80 Acres adds Walmart, Dole execs to leadership team as it gears up for growth

What do Victor Verlage, Monica Noble and Natalia Connolly have in common? All are top-level executives new to the 80 Acres Farms leadership team as the company gears up for its next phase of growth.

The hires join the Hamilton-based vertical farming company from Walmart, Dole Food Co. and the Silicon Valley startup scene, respectively. Mike Zelkind, 80 Acres co-founder and CEO, told me it’s a sign of more good things to come.

It also signals that the company is gaining traction in the marketplace. 80 Acres, founded in 2015, grows its produce – a variety of lettuce, basil and other herbs, microgreens, cucumbers and tomatoes – indoors year-round, using a combination of LED lighting, artificial intelligence, robotics and more.

“For people like this to come to a young company [like 80 Acres], it’s proof that the industry is maturing,” Zelkind said. “We’re hiring, we’re growing and we’re bringing top-tier talent here.” 

Verlage is the newest add and joins 80 Acres this week as senior VP of operations, agronomy, and research and development. He’s been a part of Walmart’s global food sourcing team since 2010, and most recently served as Walmart’s senior director of agricultural strategy. In that role, he was tasked with redesigning the supply chain of fresh fruits and vegetables from Mexico to Walmart US. Prior, Verlage worked with Nature Sweet Tomatoes, building and operating greenhouse clusters.

“He can help take a company to the next level,” Zelkind said. “Victor has seen everything that’s out there. He understands the retail perspective – what retailers want, what the products are, how to scale and meet demand. This is a legacy-building opportunity for him.”

Noble and Connolly, meanwhile, joined the company this summer. Noble is a former Dole Foods executive and joins 80 Acres as director of food safety and quality. Food safety has been a huge driving force in advancing indoor farming efforts. Connolly will serve as senior director of data science and analytics. Zelkind said that’s a key role as 80 Acres works to improve nutritional value, quality, shelf life and taste.

Noble most recently served as regulatory compliance and technical innovation manager at Dole’s Springfield plant. Connolly was a data science manager for Earnin, a Silicon Valley fintech startup. She also worked at Cincinnati’s 84.51° as director of data science. 

“These are top, internationally recognized experts in their field. All had the chance to work anywhere in the tech world,” Zelkind said. “It’s proof that the industry is ready to take the next step and scale.” 

And, Zelkind said, 80 Acres is ready to do just that – scale, and in a big way. The company has lifted austerity measures put in place at the start of Covid-19, including pay cuts among its leadership team and employee layoffs. He said 80 Acres is nearly complete with its latest construction project, a new $30 million, 70,000-square-foot farm in Hamilton, located on Hamilton Enterprise Park Drive.

Construction is roughly 80% complete. Zelkind said production is scheduled to start Oct. 18 with a first seeding. The Courier was among the first media to tour the building on Saturday.

“This expansion completes our first phase,” Zelkind said. “We’re ready to scale nationally and internationally. Rounding out our senior team just prepares us for that.”