Aug 18, 2020
Get to know the amazing team at Agritecture! This interview features Ricky Stephens, Director of Digital Strategy at Agritecture Consulting!
How did you first get involved with Agritecture?
I’ve been with Agritecture officially for one year but have been working closely with the team for the last three. In 2017, I started AgTech X, NYC’s first incubator dedicated to urban agriculture education & entrepreneurship. Henry (Agritecture’s founder and CEO) was a co-founder and served as a key advisor helping AgTech X get off the ground and making important introductions.
As the Director of Digital Strategy, how has your position evolved?
My primary responsibility is to set the vision and direction for Agritecture’s digital initiatives based on what will provide the most value to our global audience and solve critical business needs for us. This has generally remained the same, but my main focus has gravitated more and more toward running Agritecture Designer - our online platform for planning urban farms.
What prior experience did you bring with you to Agritecture?
I worked at Red Ventures - a leader in digital marketing, sales operations, and data intelligence - for 4 years, helping launch their first international office. While there, I gained some extremely valuable experience in building culture and managing teams. After leaving RV, I co-founded AgTech X, where I witnessed firsthand just how many young professionals are recognizing the major issues plaguing our food & agriculture system and actively seeking to help build potential solutions.
What is one of your favorite projects? Why?
I love working with any clients who have identified a problem in the market and are seeking to utilize data and research to think creatively about a solution. With my marketing background, I also enjoy working with clients that are looking to transition their product or services into the CEA space and need help with their message and content strategy.
What part of controlled environment agriculture excites you the most?
I tend to get excited by some of the aspects of CEA that I feel get discussed the least. One of these is how CEA helps solve critical labor issues by creating year-round jobs and breaking some of the uncertainty surrounding seasonal labor.
Where do you hope to see the industry in 5 years?
I hope to see more financing options open up for smaller-scale CEA operators in the next 5 years. I also want to see a committed effort from CEA researchers and project developers to continue pushing the boundaries on the sustainability front by incorporating more renewable energy solutions and circular economy principles. Finally, I hope to see more financing flow toward necessary links in the supply chain, such as regional food hubs, which can create the economies of scale necessary for small local farms to compete.