On Thursday, March 24th, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie came to our Newark farm to celebrate our success in creating local jobs and contributing to positive employment trends in the state. The Governor met with AeroFarms leadership and tasted some of our greens before a short speech and press conference on our growing floor.
Here’s what the Governor had to say about AeroFarms:
“Thank you for what you all are doing here. It’s pretty extraordinary stuff! AeroFarms could have located its global headquarters and its R&D center in any other state, but they chose to create the world’s largest Aeroponic farm right here inNewark, New Jersey. This $25 millionredevelopment project was approved for a $6.5 million Grow New Jersey Award and a $2.2 million ERG (Economic Redevelopment and Growth) grant. [It will create] 69 new jobs but also, two million pounds of produce per year. Two million pounds! Equally important, the projectbrings critical capital investment of another $19.2 million right here in the city of Newark, and in the Ironbound.”
Governor Christie met many of our team members and remarked on the delicious flavor of our arugula. Of our team and our greens, Governor Christie said:
“The best part of all this is the smiling faces of the employees I saw when I walked in here. They love working here. They have a job that provides them a good salary and good benefits, provides for their families, and allows them to feel really good about coming to work everyday. That changes families…. By the way I ate some of the arugula grown here – really good! It tastes fabulous, no dressing necessary.”
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Dr. Ed Harwood
Dr. Ed Harwood, a pioneer of aeroponics, was inspired by the vast amounts of disused warehouse spaces he saw while travelling rural areas of the US helping farmers. This inspiration is what led him to invent the indoor vertical farming technology behind AeroFarms. During his life, Ed had over 40 years of agricultural and engineering experience. He fell in love with agriculture the first time he visited his uncle’s dairy farm, and continued studying, inventing and innovating from that point on. Before founding AeroFarms, Ed was a Professor at Cornell University, one of the top agriculture schools in the world where he was responsible for identifying cutting-edge technologies.
Ed was a prominent thought leader in the world of indoor agriculture and was an Individual Finalist for the 2011 World Technology Award. He had a B.S. in Microbiology, a B.S./M.S. in Animal Science from Colorado State University, and a Ph.D. in Dairy Science minoring in Artificial Intelligence from University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Marc Oshima
Marc Oshima co-founded AeroFarms with a deep desire to make fresh, nutritious produce more accessible to communities globally. Marc has an extensive marketing background in retail where he has developed award-winning campaigns for Toys R Us, L’Oreal, as well as Turner Broadcasting and Arbitron.
As Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of AeroFarms, Marc has been recognized by Produce News for their 2020 Vanguard Awards for the Top 35 Innovators Ever Who Have Shaped the Produce Industry, and by Eating Well as one of their 2018 American Food Heroes. Marc has dedicated the majority of his professional career to the food and produce industries and to improving our food systems.
With his B.A. from Columbia College and M.B.A. from Columbia Business School, Marc serves on the Boards for multiple organizations including Produce Marketing Association, CEA Food Safety Coalition, and Chefs Collaborative. Additionally, he is a member of the FDA Romaine Advisory Task Force, Food Systems Advisory Council for the Culinary Institute of America, United Fresh’s Marketing & Merchandising Council, and Columbia University Alumni Advisory Group.
David Rosenberg
David Rosenberg is the Co-founder and CEO of AeroFarms with a tenure in transforming tech innovation with circular economy solutions in mind. David is the founder of Hycrete, a nano-technology company that he led between 2002-2009, and previously an Adjunct Professor at the NYU Stern School of Business where he taught Entrepreneurial Finance. From co-chairing New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s Agriculture Transition Committee to being recognized as on of Produce News’ Top 35 Innovators Ever Who Have Shaped the Produce Industry, David continues to transform food technology as we know it.
Along with leading AeroFarms to new heights, David dedicates his time to several local and international organizations. As a member of the World Economic Forum, David co-founded and co-chaired the Young Global Leaders Circular Economy Taskforce and was a member of the World Economic Forum Global IoT Council. David was also a member of the U.S. delegation to the B20 Sustainable Food System Taskforce, which advises the G20. David has been honored by the Liberty Science Center as a 2019 Genius Innovator, recognized as Ernst & Young’s (NJ) Entrepreneur of the Year (Food and Beverage) and was named one of the 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs at Goldman Sachs’ 2019 Annual Builders and Innovators Summit. In 2008, the World Economic Forum recognized David as Technology Pioneer for his nanotechnology company and in 2010 as a Young Global Leader.