and what they should be evaluating for potential purchase.
2) The primary enablement tool will be to build platforms similar to what Ben Palone has built in automation. So think tech validation, case studies, field trials, strategy development, partnership discussions, and obviously you’ll be at a few events where the magic happens and growers talk to startups to see what’s real. Think about the equivalents in this space to Reservoir Farms and John Deere. That three-way strategic partnership has up-leveled the entire space in a couple of years. If you are in this role you get to go build that for the “chemistry and friends” portfolio above. This person will work closely with WG Science team on designing and executing much of the tech validation work across the portfolio. And we are going to want to see a lot of math. The WG Case Studies for automation are the gold standard for grower economics, and we need the same level of rigor and detail for these solutions.
There’s a lot more in the job description, but those are the highlights. I encourage everyone to take a look at the job description and see if you’re a fit. We welcome all applicants and look forward to reviewing everyone that submits. Please share this widely or directly with good profile fits to help us get the right person in this role. It’s critical for our growers!